The Cold Goes On, But So Must The Show!

The cold lingers, now I'm in this wonderful place of having a runny nose, while hacking out my lungs, while my head feels like it's caught in between Rocky and Clubber Lang - so yeah, not much better. But I'm not going to let that stop me!






The Oscar Best Picture viewing continues and today I bring you the next two selections, Gravity and Captain Phillips. Keeping to alphabetic order, I'm going to kick off today's show with Captain Phillips.

Captain Phillips is the based on real events story of a cargo tanker and her crew being hijacked by Somali pirates and then in order to save the crew, the ship's captain agrees to go with the pirates. If this starts to sound familiar at all it's because it pretty much made every news headline around the country back in 2009. Staring in one of his best roles in a good long while, Tom Hanks is our titular captain who is frequently threatened and beaten at gun point by the leader of the pirates, Muse, played incredibly by Barkhad Abdi in his(to date) only film credit. Directed by Paul Greengrass(there's a "grass is greener on the other side" joke in there somewhere) this is an incredibly well directed, impeccably well acted film, that for me, sadly, doesn't really amount to much - and I'l explain why.

Okay so this is a pretty impressive production. The film opens with a terrific juxtaposition between Captain Phillips' life in America and Muse's life in Somalia; both men are ready to do what it takes to survive and care for their families. Captain Phillips gets his crew ready for their journey around the tip of Africa, and Muse gathers the men he needs for a mission to capture a shipping vessel to hold for ransom.

From there it becomes a cat and mouse game as Captain Phillips and his crew try to outwit the pirates who, with every passing moment, are getting closer and closer until they're finally able to take the ship. Having to settle for only $30,000 in the ship's safe, the pirates capture Phillips and force him to go with them in the ship's life boat as they are determined to make millions of dollars from his ransom. The only problem with their plan, the United States Navy has other designs.

Now don't get me wrong with this, everything is here to create a terrific thriller, the cast is there, the director is in peak form, the only problem is - we know how this ends. This is a similar problem I had with Argo last year. I knew the outcome. I read all about what happened after President Clinton declassified that operation, and the subsequent Wired Magazine article. I knew what was going to happen from the moment the show started, and I wanted to see that end sooner rather than later. The same problem plagues Captain Phillips - only far worse in my estimation since it's a much more recent event. I knew about the standoff with the Navy. I knew the SEALS show up and do what they do best. So the whole time Captain Phillips and his crew are doing their thing and trying survive - I just wanted the SEALS to show up(maybe not Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn though).

When you're ready for the end of the movie at the beginning of the movie - that's not a good thing! This is why I don't read the ends of books, and why I don't read comment threads when movies are released - I hate spoilers. This move was spoiled by the fact that it was big news for a really long time. At least for me. Maybe there were some that weren't paying attention at the time that can still get caught up in it, but I'm just not one of them. I know many people love it, and I can totally see why, and I get why it has a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it just doesn't do it for me. I really wanted it to, but it doesn't. I loved Tom Hanks' performance, he's incredible, so one thing I have to admit to, is that if  you're going to watch it, it's for him. And I truly hope Barkhad Abdi is someone we see more from in the future. That dude has talent! As it stands now in the rankings, it's the least likely to win Best Picture, especially since it's lead actor, Tom Hanks isn't even nominated - as he rightly should be!

Next!

Gravity! Okay all I can say about this movie really is "Oh My God What A Ride!" This is movie making splendor at it's absolute best! From frame one you're drawn into this "world" of outer space and the characters that inhabit it. Staring Sandra Bullock, in justifiably her best performance, the audience is taken on a thrill ride as a catastrophic event destroys her shuttle sending her adrift with minimal oxygen left. Along for the ride is George Clooney, whom is also great in his part, but make no mistake, this is Sandra's show through and through. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, this is one of the most suspenseful, well crafted films of the year, if not several years.

Taking four years to film and complete, this movie is a technical marvel to behold, and the 3D imagery is nothing short of breathtaking. Seriously, if you're not watching this movie in 3D, you're not fully experiencing the film. And as a side note, it's also the best post conversion 3D films ever released. Yes, that's right. This movie was not initially shot in 3D due to the fact that the actors had to be filmed in multiple ways utilizing a variety of techniques to created the perfect weightless effects. So any 3D naysayers out there can go take a powder because this conversion effort is incredible and does exactly what good 3D is supposed to do and suck you into the film.

If I'm not describing the plot much, well, even I'll concede this, there isn't much plot to discus. Ship blows up, astronauts have to get back to Earth any way they possibly can. That's about it. While the plot is basic, it's the way this show is presented that makes it so compelling and rewarding. This is where having a simple plot helps. There is just no need to over think this and muddle the proceedings in the process. And like I said before, Sandra's performance was incredible, especially since she's the emotional anchor for the entire picture. Nominated for Best Actress, Director, as well as Best Original Score - which I fully endorse as well - this movie is the one to beat. I loved it, and I know I'll be watching it many more times to come.

Is it a strong Best Picture contender in my book? You bet! All the way to the top of the list in fact(so far). Like any movie there is a fair level of criticisms to be leveled at this one. Are their technical inaccuracies? Sure, but then I'm not an astrophysicist so I'm not going to gripe. I have also heard some gripes from people about the performances, and to be flat honest, if you're not moved by Sandra's emotional roller coaster in any way, you've got to be one cynical dick. And I know cynics, I am one, but even I won't shoot this movie down like that.

Best of all for this film, It is available to purchase on Blu-ray today! Why you'd watch this on DVD I have no idea. At over 80% HD market penetration, if you're not onto Blu-ray yet, this is the movie to start the collection with! ALSO if you have a 3DTV set, yeah you're wasting your money if you don't have this one in there. So far this is hands down the favorite of the Best Picture race in my opinion.

