The new Les Miserables Trailer is now available. It looks amazing! The move stars Anne Hathaway, Russell Crow, Hugh Jackman and many others. Great cast. The movie comes out this Christmas. I can't wait to see it.

Snappy Reviews and Picks for Best Picture and Actors Oscar 2011

 127 Hours:
Director: Danny Boyle

A film based on a true story about adventure climber, Colorado resident Aron Ralston, played by James Franco. The story is about his journey in Utah climbing, where he is with his camera as usual documenting his life. This day is different however, because he finds his arm trapped underneath a boulder. He did not tell anyone where he was going that day. There is a slim chance he will ever be found. We watch in anticipation as he fights to survive. He is recalling scenes from his life and of the people who are so important to him. He eventually takes drastic measures to try and save himself.

The real life Ralston recently went to the 2003 location of his accident. He called the experience a "rebirth". He said, "One life was over, and another began."

The movie was intense without much dialouge. Franco and the director did a great job. You felt like you were right there with him. The movie goes by fast because there is so much focus on his journey. The photography is amazing as well as the scenery. The beginning is great with the pumpin' up the volume music and the 3 screens at once. The movie was entertaining and inspirational.

 The Fighter:

Director: David O. Russell

A movie that took 5 years to get made and was shot in 33 days. The movie is based on real life half brothers and boxers Micky Ward and Dicky Erlund, played by Mark Walhberg and Christian Bale. The movie also stars Melissa Leo as the overbearing mom and Amy Adams as the girlfriend of Micky. 

The movie is great and one of the best of the year. It takes you on a journey with these two brothers. Dicky was once a great fighter and then later becomes a crack addict. They even show the filming of a documentary about Dicky. This documentary is a shock to his mom and sisters. They are outraged and embarrassed about it. Yet, it is because of Dicky's addictions and actions that he is no longer trusted to train his brother. It is later that Micky gives Dicky another chance. The movie is inspiring and is great about families and what they go through. 

Everyone is so great in this film. They all deserve awards. Mark Walhberg trained for 4 years for this role. Christian Bale is fantastic! He was not the original guy to play Dicky. Both Matt Damon and Brad Pitt were to play Dicky but they dropped out. Christian is the perfect guy. He really became Dicky. He deserves the Oscar. I hope he brings up Micky and Dicky when he receives it. 

The Kids Are All Right:

Director: Lisa Cholodenko

A movie about two married lesbians with teenage children. The married couple is played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. They both do a great job in this movie. They both deserved nominations. The kids seek out the sperm donor, played by Mark Ruffalo. This turns the household upside down. They all try to figure out their roles and how he may fit in or not. 

The movie was interesting and entertaining. Great that they picked Ruffalo for the hunky factor and his great acting.

True Grit:

Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

The Coen brothers remake of the original movie, made in 1969 with John Wayne.

The movie is about a young Mattie Ross, played by Hailee Steinfeld, who is seeking the killer of her father. She finds the reluctant help of a drinking, cranky U.S. Marshall Roster Cogburn, played by Jeff Bridges. Along the way they team up with a Texas Ranger LeBoeuf, played by Matt Damon, who is also looking for the same killer.  They do eventually meet up with the killer Tom Chaney the outlaw, played by Josh Brolin.

The movie is enjoyable. Wonderful Western landscape. The movie mirrors the original in many ways, though it does have its own style and twists. Jeff Bridges was great and amusing. Matt Damon did a good job and was quite funny at times. 

Movie was worthwhile. It is a must if you love westerns.

Toy Story 3:

Director: Lee Unkrich

Wonderful family movie. Woody and Buzz and all the gang are back for a third time. This time Andy is off to college and the toys are feeling very sad. They feel like they are no longer needed. They take a journey to a daycare center with funny and disastrous results. They eventually get out of that environment where everyone is happy with new beginnings.

Great movie for families. Very well done. Great animation and story. I would not give this the best picture. I would say it definitely deserves Best Animated Feature.

