All posts in category Uncategorized

92nd Academy Award Predictions (September):

September 92nd Academy Award Predictions:
Best Picture:
1. Marriage Story
2. The Irishman
3. Parasite
4. The Two Popes
5. Little Women
6. The Farewell
7. 1917
8. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
9. A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood
10. Jojo Rabbit

Alternatives: Bombshell, Dark Waters, Knives Out, Waves

Best Director:
1. Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
2. Bong Joon-Ho, Parasite
3. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
4. Sam Mendes, 1917
5. Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Alternatives: Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood; Fernando Meirelles, Two Popes; Lulu Wang, The Farewell

Best Actor:
1. Adam Driver, Marriage Story
2. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
3. Jonathan Pryce, Two Popes
4. Robert De Niro, The Irishman
5. Leonardo Di Caprio, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Alternatives: Antonio Banderas, Pain & Glory; Timothee Chalamet, The King

Best Actress:
1. Renee Zellweger, Judy
2. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
3. Saorise Ronan, Little Women
4. Awkwafina, The Farewell
5. Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Alternatives: Cynthia Erivo, Harriet; Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers; Lupita Nyong’o, Us

Best Supporting Actor:
1. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood
2. Anthony Hopkins, Two Popes
3. Brad Pitt, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
4. Al Pacino, The Irishman
5. Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse

Alternatives: Joe Pesci, The Irishman; Timothee Chalamet, Little Women, Tim Robbins, Dark Waters

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Laura Dern, Marriage Story
2. Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
3. Shuzhen Zhou, The Farewell
4. Annette Bening, The Report
5. Nicole Kidman, Bombshell

Alternatives: Margot Robbie, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Meryl Streep, Little Women.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. The Irishman
2. Little Women
3. Joker
4. Jojo Rabbit
5. A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood

Best Original Screenplay:
1. Marriage Story
2. Parasite
3. Two Popes
4. The Farewell
5. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on September 17, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in 92nd Academy Award Predictions September, Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on September 17, 2019

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2019/09/17/92nd-academy-award-predictions-september/

2019 Movie Reviews

Top Films 2019:

  1. Parasite 10/10
  2. Portrait Of A Lady On Fire 10/10
  3. The Irishman 10/10
  4. 1917 10/10
  5. Little Women 9/10
  6. Marriage Story 9/10
  7. Pain And Glory 9/10
  8. Jojo Rabbit 9/10
  9. The Farewell 9/10
  10. The Souvenir 9/10
  11. Two Popes 8/10
  12. Apollo 11 8/10
  13. American Factory 8/10
  14. Joker 8/10
  15. The King 8/10
  16. Knives Out 8/10
  17. Ad Astra 8/10
  18. Midsommar 8/10
  19. Us 8/10
  20. Edge of Democracy 8/10
  21. Judy 7/10
  22. Toy Story 4 7/10
  23. The Great Hack 7/10
  24. Rocketman 7/10
  25. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood 7/10
  26. Dolemite Is My Name 7/10
  27. Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker 7/10
  28. Avengers Endgame 7/10
  29. Frye 7/10
  30. Never Look Away 7/10
  31. Captain Marvel 7/10
  32. Benjamin 6/10
  33. Downton Abbey 6/10
  34. High Life 6/10
  35. Alita: Battle Angel 5/10
  36. The Lion King 5/10
  37. Isn’t It Romantic 5/10
  38. Velvet Buzzshaw 4/10
  39. The Laundromat 4/10
  40. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile 4/10
  41. Aladdin 3/10
Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on June 16, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in 2019 Movie Reviews, Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on June 16, 2019

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2019/06/16/2019-movie-reviews/

Final 91st Academy Award Predictions

Final Predictions for the 91st Academy Awards: 

Best Picture: 

Will Win: Roma

Alternative: Green Book

Should Win: Roma

 

Best Director: 

Will Win: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

Alternative: None

Should Win: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

 

Best Actor: 

Will Win: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody

Alternative: Christian Bale, Vice

Should Win: Christian Bale, Vice

 

Best Actress: 

Will Win: Glenn Close, The Wife

Alternative: Olivia Coleman, The Favourite

Should Win: Olivia Coleman, The Favourite

 

Best Supporting Actor: 

Will Win: Mahershala Ali, Green Book

Alternative: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me? 

Should Win: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me? 

 

Best Supporting Actress: 

Will Win: Rachel Weisz, The Favourite 

Alternative: Amy Adams, Vice

Should Win: Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

 

Best Adapted Screenplay: 

Will Win: Blackklansman

Alternative: Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Should Win: Can You Ever Forgive Me?

 

Best Original Screenplay:

Will Win: The Favourite

Alternative: Green Book

Should Win: The Favourite 

 

Best Animated Feature: 

Will Win: Spider-Man: Into The Multiverse

Alternative: Isle of Dogs

Should Win: Spider-Man: Into The Multiverse

 

Best Documentary Feature: 

Will Win: Free Solo

Alternative: RBG

Should Win: Free Solo

 

Best Foreign Language Film:

Will Win: Roma

Alternative: Cold War

Should Win: Roma

 

Best Cinematography: 

Will Win: Roma

Alternative: None

Should Win: Roma

 

Best Costume Design: 

Will Win: Black Panther

Alternative: The Favourite

Should Win: The Favourite

 

Best Editing: 

Will Win: Bohemian Rhapsody 

Alternative: Vice

Should Win: The Favourite

 

Best Hair & Makeup: 

Will Win: Vice

Alternative: None

Should Win: Vice

 

Best Production Design: 

Will Win: The Favourite 

Alternative: Roma

Should Win: Roma

 

Best Original Score: 

Will Win: If Beale St Could Talk

Alternative: Black Panther

Should Win: If Beale St Could Talk

 

Best Original Song: 

Will Win: ‘Shallow’ A Star Is Born

Alternative: None

Should Win: ‘Shallow’ A Star Is Born

 

Best Sound Editing: 

Will Win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Alternative: None

 

Best Sound Mixing: 

Will Win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Alternative: A Quiet Place

 

Best Visual Effects: 

Will Win: First Man

Alternative: Avengers: Infinity War

Should Win: First Man

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on February 24, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged

Posted by mrsmith44 on February 24, 2019

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2019/02/24/final-91st-academy-award-predictions/

91st Academy Awards Final Predictions

Correct predictions:

79/106 for a score of 74.5%

Counting correct alternatives 87/106 for a score of 82%

 

MOVIES BY MOST NOMINATIONS:

THE FAVOURITE – 10

ROMA – 10

 

BEST PICTURE: 7/8

PREDICTED NOMINEES:

Roma

A Star Is Born

Green Book

The Favourite

BlacKkKlansman

Black Panther

Vice

Eight Grade X

If Beale St Could Talk X

MISSING:

Bohemian Rhapsody

ALTERNATE:
Cold War

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
The Rider

 

BEST DIRECTOR: 3/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:

Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born) X

Peter Farrelly (Green Book) X

Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)

Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)

MISSING:

Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)

Adam McKay (Vice)

ALTERNATE:
Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Chloe Zhao (The Rider)

 

BEST ACTOR: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:

Christian Bale (Vice)

Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)

Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)

Ethan Hawke (First Reformed) X

MISSING:

Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)

ALTERNATE:
John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman)

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)

 

BEST ACTRESS: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
Glenn Close (The Wife)

Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)

Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Toni Collette (Hereditary) X

Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)

MISSING:

Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

ALTERNATE:
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Joanna Kulig (Cold War)

 

 


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Timothee Chalamet (Beautiful Boy) X

Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born)

Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)

MISSING:

Sam Rockwell (Vice)

ALTERNATE:
Sam Rockwell (Vice)

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Nicholas Hoult (The Favourite)

 

 

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Emma Stone (The Favourite)

Amy Adams (Vice)

Nicole Kidman (Boy Erased)  X

MISSING:

Marina de Tavira, Roma

ALTERNATE:
Claire Foy (First Man)

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Natalie Portman (Vox Lux) 

 

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
If Beale Street Could Talk

A Star Is Born

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

BlacKkKlansman

Death Of Stalin X

MISSING: 

Ballard of Buster Scrubbs (wow)

ALTERNATE:
Black Panther

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
First Man

 


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
The Favourite

Green Book

Roma

Vice

Eighth Grade X

MISSING:

First Reformed

ALTERNATE:
First Reformed

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Cold War

 

 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: 5/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Incredibles 2

Isle of Dogs

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Mirai

ALTERNATE:
Early Man

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Ruben Brandt, Collector

 

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? X

Free Solo

Minding the Gap

RBG

Hale Country This Morning, This Evening

MISSING:

Of Fathers And Sons

ALTERNATE:
Three Identical Strangers
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Quincy

 

 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
Roma [Mexico]

Cold War [Poland]

Shoplifters [Japan]

Capernaum [Lebanon]

Burning [South Korea] x

MISSING: 

Never Look Away

ALTERNATE:
Never Look Away

 

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: 3/5

PROJECTED NOMINEES:
Roma

Cold War

First Man X

The Favourite

The Rider X

MISSING: 

A Star Is Born

Never Look Away

ALTERNATE:
A Star Is Born

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
The Rider

 

 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
The Favourite

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald X

Black Panther

Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Queen of Scots

MISSING:

The Ballard of Buster Scrubbs

ALTERNATE:
If Beale Street Could Talk

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Colette

 


BEST FILM EDITING: 2/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
Roma X

A Star Is Born X

First Man X

The Favourite

Vice

MISSING:

Blackkklansman

Bohemian Rhapsody

Green Book

ALTERNATE:
Bohemian Rhapsody

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
The Rider

 


BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

PROJECTED NOMINEES:
Vice
Bohemian Rhapsody X
Suspiria X

MISSING: 

Border

Mary Queen Of Scots

ALTERNATE:
Stan & Ollie

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
The Favourite

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: 3/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
First Man X

If Beale Street Could Talk

Mary Poppins Returns

Isle of Dogs

Annihiliation X

MISSING:

Blackkklansman

Black Panther

ALTERNATE:
A Quiet Place

 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: 3/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
“Shallow” (A Star Is Born)
“All the Stars” (Black Panther)
“Girl in the Movies” (Dumplin’) X
“I’ll Fight” (RBG)
“Trip A Little Light Fantastic” (Mary Poppins Returns) X

MISSING:

“The Place Where Lost Things Go” (Mary Poppins Returns)

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” (The Ballard Of Buster Scrubbs)

ALTERNATE:
“Revelation” (Boy Erased)

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
“Treasure” Beautiful Boy

 

 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: 5/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
The Favourite

First Man

Roma

Black Panther

Mary Poppins Returns

ALTERNATE:
Bohemian Rhapsody

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
A Star Is Born

 


BEST SOUND EDITING: 3/5

PROJECTED NOMINEES:
First Man

A Quiet Place

A Star Is Born X

Black Panther

Mission: Impossible — Fallout X

MISSING:

Bohemian Rhapsody

Roma

ALTERNATE:
Roma

 

 

BEST SOUND MIXING: 4/5

PREDICTED NOMINEES:
A Star Is Born

Bohemian Rhapsody

First Man

A Quiet Place X

Roma

MISSING:

Black Panther

ALTERNATE:
Mary Poppins Returns

 

 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: 4/5

PROJECTED NOMINEES:
First Man

Avengers: Infinity War

Black Panther X

Ready Player One

Solo: A Star Wars Story

MISSING:

Christopher Robin

ALTERNATE:
Marry Poppins Returns

SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED:
Mission: Impossible — Fallout

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on January 22, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on January 22, 2019

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2019/01/22/91st-academy-awards-final-predictions/

‘A Star Is Born’ 2018

‘A Star Is Born’ 

Seduction, love and heart-brake: an old Hollywood tale becomes a Modern Classic. 

When the credits rolled on Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, I sat an emotional wreck in stunned silence. I then looked at the gay couple sitting behind me holding hands both with tears streaming down their faces. I had heard from word of mouth that it was a powerful film, but no words could have prepared for what I watched. From the moment Lady Gaga takes the stage it hit me that I was watching something rare. By the credits I knew I had just seen the best film of 2018 so far and a modern classic. 

I remember vividly, as a student of cinema of seeing one of the original versions of ‘A Star Is Born’, the 1954 version with James Mason and Judy Garland as the leads. I was, as always, blown away by the power of Judy Garlands voice and cried at the melancholic end of the film. A true classic. How could an actor, who up until this movie I thought was a bit overrated good not great, how could this first time directing actor Bradley Cooper, remake one of the most retold stories in cinema history with not 1 but 3 pervious retellings and match is not exceed in emotional power the 1954 original. How many remakes if ever exceed the original? Very very few. How can you retell a story told in the 30s, 50s and 70s and still have something fresh and vital to say. Bradley Cooper along with an astounding performance by Lady Gaga just showed us how. Let the songs speak for the emotion of the story and cast a great singer in the performance of a lifetime, that’s how. 