Come back tomorrow where I'll take on 12 Years A Slave, and Nebraska. Until then, be good out there and do what ever you can to not get this cold! If I have managed to give it to you by coughing on my screen - I apologize!

Bad Colds Suck

This is what I look like when I'm sick

Okay so I've had this cold/flue since about Tuesday of last week and it hasn't let up at all. I go from having a sore throat to feeling feverish and achy, to having a splitting headache, to feeling like I might be on the mend and then the experience repeats itself. Needless to say if you have to get one cold this year, try not to get this one!






What's new you may be asking? Well considering it's been forever in a day since I posted anything on here, a whole lot has happened actually. A close loved one had to have a pretty serious surgery so that necessitated my traveling back to my home state of Michigan twice. Which was great in a way because I got to reconnect and bond with family. On top of all that, I no longer have my contract job! Which actually is a blessing in disguise believe it or not. Now I can focus on my personal creative pursuits while I search for full time employment. I dug the work I was doing before, but it was far too sporadic at the end, and then I found out I'd been let go when my work email got changed(while I was working!) and wasn't even told my services were no longer required until the following day after I sent 2 emails requesting information! So yeah, freedom!!! Through all this - I gotta tip my hat to my incredible wife who also started a new job at an incredible ad agency. I have to admit to being pretty damn jealous of her since it's an awesome place with great people. But, I know I'll find where I belong, just gotta push forward!

All this leads me to today where I feel like my head has been filled up with 1040 weight motor oil and shook up. I'm kinda dizzy. I'm kinda loopy. But that should make for an interesting post! What is today's post about? Well given that I'm a movie nut, and the Oscars are right around the corner, I thought it would be a good idea to review the Best Picture contenders. See, the Oscars always have a controversial time when it comes to picking the Best Picture of said year. Some are right on the money(The Hurt Locker), others play it too safe and choose something lame(Shakespeare In Love), and then you get years where given what the other films nominated were, the Best Picture winner is just bat shit insane (Crash).

This year the 2014 Oscar nominees for best picture are Her, American Hustle, Gravity, 12 Years A Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, Philomena, Captain Phillips, Nebraska, and The Wolf of Wall Street. That's right, nine movies all in the running for the top spot to be called "The Best Picture Of The Year!" Are they really the best picture of the year? Whose to say. It's subjective. Personally, the best movie I saw this year that has provided me tons of replay value and hours of entertainment was Pacific Rim, but that one isn't exactly a Best Picture caliber movie, even I have to admit that!

My reviews for these are going to be brief since A: there are so many of them, and B: I only have 5 days to recap 9 movies! That means I'll be recapping an average of two movies a day, which for me is pretty ambitious. First up and the only one for today, American Hustle.

American Hustle follows the true story of of a group of con artists who are roped in by the FBI to help them put the finger on crooked congressmen who were taking bribes during the 70's. Featuring top tier performances from Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and a fantastic turn from Jeremy Renner and directed by David O. Russell, this movie is a heck of a great ride! The story starts out following Christian Bale as Irving, an overweight con artist that has been scamming people for years while perfecting his comb over. In the process he trains his lady on the side, Amy Adams as Sydney. She is sexy, ambitious, and can nail a British accent in order to dupe people into believing she has London banking connections that can secure them loans. Only, they don't get them the loans and collect their fees in the process. At the same time, Irving is married to Jennifer Lawrence's character Rosalyn who can simply be described as a hot mess. Enter Bradley Cooper as FBI Agent Richie DiMaso, who catches Irving and Sydney in the act and fingers them into going to work for him and the FBI snagging corrupt politicians that are looking to skim a little off the top. This is where Jeremy Renner's Carmine Polito shows up as an ambitious local New Jersey Meyer who is willing to do anything to save and revitalize Atlantic City.

The movie is quite simply extremely entertaining and the performances from this incredible cast are outstanding; so it's no wonder that it's up for Best Picture. Christian Bale in particular nails his role as does Amy Adams whom both are up for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively - whether or not they'll earn those awards is anyone's guess, but their participation is what helps propel this movie upwards to great heights of movie making. That's not to take anything from Jennifer Lawrence who delivers another Oscar nominated outstanding performance, as does Bradley Cooper whose recent work has really turned my perception of him. He got his start basically playing the "handsome asshole" in a variety of movies and because of that, he was just that to me, a "handsome asshole." However, after Silver Linings Playbook, as well as The Place Beyond The Pines and an entertaining run in The A-Team, this guy is an actor that's delivering performances worth watching. But for me the standout performer here is Jeremy Renner as Meyer Carmine Polito. In every scene he's in, you see and feel his character's desperation to do the right thing not only for himself and his family, but for everyone that he meets on the street, and he's willing to do anything and everything to achieve that goal. What I've read about the real life Carmine Polito - Angelo Errichetti, this is extremely accurate to the man.

While based in part on true events, you have to realize this is a con movie at heart. Like The Sting, Matchstick Men, or any numerous other great con artist film, what you're seeing on screen, isn't necessarily everything you're seeing. There is a lot in the small details; a slight turn of phrase, a sideways glance that speaks volumes. Director David O. Russel does an incredible job keeping the audience engaged in every aspect of what's happening while keeping them at arms length so when the real con hits, you don't see it coming! I love movies like this where it keeps you guessing about what happens while also making you feel like you're in on it. Do I think this is the best of the best of the bunch? Hard to say since I haven't yet seen all of the Best Picture nominees! But if I can say one thing about this one that bodes well for it, it is that I will be watching it many more times to come.