Oscar Picks

It’s Oscar week. I’m excited, and unashamed of that. And now that it’s a week out, it’s time to make my picks. Last year I went 15 for 24, for a 63% success rate. Can I beat last year’s score? We’ll see, here are my picks.

Before I list them out, here’s the picks in video form. I used two pieces of music, the first being an excerpt from Trent Reznor’s score for The Social Network, my pick for Best Original Score. The second being “I See The Light” from Tangled, my pick for Best Original Song.

Best Picture

The Social Network

Best Director

David Fincher for The Social Network

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Colin Firth for The King’s Speech

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale for The Fighter

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Best Original Screenplay

David Seidler for The King’s Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay

Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network

Best Animated Feature

How To Train Your Dragon

Best Foreign Language Film

Biutiful

Best Documentary Feature

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Best Original Score

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross for The Social Network

Best Original Song

Alan Menken & Glenn Slater for “I See The Light” from Tangled

Best Cinematography-

Wally Pfister for Inception

Best Film Editing-

Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall for The Social Network

Best Art Direction-

Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias & Douglas A. Mowat for Inception

Best Costume Design-

Jenny Beavan for The King’s Speech

Best Make-Up –

Rick Baker & Dave Elsey for The Wolfman

Best Sound Editing-

Richard King for Inception

Best Sound Mixing

Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo & Ed Novick for Inception

Best Visual Effects-

Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb & Paul J. Franklin for Inception

Best Documentary: Short Subject-

The Warriors of Qiugang

Best Short Film: Animated-

Day & Night

Best Short Film: Live Action-

The Crush

22/02/2011 0

Reviews: I Am Number 4; Unknown

I Am Number Four

Directed by D.J. Caruso

Starring Alex Pettyfer, Dianna Agron, Timothy Olyphant & Teresa Palmer

When I first saw the trailer, I remember thinking, “Isn’t this Jumper?” And the closer I got to the release date, the less I looked forward to sitting through it. Well… it was slightly better than Jumper.

An alien teen with extraordinary powers is on the run from the rival aliens bent on destroying him. He eventually settles in a small Ohio town with his guardian, Henri. Taking the name John, he not only has to fight aliens to stay alive, but also fight to survive high school.

I know… cheesy summary. It’s a kind of cheesy story. On its surface, it seems a bit like Twilight, but with aliens. But it won me over. Not completely, it’s still a paper-thin plot with mediocre acting and a ridiculous mythos. But I think with the right tinkering, it would have been a completely acceptable addition to the 1998 WB line-up, as a companion piece to Buffy, The Vampire Slayer (but not a lead-in).

But that’s the good. And the only good. There’s obviously cannon and mythos at work in this tale, being based on the first of a proposed six novel series, and the film was left open for sequels. Chalk it up to studios trying to find the next Harry Potter or Twilight. The problem is that it’s not very well laid out. I feel like there’s back story we’re missing, and the current story feels undeveloped, yet at the same time completely closed out. That there’s no real reason to keep an overall arc going.

Pettyfer is an unproven leading man. Granted so were (are) Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Pattinson, but this whole franchise is starting from scratch. The book was just released in August, there’s no built-in audience wave to ride. He had already starred in one failed franchise start-up (Alex Rider). And this doesn’t bode well for the young Brit who’s all looks, little charm or talent.

Really, it’s Timothy Olyphant who holds the film together. He’s got the talent to do better (and has done better), but he seems out-of-place amongst a sea of flavour of the month pretty faces (including Glee‘s secondary female lead, Dianna Agron).

Overall, it’s a noble and not completely atrocious effort, but it ultimately falls flat and fails to make the viewer really get invested in the story. Mostly due to poor execution, and I could see this work as a TV show.

2.5 stars

Unknown

Directed by Juame Collet-Serra

Starring Liam Neeson, January Jones and Diane Kruger

After Taken and the criminally underrated A-Team, it’s now a fact that one should not fuck with Liam Neeson. While it does seem like a retread of the former film, it’s still an exciting thriller that, until the last 10 minutes, keeps you on the edge of your seat.

A man travelling to Berlin with his wife is in a traffic accident, only to awaken from a four-day coma with a fuzzy memory of his recent actions, and no one else seems to have memory of who he is. He teams up with the cab driver he was with during the accident to solve the mystery of who he is.

