83rd Annual Academy Awards Winners

Another year and another Oscar ceremony, as usual every looked stunning, except for the odd beard being worn by Christian Bale but there is always one at every ceremony!

This year there were very few surprises with the favourite in each catagory picking up their respective award, with both The Kings Speech and Inception picking up 4 awards each. For me the only exception was the Adapted Screenplay award which I believe should have gone to True Grit and not to The Social Network.

In case you didn't get to see the awards, here is the winners list from last night.

• Best Picture: The Kings Speech
• Best Actor: Colin Firth (The Kings Speech)
  
• Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
  
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
  
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
  
• Best Director: Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech)
  
• Best Visual Effects: Inception
• Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
  
• Best Original Screenplay: The Kings Speech
  
• Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
• Best Cinematogrophy: Inception
  
• Best Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland
  
• Best Film Editing: The Social Network
  
• Best Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
  
• Best Makeup: The Wolfman
  
• Best Original Score: The Social Network
  
• Best Original Song: We Belong Together (Toy Story 3)
  
• Best Sound Mixing: Inception
  
• Best Sound Editing: Inception
• Best Documentary: Inside Job

So, what do YOU think of the results? Post a comment below and let me know.

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True Grit (2011)

Director: Joel & Ethan Coen

Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Dakin Matthews

Date: February 2011

Plot: Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. by Jim Beaver

Trailer - True Grit

Review: I had high expectations going into this film as the first movie based on this book (True Grit, 1969 starring John Wayne) was very very good. Thankfully the Coen brothers were able to produce a good film that can stand apart from the original as its own. Since this is not a direct remake it is unfair to compare it like one, both films are adaptations from the same book but both are quite different.

With most of the Best Picture Nominees in the Oscars this year, there is a lot of hype behind the movie and this is no different. Yes True Grit is a good film, I am not a big western fan but I did enjoy the film but reading some reviews I am led to believe that this is supposed to be the best film of the past decade, which its not.

Hailee Steinfeld is very good, she puts on a very believable performance as the no-nonsense, hard talking 14 year old Mattie Ross, at times you are rooting for her and others you want to slap her, but that's the character and it is portrayed well. Hailee is definitely one to look out for in the future, fingers crossed she doesn't go down the Rom-Com road!

Jeff Bridges is fantastic, there is no other word for it! Stellar performance in a role that almost seems like it was written for him. He is gruff, likable and a kind of anti-hero that we all love. It really is a huge toss up between him and Colin Firth for Best Actor at this years Oscars!

Matt Damon is a bit of a let down for me, and it is through no fault of his own. I think it was just bad casting! He is not weathered/aged enough to be in a western. As a comparison, Daniel Craig is only 2 years older but looks like he fits in the western environment in the upcoming Cowboys and Aliens. Also, that moustache is just comical! Performance wise, Damon does his best and holds his own in scenes with Bridges and Brolin but I think he should stick to the more clean-cut action movies.

Overall the film was a good watch and is definitely one you should see in the cinema because I feel it will be a long time before you see another good out and out western on the big screen!
A deserving 8 out 10 from me.

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Toy Story 3 (2010)

Director: Lee Unkrich

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Don Rickles, John Morris

Date: July 2010

Plot: Andy is finally going to college and decides to put Woody and the gang into storage in the Attic but they are mistakenly sent to a Day-Care Center. Now it is up to Woody and Buzz to bring the toys back home.

Trailer - Toy Story 3


Review: It has taken 15 years for the Toy Story story to come full circle and it has been a great ride! We were first introduced to Woody and Buzz back in 1995 and now they are back in their final adventure. In Toy Story 3 we find Andy all grown up and ready to go to college, having packed away all his old toys he can't bring himself to throwing away his childhood friends and decides to put the gang in a box in the attic for storage but a mix up in boxes and bags means that Woody and the gang are donated to a Day-care center.
The Day-care toys are led by Lotso, a pink, fluffy, huggable bear who has a hidden sinister side that we find out about when Woody says they need to leave and go back home.

This movie was one of my favourites from last year, the story seems to have had everything, there was adventure, comedy, romance and genuine connection with the characters. Even though it is an animation movie, it pushes the boundaries of a 'kids' movie to a movie that can be enjoyed and beloved by everyone.

