Review: FOCUS

FOCUS  (CRIME-DRAMA/ROMANTIC-COMEDY)
2 out of 4
Directed by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney, Adrian Martinez, BD Wong, Robert Taylor, Brennan Brown, Griff Furst, Stephanie Honore
Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence.
104 minutes
Verdict: With an unreasonably attractive, charismatic onscreen couple, glamorous international settings and style in spades, one has to wonder, FOCUS somehow manages to still leave you wondering, where's the rest?
YOU MAY ENJOY FOCUS IF YOU LIKED:
THE GRIFTERS  (1990)
HITCH  (2005)
CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.  (2011)
OCEAN'S ELEVEN  (2001)
THE ITALIAN JOB  (2003)

Will Smith stars as Nicky Spurgeon, a legendary con-man who takes an attractive, fledgling con-woman, Jess Barrett (Margot Robbie), under his wing while overseeing a large pocket-picking operation in New Orleans, but when their partnership starts to turn to romance, the intimacy-averse Nicky cuts it off.  Three years later, while on the make in Buenos Aires, pulling off a con for a billionaire in the Formula 1 racing business, Nicky runs into Jess again, and in the midst of a very dangerous game, the flames of romance are rekindled.
Written and directed by the team of Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the makers of CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE. and I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS, FOCUS bears some of the sharp humor of those films, and is as sleek and sexy as they come, but is lacking in substance.  It's a globe-spanning caper-comedy-drama-romance, but beneath all the flash, it's more than a little silly and leaves you without a sense of fulfillment, let alone interest.  It's as airy as they come, but it does have a pair of unrealistically attractive leads with onscreen charisma in spades.  Robbie, who first came to the attention of mainstream audiences with a dynamite performance as Jordan Belfort's wife in THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, has the chops to stick around, proving that she's more than a pretty face.  Smith has had a bad streak lately, but he's back doing what he does best in FOCUS, playing a charismatic smart-ass who's great at what he does.  The question is, why are these two talented actors, with all their options, in this?  There's nothing special about it, just a standard caper movie with lots of sex appeal and style.  It's a gorgeous Lamborghini with a maximum speed of 30 mph.  What's the point?

Monthly Movie Preview: March 2015

March is the most experimental month for mainstream movies, a testing ground for risky potential blockbusters coming at the end of the relatively uneventful January and February, so audiences are thirsting for something more, but the competition is not intense in the way that the summer and holiday season are.  The biggest March releases this year include Neill Blomkamp's science fiction action-thriller, CHAPPIE (March 6), Disney's live-action re-imagining, CINDERELLA (March 13), a YA adaptation sequel a March 2014 hit, THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT (March 20), and DreamWorks Animation's children's book-adapted animated feature, HOME (March 27).  Rounding out the rest are two hard-R comedies, UNFINISHED BUSINESS (March 6) and GET HARD (March 27), two R-rated action-thrillers, RUN ALL NIGHT (March 13) and THE GUNMAN (March 20), and a potentially so-bad-it's-good independent Christian drama, DO YOU BELIEVE? (March 20).

March 6th
CHAPPIE  (SCI-FI/ACTION)

Directed by Neill Blomkamp; Starring: Sharlto Copley (voice), Hugh Jackman, Dev Patel, Sigourney Weaver, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Yolandi Visser
Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity.
In the latest film from Neill Blomkamp, writer/director of socio-politically conscious sci-fi films DISTRICT 9 and ELYSIUM, "CHAPPiE" is an experimental robotic law enforcement unit designed to learn and feel, with voice and performance capture by Sharlto Copley, Blomkamp's regular collaborator.  CHAPPIE appears to be returning to the wells that brought about films like ROBOCOP, SHORT CIRCUIT and A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, which Blomkamp will presumably bring a hard edge to, but CHAPPIE also promises to be more whimsical than his previous work.  DISTRICT 9 was brilliant, but full disclosure, I've not seen ELYSIUM, which was considered a bit of a letdown.  Either way, CHAPPIE promises to be unique, and probably not for everyone.

March 6th
UNFINISHED BUSINESS  (COMEDY) 
Directed by Ken Scott; Starring: Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco, Nick Frost, Sienna Miller, June Diane Raphael, Ella Anderson, James Marsden
Rated R for some strong risque sexual content/graphic nudity, and for language and drug use. 
A small business owner (Vince Vaughn) and his associates (Tom Wilkinson and Dave Franco) travel to Europe to close a business deal with life-changing implications, but the trip turns into a series of comically extreme misadventures in this THE HANGOVER/roadtrip-style comedy from the director of DELIVERY MAN.  The combination of Wilkinson and Franco is very promising, although Vaughn is a problematic leading man, but in the end, it appears to be walking the line between goofy humor and an overly nasty edge.

March 13th
CINDERELLA  (FAMILY-FANTASY/ROMANCE)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh; Starring: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, Holliday Grainger, Sophie McShera, Stellan Skarsgard, Derek Jacobi, Hayley Atwell
Rated PG for mild thematic elements.
The advertising for Disney's live-action adaptation of the classic fairy tale gives the whole story from beginning to end, but there's no sense in complaining, because they apparently haven't made any noteworthy changes to the story as everyone knows it.  Obviously it's not like the shot-for-shot remake experiment of Gus Van Sant's 1998 film PSYCHO, but it does beg the question, if it's the same thing, does a newly polished veneer and a no-doubt stunning production design by Academy Award-winner Dante Ferretti make enough of a difference?  Even still, there's something refreshing about such a straightforward, earnest approach after the manufactured action-adventure of MALEFICENT and ALICE IN WONDERLAND.  Downton Abbey's Lily James stars as the eponymous scullery maid, with Cate Blanchett as her cruel stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter (who else?) as Cinderella's Fairy Godmother.

March 13th
RUN ALL NIGHT  (ACTION/CRIME)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra; Starring: Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman, Genesis Rodriguez, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ed Harris, Boyd Holbrook, Common
Rated R for strong violence, language including sexual references, and some drug use.
Talented character actor turned middle-of-the-road action star Liam Neeson reunites with the director of last year's NON-STOP in another insane action movie, with Neeson as an aging hitman who is forced to protect his estranged son (Joel Kinnaman) and family by waging a war against his brutal former mob boss (Ed Harris).  Expect no big surprises here, this is another Neeson starring vehicle action-thriller.

