I believe in the God of Carnage

Carnage

I managed to catch this film during the one week that it was playing at a theater remotely in my area. I initially had really high expectations for this movie, but they were brought down a while ago by mixed reviews. With all of the talent and great source material, one would think that this would be an Oscar contender. Unfortunately, it does fall short of greatness, but I hardly think it's deserving of it's placement on Entertainment Weekly's Worst Movies of 2011 list.

Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly, along with Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz play the parents of two children who get in a fight resulting in one child losing some teeth. What starts out as a civil discussion ends up spiraling out of control. The film ranges from being humorous to uncomfortable. Sure, maybe it is rather unrealistic that these characters can't seem to leave this apartment, but I rather enjoyed the tension and claustrophobia it created. You can tell that the actors enjoyed playing these roles and I have to say that I enjoyed watching them. It isn't perfect and didn't live up to my original expectations, but, overall it is not a bad way to spend 80 minutes.

Best Picture Nominee: The Descendants

The Descendants

So my journey has begun to see all of the Best Picture Nominees before the Oscars next month.This is a film that I was going to see last week with or with out a nomination. George Clooney gives a great performance as a man trying to reconnect with his daughters after an accident puts his wife into a coma. Shailene Woodley really impressed me. Hopefully she will get some more good material to work with and will get away from that awful show she's on as soon as her contract is up. She's proven that she deserves better. Overall, the movie just felt like an honest depiction of family tragedy with enough humor to keep the story from being overly depressing.




That's 4 down, 5 more to go. Blockbuster has shipped Tree of Life, so I will be watching that one in the next few days. This morning, I have been debating whether or not to hit the theater before going to work tonight. Based on the number of showtimes, I would say that both Hugo and War Horse will probably gone by the end of the week. I've made the mistake in the past, thinking that I would have more opportunities, only for the movies to be yanked out of theaters. Last year, I ended up seeing 127 Hours in a hotel room on the morning of the Oscars. This year, I don't want to cut it this close. Unfortunately, I'm just not in the mood to go to the movies this morning. I'm off on Thursday, so I just may have to make it a double-feature.

And the nominees are......

The nominees are in for this year's 84th Academy Awards. Here are the nominees for the major categories.

Best Picture

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo 
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris 
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life 

Best Actor
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Actress
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor 
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Original Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Jim Rash & Nat Faxon, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo
George Clooney, Grant Heslov & Beau Willimon, The Ides of March
Aaron Sorkin & Steven Zaillian, Moneyball
Peter Straughan & Bridget O’Connor, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy


Looks like I have a lot of movies to see. Every year, I make it my mission to see all of the Best Picture nominees. I am not always successful at this. Sometimes a movie just never plays in my area. Last year had a great selection of nominees. By the time they were announced, I had already seen 8 out of 10. And the 2 that I hadn't seen were already on my must see list, just waiting for me to have the time. I really loved all of those films and felt that they were all deserving of recognition.

This time I really have my work cut out for me. I've only seen 3 of the 9 nominees. I wasn't really expecting there to be this many nominees based on the new rules which meant there could be anywhere between 5 - 10 films. And since there are so many nominees, I'm a little disappointed that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo isn't among them. I also think Fincher is deserving of a nod as well. So what have I seen? The Artist, The Help and Moneyball. The Descendants has been on my must see list for a while and I am hoping to get to it this Friday. I was almost going to see Tree of Life in theaters and then decided that it was the sort of movie I would rather see at home. The film is so polarizing, I decided it's better not to be trapped in a theater seat for such a long time. The last Malick film I saw, The New World bored me to tears, so I played it safe. It's been in my Blockbuster queue for a long time, so it's time I move it to the top of the list. And it seems I also have to downgrade my viewing from Blu-Ray to DVD. The Blu-Ray hasn't been available since it came out and now I have a time limit. The other nominee that I haven't seen yet that is available on DVD now is Midnight in Paris. This one was also in my queue already and is also getting moved to the top. I'm not a fan of Woody Allen, but I will watch anything for Marion Cotillard.