There is the same fun and adventure in this film as there was in the first two Toy Story films but this one does have the feel throughout that it is the ending of the story, this is backed up by the fantastic and emotional scene at the end between Andy and Bonnie in the garden. Still almost brings a tear to my eye!

I don't want to say too much about this because I don't want to spoil it for you, but at this stage if you have not seen this film there is something wrong with you!

It is great, and frankly about time, to finally see an animated film be nominated and considered for an Oscar. I doubt it will win but it has set the bar pretty high for animation films to come.

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The Social Network (2010)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Bryan Barter, Rooney Mara, Armie Hammer, Joseph Mazzello, Justin Timberlake,

Date: October 2010

Plot: The indepth look at the founding of the social networking site Facebook and how it led to one of the most publicized lawsuits in recent history.



Trailer - The Social Network

Review: It was only a matter of time before someone decided it would be a good idea/ran out of real ideas and make a film out of an over popular website! Granted, Facebook had a slightly more interesting birth than most websites and it almost definitely has more members but is that a real reason to actually make a movie?

Yes, I am slightly biased because, well, I don't like facebook and am not on it. It is my own preference, facebook did nothing to me! And it is not like I'm anti social-networking... ehhh this is a Blog (And don't forget to follow the twitter)!

My problem is that I thought there were more/better ideas out there for a movie! I like going to watch a movie to laugh, to be scared and entertained all in the comfort of a large box of popcorn, this though, for me was none of those things.

I have spoken to many people who did enjoy this film, but they can never tell me why! Was it Jesse's portrayal of the socially inept, genius Mark Zuckerberg or was it the tale of a college student who managed to create a social networking site from his dorm room? or was it simply because Justin Timberlake is in it!

The Facebook story is worthy of a lenghty magazine spread or even as Zuckerbergs Biography but as a movie, and especially one that is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars...

Yes there were a few entertaining moments and Jessie Eisenbergs performance was good but I don't understand the hype! If you look at the box office figures for 2010, The Social Network doesn't even break the top 30! Reference.

Anyway, I apologize that this review is more of a rant but I had to get that out!!

Personally I didn't really enjoy the film, I felt it dragged a bit from time to time, the characters were hard to relate to and the ending was very anti-climatic.

If you are cool and follow trends you will probably have seen this movie because someone on Facebook told you too and you may even have enjoyed it. But can you you tell me why you enjoyed it?

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127 Hours (2011)

Director: Danny Boyle

Cast: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Treat Williams, Kate Burton

Date: January 2011

Plot: A lone canyoneer becomes trapped beneath a boulder while climbing in the baron area or Moab , Utah for 127 hours and is forced into desperate measures to try and survive.




Trailer - 127 Hours


Review: This is the incredible and true story of Aron Ralston and how he managed to survive for over 5 days in the wilds of Utah, with one arm trapped under a boulder and no help around for miles.

With a very simplistic idea and minimal cast Danny Boyle manages to reproduce the terrifying tale of one mans struggle both physically and mentally with being trapped alone in literally the middle of nowhere with little or no supplies and no hope for rescue for 127 hours.

The story works because of its simplicity, what happens if you are climbing on your own, you fall and get trapped under a boulder with no-one around for miles? How do you survive? How do you escape? How do you get help? Danny Boyle manages to use these questions to play on the fears of a lot of people to produce an exciting and nerving movie.

The scale of the film is interesting too, Tom Hanks starred in a 'one actor for 90% of a movie' movie on a much bigger budget in Castaway and Ryan Reynolds did one on a much smaller one in Buried, this though seems to sit almost in the middle. This is where I feel the movie falls short, you almost feel it either needs a cash injection to make it a proper big budget film or it needs to lose the music/flashbacks/swimming scene to make it more... I don't know "real" if you know what I mean.

Where it can stand proud is in the casting, James Franco is very brave for stepping into the realm of being just 'you and the camera'. It puts a lot of pressure and emphasis on his acting and ability to capture the audiences attention! Franco, does do well, he is likable and relatable which is what you want for this kind of role but throughout the film it always feels like you are watching a movie instead of a bringing the audience into the experience.

You could wait for the DVD release but it is one of those films which will be a talking point for the next few months. Overall I did enjoy the film, the end sequence with the real Aron Ralston was a nice touch, an above average 7 out of 10 for me.

