REVIEWS - 'Hobbit', 'Snowpiercer', 'The One I Love'

'The Hobbit:  The Battle of the Five Armies' (PG-13) **

Picking up immediately where 'Desolation of Smaug' leaves off, 'The Battle of the Five Armies' sees Smaug (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) laying waste to Laketown before being defeated by Bard (Luke Evans).  Bard then must find refuge near the Lonely Mountain for the survivors of Laketown.  Meanwhile, Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the company of dwarves must defend the Lonely Mountain from several armies wanting to take it for themselves.

Okay so I didn't care for 'Unexpected Journey' all that much but I thought 'Desolation of Smaug' was great.  So what did I think of this movie?  Well...sadly it's more like the first movie than the second movie.  This movie drags A LOT and is full of unnecessary subplots and side characters who really add nothing to the story.  This is also full of bad CGI, with a plethora of main characters unnecessarily completely rendered in CGI as opposed to just using people in make-up which honestly would have looked a LOT better.  But overall the main problem with this movie is the same with the other two:  THE HOBBIT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MADE INTO THREE MOVIES.  Would've been way better as one whole movie, or perhaps two really good movies.  But sadly money takes precedence over everything else.  Oh well.  I'm sure I'll have more about this in a future 'Nitpicks' post.

'Snowpiercer' (R) ***1/4

Found this indie movie on Netflix.  An English-language action thriller from South Korea, 'Snowpiercer' takes place in a future where an experiment to control climate change ends up putting the planet into a deep freeze and the remaining survivors are on a train called Snowpiercer.  The train is divided up into different classes, with the rich occupying the front portions of the train and the poor occupying the tail end of the train.  Curtis (Chris Evans), along with his friend Edgar (Jamie Bell), starts a rebellion to make their way to the front of the train from the back.  Co-starring John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, Allison Pill, Tilda Swinton, and Ed Harris as the billionaire who built the train.  Overall this was a very solid thriller anchored not only by well choreographed action but also great performances by the cast.  Definitely unpredictable with it's twists and turns in the story.

'The One I Love' (R) ***1/4

Hoping to save their marriage, Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) have a rather peculiar weekend getaway at a secluded retreat recommended to them by their therapist (Ted Danson).  That's all I can say without giving away spoilers.

Overall I thought this was very good.  Well acted, Often times it's funny and sweet, and at times gives an honest look at a relationship on the rocks and how they react to the adversity.  There's also a fair amount of twists and turns that make this little indie film very strange indeed, but I still liked it.

I Finally Watched...The Interview

I've been meaning to bring this series back for awhile now.  Originally I was going to do a write-up about the 'Beverly Hills Cop' trilogy.  I watched the entire trilogy on Netflix over the course of a day and even jotted down a few notes.  But time passed and I got lazy so I decided not to write anything about it.  Then I came up with another idea:  Since last year around Christmas time I wrote about 'It's A Wonderful Life' and 'Santa Claus Conquers The Martians', I'll write about another Christmas classic this year and I settled on 'White Christmas'.  But I scrapped those plans once the controversy for this movie really started heating up a week before it's already rescheduled theatrical release (from October to December).  So, with this movie now becoming one of the most controversial movies of all time, I decided to write-up about it.  So, without further adieu, "I Finally Watched..." returns with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's controversial 2014 political comedy 'The Interview'.  Who would have thought that the writers of 'Superbad' and 'Pineapple Express' would be behind one of the most controversial movies of all time?

I can't quite pinpoint when I first heard about 'The Interview'.  At this point I'm assuming that I first had heard of it reading an article on some movie news website which announced that 'The Interview' would be Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's follow-up to their successful 2013 directorial debut 'This Is The End'.  Evidently Rogen and Goldberg came up with the story several years ago, starting off with just the central idea of a celebrity being tasked with killing a dictator and eventually settling on Kim Jong-Un.  Then a few years later after the script had been written former NBA star Dennis Rodman visited with North Korea and hung out with Kim, which lent some realistic plausibility to their story. 

I usually like Seth Rogen's movies so this was on my radar of movies to watch.  The first trailers started popping up earlier this year and to be honest...I was less then impressed.  Both the normal trailers and the restricted red band trailers had a chuckle here and there, but nothing that shouted out "THIS LOOKS HILARIOUS AND I NEED TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!"

But then all this controversy started happening and that peaked my interest.

