Favorite Movie #5 - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Hello friends and fellow film enthusiasts!  Today I begin a five day series that will delve into my top 5 favorite movies of all time, and will include detailed reviews on all of them.  Making this list was extremely hard; more so about the number 4 and 5 slots because the top 3 was very easy for me to come up with.  I'm going to go ahead and assume that the majority of you have seen these movies as they are all well known, with a couple of them being some of the most successful movies of all time. Throughout this list you will see appearances from my 5 favorite actors along with my favorite actress.  Spoiler.  I did cheat a bit, and make #4 a tie between two films, but they are somewhat similar in nature so I don't feel too bad.  Number 5 was the hardest choice, but The Empire Strikes Back gets the nod as it is my favorite film in the entire Star Wars Saga which is very dear to my heart.

The first Star Wars film is perhaps one of the most groundbreaking movies to have ever been made in the history of Hollywood.  Despite its overall legacy, the first Star Wars I feel is the weakest of the original trilogy with The Empire Strikes Back being the strongest.  It amazes me to this day when I talk to someone, and it comes up that they have never seen any of the Star Wars movies.  Now I understand that not everyone is a die hard film fan like I am, but come on.  The Star Wars movies are classics, and are some of the most influential pieces of art to have ever been made.  But enough of that; lets get to the movie.

At the time of the release of The Empire Strikes Back; sequels were a risky proposition in the world of film.  Star Wars was wildly successful, the Death Star had been destroyed, and the ending made the film appear as a one shot deal.  However once everyone involved realized just how much money that Star Wars had made, it became a no brainer that a sequel would be in the works.  Now I saw the Star Wars movies in a really messed up order.  The first one I saw was episode 3, and the last one I saw was episode 6.  I don't even remember what came in between, but it was jacked up to say the least.  But the one I remember the most was The Empire Strikes Back.  The first sequence on the planet Hoth might be one of the most memorable of all time.  The AT-AT's were so awesome along with the snow speeders, and were absolutely riveting the whole time.  Watching it now as I have matured, I can really appreciate the originality of the story and how the characters continued to develop.  One thing sequels are guilty of are failing to continue character development, and The Empire Strikes Back blows that critique out of the water.  The Han Solo- Princess Leia relationship developed from a flirtatious fling into a legitimate romance.  It also continued to show how caring and passionate Luke Skywalker truly was; as it came off to me that he lacked passion in the first Star Wars.  But perhaps the most important element was the heavy emphasis on the greatest villain in movie history:  Darth Vader.  I also felt that Darth Vader was underused in the first film, and his heavier presence in the sequel played a large part in my enjoyment of the movie.  Sure I liked Darth Maul and The Emperor, but there really is no comparison when put up against Darth Vader.  Throw in the greatest cinematic reveal in the history of film, and the Luke Skywalker- Darth Vader relationship skyrockets to the top of movie lore.  I also really enjoyed how there were two separate stories happening at the same time; with them eventually connecting with each other at the end.  You had them together at the beginning on Hoth; then they split with Luke going to train with Yoda while Han and Leia spent the majority of the film escaping the Empire.  Then they meet up on Bespin with Han frozen in carbonite and Luke missing half an arm.  The pacing was fantastic; most notably weaving in and out of the slower paced dramatic scenes with Luke and Yoda, and the fast paced action with Han and Leia.  Beautiful.  Most people are already impressed with the film by the time they get to the final lightsaber battle, but that final sequence just cements the movie as an instant classic.  It's classic David and Goliath, but with lightsabers.  Who wouldn't want some of that?

 Throw in some awesome appearances by secondary characters like Boba Fett and Lando Calrissean makes my inner nerd just geek out.  Also the comedic relief given by the droids serves as a breath of fresh air in a sometimes heavy movie.  Its really hard to find negatives in this movie, and that only plays into why this movie is one of my favorites of all time.  All movies on this list have a huge re-watchability factor, and I think that is important when selecting your "favorite" movies.  I have a deep appreciation for the Star Wars saga as a whole, but for these reasons layed out before you; I feel this is the best one.

Thanks for reading todays post; I hope you enjoyed it! Tune in tomorrow to see which film comes in at the number 4 slot.  Let me know what some of your favorite movies are, and if you like any of the ones I chose.  Again, if you have any recommendations on movies to review just let me know.  Well until next time, stay tuned and have a great rest of your day.

