BUY OF THE MONTH!

My buy of the month is Inception on Bluray. Inception hitting Bluray has the same feeling that The Matrix did when it first arrived onto DVD. It just has that aw cool effect to it, and this Bluray does not disappoint. While you watch the movie you can view it on extraction mode, which I highly recommend. You get to see all the details of the film from start to finish in this mode. I knew making films was hard, but after watching this my hat goes off to everyone that is involved with the filmmaking process. If you can connect to BDLive then the possibilities are endless and the extras by themselves are a great wonder also. If you have an HDTV and a good surround sound system, this film will knock your roof off. This is the must own Bluray of the holiday season, so do your self a favor and pick it up for you cyber geek punk son or daughter, they will love you, at least in your dreams this holiday season.

THE JUDGEMENT CALL: This is the must own Bluray besides Avatar!

Best Film Of The Year & All The Rest!

What could be the best film of the year? Everyone says The Social Network is a sure bet, I love that film more so than the one I picked. Inception changed everything this year, on how you could shoot, write, compose, and edit a film. So with all of the game changers this year, including Toy Story 3, and countless other mellow dramas, what is the film I tend to lean on the most. That would be without a doubt Winters Bone! A little independent film that didn’t make much money, but gobbled up Sundance to rule supreme. Personally I would have picked Scott Pilgrim VS. The World, but if you view Winters Bone it has something that a lot of other films didn’t this year, character. I mean the type of characters you care about over the remainder of a film, you stop what you are doing and want to see there outcome. That is what happened to me when I rented it, didn’t expect nothing special, but what I got was something much more important. A group of young filmmakers and actors/actresses making a film with so much heart and warmth, that it puts most peoples films to shame this year. You know all those big budgeted blockbusters where you don’t really care what happens, just as long as your eye sockets are all drained of fluid from the visuals. This film trumps all of those this year, and its all because of character. It is a simple premise, it takes place in the Ozarks of Missouri, the entire film centers around a character that isn’t even in it. Ree  Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is a seventeen year old girl who has to take care of her crazy mother, and little sister and brother, all because her father put the house up for his bond. So if her father doesn’t show up to court they will lose the house and everything they hold dear, so she goes on a journey to find him through the criminal underground enterprise of  Meth Makers. I’m not here to spoil the plot of the film or what lays ahead for viewers that haven’t seen it. I am simply summing up what the movie is about, and giving you my reasons for loving it the way I do. Jennifer Lawrence would win best actress this year at the Oscars if there was true justice in the world. She deserves to win because it is the best female performance of the year, but it will most likely go to Natalie Portman for her psyched out role as a crazy ballerina dancer. Or to Annette Bening for her lesbian turn in The Kids Are Alright, which in reality is a sympathy vote. The best performance of the film goes to John Hawkes (Teardrop). He plays Jennifer Lawrence’s uncle in the film, and at first he appears to be a villain. But like all things are with this film, not everything is as it seems. At the end of the film you want to cry for his character as he walks off leaving the only family he has left behind. Best supporting actor should go to him without a fight. Director Debra Granik does wonders with her second film, showing everyone in Hollywood that the directors chair is not just a male role. I am excited to see what she does next, but this year will not be hers at the award season, even though it should. If anything the acting will triumph over already decided winners. Shell be around along time though, consider this film her testament at what is to come from her and her filmmaking team. Winters Bone is the best film of the year period! Rent it or pick it up on bluray, you will not be disappointed at were this journey leads and finally ends.

Best Actor of the year hands down should be awarded to Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network. There are a lot of great contenders out there this year like James Franco for 127 Hours, Javier Bardem Biutiful, and Colin Firth for The Kings Speech. The winner will most likely be Colin Firth for another British drama that no one will see. What makes Eisenberg’s performance of Mark Zuckerberg better than all the rest is this, you can watch The Social Network ten times in a row and get a different perspective of his performance each time. The first time I saw it I thought he was an asshole, by the second time I felt sorry for him. That is what a performance is supposed to do and convey, no one else this year has pulled it off like him, and that is why the Oscar should already be in his hands.

Now the best supporting actress category is real tricky, cause you never know whose going to get nominated or who will win. So since I am senseless in the category I am going to pick my personal favorite of the year. Ellen Wong for playing Knives Chow in Scott Pilgrim VS. The World. She is funny, fast paced, and most of all makes us feel her heartbreak from Scott's break up. Almost brought a tear to my eye for a movie that silly, but I guess that is what acting is supposed to do.