Black Swan:

Director: Darren Aronofsky

The movie is about a perfectionist ballerina Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman. She is up for the role of a lifetime in "Swan Lake." She is trying her hardest to prove herself worthy of the role. The choreographer, played by Vincent Cassel, is not convinced that Nina can play the role. He thinks she lacks the sensual passion needed for the "Black Swan". Soon there is another dancer that comes onto the scene that is more carefree and open, played by Mila Kunis. Nina sees her as competition. In truth the new ballerina is a friend and a rival. She has goals of her own, yet she wants to help Nina loosen up since Nina is so uptight and also has an over protective mom, played by Barbara Hershey.

This movie is about the downward spiral mentally of Nina the ballerina. It is a thriller. It is confusing at times. It is creepy at times. It is entertaining and you can't help watch, even at times when you want to turn away. Vincent Cassel was perfect for his role. He based his character on George Balanchine, the co-founder of the New York City Ballet. George explored sexuality in his routines and married 4 of his ballerinas. Natalie Portman gives a great performance. One that is different from any other that she has done. She is the front runner.

Great movie if you want to see a thriller and ballerinas.

Winter's Bone:

Director: Debra Granik

A story of Ree Dolly in the Ozarks, played by Jennifer Lawrence. She is the caregiver of her two siblings and her mentally ill mom. She takes a journey to try and find her drug-dealing father. She is trying to save their home and he needs to show up for court if they are going to save it. She meets up with a variety of people and her uncle. He warns her to stay out of it and not ask so many questions. She is determined, even when it spells lots of trouble.

Interesting, entertaining movie. Jennifer Lawrence does a great job. She did deserve the Oscar nomination and has an exciting future. 

The Social Network:

Director: Aaron Sorkin

A movie about the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg. It takes you on the journey of how he created Facebook. He gets some help from fellow classmates and the hip, sleezy creator of Napster Sean Parker, played by Justin Timberlake. He also is modivated by the jilting of his girlfriend. The movie includes the legal troubles he gets into with the Winklevoss twins. The twins are cleverly played by one man, Armie Hammer. There is also legal trouble with his friend who felt abandoned, played by Andrew Garfield.  

The movie is well done. The script is great. A great movie about our times and ambition.

Inception:

Director: Christopher Nolan

A movie about Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who enters dreams to steal corporate secrets. In the movie when he is going into others dreams he is haunted by his own subconscious. Mainly by his dead wife Mal, played by Marion Cotillerd. She haunts him and also tries to sabotage his work. 

My second favorite of the year. Dreams are some of my favorite themes. The visual effects were spectacular. We saw the movie on IMAX 3-D. That is the perfect way to see this movie. The movie is confusing at times for sure. Yet, the rewards are great. Great entertainment value and keeps your mind alert. Super movie. 

The King's Speech:

Director: Tom Hooper

My favorite of all the films. The movie is about Albert, Duke of York, played by Colin Firth, who unexpectedly becomes king because of his eccentric brothers marriage to an American divorcee. He becomes King George VI. He has a stammer that becomes worse on public occasions. He has suffered the stammer since childhood. With the help of self taught Aussie speech therapist Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush, he is able to make great speeches. 

The king is also helped by his supportive wife the Queen, played by Helena Bonham Carter. 

Colin plays him with grace and with the anguish that goes along with trying to overcome his affliction. 

Rush plays Lionel with much enthusiasm. It is fun to watch the two together in what they are now calling a movie about Bromance. 

Inspirational. It is great to see the unconventional methods that the King went through in overcoming his stammer. David Seidler, the screenwriter in his 70's, said he himself had a stammer and saw the King get over his. He then thought if the King can do it he could. I think that this movie shows that we are all human and can overcome so many things with commitment and support. Wonderful movie. 