March 20th
THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT  (ACTION/SCI-FI)
Directed by Robert Schwentke; Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Ray Stevenson, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller
Rated PG-13 for intense violence and action throughout, some sensuality, thematic elements and brief language.
I sort of feel bad for the people who are really looking forward to this movie.  The first one in the series was an adequately executed but inherently brain-dead concept that falls apart on a second viewing, but for this sequel, Lionsgate has brought on board director Robert Schwentke (the man who brought us the 2013 mega-flop R.I.P.D.) and the infamous screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (writer of BATMAN & ROBIN and writer/director of last year's A WINTER'S TALE).  If THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT doesn't turn out to be an utter travesty it will be a surprise.  It's strongest card to play is its hopelessly likable star Shailene Woodley, who plays Tris, the rare individual with multiple personality traits in her dystopian future world, which makes her a fugitive.  There will be revolution and sexy times as Tris and the other "divergents" wage war against Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet) and her Erudite faction.  And even while I feel bad for many of them, a significant number of this minor franchise's more fervent fan-base of shallow teen girls will be all too pleased as long as Theo James takes off his shirt.  At least Tris is a better role model than Bella Swan.

March 20th
DO YOU BELIEVE?  (DRAMA)

Directed by Jonathan M. Gunn; Starring: Ted McGinley, Mira Sorvino, Andrea Logan White, Lee Majors, Alexa PenaVega, Sean Astin, Cybill Shepherd, Brian Bosworth
Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements, an accident sequence and some violence.
The film studio that brought you the news that rocked the world, proving that God exists because you can't prove he doesn't (that's what faith is about, isn't it?) in the surprise 2014 hit GOD'S NOT DEAD, which brought delight to bad movie mavens everywhere, now has an all new Christian MAGNOLIA-wannabe with DO YOU BELIEVE?  The movie follows twelve stories to confirm its target audience's baseless fears of being the most victimized demographic in America (Christians), perpetuated by fear-mongering e-mail forwards, but then showing them how, by "coming out" as Christians, they can overcome Satan.  Right, okay, well, moving on...  No, actually, like with GOD'S NOT DEAD, I really want to see this, but I don't want to spend money that will go directly towards its makers.  If this was on Netflix for streaming, I would probably watch the hell out of this.

March 20th
THE GUNMAN  (ACTION-THRILLER)
Directed by Pierre Morel; Starring: Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, Mark Rylance, Javier Bardem, Peter Franzen, Mark Schardan, Jasmine Trinca, Rachel Lascar
Not Yet Rated
Sean Penn tries to do his own TAKEN, with the director of the original TAKEN no less, as the latest over-the-hill star to play an ex-Special Forces agent with a personal vendetta.  As an ex-Special Forces agent turned military contractor, Penn plays a man working for a company who he learns has been using him for dirty work.  When he wants out, the company throws everything they have at him, or something like that.  With a cast that includes Idris Elba, Ray Winstone and Javier Bardem, THE GUNMAN could be a cut above the rest of the "aging action hero" sub-genre.

March 27th
GET HARD  (COMEDY) 
Directed by Etan Cohen; Starring: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, Edwina Findley, Craig T. Nelson, T.I., Dan Bakkedahl, Gary Owen, Jay Pharoah
Rated R for pervasive crude and sexual content and language, some graphic nudity, and drug material. 
Will Ferrell plays a white collar criminal sentenced to ten years in prison, so he hires a black man (Kevin Hart), who unbeknownst to him is actually a mild-mannered suburbanite, to train him how to "get hard" and survive his time on the inside and not get raped.  On the one hand, both prison rape and race culture-clash comedies seem to be a bit overdone now, but on the other hand, the advertising is very funny and the Will Ferrell-Kevin Hart teaming has promise.  Ferrell and ANCHORMAN-director Adam McKay are producing through their company Gary Sanchez Productions with Etan Cohen, writer of TROPIC THUNDER, making his directorial debut.

March 27th
HOME  (ANIMATED-COMEDY/FAMILY)

Directed by Tim Johnson; Featuring the Voices of: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Jones
Rated PG for mild action and some rude humor.
Oh, DreamWorks, DreamWorks, DreamWorks.  In another attempt to create a new animated franchise with their stable of characters growing increasingly thin, their newest feature is adapted from a children's book called The True Meaning of Smekday, complete with the typical DreamWorks Animation stunt voice casting including The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons, pop star Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and comic icon Steve Martin.  Searching for a new home planet, the "Boov" race invade Earth and relocate humans, but a human girl manages to escape and team up with Oh (Parsons), a banished Boov.  It looks colorful, it looks loud and it looks hopelessly juvenile, but it's made for kids, so whatever.

The 87th Academy Awards: The Pre-Ceremony Summary, The Nominees & The Prognostication

I'm finding it hard to care much about the Academy Awards, aka "Oscars", this year, seeing as the nominees are mostly made up of well-made and prestigious movies that didn't make a strong emotional connection.  SELMA, one of the best movies of the year, was only nominated in two categories, Best Picture and Best Original Song, while the best movie of the year, THE LEGO MOVIE, didn't even get nominated for Best Animated Feature.  Meanwhile, the gilded turd AMERICAN SNIPER managed to pull together six nominations.  What a sham.  Regardless, as someone invested in movie, I'm obligated to provide a list of "will wins" and "should wins" for your consideration, and I've done so at the very last minute.  So without further ado, my summarizing, my opinionating and my prognosticating of the 87th Academy Awards:

BEST PICTURE
The Academy Award for Best Picture is the award for the best movie of the year overall, awarded directly to the producers of the winning film, but recognition of the collective efforts of the entire production.  Introduced at the first Academy Awards in 1929, honoring the best in film for 1927 and 1928, the category was originally called "Outstanding Picture", which was awarded to the silent WWI epic WINGS (at the time of the awards, Outstanding Picture was held in the same regard as "Unique and Artistic Production", given to F.W. Murnau's SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS, but the latter category was discontinued after that, and WINGS is regarded as the Best Picture of that year).  From 1944 to 2008, the number of nominees in the category was limited to five, then raised to ten in 2009 (largely attributed to the failure of 2008's THE DARK KNIGHT to garner a nomination, which emphasized the absence of popular mainstream films from the nominees), and in 2011, due to the presence of unexceptional films rounding up the number, the number of nominees was changed to 5-10, based on the percentage of votes per nominee in a preferential voting system.  There are eight nominees this year.
The Nominees: 

• AMERICAN SNIPER -Produced by Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper & Peter Morgan
• BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE) -Produced by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, John Lesher & John H. Skotchdopole
• BOYHOOD -Produced by Richard Linklater & Cathleen Sutherland
• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL -Produced by Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales & Jeremy Dawson
• THE IMITATION GAME -Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky & Teddy Schwarzman
• SELMA -Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner & Jeremy Kleiner
• THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING -Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce & Anthony McCarten
• WHIPLASH-Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook & David Lancaster

