2011 Academy Award Winners List

This year's hosts, Anne Hathaway and James Franco were all right (how many dresses did Hathaway HAVE?), but the nominations excited me the most.

I enjoyed seeing actor veteran, Kirk Douglas, crackin' a few jokes as he was on stage as he was truly brillant. "You know..."

Here's all the winners of the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony! Congratulations to all the winners!

Are you happy with the results? Who deserved it and who do you believe got snubbed?

Best Art Direction – ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Best Cinematography – INCEPTION

Best Supporting Actress – MELISSA LEO (THE FIGHTER)

Best Animated Short Film – THE LOST THING

Best Animated Feature – TOY STORY 3

Best Adapted Screenplay – AARON SORKIN (THE SOCIAL NETWORK)

Best Original Screenplay – THE KING’S SPEECH

Best Foreign Language Film – IN A BETTER WORLD

Best Supporting Actor – CHRISTIAN BALE (THE FIGHTER)

Best Original Score – THE SOCIAL NETWORK


Achievement in Sound – INCEPTION


Best Sound Editing – INCEPTION



Best Achievement in Makeup – THE WOLF MAN



Best Achievement in Costume Design – ALICE IN WONDERLAND



Best Documentary Short – STRANGERS NO MORE



Best Live Action Short – GOD OF LOVE



Best Documentary Feature Film – INSIDE JOB



Best Visual Effects – INCEPTION

Best Film Editing – THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Best Original Song – RANDY NEWMAN (TOY STORY 3)

Best Director – TOM HOOPER (THE KING’S SPEECH)

Best Actress – NATALIE PORTMAN (BLACK SWAN)

Best Actor – COLIN FIRTH (THE KING’S SPEECH)

Best Picture – THE KING’S SPEECH

Keep on watchin'
The Little Critic

83rd Academy Awards Nominations

Here's the nominations list in its entirety. I'm excited to see the outcomes of this year's ceremony! What are your personal favorites to win in whichever category?

Any films you feel like they ruled out unfairly or overlooked?

Either way, these are the official nominations of the 83rd Academy Awards:



BEST PICTURE


127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King’s Speech

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter’s Bone



BEST ACTOR

Javier Bardem, Biutiful

Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

James Franco, 127 Hours



BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, The Fighter

John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone

Jeremy Renner, The Town

Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech



BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine



BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech

Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom



BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit

David Fincher, The Social Network

Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

David O. Russell, The Fighter



BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Another Year, written by Mike Leigh

The Fighter, Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson

Inception, written by Christopher Nolan

The Kids Are All Right, written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

The King's Speech, Screenplay by David Seidler



BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

127 Hours, Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

Toy Story 3, Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

True Grit, written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Winter's Bone, adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini



BEST SCORE

127 Hours, A.R. Rahman

How to Train Your Dragon, John Powell

Inception, Hans Zimmer

The King’s Speech, Alexandre Desplat

The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross



BEST SONG

“Coming Home,” Country Strong, Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey

“I See the Light,” Tangled, Alan Menken, Glenn Slater

“If I Rise,” 127 Hours, A.R. Rahman, Dido, Rollo Armstrong

“We Belong Together,” Toy Story 3, Randy Newman



BEST ANIMATED FILM

How to Train Your Dragon

The Illusionist

Toy Story 3



BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Alice in Wonderland, Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1, Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi

Hereafter, Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell

Inception, Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb

Iron Man 2, Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

BEST ART DIRECTION

Alice in Wonderland, Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara

Happy Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1, Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan

Inception, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat

The King’s Speech, Eve Stewart, Judy Farr

True Grit, Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh



BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Black Swan, Matthew Libatique

Inception, Wally Pfister

The King’s Speech, Danny Cohen

The Social Network, Jeff Cronenweth

True Grit, Roger Deakins



BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Alice in Wonderland, Colleen Atwood

I Am Love, Antonella Cannarozzi

The King’s Speech, Jenny Beaven

The Tempest, Sandy Powell

True Grit, Mary Zophres



BEST DOCUMENTARY

Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz

Gasland, Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic

Inside Job, Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

Restrepo, Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger

Waste Land, Lucy Walker and Angus Aynley



BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Killing in the Name

Poster Girl

Strangers No More, Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon

Sun Come Up, Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger

The Warriors of Qiugang, Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon



BEST EDITING

127 Hours, Jon Harris

Black Swan, Andrew Weisblum

The Fighter, Pamela Martin

The King’s Speech, Tariq Anwar

The Social Network, Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter



BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Hors la Loi (Outside the Law) (Algeria)

Incendies (Canada)

In a Better World (Denmark)

Dogtooth (Greece)

Biutiful (Mexico)



