Oscar talk 2013

Was Seth Macfarlane a good host? We won't be answering this question here. We will be talking about the results of the Oscars. I had to watch it until midnight unlike the previous years since I'm now in Boston, so I was tired the next day. It might not have been worth it because of some disappointing results, but it still was entertaining. I will not be covering every category like a professional, but I will cover the ones I find interesting and worth talking about.

   Makeup, costume...: We knew Anna Karenina was going to win an oscar in a minor category, we just didn't know which one. Well, it ended up being costume design. Les Miserables won best makeup and I think they deserved it. As for production design, for me it was either Life of PI or Lincoln. Life of PI had already won Cinematography and Visual Effects so Lincoln won.

   Documentary and Animation: I haven't seen any of the documentaries but apparently, it was obvious that Searching for Sugar Man would win, and so it did. In the Animations, I only saw one, Brave which I though was good. Everybody was disappointed that it won at the Golden Globes and so were people watching the Oscars. I can't tell if Wreck-it Ralph should have won but I guess no one watched the animations and voted for Brave because it was Pixar who made it.

   Suporting Roles: Anne Hathaway won, no surprise here. But we sure did not expect Christoph Waltz to win at all. I was thinking Tommy Lee Jones or Robert De Niro would win hoping Robert would get it. But at the end, I was happy Christoph won, I did not think about him winning and once he grabbed the oscar I was glad he won, he did a great job in Django.

   Music: For these categories, I was satisfied with the results. Life of PI won for Best score and that was well deserved, and of course, Skyfall from Adelle for Best Original Song. I would not have been too disappointed if Suddenly from les miserables won and I liked it but I'm more satisfied that Skyfall won.

   Directing: Even if I thought Steven Spielberg would win, I wanted David. O Russel or Ang Lee to win. I'm glad Ang Lee won because I thought he did a better job than Steven in those films made this year. I thought that would make Life of PI win Best Picture with 4 oscars but it didn't.

   Actor/Actress: Who we thought would win won and those results were satisfying. That's really all I have to say.

   Screenplays: For original screenplay, I was rooting for Amour or Django Unchained. Well, Django won so I wasn't disappointed and Amour still got respected winning for Best Foreign Language film. Now for adapted... I mean Quentin Tarantino said it himself, this is the writer's year having amazing screenplays this year but I still don't think that of all the possible choices, Argo won above Life of PI, Silver linings Playbook, or Beasts of the Southern Wild. I knew though that whoever won this would have a good chance for Best Picture.

   Best Picture: Ideally, I would have personally liked Silver Linings Playbook to win for it was the best movie of the year. But Argo won. Did people like Argo that much? Am I the only one who didn't like Argo that much? I was disapointed but I would have rather have Argo win than Lincoln. Ben Affleck did a nice acceptance speech so I felt he deserved it already he wasn't nominated for Best Director.

   Well that's the end of this article. Sorry for not doing anything for so long. What did you think of the oscar results? Make sure to Comment and subscribe to Film Arts if you like my blog. Also like on Facebook or give it a +1 on google+. I have many plans for future articles so don't forget to come back soon for more movie articles.

Super Bowl Movie ads

   Let's start this off by saying "NO, 49ERS LOST!!!". I love the super bowl, and I'm sure you guys do but as a movie fan, another exiting thing for us is the film advertisements that gives us exclusive never before seen clips of anticipated films coming out on the new year. I like the funny car or candy or Doritos advertisement too but I'll talk about the film one, does it make the film look cool? Does it give us new information or nothing new and things like that.

   - World War Z: Probably the most disappointing spot of them all, this was the exact trailer but shorter. It forgets the point of why people put advertisements at the super bowl. It's o.k if people didn't see it before but grading this is like grading the previous trailer, minus a point for repetition, and the previous trailer didn't make it look very good. 2/5

   - Oz the great and powerful: This barely doesn't show anything new but their release date is soon and they released already quite a few trailers so they have a point. Also the trailer made it look more epic than that trailer with the white doll thing that is just annoying. I don't want to see this movie but I guess I'll think again, now that I saw this. 3/5

   - Fast and Furious 6: Wow. That was cool. The car scenes were great (+ a tank), This is the first trailer for this movie and it was pretty cool. It keeps the sexy part, the awesome car chase with over the top explosions and a surprise from Michelle Roddriguez. If this is going to as good as the fifth installment  than count me in! 4/5

   - Star Trek: Into Darkness: And I thought the previous one was awesome. This one was amazing, showing new epic content and the best scenes from the trailer. This spot made my anticipation for this film emphasize and it reminded everybody what is the most anticipated film of the year. The spots just get better and better. 5/5

   - Iron Man 3: The game spot was a 30 seconds clip with iron man saving passengers falling from an exploding plane and that was cool and unique. The extended trailer also had some action scenes but had that clip at the end. I liked that because no one thought about putting an epic movie clip on air. Iron Man 3 now does look pretty cool 4/5

   - The Lone Ranger: This is the longest spot being 1 min and 30 sec but it was really well done with a little bit of humor at the end. This spot was still pretty cool giving the shots from the trailer you loved and some new ones. That's really all I can say. 3.5/5

    The ads this year weren't bad and proved us there will still be some good films coming out this year. Hope you guys liked this overview of the spots, So what was your favorite movie spot, or commercial at the Super Bowl? Don't be shy and comment below. If you liked this article, don't forget to like on Facebook or give it a +1. Also please subscribe to Film Arts for all the latest articles. Next week, I will be doing the review for The Impossible. See you there.