My Personal Picks For Oscar 2011:

Best Picture: The King's Speech

Best Actor: Colin Firth

Best Actress: tie...Natalie Portman/Nicole Kidman

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo

Best Director: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Best Original Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, Inception

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Film Editing: The Fighter

Best Cinematography: Inception

Best Art Direction: The King's Speech

Best Visual Effects: Inception

Best Sound Mixing: The Social Network

Best Sound Editing: Inception

Best Costume Design: Alice In Wonderland

Best Makeup: The Wolfman

Best Original Score: The Social Network

Best Original Song: "We Belong Together" by Randy Newman, Toy Story 3

Venice: Son Phil's first feature film

This movie is my son Phil's first feature film. He is very excited about this film of his. At this time I will let you take a journey on his website to see about the film. Enjoy!! http://www.venicethemovie.com

Sister Rivalry Gone Psycho in 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?'

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

Director: Robert Aldrich

Producer: Robert Aldrich

Starring: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono, Madie Norman, Marjorie Bennett, Anna Lee

Written by: Lukas Heller, Henry Farrell (novel)

Warner Bros.

Release Date: October 1962

134 minutes

Last night finally saw the movie, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? This movie is a great movie of sister rivalry. A grotesque horror film. At times you want to divert your eyes, yet you can't. 

The story is of two older sisters. The sister, Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) , was a former child star. Blanche was a former movie star, who became crippled in a car accident. Most of the movie takes place in the home they both share. They are isolated from the world. Blanche is in the upstairs bedroom in total isolation. She has to rely on Jane for her everyday needs. Jane constantly abuses her sister. She is jealous. She is also demented. They have a housekeeper Elvira (Madie Norman) that takes care of Blanche. Elvira is worried about Blanche and mentions that Jane needs professional help. This is advice Blanche takes. Yet, the results of her efforts are frustrating and put her in further danger. 

Baby Jane Hudson hires Edwin Flagg (Victor Bruno), to help her revive her career. These are some of the creepiest scenes in the entire movie. The doll! Edwin does a great job of covering up his horror of the entire scene. 

Included in this movie are nosey mother and daughter neighbors who are fans of Blanche. This even further irritates Jane. The mother does catch Jane at some inopportune moments.

Bette Davis goes to town in her role as Baby Jane Hudson. She holds nothing back. She is one of the scariest older ladies since the housekeeper from Rebecca that I have ever seen. She did receive an Oscar nomination for this role. Joan Crawford played an aged movie star turned victim so well. They were the perfect pair for this movie. Maybe because of the fact that they were rivals in real life. They did this movie in a professional manner because they knew how important it was. This was the movie that put their careers back in high gear. 

It was also a movie idea that later was copied many times over.

This movie is a great psychological thriller with an unexpected twist.

Sexy Superman

Henry Cavill is to be the next Superman. It is a surprising choice. It is also a great choice. There were some complaints that a British man was to play the American Superman. Yet, he is an actor that would fit the role perfectly.

He is a great actor. He is absolutely one of the most gorgeous actors around. He will bring Sexy to Superman.

Henry was born in 1983 in Jersey, Channel Islands. I was wondering where that was myself. I looked it up. The Channel Islands are beautiful Islands off the coast of Normandy, France. The Islands are a great mix of British and French culture. He attended a boarding school called, Stowe School, located in Buckingham. There he studied acting. He has had parts in the movies Stardust  and Tristan & Isolde. Recently he played Charles Brandon in the Tudor Series. He was excellent in that series. A great mix of heart and strength.

Superman is set to film in Vancouver this summer. He is the only one cast so far. Ladies, YOU could be the next Lois Lane. Wouldn't that be lovely.

Oscars, Oscars! Read all about it! Nominations from 83rd Annual Academy Awards:

 Here are the nominations for the Oscars! It is a great bunch of movies. The line-up for the actors and actresses are filled with some great performances. It is going to be very hard to choose. There are a couple that are obviously going to win. Natalie Portman for Black Swan and Colin Firth for The Kings Speech. If these two don't win it will be a total shocker.

