The My Bloody Violent-tine Film Festival

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending two nights at a bar watching various local independent horror shorts. The event, The "My Bloody Violent-tine Film Festival". The venue, 3 Kings Tavern. I found the festival on Craig's List and decided to enter Ring Finger in the thriller/suspense category on a lark. Happily, my film was accepted and screened both nights!

The audience reaction was definitely positive, which any filmmaker can tell you is the greatest part of making movies. When you hear people gasping in disgust, laughing, loudly exclaiming "Oh YEAH!" at the end of your movie... nothing feels better than that, my friends!

Granted, a bar is not the venue of choice for anyone showing a film. The Saturday showing was worse in that there was more noise from the patrons sitting at the bar and not watching the films, but overall the experience was a good one.

Ring Finger ended up taking home an award for "Favorite Ending", which I am particularly proud of, and also came in third place in the audience choice voting. Got lots of positive feedback from the other filmmakers there as well.

For anyone who hasn't yet seen the film, here it is.

Winner: Unknown

Liam Neeson and his psychological thriller barely eked out a win against I Am Number Four, while Big Momma was a no show (thank goodness). Was busy this weekend (will get to that in a later post ^) but I will see it this week, scout's honor!

Just Go With It

There are some actors who compel you to see every film they are in, because you never know what to expect. Actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Crowe, even Leonardo DiCaprio of late.

And then there is Adam Sandler.

Sandler has played the same part for the better part of twenty years and is still reeling in massive audiences. He may have had more misses than hits over the last decade, but box office wise the eternal man-boy is going strong.

Some of you may remember my scorn filled review of his last effort, Grown Ups, which was my least favorite film of the year. Well, you can put all your fears of a repeat aside because Just Go With It was welcomely, shockingly, mediocre! Huzzah, Mr. Sandler!

The plot of Just Go With It centers on Sandler's Danny, a shallow plastic surgeon (is there any other kind?) who is caught in a web of lies as he tries to bed a beautiful, much younger teacher Palmer, played by new-comer Brooklyn Decker of Sports Illustrated fame. The rookie actress held her own playing the dumb blonde here and she could make a career of it, but lets hope her self esteem convinces her to try other career paths.

Just Go With It also stars Jennifer Aniston as Danny's endlessly loyal assistant Katherine, whom he finagles into posing as his soon to be ex-wife.

Naturally, the lie begins to roll out of control, and rather than just admitting the truth, simple as it may be, Danny is soon buying a weekend get away at a posh Hawaii resort for Palmer, Katherine, her two kids, and Danny's cousin Eddie (Nick Swardson, who as far as I could tell was only there for "comic" relief; his often unfunny character was a low point in the movie).

There are actually some laughs to be had in Just Go With It, which was a relief. Sandler's one liners and funny voices actually hit their mark more often than not, and Katherine's kids (named Kikidee and Bart by Danny) were also a comedic high point. Their smart milking of the situation was good for quite a few chuckles at least.

As promised by the trailer there is plenty of female flesh on display, which could be what pushed this film to a weekend box office victory over the Bieb. Having Decker come out of the water Ursula Andress style in a too-small bikini was a no brainer. But Aniston, at 41 years old, held her own in a later scene and was the more appealing female character throughout the film, making Danny look like even more of an idiot.

As mentioned earlier, amongst the low points of the film is Swarsdon's character who really just seems along for the ride. His incessant antics were mildly entertaining at best, and at one point I honestly hoped his character would be killed by a feral pig. Alas, no such luck.

The film has some stretches of poorly directed and edited exposition at its beginning, as well as some mistimed physical gags. The introduction of Palmer into Danny's life happens mind-numbingly fast even by romcom standards. However, the movie was saved by some good lines and a few well used cameos and small appearances.

At the end of the day, regardless of quality this film will break 100 million box office just because Sandler is in it. I'm ok with that, having learned to accept it as one of the immutable laws of Hollywood (along with biopic+big name= Oscar nomination). I only hope that audiences going to see it are ok with accepting the immutable laws of Adam Sandler; He will play a morally suspect man, learn a few lessons about love and honesty along the way, and there will be nut shots.

Attendance: 3/5
Crazy Fan Boy Factor: 0/5
Crowd Response: 3/5

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Production Value: 3/5
Humor: 3/5
Plot: 2/5
Best Running Gag: Plastic surgery gone wrong

Overall: 6/10

Featured New Release Poll- 2/18

Since Justin Bieber's unwarranted 3D concert extravaganza arrived last week, I can now safely resume the featured new release poll! No way I was letting myself get sent to that.

Anyway back to business, you remember the drill.

First is I Am Number Four, a sci-fi spectacle produced by none other than Michael Bay (goody!). Second is the psychological actioner Unknown with Liam Neeson. How Neeson has transformed himself from Shakespearean thespian to kick ass action hero in the last few years, I will never know, but I'm sure George Lucas was involved. Finally, Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son. Yes once again Martin Lawrence dons a fat lady suit and goes undercover. Did anyone really ask for another sequel in this franchise?

Poll ends Friday so get your votes in!