-  Big D

Movie Review: Ride Along

Good day fellow movie fans! Today I have a movie review to share.  This film wasn't that well known until a couple of weeks ago, and has gained a lot of steam as it headed into the holiday weekend.  "Ride Along" starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart set the January record for biggest opening weekend with an impressive $41 million dollars.  I took my two younger brothers to go see this on friday night, and they both loved it.  I however, had a different opinion.

"Ride Along" looks to build upon the rising success of Kevin Hart, as he plays a video game obsessed school security guard who has dreams of joining the Atlanta PD, and marrying his beautiful girlfriend.  Uh oh! Trouble!  His girlfriend will only agree to marry him if he can gain the approval of her overprotective hard cop brother (Ice Cube).  Cliche after cliche.  But wait!  Kevin Hart gets accepted to the police academy!  This should gain the respect of Ice Cube right?  Wrong.  The movie still had an hour and 15 minutes left.  Now at a crossroads, the only logical thing to do now is for them to go on a ride along.  Now the movie did get a little better once everything got settled, but the main device this movie used to try and get laughs was making Kevin Hart look like an idiot.  Come on Kevin.  You're better than that.  You can be funny without acting like a moron, and constantly letting everyone know that you are of below average height.  And as long as Ice Cube keeps making these foolish little comedies; than I am not gonna like any role where he is playing the so called "tough guy".
Long gone are the days where people are scared to speak negatively about the man known as "Ice Cube".  Back in the days of NWA, Ice Cube was known as being one of the baddest men around, often rapping about his gang life in Compton or his less than friendly relationship with the police.  Now he has been relegated to making movies like "Ride Along" and "Are we there yet".

 


Ice Cube and Kevin Hart have some talent.  Ice Cube's music is classic, and Hart's standup is actually pretty funny; but neither of them are leading man quality.  I have liked them in smaller roles like Hart in "Grudge Match" and especially Ice Cube in "21 Jump Street".  When the pressure of being funny is not entirely on their shoulders, they are much funnier.  Maybe I am being too critical, as I think if I saw this movie three or four years ago; I would have liked it quite a bit.  But now that I look at movies in a different light, I can see what a poor film this is.  Its actually pretty awkward being in a packed theater and the whole audience is laughing their heads off, and Im just sitting there like "did I miss something?".  Overall this movie serves as a glaring signal that Ice Cube and Kevin Hart cannot hold a leading role without subjecting themselves to personal embarrassment.  I cannot argue with the success as it did gross over 40 million dollars on its opening weekend, but critics everywhere seem to agree with me as Ride Along currently boasts a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes.  And in case you didn't know....a 15% is god awful.  Perhaps this movie was not made for people like me, but for other movie goers who don't go into a film with such a critical mindset.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  If you saw this movie and liked it, then I am glad; because it only further proves how their is no definitive way to tell if a movie is good or bad.  It is all based on opinions.

Thanks for reading my review today!  Let me know what you thought of this film, and if you agree or disagree with my opinions.  If there are any movies you would like me to review please just ask as I would be happy to.  Later this week I will be posting movie reviews for my top 5 favorite movies of all time!  Im very excited to begin this, and I hope that you will tune in.  Anyways, until next time, be safe and have a splendid rest of your day.

-  Big D

2014 Oscar Nominations!

Good day fellow film fans! Today is a rather exciting one in the world of movie news as the months of speculation regarding Oscar nominations is finally over, and we can now focus on making the best educated guesses possible.  Early this morning, Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, announced all the nominees for every category at this years 86th annual Academy Awards, and overall I must say that I am quite satisfied with the results.  This post will NOT be a prediction post, but more of just a basic rundown of the nominations and what I think of them; while also identifying any potential snubs or surprises along the way.  I wont go into all of them today, but rather save that for my full length Oscar prediction post once I have seen all the movies that are in contention.  With that said, here is my reaction to this years Oscar nominations.  Lets start with Best Visual Effects.