Far and away the greatest strength of the film lies in the power of the songs, in particular the headline song, ‘Shallow’, to poetically say all that could never be said in clever dialogue. Combine these astounding songs with the best scenes in the film: the scenes with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans and you have the setting for an emotional sucker punch that would be almost impossible to achieve by other means. The sheer amount of scenes on stage, not one but a a few, that wow you with their power is remarkable. In musicals songs are mainly used as a device to further plot, this film uses songs to get to the core of the beauty and pain of the characters. To have a song like ‘Shallow’ which articulates so perfectly the feeling of depression, sinking and then overcoming and empowerment, in only a few lines, is what the greatest songs in movie history do. 

The story of an established stars descent into oblivion as another star rises is almost a mythic fable in Hollywood folklore. ‘A Star Is Born’ though set today has an old Hollywood epic feel to it. And unlike previous versions manages to fine a great live story that outshines the fable all together. From beginning to end this film is a great love story that happens to be set in the entertainment world. 

‘A Star Is Born’ undoubtedly the frontrunner to win Best Picture at the Oscars. As night follows day ‘Shallow’ will win Best Original Song. It is also likely that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga will not only be nominated in acting categories and may well win both. Sam Elliot in a humane, moving and subtle performance next to the lead powerhouses is assured a Best Supporting Actor nomination. 

I knew Cooper could act, I had no idea he could sing so hauntingly, and I’ve witness live the majesty of Gaga’s singing but I never knew she could really act. Their combined on screen chemistry, vulnerability and raw power play off each other so extraordinarily well that if either one of them had been played by someone else it would not have worked. Most noteworthy is the power of Gaga. She takes you on a journey to stardom which makes you feel as though you are her, being brought on stage in front of thousands of fans. She also in her performance seems to really reveal her own personal story of what it must have been like becoming a superstar. Her line that ‘people always liked the way I sang but not how I looked’ is the voice of Gaga herself. Some might say this is a flaw, I wholeheartedly disagree. Her obvious experience of rising to stardom enriches her performance by brining believability that transcends acting. 

In our dark times today its hard to make a believable love story. It’s harder still to make a big feeling musical in a cynical world. But it’s virtually impossible to do both in a remake that surpasses the original. This is an impossible film by first time director that is somehow unbelievably possible. Some will find flaws with aspects of the film or reject the unabashedly old Hollywood romance feel of it. To those people I can only say that films like this are as vitally necessary as a hard hitting documentary or a gritty social drama. Cinema at its best not only informs or changes society but also speaks to our collective truths, our dreams and importantly our deepest emotions. ‘A Star Is Born’ does that by seducing you, making you fall in love and breaking your heart. 10/10

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on October 18, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Reviews (A), Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on October 18, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/10/18/a-star-is-born-2018/

‘The Rider’ (2018)

The best film of 2018 so far. The poetic melancholic masterpiece ‘The Rider’ at the Sydney Film Festival. Directed by 36 year old Chloe Zhao a Chinese woman born in Beijing who tells the story of a former rodeo star and young man who grapples with letting go of his rodeo dreams after a severe head injury. Sounds hokey, yet it’s instead a poem of the human condition an elegy to dreams and a searing examination of masculinity and the romanticism of the American Wild West. The actor of the young man is a revelation, remember this name: Brady Jandreau. I remember watching Jennifer Lawrence in her breakout role in ‘Winter’s Bone’ at the SFF and I had the same visceral reaction to his performance as I did to hers. Only someone who is so outside of this world as Chloe Zhao is could have captured the romantic world of the Rodeo as well as she has. I simply broke down in tears not once but on a few occasions while journeying into the soul of this character. One of the most gut wrenching, laconically gorgeous and emotionally devastating films I have seen in years. I predict many Oscar noms for this film 10/10.

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on June 17, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Reviews (R), Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on June 17, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/06/17/the-rider-2018/

‘Love Simon’ (2018)

Love Simon (2018)

The Film I Wish I Had Growing Up

For much of history there as been an implied belief that each generation will have a better quality of life than the preceding one. Today statically younger people are on track to be poorer and more economically insecure than their parents’ generation. In our dark geo-political time when things can seem so much worse today than in previous decades, pop culture is full of nostalgic references to the 80s, 90s and now even the early 2000s.

Amidst this grim climate ‘Love Simon’ stands as a singular anomaly to this trend representing the good news story of the decade: that there has never been a better time in history to be a young LGBTQI person. ‘Love Simon’ is the film I wish I had growing up as a shy gay boy, looking for every bit of random gay representation usually in the form of the 90’s gay-best friend/side kick role, or in earlier films with the pathetic sissy character or the moral panic villain character.

Not the case of this film. Young gay love and coming out are the subject of the film not a side story to a central straight narrative. In this way ‘Love Simon’ represents history as the first big budget studio film, thank you 20th Century Fox, that involves the central protagonist as a gay person. It is shocking to think that it hasn’t happened until 2018, but when you think back on all the LQBTQI films you love, they were all independently produced. In the year of ‘Black Panther’ a revolution in minority blockbuster representation, its only fitting that we too change the way LGBTQI people are represented.

Not only is the film historic in its representation, and its sincere intent to make a coming out film for today’s youth, which has already inspired young people across the internet to come out, it is also different from gay cinematic history in that it has a happy ending.

The film recently won the audience favourite award at the 25th Annual Mardi Gras film festival, beating out heavyweight critical darlings, and in speaking to audience members who saw it the reactions were fairly uniform: they loved that it was uplifting with a happy ending. LGBTQI cinema has often held a mirror up to the pain of our history, homophobic violence, the damages of the closet, family abuse, AIDS epidemic, drug addiction and suicide. All noble, heart-breaking and vital tales of our collective struggle. And yet it has now become just as noble and vital to use cinema to portray a story of a young American boy dealing with coming out at school and his first love which fills the viewer with joy and optimism.

A prevailing criticism of ‘Love Simon’ which was also lobed against last’s years masterpiece ‘Call Me By Your Name’ is that these films are quote ‘unrealistic’, due in part to their overly romanticised vision of young gay love which many viewers did not share in their own lives. The parents in ‘Love Simon’ do look like supermodels, both films protagonists are from the upper-middle class and final scene in ‘Love Simon’ can strike one as overly saccharin and predictable. Valid criticisms to a degree. Yet perhaps these films seem unrealistic because of the historic darker history we have dealt with and the baggage we as an audience bring with us.

