Carlos the Critic

2010 Oscar Nominations Predictions

2010-03-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

The Oscar show will be this coming Sunday...so time to see who will get the golden statuette.

I've seen quite a few of the movies but not all and in some cases, I might have to make an educated guess.

I will highlight in red my predictions and when the winners are announced, I will highlight in green the winners.

So how well did I do?

--Predictions Come True: 12 which included the major categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Animated Film

--Made No Predictions: 4

--Predictions Gone Wrong: 8

Best Picture: Of the ten nominations, the only ones to take seriously are the ones where the Best Director nominations are mentioned (in purple). Up is also nominated in the Best Animated Film category. Up should win Best Animated Film and therefore will not win Best Picture. It is a hard choice to make. Seems like the two top contenders are Avatar and The Hurt Locker. I've seen Avatar, though it was interesting and a blockbuster, I don't think it deserves the Oscar for Best Picture. The Hurt Locker is about war and it is politically correct and Hollywood likes causes and correctness, but then again so does Avatar. The Hurt Locker however does have a female director at the helm (Cameron's ex-wife) and women have only been nominated in the Director's category only three times during the life the award.

Carlos the Critic Says:
So, the winner is.....The Hurt Locker

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Best Actor: Seems like the top contender for this category is Jeff Bridges. It is likely that he will get the statuette as a reward for his long career. He was nominated four times before (The Last Picture Show, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Starman, and The Contender) and has never taken the prize home.

So, the winner is...Jeff Bridges

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Best Actress: This could be a tricky one since Sandra Bullock seems to be the top contender. She's never won an Oscar before and so this could be a chance to do so. Of course, there is the perennial Meryl Streep who (counting this one) has been nominated for 16 Oscars and has only won it twice (Kramer vs. Kramer and Sophie's Choice). Some could feel that she is long overdue for another statuette.

So, the winner is...Sandra Bullock

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Actor: This could be up for grabs. Both Damon and Harrelson have been nominated for Oscars before for Good Will Hunting and The People vs. Larry Flynt. Damon is the only one from here that has won an Oscar for writing Good Will Hunting. Christopher Plummer who most will remember as Capt. Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, has never been nominated for an Oscar. This is his first time. He's also had an amazing and long career in movies usually playing bad guys. Stanley Tucci has had a good year. He played Julia Child's husband, Paul Child, in Julie/Julia. Some may vote for him to reward him both movies.

So, the winner is...Stanley Tucci

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress: Though there are many very good performances here, the outright winner of this category will be Mo'Nique. Its not unusual for first-timers to win the golden statuette. She won both the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for the role of Precious.

So, the winner is...Mo'Nique

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo’Nique, Precious

Best Director: The likely favorite in this category is James Cameron. His movie was a big hit and surpassed Titanic's (also directed by Cameron) box office records. However, the category also includes up and coming young director Jason Reitman, African-American director Lee Daniels, quirky Quentin Tarantino, and Kathryn Bigelow (Cameron's ex-spouse). Bigelow is only the third woman to ever be nominated in this category and it is just as rare for an African-American to be nominated as best director. Tarantino, however, has never won an Oscar in this category (his only Oscar was for writing for Pulp Fiction). Tough choice indeed. Traditionally, the winner of this category wins Best Picture.

So, the winner is...Kathryn Bigelow

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Best Original Screenplay: Unfortunately, I haven't seen any of these movies except Up. It is nice to find an animated feature in this category.

So, the winner is...Up

Best Original Screenplay
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Pete Docter, Bob Peterson & Tom McCarthy, Up
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Best Adapted Screenplay: The only film in this category that I saw was District 9 which I found very interesting and which I found quite surprising that it was nominated in the Best Picture category. However, I think Precious will take this award due to its strong contention in the Best Director and Best Picture categories.

So, the winner is...Precious

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche, In the Loop
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell, District 9
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Nick Hornby, An Education
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

Best Animated Film: due to its showing as a Best Picture nominee, there is no doubt that Up will win this category.

So, the winner is...Up

Best Animated Film
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

Best Foreign Language Film: haven't seen any of these films so I won't even guess.

Best Foreign Language Film
El Secreto do Sus Ojos (Argentina)
Un Prophete (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)
Ajami (Israel)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)

Best Ar Direction: All these films look very good, there is no doubt there is very beautiful artwork. In this category, however, Avatar will win it hands down. The artwork is quite distinctive and impressive.

Best Art Direction
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Best Cinematography: I only two of the films in this category and it is highly unlikely that Harry Potter will win it. However, Avatar is likely to get this category.