Way back in June, a spokesman for the North Korean government said that this movie was an act of war and that there would be retaliation.  A few months later Sony moved the movie from it's planned October 10 release date to Christmas Day.  Coincidence??  Yes.  Movies change release dates all the time.  Plus with the holiday season Sony could easily make a little more money by releasing it then as opposed to releasing it in the fall. 

A few more months go by and it's now November.  Some more threats had come from North Korea here and there, but nothing that hadn't already been said.  That is, until the cyber attack on Sony Pictures that not only released a myriad of private emails between studio executives and producers (including controversy about editing Kim Jong-Un's death scene in this movie), but also social security numbers, then unreleased movies from Sony, and threats that an attack on the scale of September 11th would happen to movie theaters that showed 'The Interview'.  Sony initially stood their ground and kept the Christmas Day release, but then they let the theater chains decide for themselves whether or not to even show the movie.  After many chains pulled the movie, Sony cancelled the release and thus came another storm of controversy that had almost everyone in America in agreement, no matter which side of the political aisle you were on:  Sony caved into terrorist demands and that 'The Interview' needs to be seen.  That Sony had set a dangerous precedent by allowing a dictator from the other side of the world to impose censorship in the United States.

A few days later Sony announced that it would be getting a limited theatrical release and that it would also be available to rent on YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, and Xbox Video.  This of course ignited conspiracy theories that this was all one huge publicity stunt, a conspiracy that I don't really buy into.
Anyway, after hearing that this movie would be showing at Bones Theater in Columbia City (starting Christmas Day) and at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne (starting New Years Day) I decided that I would be going to see it in the theater (as was originally intended) at some point.  So, Sunday afternoon I drove over to Columbia City to see this movie.  A movie that surprisingly has become a symbol for freedom of expression and is now one of the most controversial movies of all time.  Yes, 'The Interview' is now in the same category with such movies as 'Passion of the Christ', 'Monty Python's Life of Brian', 'Cannibal Holocaust', 'The Pope Must Die' and 'A Clockwork Orange'.  And with all the international controversy in ten years this movie might just be in a history book.  Yes, my future children will grow up learning about 'The Interview' in a history book in school.  That's a scary thought...

Well enough babbling.  Then again there has always been more talk about the controversy surrounding this movie than the actual movie itself, which has been getting mixed reviews from critics.  'The Interview' stars James Franco as entertainment journalist Dave Skylark, host of 'Skylark Tonight'.  Seth Rogen plays his producer and friend Aaron Rapoport, who longs to do real news and to be taken seriously as a journalist.  The opportunity soon arrives when it is discovered that Kim Jong-Un (Randall Park) is a big fan of 'Skylark Tonight' and that he is willing to grant an interview with Dave.  After the news comes out about the interview, CIA Agent Lacy (Lizzy Caplan) recruits Aaron and Dave to use Dave's interview as an opportunity to assassinate Kim Jong-Un.

First things first:  If you don't like Seth Rogen's movies, you will probably not like this movie.  This does feature more satirical elements than any of his other movies and more political humor, such as spoofing the fake crying that was all over the news from North Korea when Kim Jong-il died.  But it's still filled to the brim with their usual barrage of foul language and crude sex jokes.  Now, having said that, what do I think of the movie?

I thought it was absolutely hilarious from start to finish, with very few jokes that misfired.  Think if 'This Is The End', 'Neighbors', 'Team America', 'Spies Like Us' and The Daily Show all were shoved into a blender.  The resulting depraved mixture would be 'The Interview'.  Not only was it very funny and very well paced, but I also thought it was very well acted.  Seth Rogen gets his fair share of zingers but he's usually the straight man to Academy Award nominee James Franco's absolutely bonkers Dave Skylark.  Heck, even Randall Park does a really good job as Kim Jong-Un.  He's a manipulative monster:  In one scene he's being hellbent on destroying the world just to prove a point.  In other scenes he's showering Dave with gifts, playing basketball (with the rims lowered so he can dunk), driving around the tank for fun, drinking margaritas, listening to Katy Perry' song "Firework" and confiding into Dave that he feels under pressure from his deceased father and the image that's been created for him as a god among his people.  Truth be told it is a good performance.  It also contains a very funny cameo by Eminem.  The movie does get incredibly violent and bloody towards the end, but in an R-rated comedy about an assassination that should be expected.

Like I said earlier, if you don't like Seth Rogen's other movies, you probably will not like this movie.  But if you have at least some interest in seeing it, I'd recommend it.  I watched it more out of curiosity from all of the controversy, but since I am a fan of Seth Rogen I probably would have seen this anyway.  If you wanna see it just to spite the North Korean hackers, go ahead and see it.  Support the First Amendment.  Do your patriotic duty and watch a movie that features Seth Rogen hiding a probe in...a certain place. 