While it’s aided by the fact that it’s a wild ride of a film, a lot of things don’t add up until the end, and that works to the entire film’s detriment. But let’s get through the good. It’s a fun cat and mouse, very much in the vain of 2009’s Taken, set on the backdrop of a beautiful European city (which makes me think Neeson picks his movies based on his vacation desires). The twists keep coming, but they never get too over the top to lose you (again, until the last 10 minutes). Liam Neeson is solid, if not great, as always and Diane Kruger continues to remind us that she should be a bigger name (what can I say, I’m a fan). Jones seems out of her element, but she’s still slowly working her way into major billing.

Then there’s the final twist, what ties it all together. I’m glad it’s not supernatural, as is the trend lately, as director Collet-Serra knows how to keep it grounded in reality, as evidenced by his previous film, the better than expected Orphan. But it seems a little too God-of-gaps. It doesn’t have the same build up or final execution or satisfying payoff of great twist endings of thrillers past. The twist feels just too contrived. But everything up until then is good, that’s gotta count for something, right?

Come for the fun action/thriller, but don’t expect to be challenged.

3.5 stars

20/02/2011 0

83rd Annual Academy Award Nominations

Like most film buffs, I awoke yesterday morning at the crack of 8am when my alarm went off, shuffled around, did my morning routine, got my coffee on, ate a yogurt (part of my New Years Resolution to be more like Michael Westen) caught the end of the Saved By The Bell episode when Zack accidentally knocks over Screech’s parents’ bust of Elvis, then gambles away Screech’s dog… not the best episode, but OK. And THEN, at 8:30, I turned to the Oscar nomination announcement ceremony.

My take is one of watching from the sidelines, having not seen all of the nominated films, nor even all of the Best Picture nominees (will be at 8 of 10 this weekend), but being a fan of not only film as an art, but the Oscars as a celebration of the art, I want to chime in, have my say.

I’m going to focus on the Big 5 (Picture, Director Writing, Actor, Actress, and technically 6, since there are 2 writing categories) & the supporting role categories, because I’d be lost trying to dissect “Best Documentary – Short Subject.”

As for locking in my predictions, that will happen a week before the ceremony on February 27th.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

127 Hours; The Social Network; Toy Story 3; True Grit; Winter’s Bone

It’s interesting that Toy Story 3 got the nod for adapted screenplay, as it, according to the rule, is based on the screenplay for the 95 original. I don’t see it, but hey, I don’t make the rules, or nominate films. But looking at the list, I’d say Toy Story 3 is the only serious contender to upset Aaron Sorkin’s brilliant script for The Social Network.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Another Year; The Fighter; Inception; The Kids Are All Right; The King’s Speech

This is a category that’s just wide open. All the scripts are just so different, with their own merits and nuances. But ultimately, it’s a three-way race between the heavy family drama of The Fighter, the sometimes comedic character study of The King’s Speech, or the intricacies of Inception.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams for The Fighter; Helena Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech; Melissa Leo for The Fighter; Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit; Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom

As with most of the major categories, there were snubs. And as with most of the major categories, the field just became too crowded to fit them all. Who would you swap, and why? Personally, the two biggest snubs for Supporting Actress are Mila Kunis in Black Swan, who keeps pace with Natalie Portman (who did get a nomination) and Chloe Moretz in Kick Ass who exhibited a reckless bravado that blindsides you when you realize that she was (at the time of filming), in fact, a mere 11 years old. But who do you kick out? Steinfeld, who showcased a calm intensity against Bridges & Damon? Weaver? Bonham Carter?

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale for The Fighter; John Hawkes for Winter’s Bone; Jeremy Renner for The Town; Mark Ruffalo for The Kids are All Right; Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech

This one was a much less crowded field, only if you discount just about everyone from The Social Network. It seems almost criminal to have left out Andrew Garfield or Armie Hammer and, to a lesser extent, even Justin Timberlake. But like the Supp. Actress category… who would take out? Renner? It seems more criminal that he’s the lone nomination for the superb The Town. Ruffalo?

