TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2016

The lights of 2016 are dimming.  This means many things, one of which is me picking out my ten favorite movies of the year.  This year marked an anniversary of sorts for me.  At the start of September, marked a decade in which I have been to see a movie, on the big screen, every weekend.  That is worth celebrating.  Also coming up in 2017 I will celebrate fifteen years of saving my ticket stubs, and placing them in my dvds/blu rays as I collect them.  That’s another story.

2016 brought many opportunities for me to go to the cinema.  This year I continued my opening weekend tradition with a party for the opening of the summer movie season.  The title was Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War.  I always enjoy putting on these opening night movie events.  It depresses me that I don’t get to host them as often as I once did.  I did manage to do a handful of them this year including evenings for Star Trek: Beyond, Rogue One, and Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them.

Before you get into the list please allow me to give an honorable mention to Sully.  Politics aside Clint Eastwood still is one of my favorite directors working today.  He crafted an intelligent movie that captivated me through out, even though I knew exactly how it was going to end.  I wanted to include it on my top ten list but had to make a tough decision because there were a lot of movies I really loved this year.

As always there are movies that I haven’t seen for consideration of this list but that’s why I have The One That Got Away (under the best of the rest portion of this list) for next year’s list.  

Without further ado I get to my top ten of the year. I hope you enjoy the list and my Best of the Rest portion as much as I enjoyed putting this together.

10. Jackie

I’m a huge fan of Natalie Portman (she’s one of my two current Hollywood crushes) and have a fascination with the Kennedy President, First Lady Kennedy especially.  Naturally I was excited when I saw the first trailers for Jackie.  95 minutes after the film started I was in love with this movie.  It never dragged as in centered around one of the biggest controversies in American history.  Both Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard, as Bobby Kennedy, shined in their respective roles. I’m curious to read how much of the movie is fact vs creative fiction.  In the days to come I’ll be reading up, again, on the events in the film.  That to me is a sign of an intriguing movie.

9. Kubo & the Two Strings

2016 brought a variety of animated movies that I really enjoyed.  Sausage Party (don’t take the kids to this one), Zootopia, Miss Hokusai, Finding Dory, and chief among them Kubo & the Two Strings.  The film was gorgeous to watch with really interesting characters.  The story was simple but told really elegantly.  I also loved hearing the voice cast that included Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara, & Ralph Fiennes.  It doesn’t matter what your age is, this one is incredibly entertaining to watch.  

8. Miss Sloane

Jessica Chastain is my other current hollywood crush and I was excited to see her in Miss Sloane.  The movie focuses on a DC lobbyist battling for a bill on gun control.  The movie reminded me a lot of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  Both features present a lot of information and characters, very little of which an audience member can trust until everything comes together in the end.  I enjoyed that cat and mouse aspect of the movie.  There’s also a really great pay off at the end of the movie that is worth sitting through the two hour twelve minute run time.

7. Free State of Jones

Free State of Jones focuses on a true story from the civil war that I was unfamiliar with.  After the movie I went home and read up a little on the events surrounding portrayed.  There’s a sub plot set a two generations later that was also compelling.  I enjoy movies with great stories.  That’s exactly what Free State of Jones is, a movie with an incredible story.

6. Loving

Loving is very beautiful movie to watch.  It’s also heartbreaking that not so long ago interracial marriages were illegal.  The movie follows a couple that changed that in the United States.  I loved how subtle the movie was.  There was no flashy trial in front of the supreme court, nor was there a triumphant moment that was accompanied by a heavy orchestra.  Instead the movie focused on Richard and Mildred Loving’s relationship and life together.  The historical victory of their’s was more of a sub plot in their life together.  I loved the subtly in that and throughout the story.

5. Eye in the Sky

It did my heart good to see Alan Rickman one more time on the big screen.  I was a huge fan of his from the first time I saw Die Hard.  He did not disappoint in this one either.  

Very few films I saw this year were as timely as Eye in the Sky.  The film focuses on a drone mission, cutting between the drone pilots, the mission commander, heads of state observing the mission, and the mission itself, all of which were happening simultaneously around the globe.  I won’t give away the ending but I really enjoyed how this film ended, giving a great since of reality to the movie.  I was impressed with how well the movie showed decisions being made, including the lack of making them, and how it effected everyone involved with the mission.