Best Visual Effects

1.  Gravity
2.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
3.  IronMan 3
4.  The Lone Ranger
5.  Star Trek:  Into Darkness

-  First category and already I have a huge issue.  Not a good sign.  Chances are you did not see The Lone Ranger, and for a good reason.  The movie sucked.  I know this is an award for visual effects, but the sheer awfulness of the movie should make it exempt from even being mentioned for an Oscar.  The visuals were not bad, but no where near as good as say Pacific Rim or Man of Steel.  Or even Thor:  The Dark World.  I would put all three of those in before even considering The Lone Ranger.  I'm not too irritated as I think it has no shot at winning, but it still bothers me never the less.  This race will come down to either The Hobbit or Gravity and I would be happy with either of those.

Best Adapted Screenplay

1.  12 Years a Slave
2.  Before Midnight
3.  Captain Phillips
4.  The Wolf of Wall Street
5.  Philomena

-  I will admit that I have not seen Philomena or Before Midnight, and I do not plan on seeing them at all frankly.  I am sure they are wonderful films, but they do not spark my interest and I don't think they have a chance at winning any awards this year.  But hey there is no shame there, as this year is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.  With that said this race comes down to 12 Years and Wolf of Wall Street.  Both are expertly written and are great movies in their own right.  However the winner will be selected  based on which film the majority of voters happened to connect with more, which is difficult to predict as both films are polar opposites.  Will be very interesting.

Best Director

1.  David O Russell, American Hustle
2.  Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity                                                                  Martin Scorsese
3.  Martin  Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
4.  Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave

5.  Nebraska, Alexander Payne

-  Who would have thought that on a list of 5, the great Martin Scorsese would not have even been in the top 3?  Not me.  Until today.  I actually thought that Scorsese was not going to make the cut, but the Academy opted for him instead of Paul Greengrass for Captain Phillips.  I will not call this a snub though because you simply just cant say you were snubbed when the Academy left you off in favor of Martin Scorsese.  You just can't.  The rest are all very    deserving though, and in my mind it comes down to three guys.  Russel, Cuaron, and McQueen are the frontrunners and I will guarantee you one of them wins.  Cuaron did some real unprecedented work with Gravity and it will be difficult for any other director to make a case against him.  However it is worth noting that David O Russell has had back to back movies that had an actor from his movie nominated in every acting category that year.  He did it last year with Silver Linings Playbook (Cooper, Lawrence, DeNiro,Weaver) and this year with American Hustle (Bale, Adams, Cooper, and Lawrence).  Before Silver Linings Playbook no director had accomplished that in over 30 years!  Russell has done it twice in two years!  Wow.  I am sorry but that is damn impressive and deserves high praise.  With that said, I still do not think he wins.  He has a small shot, but it will be a clear upset if he ends up with the Oscar.

Best Animated Feature Film

1.  The Croods
2.  Despicable Me 2
3.  Frozen
4.  Ernest and Celestine
5.  The Wind Rises

-  When I look at this list:  I see the clear winner and a clear snub.  I won't disclose the winner until later, but the snub I was referring to was Monsters University.  Now MU was no where near as good as Monsters Inc, but it was still really good and usually just having the Pixar label slapped on it is good enough to get a nomination at least.  So I was pretty surprised to see that name missing, but as for the rest of the nominees; they're solid I guess.  Personally I liked Despicable Me 2 more than Frozen and that will be the race to watch when it comes down to it.  I need to see Frozen again because I must have missed something.  Everyone praises it so high, but I just did not see what the big deal was.  Oh well thats the beautiful thing about film and art in general; how 10 people can see the same movie and feel 10 different ways about it.  Beautiful.

Actress in a Supporting Role

1.  Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
2.  Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
3.  June Squibb, Nebraska
4.  Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
5.  Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

-  One thing that has already been seen throughout the young award season is that Jennifer Lawrence may be the most popular and most liked woman on the planet right now.  Everyone (me included) sings the gospel about her, and it has shown as she has won just about everything she has been nominated for in the last two years.  Now she was absolutely marvelous in Silver Linings Playbook last year where she won her first Oscar, and she deserved that trophy.  However looking back, the field was not as strong as it is in this category this year.  Lawrence is still the favorite in my mind, but beware Nyong'o as she was so awesome and emotional in 12 Years a Slave that it does make things interesting.  I think it comes down to those two, and anyone who knows me knows that I will be rooting for J-Law come Oscar night.  Love her.