So that's 'The Interview', what I believe to be one of the funniest movies I've seen this year.  If you've also had a chance to see this controversial comedy, let me know what you thought of it.  I hope to do this series a bit more in 2015 but we'll see how it goes.       

Reviews and An Update

Some more catching up to do before the end of the year along with an update for what's coming up next week.  Reviews of 'Whiplash', 'The Maze Runner', and 'Unbroken'.

 'Whiplash' (R) ****

Andrew (Miles Teller) enrolls at one of the best music schools in the country with dreams of becoming one of the greatest drummers to have ever lived.  He soon falls under the tutelage of Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), an absolute monster of a jazz instructor who pushes his students way beyond what is expected of them. 

As you can tell from the poster, this has been getting rave reviews ever since it debuted at Sundance earlier this year.  I've been disappointed by some critically acclaimed movies this year ('Birdman', 'Theory of Everything', 'X-Men:  Days of Future Past'), but thankfully this not only lived up to the hype but it greatly exceeded it in what is one of the best movies I've seen this year.  The music is all great, the story is something most of us can relate to (being pushed past our limits by others to achieve something better), but what truly anchors this movie are the performances from Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons.  The best comparison for Simmons' Terrence Fletcher is R. Lee Ermy's Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in 'Full Metal Jacket'.  Imagine if the latter character was a jazz instructor.  An absolute monster, but it's a great performance that fully deserves the talk of being a front runner for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

'The Maze Runner' (PG-13) **

Based on a best selling young adult book that I never read nor heard of before the movie's trailers started popping up, 'The Maze Runner' follows Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) as he wakes up in a metal cage that sends him to a community of other teenaged boys like himself.  He soon discovers that they are trapped in a maze and teams up with other runners to find a way through it.  Also co-stars 'We're The Millers' star Will Poulter and 'Game of Thrones' star Thomas Brodie-Sangster as other members of the community (known as 'Gladers', because, reasons) and Patricia Clarkson as a mysterious scientist.

Not gonna lie, I sat on my couch for it's 113 minute running time and I fully paid attention to it.  But at the same time for most of the movie I had absolutely no idea what was going on or why certain things were happening.  Sure people hate it when movie's explain too much, but this explains nothing.  When I actually understood what was going on, I still thought it was kinda dumb.  The acting isn't bad at all, and it's actually well shot.  Just severely lacks in the story department.  I'm sure the book (or it's sequels) is better and provides way more details and explanations as to what's going on.




 

'Unbroken' (PG-13) ***

Based on a non-fiction book by Laura Hillenbrand (author of 'Seabiscuit') that I actually did have to read in college, 'Unbroken' follows the true story of Olympian runner Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell), who spent 47 days drifting at sea after a plane crash in World War II while surviving storms and sharks, only to be captured by the Japanese and sent to various POW camps.

Simply put, overall I thought this movie was good.  It wasn't great by any means but it was still good.  Plenty of times in the first half of the movie it just drags on and on with random flashback scenes that just pop up out of nowhere.  It was hard initially to get invested in it, but as the movie kept going it got better and better.  It's an incredible story and it is quite inspirational.  Greatly helps that it's well shot.





Still one more movie to see in theaters and a few to watch on Netflix before I'll call it a year.  Here's what this week will look like schedule-wise:

TOMORROW 12/30: A new edition of 'I Finally Watched...'
NEW YEARS EVE:  EVEN MORE REVIEWS
NEW YEARS DAY:  TOP 10 of 2014 and Honorable Mentions
FRIDAY 1/2:  2014 Disappointments
SATURDAY 1/3:  2014 Surprises, NFL Wild Card picks

Next week I'll get around to reviewing 2015 as a whole, my Top 10 most anticipated movies for 2015, and some blog updates for 2015.  I am going to try to stick to this schedule but that will all depend on computer availability.  My laptop's battery is still dead and I'm going to wait until my next paycheck comes in to go get a new one.  That leaves me with three options:

1. The home computer, which recently has had issues with internet access
2. My mom's laptop, which has keyboard issues
3. The library.

So we'll see how well I follow this schedule.