So that leaves 3 more films that need to be seen in theaters. I know there is a lot of love out there for Hugo, it is the most nominated film this year with 11 nods (1 more than The Artist). The trailers never really got my attention and this is a movie that I would probably just rent someday. I will make an effort to see it in theaters before it disappears. Who knows, I may love it. It is a Scorsese film after all. To be honest, I was hoping that War Horse wasn't going to be nominated. I know it was losing some steam as a Best Picture contender. It's not that I have anything against it. I was just in no rush to see it. I do love Spielberg's films, but this one and Tin Tin just aren't as appealing as his other work.  I'm already looking forward to his future work with Lincoln and Robopocalypse. I'm actually far more interested in the War Horse stage show. The use of puppetry looks really fantastic. I guess one plus of catching it in the theaters is that the cinematography is probably best served by the big screen. Last and perhaps least is Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. I think this is the most surprising nominee considering it is pretty poorly reviewed. When I first saw the trailer, it actually made me want to read the book more than watch the film. I think this spot was more deserved by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.


Just a couple of notes on the acting nominations. I'm glad to see that Rooney Mara is getting recognized for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo although Tilda Swinton is a casualty of this decision. While I still haven't been able to see We Need to Talk About Kevin, I'm pretty confident that her performance was more than deserving. This year's break out performances belong to Jessica Chastain and Michael Fassbender. Both managed to give memorable performances in several different films. Unfortunately only Chastain is getting the deserved recognition, which is a shame. And then there is Ryan Gosling. Was he just too good in too many movies this year? Drive, The Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love...I guess we'll have to chalk it up to him competing against himself.


The Oscars will air on February 26th on ABC. Click here for a complete list of nominees.

Happy National Pie Day!

I would like to thank Twitter for once again alerting me to a holiday that would have otherwise passed by. So, in honor of National Pie Day, I would like to suggest a method of celebrating that won't go straight to your hips. Indulge in some pie-related pop culture.

Pushing Daisies

Oh how I long for the days when I got to follow the weekly adventures of Ned, my favorite pie maker. This show was filled with so much magic and whimsy. I still blame the writers' strike for this loss and for the limited number of episodes. How much longer must we wait for the graphic novel to come out?


Waitress

 If ever there was a movie that needed a cookbook tie-in, it is this one. There were so many fantastical types of pies in this movie, I left the theater starving. Anyone care for a slice of Marshmallow Mermaid Pie? How about some I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie? Keri Russell stole my heart as a pie-making genius. And of course, who could forget the pie song, although I wish I could find a version with Keri Russell singing it.

Family Guy - Season 8 Episode 1 - Road to the Mulitverse

Stewie: I want to hear more music about pie! 

And so do I! This was a great episode that found Brian and Stewie travelling to different universes that featured a variety of different animation styles. In this segment, it's pure Disney. And of course, there is a song about pie.

UPDATE

Jenna pointed out how I completely forgot Sweeney Todd! Of course it should be included. But I will point out that American Pie was left off intentionally.

Sweeney Todd

  
How could I forget the Demon Barber of Fleet Street? I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but I cannot resist this tale of revenge and pie. Who better to adapt this play than Tim Burton? When I saw it in the theater, some people walked once they found out what the secret ingredient was. I wonder if they would have walked out on Soylent Green too? Or perhaps they just couldn't stomach this story Christmas Day?

Music: Most Anticipated Albums of 2012

I don't buy new music as often as I'd like to. I usually have to go out of my way to find something new to listen to since I don't really listen to the radio. There are a few albums coming out this year that I am looking forward to...at least I think they are coming, none have release dates yet.