Actor in a Supporting Role

1.  Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
2.  Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
3.  Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
4.  Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
5.  Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey  (Dallas Buyers Club)

-  Back in 2007 or so, a little movie called Superbad came out.  It was about two high school kids trying to get laid by throwing a party, and the story revolves around them trying to acquire alcohol for this party.  I absolutely adore this movie and is one of my top 10 favorite comedies ever.  But.......if you would have told me back then that one of the actors in that movie would be a two time academy award nominee within the next seven years I most likely would have said...............is it Michael Cera?  Wow would I have been wrong.  Jonah Hill has transformed himself into a legitimate Hollywood actor, and is being rewarded handsomely for it.  As for this list though, he comes in last.  Two of my five favorite actors (Cooper, Fassbender) are nominated and I will be rooting for them, but they will have their work cut out for them as the early word is that Jared Leto was fantastic in Dallas Buyers Club.  A lot can change between now and the Oscars, but for now its a two person race between Fassbender and Leto.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

1.  Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
2.  Amy Adams, American Hustle
3.  Meryl Streep, August:  Osage County
4.  Judy Dench, Philomena
5.  Sandra Bullock, Gravity

-  I am going to preface what I am about to say with, " I love Sandra Bullock and think she is a terrific actress".  With that said, she better not win this award.  I don't think Gravity should win Best Actress and certainly not best picture because it lacked so many aspects of great movie making.  Poor characters, poor script, bad story.  It was beautifully shot and directed which is why I think it stands a good chance for best visuals and best director, but lets face it; we all liked Gravity not because of Sandra Bullock.  Did you walk out of Gravity and begin to praise the superb acting performances?  Probably not.  You most likely were in awe of the visuals and sounds.  Meryl Streep is Meryl Streep and could easily take home the award every year, but I think it comes down to Blanchett and Adams this year.  Blanchett is one of the greatest actresses of the last decade, and Adams could be the best of the next decade.  I really enjoyed Adams in American Hustle, but saying that Blanchett is some stiff competition is putting it lightly.  Stay tuned.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

1.  Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
2.  Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
3.  Christian Bale, American Hustle
4.  Bruce Dern, Nebraska
5.  Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

-  I really should not be commenting on this until I see Dallas Buyers Club, but I am seeing it on Saturday and i am so pumped! The biggest surprise of last weeks Golden Globes had to be McConaughey's win in Best actor over my prediction Chiwetel Ejiofor.  In my defense, I had not seen Dallas Buyers Club and to that point Ejiofor was the best in my mind.  That all could change come saturday, and I hope it does.  McConaughey has always been under rated as an actor, and if he were to win it would solidify him as part of the elite.  However even though Ejiofor lost at the Globes, that does not automatically exclude him from winning this award.  Last year Ben Affleck was not nominated for best director for Argo.  Which is absolutely blasphemous by the way.  However you all know despite that snub, Argo won best picture anyways.  I have read a lot about this category, and the consensus is still that Ejiofor is the favorite with McConaughey a close second.  Never underestimate Leo though.  It would be funny if this was the year Leo wins his Oscar; in a year where no one expects him to win.  Hahaha I love irony.  Bale was pretty good in American Hustle, but that movie was great not because of one singular performance, but rather the performances of the entire ensemble.  Bruce Dern.........Sorry you have no chance.  Also consider the snubs for crying out loud.  No Tom Hanks , Robert Redford, Oscar Isaac, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael B. Jordan, etc.... WOW.  Any other year, those five actors could have been the entire category itself.  However the Academy got it right.  Who do you take off?  The answer is no one.  You cannot legitimately say that any of the five nominees do not deserve to be there.  Its a bad year to be in a good movie I guess.  By the way, where is the love for James Franco in Spring Breakers?  Blasphemous.

Best Picture

1.  American Hustle
2.  Captain Phillips
3.  Philomena
4.  Her
5.  12 Years a Slave
6.  Dallas Buyers Club                                  
7.  Gravity
8.  Nebraska
9.  The Wolf of Wall Street                                                              