So, the winner is...Avatar

Best Cinematography
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Best Costume Design: usually it is won by one of those sweeping historical movies.

So, the winner is...The Young Victoria

Best Costume Design
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

Best Documentary: I haven't seen any of these movies...when in doubt, go historical.

So, the winner is..The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Best Documentary
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Best Editing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

Best Makeup: I'm a big Star Trek fan and this one of the few categories it was nominated for.

So, the winner is...Star Trek

Best Makeup
Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

Best Score: Only saw two movies from this category (Avatar and Up) and both have very good music to go with the action. Tough call.

So, the winner is...Up

Best Score
Avatar
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Up

Best Song: This is a category that has been dominated by Disney...so much so that it has been nominated twice.

So, the winner is... (either song...does it really matter?) The Princess and the Frog

Best Song
“Almost There,” The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans,” The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname,” Paris 36, Reinhardt Wagner & Frank Thomas
“Take It All,” Nine, Maury Weston
“The Weary Kind,” Crazy Heart, T-Bone Burnett & Ryan Bingham

Best Sound Editing: I will be biased and go for the scifi flick.

So, the winner is...Star Trek

Best Sound Editing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

Best Sound Mixing: I will be biased and go for the scifi flick.

So, the winner is...Star Trek

Best Sound Mixing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Visual Effects: I will be biased and go for the scifi flick.

So, the winner is...Star Trek

Best Visual Effects
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

Best Documentary Short: Haven't seen any of these movies but will go for the home team since Booth Gardner is a former governor of Washington State and I live in Olympia, WA.

So, the winner is...The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner

Best Documentary Short
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

Best Animated Short
French Roast
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death

Best Live-Action Short
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

Olympic Movies

2010-02-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

Well, we've had a week's worth of Olympics and there is quite a bit of excitement going on for sure.

All the current athletes, however, were inspired by other Olympians. Those stories were made into movies that have helped inspire countless more.

Oscar Winning Movies

Chariots of Fire (1981): Nominated for 7 Oscars and winner of four Oscars including Best Picture beating out Raiders of the Lost Ark, On Golden Pond, Reds, and Atlantic City. The movie tells the real-life story of two British Olympic athletes participating in the 1924 Olympics. Devout Scottish Christian Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) and Jewish Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) are track starts of the highest caliber. Both athletes have a lot on their mind. Liddell, son of missionaries in China, wants to use his athletic talents to glorify God while Abrahams wants to overcome the lifelong anti-semitism he's had to endure his whole life.
Ice Castles (1979): The movie tells the story of a young girl (Lynn-Holly Johnson) who makes it to the top of figure skating only to get a head injury that takes her sight. She grows discouraged until she meets a guy (Robby Benson) that turns her attitude around. The movie was Oscar nominated for Best Song for Through the Eyes of Life.
The Other Side of the Mountain (1975): tells the real-life story of a female skier (Marilyn Hassett) who ends up a paraplegic after a tragic accident. Now, she has to find a new life for herself. On the way to that new life she meets a guy (Beau Bridges) that helps her along the way. The Oscar nominated song Richard's Window by Olivia Newton-John is memorable.

Romantic Olympic Movies

The Cutting Edge (1992): Two athletes face a turning point while at the Olympics. One gets hit on the head at a hockey match and the other falls down at a pairs' figure skating performance. Both find themselves at a low ebb until a Russian figure skating coach invites the hockey player (D.B. Sweeney) to become the figure skater's (Moira Kelly) new partner. From that point on, sparks fly.
Walk, Don't Run (1966): What happens when you arrive two days early for the Tokyo Olympics? You find a room to share with an attractive and conservative young woman (Samantha Eggar). Cary Grant arrives for a business meeting two days early and finds himself stuck without a place to sleep. He goes to the British embassy for help. He sees a note on the bulletin board for a room to share. Grant manages to charm Eggar into letting him rent the room. Later, Grant befriends a young American Olympic athlete (Jim Hutton) who also came to Tokyo two days earlier than expected and in need of a room as well. Grant invites him to stay where he is staying. Guess what happens...a lot of fun ensues. Great swang song for Grant's last appearance in a movie.

Olympic Action Movie

Downhill Racer (1969): This movie details the life of an arrogant skier (Robert Redford) who shakes up the U.S. Hockey team and butts heads with the coach (Gene Hackman). The movie features one of the most amazing ski sequences in movies.