4. Green Room

No performance creeped me out more this year then Patrick Stewart’s in Green Room.  He plays the villain in the movie, a leader of a neo-nazi group.  I loved seeing him play against his hero stereo type. 

Though he finished a few more movies before his untimely death, Green Room also serves as the last film that Anton Yelchin starred in before he passed.  He was perfectly cast as the leader of a punk rock band, literally fighting for their lives.  

Of course there is much more to this movie then the perfectly cast two leads.  It’s a great atmosphere to it and is filled with nail biting suspense.  I know this kind of movie isn’t for every one.  For those who find thriller/horror films up their ally check this one out.  You won’t regret it. 

3.  Hell or High Water

Sit back and prepare to take one hell of a roller coaster ride over the next 102 minutes when watching Hell or High Water.  I saw this movie over the summer and never wanted it to end.  I was on the edge of my seat for the entire running time.  It was a great counter program to the big blockbusters of the summer and easily the best movie the light up the screen during the summer season.  It’s one I could of easily seen twice in theaters.  The final showdown with Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, and Ben Foster was one of the greatest in recent memory.  

2. Moonlight

No other movie this year made me as uncomfortable or tugged at my heart strings more then Moonlight.  The movie follows one individual through three very different and three very trying times in his life.  It starts in adolescents, continues in high school, and concludes in young adulthood.  It follows his as he struggles with his surroundings and who he is as an individual.  Every frame of this movie was beautifully shot and the movie was very emotionally difficult to watch.  It’s an incredible ensemble where I only knew one of the actors in it (Naomie Harris, the current Moneypenny in the 007 franchise).  There’s much talent in this movie and I look forward to seeing Mahershala Ali in more movies.

And my number one favorite film of the year is . . .

1. Arrival

I’m a huge fan of science fiction movies, after all this list is bookended with two of them.  Both were excellent movies and very different movies.  This one was above and beyond excellent.  The movie is about establishing a way to communicate with aliens that have arrived.  Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forrest Whitaker are all fantastic in the movie.  Arrival also features an incredible amount of nail biting suspense, which is something that I love in my movies.  It’s well thought out and is an incredibly well written feature.  Though able to predict where the film was going I still was breathless when the movie ended.  This movie must be seen, especially with others.

THE BEST OF THE REST

Every year this list comes out around the turn of the new year.  There are always a handful of films, that are released wide, after the new years page is turned.  The One That Got Away is to recognize the best film of last year that I saw after the publication of the previous list.  Previous honorees have included Zero Dark Thirty, Inside Llewyn Davis, and American Sniper.  I’m also including what I consider to be the best female and male performance as well as screenplay and my favorite repertory screening I attended during the year.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: The Hateful Eight

I am a huge fan of Quentin Tarintino’s work, and have been for a long time.  It’s no surprise then at how excited I was when The Hateful Eight was released.  The movie has a simple setting with incredibly well written and acted characters to drive the story forward.  Jennifer Jason Leigh easily gives the best performance of an incredible ensemble that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern among others. The film boasted an impressive runtime of three hours but never did I feel my attention strained.

FEMALE PERFORMANCE (lead & supporting): LEAD: Natalie Portman Jackie SUPPORTING: Naomie Harris Moonlight

MALE PERFORMANCE (lead &  supporting):  LEAD: Tom Hanks Sully SUPPORTING: Mahershala Ali Moonlight

SCREENPLAY (original &  adapted): ORIGINAL: Hell Or High Water ADAPTED: Arrival

REPERTORY SCREENING: The Big Lebowski 

With all that said and done let’s go the movies!

Dancing with my Movie Anxiety

Christmas is almost upon us folks!  Who’s had their fill of Christmas specials yet?  I’ve watched my traditional Polar Express and hosted my annual 1947 Miracle on 34th Street party.

However my moviegoing anxiety just kicked into overdrive.  I get super excited about the number of awards contenders and holiday blockbusters being released into theaters.  Finding time to see these movies is now my highest priority. Yes it'll be causing me anxiety, trying to see them all as soon as humanly possible.

Jackie currently leads the pack.  It’s a movie that covers two of my favorite obsessions.  The first is the former first lady of the United States Jackie Kennedy and the second is Natalie Portman.  Also Fences arrives Christmas day.  It’s an Oscar bait movie starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.  No doubt I’ll be there to see it.

