Best Picture: The Artist

The Academy Awards were held last night and who would have ever thought that in the sophisticated world of film making a silent film shot in black and white would win for Best Picture? It certainly left me a gasp considering that the Martin Scorsese film Hugo was racking up the Oscars at the start of the night. The Artist was the underdog film that seem to have come out of nowhere and once again the underdog film triumphed. Not only did the movie win Best Picture, but the films leading actor, French star, Jean Dujardin walked away with a golden statue for Best Actor In a Leading Role.
Could this be Hollywood's way of moving back to an era when everything was not given to us in a film, but we had to use our imagination as well? No fancy 3D or freeze framing, but people performing on a screen no words spoken. All this is possible and in my opinion this will not be the last film we will see like this because due to the success of this film there are bound to be copycats.
CONGRATS TO ALL THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES OF THE 84TH ACADEMY AWARDS!!

A Movie Lovers Super Bowl is the Oscars

On Sunday February 5, 2012 on NBC millions of sports fans and football fanatics will gather in homes and bars eyes glued to the television to watch the New York Giants and New England Patriots battle to become Super Bowl champs. The Super Bowl is the highest viewed football game of any season. Many watch just for the highly anticipated commercials that have become ever so famous and others watch to see modern day gladiators battle for victory.
For those of us that are movie lovers or even #movienerds our "Super Bowl" is the Academy Awards which will air on Sunday, February 26, 2012 on ABC. Like the Super Bowl some watch for the fashion and celebrities and others of us watch to see who will take home that coveted prize...the Oscar.
The Super Bowl which is the highest achievement for a football team, so can be said of the Academy Awards for actors and directors. Even if a person is nominated and does not win they will forever be known as Academy Award nominee... which cannot be said of the Super Bowl. A team goes to the Super Bowl and loses they will be known as a LOSER.
Some have called the Academy Awards boring, but it really is not if you can understand the dynamics of the show. The very vibe of the show is "old Hollywood" a time when people did not use profanity on television and ladies were ladies and men were gentlemen. It is a classy, classic award show that holds the highest honor for actors, directors, writers, wardrobe stylist and many more. It is timeless.

My Review: J. Edgar

The film J. Edgar directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Leonardo DiCaprio tells the story of famed FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. The film opens on screen with an aged J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) recounting how he first became interested in the FBI.
Within the first few minutes of the film there is a flashback to the year 1919 where a bombing took place at the home A. Mitchell Palmer and a young 24-year-old J. Edgar arrives on bike and notices the way authorities handled or rather mishandled potential evidence and there he began his life with The Bureau. At 24 he becomes the Acting Director of the FBI.
The film goes on to show J. Edgar's awkwardness, seriousness, caring and mean spirit. This film had its moments when it was comical which is something I did not expect and it even had its moments when as the viewer you were drawn in and could relate to his plight. The film shows that although he was more powerful than the president underneath it all he was as Clyde Tolson, played be Armie Hammer (The Social Network) said "A scared little man."
Also co-starring in this film was Naomi Watts as Helen Gandy, J. Edgar's personal secretary, Judi Dench as J. Edgar's mother and although Jeffrey Donovan was only in a few scenes I enjoyed his performance as Robert Kennedy.
Some seem to think that this film is a little controversial because there is a certain scene that could make some people feel uncomfortable, but homosexuality was a part of J. Edgar Hoover's life and I feel that the film would not have been genuine if it was not included. The overall film is not about a gay relationship between J. Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson (Hammer) to me there relationship throughout the film was more so a friendship. The film portrayed Tolson as being the only person Hoover could turn to and trust.
Leonardo DiCaprio did an excellent job as J. Edgar Hoover and will almost surely receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and the film itself will likely get a nomination for Best Picture. Also, kudos to the make-up artist that worked on the film because they made Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer look almost unrecognizable as an aged Hoover and Tolson.
If you are a person fascinated by history, a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio or just want to get away from seeing the usual shoot 'em up action flicks then this is the film for you.
THUMBS UP.

Puss in Boots towers over 'Tower Heist'

Puss in Boots is a spin off prequel of the character made popular in the Shrek franchise. The cute kitty made his first film appearance in Shrek 2 and is voiced by Antonio Banderas. Puss in Boots follows the adventures of Puss before he meets Shrek. The film opened in theaters on October 28th and although it was expected to capture the number 1 spot for that week it was not expected to stay number 1.
The Brett Ratner film Tower Heist opened on November 4th starring funny men Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller and also starred Matthew Broderick, Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Alan Alda (television show MASH) and many others. With such an all-star cast Tower Heist was expected to knock the saucer from the kitty and grasp the number 1 spot in the box office, but it did not. Puss in Boots stayed number 1 for a second week raking in $33 million and Tower Heist made a cool $25.1 million.
Can Puss in Boots stay number 1 for a third week? We just have to wait and see. This was a bit of a surprise because I expected Tower Heist to dominate, but $25 million is far from chump change.

Eric Bana is set to play Elvis

Eric Bana will play Elvis, but do not get too excited or upset this will not be a bio-pic. The title of the film is "Elvis & Nixon" and the setting is December 21, 1970, when Elvis Presley had a historic meeting with then President Richard Nixon at The White House.

