Thoughts: I loved the Oscars this year! Ellen Degeneres was absolutely fantastic as host and I hope she is invited back to host next year. I was so entertained and she brought a nice, light hearted and fun feel to the show. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the show. With regards to the winners, I didn’t completely agree with all the winners but that happens. I just wish ‘Gravity’ hadn’t dominated so much since it definitely wasn’t one of my favorites.
My Oscar predictions and personal opinions:
Who I thought should’ve won, who definitely could’ve won and who actually won.
*I didn’t see any of the documentaries, shorts or foreign films so I didn’t feel comfortable having an opinion or prediction for them.
Best Original Song:
Who should’ve won – ‘Let It Go’ – Frozen
Who could’ve won – ‘Ordinary Love’ – Mandela
Who won – ‘Let It Go’ – Frozen
Best Original Score:
Who should’ve won – Saving Mr. Banks
Who could’ve won – Gravity
Who won – Gravity
Sound Editing:
Who should’ve won – Gravity
Who could’ve won – Captain Phillips
Who won – Gravity
Sound Mixing:
Who should’ve won – Gravity
Who could’ve won – Captain Phillips
Who won – Gravity
Visual Effects:
Who should’ve won – Gravity
Who could’ve won – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Who won – Gravity
Costume Design:
Who should’ve won – The Great Gatsby
Who could’ve won – American Hustle
Who won – The Great Gatsby
Makeup & Hairstyling:
Who should’ve won – Dallas Buyers Club
Who could’ve won – Dallas Buyers Club
Who won – Dallas Buyers Club
Animated Feature:
Who should’ve won – Frozen
Who could’ve won – Despicable Me 2
Who won – Frozen
Production Design:
Who should’ve won – The Great Gatsby
Who could’ve won – American Hustle
Who won – The Great Gatsby
Cinematography:
Who should’ve won – Nebraska
Who could’ve won – Nebraska
Who won – Gravity
Film Editing:
Who should’ve won – Gravity
Who could’ve won – 12 Years a Slave
Who won – Gravity
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Who should’ve won – 12 Years a Slave
Who could’ve won – The Wolf of Wall Street
Who won – 12 Years a Slave
Best Original Screenplay:
Who should’ve won – Nebraska
Who could’ve won – American Hustle
Who won – Her
Best Director:
Who should’ve won – Alexander Payne – Nebraska
Who could’ve won – David O. Russell – American Hustle
Who won – Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity
Best Supporting Actress:
Who should’ve won – Jennifer Lawrence/Lupita Nyong’o
Who could’ve won – Jennifer Lawrence
Who won – Lupita Nyong’o
Best Supporting Actor:
Who should’ve won – Jared Leto
Who could’ve won – Barkhad Abdi
Who won – Jared Leto
Best Actress:
Who should’ve won – Judi Dench – Philomena
Who could’ve won – Amy Adams – American Hustle
Who won – Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Best Actor:
Who should’ve won – Leonardo DiCaprio/Matthew McConaughey
Who could’ve won – Leonardo DiCaprio
Who won – Matthew McConaughey
Best Picture:
Who should’ve won – Nebraska/Dallas Buyers Club
Who could’ve won – Gravity
Who won – 12 Years a Slave
Movie 12 out of 100 for 2014
Overview: ‘The Lego Movie’ is the first full-length feature film for LEGO. The story follows the ordinary, rules-following LEGO named Emmet (Christ Pratt) who strives to do the same as everyone else and fit in with his peers. After an accidental encounter with a rebel “Master Builder” LEGO named WyldStyle he is mistakenly identified as “The Special”, the most interesting LEGO and key to saving the world. PG; 1 Hour 41 Minutes
Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell, Charlie Day, Nick Offerman, Liam Neeson, Alison Brie, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Dave Franco, Colbie Smulders, Shaquille O’Neal
Thoughts: I didn’t just like ‘The Lego Movie’, I freakin’ loved it. Equal parts adorable, funny and so darn clever, this is an animated film for all ages… definitely not just kids. There’s plenty for everyone. I didn’t see it in 3-D but I imagine it might be worth it in this case. The movie pretty impressive, visually. Also, could the cast be any better? The answer is no. The cast could not be any better. Even the cameos are amazing. I have nothing but good things to say about the super cute, 1 hour and 41 minutes of awesome that is ‘The Lego Movie’.