My favorite is The King's Speech. That movie has 12 nominations. The most out of all the movies this year. Wonderful true story with great actors. My second pick is Inception. So unique. Love the world of dreams. The movie was great in IMAX 3-D. Kept you on the edge of your seat. Inception ties with The Social Network with 8 nominations. 

Here are the nominations:

Best Picture:

• 127 Hours
• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• Inception
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King's Speech
• The Social Network
• Toy Story 3
• True Grit
• Winters Bone

Best Actor:

• Javier Bardem, Biutiful
• Jeff Bridges, True Grit
• Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
• Colin Firth, The King's Speech
• James Franco, 127 Hours

Best Actress:

• Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
• Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
• Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
• Natalie Portman, Black Swan
• Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor:

• Christian Bale, The Fighter
• John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
• Jeremy Renner, The Town
• Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are Allright
• Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress: 

• Amy Adams, The Fighter
• Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
• Melissa Leo, The Fighter
• Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
• Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Director:

• Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
• David O. Russell, The Fighter
• Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
• David Fincher, The Social Network
• Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit

Documentary Feature:

• Exit Through the Gift Shop
• Gasland
• Inside Job
• Restrepo
• Waste Land

Documentary Short:

• Killing in the Name
• Poster Girl
• Strangers No More
• Sun Come Up
• The Warriors of Qiugang

Animated Feature:

• How to Train Your Dragon
• The Illusionist
• Toy Story 3

Foreign Language Film:

• Biutiful, Mexico
• Dogtooth, Greece
• In a Better World, Denmark
• Incendies, Canada
• Outside the Law (Hors-la-Loi), Algeria

Original Screenplay:

• Mike Leigh, Another Year
• Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy; story by Keith Dorrington, Eric Johnson, Paul Tamasy, The Fighter
• Christopher Nolan, Inception
• Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right
• David Seidler, The King's Speech

Adapted Screenplay:

• Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
• Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
• Michael Arndt; story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, Toy Story 3
• Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit
• Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini, Winters Bone

Film Editing:

• 127 Hours
• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• The King's Speech
• The Social Network

Cinematography:

• Black Swan
• Inception
• The King's Speech
• The Social Network
• True Grit

Art Direction:

• Alice In Wonderland
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 1
• Inception
• The King's Speech
• True Grit

Animated Short Film:

• Day & Night
• The Gruffalo
• Let's Pollute
• The Lost Thing
• Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)

Live Action Short Film:

• The Confession
• The Crush
• God of Love
• Na Wewe
• Wish 143

Visual Effects:

• Alice In Wonderland
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
• Hereafter
• Inception
• Iron Man 2

Sound Mixing:

• Inception
• The King's Speech
• Salt
• The Social Network
• True Grit

Sound Editing: 

• Inception
• Toy Story 3
• TRON: Legacy
• True Grit
• Unstoppable

Costume Design:

• Alice In Wonderland
• I am Love
• The King's Speech
• The Tempest
• True Grit

Makeup:

• Barney's Version
• The Way Back
• The Wolfman

Original Score:

• 127 Hours
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Inception
• The King's Speech
• The Social Network

Original Song:

• "If I Rise," music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Dido and Rollo Armstrong, 127 Hours
• "Coming Home," music and lyrics by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey,         Country Strong
• "I See The Light," music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, Tangled
• "We Belong Together," music and lyrics by Randy Newman, Toy Story 3

Curious about movie 'Tree of Life'

Tree of Life is a movie coming out soon. Have you heard about it? I came upon the trailer by chance one day. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the movie. The movie was written and directed by Terrence Malick. The movie is about a family in the 1950's with 3 boys. The mother and father are played by Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. The oldest son, as an adult, is played by Sean Penn. The movie is about a spiritual journey. An individuals journey. I read that this movie can't be described. One has to experience it. The look of the movie is dreamlike. The film looks great. It looks like a movie worth seeing. They collaborated with NASA on the movie for many of the visual images. There is no telling how this movie will turn out. Will it be a movie with a message or a beautifully filmed movie for all the senses? Maybe both. Movie comes out May 21st.