The Actors

Can Eric Bana pull off playing Elvis Presley? In this age of film making anything is possible, but the part of Elvis will require more than slicked back hair and costumes. It will require a swagger, charm and Southern twang. At first there was only rumors that Danny Huston (from X-Men Origins: Wolverine) would play the role of Richard Nixon, but now it has been made official.

The Director

This film will be the directorial debut of actor Cary Elwes probably best known for his acting in the films The Princess Bride and most recently Saw and will be in the upcoming film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. He was so intrigued by the unlikely meeting of the two, Elvis and Nixon that he decided to write and direct this film.

My Opinion

As of right now there is no official release date for this film so stay on the lookout. With the little bit of information that I have I must give my opinion that this film will drag on with dialogue. This meeting between Elvis and Nixon could not have been that long, but maybe there will be more to this film. Hopefully Elwes has written wonderful dialogue, scenes and historical references that will not only intrigue the movie viewers, but the history buffs in attendance. I will just have to wait and see what the movie trailer brings.



Thank you: www.cbsnews.com and The Washington Post Express

17 Minute Gangster Film

The year was 1912 and a film titled "The Musketeers of Pig Alley" hit theaters and no one knew at the time, but this film would open the door for a whole new genre of movies that would span decades. This was the first gangster movie in history or so it is accredited to being so.
This film was written and directed by D.W. Griffith and co-starred Lillian Gish, who is said to have been one of the best actress' in her day.
The Musketeers of Pig Alley is about a poor married couple living in New York City and the husband is a musician who has to travel a lot. On a day when he is returning from one of his trips his wallet gets stolen by a local gang member. The husband's wife (Gish) goes to a ball and a man tries to drug her, but the attempt is stopped the very gang member that stole her husband's wallet. Upset that his plan to drug the woman was spoiled the man and the gang member become rivals and a shootout occurs. The husband recognizes the man that stole his wallet and the husband takes the wallet back. The woman (Gish) grateful for the gang members interference she and her husband hide the gangster in their apartment. When the police come the woman gives a false alibi for the gangster.
This short 17 minute silent movie was filmed in Fort Lee, New Jersey and location shots in New York City used real street gang members as extras.
Back in 1912 this short film may have really shocked and surprised people, but by today's standards this film would not even make a 10-year-old gasp. Considering the society back then and now things have definitely changed. Now days everyday a person hears about someone getting robbed or shot or stabbed or whatever and a person just chalks it up to this is everyday life, but back then to hear about someone getting robbed or there was a shootout it was a big deal, people got frightened.
This was the first film to show the public at large the crime that was taking place in the city streets and made the way for many gangster films to follow.

Neo Ned

The film Neo Ned is about acceptance, a need to belong and it is about a white supremacist that falls in love with a black woman while they are both in a mental institution. This film stars Jeremy Renner (from The Town) and Gabrielle Union (from Daddy's Little Girls). Ned, played by Jeremy Renner is sentenced to a mental hospital after he is charged with having been involved in a racially motived murder. Ned is a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, but as the movie progress' it is shown that Ned's love for Rachael, played by Gabrielle Union, is not so strange.

Rachael (Union) is admitted to the mental hospital because she believes that she is possessed by the spirit of Adolf Hitler and shouts out in German. At first Ned (Renner) mocks and provokes Rachael, but then over time they start to open up to one another and reveal their past. Rachael reveals to Ned that when she was younger she was sexually abused by a man who ran a child photography studio. She also shares with him that she has a young daughter.

Later in the film Ned tells Rachael the real secret behind the hate crime that landed him in the mental hospital.

When Ned is released from the mental institution and is at the bus station he changes into his racist gear (black boots and pants and white t-shirt with a black swastika printed on the front). In this scene one would think that Ned is going back to his old ways until he cashs in his bus ticket, steals a car with ease and sleeps outside the mental hospital he was just released from just so he can follow Rachael and the other patients on there outing to the zoo that was taking place the next day.

At the zoo Ned convinces Rachael to run off with him and so she does. Outside of the hospital the two do not seem to mesh so well. Ned is childish and immature were as Rachael is level headed and mature.

Ned shows his immaturity in many ways such as continuing to wear his swastika shirt even though he was fully involved with Rachael and he would throw tantrums like a child. In one scene they are at the grocery store and he is riding on the front of shopping cart like a child would.

Eventually they break up and Ned forces Rachael to confront the man that molested her when she was young. I will not tell what happens at the end, but it is something I did not expect.

I had never heard of the movie Neo Ned. I was flipping through Netflix and thought it would be good to watch because it starred Jeremy Renner and Gabrielle Union. I was glad I picked it. Neo Ned was an independent film that was first shown at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. It was written by Tim Boughn and directed by Van Fischer. Neo Ned has won 10 film awards and premiered on Starz in August 2008 and was picked up for distribution by CodeBlack Entertainment in 2008.

This film has a great love story, theme, a few comical moments and some good life lessons. I recommend Neo Ned for your viewing pleasure.