I’m days away from my Rogue One: A Star Wars Story release party.  My menu is set and bar is stocked for the event.  In the next day and a half I’ll start preparing for the evening.

On the topic of sci fi releases Passengers is coming out next week and I’m in mega anticipation for that one.

Other releases coming out around this time are the animated flick Sing, which looks like pure fun.  Then Assassins Creed is coming out.  This film looks like complete garbage, and will probably end up being just that. However it stars Michael Fassbender, who I love as an actor.  Marion Cotilliard is in it as well and I adore her.  The film is also a big budget event like film.  I’m a sucker for those.  After all I sat through one of the worst films ever, Warcraft, just because I’m a sucker for those kind of movies.

After the new year films such as LaLa Land, Hidden Figures, and Patriots Day will all make their way into wide release.  All just in time for my favorite holiday of the year: THE OSCARS!!!  (My party turns 14 this year, FYI)

At some point I’m hoping Lion makes its way towards my local cinemas, because I really want to see that one.

Of course around New Year’s eve/day I’ll be releasing my annual top ten film list of the year.

So in the mean time I’ll be anxiously planning my visits to the movies.  I’m sure I’ll be issuing many open invitations via Facebook, so please be on the look out.  In the mean time I’m going to post this blog and go see Nocturnal Animals.

Riding the Christmas Rails

Happy holidays!!!

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving?  See any good movies over the holiday weekend?  I did.  In fact I saw a few things I really enjoyed.  (As a side note I highly recommend seeing Loving.)

Of the flicks I caught this weekend I got to see

a personal favorite on the big screen again.  The movie is none other then my favorite Christmas movie The Polar Express.  Traditionally I watch this movie, yearly, as I wrap Christmas gifts.  This screening was unique and a blast to watch on the big screen, once again.

Seeing it on the big screen was an incredible experience.  First I was taken back to 2005 when the movie was released.  I first saw it when it was first released ten years ago with my great uncle and movie buddy who has since past on.  I’m his namesake after all.  He wrote many children’s books including The Mighty Santa Fe, which he dedicated to me.  In fact I reread the book in his honor after returning from this screening.  Seeing The Polar Express again theatrically brought a twinkle to my eye remembering him.

Experiencing the movie again on the big screen vs at home wrapping Christmas gifts was a more relaxing experience.  There was no bustle and bustle of cutting paper and filling out Christmas cards.  I felt like I was ten again drinking my icee and eating my oversized popcorn.  

Hearing the audience reactions was also priceless.  There were a few members of the audience were seeing the movie for the first time.  Riding the rails, gliding over the ice, the glow of the northern lights, and seeing Santa brought to life by Tom Hanks filled the air with magic, laughter, and much excitement.  All that made a movie I’ve seen many times over the years seem like new.  

With all that said I look forward to another, more recent tradition.  That is my upcoming potluck dinner and showing of the 1947 classic Miracle on 34th St, my other favorite holiday movie!

Science Fiction 2016 Twin Spin

I am a huge fan of science fiction movies. Alien, Independence Day, Star Wars, Interstellar, District 9, Close Encounters of the Third Kind all remain favorites to this day.  2016 has presented some great entries in the genre.

While I enjoyed the sequels - Star Trek: Beyond, 10 Cloverfield Lane - thus far this year, two films in particular stand out.  Midnight Special and Arrival are both incredible flicks that are must sees for both 2016 and the genre.

I enjoyed both features for a lot of the same reasons.  First up both movies tell strong stories.  I love a strong, well written stories.  Both features also feature strong ensembles with each actress and actor giving top notch performances.  Each film is also pieced together well.

To circle back to the stories that both films feature.  Both movies feature other worldly components, such as unexplained powers or aliens, while focusing on multiple aspects of humanity.  (I’d love to go into more details on that but I’m afraid I’d give away spoilers on both movies.)  I do highly recommend both films. Watch them and let’s discuss.  That’s a face to face I’d love to have.

With that said I look forward to Rogue One, a film I’m looking forward to more then last years The Force Awakens. 

Time Warp

Tim Curry
 The Rocky Horror Picture Show

I have a confession to make.  I am a member of a cult and tonight I attended another meeting at my local chapter.  No it’s not a religious cult, though we sing, sometimes dance, and have sayings like churches do.  I am a member of The Rocky Horror Picture Show cult.

