MOVIEBLAST.MOBI

Oscars 2010---The Blog

MovieBlast.mobi — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:28:00 GMT

And the winner is . . .

Best picture then goes to The Hurt Locker. Sorry Avatar nerds. But Locker was the better picture.

And this is a proud moment for us ladies. Kathryn Bigelow gets the award for best director. The classy lady thanked the troops.

Sandra Bullock surprises by winning best actress for The Blindside.

Jeff Bridges wins best actor for Crazy Heart. And I think he probably had a little somethin' somethin' before the show. He sounded a little toasted.

Looks like team Hurt Locker is racking up the awards. It wins editing.

The Cove wins best documentary and if you text them you get a free dolphin.

Music score original goes to Up! First surprise of the night. I mean, for me.

Death montage wasn't very spectacular. Probably because we were clobbered with it at the end of last year.

Best cinematography goes to Avatar. So really, we won't know who'll win best picture.

The Hurt Locker takes two more-- best sound mixing and sound editing. Not looking so good for James Cameron. Looks likes the ex-wife gets the last giggle. Okay, jumping the gun here.

Best costume design goes to Sandy Powell for The Young Victoria.

Avatar wins its first of the night for art direction

Precious takes two--adapted screenplay and supporting actress Mo'Nique.

Ben Stiller an avatar? Yeah, he's funny. But there is a lot of hate in the Twitter room.

Kanye West Alert! What was up with that crazy large lady who totally took the spotlight from the best short documentary filmmaker?

A nice little tribute to a man who formed my childhood and teenage years.... John Hughes.

I'm on a roll. I should be a betting gal. Mark Boal wins for best original screenplay. And who is the lucky gal who got to meet him? Yup, before they were winners.

Original song goes to The Weary Kind from the movie Crazy Heart . T-Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham. That's three for me!

Miley Cyrus is way too young for a dress like that.

Up wins best animated film. Of course! And that's two for me!

Christoph Waltz wins best actor for his supporting role in Inglorious Basterds. There, I got one right so far!

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin get some laughs but there seems to be tension with the anti-semitic jokes. Still, I think they are doing a good job. The have great chemistry.

The best dress goes to Jennifer Lopez.

What is up with this HDTV? Every year the picture gets better but the actors look worse.

Ex vs. Ex, boy vs. girl, indy vs. blockbuster... it's Oscar Night!

MovieBlast.mobi — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:19:00 GMT

Big and small, a little something for all

Back in April of last year (that would be 2009) I predicted that the little war movie The Hurt Locker would be nominated, and perhaps win, the Oscar for Best Picture. Many of my friends (who claim to be film lovers) looked at me like I just chewed a head off a frog. But who's smiling now, eh? Well, certainly Kathryn Bigelow and Jeremy Renner.

The past couple of years, the Academy failed to present any entertainment at the coveted awards show. I hardly remember who hosted and barely cared who won. Not the films I loved, for sure. But ladies and gentlemen, you have to understand that the Academy Awards is a show for them, not us. They merely broadcast it on TV so we can feel like our opinions matter. But they don't.

I digress. Because this year will be a little different and I can already tell. This year ten fantastic films have been nominated. There is a little something for everyone. My sci-fi-lovin husband is confident that Avatar will be the big winner tonight, while my conservative mother is probably saying a little prayer in church this morning for The Blindside. Me, you know who I'm rooting for. The underdog, of course.

And what about the other Best Picture noms? Certainly Up will win in the Animation category. The story seals Pixar's place as top dawg in the computer animation world. I'm not complaining. That movie was everything a good film should be--funny, original, and dripping with heart.

Speaking of heart, don't shed a tear for Jason Reitman. Years ago I declared him my favorite director for making such films as Thank You for Smoking and Juno. He may not win this year but then again, it took Scorsese decades to get his golden man but is the most respected director in the world.

As far as the talent categories, I'm hoping Jeff Bridges finally gets the recognition he deserves which, I'm sure he will. His performance in Crazy Heart was the best of his career. I have a feeling that Sandra Bullock is going to win for her performance in The Blindside. But who knows, the voters may surprise us by granting a new face the award. As far as my personal favorites, I'm rooting for Christopher Waltz who blew me away with his evil yet charismatic performance in Inglorious Basterds and Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air.

Yes, the little films may have some victories tonight but remember Avatar is in the mix and that means it will gobble up all the special effects, sound and other visual awards. I'm not saying it's not deserved, but I really hope the little films pull through.

