I wanted to start my end of the year reviews with 30 Minutes or Less because of director Ruben Fleischer, whose Zombieland was the most pleasant surprise of 2009, a genuinely funny take on the zombie genre. And again Fleischer has surprised me with 30 Minutes or Less.
This time, however, it is not a pleasant surprise.
It is worth noting that the films do not share writers. 30 Minutes or Less is the first film of a Michael Diliberti screenplay. I have tried and failed to understand what drew people to this screenplay.
Was it the central plot? A pizza delivery driver is strpped to a bomb and told to rob a bank. When told the film is supposed to be a comedy, did anyone ever say, "Wait a minute. That's not a funny idea."
Even worse, didn't anyone say that the script didn't have much in the way of humor? Or that the guys who hook up this bomb are brain dead idiots, with nothing whatsoever interesting or appealing about them?
So since those characters are idiots, casting puts Danny McBride and Nick Swardson in the roles of the instigators. McBride can play this role in his sleep, and Swardson has minimal comic ability, so this compounds the problem.
Fleischer still has a flair as a director, and Jesse Eisenberg and especially Aziz Ansari try their best in the lead roles. But this script simply shouldn't have been filmed. Someone should have strapped a bomb to the script, and detonated. Grade: D-
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Looking at the past year
So much for my grand plans in 2011 of making a great blog. Not enough posts. So to recap the year, I am setting a goal to post every day or two a review, working my way up over the next month to my best of the year list, which is not yet finalized. These review will be marked as I saw them. If it is tagged movie review, I saw it in a theater. Tagged video review? Caught up with it at home. First off, I will review the biggest surprise I had in the theater this year. Wish me luck on my goals...
Oscar predictions preview
As we hit the end of the year, it is closing in on the time to set Oscar predictions. I always wait until the Golden Globes ceremonies to set my predictions, not for the awards winners at the Globes, which are meaningless, but for the audience reactions, as a lot of Academy members are in the audience. Ang Lee gets huge applause in 2000? Gonna be a good year for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. David Carradine gets little applause for his nomination for Kill Bill? Scratch him off the Oscar list. Usually a couple of tweaks come from reactions in that room.
But I digress. This post is to sum up where I see the Best Picture race right now. With the rule change allowing anywhere between five and ten nominees, this is making predictions hard. The rules declare a film must gain a certain percentage of first place votes, so the key is to find films people love, not just like. So here's my list of expected nominees, though not final, just what I view at this point.
The Artist. When this debuted at Cannes, it vaulted to the top of almost every Oscar prognosticator's list. And it hasn't moved. The Academy is generally older, a bit conservative in artistic tastes, but a bit liberal polically. So a silent film, which pays tribute to a golden age of cinema? Sold.
The Descendants. Alexander Payne's last film, Sideways, scored multiple nominations. This film is more emotional in a way that generally hooks in Academy voters, while retaining the excellance that, in my humble opinion, has been in every one of Payne's films. Another lock.
The Help. This is the third lock after The Descendants and The Artist. A bit traditional for some critics, but that's a plus for the traditional Academy. It takes on a topic, segregation in the South, which has been awarded by past Oscars. And the acting is of high caliber, liekly looking at three nominated actresses, that its on every member need to see list.
Hugo. Here we start getting out of the lock category, but I think Hugo should be in. The subplot about film preservation help a lot, especially since it echos Martin Scorsese's favorite cause. But most importaqntly Scorsese shows us all how 3D is supposed to be used, to open up the screen rather than just make an advertising gimmic.
Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen has a long successful history at the Oscars. This was a surprisingly sucessful film, both artisticly and at the box office. There are enough woody fans in the Academy to put this forward, I believe.
The Tree of Life. And here's where the predictions get tougher. Part of it is that there is definitely nothing like this film in the other possible nominees list (or really, ever). Terence Malick has been in the best picture race before, for The Thin Red Line. This has NO chance to win best picture. But I believe there is enough of a fan base to get a nomination.
Moneyball. My shakiest pick. It doesn't quite match up with the other films, but has a lot of respect, especially from the writers. (Read the book sometime. How do you adapt that?) Of there is one film I can see gather enough of the younger voters in the Academy, this would be it. And this is a director who has had a best picture nom before (Capote).
That brings my current total to seven. Where's War Horse? While I would not be massively surprised to see it nominated, I think ultimately it came out in the wrong year. I think the majority of people who are nostalgic for classic moviemaking are voting for The Artist or Hugo. And The Help takes votes away as well. To be nominated, a film has to be the first choice of enough voters, and ultimately I belive War Horse is a second or third choice to those films.