NFL 2014 Week 17 Pick 'Em

Browns @ RAVENS
COWBOYS @ Redskins
COLTS @ Titans
SAINTS @ Buccaneers
EAGLES @ Giants
Bills @ PATRIOTS
Jaguars @ TEXANS
CHARGERS @ Chiefs
Jets @ DOLPHINS
Bears @ VIKINGS
Raiders @ BRONCOS
Cardinals @ 49ERS
Lions @ PACKERS
Rams @ SEAHAWKS
Panthers @ FALCONS
Bengals @ STEELERS

LAST WEEK:  8-8, 50%
TOTAL:  150-89-1, 62.5%

REVIEWS - 'Exodus', 'Theory of Everything', 'Babadook'

 'Exodus:  Gods and Kings' (PG-13) **

The defiant leader Moses (Christian Bale) rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II (Joel Edgerton), setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.  The latest from director Ridley Scott ('Alien', 'Gladiator', 'Prometheus', etc.).

Religious-themed movies sure have made a comeback in 2014.  Some have been good ('Heaven Is For Real'), some have been okay ('Noah'), some aren't so good at all ('God's Not Dead', 'Son of God'), and one is apparently one of the worst movies ever made ('Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas).

So where does Ridley Scott's venture into Biblical storytelling fall?  Honestly, it's okay.  Visually this movie is fantastic and it boasts an impressive cast, but it's way too long and has more than it's fair share of cringe-worthy dialogue.  

 'The Theory of Everything' (PG-13) **
Based on Jane Wilde Hawking's memoir "Traveling To Infinity:  My Life With Stephen", this movie chronicles her (Felicity Jones) relationship with her ex-husband Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne), including his diagnosis of motor neuron disease and success in physics.

This one is getting a lot of awards buzz, and that's honestly the main reason why I saw this movie.  The first hour honestly was pretty good, but as it dragged on and on I became less and less invested to the point where I didn't really care about this story or any of the characters anymore.  I do admire Eddie Redmayne's physical transformation over the course of the movie, so that's something at least.

'The Babadook' (No MPAA Rating) **

Single mother Amelia (Essie Davis), plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son Samuel's (Noah Wiseman) fear of a monster lurking in the house after reading to him a disturbing pop-up book called "Mister Babadook".  Soon she discovers a sinister presence all around her as well, driving her to the point of insanity.

This Australian horror movie has been getting a lot of buzz.  Some awards chatter here and there, but the buzz mostly surrounds it being a critically acclaimed horror movie.  Watching the trailer it did look very creepy.  And indeed the movie does have a handful of creepy moments and features a great performance from child actor Noah Wiseman.  But the story itself is very thin which results in the movie dragging, the creepy moments aren't very consistent and as it progressed I kept thinking of other horror movies that more or less did the same thing but to better effect.  Quite disappointing.

REVIEWS - 'Mockingjay Part 1', 'Purge 2', 'Horrible Bosses 2'

'The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay - Part 1' (PG-13) ***

Revolution is in the air.  The Hunger Games are no more, and District 12 is no more. Now living in District 13, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) reluctantly must become a symbol for the rebellion and becomes determined to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from the clutches of the Capitol.  Series co-stars Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, Sam Chaflin, Jena Malone, Liam Hemsworth, Willow Shields, and Jeffrey Wright all return, this time joined by Julianne Moore as President Alma Coin of District 13, Natalie Dormer as rebellion propaganda director Cressida, and Mahershala Ali as Boggs, Coin's right hand man.

Before I go into a mini tirade, let me point out that yes I liked this movie.  Didn't like it as much as the previous two, but I still liked it.  As usual with these movies, the acting is always a huge highlight.  Jennifer Lawrence practically carries the movie in delivering yet another great performance as Katniss Everdeen.  There are many moments in this movie that are flat out chilling.  It's shot well and the special effects actually are pretty good.  But the main flaw is that this feels incomplete.  Seriously, as one whole movie this would have been great.  No need to split a 309 page book into two movies.  But Jake, the book has so much and the first half is way different than the second half.  So?  The same thing could be said about the previous two, yet both of those stayed as one movie a piece. The odds are halfway in this movie's favor...now I gotta wait until November 2015 for the other half.

 'The Purge:  Anarchy' (R) **1/2

Three groups of people are trying to survive Purge Night, when their stories intertwine as they try to survive the chaos and violence that occurs during the Purge.
       Group #1:  Eva (Carmen Ejogo) and Cali (Zoe Soul), a mother-daughter team who have to escape their apartment building after paramilitary men storm it looking for people to capture and purge.
       Group #2:  Shane (Zach Gilford) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez), a couple on the verge of breaking up whose car was tampered with by a gang just before the Purge starts.
       "Group" #3:  Leo (Frank Grillo) is out on Purge night avenging a personal loss. 