The film is not a masterpiece of the human condition or a searing drama but nor was it meant to be. The cast is uniformly well chosen, particularly the supporting cast, the overzealous principal, the cynical sassy drama teacher were my favourites. The key scenes between Simon and his parents and friends in which he comes out will have an impact on young gay kids lives that we cannot imagine. It is a sweet story set in perhaps a slightly technicolour world of modern gay life, that celebrates how far we have come in our collective LGBTQI experience. Leave your cynicism at the door and embrace the feel-good nature of the film. It does get better, and it did get better, ‘Love Simon’ is the proof.

7/10

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on March 23, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Reviews (L), Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on March 23, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/03/23/love-simon-2018/

2018 Movie Reviews

Top Films 2018:

  1. Roma 10/10
  2. The Favourite 10/10
  3. A Star Is Born 10/10
  4. The Rider 10/10
  5. First Reformed 9/10
  6. Vice 9/10
  7. If Beale Street Could Talk 9/10
  8. First Man 9/10
  9. Hereditary 8/10
  10. Annihilation 8/10
  11. Widows 8/10
  12. Blackkklansman 8/10
  13. Green Book 8/10
  14. Beautiful Boy 8/10
  15. Boy Erased 8/10
  16. The Death Of Stalin 8/10
  17. Suspiria 8/10
  18. The Isle Of Dogs 8/10
  19. Black Panther 8/10
  20. Mission Impossible: Fall Out 8/10
  21. Love Simon 7/10
  22. Mario 7/10
  23. Quincy 7/10
  24. Upgraded 7/10
  25. Colette 7/10
  26. The Miseducation Of Cameron Post 7/10
  27. A Quiet Place 7/10
  28. Incredibles 2 7/10
  29. Star Wars: A Solo Story 7/10
  30. On the Basis of Sex 6/10
  31. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald 6/10
  32. Deadpool 2 6/10
  33. The Breaker Upers 6/10
  34. Ready Player One 6/10
  35. The Seagull 6/10
  36. Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot 6/10
  37. Mama Mia: Here We Go Again 5/10
  38. Oceans 8 5/10
  39. Bohemian Rhapsody 5/10
  40. Avengers: Infinity War 5/10
Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on March 18, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in 2018 Movie Reviews, Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on March 18, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/03/18/2018-movie-reviews/

Top 50 Most Anticipated Films of 2018

Top 50 Most Anticipated Films of 2018

  1. Suspiria (Director: Luca Guadagnino)
  2. If Beale Street Could Talk (Director: Barry Jenkins)
  3. The Irishman (Director: Martin Scorsese)
  4. Boy Erased (Director: Joel Edgerton)
  5. Beautiful Boy (Felix van Groeningen)
  6. First Man (Director: Damien Chazelle)
  7. Roma (Director: Alfonso Cuaron)
  8. Isle of Dogs (Director: Wes Anderson)
  9. Loro (Director: Paolo Sorrentino)
  10. The Death and Life of John F. Donovan (Director: Xavier Dolan)
  11. Rio (Director: Luca Guadagnino)
  12. Radegund (Director: Terrence Malick)
  13. Widows (Director: Steve McQueen)
  14. Peterloo (Director: Mike Leigh)
  15. Hereditary (Director: Ari Aster)
  16. Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot (Director: Gus Van Sant)
  17. Everybody Knows (Director: Asghar Farhadi)
  18. Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Director: Richard Linklater)
  19. Non Fiction (Director: Olivier Assayas)
  20. Mary Queen of Scots (Director: Josie Rourke)
  21. The Favorite (Director: Yorgos Lanthimos)
  22. Bohemian Rhapsody (Director: Dexter Fletcher)
  23. Tully (Director: Jason Reitman)
  24. The House That Jack Built (Director: Lars Von Trier)
  25. Cold War (Director: Pawel Pawlikowski)
  26. Blessed Virgin (Director: Paul Verhoeven)
  27. The Incredibles 2 (Director: Brad Bird)
  28. Backseat (Director: Adam McKay)
  29. At Eternity’s Gate (Director: Julian Schnabel)
  30. Ready Player One (Director: Steven Spielberg)
  31. Domino (Director: Brian De Palma)
  32. You Were Never Really Here (Director: Lynne Ramsay)
  33. Ad Astra (Director: James Gray)
  34. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Director: Coen Bros.)
  35. Mary Magdelene (Director: Garth Davis)
  36. Norway (Director: Paul Greengrass)
  37. Unsane (Director: Steven Soderbergh)
  38. Annihilation (Director: Alex Garland)
  39. Oceans 8 (Director: Steven Soderbergh)
  40. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (Director: Terry Gilliam)
  41. A Star Is Born (Director: Bradley Cooper)
  42. Wendy (Director: Benh Zeitlin)
  43. Untitled Adam Driver/Laura Dern Divorce Film (Director: Noah Baumbach)
  44. The Front Runner (Director: Jason Reitman)
  45. Black Klansman (Director: Spike Lee)
  46. Deadpool Sequel (Director: David Leitch)
  47. A Quiet Place (Director: John Krasinski)
  48. Avengers: Infinity War (Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo)
  49. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Director: Ron Howard)
  50. Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom (Director: J. A. Bayona)
Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on March 16, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in 50 Most Anticipated Films 2018, Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on March 16, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/03/16/top-50-most-anticipated-films-of-2018/

Final Predictions For The 90th Annual Academy Awards

Final Predictions for the 90th Annual Academy Awards:

Best Picture:
Will Win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

Alt: The Shape Of Water
Should Win: Call Me By Your Name

Best Director:
Will Win: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape Of Water

Alt: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Should Win: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape Of Water

Best Actor:
Will Win: Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour

Alt: Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Should Win: Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

Best Actress:
Will Win: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

Alt: Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water
Should Win: Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water

Best Supporting Actor:
Will Win: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

Alt: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Should Win: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project

Best Supporting Actress:
Will Win: Alison Janney, I, Tonya

Alt: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Should Win: Alison Janney, I, Tonya

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Will Win: Call Me By Your Name
Alt: None

Best Original Screenplay:
Will Win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
Alt: Get Out

Best Editing:
Will Win: Dunkirk
Alt: Baby Driver

Best Cinematography:
Will Win: Blade Runner 2049
Alt: Dunkirk

Best Production Design:
Will Win: The Shape Of Water
Alt: Blade Runner 2049

Best Sound Mixing:
Dunkirk

Best Sound Editing:
Dunkirk

Best Original Score:
The Shape Of Water
Alt: Dunkirk

Best Original Song:
Call Me By Your Name
Alt: Coco

Best Hair/Make Up:
Darkest Hour

Best Costume Design:
Phantom Thread
Alt: The Shape Of Water

Best Visual Effects:
Blade Runner 2049
Alt: War For The Planet Of The Apes

Best Animated Film:
Coco

Best Foreign Language Film:
A Fantastic Woman
Alt: The Square

Best Documentary:
Faces Places
Alt: Icarus

 

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on March 4, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in 90th Academy Awards Final Predictions, Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on March 4, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/03/04/final-predictions-for-the-90th-annual-academy-awards/

‘I, Tonya’ (2017)

A Black Tragicomedy that needs to be seen to be believed.