Rating: 9.0 out of 10
Obviously I was a bit skeptical about another Godzilla reboot but the cast is pretty impressive (love Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and after seeing this trailer… I’m pretty excited now! Release Date: May 16th, 2014
Movie 11 out of 100 for 2014
Overview: ‘Philomena’ is based on the true story and book, written by journalist Martin Sixsmith, ‘The Lost Child of Philomena Lee’ published in 2009. After suffering in silence and searching on her own for almost 50 years, Philomena Lee finally tells her daughter of the son she had, out of wedlock, taken from her by the nuns she was living with and put up for adoption. Her daughter, shocked by the news, puts her in contact with, BBC reporter, Martin Sixsmith who decides to tell her story and pool his resources to help her find her son. PG-13; 1 Hour 34 Minutes
Director: Stephan Frears
Cast: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan
Thoughts: I really liked this movie. I knew the premise of the film so I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting but it broke my heart a bit more than I expected it to. Being based on a true story only made the movie that much more surprising. The casting was perfect. Philomena Lee is an adorable yet heartbreaking woman and Judi Dench was fantastic. She’s always fantastic. Steve Coogan was great as well and their relationship throughout the film is wonderfully entertaining. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll rethink your own life and priorities, and at only an hour and a half it’s completely worth it. I’m so glad it’s a “Best Picture” nominee this year because I, probably, wouldn’t have made the effort to see it otherwise. This is another one of those “I’m glad this story got told” type of movies.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Movie 10 out of 100 for 2014
Overview: Filmed in black and white, ‘Nebraska’ is about Woody Grant (Bruce Dern), the ailing and determined father of two sons (Bob Odenkirk and Will Forte), who is convinced he has won $1 million after receiving a magazine sweepstakes letter in the mail. All he has to do is travel from Missouri to Nebraska to claim his winnings. When he refuses to give up, his son David (Forte), agrees to drive him to Nebraska himself. R; 1 Hour 55 Minutes
Director: Alexander Payne
Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Will Forte, Bruce Dern, June Squibb
Thoughts: I still have 1 more “Best Picture” nominee to watch before the Academy Awards this Sunday and I have to say. Hands down ‘Nebraska’ is my absolute favorite of the bunch. It’s so unfortunate that it’s not getting more attention or credit. In my opinion this deserves to win. I know it won’t but I loved it. Will Forte is fantastic. The fact that he didn’t get nominated is unfortunate as well. The whole cast is great. Bob Odenkirk, Bruce Dern, Will Forte and June Squibb make the perfect Grant family and the story is so completely bittersweet. So good.
Rating: 9.0 out of 10
Movie 9 out of 100 for 2014
Overview: Based on the stage play of the same name, ‘Augst: Osage County’ is the dysfunctional story of the Weston family who are brought back together at their childhood home after a family crisis. R; 2 Hours 10 Minutes
Director: John Wells
Cast: Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson, Margo Martindale
Thoughts: I really liked ‘August: Osage County’. I think it was beneficial to know that that it was a play before this because, although a film, it’s more like watching a stage play then a feature film. The entire movie takes place during a very specific period of time and is a hot mess of some dark family dysfunction. It’s also thoroughly entertaining. The cast is awesomely impressive, the characters are great and what all the reviews have said are pretty accurate. This movie will either make you feel better about your own family or realize you’re not the only ones.
Rating: 8.0 out of 10
Movie 8 out of 100 for 2014
Overview: ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ is based on the true story of (former) New York stockbroker, Jordan Belfort. The film follows Jordan Belfort as his “American Dream” turns to a life of total corruption as he founds the Stratton Oakmont brokerage firm in the 1980’s. R; 2 Hours 59 Minutes
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Margot Robbie, Rob Reiner
Thoughts: ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ is the most over-the-top, hot mess of a cautionary tale, possibly ever. It’s also very funny. It’s also VERY long. At 2 Hours and 59 Minutes it’s a big undertaking but it is definitely not boring. Based on a true story (which is, at times, pretty hard to actually believe) there are quite a few scenes that I found a bit unnecessary and, frankly, a little (or a lot) gross. However, Leonardo DiCaprio is fantastic, Jonah Hill is great, the whole cast is pretty outstanding and I do hope Leonardo DiCaprio wins the “Best Actor” Oscar.
Rating: 8.0 out of 10
The official ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trailer premiered last night on Jimmy Kimmel and EVERYONE is talking about it today (myself included)! Although the trailer gives very little insight into the actual plot of the film, I couldn’t be more excited. So many good things! The film looks gorgeous. Visually pretty great. The cast looks awesome. I mean Rocket and Groot, am I right? Karen Gillan looks bad-ass in her brief appearance in the trailer and the witty, “let’s not take ourselves too seriously here” vibe the trailer has, pretty much, confirms my guess that James Gunn was, probably, the perfect director for this movie.
Well… this is a bummer. Irrational Games is shutting down. The ‘Bioshock’ series was given to parent company 2K Games to live on but this is still surprising news. You can read the letter from Ken Levine at the Irrational Games website: http://irrationalgames.com/
Nerdy Girl Rambles 