Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Oscar Nominations 2017


Best picture:
“Arrival”
“Fences”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Hell or High Water”
“Hidden Figures”
“La La Land”
“Lion”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Moonlight”

Lead actor:
Casey Affleck - “Manchester by the Sea”
Andrew Garfield - “Hacksaw Ridge”
Ryan Gosling - “La La Land,”
Viggo Mortensen - “Captain Fantastic”
Denzel Washington - “Fences”

Lead actress:
Isabelle Huppert - “Elle”
Ruth Negga - “Loving”
Natalie Portman - “Jackie”
Emma Stone - “La La Land”
Meryl Streep - “Florence Foster Jenkins”



Supporting actor:
Mahershala Ali - “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges - “Hell or High Water”
Lucas Hedges - “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel - “Lion”
Michael Shannon - “Nocturnal Animals”

Supporting actress:
Viola Davis - “Fences”
Naomie Harris - “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman - “Lion”
Octavia Spencer - “Hidden Figures”
Michelle Williams - “Manchester by the Sea”

Best director:
Damien Chazelle - “La La Land”
Mel Gibson - “Hacksaw Ridge”
Barry Jenkins - “Moonlight”
Kenneth Lonergan - “Manchester by the Sea”
Denis Villeneuve - “Arrival”


Animated feature:
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
“Moana”
“My Life as a Zucchini”
“The Red Turtle”
“Zootopia”

Animated short:
“Blind Vaysha”
“Borrowed Time”
“Pear Cider and Cigarettes”
“Pearl”
“Piper”

Adapted screenplay:
“Arrival”
“Fences”
“Hidden Figures”
“Lion”
“Moonlight”

Original screenplay:
“20th Century Women”
“Hell or High Water”
“La La Land”
“The Lobster”
“Manchester by the Sea”

Cinematography:
“Arrival”
“La La Land”
“Lion”
“Moonlight”
“Silence”

Best documentary feature:
“13th”
“Fire at Sea”
“I Am Not Your Negro”
“Life, Animated”
“O.J.: Made in America”

Best documentary short subject:
“4.1 Miles”
“Extremis”
“Joe’s Violin”
“Watani: My Homeland”
“The White Helmets”

Best live-action short film:
“Ennemis Interieurs”
“La Femme et le TGV”
“Silent Nights”
“Sing”
“Timecode”

Best foreign language film:
“A Man Called Ove”
“Land of Mine”
“Tanna”
“The Salesman”
“Toni Erdmann”

Film editing:
“Arrival”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Hell or High Water”
“La La Land”
“Moonlight”

Sound editing:
“Arrival”
“Deep Water Horizon”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“La La Land”
“Sully”

Sound mixing:
“Arrival”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“La La Land”
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”

Production design:
“Arrival”
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Hail, Caesar!”
“La La Land”
“Passengers”

Original score:
“Jackie”
“La La Land”
“Lion”
“Moonlight”
“Passengers”

Original song:
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” “La La Land”
“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” “Trolls”
“City of Stars,” “La La Land”
“The Empty Chair,” “Jim: The James Foley Story”
“How Far I’ll Go,” “Moana”

Makeup and hair:
“A Man Called Ove”
“Star Trek Beyond”
“Suicide Squad”

Costume design:
“Allied”
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Florence Foster Jenkins”
“Jackie”
“La La Land”

Visual effects:
“Deepwater Horizon”
“Doctor Strange”
“Jungle Book”
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

Monday, January 16, 2017

Why Him?

☆☆☆1/2
+
James Franco gives a solid comedic performance as Laird, a young billionaire who is struggling to make a good impression on his girlfriend's parents (Bryan Cranston, Megan Mullally).
-
Ignore bad reviews if you want to just have fun!

Rated R
1 hr. 51 min.

Visit the website and see the trailer.



Hidden Figures

☆☆☆☆☆
+
"Hidden Figures" tells the incredible story (based on true events) of three brilliant African-American women who, due to their race, were working behind the scenes at NASA...but vital to the success of John Glenn's launch into space.

Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae give outstanding performances. Look for nominations.
-
Some say the screenplay is a little too casual about the struggles these women faced.

Rated PG
2 hr. 7 min.

Visit the movie website and watch the trailer.



Jackie

☆☆☆☆1/2
+
Natalie Portman gives an award winning performance as Jackie Kennedy in the tragic story of the days following the assassination of President John K. Kennedy.
-
See this movie before it leaves theaters!

Visit the official website and see the trailer.

Rated R
1 hr. 35 min.






Florence Foster Jenkins

☆☆☆☆
+
The entertaining and heartfelt story (based on true events) of Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep - Golden Globe Nomination), an heiress with a terrible voice who aspires to be an opera singer.
_
Actually felt sorry for Florence, and certain scenes were tough to watch.

Visit the website and see the trailer!


Rated PG-13
1 hr. 50 min.



Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Passengers

☆☆☆☆
+
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt team-up in this entertaining sci-fi action adventure as Aurora and Jim...two passengers on a 120 year journey to another planet...who wake-up 90 years too early.

Lawrence and Pratt not only bring the chemistry...but they make this film work.
-
Ignore any negative reviews and see this film!

Rated PG-13
1 hr. 56 min.

Visit the official website and watch the trailer.



Monday, January 2, 2017

Fences

☆☆☆1/2
+
Look for an Academy Award nomination for Viola Davis for an outstanding performance as Rose, the wife of Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington)...a man living with deep unhappiness and pain...that he takes out on his family...due to being unable to reach his dreams.
-
The script of "Fences"...based on August Wilson's play...is caught between being a movie or a play.
It is filled with long character speeches...that feel like soliloquies...and create a disconnection between the characters.

Davis manages to make the words on the page seem real, and her performance is the reason for the extra ☆.

Viewers need to find some redeeming qualities in a character, and it is difficult with Troy Maxson.

Rated PG-13
2 hr. 13 min.

Visit the website and see the trailer.