-  This is the one.  The mac daddy.  The whole enchilada (if you are of hispanic heritage).  Best Picture is the equivalent of a super bowl ring for studios.  It signifies that you made the best movie the entire year, and the prestige that that brings is unparalleled in Hollywood.  This year is absoultely stacked with fantastic films, that it is a shame there can be only one winner.  I'll just go down the line I guess.  American Hustle is a legit contender due to the great acting performances given and that is the only reason why.  I contend that if you swap out the all star cast with some lesser known and less talented actors:  then the movie becomes complete trash.  However David O Russell is able to get great performances out of his cast, and was rewarded with a whopping 10 nominations.  Captain Phillips has 6 nominations and will not win any of them.  Sorry but its going home with a fat goose egg.  This year is just filled with better movies and performances that Captain Phillips just does not stand a chance.  Philomena I have not seen:  no comment.  Her is a film that is a Dark Horse for sure, and has been gaining steam ever since its wide release.  Perhaps the social commentary about where we are heading as a culture will stick with voters more than we all originally anticipated.  12 Years a Slave is the most talked about drama nowadays and it at the height of its popularity.  No surprise it was nominated, and if its momentum sticks until March then it could find some great success.  Dallas Buyers Club has shot onto the radars of film fans everywhere ever since the Golden Globes and will go as far as the acting performances by McConaughey and Leto take it; and if thats the case then it could be a very good night for the people behind Dallas Buyers Club.  Gravity scares me.  I am well on the record for saying that it should not win Best Picture.  A nomination is fine, but please movie god do not let it win.  I'll say it again.  It lacks too many of the key aspects of what make a movie great to be considered for best picture.  Stay in the visual/effects categories and leave best picture to the other films.  Still, Gravity was so immensely popular and different that it could ultimately score the nights biggest prize.  Nebraska I have not seen yet:  no further comments.  That brings us to the Wolf of Wall Street.  My personal favorite film of the year was such a fun time that I would be ecstatic if it were to win best picture.  The sheer excess and lavishness portrayed in this film was so beautifully put together that I hope the Academy doesn't get too butt hurt about the drugs, sex, etc, and give it a fair chance.  Overall it is a stacked field with 4 or 5 films that could easily win the Oscar come awards night.  It will be interesting to see now that the nominations are out; how each studio markets their film to the public.  This is where you see how thirsty those movie studios truly are.  It really is interesting.

Well thats it for my reaction to todays news.  I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you did please let me know as I love to hear viewer feedback.  As far as movies go that I need to see, it would be Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, Blue Jasmine, August: Osage County, and maybe Philomena.  We'll see.  Anyways let me know if you think anyone got snubbed or overlooked or if you agree with the Academy.  With that said, I hope you have a splendid rest of your day.


-  Big D

Official Golden Globes 2014 Predictions

Hello everybody! I hope you didn't miss me too much these last couple days.  I am guilty of taking a bit of a vacation as I began my second quarter of college over at UCR, but I am back and better than ever; and very ready to continue reviewing and commentating on the great movies of today.  This coming sunday (the 12th) is a very special day in the movie world; for it marks the unofficial beginning of the award season.  Next to basketball season, the movie award season is my favorite time of year, and I always pay a great deal of attention to it.  This sunday is the 71st annual Golden Globes ceremony put on by the Hollywood foreign press, and next to the Oscars themselves, is the biggest movie award show of the year in my opinion.  As a bit of a disclaimer.... I personally do not take this award show that seriously.  A Golden Globe holds about 1/10th the prestige of an Oscar, and therefore is not as important to me as it is to others.  That said it is still a very entertaining award show, and a million times better than the trash that is say......The Peoples choice awards?  I understand the reason for having a show that is predicated on having ordinary people select the winners, but you can not say that that trophy has any legitimacy when the majority of the people voting saw a grand total of 7 movies that year.  Anyways, although I do not consider them the Oscars, the Golden Globes are still a large part of the overall award season, and my job as a film pundit is to inform you of my opinions as to who will win, and who I think should win.  Now I am not a big watcher of TV so I will leave out most of the categories referring to television simply because I don't consider myself an expert on Tv shows.  With that said, here are my official predictions for this years annual Golden Globes awards show.

MOVIES


Best Drama

1.  12 Years a Slave
2.  Captain Phillips
3.  Gravity
4.  Philomena
5.  Rush

Who Should Win:  12 Years a Slave
Who Will Win:  12 Years a Slave

- One of my favorite movies of 2013, 12 Years a Slave is such an emotional masterpiece that it would be hard for the foreign press to select anything else.  The one that scares me is Gravity, simply because of how revolutionary and groundbreaking the film is.  That said it lacks the screenplay, acting, and overall story that would lead me to put it over 12 Years a Slave at this point. Unfortunately I was unable to see Rush while it was out, but I have heard good things about it; so if it is nominated for an Oscar I will find someway to see it.  Overall though I believe 12 Years is going to win a couple awards, and this should definitely be one of them.