Who Will Win: BOYHOOD
Recently, the momentum appears to have shifted toward BIRDMAN, which won the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture, a typically strong indicator of which film will win at the Academy Awards, so it's awfully close.  However, BOYHOOD, an unlikely candidate to begin with, has swept most other Best Picture awards, and I believe will ultimately pull through in the end.  BOYHOOD's greatest advantage is a nomination in the Best Film Editing category, which BIRDMAN did not get, which usually goes hand-in-hand with the Best Picture and Best Director categories.
Who Should Win: BOYHOOD or SELMA
BOYHOOD is a particularly remarkable and inimitable film; snobby art people describing a book, play or movie as exploring the "human condition" is a corny cliche, but it really is fitting for BOYHOOD, a movie made over the course of 12 years with the same cast returning to film each year.  It's a movie about time and change, and how we as interact with these two absolutes, resulting one of the most wide-ranging, thought-provoking cinematic experiences of 2014, while appearing deceptively simple.  SELMA, on the other hand, is a rousing and relevant depiction of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, orchestrated in part by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as an exploration of the man who Dr. King was himself.  It's been criminally under seen, but considers its subject with a sense of immediacy and relevance that makes it worthwhile viewing for everyone, but also fulfilling and awe-inspiring.
Other Notes:
Listening to interviews with Bradley Cooper and Clint Eastwood about AMERICAN SNIPER, where they both talk about what they wanted to say about the strain of war on the homefront and the importance of understanding the plight of soldiers when they return from active war duty, I'd really like to see that movie, but boy, did they miss the mark with AMERICAN SNIPER, a dull-witted, indifferently directed, awkwardly written 2-plus hours of war scenes and home scenes without context or purpose.  It's the least of the nominees by far.
Disclaimer:
I have not seen WHIPLASH yet.


BEST DIRECTOR
The Academy Award for Best Directing (better known as "Best Director") is given in recognition of "excellence in cinematic direction achievement", awarded to the director, and due to the typically overwhelming influence of the director's work on the film as a whole, Best Director is usually awarded to the Best Picture winner.  Only four movies have been awarded Best Picture without a nomination for Best Director (WINGS, GRAND HOTEL, DRIVING MISS DAISY and ARGO), and only two directors have ever won without a nomination for Best Picture (Lewis Milestone for TWO ARABIAN KNIGHTS from 1927, and Frank Lloyd for THE DIVINE LADY from 1929).  Introduced at the first Academy Awards in 1929, there have been five nominees in the category every year since 1936.
The Nominees:

• Wes Anderson, for THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
• Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, for BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
• Richard Linklater, for BOYHOOD
• Bennett Miller, for FOXCATCHER
• Morten Tyldum, for THE IMITATION GAME

Who Will Win: Richard Linklater
Best Director and Best Picture usually go hand-in-hand, and BOYHOOD will probably win Best Picture, but even supposing that BIRDMAN provides an upset, Richard Linklater is the likely winner in recognition of the audacity of his vision BOYHOOD.
Who Should Win: Richard Linklater
BOYHOOD is the kind of movie we aren't likely to see again, a 12-year epic of intimate moments and an unparalleled scope, and the man with the vision to make it happen was Richard Linklater.
Other Notes:
The exact reasoning is unclear, but one of the most deserving contenders who failed to garner a nomination was Ava DuVernay for SELMA.  Some have speculated this was the result of poor marketing and campaigning by Paramount Pictures, that the film was finished too late in the year to be seen by enough members of the Directing branch (responsible for nominating in the category) in time, or that the predominantly older white male membership of AMPAS results in an under-representation of racial minorities and women.  Each of those speculations holds weight, but regardless, DuVernay should have gotten a nomination.


BEST ACTOR
The Academy Award for Best Actor is awarded to a male actor in recognition of "the best performance by an actor in a leading role", or the most exceptional acting performance in the role of main character for the year.  Introduced at the first Academy Awards, there have been five nominees every year since 1936.
The Nominees:

• Steve Carell, for FOXCATCHER
• Bradley Cooper, for AMERICAN SNIPER
• Benedict Cumberbatch, for THE IMITATION GAME
• Michael Keaton, for BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
• Eddie Redmayne, for THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Who Will Win: Michael Keaton
I'm wavering on this somewhat, but going with my gut, I'm calling Michael Keaton as the winner, an older actor making a comeback, which the Academy loves.  Eddie Redmayne, who, while excellent in THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, I initially dismissed as too young and too "obvious" a performance to win, has been done surprisingly strong elsewhere in the awards circuit, and it is appearing very likely that he may take home the award instead.
Who Should Win: Michael Keaton
None of the nominees particularly stand out amount the standouts this year, but all of them, with the exception of Benedict Cumberbatch, who is wholly likable in THE IMITATION GAME but similar to his popular title character in the BBC's Sherlock, are deserving of their nominations.  Michael Keaton gives his best onscreen performance since MULTIPLICITY (yes, it's a ridiculous film, but he's great in it), and I'd sure like to see him win.
Other Notes:
Another nomination that SELMA failed to get was David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr., and had he been nominated, I would be behind him winning all the way for his electrifying and thorough performance.


BEST ACTRESS
The Academy Award for Best Actress is awarded to an actress in recognition of the "best performance by an actress in a leading role", or the most exceptional acting performance in the role of main character for the year.  Introduced at the first Academy Awards, there have been five nominees since 1936.
The Nominees: 

• Marion Cotillard, for TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT
• Felicity Jones, for THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
• Julianne Moore, for STILL ALICE
• Rosamund Pike, for GONE GIRL
• Reese Witherspoon, for WILD

Who Will Win: Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore has swept the awards circuit so far and shows no signs of stopping.  She's as good as a lock for her performance as Dr. Alice Howland, a linguistics professor diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease in STILL ALICE.
Who Should Win: N/A
I'm not informed enough to have a solid opinion on this category, given that I've not seen Marion Cotillard's performance in TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT, Julianne Moore's in STILL ALICE, or Reese Witherspoon's in WILD.  Rosamund Pike was exceptional in GONE GIRL however, and Felicity Jones was sweet in THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is awarded to a male actor in recognition of the "best performance by an actor in a supporting role", however, the studio campaigning for the film may submit an actor for qualification in Best Supporting Actor or Best Actor, depending on which category the studio believes their actor has a better chance of winning.  A notable such case was for 1972, when the Best Actor winner Marlon Brando had less screen time than Best Supporting Actor nominee Al Pacino in THE GODFATHER.  Introduced at the 9th Academy Awards, there are five nominees in this category each year.
The Nominees:

• Robert Duvall, for THE JUDGE
• Ethan Hawke, for BOYHOOD
• Edward Norton, for BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
• Mark Ruffalo, for FOXCATCHER
• J.K. Simmons, for WHIPLASH

