Each week I take 5 news items from the current week from the entertainment industry, list them out here and then give my take on them. This is Take 5.
1. Netflix splits apart – For me this is big news, for others maybe not so much. Netflix is splitting the DVD mailing and Instant Streaming businesses apart. Streaming will still be Netflix, while the DVD mail will be Qwikster. They will be completely separate, meaning no queue sharing. Before when I looked up a movie it was either streaming or not, now I’ll have to look through two different sites. That is really annoying. The only bright spot on this is that Qwikster will have a provision to allow for video game rentals which would hopefully save me some money when I cancel my Gamefly account.
2. 28 Million People Watch 2 and a ½ Men Season Premiere – I’ll be honest I checked in for the first 5 minutes to see how they got rid of Charlie Sheen. After his contrition tour that he has been on the past few weeks. I found this to be a little bitter. Killing him off is fine but to spend 5 minutes ripping him apart seemed a bit too much. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the rest of the episode. It was pretty bad before I turned it off. The next scene looked to fart jokes for comedy. This just reassured me that I made the right decision to not watch the show in the first place.
3. Avatar Lands Announced at Walt Disney – The Disney theme parks will soon be home to new lands based on the movie Avatar. I saw Avatar and thought it was a pretty good movie. Not great, but good. And while maybe having one ride or simulator for it may be cool, I don’t think that they will be able to capture the Harry Potter magic with this. Particularly since the sequel won’t come out until 2014. We have no idea what that movie will have or even if it will be good. I feel like there are other franchises to be mined instead of taking a gamble here.
4. The X Factor Premiers on FOX – No other show in history has ever had Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and a black guy with glasses judge singers while a guy with an AUSTRALIAN accent introduces people. That’s right Australian. So it was American Idol with a different host and a live audience. And was it just me or did it sound like some of the noise from the live audience was piped in. It sounded very fake and there was way too much cheering. In reality, I don’t really care about these early rounds. I didn’t watch them on Idol and if I watch it next year I won’t watch them on X-Factor. I’m more interested in where the competition goes next and how will that differ from Idol.
5. Katie Holmes to guest star on How I Met Your Mother – Okay, in reality I don’t really care that much about Katie Holmes she started out a decent actress who could have been something, but now she seems to have been abducted by a cult. Still, it doesn’t upset me that she will be on one of my favorite shows. I am more excited about who she will be playing. Quick spoiler for those that don’t want to know, look away now and come back next week. She is playing the slutty pumpkin. Which shows what this season will be about. Ted going back over his obsessions. He saw Victoria this week and will obviously meet up with the pumpkin again soon. Maybe he’ll get to meet the girl from his date match as well.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Going My Way - The Oscar Project Part XVII
Released in 1944, “Going My Way” was a return to the feel good movie for Oscar. The film features little in the way of dramatic tension or romantic subplots and instead focuses on music and letting Bing Crosby be Bing Crosby.
The plot for the film revolves around Bing Crosby’s character coming to a parish as a new priest that will be looking over the affairs of the church to begin the replacement of the older pastor that the church currently has. The film focuses on the differences between the two of them and on the actions that Crosby’s character takes to unite the local youth. Eventually the church faces hard times and is saved through singing. This feel good plot marked a departure from the more serious films that had won the previous few years. In my opinion this is due to the want in America to be able to feel better and not worry as much about the war that was being fought.
From a production standpoint there wasn’t anything that was wrong, it was a solid movie. But nothing really stood out as memorable either. The movie was a Bing Crosby film. He showed up, acted like Bing Crosby, sang a few songs and that was it. It helps that Bing is cool and I don’t mind watching him act or sing, but the movie could really have used something more than this.
The film just doesn’t hold up to today’s standards. It would most likely not be nominated for an Oscar and at best would be a plot in an episode of Glee. It gets 2 out of 5 stars.