Best Director is not a tuff call this year, everyone knows this is David Fincher’s year for The Social Network. It is a long over due Oscar, just like when Danny Boyle won for Slumdog Millionaire. Christopher Nolan should win for Inception, but academy members might feel he hasn’t put in enough work just yet. He will be shut out again, but hopefully they will at least acknowledge his brilliance with a nomination this year.

Best Adapted Screenplay is also no surprise this year, Aaron Sorkin’s adapted screenplay for The Social Network is a win. This is one of those screenplays that actually makes the film, since most of the film is dialogue anyway. This is a just deserved win if not an obvious one.

Best Screenplay will go to Christopher Nolan for Inception. The story is out there, but the way it is placed onto paper and visualized on the screen should go over well with voters. Plus they got to give him something for snubbing his film The Dark Knight a few years back, yes Academy we still haven’t forgotten!

Best Musical Score I would assume would also go to Inception, it is the most original of the year. Electronic sounds accompanied by mind blowing visuals adds to the effect, and voters wont forget that.

Best Song for me would go to Beck for Ramona for Scott Pilgrim VS. The World. Yet that is me thinking that I live in a perfect world, it will probably go to some Disney movie like almost every year!

Best Animated film will go to Toy Story 3, even though I enjoyed How To Drain Your Dragon a little bit more.

Best Cinematography is a tuff one for me. The Social Network's mood and lighting kind of gave the over all tone of the film which is great, but Inception dealt with many locations on a grand scale. I would place my money on The Social Network, but I wouldn’t count out Inception for a surprise win.

Best Art Direction and Costume Design will either go to The Black Swan or The Kings Speech.

Best Editing will go to The Social Network, but in reality Inception should win this.

Best visual Effects will be a match of tug of war between Inception and Tron Legacy, but I have a feeling that Inception will come out the victor.

Best Sound and Sound Effects Editing should go to Inception, unless there is an unforeseen snub coming out of nowhere.

Best Makeup might go to The Black Swan, but don’t count out The Kings Speech either. Period movies or dramas usually win this category.

Best Foreign Language Film will go to Biutiful.

Best Documentary I am clueless about because I don’t get to see that many until they hit NetFlix! Yet if I had a wish list I Am Still Here would be eligible for this category and win, even though it turned out not to be real. Still a great study on the culture that is celebrity.

BUY OF THE MONTH!

Could Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World be the best film ever made, a lot would say no, but I would definitely say hell yeah! It has everything you want in a film. Humor, good acting, great music, out there visuals, and ass pounding action that borderlines insanity. Sprinkled with some old school video game nostalgia on top, and comic book gung ho, to me that is the perfect movie. I can understand that this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, just as The Big Lebowski was when it had its first run; it was highly underrated and misunderstood. Now it has become a cult phenomenon and they even have Lebowski fest all over America. Scott Pilgrim will get the same accolades and understanding in time, thanks to Blu-Ray, NetFlix, and of course the vintage DVD. The film is based off of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series, the film gets most of the material from the original source right, but of course there are just certain things you have to leave out, for time reasons. In film you can only add so much and are allowed so little, so these minor flaws should be forgiven, because the movie is almost better in every way. This is the type of film you can watch by yourself and crack up at, it is also the type of film you can watch with your gal, and it is also the type of film you can watch with the guys, or just have play in the background at some random party. That type of film is what I consider a classic, at least among my ranking status. Edgar Wright has already directed two comedy classics, Shaun of the Dean, and Hot Fuzz. If you haven’t heard of those films or saw them you are what I would consider the lowest of the low, humorless, and to have a soul, you have to be able to laugh. This director is at the top of his form with this film, the humor is just right, and the editing makes the gags even funnier. A lot of people have been throwing a fit that Michael Cera was given the title role, but to me he was perfect. He wasn’t the same loser that he was in super-bad or all the other films he has been in, here he is a complete zero that has to rise from the ashes of being nothing, to get the woman he loves. Plus he actually kicks a lot of ass in this film, besides that he is also a really good actor. I can see him becoming the next Tom Hanks if he plays his cards right, or maybe even better, time will tell. Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been in this or that, but this is her break out role. She oozes with cool every time she is on the screen, her character is a real bitch of sorts, but also has some heart. This is a actress who will go places; she’s just to cool not to. Kieran Culkin shows up and steals almost every scene he is in, but the one actor I am most impressed with was Ellen Wong. This was supposedly her first film, and being that she did a great job at being the very young and naïve Knives. If ever a heart was melted so bad to the point of almost wanting to shed a tear, she hits it out of the park. The funniest and I think the best of the evil exes was Chris Evans as Lucas Lee. He just has that macho attitude that comes across with so much hilarity you cant help but laugh when he is finally handed the skateboard by Wallace Wells aka Kieran Culkin. The visuals are out of this world and if you have a Blu-Ray player I am sure they will pop your eye balls out. This films has the best visual effects this year outside of Inception. Yet the music is what really makes the movie flow like an adrenaline rush to the head. The music was produced by Nigel Godrich, you know the guy that produced all those great Radiohead albums. Yet the music is performed by Beck and cast. I can not recommend this film highly enough, it is well worth the cash. Even if all you have is a DVD player, the extras and quality are just as good as the Blu-Ray, but we must be real, nothing beats Blu-Ray.