This story is hard to believe. Having been too young to remember the actual ‘incident’ taking place I had only ever known about Tonya Harding vaguely as an Olympic scandal. The movie recounts the events leading up to and after the incident in which people linked to Tonya assisted her figure skating competition. These first person accounts told directly to camera are in many ways self serving which hilariously contrast with the ‘truthful’ images we are seeing. I lost count of how many times I threw my hands in the air in amazed exasperation of ‘are you kidding me?’ while watching the bad choices and sheer stupidity of the tragic characters that fill this unbelievable story: from Tonya herself, to her worst mother in the history of film, to her abusive boyfriend and his monumentality stupid friend. It is such an entertaining manic ride, building with a hysteria of crescendoing events that lead it the ultimate tragic end. I laughed many times and also shed a tear for Tonya. Despite the stupid things she did she was a victim of her terrible circumstances. And perhaps because of its strength in retelling this incredible story in such an entertaining way through self serving accounts, voice overs, direct address and unreliable narrators it does fall short of really getting into the character of Tonya beyond her reacting to her circumstances. The comedy, which is so strong, does inevitable make the story feel at times glib. At one point Tonya in her narration accuses us the viewers of being complicit in her situation like her abusers and yet in many ways that is exactly what the director serves up an entertaining yarn that serves up Tonya for ridicule and some sympathy. Despite falling short of a great biopic that truly captures the character of Tonya, in terms of pure entertainment the film is one of the funnest movie experiences of 2017. As riveting at the ridiculous unfolding story of the ‘incident’ is, the truly fascinating aspect of the film is Margot Robbie’s central manic performance and Alison Janney’s soon to be Oscar winning performance as the worst mother ever to be put on film. In the climatic scene where Tonya is about to compete at the Norway Winter Olympics, the physical and emotional contortions her face goes through as she is putting on make up is stunning. Alison Janney easily has the best lines in the script and as the mother gives context to the horror of Tonya’s upbringing creating a singularly horrifying human being at once hilarious, terrifying and heartbreaking. The film also cleverly touches on what America represents. To many America is all about winning, the land of the beauty pageants and sports stars. But as this film shows it’s not just winning that counts, it’s also presentation. With that great line America needs someone to hate just as much as they need someone to love. Misses the mark on a deeper understanding of Tonya but as pure rollicking entertainment you will surely have a blast on this wild weird rollercoaster of a movie. 8/10

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on February 8, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Reviews (I), Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on February 8, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/02/08/i-tonya-2017/

The Shape Of Water (2017)

An Adult Fairytale For Our Time.

At once both dark and sorrowful this exquisitely made masterpeice is also at its core an uncynical romance that seems so essential now in our time. Set in Cold War 60s Baltimore, the film follows the journey of a lonely mute cleaning woman, as she falls in love with a captured sea monster that she encounters while cleaning a secret US government facility. At first the story may seem familiar as its master director Guillermo Del Toro creates a pastiche of many classic fairytales mixed with a homage to cinema in particular the post WW2 B monster movie. And yet as the film goes on its weirdness, singular beauty, and style makes it quiet unlike any film of its genre I have ever seen. Sure Beauty and the Beast has a romance between a woman and a beast, yet The Shape Of Water, in which the heroine is a mute and her love interest a muscular sea man, creates images and a story that will stand the test of time for their sheer uniqueness. A certain waltz old Hollywood fantasy scene particularly springs to mind as pure cinema. It is the ultimate postmodern Fairytale movie, a pastiche of genres, references and tributes. Let this sink in, the heros of this film include: a mute cleaning lady, an older artist gay man, an African American cleaning lady, a Russian scientist spy and a muscular sea monster man all classically marginalised, unrepresented or vilified by Hollywood. The villains include: a 5 Star US general and a top US government misogynistic heterosexual man, classically the hero. The main villain, played with manic intensity by Michael Shannon in many ways, represents the Trump man, might is right doctrine, with a deep hatred of the unknown and different. The fantasy love story that comes out of these eclectic characters is an impassioned plea for beauty, passion and the wonder of the strange or different. The best film Guillermo Del Toro has made since one of my all time favourite films Pans Laybrinth, Del Toro once again shows his affinity and love of ‘monsters’, subverting our notion of what is truly monstrous. We are all ‘monsters’ in our own weird way and the real monsters sometimes are the ones society glorifies. The scene that most made me cry involved the protagonist, play by Sally Hawkins in one of the best performances of the year, makes an impassioned monoglogue using only her face and sign language to speak about how similar she is to the ‘monster’ with her perceived disability. We are all Sally Hawkins in that moment. She reminds us of the fierce intensity of Silent movies when they had only their faces to make us believe. There’s isn’t a note wrong in this film. Every department from the art direction, Cinematography, script, to the production design and direction all deserve their historic 13 oscar nominations. But what really carries the film is the sensation cast particularly Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer who create characters that within moments you love. We need this film now more than ever in our at times cynical and ugly world. A love letter to old Hollywood, a tribute to sci fi B movies but above all else an adult Fairytale romance that makes you fall in love with the unlikeliest of beings. Pure cinema, one of the best films of 2017. 10/10

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on January 25, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Reviews (S), Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on January 25, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/01/25/the-shape-of-water-2017/

Final Predictions For 90th Academy Awards

Final Predictions for the 90th Academy Awards:

Correct Predictions: 82/107=

76.6 % Correct

1. The Shape Of Water
2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
3. Lady Bird
4. Get Out
5. Dunkirk
6. Call Me By Your Name

7. The Florida Project X
8. The Post
9. I, Tonya X

Alt: Darkest Hour
7/9 Correct (missing: The Phantom Thread, Darkest Hour)