Who Will Win: J.K. Simmons
As a sadistic jazz instructor in WHIPLASH, J.K. Simmons has been receiving rave reviews and cleaning up at most of the pre-Oscars awards.
Who Should Win: Edward Norton
Of the three I've seen in this category, Mark Ruffalo for FOXCATCHER, Ethan Hawke in BOYHOOD and Edward Norton in BIRDMAN, all are excellent performances, all of which I'd be thrilled to see win, but Norton, as the erratic method actor Mike Shiner in BIRDMAN stands out in a very loud film with more than enough humor and intensity to win my inconsequential vote.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is awarded to an actress in recognition of the "best performance by an actress in a supporting role", and similar to Best Supporting Actor, may in some cases be interchangeable with nominations for Best Actress, as in the case of this year's Patricia Arquette, who is for all intents and purposes, the female lead of BOYHOOD.  Introduced at the 9th Academy Awards, there are five nominees in this category each year.
The Nominees: 

• Patricia Arquette, for BOYHOOD
• Laura Dern, for WILD
• Keira Knightley, for THE IMITATION GAME
• Emma Stone, for BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
• Meryl Streep, for INTO THE WOODS

Who Will Win: Patricia Arquette
As Olivia Evans, the central character Mason Jr.'s mother in BOYHOOD, Patricia Arquette has caught the eye of the critics, prognosticators and pre-Oscar awards alike.
Who Should Win: Patricia Arquette
I really liked Keira Knightley in THE IMITATION GAME, but Patricia Arquette is the whole package in BOYHOOD, a rich and layered performance that literally and in narrative spans a timeline of twelve years, as we get to see her grow and change and wisen.


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is awarded to the screenwriter or screenwriting team in recognition of an exceptional screenplay written originally for the screen, not based in or adapted from any previously published material.  This may include screenplays based on a true story, as long as the story has not been previously been published as in a book, play or magazine, etc.  It was first introduced in 1940 and later combined with the category for Best Story in 1957.  There are five nominees in this category each year.
The Nominees: 

• BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE), written by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
• BOYHOOD, written by Richard Linklater
• FOXCATCHER, written by E. Max Frye & Dan Futterman
• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, written by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
• NIGHTCRAWLER, written by Dan Gilroy

Who Will Win: BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
BIRDMAN is exceptionally written, and better yet, it caters to the art vs. escapism debate that occupies so much of the Academy Awards.
Who Should Win: BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
Out of its nine nominations, BIRDMAN most earns a win in this category for its passionate, dialogue-driven writing that produces a heated debate on the merits of 'high art' versus the merits of crowd-pleasing 'escapism' with intellect that refuses to talk down to audiences but with sharp and acerbic humor throughout.  It is one of the most intellectually ambitious movies of 2014, and it delivers on its ambitions.
Disclaimer: I have not seen NIGHTCRAWLER yet.


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is awarded to the screenwriter or screenwriting team in recognition of an exceptional screenplay based on a previously published source material such as a book, play, short story, TV show, article,etc. as well as from another films, as in the case of a sequel or remake.  Introduced at the first Academy Awards, there have been five nominations in this category each year since 1936.
The Nominees: 

• AMERICAN SNIPER, written by Jason Hall, adapted from American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen & Jim DeFelice 
• THE IMITATION GAME, written by Graham Moore, adapted from Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges 
• INHERENT VICE, written by Paul Thomas Anderson, adapted from Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon 
• THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, written by Anthony McCarten, adapted from Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking 
• WHIPLASH, written by Damien Chazelle, adapted from his 2013 short film "Whiplash" 

Who Will Win: WHIPLASH
Although THE IMITATION GAME has the Harvey Weinstein, Oscar Hunter Extraordinaire, behind it, and makes a strong case, WHIPLASH is a critically-acclaimed indie hit that doesn't come with the controversial inaccuracy claims that THE IMITATION GAME does.  Furthermore, while the Academy is notorious for playing it safe, one category that seems to be a common exception to that rule is Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted.
Who Should Win: N/A
I still haven't seen WHIPLASH or INHERENT VICE, and I'm not particularly wild about the writing on any of the other three.  THE IMITATION GAME was a very moving albeit traditional biopic, but I hardly considered the writing, while adequate, to be its strong suit, and THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING is so dry and straightforward, it seems more like rounding out the category than anything else.  AMERICAN SNIPER on the other hand, made me laugh out loud to see among the nominees (this happened twice, the second time for seeing it in Best Film Editing), simply because it is a poorly made movie, and the writing is one of the two weakest links in an already very weak chain.  Why don't we just nominate TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION while we're at it?


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE 
The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is awarded to the "best animated file with a running time of more than 40 minutes, a significant number of the major characters animated, and at least 75 percent of the picture's running time including animation", essentially a Best Picture award specifically for animated films.  It is the youngest category in the Academy Awards, having been introduced in 2001, for which it was awarded to SHREK.  It was added in recognition of the rarity with which even the most exceptional animated films are nominated for Best Picture, having only happened once before in 1991 with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.  If sixteen or more eligible films are submitted for consideration, there will be five nominees, fifteen or less will result in only three nominations.
The Nominees: 

• BIG HERO 6, directed by Don Hall & Chris Williams, produced by Roy Conli
• THE BOXTROLLS, directed by Anthony Stacchi & Graham Annable, produced by Travis Knight
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, directed by Dean DeBlois, produced by Bonnie Arnold
• SONG OF THE SEA, directed by Tomm Moore, produced by Paul Young
• THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA, directed by Isao Takahata, produced by Yoshiaki Nishimura

Who Will Win: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2
THE LEGO MOVIE should have been nominated, and the absence of such a mind-numbingly obvious choice puts an overwhelming blemish on the category this year like nothing that wins could matter, but it will probably go to HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2.
Who Should Win: THE LEGO MOVIE
Of the nominations, BIG HERO 6 is the best by a relatively small margin, but anything that might win in the absence of THE LEGO MOVIE having a nomination feels like a pretender to the throne.
Disclaimer:
I haven't seen SONG OF THE SEA or THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA.


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded to a cinematographer, also known as the director of photography, for exceptional camerawork and lighting in a film.  It was introduced at the 1st Academy Awards, and was later divided into two separate competitive categories, Best Cinematography (Color) and Best Cinematography (Black and White) in 1936.  With color film becoming the norm, the two categories were reunited into one category for Best Cinematography in 1967.  There are five nominees in this category.
The Nominees:

• Emmanuel Lubezki, for BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
• Robert Yeoman, for THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
• Lukasz Zal & Ryszard Lenczewski, for IDA
• Dick Pope, for MR. TURNER
• Roger Deakins, for UNBROKEN

Who Will Win: Emmanuel Lubezki
Who knows how much attention BIRDMAN would have even received if it weren't for Emmanuel Lubezki's highly-intensive, experimental "one-shot" cinematography that got everyone talking?
Who Should Win: Emmanuel Lubezki
This comes with a definite qualifier, because as remarkable as the one-shot experiment (shot and edited together to look as if the movie was filmed non-stop from beginning to end with a single camera), the spinning around dialogue scenes to show all the faces made me somewhat nauseous.  Even still, the audacity and skill of it should not be ignored.
Disclaimer: I have not seen MR. TURNER or UNBROKEN yet.


BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Academy Award for Best Production Design is awarded to the art director(s) and set decorator(s) of a film for the environment and set design of the film.  Introduced at the 1st Academy Awards as Best Interior Decoration, then renamed Best Art Direction in 1940 and divided into Color and Black and White categories from 1940 to 1967, it was last renamed as Best Production Design in 2012.  This category has five nominees.
The Nominees:

• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
• THE IMITATION GAME
• INTERSTELLAR
• INTO THE WOODS
• MR. TURNER

Who Will Win: THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
It could be argued that Wes Anderson's films are over-designed, but frankly, that's never been a hinderance to winners in the Best Production Desing category.
Who Should Win: INTERSTELLAR
INTERSTELLAR may have been a letdown as a film, but there's nothing to knock against the production design, especially the incredible quadrilateral robots TARS and CASE, created on set and location with physical puppets.
Disclaimer: I have not yet seen MR. TURNER.


BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
The Academy Award for Best Makeup & Hairstyling is awarded to the principle makeup designer/artist and hairstylist/designer of film featuring exceptional achievements in hair and makeup, typically awarded to highly stylized fantasy films with complex prosthetic makeup, or costume dramas/period-pieces.  First introduced as a competitive category as Best Makeup in 1981, following the previous awards' failure to recognize the special achievement of Christopher Tucker's work on THE ELEPHANT MAN, the first winner in the category was Rick Baker for 1981's AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON.  The category was renamed Best Makeup & Hairstyling in 2012.  Although there is not a fixed number of nominees in this category, there are typically three, and on rare occasion, there have been has many as four and as few as three.
The Nominees: 

• FOXCATCHER
• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
• GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Who Will Win: FOXCATCHER
Although receiving five nominations, FOXCATCHER will likely win only for Best Makeup & Hairstyling, for its transforming prosthetic makeup.
Who Should Win: FOXCATCHER
Although for whatever reason Steve Carell does not quite look like the real John DuPont in FOXCATCHER, he definitely doesn't look like Steve Carell (his excellent performance doesn't hurt either).  Through the magic of movie makeup, he's transformed into a gargoyle of a little man, an outer layer through which another man yearns to escape, but most importantly, it doesn't look like makeup.  If you didn't already know it was Carell, you almost certainly wouldn't realize that it is him, at least not for a good while.  On the more subtle side are Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, roughed and battered from the years of wrestling in their character backgrounds.


BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is awarded to the principle costume designer of a film featuring exceptional and original costumes.  Introduced in 1948 at the 21st Academy Awards and given as two awards, one for Color and one for Black and White, the two were merged in 1967.  It is typically awarded to non-contemporary films, such as period pieces, science fiction and fantasy, and has five nominees.
The Nominees:

• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
• INHERENT VICE
• INTO THE WOODS
• MALEFICENT
• MR. TURNER

Who Will Win: THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
While it could possibly swing in favor of MALEFICENT, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL appears likely to do most of its cleaning up in the visuals-based technical categories.
Who Should Win: N/A
While I haven't seen INHERENT VICE or MR. TURNER, all of these are worthy candidates, but none in particular stand out among the rest.

BEST FILM EDITING
The Academy Award for Best Film Editing is awarded to the prinicple editor, who assembles the footage of a film into the finished product, including selecting shots and piecing together sequences and ordering those sequences, usually in close correlation with the director.  The award is typically given in recognition of exceptional and creative editing that tells a film's story clearly and concisely, with bonus points for originality.  While differentiating the editor's efforts from the writing and directing may be difficult, resulting in an underappreciation of its importance by some, the editing process' enormous importance on the finished film as a whole means this award is usually closely tied to the nominations and winners of the Best Picture and Best Director categories.  Introduced at the 7th Academy Awards for 1934, there are five nominees for this award.
The Nominees:

• AMERICAN SNIPER
• BOYHOOD
• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
• THE IMITATION GAME
• WHIPLASH

Who Will Win: BOYHOOD
Editing together BOYHOOD's much touted 12-year production is a feat unlikely to go unappreciated.
Who Should Win: BOYHOOD
Filming over the course of 12 years, it would be easy to lose sight of the narrative of such a vast and yet intimate story, especially looking back at it and having to piece it together.  There are no hiccups in the storytelling of BOYHOOD however, a movie that is, on the surface, a loose compilation of events over the course of 12 years, but holds a powerful narrative beneath about human beings and our relation to the inevitable passage of time.
Other Notes: 
I laughed out loud when I heard AMERICAN SNIPER was nominated for Best Film Editing.  Whatever it's merits, the editing is not one of them.  It's a jumble of scenes with context or purpose, and I don't know if the editors just had to work with sub-par material created by Clint Eastwood, or if they're as or more complicit in the storytelling faillure of AMERICAN SNIPER.  BIRDMAN, on the other hand, curiously failed to get the nomination (if it wins, it would be the first time a Best Picture-winner wasn't nominated for Best Film Editing since 1981), in spite of the obviously necessary collaboration of the editor with the cinematography to create the one-shot effect.


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is awarded to the principle visual effects supervisors of a film with exceptional technical achievement visual/special effects work, according to the criteria of "the contribution the special effects make to the overall production and the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved".  Although special achievement awards for visual effects have been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards, when WINGS won a special award for Best Engineering Effects, the award for Best Effects, combining sound and visuals, was awarded as a competitive category from 1939 to 1965, when it was changed to Best Special Visual Effects, specifically for visual effects.  From 1972 until 1977, there was no competitive category for effects, and in 1977, it was reintroduced as Best Visual Effects and was only a competitive category when there were multiple films that year with substantive advances in visual effects, and other years was awarded as a special achievement award.  It was made one of the regular categories in 1995, and since 2010, there have been five nominees each year.
The Nominees:

• CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
• DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
• GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
• INTERSTELLAR
• X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Who Will Win: DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Who Should Win: DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
2011's RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES made exceptional use of performance-capture computer-generated imagery (CGI) visuals, but its sequel, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES took that exceptional use and built on it with exceptionally photo-realistic rendering.  The only reason we know they aren't real apes is because you can't train real apes to do that.  CGI effects have reached a point where practically anything can be created onscreen, but DAWN... also uses that technology to enormous benefit of the film as a whole.