Real-Life Olympic Inspirational Movies

The Loneliest Runner (1976) stars Lance Kerwin in this autobiographical story written and directed by Michael Landon. Details the story of a young 14 year-old boy who races home from school every afternoon in order to pull down the pee stained bed sheet his mother put up on the balcony in order to embarrass her son into quitting the habit. His racing talents gets noticed in school and begins to work hard in order to achieve his goal of the Olympics. This made for TV movie won an Emmy for cinematography and was nominated for its film editing.
The Jesse Owens Story (1984) stars Dorain Harewood in the title role of an African-American who achieves Olympic gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics hosted by Adolf Hitler himself forever taking away the idea of the superiority of the Aryan race.
Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (1997): starring Mario Lopez in the title role of a young diver who makes it to Olympic gold. While diving at the Seoul Olympics, Louganis bumps his head. This worries the athlete as he had just been diagnosed with HIV. The movie deals with his life as a gay man and his relationship with his parents.
The First Olympics: Athens 1896 (1984): actually, this is the story of the first modern Olympics. We all know that the Olympics started in ancient Greece but then the games stopped at about 396 A.D. So, this is the story of the return of the Olympics by Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin (Louis Jourdan). In 1894, de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee and in 1896 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens. The movie also tells the story of the first American Olympic team and the obstacles it had to endure in order to make it to Athens.

Fictional Olympic Inspirational Movies:

Cool Runnings (1983): is the fictionalized comedic account of the Jamaican bobsled team starring John Candy as the team's coach. What a crazy idea!! A tropical country participating in a winter sport Olympics? But, that's just what happened. Jamaica participates in its first Winter Olympics in the 1988 Calgary games. This movie details the creation of the team and the obstacles they have to overcome in order to get to the games.
International Velvet (1978): is the sequel to 1944's National Velvet, the story of a young equestrian (Elizabeth Taylor) who wishes to win the national title. The sequel stars Tatum O'Neal as the niece of that girl this time portrayed by Nanette Newman. This time O'Neal tries to go for Olympic gold.

Most Romantic Movies for Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

Well, Valentine's Day is here. This is the time of the year that most guys scramble what to do or give to their very special someone. What to do? What to do?

Well, most go to a special dinner at some very expensive place. Others go to a movie and a not so expensive dinner. Others, who are more budget conscious (which is probably most of us especially during this recession) will make a special dinner at home and cuddle up to a nice romantic movie.

Hopefully, I can help with the movie part of it. I've selected 25 movies that are available for renting and only one that is in the theaters at this moment that deserves good consideration. The movies selected are movies that I have actually seen. I also didn't select movies that are terribly long such as Titanic, Gone with the Wind, and The Way We Were. Who wants to spend all that time watching a movie when you can spend that time better doing other things? ;)

So, I hope you find my selection fun, romantic, and interesting. Hopefully, it will provide you with some quality cuddling time.

Most Romantic Movie Currently in the Theater

Dear John (look at my post of Feb. 6, 2010 for a review of the movie)

Most Romantic Classic Movies

Casablanca (1942) starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman
An Affair to Remember (1957) with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (once you watch this movie, you will understand Sleepless in Seattle much better)
Love Story (1970) with Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw
Sabrina (1954) with Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn
Roman Holiday (1953) with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn

Most Romantic Manly Movies

The Quiet Man (1952) with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara (the only John Wayne movie that I watch)
An Officer and A Gentleman (1982) with Richard Gere and Debra Winger
The Princess Bride (1987) with Cary Elwes and Robin Wright
Brokeback Mountain (2005) with Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal (What's more manly than two guys in love. This movie was very popular with women)

Most Romantic Movie with Drew Barrymore

The Wedding Singer (1998) with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler
50 First Dates (2004) with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler
Never Been Kissed (1999) with Drew Barrymore and Michael Vartan

Most Romantic Movie with John Cusack

Say Anything...(1989) with John Cusack and Ione Skye
High Fidelity (2000) with John Cusack and company (five romantic leads)
Serendipity (2001) with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale

Most Romantic Movie in Time

Somewhere in Time (1980) with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour
A Walk in the Clouds (1995) with Keanu Reeves and Aitana Sanchez-Gijon
The Notebook (2004) with Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, and Gena Rowlands
On Golden Pond (1981) with Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn

Most Romantic Other Worldly Movie

Ladyhawke (1985) with Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer
Ghost (1990) with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore

Most Romantic Sleeping Movie

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan
While You Were Sleeping (1995) with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman

Most Romantic Comedic Movie

Moonstruck (1987) with Cher and Nicholas Cage
What's Up Doc? (1972) with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal

Catching Up With My Reviews

2010-02-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

I've been seeing some movies lately but I need to catch up on my reviews. So here comes my reviews for Avatar, The Book of Eli, and Dear John.