The Movie Blast Top Ten Films of 2009

MovieBlast.mobi — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:27:00 GMT

The year of the “blah” produced some pretty good movies

I look back at last year’s list and conclude that 2009 was a good year for film. I think directors wanted to leave the decade with a bang. So we had funny frat-boy films like The Hangover and spectacular productions like Avatar. And don’t forget the little movie that surprised everyone—The Blind Side. Sandra Bullock seems to be getting some attention for it.

My top 10 movies of 2009 are not the top films picked by critics. Why waste my time when you can type in “Top Films of 2009” and get the same lists over and over again. Instead, these are the movies I enjoyed. These are the movies I remember. They haunt me.

*Lightbulb—Director: James Ballsmeyer, Stars: Dallas Roberts and Jeremy Renner

I originally picked Julie and Julia as my number ten but quickly changed my mind when I remembered this film.

Lightbulb is a small film. Based on a true story, inventor Matt struggles to create the next best as-seen-on-tv product. This underdog tale is understated, but powerful. And the performances by Roberts and Renner are what put this film on my top ten list.

It’s Complicated—Director: Nancy Meyers, Stars: Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin

Nancy Meyers can do no wrong. She always surprises me. Shame on me for expecting a cheesy romance film! Instead expect a funny, witty story that even men can enjoy.

Streep plays a divorced woman. Baldwin plays her ex-husband who falls in love with her.

Sound simple? Yes, but hilarious and an interesting spin.

Hilarious!

Inglorious Basterds—Director Quentin Tarantiono, Stars: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Eli Roth

My man QT is a legend for a reason. When he gets an idea for a story you may call him crazy, but I call him genius.

Basterds is an anti-Nazi dream. What would have happened if a group of Jewish soldiers killed the top men in Hitler’s army (maybe including Hitler)? We find out in this bloody spaghetti western. The only downside is Brad Pitt. Nough said!

Star Trek—Director J.J. Abrams, Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Zaldana, Eric Bana, Simon Pegg and Lenard Nimoy

I’m not a fan of the series but I’ve always enjoyed the movies. I’ve always enjoyed Abrams’ work. He’s the master of giving us the substantive bang.

This Star Trek takes us to the beginning of it all. How Spock met and befriended Captain Kirk (before he was a captain); how Uhura landed on the Starship Enterprise; and where the phrase “beam me up Scotty” came from. It’s exciting and refreshing.

Thank you Mr. Abrams!

District 9—Director: Neill Blomkamp, Starring: People you don’t know

It took me like 45 minutes to figure out what was going on. I didn’t like the main character. Mostly because he had a funny name. Wikus Van De Merwe. But, whoa, as minute 46 came rollin’ around I began to see the genius of this film.

Wikus is a funny name, but the aliens he has to baby-sit are not funny. In fact, they are damn scary! The plot: a group of aliens land in Johannesburg, Africa, a really ugly place. But the aliens and humans try to co-exist. There is some political undertone but it’s done really well.

No big name actors. Produced by Peter Jackson.

Up in the Air—Director: Jason Reitman, Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman and J.K. Simmons

Ahhh, Jason Reitman. One of my favorite movies ever is Thank You for Smoking. If I could be any director, it would be him. He gets it.

Up in the Air is about a guy who lives up there for a living. Up there, meaning the friendly skies. A business man who spends most of his time collecting miles than living a real life.

It’s funny because Clooney is so good at playing the cynical guy that fires people. Scary how good he is. But Clooney finally makes a movie good enough for me.

Avatar—Director: James Cameron, Stars: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi

We all knew it would be ridiculously CGed. We knew it would be epic.

James Cameron is back and in 3D and in IMAX and in your Happy Meal.

Worthington plays Jake a paraplegic soldier who is given a chance to walk again by usurping an Avatar body. In return, Jake has to study the natives that live on the alien planet. The bad guys are trying to mine a precious rock/mineral for a big evil corporation.

Zaldana plays a hot native (and my husband swears you can see her nipples). Weaver is a cranky scientist.

This movie was great but I’m only putting it at the top because of the visual achievement. The blatant attack at the U.S.military turned me off. Okay, I get it J.C.; you hate the military and big evil corporations. Though somehow I don’t think he hates 20^thCentury Fox or Sony (the folks who created the badass cameras that allowed himto make the movie he dreamed of).

**3

My Suicide—Director: David Lee Miller, Stars: Gabriel Sunday, David Carradine, Brook Nevin and Meriel Hemmingway

It’s so sad that this movie did not get the attention it deserved. I wasn’t expecting any thing and I was blown away (no pun intended). David Lee Miller deserves an Oscar for this masterpiece.