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Academy Award for Best Original Score is awarded to the composer of an exceptional and substantially original musical score written specifically for a film.  Introduced at the 7th Academy Awards for 1934 as Best Music (Scoring), the category has been split a number of times, between Best Music (Scoring) and Best Music (Original Score) from 1938 to 1940, then as Best Music (Score of a Dramatic Picture) and Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture) in 1941, Best Music (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) and Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture) from 1942 to 1961, Best Music (Substantially Original Score) and Best Music (Scoring of a Music-adaptation or Treatment) from 1962 to 1969, Best Original Score and Best Original Song Score or Adaptation from 1970 to 1980.  Best Original Song Score, honoring the musical whole of a musical specifically, then was dropped for 1980 and 1981, due to the diminishing presence of movie musicals, and brought back for '82, '83 and '84.  1985-1994 it was a single category for Best Original Score, but in response to four wins by animated Disney musicals from 1989 to 1994, the category was again split to create more variety from 1995 to 1998, as Best Dramatic Score and Best Musical/Comedy Score, but ironically, the only Disney film to win for Best Comedy/Musical Score during those five years was POCAHONTAS for 1995.  Since 1999, it has again been a single award for Best Original Score, with five nominees each year.
The Nominees:

• THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, score composed by Alexandre Desplat
• THE IMITATION GAME, score composed by Alexandre Desplat
• INTERSTELLAR, score composed by Hans Zimmer
• MR. TURNER, score composed by Gary Yershon
• THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, score composed by Johann Johannsson

Who Will Win: THE IMITATION GAME
Who Should Win: THE IMITATION GAME
Including this year, Alexandre Desplat's scores have earned him eight nominations with no wins, but this year he has two nominations, and almost definitely one will win.  The best of the two is from THE IMITATION GAME, a good movie that's had a lot of backlash, perhaps deservedly, but nonetheless a good movie with a very sweet score.


BEST ORIGINAL SONG
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is awarded to the lyricist(s) and composer(s) of an exceptional original song written specifically for a movie.  First introduced at the 7th Academy Awards for 1934, and since the awards for 1945, there have been five nominees each year.

• "Everything is Awesome" from THE LEGO MOVIE
• "Glory" from SELMA
• "Grateful" from BEYOND THE LIGHTS
• "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" from GLEN CAMPBELL: I'LL BE ME
• "Lost Stars" from BEGIN AGAIN

Who Will Win: "Everything is Awesome" from THE LEGO MOVIE
Who Should Win: "Everything is Awesome" from THE LEGO MOVIE
"Everything is Awesome" will win probably as something of a consolation for the widely recognized boner of failing to nominate it as a Best Animated Feature.  Also, regardless of how it gets stuck inside your head until you just wish you could die, which was similar to last year's winner, "Let It Go" from FROZEN, it's a fun song.  However, "Glory" from SELMA, would be deserving as well.


OTHER AWARDS THAT MOST PEOPLE WRITE OFF AND THAT'S FINE
BEST SOUND EDITING
Awarded for exceptional "sound design", the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing applies to unique and aesthetically exceptional post-production sound recording and editing.  For some reason, FURY was not nominated, but because nobody pays attention to the sound categories except for the people working in that field, there wasn't any outcry.  FURY had amazing sound editing though.  It will probably go to AMERICAN SNIPER, a commercial hit that won't likely win anything else, but BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE) could provide an upset.
BEST SOUND MIXING
The Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing is awarded to the sound mixers and re-recording mixers of a film which features exceptional levels and recording of sound, which is why it's bizarre that INTERSTELLAR, a movie about which people complained of not being able to hear the dialogue over the sound effects, was nominated.  However, some of the outspoken Academy voters have admitted to not really knowing the difference between the two sound categories, so there you go.  For that same reason, AMERICAN SNIPER will probably win this award as well, while BIRDMAN, again, could provide an upset.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The only movie of the nominees that I saw was IDA, which appears to be the frontrunner to win, but it was slow and only intermittently interesting.
BEST DOCUMENTARY - FEATURE
The only nominee in this category that I saw was LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM, which was interesting but depressing.  CITIZENFOUR, the documentary about Edward Snowden, is the clear frontrunner to win.
BEST DOCUMENTARY - SHORT SUBJECT
This is one of those categories that usually has a bunch of nominations for movies I've never heard of, being documentary short films that rarely get wide distribution.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
This is the other category that usually has a bunch of nominations for movies I've never heard of, being live action short films that rarely get wide distribution.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
I've usually heard about one or two of these nominees, if they're made by a major animation studio like Disney or Pixar, which play them before their widely-released feature films.  The only one this year that I've seen is Disney's Feast, which played before BIG HERO 6 in theaters.  It's a good one, and will probably win.

Date Night Movies on Netflix for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the biggest non-holiday holiday, is this Saturday and the All-American date night is dinner and a movie, but what movie?  If you plan on staying in, there are a few great options available to stream instantly on Netflix.  This list is far from comprehensive, merely a sampling, but these six are some of the cream of the crop, for either couples or stag viewing.

BEAUTIFUL GIRLS  (COMEDY-DRAMA/ROMANCE) 
Directed by Ted Demme
Starring: Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Natalie Portman, Lauren Holly, Mira Sorvino, Noah Emmerich, Max Perlich, Michael Rapaport, Annabeth Gish, Martha Plimpton, Rosie O'Donnell, Anne Bobby
Rated R for strong language and nude pin-ups.
112 minutes
4/4
Even though it's a low-key movie all about relationships, Ted Demme's BEAUTIFUL GIRLS is more a guy's movie than a lady's movie, but that's not to say that the ladies won't like it as well.
Willie Conway (Timothy Hutton) is at a crossroads when he returns home for a high school reunion.  The only one of his group of friends to make it out of their small, snowy town of Knights Ridge, Massachusetts, Willie is struggling to make it as a musician, but approaching age 30, is contemplating marriage to his long-term girlfriend and a more steady job.  His friend Tommy Rowland (Matt Dillon), who was the high school football star and now drives a snowplow, feels regret for not fulfilling his potential, and despite having a devoted girlfriend, is having an affair with his now-married high school flame.  Others in their group of friends are dealing with their own inability to settle into adulthood and appreciate their relationships, while Willie starts developing a highly questionable interest with the 13-year old neighbor girl, Marty (Natalie Portman in an early role), and the local bartender's visiting cousin Andera (Uma Thurman) starts turning every man's head.
It's a soft-spoken, warmhearted, feel-good movie with lots of humor, and has a strong appreciation for the power of human affection.