Glen Hansard 

It took the movie Once for me to discover this extraordinary talent. Soon after, his band, The Frames has become my favorite band. And of course I also love his other band, The Swell Season. He spent a lot of 2011 trying out new material on his solo tour, which included a stint opening up for Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. In December, it was reported that Glen was in NYC recording his first solo album. Anything Glen puts out will always be on the top of my most anticipated lists. I'm hoping the album will include the song below, "Moving On". I heard it live once, before the last Swell Season came out, and have been anxiously awaiting a studio recording of it ever since.

Also, Glen played a song at some of his shows last year that he says was inspired by the book series The Hunger Games. I've got my fingers crossed that it will end up on the soundtrack for the upcoming movie.

Once - Original Cast Recording


Speaking of the Once, the movie has been adapted for the stage. I was fortunate enough to see the show in its off-Broadway run last month and will be seeing it again in April when it gets moved to Broadway. I had my doubts about the show initially and went in with an open mind. The movie and the music are so close to my heart, how would I feel about seeing other people sing the songs I've heard a thousand times? It fully surpassed my expectations and I loved it. They really gave the story a new life. I'm glad that they are making a soundtrack for the stage show. It's hard to say how much I will really want to listen to it when I could just listen to the movie soundtrack. At the very least, it will be nice to have when I want a reminder of the magic of the stage show.

Milo Greene

I first heard Milo Greene when I saw them open for The Civil Wars last fall. Normally, we get to concerts early enough to see the opening act so that we can a good view for the show. Unfortunately we showed up pretty late for this show and only saw the very end of Milo Greene's set. Well, what we did see left a lasting impression. I found out that they didn't have an album yet, but they did have a 3 song EP for sale. They are in the studio recording now and I can't wait to hear some new songs.

Mumford & Sons

It took a while for me to pick up their last album. I kept hearing about them and thinking that I would like them, but then never got around to checking them out. When I finally did, I was hooked. Their bluegrass/folk styling and harmonies are infectious. I'm really looking forward to some new material and hopefully will get to see them live one day.

 

+Live+

I am definitely a 90's girl and my favorite band from the 90's is Live. Their albums from pre-2000's will remain classics that I will never get tired of hearing. They are coming back with a new lead singer and ready to launch a new website. It's hard to imagine the band without their former lead-singer Ed Kowalczyk, who has moved on to do his own solo work. The last few albums with Ed have been pretty disappointing, so maybe a new singer is what is needed to breath new life into the band. I remain optimistic. As long as they make good music, I'm in. These boys proved in 2010 that they still have good music in them with their collaboration with Candlebox's Kevin Martin and Sean Hennesy. Together they formed The Gracious Few and made what was by far, my favorite album of 2010. While the new lead-singer has not been revealed yet, you can hear him sing "All Over You" on their facebook page here.

Now Playing

Even though I managed to pack in 4 trips to the theater so far this year, there are still a number of movies out now that I hope to catch before the end of their theatrical runs.

Carnage

This was my most anticipated movie of the end of 2011. A dark comedy adaptation of an award winning play starring some of my favorite actors has win written all over it. I've been obsessed with Christoph Waltz ever since Inglourious Basterds and I will see anything with Kate Winslet or Jodi Foster. Unfortunately the reviews haven't been very positive. It also ended up on one of Entertainment Weekly's "Worst Movie of the Year" lists. I'm not one to let bad reviews deter me if it's something I really want to see. But with that said, the last time I ignored their advice, I saw Seven Pounds, a movie that angered me because it was so bad. Hopefully this will not be a repeat experience.


The Descendants

Aside from just looking like a good movie, I've really been most curious about the raves for Shailene Woodley's performance. When I first heard that she was getting Oscar buzz, I couldn't believe it. I've seen The Secret Life of an American Teenager and it is one of the worst acted shows I've ever seen. But maybe this just shows that the horribly ridiculous, unbelievable dialogue is responsible.