Lately I’ve been in a sort of an induced funk.  I tend to keep a lot of the negativity around it bottled up.  That’s probably why this funk has come about and why it’s staying around.  It’s not that I don’t trust people, it’s just the way I am.  I prefer it that way.  However, as a side note, I am always willing to listen to whatever plagues anyone at any given time.  

Like I do most Saturday nights I went to see a movie.  I almost skipped the ritual this week, in favor of sitting home alone.  I wanted to be alone, and in some since I still do.  Looking back at the evening I’m glad I didn’t skip out on my movie tonight. 

I found a halloween screening of 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  I thought over the past half week about wanting to go while weighing the pros and cons.  In the end the pros got the better of me.  

I didn’t dress up, I just went.  The theater was pretty desolate, which means I was one of around ten people in attendance.  As the show progressed we sung the songs, yelled at the screen, and danced the time warp.  We did the interactions minus the goodies thrown during various intervals.  For 100 fleeting minutes the funk disappeared and I felt truly happy.  It felt unique to share that with complete and unsuspecting strangers.

Movies have a tendency to do that to me.  They turn a frown around, if even for the shortest of times.  It’s always nice to experience a natural high like that, especially when it’s unexpected.

On my horizon for cinema is a cookout and Inferno viewing as well as a release party for Marvel’s Doctor Strange.  I look forward to sharing those events with friends and family.  It’s a special kind of thing to bring those around me into my world of celluloid.  I wish I was able to share tonight, & this feeling of positivity, with friends and family I am oddly comforted in sharing it with those strangers.  

Something Spooky This Way Comes!

The long summer days are slowly turning into long fall/winter nights.  Soon, but not soon enough, the weather will be changing to the much preferred cooler temperatures.  Pumpkins, costumes, and trick r treat candy are now appearing on retail shelves.  This means Halloween is coming! 

If you don’t know this is, far and away, my favorite holiday.  I’ll be starting my annual horror/sci-fi quote game soon and pulling some scary movies off that shelf that I watch loyally this time of year.  Titles annually include The City of the Living Dead, The Blair Witch Project, and for some reason I always watch Halloween III: Season of the Witch during the week of halloween.  This year I’ll be adding Pieces to the list.

A few weeks ago I blogged about the rise in quality in animation movies.  During the same period of the last few years I’ve been also pleasantly enjoying a rise in quality in horror films that are gracing local cinema screens.  

While some unnecessary remakes still find their way to headlines it seems that the torture porn popularity is fading.  Yes I enjoyed the first two Saw entries but quickly got deterred when they became more about grossing out the audience and less about the story, much like dying Hostel franchise.  I don’t mind some gross out moments in my movies as long as they are there to support the story and not the story being there to support the gross out moments.  After all can you imagine The Exorcist being as effective without the split pee soup vomit?

So what films have been part of the revelation for me?  Let’s start with the Nevermore festival.  I look forward to this every February, and consider it one of the high points in my year.  Many films, such as The Innkeepers, Open Grave, 13 Cameras, and Found, have played at the festival.  The just mentioned titles, and others, are movies that I enjoyed every frame.  There have been some duds for though, Everlasting being one of them.

Now that I’ve mentioned my yearly trip to the Nevermore festival I must mention main stream cinema.  The Conjuring and its 2016 sequel both made me jump with quality scares and an intriguing story.  You’re Next, The Woman in Black, and The Quite Ones all told simple, compelling stories with great jump scares.  The latter two titles even did so with minimal blood and guts.  The Insidious and Sinister franchises both tend to have cookie cutter entries that I find entertaining and reliable horror.  I do feel obligated to mention there have been duds.  The Pyramid & The Gallows lead that pack.  However there seem to be many more good horror flicks out there these days.

I do still enjoy the classics very much.  The Shining being my favorite of the genre.  An American Werewolf in London, John Carpenter’s Halloween, Rear Window, Psycho, and others I watch with much joy.

With all that said I look forward to jumping out of my seat at the movies.

Animation Domination

This past weekend I saw an awesome movie, it was just incredible, and was an animated movie geared towards children.  The movie was Kubo & The Two Strings.  It is the latest movie from Laika, whose films, like Pixar and Studio Ghilibi, have raised the bar in feature animation.  They’re featuring a variety of issues that can be appreciated by all ages and humor that plays to multi generations. 