I went to see Avatar with a friend who had already seen it but didn't mind watching it again. Right before we entered the screening room, he mentioned that someone he knew described the Na'vi people as "big giant smurfs." We both laughed at that description for sure. I don't know if younger people will know the reference.

The movie is set in the future. By this time, Earth has managed interplanetary travel and make their way to a planet known as Pandora. Pandora is the home of the Na'vi (the big giant smurfs) people. As the movie begins, we see Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a marine paraplegic, waking up from a long sleep since this is the way space travel is being done in the future. He is remembering how he got involved into a project that entails him getting into a cocoon like machine and be in control of a Na'vi like body (avatar) so they can learn the culture of the Na'vi people. Turns out that Jake is an identical twin of his scientist brother who had volunteered for the program but who had died just before he could make the trip. The project managers asked Jake to take his place since he had the same genetic makeup as his brother and could still control the avatar.

Jake goes in there committed to do the job that his twin brother was supposed to do. The scientist in charge of the program (Sigourney Weaver) was not very happy at all whatsoever. Afterall, Jake had not been trained to do the work that Jake's brother had worked for so long. However, the corporate owners and managers (Giovanni Ribisi) of the program have other ideas for Jake. They want him to do reconnaissance of the rainforest where the Na'vi people live and where the source of a very valuable mineral lives. Jake at first, eagerly did this job until he got to know the Na'vi and fell in love with one particular Na'vi (Zoe Saldana).

No doubt the special and visual effects of this movie are well done especially if you saw it on 3-D and in an IMAX theater. The best part of the movie is getting to know the world that Na'vi people live in and seeing the change in Jake's character from what he was before. Yet, the second half of the movie which focuses on the corporate guys' sending a military complement to raze the rainforest and displace the Na'vi people. The characters of the corporate bad guy (Ribisi) and military bad guy (Stephen Lang) are very two dimensional and caricaturish. You will notice that Avatar didn't get a writing Oscar nomination. The story is not original and should not be rewarded. Its a good thing that the Academy noticed that.

I was also very pleased to see the film's hero in a wheelchair. I have a younger sister that is in a wheelchair and you hardly ever see people with disabilities in movies, much less an action and scifi/fantasy movie where the hero is disabled. This is one of the reasons I don't give this movie a lower rating than it should get. I want to encourage filmmakers to look at people with disabilities as real people and be more inclusive in the movie industry.

The Book of Eli

A friend of mine and I went to the theater to see a different movie and when we found it was sold out, we decided to go and see The Book of Eli.

No regrets here, however. The movie is set in a post-apocalyptic world...a world akin to the American wild, wild west. Eli (Denzel Washington) is on a mission. He is to travel across the country to take a very special book to its final destination. This book is so special that it was banned and burned and it is the only one left untouched. The book has the power to change the world. Eli battles a lot of bad guys on his way to his final destination. What is this mysterious book that he is guarding and why are so many people after it? You will need to see the movie to find out.

Dear John

The movie begins at a North Carolina beach during spring break as we see Special Forces Army Staff Sergeant John Tyree (Channing Tatum) who is home from duty in Germany for two weeks enjoying the waves and walking along the pier. While at the pier, a beautiful blonde girl (Amanda Seyfried) who is walking along with her friends has her purse fall into the ocean. In a gallant gesture, John, jumps from the pier to rescue the girl's purse for her. The gesture makes an impression on Savannah and the two are smitten right away.

The couple spends a lot of time with each other falling in love with each other. But, sooner or later, John needs to make his way back to Germany for duty. The two promise to write each other. Afterall, John only has one more year of duty before he can make his way home again and come back home to North Carolina and his new found love...until 9/11 happens that is. Their relationship is challenged when John re-enlists.

The subplot of the movie revolves around autism. Savannah lives next door to a friend (Henry Thomas) whose son, Alan, (Braeden Reed and, as a 14 year old, Luke Benward) is autistic. Turns out that John's father (Richard Jenkins) has a mild form of autism. John has issues with his father about his childhood and the way he was raised by his single dad. But, Savannah makes an effort to bring the two of them together and with it understanding. Henry Thomas' performance as Alan's dad is quite good and strong as he raises his very special son.

No doubt the film makes for the perfect date movie. I was seated next to a sweet young couple who were cuddling and kissing during the movie. The movie will certainly touch your heart.

