Predictions for the 86th Annual Academy Awards

The end of the Hollywood awards season is here with the presentation of the Academy Awards tomorrow night. It’s been a fantastic year for movies which is evident based on how great all the nominees are this year. Trevor and Joe have debated the nominees and have decided to offer up their picks for the winners of all the big categories (we don’t pick the three Short Film categories because we have not seen any of them). So here are our picks for the 86^th Annual Academy Awards. We welcome any and all attempts to outguess us!

Best Picture of the Year:

The way we see it, there are really only three movies that could win this award: “12 Years a Slave”, “American Hustle” or “Gravity”. Joe thinks a fourth film with a legitimate shot to win is “The Wolf of Wall Street”. Trevor would be surprised to see that happen and thinks it has no chance. “Slave”, “Hustle” and “Gravity” have enjoyed universal critical acclaim since their openings. Both “Gravity” and “Hustle” have also enjoyed commercial success grossing $269.6 million and $144.8 million respectively. Should “Gravity” win, it would be the highest grossing movie to win the top prize since “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” 10 years ago. “Slave”, on the other hand, has only brought in $49.4 million, which would be one of the lowest grossing movies to win over the last 10 years (behind only “The Artist” and “The Hurt Locker”). Of the nine nominees, Trevor would vote for “Her” as the Best Picture winner if he were an Academy member. Joe would vote for “Gravity” as it topped his Best Ten list for 2013. However, given the subject matter of “12 Years a Slave” and its continued critical success and high praise, we believe that is what will walk away with the night’s top prize. We will also have to refer to Brad Pitt as an Academy Award Winner from here on out seeing as he is nominated as a producer in this category. Additionally, all nine of these films deserve the recognition they’re getting by being in this category. Every one of them. It’s been a very long time since we’ve been able to say that about all the Best Picture nominees.

Best Director:

This one is open and shut. Take it to the bank. Go all in. Alfonso Cuarón will win best director for “Gravity”. He’s won nearly every award in this category this season including the Directors Guild Award. Winners of the DGA almost always go on to win the Oscar for Best Director if they’re nominated. Very rarely does this not line up. It didn’t last year, but Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated at the Oscars for some reason. You have to go all the way back to 2002 to see a director win the DGA, be nominated for the Oscars and lose to someone else. Rob Marshall won the DGA for “Chicago”, was up for an Oscar, but lost to Roman Polanski for “The Pianist”. The technical scale of “Gravity” and how seamless Cuarón made the images on screen should be enough to secure him a victory. The Academy, however, is famously anti-technology. James Cameron was up in this category a few years ago for “Avatar” but failed to win (he did not win the DGA that year either, so it wasn’t a complete surprise). “Avatar” was a grand technical achievement - albeit a terrible film , but grand in size nonetheless. It also revolutionized the current 3D trend, which “Gravity” is a part of. Could the famously old and traditional Academy go for someone else instead of someone who pursued new technologies? Could we see Steve McQueen take the award for “12 Years a Slave” or even David O. Russell for “American Hustle”? We’d both be shocked by that. This looks like the year the Academy will finally honor the new technologies available to filmmakers. Cuarón should win and will win.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Heading into the Oscar season, Trevor was all but certain this award would be going to Chiwetel Ejiofor for “12 Years a Slave”. But then, everyone saw “Dallas Buyers Club” and Matthew McConaughey’s role in it. McConaughey has been cleaning up the awards circuit this season with wins at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. It seems pretty logical that he will win the Oscar too. The Academy loves to see actors play real life people. They also love to see actors go through major physical transformations for their role. Check and check. He’s also the star of the new HBO series “True Detective” which is the Toast of the Town right now. Rest assured, Oscar voters will have that show on their mind when they cast their ballots for McConaughey. There are some possible upsets in the mix though. Ejiofor winning would be a surprise but not out of the realm of possibility, especially if the Academy decides to gush over “12 Years a Slave”. Leonardo DiCaprio’s presence in this category is also interesting. This is his fourth acting nomination and third in the Best Actor category. A lot of people, including us, feel he’s a very deserving actor for this award and has been passed over numerous times already (mostly for films where he wasn’t nominated). Could this be the year where Oscar voters say, “You know what, Leo? You’ve never won before. Here you go!” That seems to have happened before. Julia Roberts winning an Oscar for “Erin Brockovich” over Ellen Burstyn for “Requiem for a Dream” is one of those instances. Another would be Sandra Bullock winning for “The Blind Side” rather than Carey Mulligan for “An Education”. We both feel that McConaughey will win this award. Joe, however, would vote for DiCaprio. Trevor wouldn’t be upset to see DiCaprio win since he’s one of Trevor’s favorite actors. Trevor would vote for Bruce Dern for “Nebraska” if he had a vote. We both disagree on who should win this category, but agree that by the end of the night, McConaughey will walk away with his first Oscar.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