Simply put, much like the first movie I liked it and as a rental it's pretty solid.  I know the concept of a Purge is completely ludicrous but I thought this movie pulled it off in an interesting way that kept my attention throughout.  

'Horrible Bosses 2' (R) ***

Dale (Charlie Day), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Nick (Jason Bateman) decide to start their own business but things don't go as planned because of a slick investor (Christoph Waltz), prompting the trio to pull off a misguided kidnapping scheme against the investor's son (Chris Pine).  Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, and Kevin Spacey all reprise their roles from the previous movie as well.

Let's face it:  Did 2011's 'Horrible Bosses' really need a sequel?  Probably not.  But, this follow-up is still a fun time at the movies and is consistently funny, even though it doesn't quite match the hilarity of it's predecessor.

NFL 2014 Week 16 Pick 'Em

Week 16 already?? Wow.  Time needs to slow down.

Titans @ JAGUARS
EAGLES @ Redskins
CHARGERS @ 49ers
Vikings @ DOLPHINS
RAVENS @ Texans
LIONS @ Bears
BROWNS @ Panthers
Falcons @ SAINTS
PACKERS @ Buccaneers
Chiefs @ STEELERS
PATRIOTS @ Jets
Giants @ RAMS
BILLS @ Raiders
COLTS @ Cowboys
SEAHAWKS @ Cardinals
BRONCOS @ Cincinnati

LAST WEEK:  12-4, 75%
TOTAL:  142-81-1, 63.39%

Golden Globe Nomination Reactions

A little late, but better late than never I suppose.  Awards season is now in full swing with various critics groups announcing their awards, the Screen Actors Guild announcing their nominations last week, and the Golden Globe nominations also being announced.  Like last year I will primarily be going over the Golden Globes and the Oscars, with reactions to nominations, picking winners, and a wrap-up of each ceremony.  Or least what I saw of each ceremony.  I'm babbling at this point so without further adieu, this year's Golden Globe nominations:


BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

COMMENTS:  The only one I've seen here is 'Boyhood'.  'Theory of Everything' just came to Fort Wayne but I haven't made time to go see it yet.  I have no idea when the other three will finally come here.  At least 'Boyhood' is a very good movie and well deserving of a nomination.


BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into The Woods
Pride
St. Vincent

COMMENTS:  I've only seen 'Birdman' and 'Grand Budapest Hotel'.  Neither of which I was all that fond of, but I can say more positive things about 'Grand Budapest Hotel' than I can about 'Birdman'.


BEST ACTOR - DRAMA
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo, Selma
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

COMMENTS:  Haven't seen any of these performances, so I guess I'll be moving right along.


BEST ACTOR - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton, Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Bill Murray, St. Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes

COMMENTS:  Honestly, Fiennes' performance was the best thing about 'Grand Budapest Hotel' and it's well deserving of a nomination.  But unfortunately all the buzz is surrounding Michael Keaton for 'Birdman'.


BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

COMMENTS:  The only performance I've seen so far is Rosamund Pike's in 'Gone Girl', and it is probably one of the more insane performances I've seen in quite a while.


BEST ACTRESS - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into The Woods
Helen Mirren, The Hundred-Foot Journey
Julianne Moore, Maps To The Stars
Quvenzhane Wallis, Annie

COMMENTS:  Well, moving right along....


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

COMMENTS:  I've only seen two of these performances:  Ethan Hawke and Edward Norton.  Norton is basically playing himself in 'Birdman', whereas Ethan Hawke is playing an average Dad who struggles with fatherhood and with trying to connect with his kids.  Hawke deserves his nomination at least.  But all the buzz right now is surrounding J.K. Simmons for 'Whiplash', which won't be in Fort Wayne until Friday.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Meryl Streep, Into The Woods

COMMENTS:  Once again, I've only seen two performances and those are from 'Boyhood' and 'Birdman'.  Didn't really care for Patricia Arquette at all in 'Boyhood' and apart from one great scene in 'Birdman' Emma Stone doesn't exactly do much.  Which is a shame because I think Emma Stone is a really good actress.


BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVerney, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

COMMENTS:  A good solid list and nice to see David Fincher get a nod for 'Gone Girl'


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How To Train Your Dragon 2
The LEGO Movie

COMMENTS:  I've seen 'Big Hero 6', 'How To Train Your Dragon 2', and 'The LEGO Movie'.  Long story short, this is 'LEGO Movie's to lose.