Let that last point sink in for a minute as you realize that Shrek, a film that has been viewed by many children and adults alike, makes a subtle dick joke.  That’s the key that makes it all work, playing to two different levels and succeeding on both as well as the common ground.

The wave of releases in the past few years have played to both children and adults.  After all why should children have to view crap movies only like Norm of the North?  These small versions of adults are smart people who, like adults, can get something out some deeper material.  These films have been highly entertaining and continue to be successful at the box office and awards, outside of the animated feature category.  After all Up and Toy Story 3 were best picture contenders at the Oscars.

I’ve also enjoyed seeing the release of Sausage Party.  The movie was an animated feature created for adults.  It was filled with bad language, adult themes, filthy jokes, and many clever gags (which is also featured in many children based cartoon).  I enjoyed the movie, but what I really enjoyed what going to a prime time showing and having to worry much less about a baby crying somewhere in the auditorium.  This is never guaranteed (I have stories) but the odds go up during kids movies.

I have to admit that there have been some animated movies that have been highly entertaining as well as a major nostalgic trip to a younger version of myself. Chief among them are The Peanuts Movie & The Lego Movie.  Both movies are cleverly written, play well to children, and is a great watch for those who remember those aspects from childhood fondly.  Plus there just good ole fun to watch.

Yes there have been duds in the genre.  How many times can they recycle the Ice Age story to keep the franchise going?  However with releases such as Zootopia, Rise of the Guardians, and the french import April & The Extraordinary World it seems like the genre is under the right influence.  

Summer Season 2016

Hello Dear Blog Readers!

Sorry for the delay in posts, but I’ve been watching the fireworks known as summer blockbusters.  Since this is a movie blog that seems like a great excuse, right?

Now that it’s August the summer season is winding down.  There are still a few films I still want to see, before the welcome long nights of fall & winter over take the long days of summer. However there’s plenty to discuss in a summer rewind.

The big surprise for me was Green Room, starring Patrick Stewart and the late Anton Yelchin.  The trailer made the film looking intriguing but not a must see.  Boy was I wrong about the latter half of that statement.  The simple plot gave way to some great filmmaking and intense moments in film.  Plus getting to see Patrick Stewart play a villain was a stroke of genius on behave of the casting director.

May fell quickly into a routine summer with the duel super hero releases of Captain America: Civil War and Xmen Apocalypse.  Both were enjoyable films but not genre changers.  May also saw the release of The Nice Guys, which I thought was a blast to watch.

June saw the release of a quartet of sequels: Finding Dory, The Conjuring 2, Now You See Me 2, & Independence Day: Resurgence.  The Pixar release of Finding Dory, I thought was fantastic and love reading how this movie is becoming a champion film for those with developmental disabilities. The Conjuring 2 scared me and truly lived up to the original.  Now You See Me 2 was a lot of fun and works well as an Oceans 11 style heist film.  I’m two sided about Independence Day: Resurgence.  Part of me had a blast watching the movie, it plays well to a crowd.  The other half of me thinks I waited twenty years for a sequel to Independence Day and this is the best that can be made?  That was a bit of a disappointment.

Ghostbusters, Star Trek: Beyond, & Jason Bourne were other blockbusters I really enjoyed watching and recommend seeing at some point.

Some smaller films also lit up my summer season. The foreign language movie The Innocents was a powerful story with beautiful cinematography.  The civil war pic Free State of Jones told two great untold true stories. The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble was an incredible documentary.  Not only did it show case the variety of talent with in the ensemble but delved deeply into the cultures of everyone involved.  

 However the summer champion goes to Hunt for the Wilderpeople.  It’s an odd fugitive type movie from the director of What We Do in the Shadows (which is a must see).  Hunt for the Wilderpeople mixes a great since of humor with a slightly bizarre yet sweet story.  

With that said there were some duds this summer.  Love & Friendship I found to be dull.  The Secret Life of Pets tried to hard to be charming and really wasn’t while I found Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping to be unfunny.

So with all that said I look forward to the cooler nights of fall and winter and the release of movies that tend to compete for the ever exciting Oscar season.  Plus there’s the release of Blair Witch, a decent look Blair Witch Project sequel.  