The plot for the film revolves around Bing Crosby’s character coming to a parish as a new priest that will be looking over the affairs of the church to begin the replacement of the older pastor that the church currently has. The film focuses on the differences between the two of them and on the actions that Crosby’s character takes to unite the local youth. Eventually the church faces hard times and is saved through singing. This feel good plot marked a departure from the more serious films that had won the previous few years. In my opinion this is due to the want in America to be able to feel better and not worry as much about the war that was being fought.
From a production standpoint there wasn’t anything that was wrong, it was a solid movie. But nothing really stood out as memorable either. The movie was a Bing Crosby film. He showed up, acted like Bing Crosby, sang a few songs and that was it. It helps that Bing is cool and I don’t mind watching him act or sing, but the movie could really have used something more than this.
The film just doesn’t hold up to today’s standards. It would most likely not be nominated for an Oscar and at best would be a plot in an episode of Glee. It gets 2 out of 5 stars.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Emmy 2011 Review
The Emmys are a strange award. The fact that they are for television means that each year the broadcast cycles between the four major networks. This year FOX aired the Emmy's. FOX is a strange network in that a third of its lineup is dedicated to singing competitions and it has 7 hours less of programming every week then the other networks and no morning show. This was evident in the pre-show which was full of people that I had never heard of trying to interview celebrities, none of whom succeeded.
Then the show started with Jane Lynch hosting. I wasn't sure how she would do. I am a fan of her comedy, but I didn't think that she would be allowed to be the Jane Lynch that I know from the Christopher Guest movies. And I was right. The opening number was OK, but it was missing some of the magic and fun that television can bring. The bit inside the offices of Mad Men was brilliant though. Her opening monologue was a little too nice. I think she didn't want to come off as Sue Sylvester, her character from Glee. The rest of the show she did a few one-liners that were worth a few chuckles, but it took a while for her to let go and get those out.
The show also had a few other bits worth mentioning. The Lonely Island medley was entertaining and I still can't get enough Jack Sparrow. The bit with other characters from TV showing up at the Office was hilarious, Jesse Pinkman as Creed's crack dealer was awesome. However this doesn't mean there weren't any duds. The Jersey Shore sequence was awful, as is anything with the Jersey Shore cast. Ricky Gervais isn't funny if he's being edited. But neither of these were as bad as the Emmytones. I love almost every actor that was up there singing, but I grew to hate them more and more as the night went on. Bringing in LL Cool J at the end did not improve things. In fact that was the worst thing I have ever seen him do, and I saw "Toys."
From a award perspective I am not to upset with the winners. I am a little upset that my picks were completely wrong. My only real objection is to the winner for Lead Actor in a Comedy. Steve Carell not winning means that the Emmy's decided not to award the portrayal of one of the greatest TV characters ever, Michael Gary Scott. It's a shame because Michael will always be remembered. Do you really think Sheldon will? And it had plenty of opportunity because he was nominated 6 times.
People can get bored with TV award shows easily because they award the same shows year after year. But if a show is good there isn't much we can complain about. Good is good. Except for "The Big Bang Theory" that show is racist against my people, the geeks. And for this geek the Emmy's 2011 gets 3 out of 5 stars.
Then the show started with Jane Lynch hosting. I wasn't sure how she would do. I am a fan of her comedy, but I didn't think that she would be allowed to be the Jane Lynch that I know from the Christopher Guest movies. And I was right. The opening number was OK, but it was missing some of the magic and fun that television can bring. The bit inside the offices of Mad Men was brilliant though. Her opening monologue was a little too nice. I think she didn't want to come off as Sue Sylvester, her character from Glee. The rest of the show she did a few one-liners that were worth a few chuckles, but it took a while for her to let go and get those out.
The show also had a few other bits worth mentioning. The Lonely Island medley was entertaining and I still can't get enough Jack Sparrow. The bit with other characters from TV showing up at the Office was hilarious, Jesse Pinkman as Creed's crack dealer was awesome. However this doesn't mean there weren't any duds. The Jersey Shore sequence was awful, as is anything with the Jersey Shore cast. Ricky Gervais isn't funny if he's being edited. But neither of these were as bad as the Emmytones. I love almost every actor that was up there singing, but I grew to hate them more and more as the night went on. Bringing in LL Cool J at the end did not improve things. In fact that was the worst thing I have ever seen him do, and I saw "Toys."