This one is a more sure thing than Cuarón is for Best Director. Cate Blanchett put on one of the most critically acclaimed performances of the year in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine”. She’s cleaned up at practically every award show and critics circle possible. She’s already won an Oscar before for Supporting Actress in “The Aviator” in 2004. We would both vote for her and we both think she will win. Her only real competition here would be Amy Adams for “American Hustle”. Four people from “Hustle” are nominated and you would expect they’d get at least one of those awards (more on that later). We don’t see Christian Bale upsetting McConaughey for Best Actor (we both think Bale is just lucky to be in that category anyway) nor do we see Bradley Cooper winning in his category. Adams is a long shot here, but if there’s any chance of an upset in this category, it’s Adams. And it would be a monumental upset if she beat Blanchett.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Jared Leto for “Dallas Buyers Club” is who will win this category. We both think that. And how could anyone think any different? Leto, much like McConaughey and Blanchett, has won just about every award possible for his role. As with McConaughey, the Academy loves it when people go through physical transformations. Leto lost a lot of weight for this role and has been put in heavy makeup making him almost unrecognizable. He’s also mesmerizing in his role as Rayon in “Dallas Buyers Club” so that helps out a little too. Joe would absolutely vote for Leto in this category. Trevor would vote for Michael Fassbender for his role as the evil and sadistic slave owner in “12 Years a Slave”. Fassbender’s presence in this category is similar to Ralph Fiennes in “Schindler’s List” where he played an evil and sadistic man, much like Fassbender. Fiennes lost, but should have won. The Academy doesn’t really tend to vote for evil and sadistic. Not unless they go through some kind of transformation (Javier Bardem and his ugly hair style in “No Country for Old Men” or Heath Ledger in the face paint in “The Dark Knight”). So while Fassbender is great, his character is probably too evil for Oscar voters. Bradley Cooper could score an upset, but that’s unlikely. The Academy could vote for the ultimate Cinderella story and give it Barkhad Abdi in “Captain Phillips”. The limo driver turned Oscar nominated actor scored a victory at the British Academy Awards, but he wasn’t nominated against Leto. Look for Leto to take home the award.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

This is the first category where Trevor and Joe disagree on who will win. We believe this will be a two-woman race. First is Lupita Nyong’o for her heartbreaking role in “12 Years a Slave”. Second is Jennifer Lawrence, Hollywood’s current queen of everything, for her role as the crazy Rosyln in “American Hustle”. Trevor would vote for Nyong’o but thinks Lawrence will end up winning. Joe feels the opposite: he’d vote for Lawrence but thinks Nyong’o will win. Lawrence was a winner last year in the Best Actress category. If she wins, she’ll be the first actor to win an Oscar in back-to-back years since Tom Hanks won for “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump” in 1993 and 1994 (Lawrence was 2 and 3 years old when those movies were released). She’d be the sixth performer ever to win in back-to-back years, and the only one to win in the separate acting categories. She’s great in “American Hustle” and Hollywood loves her to pieces. Why wouldn’t they vote for her? Nyong’o is brand new to Hollywood. “12 Years a Slave” is her first big role. She puts on a fearless performance in the film. She even beat Lawrence during this awards season at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. That’s a pretty big victory heading into the Oscars. So this one could go either way. We love both of these actresses and their performances this year. Who will win it?

Best Screenplay

There are several options for who could win in the two screenplay categories. For Best Adapted Screenplay, we both think that John Ridley’s screenplay for “12 Years a Slave” will win. Trevor would vote for “12 Years a Slave” if he were an Oscar voter while Joe would vote for Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke for their “Before Midnight” screenplay. Joe is a big fan of that trilogy and this third installment was just as good as the previous two. The upset special here could be Billy Ray’s “Captain Phillips” screenplay, which won at the Writer’s Guild Awards (“12 Years a Slave” wasn’t nominated) and recently at the British Academy Awards. Over in the Original Screenplay category, we would both vote for Spike Jonze’s “Her” to win. Joe thinks Jonze will walk home at the end of the night with an Oscar. Trevor, on the other hand, thinks that David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer will win for their “American Hustle” screenplay. A win here would boost “American Hustle’s” chances of winning Best Picture, especially if “12 Years a Slave” doesn’t win. You don’t normally win Best Picture without at least being nominated for a Best Screenplay award. There are many exceptions to that rule, but that’s typically how it goes. “Gravity” is not nominated here, so that limits its chances, but only slightly.

For the other categories, let’s look briefly at what we each think will win and what we would vote for.

We didn’t see any of the nominees for Best Documentary Feature, so we will abstain from voting there. Trevor thinks “20 Feet from Stardom” will in this category. Joe thinks “The Square” will win. We didn’t see any of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film either. We both think Italy’s “The Great Beauty will win. For Best Animated Feature, we both think “Frozen” will win. Trevor only saw “Monsters University” and “Despicable Me 2” so he’d vote for the latter. Joe would vote for “Frozen”.

We both think “Gravity” will take Best Cinematography. We would both vote for Emmaunel Lubezki’s groundbreaking work. We both think “Gravity” will take Best Film Editing. Joe would vote for it too, but Trevor would cast his vote for “American Hustle”. For Best Costume Design we like “American Hustle” to win and that’s where our vote would go too. For Best Makeup and Hairstyling, we like “Dallas Buyers Club” to win. We would vote for that too. But why wasn’t “American Hustle” nominated here? Christian Bale’s epic comb-over should have been enough to secure a nomination! For Best Production Design we both like “The Great Gatsby” to take that. Trevor’s vote would go to “Her” while Joe would vote for “American Hustle”.

For the two music categories, we would vote for “Her” in both categories. For Best Original Score, we both thought William Butler and Owen Pallett’s score was the year’s best music. Trevor is a big fan of Butler’s band Arcade Fire (who was actually credited in the film as writing the music, but I guess the Academy didn’t want to recognize all the band members). However, we see Steven Price winning for his work on “Gravity”. It’s hard to argue against that; the music in “Gravity” was great. Best Original Song should go to Karen O for “The Moon Song” from “Her”, but it won’t. Instead, we think “Let It Go” from “Frozen” will win. That song is everywhere right now and it’s by far the most popular song from that soundtrack. However, Pharrell’s song “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2” topped this week’s Billboard Hot 100 and it’s the only song nominated that has. Could that be the upset? You can’t rule out U2 either. Why wouldn’t Hollywood want to give an Oscar to Bono? They famously denied him of the award once already in favor of Eminem back in 2002. This is a great category. All four songs are really good. It would be a surprise if “Frozen” did not win though.