BEST MAKEUP

Barney’s Version, Adrien Morot

The Way Back, Eduoard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk, Yolanda Toussieng

The Wolfman, Rick Baker and Dave Elsey



BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Day & Night, Teddy Newton

The Gruffalo, Jakob Schuh and Max Lang

Let’s Pollute, Geefwee Boedoe

The Lost Thing, Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann

Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary), Bastien Dubois



BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT

The Confession, Tanel Toom

The Crush, Michael Creagh

God of Love, Luke Matheny

Na Wewe, Ivan Goldschmidt

Wish 143, Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite



BEST SOUND EDITING

Inception, Richard King

Toy Story 3, Tom Myers and Michael Silvers

TRON: Legacy, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague

True Grit, Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey

Unstoppable, Mark P. Stoeckinger



BEST SOUND MIXING

Inception, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick

The King’s Speech, Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley

Salt, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan, and William Sarokin

The Social Network, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, and Mark Weingarten

True Grit, Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, and Peter F. Kurland


Keep on watchin'

The Little Critic

'The Social Network' Makes Me LOL, OMG, and WTF In All the Right Places

"You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies."

Release Date: October 1, 2010

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield, Brenda Song, Rooney Mara, Armie Hammer

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Aaron Sorkin

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language.

Trailer
Official Movie Website

I remember the time I saw the first trailer for 'The Social Network.' I thought, in my judgmental mind, "Why the f!$k am I gonna watch that?! That's not gonna happen."

Months later, it happened, in the heat of grueling heartburn and the availability of the film in my apartment. Last time I eat microwavable chicken alfredo...

What made me change my mind?

'The Social Network' is director David Fincher's latest film spawn. When I found out Fincher was directing 'Network,' I couldn't help but wonder if it would be worth watching. I enjoy his work immensely. 'Seven' and 'Panic Room' are some of my favorite movies. We also cannot forget the self-proclaimed Official Movie of Testosterone, 'Fight Club.'

With so many great hits lying on top of Fincher's shoulders, I had to at least give 'Network' a chance. If Fincher was involved, then I at least knew the networking film wasn't about the occurance of Farmville.


Although both have chickens in them..they really do..

'The Social Network' revolves around the how and why the famous site that every hormonal teenager has exists.

Before Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) was the world's youngest billionaire, he was just a 20-something college student with problems. After a quick, brutal, somewhat well-deserved break-up, Mark gets drunk and starts angerily blogging about his ex, Erica Albright (the future, American 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,' Rooney Mara). He starts to form an idea of comparing pictures of women from several campuses with each other's and having visitors choose who is hot or not. He hacks into different Houses' student internet profiles and steals the pictures of all the females. This becomes FaceMash.


Dick.

FaceMash receives 250,000 hits in two hours and crashes the servers at Harvard. Zuckerberg is caught and creates some controversy for himself. He also manages to catch the attention of Harvard twins, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (both played by Armie Hammer). The twins ask him to be the programmer of a website idea that they came up with called HarvardConnection. Zuckerberg agrees, but after a moment of inspiration came up sometime in the next few days, he decides to work on his own idea and completely pushes off the responsibilities the twins had in store for him.

The rest of the film moves on with the initial evolution of Facebook, formerly called TheFacebook. Despite the fact that Facebook was meant to connect people to one another, Zuckerberg quickly begins to alienate himself from the people in his life, including best friend Eduardo Saverin ('The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus's Andrew Garfield), and finds himself under the strain of lawsuits.

I found the film particularly good for what it was about. Despite having my own Facebook (and The Little Critic having its own Fan Page, [hint hint, my dear readers]), I did not really think about how the site came about.

I know for a fact that much of this film was dramatized for the sake of drama. Even so, film-Zuckerberg was an asshole. An absolute asshole. 'Zombieland's Jesse Eisenberg did an amazing job with his role, although he did talk really, really, really, really fast. That fit the character though as it made it seem like Zuckerberg doesn't even need to think to say something quick, witty, smart, and.or rude.

It's not just Eisenberg I was impressed with, it was pretty much everyone else. Everyone's acting was not overdone or distracting, it was just the right level.

I enjoyed the interactions of the characters as well. I think Aaron Sorkin's writing was suberb at capturing human interactions and conversations, especially in the beginning of the film. I found myself really listening to what they were saying and felt like they all talked how many people converse in day-to-day life.

Trent Reznor of the famous band, Nine Inch Nails, is one of the composers for this movie. There was a big deal about that being the case and I found that to be modestly true. I wasn't appalled by it, nor did the score bring me "closer to God." Did it sound nice? Yes, it did. I think I want to hear more of Reznor's work in the future, which I know for sure, I will.