From a award perspective I am not to upset with the winners. I am a little upset that my picks were completely wrong. My only real objection is to the winner for Lead Actor in a Comedy. Steve Carell not winning means that the Emmy's decided not to award the portrayal of one of the greatest TV characters ever, Michael Gary Scott. It's a shame because Michael will always be remembered. Do you really think Sheldon will? And it had plenty of opportunity because he was nominated 6 times.
People can get bored with TV award shows easily because they award the same shows year after year. But if a show is good there isn't much we can complain about. Good is good. Except for "The Big Bang Theory" that show is racist against my people, the geeks. And for this geek the Emmy's 2011 gets 3 out of 5 stars.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Take 5 - 09/16/11
Each week I take 5 news items from the current week from the entertainment industry, list them out here and then give my take on them. This is Take 5.
1. The Death of Andy Whitfield – Andy was a small name before his breakout performance in the Starz series “Spartacus.” The first season of the show was quite a bit of fun and I was saddened when I learned that he wouldn’t be returning due to his struggle with cancer. On the show the guy was ripped and you would never think that he would be dead within 3 years. It shows how ruthless and aggressive cancer can be. Andy was a young star on the rise before his death and it is too bad that we won’t get to see what he was capable of.
2. Remakes of “Highlander” and “Point Break” – Both of these movies are considered cult classics, which meant it was only a matter of time before Hollywood remade them. I can understand remaking “Highlander.” The franchise has several movies and a TV show. There is a following there and if “Star Trek” can do it why not them. As for “Point Break”, why even do a remake. It was a simple action film that had surfing, jumping out of a plane and president masks. Does the name “Point Break” actually mean anything? It’s not like the world has been crazy for them to make more.
3. “Ringer” premieres to highest ratings in 3 years on the CW – Good for them. I watched the pilot for “Ringer” this week, and honestly, meh. Sarah Michelle Gellar puts in an okay performance with the material she is given, but the show appears to be a little too soapy for my tastes. There looks to be a lot of potential for future plots, but I have an issue with the main character. She acts like a perfectly normal person with almost no edge, yet she was a drug addicted stripper who worked at places were killers would go. I would think she wouldn’t be so naïve. The twin is much more interesting as it is SMG playing her character from “Cruel Intentions”. Would rather see much more of her than the boring Bridget.
4. “The Lion King 3D” opens in theatres – I hate 3D. At best it should be used for depth of vision. Not to wave some lion cub in your face. The only time it is acceptable to have 3D is if the film was conceived and filmed in 3D. “The Lion King” wasn’t built to be made into 3D, this is just a gamble by Disney to earn a few extra bucks in September. I have the DVD at home, if I really feel like watching it, I’ll put that in. If I really want to see it in 3D, I would rather fly to New York and watch the stage show then go see it in the theater.
5. “Star Wars” is released on Blu-Ray – I like to be on the front lines of technology, however as of today I have yet to buy a blu-ray player. The reason for this is simple, I don’t think this is the future. The future lies in digital distribution, where I can stream, rent or own everything in a virtual world. For that reason it will be a long time before I switch to Blu-Ray. Of course the big news from this are all the changes that Lucas has once again decided to make. Looking at the changes, I just have to say the guy is freaking nuts. He has lost all sense of what makes his movies popular and just keeps fiddling with the movies. There have now been 5 different releases of these films. In each one the film is just slightly different. Lucas needs to stop fooling around with his films, hand the reigns over to someone else and go swimming in his money Scrooge McDuck style.
1. The Death of Andy Whitfield – Andy was a small name before his breakout performance in the Starz series “Spartacus.” The first season of the show was quite a bit of fun and I was saddened when I learned that he wouldn’t be returning due to his struggle with cancer. On the show the guy was ripped and you would never think that he would be dead within 3 years. It shows how ruthless and aggressive cancer can be. Andy was a young star on the rise before his death and it is too bad that we won’t get to see what he was capable of.