Best Musical/Comedy

1.  American Hustle
2.  Her
3.  Inside Lleweyn Davis
4.  Nebraska
5.  The Wolf of Wall Street

Who should win:  The Wolf of Wall Street
Who will win:  American Hustle

-  From this list, I have only seen WOWS and American hustle and I loved them both.  That said, Wolf was my favorite movie of 2013 so naturally I am going to think it should win.  American Hustle was very good but was disengaging at times where WOWS was a high octane joy ride the whole three hours.  The ensemble cast in American Hustle all performed great, looked great, and are known for being great; which is why I think they will ultimately win this award.  That entire film just screams Golden Globes bait.  Tomorrow I am planning on seeing Her at my local theater, and if its amazing and blows my mind then I will post something about it before the show starts.  Also have no fear, before the Oscars on March 2nd I will have seen every movie up for an award and will have concrete answers and predictions for that show.  But this is not the Oscars.  So that ain't the case.

Best Director

1.  Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
2.  Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
3.  Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
4.  Alexander Payne, Nebraska
5.  David O. Russel, American Hustle

Who should win:  Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Who will win:  Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

-  Despite the issues that I had with Gravity, there is one thing that I cannot deny about it:  it was groundbreaking.  The direction that Cuaron gave throughout this film was just marvelous, and no other film on that list achieved anything cinematically speaking like Gravity did.  I think this category is the safest one to call a lock at this point, and I feel pretty confident saying that as Nebraska was the only nomination that I hadn't seen; and I think its safe to say that it was not better then Gravity.  If 12 Years is racking up awards by this time in the show then do not be shocked if McQueen pulls it out, but even then he doesn't deserve to beat Cuaron.

Best Actress in a Drama

Who will win:  Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

- Trust me.


Best Actor in a Drama

1.  Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
2.  Idris Elba, Mandela:  Long Walk to Freedom
3.  Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
4.  Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
5.  Robert Redford, All is Lost

Who should win:  Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Who will win:  Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

-  Wow.  The best actor race at the Oscars is easily going to be the most stacked field maybe in the history of the Academy.  There are so many worthy actors and only five spots.  Who do you choose and who do you knock off?  I'm glad I don't have to choose because I would spend many sleepless nights trying to build up the courage to say no to the great Robert Redford.....But oh well.  Ejiofor gets the nod here because of the steam that 12 years is garnering.  Sure you can give it to Hanks, but quite frankly that pick is boring as he could win it every year.  The movie I regret missing the most this year was Dallas Buyers Club because I heard it was just fabulous, but the closest showing of it was over an hour away and I just did not have the time to go see it.  I love Idris Elba, but I think there is just no denying Ejiofor what I think is his award to lose.

Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy

1.  Christian Bale, American Hustle
2.  Bruce Dern, Nebraska
3.  Leonardo Dicaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
4.  Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
5.  Joaquin Phoenix, Her

Who should win:  Leonardo Dicaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Who will win:  Christian Bale, American Hustle

-  This one I had to think about.  Leo's performance was my personal favorite, but I am not sold that the foreign press thought so highly of his movie as a whole.  Watch out for Bruce Dern as he easily could snatch that up without anyone noticing.  Oscar Isaac is too unknown, and Phoenix doesn't have a great relationship with academies in general.  Bale gets the nod due to the fact that American Hustle went over real well with the critics, and Bale was great as always.  Honestly though, I am not very confident with my pick.  This ones a toss up.

Best Supporting Actress

1.  Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
2.  Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
3.  Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
4.  Julia Roberts, August:  Osage County
5.  June Squibb, Nebraska

Who should win:  Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Who will win:  Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

-  Did you really think i'd pick anyone else?

Best Supporting Actor

1.  Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
2.  Daniel Bruhl, Rush
3.  Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
4.  Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
5.  Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

-  Another tough one.  Fassbender is my favorite actor, and he was absolutely brilliant in 12 years a slave to the point where I did not even recognize him.  He truly is a magnificent talent.  The only reason I do not think he wins is that I have heard nothing but great things about Leto as the transgender  AIDS victim in Dallas Buyers Club.  Academies love transformation stories, and Jared Leto playing a sickened woman might be too much for the Fass to overcome this year.  By the way Bradley Cooper remains to be under rated as an actor, but is still clearly behind Fassbender and Leto this year.