Best Director:
1. Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water
2. Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
3. Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
4. Jordan Peele, Get Out
5. Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name X

Alt: Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
4/5 Correct (missing: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Phantom Thread)

Best Actor:
1. Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour
2. Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
3. Daniel Day Lewis, The Phantom Thread
4. James Franco, The Disaster Artist X
5. Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Alt: Tom Hanks, The Post
4/5 Correct (missing: Denzel Washington, Roman J Isreal Esq. )

Best Actress:
1. Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
2. Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water
3. Saorise Ronan, Lady Bird
4. Margot Robbie, I Tonya
5. Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game X

Alt: Meryl Streep, The Post
4/5 Correct (missing: Meryl Streep, The Post)

Best Supporting Actor
1. Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
2. Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
3. Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name X
4. Richard Jenkins, The Shape Of Water
5. Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name X

Alt: Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
3/5 Correct (missing: Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri and Christopher Plummer, All The Money In The World)

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Allison Janney, I, Tonya
2. Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
3. Holly Hunter, The Big Sick X
4. Octavia Spencer, The Shape Of Water
5. Mary J. Blige, Mudbound

Alt: Hong Chau, Downsizing
4/5 Correct (missing: Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. Call Me By Your Name
2. Molly’s Game
3. The Disaster Artist
4. Mudbound
5. Logan

Alt: Wonder Woman
5/5 Correct

Best Original Screenplay:
1. Get Out
2. Lady Bird
3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
4. The Shape Of Water
5. The Big Sick

Alt: I, Tonya
5/5 Correct

Best Animated Feature:
1. Coco
2. Loving Vincent
3. The Breadwinner
4. LEGO: Batman Movie X
5. Ferdinand

Alt: Despicable Me 3
4/5 Correct (missing: Boss Baby)

Best Documentary:
1. Faces Places
2. Jane X
3. City Of Ghosts X
4. Ex Libris X
5. Icarus

Alt: The Last Men In Aleppo
2/5 Correct (missing: Abacus: Small Enough To Jail, The Last Men In Aleppo, Strong Island).

Best Foreign Language Film:
1. The Square
2. BPM X
3. Foxtrot X
4. In The Fade X
5. A Fantastic Woman

Alt: Loveless
2/5 Correct (missing: The Insult, In Body & Soul, Loveless)

Best Hair & MakeUp
1. Wonder
2. The Darkest Hour
3. I, Tonya X

Alt: The Shape Of Water
2/3 Correct (missing: Victoria & Abdul)

Best Editing:
1. Dunkirk
2. The Shape Of Water
3. Blade Runner 2049 X
4. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
5. Baby Driver

Alt: I, Tonya
4/5 Correct (missing: I, Tonya)

Best Cinematography:
1. Blade Runner: 2049
2. Dunkirk
3. The Shape Of Water
4. Call Me By Your Name X
5. Mudbound

Alt: Darkest Hour
4/5 Correct (missing Darkest Hour)

Best Costume Design:
1. Phantom Thread
2. Beauty And The Beast
3. The Greatest Showman X
4. The Shape Of Water
5. Victoria & Abdul

Alt: I, Tonya
4/5 Correct (missing Darkest Hour)

Best Original Score:
1. The Shape Of Water
2. Dunkirk
3. Phantom Thread
4. The Darkest Hour X
5. The Post X

Alt: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
3/5 Correct (missing: Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Three Billboards: Outside Ebbing Missouri)

Best Original Song:

1. ‘Mysteries Of Love’ Call Me By Your Name
2. ‘This Is Me’ The Greatest Showman
3. ‘Remember Me’ Coco
4. ‘Stand Up For Something’ Marshall
5. ‘Evermore’ Beauty And The Beast X

Alt: ‘Truth To Power’, An Inconvenient Sequel
4/5 Correct (missing: Mighty River, Mudbound)

Best Production Design:
1. The Shape Of Water
2. Dunkirk
3. Blade Runner: 2049
4. Beauty And The Beast
5. Darkest Hour

Alt: The Post
5/5 Correct

Best Sound Editing:
1. Dunkirk
2. The Shape Of Water
3. Wonder Woman X
4. Blade Runner: 2049
5. Baby Driver

Alt: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
4/5 Correct (missing: Star Wars: The Last Jedi)

Best Sound Mixing:
1. Dunkirk
2. The Shape Of Water
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
4. Blade Runner: 2049
5. Wonder Woman X

Alt: Baby Driver
4/5 Correct (missing: Baby Driver)

Best Visual Effects:
1. Blade Runner: 2049
2. War For The Planet Of The Apes
3. Dunkirk X
4. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
5. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Alt: The Shape Of Water
4/5 Correct (missing: Kong: Skull Island)

 

 

 

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on January 23, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in 90th Academy Award Predictions, Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on January 23, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/01/23/final-predictions-for-90th-academy-awards/

Predictions for the 75th Golden Globe Awards

Predictions for the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Best Picture Drama:

Call Me By Your Name

Alt: The Shape of Water

Best Picture Comedy/Musical:

Lady Bird

Alt: Get Out

Best Director:

Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Alt: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape Of Water

Best Actor Drama:

Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name

Alt: Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour

Best Actress Drama:

Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

Alt: Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water

Best Actor Comedy/ Musical:

James Franco, The Disaster Artist

Alt: Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Best Actress Comedy/ Musical:

Saroise Ronan, Lady Bird

Alt: Judi Dench, Victoria and Abdul

Best Supporting Actor:

Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

Alt: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project

Best Supporting Actress:

Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Alt: Alison Janney, I, Tonya

Best Screenplay:

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

Alt: Lady Bird

Best Animated Film:

Coco

Best Foreign Language Film:

The Square

Best Score:

Dunkirk

Alt: The Phantom Thread

Best Original Song:

Remember Me, Coco

Alt: This Is Me, The Greatest Showman

 

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on January 7, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on January 7, 2018

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2018/01/07/predictions-for-the-75th-golden-globe-awards/

90th Academy Award Predictions, November

November 2017, 90th Academy Award Predictions:

Best Picture:
Leading Contenders:

1. Call Me By Your Name
2. Lady Bird
3. Dunkirk
4. The Post
5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
6. The Shape Of Water
7. The Florida Project
8. Get Out
Possible:
9. The Phantom Thread
10. The Darkest Hour

Best Director:
Leading Contenders:

1. Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
2. Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name
3. Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
4. Steven Spielberg, The Post

Possible:
5. Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
6. Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water