Gabriel Sunday is Archibald Williams a media obsessed teen who really can’t take it anymore. There is too much going on in his head. So he decides to make the ultimate video for a school project. Yes, kiddies, he decides to document his suicide.

This movie is so edgy, raw, truthful, surprising…I can’t say enough about it. You think you know what’s going to happen? No, you will never guess.

The actors are unreal. The story is intense and the best part is the editing. I don’t know how they had the patience to edit this thing. But if your goal in life is to be a film editor, this movie is a must see!

Also note one of David Carradine’s last performances.

**2

Moon—Director: Duncan Jones, Stars: Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey

Sometimes a film-lover can get distracted with all the big blockbuster CG movies. But once in a while a sci-fi thriller comes along that is story and character driven. That movie in 2009 is Moon.

Sam Bell’s (Rockwell) job is to help harvest energy from the moon. But not until he crashes his moon vehicle, he begins to understand the truth about the moon harvesting program. This is a philosophical and psychological thriller. Rockwell is at his best and Kevin Spacey’s voice is adorable.

And here’s a story for you. My photographer and I almost jumped out of a moving car in Austin to talk to Jones. But we thought aboutit too hard and missed the opportunity. It’s probably a good thing we didn’t though. He might have been scared of the two crazy American chicks.

The Hurt Locker—Director: Katherine Bigelow, Stars: Jeremy Renner, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes and Anthony Mackie

I called it at AFI. I said Katherine Bigelow will get an Oscar for this one. Just wait. She is already getting a lot of buzz.

Bigelow puts all other war movies to shame. And this from a person who does not particularly like the genre.

Renner plays Sgt. William James a man with a dangerous job. He disarms bombs for the military. He wears a special (heavy) suite like that’s any kind of protection. He’s also an adrenaline junkie.

The beauty of this movie is that it’s not political. You don’t get beat over the head with an agenda like most war movies. Instead Bigelow is like a video journalist. She tells you a story by documenting the lives of these soldiers. There is no music. There is no feel-good or fluff. And the tension is thick. I was sweating and really lost myself. I cried.

Again, Renner’s performance is A-list caliber. And he should be nominated as well.

Bigelow deserves the attention, not because she’s an outstanding female director, but because she told the best story of the year.

--Bigelow is US Critic's Top Director

**Screened at South By Southwest Film Festival, Austin

*Screened at AFI International Film Festival, Dallas

"Choke" on this one

MovieBlast.mobi — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:03:00 GMT

Choke based on the Chuck Palahniuk novel that is disturbing and funny

Sam Rockwell (whom I’ve seen in person several times) plays Victor Mancini a sex addict who goes to the meetings but never seems to find the cure. His mother Ida (Angelica Houston) is the root of all his problems. Although she has Alzheimer's, she still manages to manipulate his life through his memories of her.

Victor has a friend, Denny, who is played by Brad William Henke. Okay let me talk about this guy for a bit. I discovered him when I watched the shorts at AFI last month. The short he was in was called Short Term 12 (read about it in my previous blog). I’m saying this now, if Henke finds the perfect role, he’s going to be the next Thomas Hayden Church (yes this is a compliment).

So Denny is also a pervert. He can’t seem to not touch his genitals, but is essentially harmless and even redeems himself.

Choke is the story about Victor’s metamorphosis from loser sex-addict (who works at a colonial theme park) to well, something other than a loser sex-addict. Along the way he discovers his mother’s secret and becomes infatuated with her nurse Paige (Kelly McDonald, No Country for Old Men).

The film to me was a surprise and another reason why I myself becoming infatuated with Rockwell, Henke, Houston (okay I was already marveled by her), and even Bijou Phillips who plays a lovely milk maiden.

Available now on DVD.

AFI ends but Dallas keeps the red carpet rolling

MovieBlast.mobi — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:32:00 GMT

For Dallas film-lovers, the end is just a beginning.

The last day of the AFI International Film Festival was as fun as the beginning. The bittersweet ending of the final late screenings was a perfect end to another successful year.

AFI ended with some "gigantic" independent films such as Moon and Gigantic. And to prove that this is such a small world (all things are a circle friends), my former high school theater teacher, Cliff McClelland, ended the festival screening his teen horror flick, From the Dark.

March was a difficult month for me. I love watching film after film (don't get me wrong), but you know it wears you out. However, this year out of all the movies I went to at SXSW and AFI, there was really only one that I didn't like. That's pretty good. Props to the folks who selected the films.