2016: The Halfway Checkin

Every year around this time I do my mid year movie ramble.  It consists of me randomly discussing what movies I’ve liked and haven’t liked thus far in the year.  This year I’m going to try something a little different.  I’m going to create my halfway list.  The list will be made up of five movies, three of the best and two of the worst.  

THE BEST:

The Conjuring 2

The inclusion of this one could be a little biased because I just saw it yesterday.  I was really looking forward to it, after loving the first one so much.  I wouldn’t say The Conjuring 2 surpassed its predecessor but is just as good.  There were many great jump scares, and at times they came one after the other.  I really liked how there wasn’t much time for the audience to catch it’s breath before something else came lurking out of the shadows.  When something wasn’t jumping out at me there were was some intriguing scenes to keep me invested in the movie.

Captain America: Civil War

I’ve been a fan of almost every movie in the marvel cinematic universe.  They’ve been a lot of fun to watch.  This one was a blast and a half with a story to match.  I’ve loved how the Captain America films have incorporated other film genres into their ranks.  This one continues that grand tradition while incorporating a great ensemble with its mile a minute story.

Eye in the Sky

In addition to having a very timely story this film also features the final live action performance from the legendary Alan Rickman.  The movie centers around drone warfare and showcases everyone involved with the decision to fire.  The movie features very little in terms action sequences but still creates a great atmosphere of suspense.

THE WORST:

The Bronze

No movie I wanted to end more this year then The Bronze.  The jokes featured in this comedy fell short EVERYTIME.  There were some segments that were just uncomfortable to watch, in any kind of social setting, and I was the only one in the movie theater that particular afternoon.  I’m going to overlook the bad acting and terribly written dialogue as well.

Love & Friendship

I tend to enjoy period pieces and witty dialogue but was bored with this one.  Don’t use the argument that I don’t like Jane Austin books so I’m automatically not going to like this movie.  After all I don’t like reading comic books either yet a comic book movie is featured under the “best of” portion of this list.  Nor do I really care for sports but I loved the movie Race, about Jesse Owens.  This one fell flat with a boring plot and uninspiring charters.  

So there you have it.  My list of what I’ve enjoyed and what I haven’t so far this year.  

I’ll see you at the movies!

Opening Night 5.5.2016

Let’s start with a well known confession: I’m not a fan of long nights/short days and the heat.  I do however enjoy big spectacle event movies.  Starting in early May and running the months of summer there will be plenty of these.

For the past few years I have welcomed this time of year with a Thursday night party.  I cook dinner, preferably grilling but am flexible depending on the weather.  This tradition I call Opening night.  

This year I baked some chicken and veggies served with a slices of watermelon.  I must say dinner turned out excellent.

The feature this year was Captain America: Civil War.  It was a lot of fun to watch and a great addition to the opening night tradition.

To me it doesn’t matter what the movie is, and how much I either like or dislike the it.  (Ironman 3 was awful and was part of this tradition a few years ago.)  I was thrilled to have such great company over for the night.  To host and share this experience is an event I look forward to every year.  I get excited when tickets go on sale and eagerly assemble the group.  I love planning the menu, grocery shopping for the night, and cooking.  (I enjoy cooking in general).  I’d see the movie regardless but wouldn’t care as much if it wasn’t for having people to share in the evening.

When I am seeing one of the big, spectacle, event movies that come out over the summer season, I want to share them with as many people as possible.  For those reading this please ask me when I’m going and invite yourself to join me for the evening.

The 13th Annual Oscar Party (2.28.2016)

And the award goes to...

February 28th 2016, a night that was a year in the making, is now in the rear view mirror.  The night was my thirteenth annual Oscar party.  During the course of the year I assembled prizes, pieced together the trivia, saw the movies, and created my categories.  I also chased the buzz and enjoyed seeing the rise and fall of the movies that now attach Academy Award to their name.  

After the announcement of the nominations I collected my thoughts and decided what I think should of been nominated for the Oscars and put them all together and out went the invitation.  As RSVP’s arrived, the ballots were designed and printed in massive bulk.  Winners and losers for my categories were voted upon a simple majority of me.  I rehearsed my trivia rounds and decided on the flow for the evening.