Best Animated Film

1.  The Croods
2.  Despicable Me 2
3.  Frozen

Who should win:  Despicable Me 2
Who will win:  Frozen

-  To all you weird people that thought Frozen was the best animated film since the Lion King....well.....this ones for you I guess.  I saw Frozen and wasn't all that impressed to be truly honest.  It had some cute parts, but was not as funny or as entertaining as those minions from Despicable Me 2.  Man that was a good time.  Although something about Frozen seemed to stick with audiences as it was number one at the box office last week AGAIN in like its 6th or 7th week; which is just nuts.  I think that momentum will carry it to victory in the end.

TELEVISION

Best TV Comedy

1.  Girls
2.  Parks and Recreation
3.  Modern Family
4.  The Big Bang Theory
5.  Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Who should win:  The Big Bang Theory
Who will win:  The Big Bang Theory

-  This is the only Tv category that I will predict because it is the only one where I watch at least two of the shows nominated, and it happens to have my most beloved TV comedy of all time.  The Big Bang Theory is very dear to my heart, and is the only show that I have watched continuously for the past 5 years.  Thats right.  I watched it before it was the most watched comedy on television but that is besides the point.  Even though I have a clear bias, the intellectual part of me still thinks this show has the best chance to win.  Girls won last year, and I just do not see them repeating, and parks and rec/modern family just isn't what it once was.  Brooklyn Nine Nine is awful and Andy Samberg should stick to SNL/Lonely Island in my opinion.  Whats left is my rock.  My number one.  My babe.  I love love love the Big Bang Theory so much that there is a cardboard cut out of Sheldon Cooper in my bedroom.  Scares the hell out of everyone.  Speaking of Sheldon Cooper; the actor that portrays him, Jim Parsons, is my pick to win best TV actor this year also.  But, take everything I say with a grain of salt as my expertise is movies not television.

Well I think that is it for this post regarding this years Golden Globes.  I know I left a few categories out, but I thought that id just hit the major ones for this award show and save the 4 hour writing process for the Oscars themselves after I have seen all the contenders.  Let me know if you agree or disagree; I'd love to hear some other opinions.  Tune in on sunday night and watch the Golden Globes and see how accurate my predictions were.  I'll most likely be doing an after show to highlight how good I was in making my picks.  I had a lot of fun doing this post, and if you enjoyed reading it please let me know so that I can do more things like this.  With that said, stay tuned until next time, and til then.....Have a splendid rest of your day.


- Big D

Movie Review: Thor: The Dark World

Hey everyone! Hope you are all having a great day; today I have a movie review to share.  This film was one of my most anticipated movies of 2013, and it truly did not disappoint.  I have been saying for a couple days now that I was going to review this one, but certain things have caused me to slack a bit recently so I apologize for that.  Nevertheless, I had some time today so I decided to do the long awaited review of the fall blockbuster "Thor: The Dark World".  As a reminder, all of my reviews will be split into two different sections.  The first section will be for people who have not yet seen the movie and would like to know if I think it is worth seeing or not.  It will be more vague and generic and will not give away any important plot points or details.  The second section will be the bulk of the review, and will be much more detailed.  I must warn you that the second section may contain information that can be taken as a spoiler of sorts; so tread lightly.

Looking to improve off the success of the first Thor film, Thor: The Dark World takes shape as a more fast paced action packed adventure that is ultimately superior in many areas when compared to its predecessor.  If you have seen any Marvel movies prior to this one, you probably would not classify any of them as a "comedy".  However Thor: The Dark World proves to easily be the most humorous marvel movie to date and is marked by a developing story arc that focuses on Thor and his troubled relationship with his father Odin and his brother Loki that ultimately becomes the central plot point despite the movie being advertised as having a central villain named Malekith.  Forget that guy, and just enjoy the scenes that feature Loki and Thor in conversation, conflict, and battle; and you will really like this movie.
Verdict:  Yeah i'd pay 8 bucks for that (See it)