Top 10 films of the year

   2012 has ended safe and sound with no end of the world. Well, that was a few weeks ago but that year I watched enough good films and had enough time to think to be satisfied of making a top ten list of movies this year. I haven't watched every well reviewed movies that came out this year so here is a quick list of films you you will (sadly) not see on my list:
     - Les Miserables
     - Moonrise Kingdom
     - Flight
     - The Master
     - The Sessions
     - The Perks of being a wallflower
     - Frankenweenie and Wreck-it Ralph
     - Anna Karenina

   Of the movies I fit into my list, some of which I liked couldn't fit. But since I liked these films I will still name them to say that they were also great entertainment:
    - 21 Jump St. for being one of the funniest movies of the year and for proving Channing Tatum can act.
    - The Avengers: For awesomeness, great screenplay, characters and action.
    - Argo/Lincoln: for being great (but not amazing), They were great entertainment and fun too.
    - Chronicle: Incredible acting, directing, screenplay and one of the best found footage films to date.
    - Beasts of the Southern Wild : for great story, acting and originality

   And finally, the top ten movies of the year! Remind yourself this is the top ten of my opinion so if you disagree, that's normal, in fact, you can share your disagreement in the comments below for additional opinions. All right, here we go:

     10. AMOUR:
   This movie has a lot of buzz probably because of it`s subject, but what I though was more interesting was how the story was visualizer  It`s a tough subject and the screenplay makes the story look so real. It has powerful performances even with a slow rithum and has a puzzling end that leaves you shocked. This film barely won for the 10th spot instead of Beasts of the Southern Wild.

     9. THE INTOUCHABLES:
   That's right, another french movie on my list, but this one was not necessarily better because it's more of a comedy than a drama like Amour was. I understand french, and jokes don't always translate to English so I found it better than most Americans  It is a great "feel-good" movie (if you understand french) and the story and the acting is great too.

     8. THE CABIN IN THE WOODS:
   It was either The Avengers or this that would go on my list for a Joss Wehdon film. This film doesn't only have a twist in the story but has a great script and comedy. It's really something to think about in terms of the film is almost a big metaphor of the mind of a director who wants to do a basic horror film "Evil Dead" style and his own characters go against him.

     7. ZERO DARK THIRTY
   Yes there were a few things that disappointed me, but the overall of the movie was really well executed and kept my interest. Jessica Chastain was fantastic and I also loved how suspenseful the movie was towards the end. I haven't seen the Hurt Locker so I can't compare but I think this movie might just be in this case one of the director's best films.

     6. SKYFALL:
   This movie made me want to see every James Bond film over again because it inserted every bond thing you liked to make a near perfect recipe. This action film was a lot better than I expected, sure the story was not amazing but the shots were really well made and Javier Bardem does a great villain in the James Bond saga. Some people were disappointed but I wasn't one of them

     5. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES:
   Everybody had high expectations for this film after "The Dark Knight" and yes, it really was epic, not as good as the second , but Bane was perfect in Tom Hardy's hands. It's a story that doesn't forget its dark and without hope style of a super hero movie and the subject of heroism. The trilogy ends in a satisfying way and in a way, like it's not over...
  
     4. LIFE OF PI:
   A boy on a life boat, haven't we heard that story a million times? Never like "Life of PI". Ang Lee did a fantastic job to recreate the unfilmable book and made it the best coming of age film of the year. The script is powerful and never bores you and even makes you feel for the Tiger. I have to admit that I was close from crying in "Life of PI"

     3. LOOPER:
   Looper is the most original film I have seen this year, I would have never came up with such a story. Joseph-Gordon Levitt's performance is the best Bruce Willis performance. How could this film not get nominated for best original screenplay? I again almost cried during this movie. There is a confusing but satisfying ending for a great film we don't see often.

     2. DJANGO UNCHAINED:
   Skyfall was not the best action movie of the year because of this obstacle. Quentin Tarantino does a fantastic job and so does his actors. The script is one of the funniest he has ever made while keeping its great dialogue and action. Number 1 and 2 on my list could switch around but because of all the violence I decided to keep Django here.

     1. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK:
   I could not think of anything bad about this movie. I'm serious, There are well relatable and developed characters, with great acting and a really good story that is both taken seriously and fun. It was well writen well shot and had good ideas and a good subject. Out of all the films that were nominated for the Oscars, this is the one I think should win.

   I saw The Impossible but only the day I posted this and didn't feel like puting it in a placement but I will do a review about on my next post. Big thanks to Paul-Albin Bertoye who photoshoped the picture above, you can check out his phot website at  http://pabertoye.wix.com/pbertoyephoto. So what do you think about my top ten list? What's your favorite film this year? Don't be shy and coment below. Also if you like what I do you can subscribe to Film Arts or give it a +1. Thanks for reading my article and see you next time.