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Inception (2010)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao

Date: July 2010

Plot: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception. (from IMDB)

Trailer - Inception


Review: Woah!! Firstly, my bad! I know this movie has been out for ages and is on DVD/BluRay already but I just never got around to reviewing it. Now that it is in the mix for Best Picture at the Oscars this year I have the perfect excuse to re-watch it and do the long awaited review.

So here goes, Cobb (DiCaprio) and Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) are both skilled thieves who use new technology to invade the dreams of an individual to learn, and steal, their inner most secrets.
Cobb, who is on the run, is approached and offered a job which will pay him enough money to stop running, the job though is to invade the dream of Robert Fischer (Murphy), the soon to be beneficiary of his fathers company, and implant an idea in his subconscious, this act of inception is all but impossible but for the sake of his freedom Cobb is going to attempt it.

As 99% of you who have seen this know, this movie takes a while to comprehend, sometimes a second watching! The lines between reality and dream world blur very quickly and you really have to be on your toes to keep up. The mind blowing and unbelievable special effects and storyline are very reminiscent of The Matrix when it was first released back in 1999.

The casting is very typical of Christopher Nolan as he is infamous for using the same actors in many of his movies, alot of the cast of Inception including Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Michael Cane and Ken Watanabe have appeared or are set to appear in other Nolan productions. That is not to say they are bad choices! I do admire that a Director can have such a great relationship with his cast and always get the best out of them.

Leonardo DiCaprio has not worked with Christopher Nolan before but he has been on an great run over the past few years with great performances in Blood Diamond, The Departed, Revolutionary Road and Shutter Island. It's hard to say a bad thing about him post Blood Diamond really and Inception can be added to the list.

As I said, the story is a little hard to comprehend without a bit of serious concentration but once you get the general idea you can relax and enjoy the action sequences, particularly the hallway fight scene and the insane special effects, which alone are proof that this film deserves to be nominated in the Best Picture category.

In case you haven't seen it yet I won't give away the ending but you really should rent/buy this as soon as possible!

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The Fighter (2011)

Director: David O Russell

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale,
Melissa Leo, Amy Adams, Mickey O Keefe,
Jack McGee

Date: February 2011

Plot: Based on the early carrer of 'Irish' Micky Ward, The Fighter is the Rocky style story three-time New England Golden Gloves champion boxer and his rise to glory as the World Light-Welterweight Champion with the help of his drug addicted, former boxer-turned-trainer brother Dicky.

The Fighter - Trailer


Review: Running through the Boxing movies of the past 40 years, Raging Bull, Million Dollar Baby, Rocky I - VI, Ali, When We Were Kings, and so on, there are alot of good ones but not alot of great ones. The Rockys peaked early and went down hill fast (V and VI being so so bad!) and Ali was only ok at best, so with The Fighter I was expecting a typical troublesome amateur overcomes adversity to become champion style story... and that's what I got! But somehow this stands apart as a very entertaining story of Micky Ward and his Brother Dicky and how Micky becomes champ for the first time.

The story begins for us as Micky is on a winning streak, waiting for his big opportunity that never seems to come. After a decimating loss to a much bigger fighter he decides to call it a day.
Throughout the film we get to see Micky overcome his problems and get back on track to challenge for the Light-Welterweight belt against Shea Neary.

Like most great boxing movies, the boxing itself is only a very small part. In The Fighter, Micky is tormented by his brother Dicky, a former boxer and (in his own mind) a local hero in Lowell, MA. Dicky, who is addicted to heroin, believes he is the one to bring Micky to the big time, but a run-in with the law sees him being sent to jail.

There are some great performances in this movie, particularly from Christian Bale. Like The Machinist and American Psycho, he throws himself into the role and really pulls off a near perfect performance.

Mark Wahlberg leads the cast well, he puts in another good performance but to me, he seems to always play the same type of role, the poor tough guy from the bad part of town. He is too small to be an all out action hero but is very relatable in his underdog roles.

As an overall film it was very enjoyable, the direction was good, acting was good, story was good.
It is very hard to fault it on anything specific. I can see this picking up some awards at the Oscars this year so be sure to catch it at your local cinema.

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