I mentioned before that Moon is a masterpiece. It is a quiet little science fiction film with great actors and an interesting plot. But the last night of AFI I skipped Moon (because I saw it in Austin) and saw Gigantic instead. Do you remember that creepy kid from Little Miss Sunshine, Paul Dano? Well, he produced and starred in the film Gigantic. Other major players included Zoey Deschanel, John Goodman, Ed Asner, and Jane Alexander. This quirky romantic comedy reminded me of Punch Drunk Love only funnier (not as slow).

And the last movie of the night was my prof's horror flick, From the Dark. He conjured up the horror movie gods and threw in everything from bloody guts to naked babes.

Later this month--the USA Film Festival.

For reviews and pictures go to BigDPlace.

AFI Dallas: Funny and Hurt

MovieBlast.mobi — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:31:00 GMT

It takes a lot of hard work and energy to make a film no matter how small the budget.

I am pleased that AFI Dallas has picked some incredible movies to show this year. Not that last year was bad. But I enjoyed the shorts Friday night. I especially liked Rip and the Preacher (from the UK), Grande Drip, Short Term 12, and Small Collection. The shorts are fun because the filmmakers seem to have more freedom. Because there is a time restriction, they are allowed to be more creative. For instance, Small Collection did not have any actors. The director shot locations but allowed us to hear conversations that had taken place at those locations. You could never do that in a feature film because the audience would lose interest after ten minutes. But this was perfect for a short.

On Saturday I saw two movies that starred up-and-coming actor Jeremy Renner. You've seen him in a lot of films but he's usually a secondary character. But in Lightbulb and The Hurt Locker he has significant roles.

Lightbulb was a wonderful story based on the life of the inventor of the talking bottle opener. Don't laugh, but it wasn't the opener, it was the journey that was fascinating. The quirky, little, low-budget comedy could be one of the it movies of 2009.

Speaking of "it' movies, you have to see The Hurt Locker when it comes to theaters in June. The war movie about Iraq is the story of a guy who disarms bombs. This movie leaves all politics and BS behind. Legendary filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow gives us the facts of war and we the audience, deal with the emotion.

Stay tuned kids. If you want to know what great movies are in store this year, keep reading the blog.

Liz

follow me on twitter: pulplizard

AFI has arrived

MovieBlast.mobi — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:47:00 GMT

Okay, so I just received my badge and I am ready to start watching some films at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival. It's an exciting one and I hope it stops raining. Fortunately, most of the activities are indoors.

This year I have a photographer. I needed one (and was thankful to have Mari at SXSW) so I can concentrate on the Q and As and figure out what I'm going to ask when the celebrities saunter down the red carpet. The red carpet looks like a tongue. Anyway, tonight I am going to check out some of the films that are competing in the Target Narrative Feature category. I really love the smaller films made by up-and-coming artists. So I am excited to see Gigantic if I can get there on time. And I am also going to see the shorts but am not sure which one of the 10:30 movies.

So, I am off to prepare. It's going to be another long but memorable weekend. Keep checking our partner site bigdplace.com for pictures and reviews.

Keep it Reel,

Liz

SXSW: Exit Review

MovieBlast.mobi — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:39:00 GMT

It's over. The four days that I spent in Austin flew by. I guess maybe because I was bombarded with people, movies, and things. Things being beer and smokes.

I had a great time. Austin is a great place to go if you just want to be yourself. You know, the self you can't be when your with your parents or the preacher. Not that I did anything crazy. I was too busy watching movies, taking pictures, waiting in lines, and eating to get like them other folks.

I noticed a lot of odd things about Austin. First of all, there are a lot of guys with long bushy beards. I think I'm the only one who noticed this. Maybe because I am an outsider. The stuff that's frowned upon in my city is embraced in the small college town (aka the capital of Texas).

The movies that I watched were really inspiring. I applaud the folks at SXSW who pick them. They really have it down to a science. I really did laugh and cry a lot. It was an adventure.

I would like to thank the folks at SXSW and my photographer Mari who let me stay at her place.

If you would like to see my complete report on SXSW, go to Bigdplace.com or PulpLizard.com.

So what where my favorite movies? I'd have to say the science fiction thriller Moon and the emotionally charged independent film My Suicide. Just remember these two movies and remember, you heard the buzz here first.

Next stop . . . AFI Dallas International Film Festival!

Welcome

MovieBlast.mobi — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:57:32 GMT

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.