We Need to Talk About Kevin

The trailer for this movie is so chilling. Has Buddy Holly ever sounded so sinister before? I read the book in anticipation of seeing the film and it has made me all the more impatient. Unfortunately it isn't going to be playing in my area as of now. I hope it gets a wider release, otherwise I'll be waiting for the Blu-ray.


We Bought a Zoo

Maybe it's my general love of zoos, but this movie just looks a like a good movie. 


My Week with Marilyn

I've never been much a fan of Marilyn Monroe. After reading an interview with Michelle Williams about what it took to become the icon, I am definitely interested in seeing the performance.




Young Adult

Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody working together again? I'm there. Or at least I would be there if it was still playing in my area.

Catching Up With 2012

The holidays were very busy for me, so I wasn't able to see any of the movies that I wanted to. I haven't seen anything in the theater since I saw Muppets the day before Thanksgiving. So for the last week I've been playing catch up. So here's a recap of the movies I've seen in the theater so far in 2012.

 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Going to the movies on Christmas has been a tradition for the past few years. This was supposed to be the Christmas movie this year, as the first one was a few years ago. Unfortunately, pure exhaustion from the holiday season resulted in this one getting delayed. While this sequel wasn't as good as the first one, I still found it to be an enjoyable way to spend 2 hours. Robert Downey Jr. does not fail to entertain.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
For years, I have seen this book on the shelves as I browsed through my local Borders (R.I.P.). I picked it up a number of times to determine if it might be something I might want to read. Every time I would end up putting it down before I could finish reading the synopsis. I'm not sure what was turning me off of it because the story is one that I would enjoy. Perhaps it is the writing style. Despite my aversion to the book, I've had the Swedish film version in my Netflix queue for a long time, although never got around to watching it. I've read a lot of people complain about Hollywood "ripping off" perfectly good foreign movies to make Americanized versions. Personally, I think that re-interpreting the story to reach a wider audience it isn't hurting anyone and may draw more attention to the original films.

As soon as I saw the trailer for Fincher's version, I was immediately drawn to it and it jumped to my must see list. I'm a big fan of his work and have not been disappointed. This film grabbed my attention and didn't let it go until it was over. I thought Rooney Mara gave a fantastic performance as this intriguing character, Lizbeth Salander. This will definitely be a release day Blu-Ray purchase for me. It still didn't make me want to read the books, but I will be checking out the Swedish films. I don't want to have to wait years to find out where this story goes.

 

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
The latest movie in the Mission: Impossible series doesn't disappoint. It was a fun ride from start to finish. The scene on the outside of the building was dizzying and I'm sure would have been worth the extra money for the IMAX tickets had I chosen to go that route. I was amused by all of the Apple product placement. Rather than making up technology that doesn't exist, they found ways to use iPhones and iPads as hi-tech secret agent devices. Where can I get those apps? The movie definitely left me in the mood to watch the older films, which I haven't seen in a few years.

 The Artist
Every year I make it my mission to see all of the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars. Even though the nominations haven't been announced yet, this one is pretty much guaranteed to be one of them. This movie is a perfect example of why I try to see all of the nominees. This is the kind of movie that may have been totally off my radar. I hope people go out and see this film. I know the idea of having a silent film in black & white isn't going to appeal to a broad audience, but I was definitely charmed by it. I've never watched a silent movie before, but I was concerned about the potential for boredom. I think Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo were wonderful. Both were able to make me relate to their characters without saying a word. Dujardin's smile is infectious. I don't know if this will be my personal pick for Best Picture this year, but I really enjoyed it and am glad that I got to see it on the big screen.

A New Year, A New Blog

It's 2012 and I've finally decided to join the world of blogging. Here I hope to share my thoughts on all things art and entertainment.  I'm a movie enthusiast, so I won't be surprised when they become the focus of most of my posts.  I'm also an artist and want to use this space as a place to collect and share things that I find inspirational.

Thanks for reading! Have a glass of Instant Smile, it's on me.