If any of you do not know, Marvel studios (who is owned by Disney) has an ongoing cinematic universe of sorts that is at the height of its popularity right now.  The movies they have cranked out, starting with The Incredible Hulk, have all been superb in my opinion.  The movies to their credit include IronMan 1/2/3, Captain America, Thor, and the Avengers.  Now anyone with knowledge about these films know that the characters in each individual film exist in the same universe and in the same world.  In other words, the events that happened in IronMan directly impacted the stories of the Thor and Captain America movies as well.  No individual film stands alone; they are all connected in some way or fashion.  Why am I telling you this?  Disney owns the movie world right now.  They own the rights to the most profitable franchise of today (Marvel) and tomorrow(Star Wars).  The way they have created this chain of movies has really benefited us as fans, as we inevitably become connected to these characters upon watching them age and mature right before our very eyes.  Of the initial string of Marvel movies, my two favorite were the first IronMan and the first Thor.  I thought Thor had the best visuals, and was arguably the funniest.  Seeing the Norse god try and adapt to life in a rural new Mexico town was very comical to say the least.  In short, I really loved the first Thor movie and was still expecting improvement as I went in to watch the sequel.  To answer the first question, was Thor: The Dark World better than the original Thor?  Yes it was.  To me, Thor:  The Dark World was exactly what I wanted to see from Marvel going forward:  Improvement.  IronMan 3 was a great movie, but it was lacking in certain areas that made it fall a bit short of the original.  Thor: The Dark World on the other hand had better acting, dialogue, visuals, and humor then the first Thor movie.  Before I get into what I enjoyed about the movie, there were a couple areas of weakness I need to address.  First, the main villain in the movie, Malekith, was easily the weakest part of this movie.  His backstory and motivation for wanting to destroy the universe- I really could care less about.  I could not connect to anything he was saying, and was bored every time he was talking.  The second problem of the film is really an issue I have with the Thor series as a whole.  Natalie Portmans character Jane Foster is really annoying.  Im sorry, but I was secretly hoping that she was going to die in this movie.  That sounds bad, but I do NOT want Thor to be worrying about any particular person when the world is in jeopardy.  If I wanted to see a good love story, I would not pop in my blu ray copy of the Avengers; lets just say that.  In the Avengers, they simply mention to Thor that his girl is safe and that is it,  and in return we have a bad ass Thor and an awesome movie.  Sure I understand her role in the movie as she was the host to that mystic power that Malekith wanted, but they still could have had her killed at the end in my opinion.  Still as long as they keep characters like her, and even Pepper Pots out of the Avengers movies:  then I can tolerate their roles in the individual movies.  The Avengers should be focused on the main heroes; not Jane Foster, not Pepper Pots, not even James Rhodes(War Machine).  With that said, there were a lot more things that this movie does well than bad.  The most striking aspect  of this movie is its almost effortless humor.  There were a lot of funny scenes in the first Thor, but the sequel was packed with hilarious humor throughout the entire film.  That part where Thor hangs his hammer on the coat rack was absolutely priceless.  Literally LOL'd. Also the visuals were improved tremendously, and we got to spend a lot more time in Asgard this time around.  The escape from Asgard sequence with Thor and Loki was awesome, and featured some great banter between the two brothers. But what this movie boils down to is the developing relationship between Thor and Loki.  Sure we had Malekith in there to help serve the plot, but Loki was the true antagonist in this one.  He is easily the fan favorite, and stole every scene he was in.  To some extent, Loki is more popular amongst the fans to Thor himself.  His overall charm and demeanor just makes him a very dynamic character.  One minute you think you have him pegged, and then he totally shocks you and does the complete opposite of what you expected.  I personally love characters that have more to them then meets the eye, and Loki is a prime example of what that is.  On the surface you might think he hates Thor and wants him dead, but deep down I believe he actually has deep affection towards him; and that personal struggle within him plays a large role in what leads him to become evil.  To sum it up, Marvel knows that the most interesting and popular character relationship they have is the one between Thor and Loki, and they in turn made that a very large part of this movie.  Overall I was very happy with this film, and had a great experience both times I saw it.  If you enjoy some witty dialogue, breathtaking visuals, or a dynamic relationship between a father and his two sons; then Thor: The Dark World may just be the film for you.
Rating: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading my review of Thor: The Dark World! I appreciate the ongoing support, and wouldn't be able to keep going if I knew that no one was reading.  Stay tuned tomorrow as I will post another movie review and maybe a top 10 list of my most anticipated movies of 2014.  Thanks again, and until next time:  have a great night.

- Big D