2. Remakes of “Highlander” and “Point Break” – Both of these movies are considered cult classics, which meant it was only a matter of time before Hollywood remade them. I can understand remaking “Highlander.” The franchise has several movies and a TV show. There is a following there and if “Star Trek” can do it why not them. As for “Point Break”, why even do a remake. It was a simple action film that had surfing, jumping out of a plane and president masks. Does the name “Point Break” actually mean anything? It’s not like the world has been crazy for them to make more.
3. “Ringer” premieres to highest ratings in 3 years on the CW – Good for them. I watched the pilot for “Ringer” this week, and honestly, meh. Sarah Michelle Gellar puts in an okay performance with the material she is given, but the show appears to be a little too soapy for my tastes. There looks to be a lot of potential for future plots, but I have an issue with the main character. She acts like a perfectly normal person with almost no edge, yet she was a drug addicted stripper who worked at places were killers would go. I would think she wouldn’t be so naïve. The twin is much more interesting as it is SMG playing her character from “Cruel Intentions”. Would rather see much more of her than the boring Bridget.
4. “The Lion King 3D” opens in theatres – I hate 3D. At best it should be used for depth of vision. Not to wave some lion cub in your face. The only time it is acceptable to have 3D is if the film was conceived and filmed in 3D. “The Lion King” wasn’t built to be made into 3D, this is just a gamble by Disney to earn a few extra bucks in September. I have the DVD at home, if I really feel like watching it, I’ll put that in. If I really want to see it in 3D, I would rather fly to New York and watch the stage show then go see it in the theater.
5. “Star Wars” is released on Blu-Ray – I like to be on the front lines of technology, however as of today I have yet to buy a blu-ray player. The reason for this is simple, I don’t think this is the future. The future lies in digital distribution, where I can stream, rent or own everything in a virtual world. For that reason it will be a long time before I switch to Blu-Ray. Of course the big news from this are all the changes that Lucas has once again decided to make. Looking at the changes, I just have to say the guy is freaking nuts. He has lost all sense of what makes his movies popular and just keeps fiddling with the movies. There have now been 5 different releases of these films. In each one the film is just slightly different. Lucas needs to stop fooling around with his films, hand the reigns over to someone else and go swimming in his money Scrooge McDuck style.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Emmy Predictions 2011
The 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards will be given out this weekend. Here are my takes on the big races with who I think will win and who should win.
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Parks And Recreation
30 Rock
I think “Modern Family” takes the prize home again this year. While the 2nd season wasn’t as strong as the first it was still a very funny show. Add in the fact that it has emotional moments and this becomes candy to Emmy voters. If I were voting it would go to “Parks and Recreation”, the funniest show on TV.
Outstanding Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game Of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men
This is a tough category to call, my gut tells me that “Mad Men” will win again, which I think it deserves to. However, with it not airing this summer I worry that some may have forgotten how good it is. I think “Game of Thrones” and “Boardwalk Empire” may split some votes and end up giving “The Good Wife” a surprise victory.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory
Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter, The Big Bang Theory
Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Louis C.K. as Louie, Louie
Steve Carell as Michael Scott, The Office
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock
Honestly, this is a pretty sorry looking group. Due to this being his last year I would imagine that Steve Carell wins this. Honestly, from this list it’s who I would pick. But I would rather see others nominated than the people that are up there.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, Boardwalk Empire
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, Dexter
Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor, Friday Night Lights
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, House
Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, Justified
Jon Hamm as Don Draper, Mad Men
With Bryan Cranston not eligible this year, the award will go to someone else for the first time in 3 years. Emmy has been waiting to award this to Jon Hamm who has deserved the award since day one.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Laura Linney as Cathy Jamison, The Big C
Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn, Mike & Molly
Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton, Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, Parks And Recreation
Martha Plimpton as Virginia Chance, Raising Hope
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, 30 Rock
If it were up to me Amy Poehler would have already been given this award. But I don’t think that the Emmy’s fully understand “Parks and Recreation” yet. I’m betting that Laura Linney receives it. She’s on a comedy about cancer, that’s like crack for Emmy voters.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Connie Britton as Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights
Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, The Good Wife