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

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

This is another crowded category (which is surprisingly unusual) where you could bemoan the snubs, but who would you take out. The biggest snub I’m hearing is Julianne Moore instead of Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right. I’ll reserve my judgement after I see it this weekend. I’m also disappointed in, again, no love for Chloe Moretz, this time for her raw, emotional and entirely beautiful performance in Let Me In, achieving emotional highs that elude actresses more than double her age and experience. Ultimately, this category belongs to Natalie Portman.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem for Biutiful; Jeff Bridges for True Grit; Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network; Colin Firth for The King’s Speech; James Franco for 127 Hours

Lead Actor will essentially come right down to the wire. Firth is the heavy favourite, coming into this with two previous nominations and a multiple wins for this role, but I think newcomer Eisenberg will be the spoiler. The Social Network is a strong contender in all categories, and Eisenberg breathed life into not only the character (or, caricature? perhaps) of Mark Zuckerberg, and the story of Facebook. But Bridges and Bardem are previous winners, and Franco could also prove to be a viable dark horse. Perhaps the biggest acting snub belongs to this category with the absence of Mark Wahlberg, considering The Fighter picked up nominations everywhere else. But, yet again, the slogan for this year’s Oscars is “Who would you bump?”

Best Achievement in Directing

Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan; Ethan & Joel Coen for True Grit; David Fincher for The Social Network; Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech; David O. Russell for The Fighter

This boasts a stellar, and interestingly diverse cast of characters, who all have their own distinct style. Unfortunately, this also contains a major snub, and the “Who would you bump?” question is easier to answer. As much as it pains me to say this, as I’m a huge fan of their work, I’d drop the Coen Brothers in favour of the more finely orchestrated work of Christopher Nolan on Inception.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

127 Hours; Black Swan; The Fighter; Inception; The Kids Are All Right; The King’s Speech; The Social Network; Toy Story 3; True Grit; Winter’s Bone

Last year, the Academy started to experiment with expanding the Best Picture category to 10 nominees, in a bid to bridge the gap between audiences and voting members, and to a degree it worked. And I think we’re slowly seeing a trickle down that could, over time, open up the other categories to “non-traditional” Academy movies. The race is still wide open, with no clear front-runner. The Social Network is the heavy favourite for this category, but The King’s Speech is gaining momentum, with The Fighter and Black Swan also on track to be spoilers, and you can’t, of course, count out the great Toy Story 3.

26/01/2011 0

Movies I’m Looking Forward to in 2011 part 4 of 4

What movies am I looking forward to as we close out 2011, here they are, the flicks of October through December!

October –

Real Steel – It’s robots boxing. While it may be an expanded episode of “Futurama,” a decent enough cast could make this an enjoyable popcorn flick.

Rum Diary – Johnny Depp made a promise to Hunter S. Thompson that he’d make sure Rum Diary made it to the silver screen, and come October, we may finally see that promise fulfilled. I’m excited to see Bruce Robinson’s return to directing following a nigh 20 year absence.

November –

11-11-11 – Sure it seems gimmicky to title your movie after it’s proposed release date, and construct an entire plot around it. And sure it could be another 2012, but I’m giving this horror thriller the benefit of the doubt till more details emerge and a trailer is released.

The Muppets – Jason Segel got the job of writing the screenplay and some music for this new muppets movie after his work in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I love the muppets, and I’m hoping this could lead to a full length Dracula musical.

December –

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – I’ve liked the original Swedish trilogy so far, I’ll be seeing …Hornet’s Nest at the end of the month, but I’m less cautious about this remake. Let Me In and True Grit proved that you can do well by readapting the source material. I think we’re in good hands with David Fincher directing. What’s going to be key is Rooney Mara’s take on Lisbeth Salander.

06/01/2011 0

Movies I’m Looking Forward to in 2011 part 3 of 4

Part 3 of the ongoing blog postings about the movies of 2011, we’re now in quarter 3, July to September

July

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 – To be fair, the franchise hasn’t been as good as it was with Prisoner of Azkaban, but part 1 of Deathly Hallows was up there, and it’s been a surprisingly consistent franchise (except for Half Blood Prince). I think this will be a fitting end to the franchise.

Captain America: The First Avenger – Much like Zack Snyder, sometimes I feel like I’m in the minority with Chris Evans, but I like the guy. As with Thor, I applaud Marvel’s ambition, and I’m hoping this project pays off, big time, for them.

Cowboys & Aliens – I love alien invasion films. I like westerns. With a cast that includes Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Sam Rockwell, and Jon Favreau in the director’s chair, I’ve got high hopes for this niche blockbuster.