THE JUDGEMENT CALL: This is my buy of the month, you can do no wrong with picking this up. If you buy it and feel a little deceived on my position of the film, I have this to say to you. “This is impossible, how can this be?/Open your eyes, maybe you'll see!” That quote was taken from the movie above.

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1

Harry Potter has become something more than just the highest grossing franchise of all time, it has become something more than a phenomenon, and it has become everyday life for a lot of people. Just like waking up and drinking your coffee or smoking that cigarette you shouldn’t, it is just there. No one can deny this, and it is because of this truth you either loathe or love Harry Potter and the whole gang at Hogwarts. I am a fan, took me awhile because I was in the loathe crowed. Then my wife took me to see one a few years back and it stuck like glue. I felt I was getting something more than I did with Star Wars and The Matrix combined, I was getting character. People I care about that aren’t real, that is an investment, and that is why Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 is an event film. It clocks in at 146 minutes, and if you’re a potter fan, not one of those minutes is wasted. It is the darkest in the series and Hogwarts is all but a shredded memory. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are on the run from Voldemort, while at the same time trying to find and destroy the horcruxes, which should eventually kill and destroy him. This if anything is a road movie, everyone shows up and is here and there, but the majority of the film is Harry, Ron, and Hermione camping and trying to figure out the next step. Not to worry if you find that kind of thing boring, you have teen lust and anger to go along with the journey. All of the actors have matured over the course of the decade and the performances we get know are at there peeks, and there best. David Yates as a director has all but took the series to a new high on film, and the memory of Christopher Columbus is well forgotten. I applaud him for being able to pull off the last three movies coherently, I mean the last director to do that in a trilogy was Peter Jackson with that little movie about the one ring. Yet my hat also goes off to Daniel Radcliffe, not only has he moved on from just being a prop in the series (though some critics disagree). He has matured the character to the extent of almost being believable in a false reality that could never really happen in this life. Trust me Harry Potter is not the end of the road for Radcliffe he will be a superstar until the day he passes most likely. Another actor in the series who has become the ultimate villain in cinema besides The Joker is Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. The character has been in all six previous films lurking in the back-round, building his army, popping up here and there, and now he is in full kill mode. Anytime he is on screen, which is very limited, I get the chills of pure evil. If that is the effect the filmmakers have been going for then they surely got the right actor. Still what makes him a little eviler than most is what he plans to do humans (muggles as they are called in the films). He has a whole Hitler vibe to his ambition, a plan I think that would eventually wipe humanity from the map. You cant get deeper than that folks. The other actors like Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange does her villainy well, so do most of the rest of the cast. There is just so many characters to keep up with it can be trying at times, for a non potter fan at least. I really suggest if you are one of the curious but have never took the dive into watching the films, you should start with the first and continue onto the last. Or else you wont know anything about nothing with the plot of this film. The only negative thing I can say about the film is that it does end on a downer, and it really just ends. The bad guys win in this case, and a lot of good folks die. Though not to fear, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes out next July, just in time for us to see what the chosen is all about, and I can tell you this, part 2 will deliver the goods.

THE JUDGEMENT CALL: A must see for the holiday season. It is the only movie out there over the holidays that has the children and the adults both excited. It is a win in my book, this series only gets better with each new installment. & if you don’t agree with this review, like my sister, we will say you are just muggle born.