Now some critics will not like the movie because of its romantic qualities but it is precisely the reason why you should go. They will also criticize Channing Tatum's acting which actually is quite improved in this movie. A few more acting lessons and he could very well become a great actor some day.

2010 Oscar Nominations

2010-02-02T23:38:00.000-08:00

Well, it is that time of the year again...Oscar time!!!

The 2010 Oscar nominations have been announced. What is surprising is there are 10 nominees for Best Pictures. Surprises for me in that category are District 9 and Up. I didn't think animated films would ever be chosen for Best Picture ever since they created the Best Animated Film category. But there it is, Up nominated for two different categories. However, it is more likely to win the Best Animated Film category than the Best Picture category. District 9 didn't even show up as a blip in the Golden Globes, so it will be interesting how they fare.

The Best Visual Effects should be a toss-up since all three nominees were very good in that category: Avatar, District 9, and Star Trek.

For some reason, the number 9 was very important last year. Three movies included the number in the title: the animated film 9, District 9, and Nine.

Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep were two very busy ladies in 2009. Bullock was in three movies: The Proposal (nominated for a Golden Globe for movie in a comedy), All About Steve, and The Blind Side (Golden Globe winner for movie in a drama and now nominated for an Oscar).

Meryl Streep was busy with Julie/Julia and It's Complicated for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe in a comedy...Yes, she was nominated for both movies in the same category and beat herself when she won for Julie/Julia. Of course she is nominated for an Oscar for Julie/Julia.

Two movies had the word "up" in its title. The animated film Up about an old man who fulfills a lifelong dream by traveling to South America in a house lifted by balloons. Coming along for the ride was a boy trying to get a badge helping the elderly. The other movie, Up in the Air tells the story of a man who's work takes him all over the country and who's life style is challenged when a new female executive challenges that life.

Again, the most unusual thing about the Oscars this year is the fact the Best Picture category has 10 movies nominated. The most it has ever been nominated in recent years (seems that in past years, the most nominations in the Best Picture category are 12). Well, that's because the Academy decided last year to double the nominations in the category in order to allow box office hits the opportunity to garner the top award. The Academy didn't like the fact that so many small independent films were getting the top honors in recent year...well, there is a reason for that...independents are coming up with better stories something that Hollywood doesn't seem to be producing in recent years. You would've hoped that Hollywood would have taken up the challenge from independents and created some interesting stories instead of remaking old movies and TV series. Nonetheless, here we are with 10 nominations in the Best Picture category.

Which ones are your choices for the golden statue?

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo’Nique, Precious

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Best Original Screenplay
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Pete Docter, Bob Peterson & Tom McCarthy, Up
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche, In the Loop
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell, District 9
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Nick Hornby, An Education
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

Best Animated Film
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

Best Foreign Language Film
El Secreto do Sus Ojos (Argentina)
Un Prophete (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)
Ajami (Israel)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)

Best Art Direction
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Best Cinematography
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Best Costume Design
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

Best Documentary
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Best Editing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

Best Makeup
Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

Best Score
Avatar
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Up

Best Song
“Almost There,” The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans,” The Princess and the Frog, Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname,” Paris 36, Reinhardt Wagner & Frank Thomas
“Take It All,” Nine, Maury Weston
“The Weary Kind,” Crazy Heart, T-Bone Burnett & Ryan Bingham

Best Sound Editing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

Best Sound Mixing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Visual Effects
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

Best Documentary Short
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

Best Animated Short
French Roast
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death

Best Live-Action Short
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

Must Watch Christmas Movies & TV Shows: Drama

2009-12-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

1. Joyeux Noel (2005)
This 2005 French film details the events of a Christmas Eve truce between the Germans,
the French, and the Scots during the winter of 1914 in this Worlmed War I story. When a
German soldier and tenor sings Silent Night in the original German in the middle of No
Man's Land, the song brings all sides together and a truce brings enemies together. But,
what are the ramifications that are spawned by this new friendship? You will have to
watch and see. Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film for 2005.

2. The Christmas Shoes (2002)
This heartwarming TV movie tells the story of a young woman (Kimberly Williams) dying
of congestive heart failure who is about to leave behind a mechanic husband and a
young son who works hard to find just the right present for his mother's last Christmas.
Also, a couple (Rob Lowe, Shirley) are having marital troubles due to the husband's
overtime at work. If you are not balling your eyes out by the end of the movie, it is time
for you to get a heart transplant.