Best Actor:
Leading Contenders:
1. Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
2. Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour
3. Daniel Day Lewis, Phantom Thread
4. Tom Hanks, The Post

Possible:
5. Jake Gyllenhaal, Stronger
Best Actress:
Leading Contenders:
1. Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
2. Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
3. Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water
4. Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
5. Meryl Streep, The Post

Possible:
6. Kate Winslet, Wonder Wheel

Best Supporting Actor:
Leading Contenders:
1. Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
2. Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name
3. Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
4. Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name

Possible:
5. Richard Jenkins, The Shape Of Water

Best Supporting Actress:
Leading Contenders:
1. Alison Janney, I, Tonya
2. Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Possible:
3. Melissa Leo, Novitate
4. Holly Hunter, The Big Sick
5. Octavia Spencer, The Shape Of Water

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Leading Contenders:
1. Call Me By Your Name
Possible:
2. Mudbound
3. The Disaster Artist
4. Molly’s Game
5. The Last Flag Flying

Best Original Screenplay:
Leading Contenders:
1. Lady Bird
2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
3. The Shape Of Water
4. Get Out
5. The Post

Possible:
6. The Phantom Thread

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on December 1, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in 90th Academy Awards, November Predictions, Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on December 1, 2017

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2017/12/01/90th-academy-award-predictions-november/

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Thor: Ragnarok: Learning the valuable lesson that Deapool taught us, namely: superhero movies shouldn’t take themselves too seriously and have fun, Thor: Ragnarok is the funniest and most enjoyable superhero film I’ve seen in a long time. Made by Taika Waititi, the kiwi director of the hillarious ‘What We Do In The Shadows’ and one of my fav films of 2016 ‘Hunt For The Wilderpeople’, a director that has broke into the Hollywood mainstream and is fast becoming one of my favourite comedy directors. Chris Hemsworth has to be ‘the’ celebrity sex idol of this decade, those muscles and abs are jaw-dropping and he plays the role of Thor with such glee you cannot help but be won over by his stupid cockiness. It seems like everyone on this film is having a bunch of fun from her majesty Cate Blanchett in a deliciously evil turn, Anthony Hopkins, Mark Ruffalo, a hilarious performance by Jeff Gouldblum and reoccurring cast from the directors previous films. How great is it that the hero and villain in a blockbuster Hollywood epic are both played by Aussies whilst being directed by a Kiwi, that’s awesome. The plot is straight up ridiculous and the downside to the humor is that the film never has the emotional depth for you to really care about the characters. It’s a better comedy than it is a traditional superhero action film, almost the antithesis to the ‘Dark Knight’, colourful, imaginative, unbelievable, light, fun, and with a kick ass soundtrack. I highly recommend this to both fans and non fans of the superhero genre. I’m not a fan of the genre and I had a very enjoyable time. This may be the funniest film I’ve seen in 2017, a fairly bleak year for cinema. Here’s to more superhero films like this. 7/10

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on November 9, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Reviews (T), Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on November 9, 2017

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2017/11/09/thor-ragnarok-2017/

90th Academy Award Predictions October

October 2017, 90th Academy Award Predictions:

 

Best Picture:

Leading Contenders:

  1. Call Me By Your Name
  2. Dunkirk
  3. The Shape of Water
  4. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
  5. The Darkest Hour
  6. Lady Bird
  7. The Florida Project

Possible:

  1. The Post
  2. The Phantom Thread
  3. Get Out

 

Best Director:

Leading Contenders:

  1. Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
  2. Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name
  3. Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water
  4. Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

Possible:

  1. Joe Wright, The Darkest Hour
  2. Steven Spielberg, The Post
  3. Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird

 

Best Actor:

Leading Contenders:

  1. Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
  2. Gary Oldman, The Darkest Hour
  3. Daniel Day Lewis, Phantom Thread

Possible:

  1. Jake Gyllenhaal, Stronger
  2. Tom Hanks, The Post
  3. Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel

 

Best Actress:

Leading Contenders:

  1. Sally Hawkins, The Shape Of Water
  2. Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
  3. Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
  4. Margot Robbie, I, Tonya

Possible:

  1. Kate Winslet, Wonder Wheel
  2. Meryl Streep, The Post
  3. Jessica Chastain, Molly’s Game

 

Best Supporting Actor:

Leading Contenders:

  1. Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
  2. Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name
  3. Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
  4. Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name

Possible:

  1. Ben Mendelsohn, The Darkest Hour
  2. Richard Jenkins, The Shape Of Water

 

Best Supporting Actress:

Leading Contenders:

  1. Alison Janney, I, Tonya
  2. Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Possible:

  1. Melissa Leo, Novitate
  2. Holly Hunter, The Big Sick
  3. Octavia Spencer, The Shape Of Water

 

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Leading Contenders:

  1. Call Me By Your Name

Possible:

  1. Mudbound
  2. The Disaster Artist
  3. Molly’s Game
  4. The Last Flag Flying
  5. The Death Of Stalin

 

Best Original Screenplay:

Leading Contenders:

  1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
  2. The Shape Of Water
  3. Get Out
  4. Lady Bird

Possible:

  1. The Post
  2. The Big Sick
  3. The Phantom Thread
Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on October 30, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on October 30, 2017

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2017/10/30/90th-academy-award-predictions-october/

‘Geostorm’ (2017)

‘Geostorm’ (2017)

In a year of some woefully bad movies such as nuclear bomb bad ‘Mother!’ and the problematic Kingsmen’ sequel, I didn’t think it was possible for an ostensibly campy ‘end-of-the-world’ film to miss the lowest of possible bars of film entertainment, and join their ranks. I admit I am a sucker for big budget spectacle Hollywood disaster movies, I really enjoyed ‘2012’, ‘Independence Day’, ‘Deep Impact’ and ‘The Day, After Tomorrow’. For a film called ‘Geostorm’ to hit its low bar all it needed to do was to a) show us amazing, destruction scene spectacle special effects b) be campy fun that doesn’t take it self too seriously. That’s it. Acting, plot, character development and message all get a free pass, just be awesome and fun. Incredibly ‘Geostorm’ fails on both counts. The destruction scene special effects extravaganza payoff you spend most of the film eagerly waiting for, and what the trailer teased us with, comes in patchy fleeting moments that are not nearly epic enough and not long enough. Some effects are amazing but there are moments of people running that looked like the low resolution of Sim characters running from a ice tsunami. Why a stadium would blow up from a lightning strike also seems bumb and not implausible enough. And even in these crumbs of kick ass destruction ‘vignettes’ the film takes it self too seriously even to be campy. You know it’s bad when a scene where Copacabana beach in Rio is turned into ice isn’t even fun! Just as the Star Wars prequels failed and god awful ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ failed, because they did not understand what made them attractive in the first place. ‘2012’, in many ways a campy silly movie was both awesome and fun, it understood what this kind of film is about, epic spectacles of destruction. You also know a film is bad when you are being reminded fondly of ‘Armageddon’ while watching the poor man’s version. As the years pass this film will wither into obscurity, the momentary scenes of special effects destruction will be assorted into a YouTube clip of ‘movie destruction scenes’ rated as middling among better movies. 2/10