One last note: I enjoyed the cinematography. I like the darkness of scenes. I find it appealing.

I did have some personal issues with the film as I watched it, but it didn't distract me enough to stop watching. I wanted to start it and end it, and I did just that.

Unless you're a 14-year-old, you will appreciate this film and what it's about. Personally, it's not about the making of Facebook. It's not the billions of dollars Zuckerberg is making as I type all this out on my blog without pay. 'The Social Network' teaches us one thing: Don't f$#king screw your friends over.

3.5 / 5

Rent worthy? I think it's worth watching. It's not a terrible movie. Go rent it.

DVD/Blu-ray worthy? 'The Social Network' is not a movie I will go out of my way to watch over and over again. Once is good.

Oh, yeah...

Facebook me.
Keep on watchin'

The Little Critic

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'Tron: Legacy'

"The game has changed."

Release Date: December 17, 2010

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garret Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett, Michael Sheen, Bruce Boxleitner

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Writers: Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz

MPAA Rating: Rated PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and brief mild language.

Trailer


Official Website
Disney's 'Tron: Legacy' is a fluorescent-light-filled orgy of a film that's enjoyable enough to space out to in the dark, sticky-floored theater while absent-mindedly stuffing popcorn down your throat.

Not necessarily a bad thing to do, however. The effects were pretty awesome and worked well with the classic world of 'Tron.'

'Tron: Legacy' is a sequel to the original, 1982 'Tron.' For the sake of not confusing you, I will reference the 2010 film as 'Legacy' and the 80's film as 'Tron.'

'Legacy' starts off with ENCOM's CEO, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges, reprising the same role he played in the original) and his 7-year-old son some time after the events of 'Tron' happened. We see the two bonding together as the world usually expects a father and son to do. Most fathers would say, "Yes, we'll go play baseball someday and be a great team, son!" Kevin pretty much tells his son, Sam, "Sure, son...I'll bring you to the world where in my first film, a maniacal, Master Control Program tried to dispose of me with many, many dangers...but, we'll be a team, so that's okay."

After the heartfelt bonding time, Kevin leaves and mysteriously disappears for the next 20 years.

No, Sam is not another "Daddy didn't love you" sort of child.

Fast forward. Although 27-year-old Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) is a controlling shareholder of ENCOM, he takes little interest for any of it.

After a mysterious pager contact (heh..snicker..giggle..a pager!?) from his father's old office, Sam investigates Kevin's old arcade and after a series of events and an awesome rocking-to-Journey moment, Sam discovers a mysterious device. Upon more investigating/fiddling, Sam is lasered into a digital dimension of bright lights, lasers, and shiny things.

It is there, in the world of Tron, that Sam will find out what became of his father and must escape before it is too late.

So, what was awesome about 'Legacy?' Well, for the obvious starter, how about the graphics? Take a look at the trailer for 'Tron' and compare it to the trailer of 'Legacy,' provided above.

By today's graphic standards, you are legally getting eye-raped by the trailer of 'Tron' and being sweetly serenaded by 'Legacy.' To be fair, those were state-of-the-art graphics for the time, which makes me wonder how graphics will evolve in 30 more years. Maybe someday I will actually be able to feel and touch Bruce Willis' bald head the way I'm supposed to.


The only man whose head shines brighter than the sun...so..touchable..

Another pretty awesome quality to 'Legacy' was the music, composed by the French-duo known as Daft Punk. The electronic/orchestra-backed notes and sounds worked with, not against, the film. I really enjoyed the deep, pulsating bass tones creeping into my ears. I was impressed at how some themes, such as "Rectifier" were more orchestra-forward, and others, like "Derezzed" are more electronic. Two different styles, but they blend seamlessly throughout.

The acting was there, but nothing too amazing. When I think about it, I honestly was not concerned for any of the main characters' well-being. I kind of was just letting whatever happened happen without any complaint or concern. I'm kind of sad I didn't care more about them, but I just didn't. It was not like in 'Star Wars,' where you wonder what Luke would do after his Uncle and Aunt died, or in 'Up,' when Carl Fredrickson loses Ellie. I had no concern for Sam or his father. I know they're just movies, but sometimes people are so immersed with a story, we have to see if a character is going to make it all right/what happens. Don't tell me that that has never happened to you before.

Was it worth watching it in 3D? Sort of. I'm still waiting for the day when they really make use of 3D technology. So far, with the arrival of 'Avatar' and all those other films, 3D is just child's play. I think I'm gonna opt out of 3D films for a while. I can't wait for the day that 3D is so good, I can finally feel the smooth, bald head of Bruce Willis.