3. One Magic Christmas (1985)
A couple (Mary Steenburgen, Gary Basaraba) is going through hard times after the town's
main source of employment lays off the husband. Wife is grumpy and feeling stressed as
the family's only source of income in a job that she hates (or at least boss that she hates),
hence, not in the Christmas spirit. Husband and kids, however, are in the Christmas spirit
and each have a dream of their own. Yet, how can they bring the Christmas spirit to
mom? Enter Gideon the Christmas Angel (Harry Dean Stanton) who, with the help of the
kids, finds a way to bring the joy of Christmas to their mom.

4. Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
This TV miniseries directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Robert Powell in the title role,
details the life of Jesus from birth to resurrection. The all-star cast includes Anne
Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, James Farentino (in his Emmy nominated performance as Simon
Peter), James Earl Jones, Sir Laurence Olivier, Anthony Quinn, and Olivia Hussey (as Jesus'
mother Mary) plus a whole lot more.

Must Watch Christmas Movies & TV Shows: Comedy

2009-12-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

1. Home Alone (1990)
Macaulay Culkin stars as a young boy left behind by his family during the Christmas
holidays. Soon he finds himself defending the homestead against two thieves (Joe Pesci
and Daniel Stern) who have cased his neighborhood for Christmas goodies. A comedy
classic. Avoid its two sequels. Leaving your kid behind once is forgivable, more than
that...call social services.

2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Chevy Chase stars as the head of the Griswold family. All he wants is to provide the
perfect Christmas for his parents and his wife's family. Of course, not everything goes as
planned. Mayhem arises of course. Will the Griswold family have its perfect Chritstmas?
Well, you will just have to find out for yourself.

Must Watch Christmas Movies & TV Shows: Animated

2009-12-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

A listing of the best must watch animated Christmas movies and TV shows or specials.

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Charles Schulz's characters come to life in this animated TV feature where Charlie Brown ponders the true meaning of Christmas. Seems like everyone else is just interested in what they can get out of the holiday. This classic cartoon won the 1966 Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program, nominated for Special Classifications of Individual Achievements for writer Charles Schulz, and earned an 2002 Emmy nomination for the making of the feature.

2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Dr. Seuss' enduring story of the Christmas hating Grinch and his plan to rid himself of the holiday once and for all. Will he be able to do it? Please avoid the live action movie of the story starring Jim Carey...not a kid-friendly movie.

3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
The story of a misfit reindeer born with a big red nose is a timeless classic. Who among us hasn't felt like a misfit? Featuring narration by Burl Ives who also sings the title song.

Must Watch Christmas Movies & TV Shows: Original Stories

2009-12-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

The holiday season begets lots of holiday movie and TV watching. Everyone has their favorites and I know I certainly have mine. For the next few days, I will list them in various categories.

1. Original Stories: means just that. The stories are unique, have made an impact in
American culture, and have often been remade and retold throughout the years.

2. Animated: Best animated movies and TV shows

3. Comedies: Makes you laugh at loud.

4. Drama: Tugs at your heart and soul.

I hope you get an opportunity to watch them.

Original Stories:

1. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)
This 1946 movie was the very first movie Jimmy Stewart made after returning from World
War II. The movie received five Oscar nominations including Best Actor for Jimmy Stewart,
Best Director for Frank Capra, and Best Picture. I love this story...how one person can really
make a difference in the life of others.

2. A Christmas Carol (various versions and years)
Charles Dickens' novel of a man needing a second chance to change his life. Ebenezer
Scrooge is given an opportunity to be visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. His old
business partner Jacob Marley shows him what life on the other side will look for Scrooge
if he doesn't change his ways. The story has been retold many times in plays, musicals,
and of course in movies. The best movie versions of the story are:

a. 1951 version starring Alastair Sim
b. 1938 version starring Reginald Owen
c. 1984 TV version starring George C. Scott (nominated for an Emmy for Best Actor in
a Limited Series or Special).
d. 1999 TV version starring Patrick Stewart

3. A Christmas Story (1983)
During the depression, a boy named Ralphie only has one Christmas wish...a Red Ryder
BB gun. The only response he seems to get from his elders are "you will shoot your eye out!!"
Undeterred, Ralphie works out a plan to make his Christmas wish come true. Lots of
funny moments in this movie. This movie has become so popular in the past few years,
that TNT shows this movies for 24 hours on Christmas Eve. Want a leg lamp like the one
that shows up in the movie? Yes, you can get one!!

4. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
A story about a little girl (Natalie Wood) whose mother raised her not to believe in Santa
Claus. Then enters a sweet old man named Chris who will try everything he can to make
sure the little girl believe in Santa. However, is Chris who we think he is? Is he just a
sweet old man or is he the jolly old elf himself?