August –

The Darkest Hour – Like I said, I love alien invasion movies, and this appears to be a bleaker take on the subgenre, with Emile Hirsch leading an impressive young cast. But truly, I’m looking forward to seeing Chris Gorak’s follow-up to 2006’s underrated Right At Your Door.

30 Minutes or Less – The most exciting aspect of this comedy crime film is the reuniting of Zombieland director Ruben Fliescher and his star Jesse Eisenberg.

September –

Colombiana – The films that come out of Luc Besson’s crew of writers and directors are always a guilty pleasure (or regular pleasure) of mine, and with Zoe Saldana in the lead, this could be a fun late summer escapist film.

Drive – Ryan Gosling strays from his indie safe house to do a B-Action movie, but could elevate it to be the right amount of cheese as we head into the fall. I’m expecting big things from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s major American debut.

05/01/2011 0

Movies I’m Looking Forward to in 2011 part 2 of 4

Building on yesterday’s entry, the movies I’m looking forward to in the second quarter of 2011, April to June.

April –

Super – I’m a fan of James Gunn, I like off book superhero stories (Kick Ass, Defendor) and a good strong cast including Rainn Wilson (who’s much better than what Dwight has become), Ellen Page and Nathan Fillion make this one of my most anticipated films of the year.

Scream 4 – Say what you will about Wes Craven’s last picture (the so-so at best My Soul To Take), the man’s a legend, and the Scream trilogy is one of the best and most consistent horror franchises. I’m looking forward to this with cautious optimism. Can it call back to true satirical spirit of the original, or will it cave in to the constructs of the genre like the third? We’ll find out in April.

Your Highness – I think the best way to describe this is… Why not? James Franco and Natalie Portman are terrific actors, Danny McBride has been a great second fiddle for the past few years, why not make a raunchy Medieval comedy. Could go either way, but chances are good.

May –

Thor – I applaud Marvel’s ambition in rolling out their heavy weights as one big franchise. Iron Man 2 was troubled, but still good, same with The Incredible Hulk. With a strong cast, a great director, and a relative unknown in the lead, this teeters on the brink, but I think it’ll be well received.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – I think this is what the third movie should have been, instead of one film spread out over two movies. A singular, stand alone narrative. The only thing that truly worries me is Rob Marshall replacing Gore Verbinski in the director’s chair.

The Hangover II – When The Hangover came out, it was one of those films where everything came together to be a truly funny movie, that didn’t hold back, and certainly didn’t take the easy way out. Can the crew catch lightning in a bottle again? With everyone on board for a second venture, this time to Thailand, let’s hope so.

June –

X-Men: First Class – The third film and Origins: Wolverine were disappointments, but with fresh eyes and talent, here’s hoping they can revive the franchise. Especially with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as Professor X and Magneto, respectively.

Super 8 – The new J.J. Abrams film is shrouded in mystery, but should we expect anything less from Abrams? After Cloverfield, Star Trek and “Lost,” I’ll follow him anywhere.

Cars 2 – Cars is perhaps my least favourite Pixar film (not that it’s bad, just… not as good) and probably the least deserving of a sequel. Should we be worried that their production slate features only one (Brave) original film, of three (the other being Monsters, Inc. 2) to be released between now and the end of 2012? I hope not, but it doesn’t inspire optimism. But Pixar has a proven track record, and they won’t jump in without making sure the story is worth it, first.

04/01/2011 0

Movies I’m Looking Forward to in 2011 part 1 of 4

I closed out 2010 with a look back on the films that made up the year, but here are the films I’m looking forward to in the first quarter of 2011, January through March. Unfortunately, the movie calendar doesn’t start to get exciting till March.

January –

The Green Hornet – I’m approaching this with cautious optimism. Sure it could end up being mostly forgettable, but Seth Rogan in a genre shift, the great Christoph Waltz back in villain mode and visionary director Michel Gondry, the stars may align on this one.

February–

Unknown – I get a distinct Frantic meets Taken vibe off of this one, but both were tight thrillers and I’m a Liam Neeson fan, so we’ll have to see where this one goes. The inclusion of Diane Krueger is also enticing.