Kathy Bates as Harriet "Harry" Korn, Harry's Law
Mireille Enos as Sarah Linden, The Killing
Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Mad Men
Elisabeth Moss deserves this award for her work on “Mad Men” but I think that the voters will go with a network show here and we will see Julianna Margulies take how the award.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett, Modern Family
Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker, Modern Family
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Modern Family
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper, Two and a Half Men
Talk about a difficult category. I would give the award to Nick Offerman from “Parks and Recreation”, but he isn’t on the list. It’s a toss up, the award will go to either Ed O’Neill or Chris Colfer.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones
Josh Charles as Will Gardner, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming as Eli Gold, The Good Wife
Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder, Justified
John Slattery as Roger Sterling, Mad Men
Andre Braugher as Owen, Men of a Certain Age
Slattery should have won last year for his work, but he was still really good this year. But I don’t think he will get it. Emmy will take this chance to recognize “Game of Thrones” and give it to Dinklage. And who doesn’t want to see a little person on stage.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, Glee
Betty White as Elka Ostrosky, Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig as Various characters, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney, 30 Rock
For me Julie Bowen plays one of the best characters on “Modern Family” and I think it should go to her. But with Jane Lynch hosting and it being the best chance for “Glee” to get some Emmy love. I think it goes to her.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Schroeder, Boardwalk Empire
Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma, The Good Wife
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale as Mags Bennett, Justified
Michelle Forbes as Mitch Larsen, The Killing
Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris, Mad Men
Anyone but Michelle Forbes, please. I watched “The Killing” and I hated her portrayal of the character. Yuck. I think Emmy may go for Kelly MacDonald here. Though this is a tough race to predict. I would be really happy if Christina Hendricks won though.
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Parks And Recreation
30 Rock
I think “Modern Family” takes the prize home again this year. While the 2nd season wasn’t as strong as the first it was still a very funny show. Add in the fact that it has emotional moments and this becomes candy to Emmy voters. If I were voting it would go to “Parks and Recreation”, the funniest show on TV.
Outstanding Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game Of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men
This is a tough category to call, my gut tells me that “Mad Men” will win again, which I think it deserves to. However, with it not airing this summer I worry that some may have forgotten how good it is. I think “Game of Thrones” and “Boardwalk Empire” may split some votes and end up giving “The Good Wife” a surprise victory.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, The Big Bang Theory
Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter, The Big Bang Theory
Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Louis C.K. as Louie, Louie
Steve Carell as Michael Scott, The Office
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock
Honestly, this is a pretty sorry looking group. Due to this being his last year I would imagine that Steve Carell wins this. Honestly, from this list it’s who I would pick. But I would rather see others nominated than the people that are up there.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, Boardwalk Empire
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, Dexter
Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor, Friday Night Lights
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, House
Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, Justified
Jon Hamm as Don Draper, Mad Men
With Bryan Cranston not eligible this year, the award will go to someone else for the first time in 3 years. Emmy has been waiting to award this to Jon Hamm who has deserved the award since day one.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Laura Linney as Cathy Jamison, The Big C
Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn, Mike & Molly
Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton, Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, Parks And Recreation
Martha Plimpton as Virginia Chance, Raising Hope
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, 30 Rock
If it were up to me Amy Poehler would have already been given this award. But I don’t think that the Emmy’s fully understand “Parks and Recreation” yet. I’m betting that Laura Linney receives it. She’s on a comedy about cancer, that’s like crack for Emmy voters.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Connie Britton as Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights
Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, The Good Wife
Kathy Bates as Harriet "Harry" Korn, Harry's Law
Mireille Enos as Sarah Linden, The Killing
Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Mad Men
Elisabeth Moss deserves this award for her work on “Mad Men” but I think that the voters will go with a network show here and we will see Julianna Margulies take how the award.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett, Modern Family
Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker, Modern Family