One Dark Review

   When a controversial event happens, there has to be a film about it. It's the case with Zero Dark Thirty, a movie about the manhunt for UBL starring Jessica Chastain and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. There were two thrilers happening in Arabia that were nominated for Best Picture this year (Argo and this) and this is in my opinion my favorite. This movie is challenging to make because everybody knows what will happen at the end in a way so the intensity should be low but Kathryn's great direction made it work.
 
   Zero Dark Thirty is taking place from 2001 to 2011 so during ten years. The movie pulled it off pretty well thought. Anyways this CIA agent called Maya is working on UBL and is trying to find him. Her character is well developed and her performance was really good. Again, she pulled it off pretty well. The other characters in the movie though... didn't show up a lot so you don't care as much for them than Maya. For instance, Maya is a bit of a loner and tries to overcome it and has this friend/college she hangs out with. Then something happens to her friend and she's really sad and wants revenge from UBL. So, pretty much, you care about Maya instead of her friend. (mostly because her friend did something stupid to have something bad happen to her). There was still good characters like Dan (Jason Clarke) who is sick of doing his painful torture job at the CIA. But again, no character development to the navy seals. At least no one there died because it would have been a bad death cliche like when Agent Coulson died in "The Avengers".
    The movie is nominated for Best Screenplay and don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but half of the words used are F*** or S***. The screenplay without the bad words is great and get's some realism into the movie but the swear words break it, it's fine to put swear words between friends but not to your boss! Here is the conversation Maya to her new boss "Hello" "Hello" "What do you think about Pakistan" "Pretty F***** up"
     - What happened : "Didn't you sign up for this?" "No"
     - What should have happened: "You're fired"
And they keep on swearing in business meetings to people that are superior to them! This is the CIA, do they swear that much??? That just made me not want to let that screenplay win the Oscar.The screenplay still put some humor and good dialogue but I just hatted the amount of swearing.
   Now the supporting characters and the swearing in the movie is nothing compared to the great thing in this film. When the navy seals were getting their helicopters ready and flying off to the compound, that was really intense like you've been waiting this moment all this time. Once they get in, it's not as suspenseful but it still looks real and it was well executed. There were still things I didn't expect. Else, what happens before is still intense and interesting. Every now and then there is a terrorist attack whether it's in a hotel, in London or a failed attempt in Times Square which puts more suspense in the environment and keeps your "need to kill UBL" in your mind. The movie was very interesting and I learned things from it without it being a history lesson.

   With a great screenplay (without swears) and great performances (not the supporting characters  this is easily one of the best thrillers of the year. Kathryn Bigelow has done a great job reminding us The Hurt Locker was not luck but her skills.This is Jessica Chastain's chance to win Best Actress and she's going up against Jennifer Lawrence. This will be a tight match. Overall I just have to give this movie a A-. This movie will surely be on my top ten list of the year which will be my next post but for now, don't forget to like, and give this article a +1 if you liked it. What did you think of this movie? Did you prefer Argo? Don't forget to comment! See you soon.

An award show you might prefer

   Are you bugged by Ben Affleck's snub at the Oscars? What about Javier Bardem? And Looper for screenplay? And the Dark Knight Rises getting NOTHING? Well I was disappointed about that too. Some people don't like the Oscars and/or golden globes and don't see them as the "Best and most fair" award show  (For never nominating Sci-Fi films or letting Brave win for best animation...) so for those people, I found an award show they might prefer!

   This award show is the YouReviews movie award and it is the third time they do it since the disappointing snub of The Dark Knight at the 2009 Oscars. For the 3rd time, popular youtubers who reviews films or do things that has to do with film, all take a vote on certain categorys more fit for people and give the award to the film they like best that year. Their thoughts for best picture are not that much Lincoln, Beasts of the southern wild and Amour, (although these weren't bad) but they also think about movies like The Cabin in the woods, The Dark Knight Rises and Looper. These guy might not be as professional as the people behind the Oscars but this might be good for audience because it is easily accessible (Youtube), will not make the audience say "What's that movie???" as much, and has some different categorys then the Oscars that could be interesting.

   This is the 3rd time they do this award show and the different awards are changing (in a good way) a little bit every year to improve so they currently don't have a really fix list of different subjects. For example they added this year the award for "Biggest stinkpile" which means worst film of the year. I find it cool because it would ad humor in the show. Again the goal of this award show is to be the awards for normal reviewers so they won't do extremely detailed category but rather the major ones. The show has a few interesting categorys like best underrated film which is for films that were good but didn't get the audience they should have got. There are still best Actor/actress and picture but they include awards that people would like better. For now this award show isn't presented in an big theater but if this get's enough success I'm sure they will be able to present it as formally as people's choice award or something like that. Just wait a few years. Here is the link for the nominations of this year's ceremony:                                                                                                                                

                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96exYB6hSjw

   Do you find this rising in popularity award show good? Are you thinking about watching the results? Don't be shy and comment below! Also if you like this article don't hesitate to +1. or like it on Film art's facebook page! See you soon for a review of Zero Dark Thirty coming soon!