The week of production, with much appreciated help, increased to assembling the prizes in their respective baskets and food was prepared.  Then came 2/28/16.  Decorations were put up and everything finalized.  At 7pm the event started, releasing my anxieties and anticipations of the night.  Guests came, filled out ballots, ate, and enjoyed the merriment.  The trivia games started just before the telecast began.  During the night we rooted for are favorites, cheered the surprises, and mourned the loses.  Trivia games were won and lost during commercial breaks with prizes immediately award.  After all was said and done things were cleaned up and ballots reviewed.  Everything was tabulated and the three remaining prizes awarded and winners notified.  

The night was one I looked forward to and looking back smile upon.  Thirteen years now have come and gone and this party still remains a big social event of my calendar year.  

As for the Oscars themselves, the film I was predicting to win the big award, Spotlight, won tand I was excited to see that happen.  It’s an incredible movie that I highly recommend.  I’m glad the Bond song won, cause well it’s James Bond.  Its win however means the incredibly powerful song from The Hunting Ground had to loose.  That disappointed me.  The other major surprise in the victory column was the supporting actor trophy being award to Bridge of Spies.  I loved the movie and the performance and am excited to see the victory.  I enjoy come back stories and wanted frontrunner Creed to win this category but was pleased none the less.  

Now then the excitement of the night has crashed into a lull and I look back on the night, and it’s twelve predecessors, with a

The Prize baskets.

smile.

Below you will find the winners for my Shoulda/Woulda/Coulda and @ the movies categories.  The winners are marked in red.

THE SHOULDA/WOULDA/COULDA NOMINEES

PICTURE: Danish Girl, Black Mass Sicario, Trumbo, Ex Machina, Hateful Eight, Straight Outta Compton
ACTOR:Tom Hanks Bridge of Spies, Mark Ruffallo Infinitely Polar Bear, Michael Keaton Spotlight

ACTRESS: Charlize Theoron Mad Max:Fury Road, Lily Tomlin Grandma, Helen Mirren Woman in Gold

DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott The Martian, Steven Spielberg Bridge of Spies, Quentin Tarintino Hateful 8

SUPP. ACTOR: John Cusack Love & Mercy, Michael Shannon 99 Homes, Benico Del Toro Sicario

SUPP. ACTRESS: Helen Mirren Trumbo, Jessica Chastain The Martian, Alicia Vikander Ex Machina

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Hateful Eight, Sicario, Joy, Mad Max: Fury Road, Love And Mercy
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: End of the Tour, The Revenant, Steve Jobs, Black Mass, Trumbo, Danish Girl

DOCUMENTARY:Batkid Begins, He Named Me Malala, Lambert & Stamp, The Wolfpack, Wrecking Crew

ANIMATED FEATURE: Good Dinosaur,  Hotel Transylvania 2, Minions, Peanuts Movie, Strange Magic

FOREIGN FILM:100 Year Old Man(Sweden), Coming Home(China), Phoenix (Germany), When Marnie Was There (Japan)

THE 2015@THE MOVIES NOMINEES

WORST FILM: The D Train, Pan, Perfect Guy, Pixels, Saint Laurent, Selfless, Serena, Wedding Ringer

Some of the usual suspects

SEQUEL: Creed, Jurassic World, Pitch Perfect 2, Mission Impossible V, Spectre, Star Wars Episode 7

DRAMA:Black Mass, Bridge of Spies, Danish Girl, Hateful 8, Mr Holmes, Sicario, Spotlight, Woman in Gold

COMEDY: 100 Year Old Man, The Night Before, Sisters, Spy, Trainwreck, What We Do in the Shadows

SCI-FI: Ex Machina, Jurassic World, The Martian, Star Wars Episode 7: Force Awakens, Terminator: Genisys

HORROR: Crimson Peak, Dig Two Graves, Insidious Chapter 3, It Follows, The Visit, The Woman in Black 2

INDY FILM: 99 Homes, Dope, Jimmy’s Hall, Me &Earl &The Dying Girl, Water Diviner, What We Do in the Shadows

FAMILY FLICK: Age of Adaline, Goosebumps, Inside Out, Mcfarland, Peanuts Movie, Tomorrowland

ESPIONAGE FILM: Bridge of Spies, Kingsman, Man From UNCLE., Mission Impossible V, Spectre, Spy

MUSIC INSPIRED FLICK: Amy,  Love & Mercy, Pitch Perfect 2, Straight Outta Compton, Wrecking Crew