As for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects we would both vote for “Gravity” on all three. We expect “Gravity” to actually win all three of these as well. The only upset alert could be “Inside Llewyn Davis” winning in Best Sound Mixing. That one typically goes to a musical when there’s one nominated. “Inside Llewyn Davis” is the closest thing to a musical we have this year. It’s pretty unlikely, but if it wins that’s why.

The 86^th Annual Academy Awards will be held tomorrow night, March 2, at 8:30pm EST/5:30pm PST and will be televised on ABC. Tune in to see the show and to see how we did at picking the winners for this year’s awards!

Review: The Monuments Men

by Trevor Kirkendall

★½

George Clooney leads the Monuments Men

“The Monuments Men” tells the story of a little know episode in world history. During the Nazi occupation of many Western European countries, Hitler had ordered private collections of renowned artwork to be taken and delivered to Germany. His goal was to assemble a vast collection of art in his own museum (the Fuhrer Museum, as it was to be called). Art historian Frank Stokes (George Clooney) wants to make sure this does not happen. He proposes an idea to President Roosevelt to go into Europe and retrieve these works of art from the Nazis and return then to their rightful homes. Roosevelt agrees, but doesn’t think they’ll be able to spare any of their troops to do this, so he tells Stokes to assemble a team and do the mission himself.

Stokes gathers some men together, which he calls the Monuments Men. He takes James Granger (Matt Damon), a renowned museum curator, Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), an architect, Walter Garfield (John Goodman), a sculptor, Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban), an art collector, and two Europeans – Brit Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville) and Frenchman Jean Claude Clermont (Jean Dujardin). They arrive in Normandy about a month after the Allied invasion and get to work finding the stolen art.

Granger heads to the recently liberated Paris to find a contact he knows about. He’s then directed to Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett) who worked in the museums during the Nazi occupation. She wants to have the stolen art recovered, but doesn’t trust Granger or the Americans to hand the art back over to the French people. The Russians have assembled a similar group to recover stolen art as well; only they’re not giving it back. Simone thinks this will be what the Americans end up doing.

As for the rest of the team, everyone splits up and goes to various cities and towns around France and neighboring countries looking for stolen art. Two pieces they have a particularly high interest in recovering are the Ghent Altarpiece and the Madonna of Bruges sculpture by Michelangelo. With the war’s end in sight, Hitler has ordered everything stolen by his Nazi party to be destroyed in the event of Germany’s fall or his death. It’s a race against time for the Monuments Men to find where the Nazis have hidden all these works of art before everything is destroyed.

“The Monuments Men” is a compelling story, one that most history books seem to omit. However, the film’s telling of the story is a giant mess that completely falls flat on itself. It doesn’t know whether it wants to be a lighthearted affair or if wants to be some kind of well meaning historical drama. It’s confusing, not because of the plot, but because you never really know what kind of movie you’re watching. Should you laugh or be moved to tears? There’s nothing wrong with sprinkling a little bit of humor to break up the seriousness, but this film isn’t like that.

What's so funny, gentlemen?

The only person who can be held accountable for this is writer-director George Clooney. He had a chance to take a very little know episode from history and make a poignant and memorable film. Instead, the tone of the film feels like it reflects Clooney’s mood on any given day when they were filming. If he woke up happy, the film takes on the lighthearted feel. If he woke up on the wrong side of the bed, there’s a definite somber tone to the scenes. It’s that kind schizophrenic and the mood shifts that quickly. And Clooney’s cho ?ice of music helps to emphasize this even further. Alexandre Desplat’s score goes from melancholy string arrangements to upbeat “F Troop” style military marches. Happy or sad? The music certainly doesn’t help with the tone.

Clooney’s screenplay, co-written with his usual producing partner Grant Heslov, lacks focus and depth. There’s no primary plot line running through here, only subplots. And each subplot shares the same ultimate goal: find the art. These guys all split up when they get to Europe and the screenplay dedicates equal amounts of time following them around. There’s very little opportunity for anyone to become invested in these characters. When tragedy strikes, the group is understandably upset. But not the audience. Why should we care? We know they’re professionals in the study of art, but outside of that they’re nothing more than famous faces reciting lines and moving about the set. I had to keep reminding myself that Clooney and Heslov – the men who wrote and produced this film – are the same guys who gave us “Good Night and Good Luck” and “Argo”. It’s a pretty spectacular failure.

The only good moments in the entire film are when Cate
Blanchett is on camera.

A cast of such talented stars can’t even save the script. Clooney once again strolls through the set of his film looking like Dr. Ross with a moustache and a military coat. He still can’t seem to get rid of that little head bobble he does in practically every role. Damon looks lost in every scene, maybe because Blanchett, with whom he shares many scenes, intimidates him with her acting abilities. Blanchett is the one bright spot in the entire film. Goodman and Murray look unsure of themselves. Should they be funny or not? Both play drama very well, but they don’t seem to know which direction to take. And Murray walking around with a weapon over his shoulder accompanied by Desplat’s comedic military marches feels more like a 30-plus-year follow up to “Stripes” than a serious drama set in WWII. And Dujardin flashes his million dollar smile looking like George Valentin from his Oscar-winning turn in “The Artist”. It almost looks like Clooney gathered his friends in one big room, handed them a script and turned them loose without giving them any type of direction.