5. Holiday Inn (1942)
A fun story of two friends (Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire) who have different views on
career and life. Crosby, the singer, likes to write music and lead a more quiet life
while Astaire, a dancer, is carefree and loves attention. Crosby makes the decision
to live out in the New England countryside and decides to only work a few times a
year during major holidays. He opens up his home to people and they celebrate
each holiday with a musical based on the theme for that holiday. The two also
compete for the affection of a lovely lady. The movie was nominated for three
Oscars for original writing, music score and won the Oscar for best song,
White Christmas. The movie also inspired the hotel chain Holiday Inn.

6. Christmas in Connecticut (1942)
A columnist (Barbara Stanwyck) has gained a reputation for being the best homemaker
in the country (the Martha Stewart of her day). Well, it turns out that she isn't. A
problem arises when a navy man who survived an ordeal during the war returns home
and wishes to have a traditional Christmas dinner. Stanwyck's editor offers her services
not knowing that she isn't the homemaker everyone thinks she is. Mayhem arises when
she promises long-time beau to marry him in order to make use of his country home so
they can host the sailor and she falls for the said sailor. Please avoid the 1992 TV
version starring Dyan Cannon and directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

7. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
This classic movie features a more grown up Judy Garland transitioning from girlish
roles to a more adult role. The movie made quite an impact as it featured two great
songs, the Oscar nominated "The Trolley Song" and the Christmas classic "Have Yourself a
Merry Little Christmas." The movie was also Oscar nominated for Best Score, Best
Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. Scene stealer Margaret O'Brien and Judy Garland
work well together in this story set in 1904 just before the opening of the St. Louis
World's Fair (the fair that introduced the ice cream cone). The Smith family are all
excited about the fair. The two eldest Smith daughters, however, have boys on their
mind especially the boy next door. Lots of wonderful music, great performances, and
great laughs. The movie was directed by Vincente Minelli. He and Garland fell in love
during the making of this movie, they eventually got married and had Liza.

Star Trek

2009-12-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

The new 2009 Star Trek movie is out on DVD. I saw the movie when it came out in late spring and it certainly bumped off X-Men Origins: Wolverine from its first place spot. This version of
Star Trek certainly satisfied the needs of Star Trek fans and also brought in some new fans who were unfamiliar with the franchise. This Star Trek is action packed, has stunning visuals and special effects, great performances, and a lot of good humor.

This new movie marks the beginning of (hopefully) more Star Trek movies with a brand new cast beginning with the original characters of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), and Sulu (John Cho). Other characters appearing from the original are Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Sarek (Ben Cross), Amanda [Spock's mom (Wynona Ryder)], and Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). New characters added to the franchise were George and Winona Kirk as Captain Kirk's parents. The new recreated characters have more of an edge than previously.

The movie begins with an encounter with Romulans of the future meet up with the USS Kelvin where the elder Kirk is an officer and takes over as acting captain when the captain of the ship dies in the line of duty. Winona Kirk is in labor with the future captain of the Enterprise while the Kelvin is under attack. This first scene of the movie is the catalyst to the whole movie.

At the same time, we see the life experiences of James T. Kirk and Spock as children and take a peek at the people they are to become later on. We see Kirk dealing with his father's death and Spock having to deal with life as half-Vulcan and half-human. Not being fully Vulcan and not being fully human. You see both characters dealing with their own personal struggles throughout the movie.

The film is a lot more action oriented but retains its humor. If, anything, it is the humor in the film that brings people back again and again. If you are a Star Trek fan, you will find a number of references (both visual and verbal) in the film but a non-Star Trek fan would not feel lost at all. There is plenty for both types of audiences. One thing this movie seems to have been able to do is gain some new fans.

The IMAX version of this film was fantastic and was certainly made for the format. The sound and the music made the experience even better.

This movie is definitely a must see.

Jumping off the Cliff

2009-09-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

What is the matter with Hollywood today? They don't seem to have a creative bone in their body. No wonder the independent film industry is doing so well.

I'm watching Flash Forward on ABC and they show a commercial for a new scifi show where an alien race come to Earth and pretend to be friends at first...and then...well, you know what will happen. The name of the new show is V.

V is a remake of a 1984/85 show that only lasted for 19 episodes. Yet, it was kind of interesting. The so-called friendly human like aliens were actually lizard aliens that needed humans for food.

No doubt the remake will have a bigger budget than the original and will hopefully have better writing. The same thing happened with Battlestar Galactica. BG was a show that originated in the 80s and was brought back with a bigger budget and interesting takes on the characters (including gender changes on the original main characters).