BEST SCREENPLAY
Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game

COMMENTS:  A nice list I suppose.


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Force Majeure
Gett:  The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines

COMMENTS:  I've heard of 'Leviathan'.  I don't remember what it's about, but I've heard of it at least.


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Birdman or:  The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Gone Girl
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
The Theory of Everything

COMMENTS:  Good to finally see 'Interstellar' receive at least one nomination.  And that 'Birdman' score drove me nuts.


BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Big Eyes" from Big Eyes, performed by Lana Del Ray
"Glory" from Selma, performed by John Legend and Common
"Mercy Is" from Noah, performed by Patti Smith
"Opportunity" from Annie, performed by Quvenzhane Wallis
"Yellow Flicker Beat" from The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay Part 1, performed by Lorde

COMMENTS:  I've seen 'Noah' but I don't remember that song.  I know that I've heard 'Yellow Flicker Beat'.  Nothing against Lorde, but this song was...strange, to say the least.  Not my favorite Lorde song, but far from the worst Lorde song I've heard.




The 72nd Annual Golden Globes will be held on January 11, 2015.  It will be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who have hosted the previous two ceremonies as well.

NFL 2014 Week 15 Pick 'Em

Cardinals @ Rams
Steelers @ Falcons
Redskins @ Giants
Dolphins @ Patriots
Raiders @ Chiefs
Texans @ Colts
Bengals @ Browns
Jaguars @ Ravens
Packers @ Bills
Buccaneers @ Panthers
Jets @ Titans
Broncos @ Chargers
Vikings @ Lions
49ers @ Seahawks
Cowboys @ Eagles
Saints @ Bears

Update

As you may have noticed I haven't been blogging as much.  I scramble to put up my weekly NFL picks at the last minute and that's been it for the past few weeks.  Is it because of a lack of time or of movie watching?  Absolutely not.  Sure I do have a job now but I still have plenty of free time to watch more movies than I should.  In the past few weeks I have had a lack of motivation and inspiration when it came to this.

Everyday I come home feeling stressed out from my job as a teaching assistant.  I come home and I have zero motivation to do much at all.  Either I just sit in the chair in the living room or I just lay on my bed and scroll through various social media apps on my phone.  I've watched a few movies in this time frame, but I just haven't had the urge to sit down and type my thoughts up about them.  The fact that I still haven't bought a new battery for my laptop isn't helping matters either, since the laptop makes things that much more convenient as opposed to competing with various family members for time on the home computer.

But I'm not giving up on this blog.  Instead I will be putting going back to using this as a de-stressing activity.  Hopefully it'll redirect my attention from all the negativity in my area of work and focus on two things that I enjoy:  Movies and writing.

Now with all of that out of the way, what's coming up?  I could write several long paragraphs about them but I'll keep them short and simple:

• Awards season is now in full swing with the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes recently announcing their nominations.  Much like last year, I'll be doing a write-up with my reactions to the Golden Globe nominations.  Expect that sometime later today.
• Week 15 NFL Picks will officially be posted sometime before the 1:00 games tomorrow.  The following Thursday I will resume the normal posting schedule for NFL Picks.
• Since it's the end of the year, I will be trying to see as many movies as I can.  Some I'll be catching up with from earlier in the year, some are awards season contenders movies finally making their way to Fort Wayne movie theaters now, and some are just movies I was going to go see regardless.  So expect a lot of reviews coming up, with various lists popping up shortly after January 1.
• And speaking of reviews, I have plenty from the past few weeks that I need to catch up on.  Within the next week expect a post that has short reviews for all of those movies.  

Well I think that about does it for now.  Once again, I always appreciate feedback.  Unless it's from blatantly disrespectful "students".

NFL 2014 Week 14 Pick 'Em

Well my fantasy football team won't repeat as champions this year.  I suppose that's what I get for not doing anything with it for several weeks.  Oh well.  I've been more focused on these picks anyway.

COWBOYS @ Bears
STEELERS @ Bengals
RAMS @ Redskins
GIANTS @ Titans
Panthers @ SAINTS
Jets @ VIKINGS
RAVENS @ Dolphins
COLTS @ Browns
Buccaneers @ LIONS 
TEXANS @ Jaguars
Bills @ BRONCOS
Chiefs @ CARDINALS
Seahawks @ EAGLES
49ERS @ Raiders
PATRIOTS @ Chargers
Falcons @ PACKERS

LAST WEEK:  10-6, 62.5%
TOTAL:  117-74-1, 60.94%