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy, Modern Family
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper, Two and a Half Men
Talk about a difficult category. I would give the award to Nick Offerman from “Parks and Recreation”, but he isn’t on the list. It’s a toss up, the award will go to either Ed O’Neill or Chris Colfer.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones
Josh Charles as Will Gardner, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming as Eli Gold, The Good Wife
Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder, Justified
John Slattery as Roger Sterling, Mad Men
Andre Braugher as Owen, Men of a Certain Age
Slattery should have won last year for his work, but he was still really good this year. But I don’t think he will get it. Emmy will take this chance to recognize “Game of Thrones” and give it to Dinklage. And who doesn’t want to see a little person on stage.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, Glee
Betty White as Elka Ostrosky, Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig as Various characters, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney, 30 Rock
For me Julie Bowen plays one of the best characters on “Modern Family” and I think it should go to her. But with Jane Lynch hosting and it being the best chance for “Glee” to get some Emmy love. I think it goes to her.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Schroeder, Boardwalk Empire
Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma, The Good Wife
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale as Mags Bennett, Justified
Michelle Forbes as Mitch Larsen, The Killing
Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris, Mad Men
Anyone but Michelle Forbes, please. I watched “The Killing” and I hated her portrayal of the character. Yuck. I think Emmy may go for Kelly MacDonald here. Though this is a tough race to predict. I would be really happy if Christina Hendricks won though.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Casablanca - The Oscar Project Part XVI
“Casablanca” is the first movie on my list that I had already had the pleasure of viewing. In fact when I sat down to watch it as part of this project; it was my third time watching it. I loved it the first time I saw it, and immediately watched it again to make sure I understood everything that was going on in this fantastic film. But that was almost 10 years ago. Now that I had watched other Oscar films and become even more critical would I still love it? Well yes of course I would. It’s “Casablanca.”
Released in 1943, the movie could have easily slipped into an overly patriotic film like “Mrs. Miniver” did. However, the focus of the film rested squarely on the characters and the world that the film created. The fact that there is a war going on seemed almost like an afterthought. The movie is set in Casablanca, Morocco, one of the gateways to get out from the influence of the Germans and over to America. A French revolutionary leader is trying to escape from Casablanca to the United States but is in need of a pair of exit visas to get out of Morocco. This is the basic premise of the film, but does not begin to describe what is actually going on. The film focuses on characters instead of plot. The audience is engaged in the relationship that Rick has and once had with Ilsa. This relationship moves the movie along. Throw in the characters of Renault, Sam and Laszlo and the movie begins to show so many sides of the war and of human beings themselves that it can be overwhelming and fantastic at the same time.
From a direction standpoint the film doesn’t miss a beat. Michael Curtiz is able to capture a million memorable shots into the film. It is a movie that leaves images in your mind once you’ve watched it. He pulls from the actors fantastic portrayals of characters that are simply timeless. Curtiz shows that he was a master of the black and white era. Comparing this movie to other movies released during this time period isn’t fair. There is enough contrast between the light and the dark, that it can easily be compared to the black and white films that are released today. The script is equally wonderful, filled with so many memorable lines that the film has more entries in AFI’s top 100 movie quotes than any other. All of them were delivered perfectly by a cast led by the amazing Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Finally pulling it all together is the soundtrack featuring the timeless classic “As Time Goes By.”
I could continue gushing over this movie forever. It is one of the best movies ever put to film. If you haven’t seen it, give it a try and if you haven’t watched it recently, dust it off and watch it again. You won’t regret it. “Casablanca” gets 5 out of 5 stars.
Released in 1943, the movie could have easily slipped into an overly patriotic film like “Mrs. Miniver” did. However, the focus of the film rested squarely on the characters and the world that the film created. The fact that there is a war going on seemed almost like an afterthought. The movie is set in Casablanca, Morocco, one of the gateways to get out from the influence of the Germans and over to America. A French revolutionary leader is trying to escape from Casablanca to the United States but is in need of a pair of exit visas to get out of Morocco. This is the basic premise of the film, but does not begin to describe what is actually going on. The film focuses on characters instead of plot. The audience is engaged in the relationship that Rick has and once had with Ilsa. This relationship moves the movie along. Throw in the characters of Renault, Sam and Laszlo and the movie begins to show so many sides of the war and of human beings themselves that it can be overwhelming and fantastic at the same time.