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS aka 十面埋伏  (ACTION-ADVENTURE/ROMANCE, 2004) 
Directed by Yimou Zhang
Starring: Andy Lau, Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Dandan Song
Rated PG-13 for sequences of stylized martial arts violence, and some sexuality.
119 minutes
3/4
It's a bit on the corny side, but HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS makes up for it in visual splendor, thrilling and inventive action scenes and a romantic simplicity.
A wuxia film (translated as "martial hero", a Chinese genre featuring hyper-stylized, poetic action, i.e. CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON), HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS is more a love story than anything else.  Set in medieval China, Jin, a police captain (Takeshi Kaneshiro) is tasked with bringing down a Robin Hood-esque rebel organization called the Flying Daggers.  When a blind dancer named Mei (Ziyi Zhang) is arrested and believed to be connected to the Flying Daggers, Jin poses as an unaffiliated warrior and breaks her out of prison, promising to escort her to the Flying Daggers' base and allowing him to infiltrate the rebel community.  But naturally, they start to fall for one another on the trip, while various warring factions attack them from both sides.
Inspired by an ancient Chinese poem (which is presented as a song in the film), it's a lush, violent story that may be a bit hamfisted in its emotions, but it's an engrossing experience.

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR aka LA VIE D'ADELE - CHAPITRES 1 & 2  (DRAMA/ROMANCE, 2013) 
Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
Starring: Adele Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux, Salim Kechiouche, Aurelien Recoing, Catherine Salee, Benjamin Siksou, Mona Walravens, Alma Jodorowsky, Jeremie Laheurte
Rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content.
179 minutes
3.5/4
People who read this probably won't see BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR, but I'd like you know that's it's a really good movie anyway, and a notable movie romance.
The winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, awarded by a jury headed by Steven Spielberg, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR or La Vie D'Adele - Chapitres 1 & 2 (translated as "The Life of Adele - Chapters 1 & 2") is a three-hour French romantic drama with a lot of eating and some very lengthy, extremely graphic lesbian sex scenes (okay, some of you might watch the movie now).  Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos) is a young high school student, surrounded by a teen girl culture obsessed with boys, but such relationships don't seem to work for her.  But then she meets an outgoing art student named Emma (Lea Seydoux), who opens her eyes to a whole other way of life, and they experience a long-term relationship as Adele blossoms into a woman.
It's an intimate epic about love found and lost, finding your identity, even as an outsider, and the dichotomy between French class, culture and politics.  Just know what you're getting into before you watch it on a first (or twentieth) date.

MARTY  (DRAMA/ROMANCE, 1955) 
Directed by Delbert Mann
Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair, Esther Minciotti, Augusta Ciolli, Joe Mantell, Karen Steele, Jerry Paris, Frank Sutton
Not Rated (PG-level; some mild thematic elements including suggestive content).
90 minutes 
3/4
The Academy Award-winner for Best Picture from 1955 and winner of the Palme d'Or at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, one of only two films in history to win both highly prestigious awards, MARTY is heavily celebrated and respected movie that is nonetheless mostly forgotten by the general public.  A feel-good romance for the lonely-hearted, the Academy Award-winning screenplay is the story of Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine, in an Academy Award-winning performance), a friendly, Italian-American butcher who lives with his widowed mother in The Bronx.  Hurt too many times in the game of love, past his prime and not particularly attractive, Marty has resigned himself to being a bachelor, but one night, after being pressured into going out to a dance, he meets Clara (Betsy Blair), a plain-looking schoolteacher abandoned by her callous blind date.  Together they spend the evening, finding in one another a kindred spirit, but having finally found what just might be real love, Marty finds opposition on all sides, from his misogynistic friends and his mother, who worries about being left alone once he marries.
It's a simple and sweet story, with plenty of cultural flavor.

ANNIE HALL  (ROMANTIC-COMEDY, 1977) 
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Janet Margolin, Shelley Duvall, Christopher Walken, Colleen Dewhurst, Jonathan Munk
Rated PG for unspecified reasons (PG-13-level; mature thematic elements involving sexual content, and some drug use).
93 minutes
3.5/4
ANNIE HALL isn't a typical romance movie.  It's more of a cinematic essay on romantic relationships, sex and gender dynamics, mixing in elements of political and cultural identity, told with a fast-paced, unconventional, self-aware narrative style.
Arguably Woody Allen's best movie, and the movie that, perhaps unjustly, stole the Academy Award for Best Picture away from STAR WARS (ANNIE HALL is great, but come on, it's STAR WARS!), it's about Alvy Singer (Allen), a highly neurotic New York comedian, as he looks back on his relationship with the WASP-y Annie Hall (Diane Keaton), how it started, where it went and how it ended.
Funnily enough, even in the shadow of STAR WARS, ANNIE HALL is a cultural touchstone in its own right, laying the foundation for many screen romances to follow, like WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.  It's funny, wry, intellectual and endlessly discussable.

THE APARTMENT  (COMEDY-DRAMA/ROMANCE) 
Directed by Billy Wilder
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Jack Kruschen, Ray Walston, David Lewis, Hope Holiday, Joan Shawlee, Naomi Stevens, Johnny Seven, Joyce Jameson
Not Rated (PG-13-level; mature thematic elements, some suggestive material and smoking).
125 minutes
4/4
THE APARTMENT is one of those movies that's almost too perfect.  Okay, actually, it's not "perfect"; it's a bit dated and misogynistic, but it's such a feel good rush that it might as well be perfect.
Writer/director Billy Wilder's Academy Award-winner for Best Picture, which also won him his second Academy Award for Best Director and his third for Best Screenplay, THE APARTMENT blends Wilder's trademark cynical wit with real, heartfelt emotion and sympathy.  Jack Lemmon (reuniting with Wilder after SOME LIKE IT HOT) stars as C.C. "Bud" Baxter, an lonesome cog in the vast machinery that is the insurance company he works for, but he's slowly working his way up the ranks in an unconventional way.  Baxter loans his apartment out to his office superiors as a love nest, for their individual romantic trysts, and when news of the arrangements makes its way up to the big boss, Mr. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he wants in too, and Baxter finally gets the big promotion he's been waiting for.  But it turns out that Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), the elevator girl and object of Baxter's affections, is Sheldrake's secret paramour.
It's an emotional roller coaster from old Hollywood; funny, sad, smart and sweet.  It came out near the end of "Old Hollywood" in 1960, and represents an emerging presence of sexuality and other adult themes in movies, but it has the glorious feel of a classic Hollywood romance that people associate with the Golden Age.

Review: JUPITER ASCENDING

JUPITER ASCENDING  (SCI-FI-FANTASY/ACTION-ADVENTURE)

2.5 out of 4 stars 
Directed by The Wachowskis
Starring: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Tuppence Middleton, Douglas Booth, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Christina Cole, Ramon Tikaram
Rated PG-13 for some violence, sequences of sci-fi action, some suggestive content and partial nudity.
127 minutes
Verdict: If you can wade through all the over-plotted science fiction mumbo jumbo, the Wachowskis' space opera has a bit of summer fun to be had, even if it's only a bit.
YOU MAY ENJOY JUPITER ASCENDING IF YOU LIKED:
JOHN CARTER  (2012)
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY  (2014)
STAR TREK  (2009)
ENDER'S GAME  (2013)
SERENITY  (2005)

Andy and Lana Wachowski are just about the weirdest filmmakers who can get over $100 million from a major Hollywood studio to make an unsellable movie.  JUPITER ASCENDING is the third film from the Wachowskis since the Matrix trilogy, following the box office bombs SPEED RACER in 2008 and CLOUD ATLAS in 2012, and it's their biggest film yet.  They simply don't make movies like this in Hollywood- a $176 million space opera with a wholly original story and no brand name, unless you count the Wachowskis, who haven't had hit since THE MATRIX RELOADED and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, both released in 2003, and most people don't even like those.  JUPITER ASCENDING is an insane movie with the deck stacked against it, and even still, the fact that we're unlikely to see something of its breed come along again anytime soon is kind of sad.  Plus, it's kind of fun.

Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is an unassuming cleaning lady who lives with her big Russian family in Chicago and hates her life, but when she's attacked by supernatural creatures on orders to assassinate her, and a genetically-engineered warrior called Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) rescues her, she discovers that she's actually at the center of an intergalactic family feud.  Believed to be the reincarnated matriarch of the House of Abrasax, a powerful interplanetary dynasty that measures its wealth in the inhabited planets they own and harvest the lifeforms of to create a valuable youth serum, Jupiter represents a new tangle in the scheming of the three Abrasax heirs; Titus (Douglas Booth), Kalique (Tuppence Middleton) and the most brutal with the most to lose, Balem (Eddie Redmayne).  With a bounty on her head, and Balem threatening to harvest the Earth rather than lose it to Jupiter, who possesses a claim to it, Caine resolves to help her claim her royal status.
As you can probably tell, JUPITER ASCENDING lays the science fiction mumbo jumbo on very thick.  There's actually a sequence in which Jupiter has to work her way through all the comically convoluted intergalactic bureaucracy of various forms and governmental departments, dealing with arbitrary rules and absurd conventions, providing a commentary on the the movie as a whole in a way that almost seems aware.  In doesn't help that the movie is severely over-plotted, with constantly twisting narratives driven by continuously changing politics.  There's no strong through-line in the thick mishmash of the Wachowskis' Eastern philosophies and loosely stung together scenarios.  In all the pieces that struggle to come together in a cohesive whole,it is comprised of YA fantasy, Star Wars and Terry Gilliam styles of science fiction, and other elements.

 They have a cast however, that is surprisingly adept at dealing with their material, especially Tatum, who just keeps getting better and better, and gives JUPITER ASCENDING a sly sense of humor about itself as a "splice", a genetically-engineered warrior, part man, part wolf.
The movie was originally scheduled for release on July 2014, prior to being rescheduled just a couple of months before, citing the necessity of more time to finish the visual effects.  Maybe they did spend some more time on visual effects, but it doesn't take a box office analyst to see the obvious difficulty of selling a summer blockbuster without a brand to go with it.  Even in February, it isn't expected to do the business necessary to justify a $176 million budget, although it might be able to break even in the international box office.  But there's no mistaking it for anything other than a summer movie, even with its slow season YA adaptation traits.  With a Michael Giacchino musical score and colorful, exciting (if somewhat over-designed) action set-pieces, JUPITER ASCENDING is actually a fair bit of fun once you wade through the convoluted plotting and over-explained sci-fi world-building.
It's not for everyone, but it's kind of fun if you just go with it.

Review: THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER

THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER  (ANIMATED-COMEDY/KIDS)

2 out of 4
Directed by Paul Tibbit
Starring: Antonio Banderas
Featuring the Voices of: Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Clancy Brown, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence
Rated PG for mild action and rude humor.
93 minutes
Verdict: Spongebob Squarepants' second outing on the big screen is perfectly decent children's fare and even has the occasional big laugh, not to mention the all-too-welcome presence of a mostly traditionally-animated production, but it's also woefully lacking in the subversive zaniness and heart of the first Spongebob movie, and of the better TV episodes.
YOU MAY ENJOY THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER IF YOU LIKED:
THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE  (2004)
JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS  (2001)
THE RUGRATS MOVIE  (1998)
RANGO  (2011)
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES  (2014)

From 1999 to 2004, Stephen Hillenburg's Nickelodeon children's animated series Spongebob Squarepants was a a far, far better show than a show of it's kind ought to have been.  Markedly subversive and sharp-witted, with just enough heart for substance (but not enough that you'd notice if you weren't looking for it), the "absorbent, yellow and porous" cultural phenomenon even provoked evangelical groups to accuse the show of promoting homosexuality to children.  That's how you know it's good.  But by Season 4, before which showrunner/series creator Stephen Hillenburg resigned (staying on as executive producer), and writer Paul Tibbit took over as showrunner, the series became a pale imitation of its former self.  It became what everyone should have expected the show to be in the first place, a kid's show, loud and colorful, with maybe a good joke here or there, but nothing special.  Comparable to the dividing point to the series, in contrast to the hilarious and goofy surrealism of the Hillengurg-directed THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE released over a decade ago, the Tibbit-directed THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER is a mere kid's movie.  It's a decent kid's movie, and does its darnedest to emulate what made the the first three seasons and first feature film starring its characters so special, but it always seems to be grasping at smoke.
Down in the depths of the seafloor community of Bikini Bottom, Spongebob (voiced by Tom Kenny) and his fast food proprietor boss, Mr. Krabs (voiced by Tom Clancy) zealously guard the secret formula to Krabs' Krabby Patty, an addictive burger around which everyone's lives revolve, and which rival restaurateur Plankton (voiced by Mr. Lawrence) would do anything to get his hands on.  When the secret formula to the Krabby Patty suddenly vanishes though, all of Bikini Bottom descends into madness, and the number-one suspect, Plankton, is at as much a loss as everyone else.  So Spongebob makes the unpopular decision to team up with Plankton and find out what happened to the secret formula, an investigation that will pit them against the pirate Burger Beard (played in live action by Antonio Banderas).

There are moments of surprising laughs, but most of the comedy relies too heavily on cheap and broad puns, without investment to even crack much of a smile.  There's plenty of silliness, but the movie rarely knows how to use it.  Banderas is one of the stronger elements, hamming the hell up out of his part, as a villainous, but children's fantasy-friendly pirate with curious ambitions and surrounded by a flock of annoying talking seagulls.
While the marketing has cynically focused almost entirely on the movie's third-act CGI sequences, the movie is refreshingly mostly in the traditionally animated realm, a nearly extinct medium for mainstream family films today.  To be fair, the CGI is quite good, and definitely interesting to look at, but feel unnecessary and obligatory to the marketing department.
In the end though, THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER is simply a children's movie, and the opinions of just about anyone older than eight or nine years old aren't particularly relevant.  If you're a parent accompanying children, it's only 93 minutes long, and it's not painful.  It's just not something that parents will enjoy nearly as much as the kids the movie is aimed at.