Yes, “The Monuments Men” had all the makings of a good film, but it falls completely flat. This looks more like an inexperienced filmmaker’s first feature, not a seasoned Oscar winner’s fifth. The story is solid and Clooney was right to try and bring this to the public’s attention. As a student of history at one point in my life, I was completely unaware that this ever happened. It seems like a lot of filmmakers want to tell the true tales of little known moments in history. But the problem is they try to do too much in these films and everything seems to be overwhelming. In the end, the logline of this film is really the only story you need to know.

I was a little surprised to see the studio pull this film from its original Christmas 2013 release. I thought that they were intimidated by such a crowded awards field that they would have a better chance taking home Oscars in 2014. But then they scheduled it to open in February, which is not a very great month to open movies, especially if you’re looking for awards. Now I know the move wasn’t to contend for awards. The movie is not all that great and didn’t deserve the prestige spotlight they had originally set aside for it. The first four paragraphs of this review are really all you need to know about this story. And forget the awards. The only thing Clooney has to worry about is redeeming himself on his next film to prove he really is a competent and that his work on “Good Night and Good Luck” wasn’t beginners luck. It really is starting to look like that now.

William's Cinematic Awards of 2013

Farewell, 2013, I hardly liked ye.

Seriously. Get out of here. It’s over, and we’re hoping for a more fruitful year at the movies than the last.

Okay, so that is a little harsh. Still, 2013 was a year of grave disappointment, general boredom, and towards the end, some solid-to-excellent films. Since I hardly saw ten films worth writing home about, as The Grand in Lafayette didn’t show much in the way of higher brow films, I’m left with no option but to give an award to everything I saw in 2013. Yes, everything, because they all deserve at least a little bit of recognition. What follows is a largely train-of-thought commentary of 2013 at the movies. Enjoy.

So, let the games commence!

Star Trek Into Darkness -- Worst Use of the Star Trek Franchise

From Tribbles to Wrath of Khan quotes, this cinematic meh storm featured mountains of CGI renderings, one or two good performances, a mountain of poorly shoehorned in efforts to develop characters, and a string of action sequences that stopped being fun, intense, and interesting just in time for the first hour and a half to peter out. Seriously, I can’t believe the rate in which this movie ran out of steam. It wasn’t too bad, and even had a few moments of genuine excitement and world building before it crashed and burned on its desire to force the characters to take back seat to increasingly over the top action bits. I’d even let slide the fact that Abrams Trek has abandoned the tone and commentary of the classic TV show, but this movie just isn’t that great.

Man of Steel – The Imitation Christopher Nolan Award for Worst Film I saw in 2013

I’m trying to look for a way to keep this short…hmm…I think soulless and tedious would take care of it. Between another way-to-long series of action scenes, and having not the first quality scene of character development in the entire run time, Man of Steel is about as far as you could get from having a good movie, in any regard while still telling a cohesive, dramatic story. I could go on, but I’ll just save my breath and point you to Superman: Earth One, which tells a similar version of what Satan’s Filmmaker, Zack Snyder, has delivered with Man of Steel. However, what you will find in Earth One is a likeable cast of characters, great art, a believable conflict, and most importantly, an actual emotional attachment to what is happening in the story.

World War Z -- Largest Collection of Set Pieces

Some of the people reading this are decrying my taste in films because I have ranted and raved about CGI at the movies. Well, I think that practical effects are better. And that’s okay, because sometimes, I can get a good laugh out of how ridiculous something is when I’m watching it, as I did with World War Z, a film where Brad Pitt gets rushed by zombies in an increasingly elaborate collection of giant setpieces. The story is flaccid, the performances merely average, but my God, how can you not have fun watching zombies rushing a stone wall to devour a city full of people?

Iron Man 3 -- Best Comic Book Movie

Once again, I will be drawing some fire towards my skull, as most comic book fans hate this film purely because of how the Mandarin was handled. Sure, whitewashing comic book villains is terrible, but I like what was attempted with Iron Man 3. I tend to like my super hero flicks to have some humanity to them. And, let’s face it, Robert Downey Jr. is just fun to watch playing himself in a metal costume. I’ll also admit that this film gets bonus points on the ground that you get to see where I graduated high school in the second act.

Pacific Rim -- Best Adaptation

Some of you might be scratching your head, and wondering what I am talking about. Well, this is where you should go out and watch the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, and then watch Pacific Rim again. See all of the parallels? Giant monsters coming from the ocean to battle people mentally linked to giant mechs? Yeah, that’s almost where it ends, but it’s enough for me to call it an adaptation. And what a fun flick, right? It’s the best giant monster flick this world has had in years, and it looks great to boot.

The Wolverine -- Best Almost Great Movie

The Wolverine had a great deal of promise in its script. An immortal man becomes mortal, and has to adapt. Well, that’d be good and fine if the third act hadn’t happened, and it was a more down-to-earth film as a result. I even like the action bits that lead up to that part of the film. However, when it comes down to it, the human story gets dumbed to death in the last twenty minutes, and what could have been the first legitimately good X-Men film to feature Wolverine becomes a merely average flick that deserved better.