127 Hours

Danny Boyle is among one of my favorite directors, he has directed one of my favorite films of all time, Trainspotting. So of course I can be a little biased when it comes to reviewing any of his films. Yet I can call him out for his failures like A Life Less Ordinary, or for his other achievements like Slumdog Millionaire and even 28 Days Later. Though we are here to discuss his new film 127 hours. It is not only among one of his best films, but it is among one of the best survival films ever made. Everyone by now should know the story of Aron Ralston and his survival story in one of the many canyons in Utah. You would think a film about a man with his arm stuck in a rock wouldn’t be that entertaining but for some weird reason it is. That can mostly be given credit to James Franco and his amazing performance, and trust me the Oscar is calling to him this year. You always hear the phrase that some actors can just play any part or role, and that is true of James Franco. He can play drama, comedy, even write a book, and attend Yale University with a PHD on the way. Is there anything this guy cant do, I’m starting to think he is really superman, but that is another matter. The whole film hangs on his performance, and entertains us through his past flashbacks of life. The memories of his family he never really paid attention to, yes its hard being a loner. There are also the good times with his ex girlfriend, and finally the dreadful breakup. Throw in Scooby-Doo and a vision of a child that has not yet been born, and you have all the will you need for the motivation to survive. The amputation scene was not as brutal as it has been made out to be, but it is still very realistic. I was actually more grossed out by the drinking of the urine rather than him having to finally do the unthinkable. The film is fast paced and quickly edited, the norm for a Boyle film. Still it all works well and the music is also a plus. Awards may or may not be given to this film but it will at least get recognition with enough nominations to clarify it is a film that matters. This is another film I saw at the STL Film Festival, and unlike the other one I seen, it seemed that the audience loved this film. How could you not, anyone who had been through what Aron Ralston suffered and survived should be overjoyed and happy. Though I don’t know if I would go rock climbing anytime soon afterwards like Aron Ralston, but I guess that is what separates the boys from the men.

THE JUDGEMENT CALL: An audience crowd pleaser but also a great story about human survival. If you don’t go see it for James Francos amazing performance or Danny Boyle’s superb directing. Then see it for the simple purpose of the human spirit that is the real Aron Ralston.

The Black Swan

What can be said about Darren Aronofsky and his film resume? I think the film Pi was way over my head, maybe it was because I didn’t understand math or the meaning of life, but I didn’t dig it. Requiem for a Dream was a classic film about drug abuse, the acting and cinematography in that film is very hard to out do, including it’s score. Then came The Fountain, one of the worst films ever made. That is a film I loathe so much I will not discuss it further, besides giving you the warning to avoid it. Then he hit us with The Wrestler, a great coming of age tale of a down and out wrestler, then at last he hits us with the The Black Swan. I caught this film at the Saint Louis Film Festival, it eventually sold out but it was obvious it wasn’t the must see film of the Festival, that movie was apparently Casino Jack. The Black Swan takes you on a journey of a psychological melt down without really telling you which reality is which? And it is all centered on ballet and jealousy. Natalie Portman plays Nina Sayers, a young ballet dancer hoping to move up in the ranks of the company. She lives at home with an over caring mother played by Barbara Hershey. This dynamic of the film comes off creepy and cold, like it doesn’t belong, which is what most of the films it’s self feels like. The director of the company is played by Vincent Cassel who has just axed Beth Macintyre (Winona Ryder) the most beloved/hated ballet dancer at the company until she is replaced by Portman. As this storyline emerges so does another one, a new dancer with better talent and hotter looks comes along, Lily, played by Mila Kunis. The rivalry begins between the two women and then the film just continues to melt down over the next hundred and three minutes. The only thing good this film has going for it is Natalie Portman’s performance, Darren Aronofsky is good at getting actors to give one hundred percent, but why do it with such horrible material. I guess the films ending was supposed to bring the whole crazy mess to some kind of formed conclusion, but most of the people that walked out of the theater didn’t realize what they had just seen. At least that is what I got from the chatter from the crowd leaving. I understood but still had to scratch my head and ask questions? Sadly it wasn’t questions about the film, but instead it was the beefed up security FOX STUDIOS had there. They warned us to not record the film with our phone or we would be kicked out. I understood that, but then after watching the film I thought something more. It was most likely do to the fact that the studio didn’t want this horrible mess and buzz of the film getting out there before its release date. That’s just my thinking; I’m crazy like that I guess?

THE JUDGEMENT CALL: Unless you are on LSD or a heavy dose of Mushrooms, I don’t see how you could enjoy this movie. Unless you’re a single guy who doesn’t get laid, then you will enjoy the lesbian sex and female masturbation. Yet as an audience member all I can say is avoid this film at all cost! Besides the fact that this film has already been made, its called Jacobs Latter, its was way more of a trip, and much better.