5 movies I wish I had seen 2015

Like last year I once again missed out on many great films due to limited releases, a busy schedule, and I wanted to make a list of the 5 films I wish I had seen and plan on seeing and reviewing throughout next year.

5. Ex Machina

I have heard nothing but positive things about this film and recently purchased the Blu-Ray combo pack at Best Buy for only $10. What a steal, right? Within the next few weeks or so, expect to see a review of the film as there are still a few weeks till most of the TV I watch and review comes back on air and so I will be trying to get as much content on my blog as possible. 

4. Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs along with a few of the other releases all came out in the period of about a month or so which was quite overwhelming since so many of these films were Oscar contenders. I have heard nothing but great things about this film and am very excited to see it. 

3. Blackmass

The main reason that I want to see Blackmass is for Johnny Depp's performance which I hear is one of his best performances ever. Hopefully it will receive a DVD release soon and I will check it out.

2. Sicario

Sicario looks to be quite promising and got rave reviews so I'm looking forward to watching the film but just missed out on it due to my busy schedule.

1. Spotlight

Fortunately Spotlight is still in theaters so I plan on seeing it in the near future before it leaves theaters and I'm quite excited given all the positive buzz surrounding the film and it's amazing ensemble cast. 

5 Most Underwhelming Films 2015

This year was filled with many great films but I was underwhelmed by a few so I thought I would continue my tradition started last year and once again make a list of these films. Remember that just because these films are on this list doesn't quite mean that I hate the film or dislike it, but rather that I had high expectations that the film didn't quite meet Be aware this isn't my 5 Worst films of 2015 but rather what films disappointed me.

5. Pixels

Pixels was a film with a great premise and great potential that just fell flat. It wasn't the worst movie I've seen this year but it wasn't anywhere near the best or even the good films.

4. Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four was a disaster. The film totally falls apart in the third act where it's clear the studio took control. The film was just very dreary and boring when it was a superhero film about a superhero team that should be bright, cheery, and fun. The reason this isn't higher on my list is because the trailers weren't particularly promising so it wasn't quite underwhelming and this isn't quite my 10 worst films of 2015 list.

3. In The Heart Of The Sea

In The Heart Of The Sea has some spectacular trailers that looked to tell a very gripping engaging story behind the tale of Moby Dick. It didn't quite measure up to what looked to be a potential Oscar contender. The biggest issue was the lackluster characters and story that failed to captivate me or make me engaged in the film.

2. Tomorrowland

I'm a part of a minority that actually can say I liked Tomorrowland however there's a very strange ending that made me very uncomfortable and just came across as creepy. This film was disappointing to me in regards that it was made by Brad Bird, who has made some incredible films (No pun intended) and it was just "good" rather than amazing or spectacular. The end of this film just tanked the film and made it "good" or mediocre to me as opposed to what it could have been.

1. The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

I didn't quite hate this film but I didn't really like it that much either. I was very disappointed as I loved The Maze Runner and had high hopes for it's sequel but the best way to describe how I felt about this film was disappointment. It just didn't quite compare to the first film in my eyes but I hope the next film will be an improvement.

2015 Oscar Results

So out of my predictions for the major categories, I predicted 6 out of 19 incorrectly, therefore I predicted 13 of the category winners. I really enjoyed this and anticipate doing it again next year.



Best Picture

"American Sniper"

"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Selma"
"Whiplash"

My choice: "Birdman"

Likely winner: "Boyhood"
Actual Winner: "Birdman"

Best Director
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Morten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"

My choice: Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" or Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Actual Winner: Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

My choice: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice" 
(I haven't seen any of the nominees so I'm basing this on word of mouth)

Likely winner: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

Actual Winner: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

Best Actor
Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

My choice: Michael Keaton, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Michael Keaton, "Birdman" or Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Actual Winner: Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

My choice: Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game" or Emma Stone, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

Actual Winner: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

My choice: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Likely winner: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Actual Winner: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”
Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"
Jason Hall, “American Sniper”
Anthony McCarten, "The Theory of Everything"
Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

My choice: Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

Likely winner: Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

Actual Winner: Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Best Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, "Foxcatcher"
Dan Gilroy, "Nightcrawler"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