White House Down -- Best Dumb Action Movie

There are good action movies, with well written villains and heroes that you can stand behind. Then there are films like White House Down, which are dumb, one dimensional, and so pumped full of ‘Merica that you’ll be vomiting red white and blue popcorn when you leave the cinema. However, White House Down was an absolute blast loaded with stupidly unrealistic setpieces that you can’t help but enjoy. I was told later that it has almost the same plot as Olympus Has Fallen. I haven’t seen Straight Faced White House Down, but it already has a better cast because it lacks the mediocre Channing Tatum in the lead.

A Good Day to Die Hard -- Worst Use of Bruce Willis

I can’t say enough how much this movie angers me. I love the Die Hard films. Yes, even the fourth one. Something about them just works for me, and even though they aren’t great movies in the historical sense, they are a lot of fun, and John McClane is a character that is easy to get behind. It’s just a shame that Bruce Willis phoned his performance into a poorly shot, horribly edited, mess of a film. If there is a Die Hard six, I hope that they give the script another look, and get a better director, because this movie sucked.

Jurassic Park 3D -- Best Movie I'd Seen Before

I’m cheating. Jurassic Park went back into the theaters with a 3D conversion that only looked okay, and I loved every second of this classic flick. I don’t have to sit here and tell you why Jurassic Park is one of the best movies of the nineties. You’ve seen it. You know. If you haven’t seen it, then you are missing out on two hours of fun from a time where dinosaurs were as prevalent as zombies are now. And dinosaurs are so much better than zombies.

This is the End -- Biggest Surprise

My fiancé and I were just dying to go to the theater. We didn’t care about anything that was playing this week, and we were waiting for something that was coming out the next week. Still, this movie called This Is the End was scoring high with the critics, so we just went. I can’t say enough how thankful that I am to see this brilliant comedy from Seth Rogen, who I was once so tired of that I wanted his career to end. I knew that I was going to enjoy this flick as someone asked Rogen, who played himself in the film, why he always played the same character in all of his movies. Yes. It’s that kind of comedy. See it.

The Conjuring – Strongest Theatrical Urine Smell

Most horror films have little effect on me. In fact, I can only think of one movie that really creeps me out, and that’s The Haunting. Not the Catherine Zeta Jones one. That one is scary for different reasons. The Conjuring summons classic 70’s haunted house scares and a quieter approach where other contemporary horror films would throw things in your face. It’s one of my favorite films from last year, and worth every cent that my ticket cost to see it.

RED 2 -- Best Use of Bruce Willis

While lacking the same touch that made Red so entertaining, RED 2 is still a decent action film about old spies fighting a modern threat. The script seemed a bit too all over the place to keep it moving steadily, but the acting was still top-notch, and set pieces were still a lot of fun to watch. Not as good as the first, still, because John Malkovich didn’t pull a gun out of a stuffed pig and proceed to shoot a rocket propelled grenade in mid-flight.

Elysium -- Biggest Disappointment

I thought that District 9 was among some of the better sci-fi in recent years. It’s well thought out script and tight performances lent to a socially conscious story which was too on the nose for its own good and made for a good time at the movies. However, Elysium is too on the nose, has the same average –to-mediocre cinematography, and one of the worst finales I’ve seen from a film of this kind. I’ll let you watch to judge for yourself, but nothing about Elysium struck me the same way that District 9 did. It could have been better with more work on the script, and a tripod for the camera.

The World's End -- Best Movie I'd Anticipated for Years

Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy has been in my favorite comedy and action films since I first saw Shaun of the Dead. The trilogy is capped off in surprising ways, with some of the best performances from the lot of the films. Sure, Hot Fuzz is a better written film in almost every regard, but Simon Pegg surprised me with his performance, seeing as I’m used to him always playing a likeable lead. It’s a sight to behold for sure.

Riddick -- Best CGI Animal Sidekick

There isn’t much to say about Riddick that wasn’t said about Pitch Black. That’s because they are almost the same movie. However, what the writers thought was missing from Pitch Black was a friendly CGI monster that Riddick raises from the first act forward. The wordless bits of Riddick were among my favorites, because there wasn’t any generic tough guy bravado, or Katie Sackhoff being Katie Sackhoff in there. It was just two characters interacting, and we didn’t need the voice over to tell us what was going on…even if it was still there.

Prisoners -- Best Movie with an Awful Trailer

In the lead up to Prisoners hitting the big screen, I was certain that I didn’t need to see the film, and that the trailer said everything. It was a horrible trailer. I can’t think of many other trailers that were that bland and boring, and completely throwing the film out of my To See list. Then the reviews hit, and curiosity struck. We went to see it, and found a decent thriller instead of the blandest thriller ever written.

Gravity -- The "Get Sandra Bullock an Academy Award" Award for BEST MOVIE OF 2013

I knew that I was in for quite the experience with Gravity, as Children of Men was a fantastic beast in its own right. I gave Alfonso Cuaron another ninety minutes of my life expecting an exciting film, and I got exactly that. However, any concern that I had that Sandra Bullock was going to kill the film for me was wiped away, and I walked out of the theater having more respect for her as an actor than I knew was possible. Her performance in this film far outweighs most of the work I’ve seen on the silver screen this year, and while that isn’t saying a lot, she had a long road to walk to get to where I hold her performance now. If you haven’t seen Gravity, get to the theater while it is still playing.