Winners at the Golden Globes

The big winner at the 68th annual Golden Globes was The Social Network. They won 4 Golden Globes.   It was a front runner. The movie really was a good one. It reflected our times. The movie had great detail and was very informative.

The King's Speech was my favorite. The movie did win best actor. I am hoping they get many nominations at the Oscars. I would love to see Colin Firth win for Best Actor at the Oscars as well.

The Fighter won for best supporting actor and actress. Those awards were well deserved. Everyone in that film did a great job. Melissa Leo, who won for best supporting actress, was great. When she received her award she looked and acted nothing like her character in the movie. A sign of a great actress.

A favorite mini-series of mine was nominated for a few awards and did not win. Pillars of the Earth was a fantastic mini-series based on the novel by Ken Follet. Great acting. Wonderful sets.

Toy Story 3 won for Best Animated Film. That film was one of the best of the year. Great movie for families. All 3 of my boys thought it was great!

Best moments were: Natalie Portman's speech, Chris Colfer's speech and the tribute to the actor Robert De Niro.

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Best Motion Picture, Drama: The Social Network


Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: The Kids Are Allright


Best Director, Motion Picture: David Fincher, The Social Network


Best Actor, Motion Picture, Drama: Colin Firth, The King's Speech


Best Actress, Motion Picture, Drama: Natalie Portman, Black Swan


Best Actor, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version


Best Actress, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: Annette Bening, The Kids Are Allright


Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Christian Bale, The Fighter


Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Melissa Leo

Best Original Score, Motion Picture: Trent Reznor, Atticus Rose


Best Original Song, Motion Picture: "You Haven't Seen The Last of Me" (written by Diane Warren),
Burlesque


Best Foreign Language Film: In a Better World


Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3


Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network


Best Television Series, Drama: Boardwalk Empire


Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy: Glee


Best Actor, Television Series, Drama: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire


Best Actress, Television Series, Drama: Katey Segal, Sons of Anarchy


Best Actor, Television Musical or Comedy: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory


Best Actress, Television Musical or Comedy: Laura Linney, The Big C


Best Television Mini-Series or Movie: Carlos (Sundance Channel)

Best Actor, Television Mini-Series or Movie: Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack


Best Actress, Television Mini-Series or Movie: Claire Danes, Temple Grandin


Best Supporting Actor, Television Series, Mini-Series or Movie: Chris Colfer, Glee


Best Supporting Actress, Television Series, Mini-Series or Movie: Jane Lynch, Glee


Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert De Niro

Golden Globe Fever!

Golden Globes are starting in just a couple of hours. I have Golden Globe Fever! Every year can't miss it! This year there are many interesting and varied nominees. Ballet, boxing and dreams are some of the themes of these movies. There are so many great performances.
Here is a peek at some of the nominations:

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy):
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist


Best Picture (Drama):
The Fighter
Black Swan
The Social Network
The King's Speech
Inception


Best Director:
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Tom Hopper (The King's Speech)
Christopher Nolan (Inception)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)


Best Actor (Drama):
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter)


Best Actress (Drama):
Halle Berry (Frankie and Alice)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michele Williams (Blue Valentine)


My picks are: The King's Speech, Alice in Wonderland, Tom Hooper, Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.
Favorite movie of these is The King's Speech. Wonderful movie based on a true story. The acting in this movie was magnificent. I also hope that The King's Speech wins for best screenplay.

Christian Bale did a great job in The Fighter. He was so believable. It would be great to see the real life characters from this movie at the Golden Globes. I imagine they are so excited about the success of the movie.

My prediction is that The Social Network is going home with more than one award, including Best Drama.

The fashion at the Golden Globe Awards is always spectacular and fun. Will be watching for the eye candy fashions.

More later on the Golden Globes 2011.