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on October 25, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Reviews (G), Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on October 25, 2017

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2017/10/25/geostorm-2017/

‘Blade Runner: 2049’ (2017)

Blade Runner 2049:

Ridley Scott’s original ‘Blade Runner’ (1982) is one of my all time favourite films, and ranks alongside ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Children of Men’ as one of the greatest Science Fictions films ever. The original Blade Runner’s genius was threefold: it’s revolutionary dystopian visuals, it’s philosophically complex questioning and it’s world creation/predictions of a future society.

Dennis Villeneueve’s sequel, hot off the success of his 2016 masterful ‘Arrival’, has in terms of aesthetics, cinematography and special effects matched the majesty of the original. ‘Blade Runner: 2049’ is one of the most artistic films, visually of any this decade. The Oscar for best visual effects should be in the bag. However the film doesn’t add much to the original philosophical questions. In terms of the future predictions: climate change and our addiction to the virtual feature beautifully.

It’s worth mentioning that the trap, when reviewing a sequel to a great classic original, is to entirely compare it without considering the film on its own terms. Where the film falls short of being a great film, in my opinion, has little to do with any comparison to the original. It’s weak spots come in it’s self aware solemn attempt to build a space opera franchise with a particular twist in the plot that turns the philosophical premise into a ‘family drama’. This franchise building exercise, that is inevitably going to lead to more Blade Runner films, diminishes the film, particularly towards the end, as you start to realise it is a long set up for future films. What worries me is a potential Matrix-esque mess in which a brilliant philosophical original becomes a launching pad for a ridiculous bloated trilogy.

The other shortcoming is the plot twist itself, which is mildly interesting, as an extension of the original films brilliant philosophical paradox regarding the nature of consciousness and what it means to be human. It is worth noting that the original film is based off the famous science fiction novel ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ by Philip K Dick which as its title suggests once a ‘being’ has consciousness it takes on ‘personhood’. So yes robots can become human, which is what the film also suggests as one character mimics the ‘robot/replicant creator’s motto: More Human than Human. Thanks to the original this is now a common sci fi plot point. As the hit tv series Westworld recently, in a very Blade Runner esque way, concluded that perhaps AI is the next leap in evolution, focusing on the consciousness of the ‘hosts’ in the themepark. Where I would have been interested to see this philosophical discussion go to is beyond a focus on the consciousness of the AI, to what are the implications for us? How would society cope? What does it mean to confront our own evolutionary end? The humans seem robotic, the robots human. Both films touch on this idea as earth and by extension humanity is slowly abandoned in favour off the ‘grand life off world’. Exploration of a new humanity in the off world colonies is a potentially interesting avenue for future films.

The best scenes in the film articulate ideas of artificial selfhood in sequences about the creation of dreams and in a new take for the film predictions about the our addiction to the digital world. Influences of recent great Sci fi film ‘Her’ (2013) are definitely present in the creation of digital companionship and a love interest for the main ‘Blade Runner’ played tightly by Gosling. The world of this Blade Runner seems bewitched by digital holograms that litter the dystopian city, the most distinctly 2017 aspect of the film, as we are all bewitched by our iPhones and Facebook and Apple are investing billions into virtual reality through at first our phones and then all around us. This is the film’s main prediction for the future, losing our minds to the beauty of the digital at the expense of nature and reality. The other main prediction that wasn’t in the original is the extent to which climate change will dictate our future world. Massive walls protect LA of 2049 from rising sea levels, the opening shot of the film is fields of solar farms abandoned under the thick haze, food has become a staple of synthetic proteins and algae. The original so cleverly predicted our multi-lingual future, our environmental decay, loss of culture and authenticity, advances in technology. The sequel feels sadder, with an unrelentingly somber tone throughout. Whereas the original shocked and horrified us, we now live in a time where this dystopia seems familiar and more and more likely.

Ultimately although the film is less shocking, sadder, a set up for another film, less philosophically interesting than the original it nevertheless is an exceptional sci fi film that needs to be seen on the big screen.

9/10

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on October 6, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Reviews (B), Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on October 6, 2017

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2017/10/06/blade-runner-2049-2017/

‘Kingsmen: Golden Circle’ (2017)

I’m trying to think of a phrase to summarise the Kingsmen film I just saw and the best I can come up with is: a hot steamy mess. To be fair a lot of people I know loved the first one, including my friend who I went with. I was attracted to the idea that the film was a elegant suit wearing revival of the debonair English secret service film. How wrong could I be. Shocking as it is to say, I haven’t seen a filmed scene this decade that shocked me with its misogyny as much as a particular scene in this film in which the hero inserts a tracking device into a woman’s private parts. Yes you read that right in 2017, a film was able go beyond the flagrant misogyny that is deeply problematic in the Bond franchise. The film obviously is a take off of corny secret service films, but ‘Kingsmen: Golden Circle’ tops away over the edge of mockery and becomes fully ridiculous in the worst way. How a cast of 4 Oscar winners, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and Jeff Bridges thought this film was a good idea is beyond me. I’m sure the first thing they read was the digits on their pay check rather than this drivel passing as a script. Cartoonish violence, a convoluted message about drugs, laughable CGI, a plot out of a 12 year old boys head, for a film ostensibly about ‘manners making the man’ it appeals to the lowest common denominator jokes. A film who’s message is; some of the cool ‘bad-boy’ Heros in this film do drugs, but don’t do drugs kids. Elton John is the best thing in the film. Ian Flemming would be so depressed at this pop culture, candy toned, pastiche, monster truck rip off on his original idea. It’s a boring, offensive, bloated movie experience. 4/10

Leave a comment
by mrsmith44 on September 27, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Movies (K), Uncategorized

Posted by mrsmith44 on September 27, 2017

https://jeremysmithmovieblog.com/2017/09/27/kingsmen-golden-circle/

« Older Posts
Newer Posts »