Escape Plan -- The "Better Than it Should Have Been" Award for Best GeriAction Film of 2013

For my money, action movies died when The Bourne Identity came out, and everyone started attaching their cameras to three wheeled shopping carts driven by infants. With Red, its sequels, and a growing pile of Expendables films pouring out of the woodworks, it’s nice to see the genre seeing something of a renaissance. This probably has to do with the fact that these films are being shot like they would have been in the eighties; full contact action, and this little thing called a master shot. Also, I can’t help but note that they bring out actors whose most famous work is from thirty years ago. Two heroes of the eighties are escaping from prison and firing off one-liners that you’ll repeat for days after if you have a soul at all. It’s a great deal of fun, even if it isn’t that smart. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for anything resembling a good heist flick.

Ender's Game -- The Honesty Award for Morose Tone in a Genre Film

When I finished reading Ender’s Game in the year prior to the movie’s release, I was almost certain that they’d be forced to tone down the ending. Given the dire nature of that little plot twist, I figured that the studio would find it to be too dark, and dial it back so that teens and kids wouldn’t be scarred for life of whatever excuse they’d break out to attack this film with. However, it’s intact, and better for it. Asa Butterfield nails his delivery, Harrison Ford is adequately grumpy, and Ben Kingsley is a tiny bit underutilized, I think. Gavin Hood even gains some good cinematic karma after making the atrocious X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Thor: The Dark World -- Most Drastic Improvement in a Sequel

I liked Thor. It was a decent superhero movie. However, it lacked a sense of direction, because it was trying to be two different movies. Well, the balance attempted in Thor was struck in The Dark World, a fun, exciting bit of Marvel comic book action that sees the return of the Thor and Loki in a war that stretches between the real world and Asgard. I still think that Natalie Portman’s character needs to be tuned up a bit. She’s too talented of an actress to just play the damsel in distress.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire -- Greatest Shaky Cam Reduction in a Sequel

The Hunger Games was a contender for best improvement in a sequel, but instead, it wins the award for putting the camera on a tripod. While the previous film was decent, and well deserving of attention just for giving teenage girls a better role model to look up to than that monster who dated vampires and werewolves in Twilight, Catching Fire makes legitimate statements about cult of personality, manipulation of the public via media, amongst a few others, and is actually among my favorite films of 2013. Or it just may be that I think that Jennifer Lawrence is probably the best up and coming actress in a decade.

The Book Thief -- Prettiest Depiction of Absolute Horror

This film set in World War II Germany doesn’t know what kind of movie it wants to be, but it does have a great eye from which to view its tale. While the idea of Death screwing with the emotions of a Russian girl living in a German village isn’t entirely terrible, the idea of trying to make this movie lighthearted in between devastating scenes of brutality, or, you know, that whole Nazi Germany thing, just comes across strangely, and doesn’t do the film any favors. The performances are only average, and the script is merely okay. It’s not a bad movie by any means, but it’s not something I ever need to see again.

Out of the Furnace -- Weakest Woody Harrelson Performance in a 2013 Film

While Woody Harrelson excels as playing himself in Catching Fire, Out of the Furnace has him being himself as a backwoods hustler, and he’s never really given any chance to stand out amongst stellar performances from both Christian Bale and Zoe Saldana. Out of the Furnace delivers an exceptional tale of redemption, and does so amidst attractive cinematography, and pretty solid score. Still, I would have liked more from Woody Harrelson.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug -- Best Sequel with a Largely Unnecessary Character

The Hobbit: The Journey Bezzzzzzzzzzzz was a largely boring affair. I felt like the hour long scene of cartoonish dwarves eating dinner and jacking up a hobbit hovel was time wasted. Given the fact that the book is only around three hundred pages, stretching into three movies never seemed like an attractive idea. Thankfully, The Desolation of Smaug revives the flavor of The Lord of the Rings, and does so with great splendor. It’s got the brilliant set piece action parts, character drama, great foes and dark pasts. It’s everything that the first film should have been, but wasn’t. However, why did we need Orlando Bloom to come back and look like he needed to drop a loaf in every shot? Yes, I used a poop joke, haha. Seriously, why did he look so anal retentive in every scene where something he didn’t like happened? It doesn’t lend to his character becoming light hearted and the like in The Lord of the Rings. Otherwise, it’s a great flick. I didn’t even hate Cumberbatch in this!

American Hustle -- Best Combover

When your movie starts with that hazy yellow visual tone of an early seventies film and a guy starts piecing together a ridiculous hairdo over male pattern baldness, you know you are in for a very special film. It’s an odd choice, and it lends itself to the very fluid, spineless narrative, which just happens to tell a fascinating story that almost completely falls into the background behind brilliant performances, and memorable characters. It’s a great ride from top to bottom. Christian Bale turns in another great performance, and, once again, Jennifer Lawrence shows why everyone loves her. We’re still calling our microwave a science oven…

Special:

Django Unchained -- Best Movie of 2012 that I saw theatrically in 2013

Django Unchained was the first film I saw in 2013 because travelling home for the holidays in 2012 made it difficult to get out to the theater at the end of that year. Still, I love this movie. It’s among my favorite work from Tarantino, and I can now forgive Jamie Foxx for putting me to sleep with Ray. Instantly quotable, and a hell of a lot of fun, Django has gone through two more bouts with white people since the film came out on blu-ray, and I’m sure those won’t be the last.

And so ends 2013, a year that I spent more time at the theater than in any year previous. I hope that you enjoyed the awards. I still have some 2013 movies that I need to see, so don't spit on my grave over the fact that I didn't have an award for Her, because I haven't gotten a chance to see that yet. 

Oh, you wanted something a bit more traditional?

...

Well, that's no fun. 

...