Hollywood has ceased to take any risks whatsoever. Most of the movies coming out from there are remakes of TV series and a lot of those have been duds because the studio deviated from the formula that made those shows work in the first place, i.e. Bewitched. Even though the Brady Bunch movies were done by the original creators of the show, doing it as satire really didn't work for me at all.

Hollywood needs an influx of fresh creative blood. Hollywood needs to be overthrown with new talented and creative people who can work at making real change. Get rid of the fuddy duddy bean counters and get some people that are ready to jump off the cliff.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-08-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

This will be my very first movie review ever, so here goes nothing!!

Since the beginning of the summer movie season, I've been going to the movies with a lot more frequency than previously because I finally have a couple of buddies that I go to the movies with finally. One of them will usually pop in MSN chat and ask if I want to go to see a movie with them. Sometimes we go some place to eat before the movie. I've been going to movies that usually I wouldn't have bothered to go by myself but I go for the good company. One of the movies that we went to see this summer was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Now, you must realize that I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since I last saw the last Harry Potter movie. You also must know that when the last book of the Harry Potter series was published, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I purchased it but also found myself unable to read it right away because I needed to read all the previous books in the series. So, about two years ago around this time of the year, I went about the task to checking out the Harry Potter book series from beginning to end. The books are fairly easy reads and I managed to get them all read in about a month's time. My favorite place to read was the Starbuck's across the street from where I live. Usually I would enjoy a nice hot chocolate and a slice of lemon loaf while perusing through the pages.

So, you can imagine when I read the Half-Blood Prince, all the shock that I went through when one of the major characters of the book series dies and all the ensuing that occurs at the end of the book. Yes!! It was definitely good read!! But, I was in deep shock when a major character died and I couldn't believe that J.K. Rowling would do that. So, that by the time I did get to read the last book of the series, all along I kept thinking that the character would return to life again...surely, he wasn't dead, but no, he remained very much dead.

So yes, I was expecting a lot from the movie version of the Half-Blood Prince. Oh, what a disappointment the movie was!! You must realize that for those of us who read the book, the movie was the worse one in the series. So many things were left out from the book and new things that didn't happen in the book were plugged in. You've probably seen the numerous Harry Potter websites protesting the sacrilege done to the movie. The thing is that I saw this movie twice with my movie buddies, the regular movie and the 3-D. I was disappointed in the 3-D movie since I didn't know beforehand that it would only be shown on 3-D for twenty minutes at the beginning of the movie. Had I known that, I would not have forked over the $ 14.00 to view it.

The movie (unlike the book) emphasized the teenage angst between Hermione, Ron, and Lavender, as well as, Harry and Ginny's blossoming romance (a romance which I never found believable in the book much less in the movie). What a waste of film!! The book emphasizes Lord Voldermort and his background but all the detail of that information was not included and it is pivotal in order to understand what happens on The Deathly Hallows. There was also a much greater mystery when it came to Harry's potions book and its previous owner the Half-Blood Prince, as well as, Malfoy's activities pertaining to his assigned mission by Lord Voldermort.

But, what cannot be forgiven, are the last scenes of the movie where a major character dies and a fierce battle at Hogwart's ensues (at least in the book). The movie again disappoints. The long awaited climax didn't happen and flopped like one big wet noodle.

What is scary is the fact that this same director will direct the two part Deathly Hallows movies. Please bring back Chris Columbus for the last movie of the series!! Please!! That is the only thing that will save the Harry Potter series movies.

Maybe the theatrical movie releases may not be the vest venue for the Harry Potter movies (though most of the movies have been very good and entertaining) but in order to do it proper justice to the books, maybe each of the Potter books would best be shown as a television miniseries.

My rating:

Below average

What is Carlos the Critic?

2009-08-29T23:52:00.001-07:00

Carlos the Critic is my little piece of heaven where I review movies. I am an avid movie watcher and now I have an opportunity to share that love for movies with others. My love for movies began from the time I was very young but it certainly grew after my family moved to the U.S. when I was 14 years old. I loved all the old movies that I watched on TV especially the Abbott & Costello movies, numerous classic movies, and much more. Movies have certainly embedded itself into American culture.

I will review both old and new movies, as well as, recently released and those on DVD. Rankings will be from 1 to 5 with 1 being awful and 5 being excellent.

What will I consider in making that determination? Writing, directing, performances, cinematography, etc. Comments pertaining to appropriateness for family viewing will also be made.