From a direction standpoint the film doesn’t miss a beat. Michael Curtiz is able to capture a million memorable shots into the film. It is a movie that leaves images in your mind once you’ve watched it. He pulls from the actors fantastic portrayals of characters that are simply timeless. Curtiz shows that he was a master of the black and white era. Comparing this movie to other movies released during this time period isn’t fair. There is enough contrast between the light and the dark, that it can easily be compared to the black and white films that are released today. The script is equally wonderful, filled with so many memorable lines that the film has more entries in AFI’s top 100 movie quotes than any other. All of them were delivered perfectly by a cast led by the amazing Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Finally pulling it all together is the soundtrack featuring the timeless classic “As Time Goes By.”
I could continue gushing over this movie forever. It is one of the best movies ever put to film. If you haven’t seen it, give it a try and if you haven’t watched it recently, dust it off and watch it again. You won’t regret it. “Casablanca” gets 5 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Harry Potter: A Look Back
With the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” one of the most ambitious projects in movie history draws to a close. The ending of this film franchise is in many ways more significant than the ending of the book series. A seven part series of books released over the course of a decade happens all the time. But movies are different. Rarely does a movie studio commit to keeping the quality of a movie series at the same level while sticking to one long running narrative for so long. When it is finished the Harry Potter franchise will be the most successful movie franchise in history. Its closest competitor is the James Bond franchise and that has over 20 films to fall back on.
Let’s take a look at why it is special and compare it to some of the other long running franchises out there. First, in one decade the franchise has managed to release 8 movies. Over all of them the lowest (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) has a rotten tomatoes score of 78% which is pretty good. It means that when taking the scores from all the critics across the country not one Potter film has been a failure. Over the course of 8 movies (early reviews has the last film earning a 97% rating) not one has been considered a bad movie. In fact all of them have grossed over $200 million domestically and over $500 million worldwide. No movie series has been able to maintain that same level of consistency across the board. The Star Wars franchise matches it on a money basis, but the last three are almost all universally panned. The James Bond franchise comes close to matching it from a money perspective, but it has needed 22 films to do that and it doesn’t have a overarching story, each movie (except for recent entries) stands on its own and is new audience friendly. Star Trek, X-Men, Superman, Batman none of these long running franchises come close to doing what Harry Potter has done. And remember he’s done it all in one decade.
But of course Harry Potter has made money, the books are loved by almost everyone that reads them, and almost everyone has read them. With that big of an install base Warner Bros. could have just put up a few cardboard sets, hired a couple of kids and some adults that sounded British and then just sit back and count the money. Fortunately they didn’t do that. They gambled that interest wouldn’t decrease in the series by green lighting multiple movies at once, hiring established British actors, hiring well known directors and striking deals to remain with the same cast throughout the movies. This consistency has brought even more gravitas to the release of the final movie as we are saying goodbye to the portrayals of characters that we have been able to spend close to 20 hours with.
The first two movies introduced us to the movie world of Harry Potter. They were both full of wonder and excitement. And Kenneth Branagh, every time I watch “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” I spend half the movie just speaking his lines, which are delivered perfectly. The third movie was a breath of fresh air. It remains to the day my favorite of the series (I have yet to see the last movie yet). “Goblet of Fire” felt like a straight up action/adventure movie. “Order of the Phoenix” is my least favorite of the franchise, both in book and movie form. The problem comes from the fact that Harry isn’t very likable in this chapter. However, I do realize how important it was to make Harry more human and not have him be the perfect hero throughout the entire series. The sixth and seventh (and I will assume the 8th) feel like one long epic movie. Together they form a fitting topper to the delicious cake that the previous five movies have built for us.