Best: 

5. Pacific Rim

4. American Hustle

3. The Conjuring

2. Enders Game

1. Gravity

Worst. 

5. Star Trek Into Darkness

4. The Book Thief

3. Elysium

2. A Good Day to Die Hard

1. Man of Steel

See you in 2014.

Joe's Top Ten Films of 2013

by Joe Moss

Much the same as my counterpart Cinephile, Trevor, already stated, it was surely a difficult time narrowing the outstanding films from this year to a TOP TEN list. He and I heckled back and forth over the past month regarding numerous films that spoke to each of us on different levels. You will see some of the same titles, but indubitably, our lists are unique and rarely mirror each other. I live in a more rural area than he, so his access to a few of the more independent and/or lower budget films affords him greater variety from the more main-stream films I can access. I hope that you have enjoyed our first year of Cinema Bytes, and I hope you will stay tuned for many years to come. Without further ado, here is my list of the ten BEST films from 2013, in descending sequence:

10. The Spectacular Now

Sutter and Aimee on their first date.

This coming of age drama entails an age-old lesson that is embedded into all of our psyche at an early age--"don't judge a book by it's cover." The films follows the teenage dalliances of Sutter (Miles Teller), the quintessential "popular high school" guy who ultimately falls for the rather well-put-together "nobody," Aimee (Shailene Woodley). What ensues throughout the film is a whirl-wind of teenage emotion as each is forced to grow up into the world around them, rather than simply live for the "now." The film reminds everyone what it is like to truly fall in love for the first time, but told from a young-man's perspective rather than a females. It is funny, pathetic, sarcastic, and raw...otherwise, Spectacular!

9. The Place Beyond the Pines

Emotional overload from the actors in Place Beyond the Pines

The decade of Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling would not be complete without this emotionally charged conflict-drama. With the emotional intensity of a runaway train, we watch the suspense build in the story of a boy (Dane DeHaan) who lost his unknown father (Ryan Gosling) early in life become much like his dad in all aspects. He gets pulled into the fold of the "new kid in town," AJ (Emory Cohen), who is the local police commissioner's son (Bradley Cooper). Told in inter-twining tales (with many flashback sequences), we learn from this film that the world is a really small, and that each action of our lives affects another person--even if in a small seemingly innocuous way. This was the first 4-star review I published this year, and has stuck with me ever since. The ending is Perfect!

8. Her

Theodore waits for a life changing moment.

Spike Jonze is bound to be one of the most unique and visionary (if not the most unique) filmmaker of the last 20 years. From "Being John Malkovich" to a decidedly very-children's like "Where the WIld Things Are," Jonze has once again taken film to new depth. "Her" is the story about Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) who is lost in love. Not lost in the traditional sense of love, rather a man who is emotionally UN-able to connect with his former girlfriend, Catherine (Rooney Mara) and even seems slightly disconnected from his friends. His life takes a turn for the better when he purchases a new artificially intelligent operating system for his home computer network, named Samantha (Scarlett Johannson). Through his time with Samantha, Theodore quickly learns to appreciate life; learn about love; and embrace himself as never before. This is assuredly one of the greatest original screenplays of the last decade...and definitely my choice for the 86th Annual Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay. Jonze pushes the boundaries of love and relationships into unknown waters and does so with aplomb.

7. The Kings of Summer

Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio jump-starting their adventure.

In my opinion, the best coming of age drama that I have seen since "Stand by Me." Joe (Nick Robinson) and Patrick (Gabriel Basso)  are life-long best friends who have decided that enough is enough. At the age of 16, they are tired of their parents ruining their lives. They are sick of being belittled, and micromanaged in every activity. As summer descends upon them, they take matters into their own hands and run-away to live in the woods outside of town. They build a massive home from scraps gathered from around town and become Kings of their domain. Along the adventure, they take Biaggio (Moises Arias) into their fold--as he adds a much needed comedy element to keep the mood balanced. However, after about a week, things begin to head south as friendships are tested by love, family drama, and the unspoken rules of brotherhood. We are shown how friendships are a fluid organism. That to remain unaltered (not losing emotional volume), there is a delicate balance that must be achieved though mutual respect and understanding. The care-free effort of this film, and the easy way with which the young actors play their roles speaks volumes of maturity. I can understand easily why this was an "Official Selection of The Sundance  Film Festival 2013."

6. 12 Years a Slave

Solomon Northrup's (Ejiofor) enslaved talents at work.

While many people may consider this a tired-old tale of Civil War era proportions, Steve McQueen and company made this film leap from the pages of the book of the same name (written over 150 years ago) in one very prolific adapted screenplay (John Ridley). Solomon Nothrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is an accomplished musician known across New England. For a very generous sum, is asked to join a traveling group in performances throughout the South--basically told that his abilities will lift the entire troupe to the next level. However, just as far south as Washington, D.C., Northrup runs afoul of trickery and is taken into slavery. He finds himself purchased by a kindly slave owner, Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), at first sale; only to be traded at a later time to one of the most sadistic slave owners, Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). Epps lustful eye and his ardent cruelty is not solely directed at Northrup, but at a young female slave, Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o) as well--who's performance is absolutely spellbinding. This harrowing tale of a free black-man sold into slavery is one that will evoke deep emotions and pure sympathy for Nothrup's struggles. Chiwetel gives the performance of his varied career. Magnificent!!

5. Before Midnight

Celine and Jesse in the throws of a sarcastic argument.