At this point, I see nothing else gathering up enough steam. But I reserve the right to change my mind. For now, that is how I see best picture.
But I digress. This post is to sum up where I see the Best Picture race right now. With the rule change allowing anywhere between five and ten nominees, this is making predictions hard. The rules declare a film must gain a certain percentage of first place votes, so the key is to find films people love, not just like. So here's my list of expected nominees, though not final, just what I view at this point.
The Artist. When this debuted at Cannes, it vaulted to the top of almost every Oscar prognosticator's list. And it hasn't moved. The Academy is generally older, a bit conservative in artistic tastes, but a bit liberal polically. So a silent film, which pays tribute to a golden age of cinema? Sold.
The Descendants. Alexander Payne's last film, Sideways, scored multiple nominations. This film is more emotional in a way that generally hooks in Academy voters, while retaining the excellance that, in my humble opinion, has been in every one of Payne's films. Another lock.
The Help. This is the third lock after The Descendants and The Artist. A bit traditional for some critics, but that's a plus for the traditional Academy. It takes on a topic, segregation in the South, which has been awarded by past Oscars. And the acting is of high caliber, liekly looking at three nominated actresses, that its on every member need to see list.
Hugo. Here we start getting out of the lock category, but I think Hugo should be in. The subplot about film preservation help a lot, especially since it echos Martin Scorsese's favorite cause. But most importaqntly Scorsese shows us all how 3D is supposed to be used, to open up the screen rather than just make an advertising gimmic.
Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen has a long successful history at the Oscars. This was a surprisingly sucessful film, both artisticly and at the box office. There are enough woody fans in the Academy to put this forward, I believe.
The Tree of Life. And here's where the predictions get tougher. Part of it is that there is definitely nothing like this film in the other possible nominees list (or really, ever). Terence Malick has been in the best picture race before, for The Thin Red Line. This has NO chance to win best picture. But I believe there is enough of a fan base to get a nomination.
Moneyball. My shakiest pick. It doesn't quite match up with the other films, but has a lot of respect, especially from the writers. (Read the book sometime. How do you adapt that?) Of there is one film I can see gather enough of the younger voters in the Academy, this would be it. And this is a director who has had a best picture nom before (Capote).
That brings my current total to seven. Where's War Horse? While I would not be massively surprised to see it nominated, I think ultimately it came out in the wrong year. I think the majority of people who are nostalgic for classic moviemaking are voting for The Artist or Hugo. And The Help takes votes away as well. To be nominated, a film has to be the first choice of enough voters, and ultimately I belive War Horse is a second or third choice to those films.
At this point, I see nothing else gathering up enough steam. But I reserve the right to change my mind. For now, that is how I see best picture.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Christmas Newletter
Copelands 2011
Below is the active roster of our family, and the events of their year.
Allison, age 8. She is in the third grade at Snyder Park. Allison remains our resident artist, and is still spending much of her free time creating crafts and artwork. Her best friend Emma and her are now wearing matching "best friend" necklaces. She remains an active Brownie and is still doing art classes. Allison just took a big step (for her) towards adulthood: she got her ears pierced.
Tommy, age 10. He is classified as a fourth grader. His school time in 2011 has been notable by his fascination with a classmate named Madelyn, who also does not speak and is in a wheelchair. This summer meant a camp experience for the first time, at a special needs camp on the western edge of the county.. Tommy is in his fourth season bowling. Tommy also enjoyed our season passes at The Beach, where he was now tall enough to go on the big slides.
Tracey, age 12. Tracey is now in the seventh grade at Hayward Middle School, where he made the honor roll his first quarter. About two weeks before Christmas he fractured his collar bone. He currently is wearing a brace to straighten his shoulder and will not be paying winter soccer this year. In less traumatic news, he still enjoys playing video game, mostly with neighbor Isaiah;. Soccer meant a final season last spring for Springfield Thunder with his father as head coach, and then a fall season for the Dayton Dutch Lions, where by the end of the season he was playing the entire game as one of the team's two center defenders.
Megan , age 19, and as you can see with the enclosed picture, now an alumnus of Springfield High School. She is currently a first year student at Clark State University, pursuing her lifelong dream to be the female Indiana Jones, since training to be a Jedi is not offered. Megan remains a voracious reader, and is especially proud of her Star Wars books collection, which is about to hit triple digits.