My choice: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"

Actual Winner:  Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"

Best Animated Feature
"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
“Song of the Sea”
"The Tale of The Princess Kaguya"

My choice: "Big Hero 6"

Likely winner: "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

Actual Winner: "Big Hero 6"

Best Film Editing

"American Sniper"

"Boyhood"
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
"The Imitation Game"
"Whiplash"

My choice: "Boyhood"

Likely winner: "Boyhood"

Actual Winner: "Whiplash"

Best Original Song

"Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie" (written by Shawn Patterson)

"Glory" from "Selma" (written by Common and John Legend)
"Grateful" from "Beyond the Lights" (written by Diane Warren)
"I’m Not Gonna Miss You" from "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me" (written by Glen Campbell)
"Lost Stars" from "Begin Again" (written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood)

My choice: "Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie" (written by Shawn Patterson)

Likely winner: "Glory" from "Selma" (written by Common and John Legend)

Actual Winner:  "Glory" from "Selma" (written by Common and John Legend)

Best Original Score

Alexandre Desplat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Alexandre Desplat, "The Imitation Game"
Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"
Gary Yershon, “Mr. Turner”
Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar"

My choice: Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything" or Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar"

Likely winner: Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"

Actual Winner: Alexandre Desplat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins, "Unbroken"

Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"
Dick Pope, "Mr. Turner"
Robert Yeoman, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, “Ida”

My choice: Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"

Actual Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"

Best Costume Design

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

“Inherent Vice”
"Into the Woods"
"Maleficent"
"Mr. Turner"

My choice: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Likely winner: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Actual Winner: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

"Foxcatcher"

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"

My choice: "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Likely winner: "Foxcatcher"

Actual Winner: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Production Design

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
"Into the Woods"
"Mr. Turner"

My choice: “Interstellar”

Likely winner: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Actual Winner: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Sound Editing

"American Sniper"

“Birdman”
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Interstellar"
"Unbroken"

My choice: "Interstellar"

Likely winner: "American Sniper"

Actual Winner: "American Sniper"

Best Sound Mixing
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
“Interstellar”
"Unbroken"
“Whiplash”

My choice: "Interstellar"

Likely winner: "American Sniper"

Actual Winner: “Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

My choice: "Guardians of the Galaxy

Likely winner: "Interstellar"
Actual Winner: "Interstellar"

2015 Oscar Predictions

Given that the Academy Awards are tonight and I have watched all the films nominated for best picture and the other major categories, I thought I would make a list of what I want to win each category as well as who will likely win, based on what the Academy likes, etc. Tonight I will post a comparison of my predictions to the actual results as they are announced.

Best Picture

"American Sniper"

"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Selma"
"Whiplash"

My choice: "Birdman"

Likely winner: "Boyhood"

Best Director
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Morten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"

My choice: Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" or Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

My choice: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice" 
(I haven't seen any of the nominees so I'm basing this on word of mouth)

Likely winner: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

Best Actor
Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

My choice: Michael Keaton, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Michael Keaton, "Birdman" or Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

My choice: Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game" or Emma Stone, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

My choice: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Likely winner: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”
Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"
Jason Hall, “American Sniper”
Anthony McCarten, "The Theory of Everything"
Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

My choice: Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

Likely winner: Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

Best Original Screenplay
Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, "Foxcatcher"
Dan Gilroy, "Nightcrawler"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

My choice: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"

Best Animated Feature
"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
“Song of the Sea”
"The Tale of The Princess Kaguya"

My choice: "Big Hero 6"

Likely winner: "How to Train Your Dragon 2"

Best Film Editing

"American Sniper"

"Boyhood"
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
"The Imitation Game"
"Whiplash"

My choice: "Boyhood"

Likely winner: "Boyhood"

Best Original Song

"Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie" (written by Shawn Patterson)

"Glory" from "Selma" (written by Common and John Legend)
"Grateful" from "Beyond the Lights" (written by Diane Warren)
"I’m Not Gonna Miss You" from "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me" (written by Glen Campbell)
"Lost Stars" from "Begin Again" (written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood)

My choice: "Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie" (written by Shawn Patterson)

Likely winner: "Glory" from "Selma" (written by Common and John Legend)