March–

Rango – Gore Verbinski re-teams with his Pirates of the Caribbean crew and star to bring us this interesting animated feature.

The Adjustment Bureau – It’s a sci-fi thriller with a great cast in Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. It could be a modest hit, but the trailer looks good.

Apollo 18 – A smallish sci-fi flick from Spanish director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego. It’s another “found footage” style film, but handled right, it could be the best of the sub-genre.

Battle: Los Angeles – This looks like the film that 2010’s Skyline wanted to be, but didn’t because it was horrible every step of the way. Mature sci-fi has seen a resurgence over the past few years and I’m hoping this keeps the tradition alive.

Paul – The comedy giants from both sides of the pond join forces for this geek-tastic film. Simon Pegg & Nick Frost team up with Seth Rogan and director Greg Mottola (Superbad and Adventureland).

Sucker Punch – I get the feeling that I stand in the minority as far as Zack Snyder goes, but I’m a big fan of the guy. He’s one of the most visually exciting directors around, he has tight plots, great characters. He’s just had the misfortune of adapting properties with built-in fan bases (Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen) that didn’t like HIS vision. So I’m excited for his first original work.

03/01/2011 0

Top 10 Films of 2010

These were the films that struck a cord with me in 2010, that I enjoyed for various reasons. Before the list, some Honourable Mentions, just missing the top 10: The Losers, Tron: Legacy, Easy A, How To Train Your Dragon, The Crazies, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows prt 1, Iron Man 2, Catfish, The A-Team, Tangled

10- The Town (Directed by Ben Affleck; Starring Ben Affleck, John Hamm, Jeremy Renner and Rebecca Hall) Even after Gone Baby Gone, I wouldn’t have pegged Affleck as a director who could deliver. But here we are. He’s 2 for 2. He was able to get some great performances out of some terrific actors, and he even elevated his game in front of the camera. We get a tight thriller that excites every step of the way, and pushes Jon Hamm more and more into super stardom.

9- Black Swan (Directed by Darren Aronofsky; Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel) One thing that can be said about Aronofsky’s films is that they are an experience. And he comes off his gut wrenching look at professional wrestling by taking a look at the New York Ballet scene, and how the drive to be the best can drive one mad. We experience the descent Portman’s Nina goes through, in her best performance to date.

8- The Fighter (Directed by David O. Russell; Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams) Say what you will about Russell, his films tend to be love or hate, but this one is hard to hate. His last pairing with Wahlberg produced Marky Mark’s best performance, add in the drama of a boxing story (which I’m a sucker for) and the almost always great Bale and Adams, it’s a winner.

7- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Directed by Edgar Wright; Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Chris Evans) It was easy to miss and dismiss this film as being too esoteric, too targeted, too Michael Cera being Michael Cera (again). But what you missed with this film is one of the most strikingly original romantic comedies, and for once, Cera playing his type works in the film’s favour, as it contrasts with his adversaries. Wright consistently delivers some of the most finely crafted films, even if they are genre films.

6- True Grit (Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen; Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Brolin) My approach to this film is how I approach most remakes. If they bring something new to the table, or can stand on their own merits, then there’s nothing wrong with them. The Coen brothers bringing their dark humour and bleak sensibilities to the classic (which is actually a readaptation of a book, rather then a remake of a film) western, and Bridges continues with a late career resurgence in both quality and popularity. Of particular note, young Hailee Steinfeld, with the gravitas and talent not normally seen in someone so young, and holding her own against the likes of Bridges, Damon and Brolin.

5- Let Me In (Directed by Matt Reeves; Starring Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Richard Jenkins) Like True Grit, Let Me In is less of a remake (of the 2008 Swedish film Let The Right One In) and more of a readaptation of the original novel, and it loses none of the haunting beauty of the original. It’s a disservice to compare the two, as both are fascinating. The two children, who were both about 13 when the film was being made, carry the film, and handle the roles better than some actors with twice the age and experience. Reeves is an emerging voice in genre cinema, and made an indelible impression.

4- Toy Story 3 (Directed by Lee Unkrich; Starring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack) Pixar has been on a 15 year hot streak since the first Toy Story in 95, and I’m not ashamed to say that this brought a tear to my eye (several tears, actually). Pixar never compromises story for spectacle, one thing other animation houses (including Pixar parent, Disney) have struggled with. But they are first and foremost storytellers, and give the fans who grew up with Woody, Buzz & crew a great final, closing chapter.