Before Sunrise (1995)...Before Sunset (2004)....and now, Before Midnight. Written and directed by Richard Linklater (with help from Julie and Ethan on the screenplay for last two films). I was supremely enchanted by this third installment of the artful, and intimate, love story between Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). I have grown with both of them over the years, and it is almost as a visit to a long-lost friend every nine years when the films are released yet again. For 109 minutes, I am able to catch up with my friends in the latest installment of their lives, their struggles and their dreams for the future. I can glimpse the joie de vivre that they entail and then, all too short...I am having to wish them au revoir until we meet again. This is one of my most favorite trilogies, and my choice for best adapted screenplay this year. I can only hope to see them again in nine years hence.

4. Short Term 12

Group meeting with the whole gang at Short Term 12.

Soulful, gut-wrenching, and intensely powerful. This story involves the evolution of Grace (Brie Larson) as she struggles to live with her life choices, the mistakes of her past, and the unknown future. She works at a facility for teenagers in-between foster homes and/or adoption. She is not a counselor, she is not a teacher, she is just supposed to help monitor their behavior and make them happy for their stay. She and her boyfriend, Mason (John Gallagher, Jr.) met here while working, and their relationship has slowly changed from friends, to lovers--but there is a small piece missing. Grace, for all her patience with the wards of Short Term 12, cannot seem to find it within herself to open up about her own inhibitions and her own demons. That is, until she is forced to face them head-on with the addition of a new ward to the facility, Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever). This screenplay (Destin Cretton) is nothing short of magical. I cannot wait to see many more films from this young writer/director.

3. Blue Jasmine

Jasmine (Blanchett)  contemplates her fate.

What more can I say other than this is Woody Allen at his best! Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) has run into some money troubles as her philandering and crooked husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) has been indicted for multiple counts of fraud by the SEC. In order to escape the entire situation (and because she is 100% broke), Jasmine, packs her Luis Vuitton and moves to San Francisco to live with her estranged sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins). What ensues is a magical performance from Cate Blanchett that will surely have her grasping the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Her depth of emotions range within this 98 minute film is breathtaking and surreal. Were the category for Original Screenplay not so crowded, I would suggest this as a surefire win...alas it faces tough competition from "Her" and "American Hustle."

2. The Wolf of Wall Street

Jordan Belfort celebrating his life of excess.

As I stated in my original review of this film last month, I have never been a huge fan of either Leo DiCaprio or Martin Scorsese. But with "The Wolf Of Wall Street," my opinion has shifted. This was the role of a lifetime for Leo DiCaprio as he truly BECAME Jordan Belfort on screen. This film was adapted from Jordan Belfort's book by Terence Winter, and it is electrifying on all senses. To steal from myself,  "the 180 minute run time [of the film] flies by as though on a cocaine high with a Quaalude kicker." I loved every minute and was riveted to the screen. There is so much recreational drug-use and sexual debauchery flashed across the screen that the movie may even have deserved an NC-17 rating. But this truly shows that Marty is not afraid to show the Excessive 80's as they truly existed for the Ultra-Elite Wall Street tycoons. Not only was DiCaprio outstanding, support from Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie completed the all-star cast that propelled this film into the heights of film legend. While "Wolf" could have easily topped my list for #1 film of the year, it has to run second to what I felt was the most prolific film-making I have seen in a very long time (since perhaps I first fell in love with "Star Wars" in the 70's).

1. Gravity

Ryan Stone (Bullock) is propelled into space as the shuttle disintegrates behind her. 

 Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer who was tasked by N.A.S.A. to fix a probe (that she designed) on one of the satellites in constant orbit around Earth. During the mission, an accident occurs that destroys the mission and jeopardizes all of their lives. Commander Kowalski (George Clooney) is on his final mission before retirement and is tasked with trying to get both of them back to earth as quickly as possible--before life support systems and all mode of transport are obliterated. This film was so outstanding, it has been at the top of my list of films for 2013 since Opening Weekend in October. Alfonso Cuarón has directed (and co-written) a masterpiece of modern film  that showcased the acting chops of those lucky enough to have been involved. Breathtaking scenery, a mesmerizing "at-the-edge-of-your-seat" screenplay and perfect editing (sound and film) suspended the belief of all in the audience. The film was shot and designed for 3D viewing, and the IMAX presentation did not disappoint. After the movie, I was speechless for a few moments...the entire time thinking nothing but a resounding "WOW!" This film showcases what green-screen and computer age-movie making should be about--ELEVATING the acting abilities of those on screen out of the thermosphere into PROLIFIC status. This film has already been racking up accolades for Cuarón and many nominations for Bullock. I view it as one of the front-runners to earn a unique place in Academy Award history as the FIRST space film to win Best Picture of the Year. Regardless if I am wrong, it will remain my choice for such.

_______________________________________________________________________________

My Individual Awards are as follows: (not Academy Award Predictions, but my personal choices)

Best Picture of the Year - Gravity
Best Director - Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Jared Leto (Dallas Buyer's Club)
Best Original Screenplay - Spike Jonze (Her)
Best Adapted Screenplay - Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy (Before Midnight)

Honorable Mentions: (films that I struggled to include on my list that "almost" made it)

11. The Way Way Back
12. Nebraska**
       I was never able to see this film, so did not include it on my list of 10 becuase that would have been false. But from every review I read and every trailer and interview I saw, I know that when I am FINALLY able to get my hands on a copy, I will love this film...and it may very well make my DECADE list.

This year was one of those years that reminds me WHY I love the movies and the Academy Awards. I can only hope that next year does not fall flat. Bring it on!!!