FIGHT: Final Shootout Hateful Eight, T-Rex & Raptor V. The Hybrid Jurassic World, The Chase Mad Max: Fury Road, Bond V Mr Hinx on the Train Spectre, 2015 Schwarzenegger v 1984 Schwarzenegger Terminator: Genisys

HERO: Daniel Craig Spectre, Tom Hardy Mad Max: Fury Road, Amy Poehler Inside Out, The Team Avengers 2

SIDEKICK: Viola Davis Blackhat, Naomie Harris Spectre, Jason Statham Spy,  Mark Strong Kingsman

VILLAIN: Samuel L. Jackson Kingsman, Adam Driver Star Wars 7, Christoph Waltz Spectre

ENSEMBLE:Big Short, Black Mass, Kingsman, The Hateful Eight,The Martian, Sicario, Spotlight, Spy, Trumbo

An eager first time party goer.

DETECTIVE: Ian McKellan Mr Holmes, The News team Spotlight, Julianne Moore Freeheld

VOICEOVER:Mel Brooks Hotel Transylvania 2, Ryan Gosling Big Short, Tarantino Hateful 8, Mia Wasikowska Crimson Peak

KISS:Tom Hiddleston/Mia Wasikowska Crimson Peak, Eddie Redmayne/Alicia Vikander Danish Girl, Chris Pratt/Bryce Dallas Howard Jurassic World, John Cusack/Elizabeth Banks Love & Mercy,  Daniel Craig/Monica Bellucci Spectre 

TRUE LIFE PERFORMANCE:Kevin Costner Mcfarland, Tom Hanks Bridge of Spies, Helen Mirren Woman in Gold, Mark Ruffalo Spotlight

CAMEO: Zoe Bell Hateful Eight, Daniel Craig Star Wars Episode 7, Judi Dench Spectre, RL Stine Goosebumps

AI SYSTEM: AVA Ex Machina, The Terminator Terminator Genisys, Ultron Avengers: Age of Ultron

LINE: “Argument is the sugar and the audience are the flies” Best of Enemies, “You’re a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr Bond” Spectre, “We’re werewolves, not swear-wolves” What we do in the Shadows

CGI CHARACTER: The Dinosaurs Jurassic World. Joy Inside Out, Snoke Star Wars Episode 7

REVIVAL:Rosemary’s Baby(68), Diamonds Are Forever(71), The Exorcist(73), Back to the Future(85), Spaceballs(87)

And the nominees are . . .

The films selected for Best Picture.

I always look forward to this day every year, more then Christmas in fact.  It’s Oscar nomination day!!!

The excitement had building for a while now, pretty much since the year became new, and at 8:30 this morning it blossomed with the nominations announcement.  This will all conclude is six weeks or so with my annual Oscar party.  A night that is truly worth waiting for every year.

Over all many things excited and many things disappointed me about this years crop of nominees.  For instance there are eight best picture nominees in a field that has the potential to max at ten.  In a year with such strong films there couldn’t be two more movies to fill the list?  Ex Machina, Straight Outta Compton, Love & Mercy, and The Hateful Eight are all films I thought worthy of the title best picture nominee.  There are some good titles in there Bridge of Spies, The Martian, Mad Max: Fury Road, Spotlight all made my annual top ten list last month and are short listed for the award.  I am also thrilled that The Big Short made the list.  I wasn’t a big fan of Room and am disappointed that it made the cut.  

The big surprise though came in the supporting actor category.  Sylvester Stallone is once again nominated for playing Rocky Balboa, a first since his dual nominations for actor and writer of the first Rocky flick back in the 70’s.  It’s a good kind of surprise.  I’m sure there will be surprises come Oscar night when the envelopes are opened.  (My current No Guts No Glory pick is for Dicaprio to loose the Oscar.  I’m sure this won’t happen and it will be a well deserved victory.  The Revenant was an excellent movie).

I am ashamed there are many films I have yet to see.  For instance I haven’t seen any of the nominees for foreign language film and Amy is currently the sole documentary contender I have seen.  I plan to remedy this in the weeks to come.  Not just in those categories but the Charlie Kaufman animated nominee Anomalisa intrigues me as does the best actress nominated film 45 Years.

Anyways with my thoughts on the Oscars now out there I am going to enjoy the season and eagerly await the big night and the 13th Annual Oscar Party.  Much anxiety and prep for the big night will fill my nights in the mean time.