Laura, age 41. She continues to be a fulltime mother. This especially means dealing firsthand with Tommy's regular and irregular appointments. With her kids, she most often reads with Megan and does crafts with Allison. She remains an avid sports fan, but the less said about her football teams the better, although the Ohio State basketball team is looking good again this season.
Scott, age 43. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. After coaching Tracey in the spring, in the fall Scott dropped two years down and switched genders and coached a new team of U11 girls to a second place finish. The winter season has meant 8 am Saturday morning games. As a film buff, he was moved by The Tree of Life and The Descendants, and in the sleeper category recommends Win Win. Most of all, he's thankful The Muppets are back.
I have avoided politics and religion in the newsletter in past years, but here goes. I deal on a daily basis in my job at the Clark County Department of Jobs and Family Services with clients who are struggling to make ends meet. Instead of government addressing this problem, in Ohio we have a governor who would blame low funding on supposed greedy government employees like me while in Washington our "representatives" are more interested in partisan bickering than solving the problems of everyday people. The jobs disappeared for a lot of my clients in the past decade and the supposed safety net gets cut back every year. I don't have any answers here, but every day I have questions. In a country where so many people identify as Christian, I find it sad that help for the poor and sick, the genuinely needy, seems to be in short supply. In the days were we celebrate the birth of Christ, my Christmas wish is that more people try harder to truly live His words in their deeds, not just in empty promises.
Below is the active roster of our family, and the events of their year.
Allison, age 8. She is in the third grade at Snyder Park. Allison remains our resident artist, and is still spending much of her free time creating crafts and artwork. Her best friend Emma and her are now wearing matching "best friend" necklaces. She remains an active Brownie and is still doing art classes. Allison just took a big step (for her) towards adulthood: she got her ears pierced.
Tommy, age 10. He is classified as a fourth grader. His school time in 2011 has been notable by his fascination with a classmate named Madelyn, who also does not speak and is in a wheelchair. This summer meant a camp experience for the first time, at a special needs camp on the western edge of the county.. Tommy is in his fourth season bowling. Tommy also enjoyed our season passes at The Beach, where he was now tall enough to go on the big slides.
Tracey, age 12. Tracey is now in the seventh grade at Hayward Middle School, where he made the honor roll his first quarter. About two weeks before Christmas he fractured his collar bone. He currently is wearing a brace to straighten his shoulder and will not be paying winter soccer this year. In less traumatic news, he still enjoys playing video game, mostly with neighbor Isaiah;. Soccer meant a final season last spring for Springfield Thunder with his father as head coach, and then a fall season for the Dayton Dutch Lions, where by the end of the season he was playing the entire game as one of the team's two center defenders.
Megan , age 19, and as you can see with the enclosed picture, now an alumnus of Springfield High School. She is currently a first year student at Clark State University, pursuing her lifelong dream to be the female Indiana Jones, since training to be a Jedi is not offered. Megan remains a voracious reader, and is especially proud of her Star Wars books collection, which is about to hit triple digits.
Laura, age 41. She continues to be a fulltime mother. This especially means dealing firsthand with Tommy's regular and irregular appointments. With her kids, she most often reads with Megan and does crafts with Allison. She remains an avid sports fan, but the less said about her football teams the better, although the Ohio State basketball team is looking good again this season.
Scott, age 43. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. After coaching Tracey in the spring, in the fall Scott dropped two years down and switched genders and coached a new team of U11 girls to a second place finish. The winter season has meant 8 am Saturday morning games. As a film buff, he was moved by The Tree of Life and The Descendants, and in the sleeper category recommends Win Win. Most of all, he's thankful The Muppets are back.
I have avoided politics and religion in the newsletter in past years, but here goes. I deal on a daily basis in my job at the Clark County Department of Jobs and Family Services with clients who are struggling to make ends meet. Instead of government addressing this problem, in Ohio we have a governor who would blame low funding on supposed greedy government employees like me while in Washington our "representatives" are more interested in partisan bickering than solving the problems of everyday people. The jobs disappeared for a lot of my clients in the past decade and the supposed safety net gets cut back every year. I don't have any answers here, but every day I have questions. In a country where so many people identify as Christian, I find it sad that help for the poor and sick, the genuinely needy, seems to be in short supply. In the days were we celebrate the birth of Christ, my Christmas wish is that more people try harder to truly live His words in their deeds, not just in empty promises.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