3- Kick Ass (Directed by Matthew Vaughn; Starring Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Mark Strong) The superhero genre reached critical mass and market saturation with the powerhouse of The Dark Knight and Marvel Studio’s ambitions Avengers plan, but 2010 belonged to a nerdy guy who just wanted to do good. Not since Edgar Wright’s Hott Fuzz has a film so thoroughly skewered the conventions of the genre, yet lived entirely within the confines of the conventions. Moretz delivers her first great performance of the year, and coupled with Let Me In, she should be a lock come Oscar time, and I’m looking forward to more from her for years to come.

2- The Social Network (Directed by David Fincher; Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer and Justin Timberlake) Fincher works from a script by the great Aaron Sorkin, a story that they both acknowledge is both a fictionalized and sensationalized account of mostly true events, but sometimes what actually happened needs to be jazzed up a bit. Eisenberg is the best emerging talent, breaking through in 09, and hitting his stride in ’10 to bring excitement and energy to Zuckerberg and the start of Facebook.

1- Inception (Directed by Christopher Nolan; Starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page and Tom Hardy) I’ve seen critiques of this go both ways, but in earnest, Nolan does the near impossible: Combines the spectacle to to appease mainstream audiences, but he actually has a complex plot, interesting characters, and compelling dialog. I’ve been following Nolan for 10 years, and he’s a filmmaker who will consistently deliver. And the cast, what a phenomenal ensemble cast he put together, especially the always pleasing Cotillard.

Not on the list because I have yet to see them:

127 Hours, The King’s Speech, Winter’s Bone, Exit Through The Gift Shop, Waiting for Superman

02/01/2011 2

112 Movies in 1 Year

In 2010, I broke my personal record for most films seen in theatres in a single calendar year. The final count came to 112. I assembled a video, my first video, to represent the films I saw. Here it is, in the order in which I saw them

Leap Year, Up in the Air, Youth In Revolt, Daybreakers, The Book of Eli, The Lovely Bones, Nine, Legion, The Tooth Fairy, Edge of Darkness, When in Rome, An Education, Dear John, From Paris with Love, The Wolfman, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Valentine’s Day, Shutter Island, Cop Out, The Crazies, Alice In Wonderland, Crazy Heart, Brooklyn’s Finest, Green Zone, She’s Out of My League, Bounty Hunter, Repo Men, How To Train Your Dragon, Hot Tub Time Machine, The Last Song, Clash of the Titans, Date Night, Kick Ass, Death at a Funeral, The Back Up Plan, The Losers, Furry Vengeance, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Iron Man 2, Letters to Juliet, Robin Hood, Shrek Forever After, MacGruber, Sex and the City 2, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Get Him to the Greek, Splice, The Karate Kid, The A-Team, Toy Story 3, Jonah Hex, Knight & Day, Grown Ups, Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Last Airbender, Predators, Despicable Me, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Inception, Salt, Ramona & Beezus, Charlie St. Cloud, Dinner for Schmucks, The Other Guys, Step Up 3D, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Eat Pray Love, The Expendables, The Switch, Piranha 3D, Takers, The Last Exorcism, The American, Machete, Going the Distance, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Easy A, The Town, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again, The Social Network, My Soul To Take, Secretariat, Life As We Know It, Jackass 3D, Red, Hereafter, Catfish, Paranormal Activity 2, Saw 3D, Megamind, Due Date, Unstoppable, Skyline, Morning Glory, The Next Three Days, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows prt 1, Tangled, Love and Other Drugs, Faster, Burlesque, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Tourist, Tron: Legacy, The Fighter, How Do You Know, True Grit, Black Swan, Little Fockers, Gulliver’s Travels.

01/01/2011 0

Thoughts on the Plot & Cast for Gilligan’s Island: The Movie

First of all, I’d like to discuss the general tone of the flick. I don’t think will (or should) go the slapstick parody route (think The Brady Bunch), rather play it straight. This is a post-Lost pop culture era we’re dealing with, and while Gilligan planted the castaway flag first, the landscape has changed. Lost will hold an indirect influence on the story. Sure, it won’t go the sci-fi mystery route, but in the great strides we’ve made in the past 45 years of TV and film, slapstick wouldn’t be the appropriate route to go. Turn up the smart, sly and dry, and you’ll have a damn good script, and assembling the right actors and filmmakers could make this a strong TV adaptation (which there are few of).