I don’t know what is next for Harry Potter. I will be checking in on the new Pottermore website that Rowling is launching later this year. For those looking for somewhere to go I do have a few recommendations. For the younger crowd check out “The Hunger Games” or the Percy Jackson series. Both are great reads, I don’t really recommend the Percy Jackson movie, but a movie based on “The Hunger Games” will be released next year and I am already getting hyped for it. If you’re a little older and want to try something more advanced I recommend “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin. It is another 7 part series that hasn’t been completed yet but I haven’t enjoyed reading fantasy so much since I read “The Lord of the Rings.” Note that this is a dense series and if you found LOTR to difficult to get through it is best to pass on this and check out the HBO series “Game of Thrones” based on the novel.
Harry has proved that he can do magic in the literary world, the movie world and the video game world (the Lego Harry Potter games are awesome). Next we’ll see how he does in the social media world. And even if he’s not able to work his magic there, I am sure that I will still lose a lot of weekends in the future to always popular Harry Potter Weekend on ABC Family.
Let’s take a look at why it is special and compare it to some of the other long running franchises out there. First, in one decade the franchise has managed to release 8 movies. Over all of them the lowest (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) has a rotten tomatoes score of 78% which is pretty good. It means that when taking the scores from all the critics across the country not one Potter film has been a failure. Over the course of 8 movies (early reviews has the last film earning a 97% rating) not one has been considered a bad movie. In fact all of them have grossed over $200 million domestically and over $500 million worldwide. No movie series has been able to maintain that same level of consistency across the board. The Star Wars franchise matches it on a money basis, but the last three are almost all universally panned. The James Bond franchise comes close to matching it from a money perspective, but it has needed 22 films to do that and it doesn’t have a overarching story, each movie (except for recent entries) stands on its own and is new audience friendly. Star Trek, X-Men, Superman, Batman none of these long running franchises come close to doing what Harry Potter has done. And remember he’s done it all in one decade.
But of course Harry Potter has made money, the books are loved by almost everyone that reads them, and almost everyone has read them. With that big of an install base Warner Bros. could have just put up a few cardboard sets, hired a couple of kids and some adults that sounded British and then just sit back and count the money. Fortunately they didn’t do that. They gambled that interest wouldn’t decrease in the series by green lighting multiple movies at once, hiring established British actors, hiring well known directors and striking deals to remain with the same cast throughout the movies. This consistency has brought even more gravitas to the release of the final movie as we are saying goodbye to the portrayals of characters that we have been able to spend close to 20 hours with.
The first two movies introduced us to the movie world of Harry Potter. They were both full of wonder and excitement. And Kenneth Branagh, every time I watch “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” I spend half the movie just speaking his lines, which are delivered perfectly. The third movie was a breath of fresh air. It remains to the day my favorite of the series (I have yet to see the last movie yet). “Goblet of Fire” felt like a straight up action/adventure movie. “Order of the Phoenix” is my least favorite of the franchise, both in book and movie form. The problem comes from the fact that Harry isn’t very likable in this chapter. However, I do realize how important it was to make Harry more human and not have him be the perfect hero throughout the entire series. The sixth and seventh (and I will assume the 8th) feel like one long epic movie. Together they form a fitting topper to the delicious cake that the previous five movies have built for us.
I don’t know what is next for Harry Potter. I will be checking in on the new Pottermore website that Rowling is launching later this year. For those looking for somewhere to go I do have a few recommendations. For the younger crowd check out “The Hunger Games” or the Percy Jackson series. Both are great reads, I don’t really recommend the Percy Jackson movie, but a movie based on “The Hunger Games” will be released next year and I am already getting hyped for it. If you’re a little older and want to try something more advanced I recommend “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin. It is another 7 part series that hasn’t been completed yet but I haven’t enjoyed reading fantasy so much since I read “The Lord of the Rings.” Note that this is a dense series and if you found LOTR to difficult to get through it is best to pass on this and check out the HBO series “Game of Thrones” based on the novel.
Harry has proved that he can do magic in the literary world, the movie world and the video game world (the Lego Harry Potter games are awesome). Next we’ll see how he does in the social media world. And even if he’s not able to work his magic there, I am sure that I will still lose a lot of weekends in the future to always popular Harry Potter Weekend on ABC Family.
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