Oscar Nominations: Predictions, Preferences and Snubs

With today's announcement of the 83rd Oscar nominations, a month long period of speculation, campaigning, and anticipation was kicked off. In other words, it's a great time to be a movie buff!

As with every Oscar season, every category has it's favorites and dark horses, and a few disappointed contenders who didn't quite garner a nod. We will look into the high profile categories here. I'll give you my prediction as well as who I want to win.

(please remember: just because I think something will win doesn't mean I liked it better. You have to realize The Oscars are 90% politics. Ok, I was exaggerating. Its more like 98%)

*PICKS
*FAVORITES


Animated feature film:

How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Academy voters obviously appreciate animated films that appeal to adults as well as kids. No contest here, only one of these film's is also nominated for BP... Toy Story 3! Count on Pixar coming away with a fourth straight Oscar in this category, and the 6th in the last 8 years. Impressive.

By the way, in case you missed it, here is a look at the great TS3 For-Your-Consideration ad campaign. Looking back at some of Oscar's most prolific Best Picture upset winners is an interesting tactic, it got them a nod but Toy Story 3 is a long shot to get a statue for Best Picture.


Actor:

Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

I don't really have much of a bias in this one, I like all these guys and they are all fine actors who deserve an Oscar. I see it as Firth vs. Bridges yet again. Bridges took round one last year with his win for A Mighty Heart, while Firth lost out despite being great in A Single Man. Look for his fortunes to reverse this time around, as his performance as the stuttering monarch is getting all the buzz lately.

Jesse Eisenberg's turn as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg got a lot of attention when The Social Network came out a few months ago. He manages to portray the social ineptness and ruthless drive of the tycoon while still maintaining a layer of innocence. He is my dark horse here. (Keep in mind, out of the four acting awards given out each year, one winner is usually a surprise).

Actress:

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

There's really only one sure thing in this year's batch of nods, and it is Portman for Best Actress. She has all the buzz in the world over her performance, was in a movie people actually saw and endured a year of ballet training in preparation for the role. That's the kind of dedication Oscar loves.


Director:

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David Fincher, The Social Network
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit

I expect Fincher to win, despite the fact that The Social Network is pretty over rated. To those who went so far as to call it a modern day Citizen Kane, please, stop. It is good but not THAT good. He did manage to get some top shelf performances from young actors, and a decent one from Justin Timberlake (shudder) but that alone does not an Oscar win. The film's pacing and score didn't do it for me.

You will notice that I didn't include my personal favorite above... that's because my favorite nominee didn't technically get nominated. Christopher Nolan, director of the visionary sci-fi actioner Inception, was blatantly snubbed by the academy, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Maybe he will get a sympathy Original Screenplay Oscar out of it at least.




Best Picture:


Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Although it was upset by The King's Speech at the Golden Globes, David Fincher's biopic of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg still holds a lead on the competition, albeit a narrower one than many thought. However don't count King's Speech out, it has been getting plenty of buzz the last few weeks, and as any Hollywood insider like myself knows, buzz is everything.

My favorite films of the year, Inception and Toy Story 3, will likely be shut out. The latter due to its being "just an animated film" (pfft) and the former because the academy apparently doesn't like Christopher Nolan.

As for the category as a whole, I can't think of any snubs in this race. All the nominated films are worthy of a win. Haven't seen The Fighter but it is a contender with several acting nominations under its belt. True Grit has plenty of nominations, but the Coens' have had their time in the sun lately and the Academy likes to honor fresh faces. Winter's Bone, 127 Hours, and The Kids are Alright are all long shots with less buzz than the aforementioned films.

That leaves Black Swan as my dark horse to possibly "jeté" in and swipe the Oscar from front runners The King's Speech and The Social Network.

Would like to hear some of your thoughts!

The Academy Awards are on February 27th.

We're Baaaaack....

Howdy faithful followers, hope you didn't miss me too much. In case you forgot, I decided to take the months of December and January off for the Holidays (in my family, Christmas, New Years, my Dad's birthday, and the NFL playoffs).

After having had an extended break from writing the blog, I am ready to be back. And what better day to be back than OSCAR NOMINATION DAY! Yes, it is an exciting time in the Hollywood Universe, and I have an article on Oscar cooking up as we speak. Look for that later tonight. Also, another Top 5 List is in the works, and I will be back in the swing of things with Follower Suggested Movies and Featured New Releases as well! Have to go now, though. I have an interview for a "real" job to get to, so I can pay for all the cheap popcorn and pretzels.


G.

Holiday Hiatus

My more fervent readers might have noticed a decline in the frequency of posts these last few weeks. This is partially due to my actually being busy, and partially due to the fact that going to see movies every week is freaking expensive, especially when half of them are in 3D these days.

So I am hereby suspending the Featured New Release portion of the blog for the holiday season, as this is a time when weekend evenings should be spent with loved ones, not alone in a theater watching Resident Evil 4. Also, my limited funds need to be going towards other things, such as Christmas gifts. As much as I regret missing out on reviewing the holiday slate of releases, it is a necessary change at this time. I will bring back the feature in the New Year though.

In the meantime, I will get back on track with follower suggestions and top five lists :)

Greg