As for the story, when you really get down to the basics of it, the whole premise of the show is completely ridiculous, and makes no logical sense. But there are some fixes to make it just a bit more plausible.

To start off, Gilligan and Roy Hinkley (The Professor) are now brothers. They live in Hawaii. Roy is obviously a professor at the university, and let’s say it’s in marine biology. Their uncle, the Skipper, runs a boat tour service, showing off the sights of the islands, and Gilligan works for him. Roy wants to show one of his benefactors (Thurston Howell) the work he’s doing with a unique research project, so he asks his Uncle to take them out to sea. Howell is wealthy business man and also sits on the board of directors of the University. Roy brings his girlfriend/research assistant Mary Ann. Howell brings his wife, Lovey, and niece, Ginger, who’s an actress, thinking it’s just going to be a quick trip, and a fun way to see the ocean. Then the storm happens, they get blown off course, they crash on an island, guidance and comm systems aren’t working, so they now have to figure out a way home.

Gilligan –

A few names sprang to mind when coming up with the right guy to play Gilligan. In this era, he does have to be good-looking, but there needs to be a nerdy quality to him. Something earnest, sweet, naive, and very funny. Again, slap stick just won’t work anymore. Jason Segal was the first name, and he’s done well with I Love You Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and How I Met Your Mother, but there’s just something about him. He’s just a big guy. A big, oafish kinda guy, but still with all those aforementioned qualities. Yes he’d be good, but there’s one small screen actor who would be great- Chuck‘s Zachary Levi. Levi’s got an endearing quality about him, you can’t help but like the guy. He’s relatable, unsure of himself, slightly awkward, but still affable. I think Zach Levi be the perfect Gilligan.

Skipper –

When picking the right actor to play the Skipper, I wanted to take into account the tonal shift the story and spirit would have to take to appeal to modern audiences. The bumbling, pudgy, middle-age guy just wouldn’t cut it. I thought of a few guys who could do it, and for a while, the strongest candidate was Kevin Kline. But then I was watching Out of Sight and Michael Keaton caught my eye. I started thinking back on his career, the characters he’s played, the things he’s done, and I knew that Keaton is the perfect choice for the Skipper Jonas Grumby.

Thurston Howell III & Lovey Wentworth Howell–

This was another role that I spent a lot of time thinking about. But most of that was how to cast it. Each role individually, or together as a couple? How old or young did I want to go? Of course they’d still be the elder of the castaways, but did I want to go late 40’s or pushing 70? What’s the age range? But what it eventually came down to is a chemistry between the two characters, and the ability to be funny as well. And when I took into account certain creative liberties they may (and I think should) take, there were only two people I wanted for the roles of the Howells, a great Hollywood couple in their own right, William H. Macy & Felicity Huffman. Their interaction in the video comes at the 3:45 mark.

Ginger Grant –

For Ginger Grant, you need that classic bombshell look, but not a party girl socialite that dominate the headlines of today. The character was a legitimate actress in her time, and to play the character any other way, would be a disservice. Two actresses could and should do it, for all the right reasons. Mad Men‘s Christina Hendricks or Quantum of Solace and Prince of Persia star Gemma Arterton. Now I of course am basing my casting choices around potential story alterations that I will go into after the casting choices, but as of right now, based on my choices… Gemma Arterton. Hendricks is just a tad too old. In the video, she’s the one with the short, black hair.

The Professor –

This was perhaps the most difficult role to cast. He had to be a handsome actor, yet still believably academic. He had to be close in age to Gilligan, Ginger and Mary Anne, who are skewing younger, but not too close, I did want an air of maturity about him. I started out with an idea of David Duchovney, but he’s just too old at this point, I was basing that decision on him 10-15 years ago. But I had a starting point. And because of the story alterations I’ve come up with, I’m going with John Hamm. He’s only 6 years older than Levi, so they could conceivably play brothers.

Mary Ann –

For Mary Ann, I needed an actress with the perfect amount of “girl next door” appeal, and to be about the same age as John Hamm. There was one name, and one name only that sprang to mind for this one: Elizabeth Banks.

20/10/2010 0