Best Original Score

Alexandre Desplat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Alexandre Desplat, "The Imitation Game"
Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"
Gary Yershon, “Mr. Turner”
Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar"

My choice: Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything" or Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar"

Likely winner: Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"

Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins, "Unbroken"

Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"
Dick Pope, "Mr. Turner"
Robert Yeoman, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, “Ida”

My choice: Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"

Likely winner: Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"

Best Costume Design

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

“Inherent Vice”
"Into the Woods"
"Maleficent"
"Mr. Turner"

My choice: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Likely winner: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

"Foxcatcher"

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"

My choice: "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Likely winner: "Foxcatcher"

Best Production Design

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
"Into the Woods"
"Mr. Turner"

My choice: “Interstellar”

Likely winner: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Sound Editing

"American Sniper"

“Birdman”
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Interstellar"
"Unbroken"

My choice: "Interstellar"

Likely winner: "American Sniper"

Best Sound Mixing
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
“Interstellar”
"Unbroken"
“Whiplash”

My choice: "Interstellar"

Likely winner: "American Sniper"

Best Visual Effects
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

My choice: "Guardians of the Galaxy

Likely winner: "Interstellar"

My Thoughts on the 2015 Oscar Nominations

My Thoughts

So now that the Oscars nominations have been released, I plan on reviewing two of the films nominated for a major category each week. I watched a couple of them recently and will post reviews soon on a weekly basis so I don't overcrowd my blog with too many reviews at once. I felt that The LEGO Movie was snubbed and at least deserved a nomination for Best animated Picture. I also heard that Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcraawler) and  David Oyelowo (Selma) were snubbed in the Best Actor category but I haven't seen those films so I can't really provide my opinion on that.

Nominations

Best Picture

"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Whiplash"

Best Director

Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Bennett Miller, “Foxcatcher”
Morten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard, “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

Best Actor

Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"
Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, “Wild”
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Best Adapted Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson, “Inherent Vice”
Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"
Jason Hall, “American Sniper”
Anthony McCarten, "The Theory of Everything"
Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Best Original Screenplay

Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, "Foxcatcher"
Dan Gilroy, "Nightcrawler"
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Best Foreign Language Film

"Leviathan"
"Ida"
"Tangerines"
“Timbuktu”
"Wild Tales"

Best Documentary Feature

"CITIZENFOUR"
“Finding Vivian Maier”
"Last Days in Vietnam"
“The Salt of the Earth”
"Virunga”

Best Animated Feature

"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
“Song of the Sea”
"The Tale of The Princess Kaguya"

Best Film Editing

"American Sniper"
"Boyhood"
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
"The Imitation Game"
"Whiplash"

Best Original Song

"Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie" (written by Shawn Patterson)
"Glory" from "Selma" (written by Common and John Legend)
"Grateful" from "Beyond the Lights" (written by Diane Warren)
"I’m Not Gonna Miss You" from "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me" (written by Glen Campbell)
"Lost Stars" from "Begin Again" (written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley and Nick Southwood)

Best Original Score

Alexandre Desplat, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Alexandre Desplat, "The Imitation Game"
Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"
Gary Yershon, “Mr. Turner”
Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar"

Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins, "Unbroken"
Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"
Dick Pope, "Mr. Turner"
Robert Yeoman, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, “Ida”

Best Costume Design

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
“Inherent Vice”
"Into the Woods"
"Maleficent"
"Mr. Turner"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

"Foxcatcher"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"

Best Production Design

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
“The Imitation Game”
“Interstellar”
"Into the Woods"
"Mr. Turner"

Best Sound Editing

"American Sniper"
“Birdman”
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Interstellar"
"Unbroken"

Best Sound Mixing

"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
“Interstellar”
"Unbroken"
“Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Short Film, Live Action

"Aya"
“Boogaloo and Graham”
“Butter Lamp”
“Parvaneh”
"The Phone Call"

Best Short Film, Animated

"The Bigger Picture"
"The Dam Keeper"
"Feast"
"Me and My Moulton"
“A Single Life”

Best Documentary, Short Subject

“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
"Joanna"
"Our Curse"
“The Reaper”
"White Earth"