Rent worthy? It's worth watching once. Great for the big screen and amazing sound. It's not as awesome if you watch it on a small TV with no surround sound or whatever.

DVD/Blu-ray worthy? If you're one of those who REALLY enjoyed this film, go ahead. It's deserving of HD quality as well, so I recommend the Blu-ray release if you're into that. I don't know if it's something I would buy for myself. As cool-looking as it is, its story is "just there" for me.

Random Trivia: Cillian Murphy ('Batman Begins,' '28 Days Later') has an uncredited cameo in the film.

Daft Punk also have a cameo.

Journey's "Separate Ways" makes an awesome, loud appearance in 'Legacy.' The band also provided two songs to the original 'Tron's' soundtrack, titled "Only Solutions" and "1990's Theme."

Keep on watchin'

The Little Critic

'Tangled' Is Far from a Cinematic Mess

Release Date: November 24, 2010

Starring (Voice Overs): Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor

Director: Nathan Greno, Bryon Howard

Writer: Dan Fogelman

Trailer


Official Website

Disney's 'Tangled' is a 2010 computer-animated film loosely based on the Grimm Brother's fairy tale, 'Rapunzel.'

When I say computer-animated, that doesn't mean it's  Pixar. One of my pet peeves is when people think a computer-animated film is Pixar; almost as much as I hate it when people think 'Anastasia' and the like are Disney films (DON BLUTH, PEOPLE!) I believe in giving credit (or extreme dislike) where credit is due.

Now, back to 'Tangled.'

Many of us are familar of the story of Rapunzel, the poor girl who is locked in a tower by a witch for many years of her lonely life.

'Tangled' changes up the Grimm Brother's story a bit and puts in new elements to make up a more exciting movie. In the trailer, you can see Rapunzel leaving her tower to go off on her own adventure. Can you imagine 'Tangled' if it stuck to the original story?

We'd basically see Rapunzel...in a tower...for the whole movie...until...the end.

Where's the fun in that? Another good addition to 'Tangled' is how Rapunzel ended up in the tower in the first place. In the original story, a random peasant's idiot, radish-craving pregnant wife wants him to risk his life to go into someone else's garden and satisfy her own hormonal urges.


Enjoy your vegetables, b*tch.

As with many husbands with a pregnant wife, he keeps his mouth shut and goes into the garden. As we all know, this was a witch's garden and she catches the peasant, makes a deal, wants his child after she is born, blah blah blah.

This is a major difference from 'Tangled' for Rapunzel was born of royal blood (any excuse for Disney to make yet another Princess, I suppose). Instead of being a b*tch like the peasant mother, the Queen was sick while pregnant with Rapunzel and the loyal subjects of the King did their best to find a magical golden flower out in the wilderness. Yes, there is only one.

This flower glows like a swinger at a rave party, so you'd think it wouldn't be hard to find. Unfortunately, it is being hidden by a mysterious woman who selfishly uses it to restore her youth, making it harder to find. One night, the witch knocks over the basket covering the flower, and the Kingdom's subjects find it and take it to their Queen. She becomes better, a baby girl is born, and everyone is happy.

Except for the witch. She sneaks into the castle one night and steals the baby. Instead of not looking for their daughter like the peasants, the King and Queen search for their poor daughter for the next 18 years.


Apparently, peasants are not good for much of anything, let alone have children.

This adaptation of 'Rapunzel' is wonderful and delightful; the writing of the origin of Rapunzel is well-done and well-thought out.

Another aspect of 'Tangled' that was pointed out to me by my boyfriend, was the fact that the main villain was almost approachable. The witch has a human-side to her character and she wasn't a complete, crazy maniac, like in other Disney films. She actually has an affectionate side, but that became watered-down due to her selfishness. Really, that is actually a common problem with people nowadays.

The animation was beautiful and I was thinking that throughout the film. Very colorful, very bright, and made me wonder what kind of conditioner Rapunzel uses.

The songs were not all-too-amazing, but I think if I listened to them more, I may take a better liking for them. I did enjoy "Mother Knows Best" however, which was sung by the witch.

So, all in all, this is a pretty amazing movie, especially since Pixar was not involved this time around. I enjoyed it a lot and you can still check it out in theaters now! I don't care how old you are, go out and watch it. I watched 'Tangled' with 3 strapping young men, so there is no excuse for you to not watch it.

Rent worthy? If you can't catch it in theaters, go and rent it when it is available. It really is a cute film, especially one to watch with the family and children.

DVD/Blu-ray worthy? I think I might buy it. It's a nice movie to have on hand if children ever come around. But then again, I'd still probably end up watching it by myself while sipping on a hot cup of tea.

Keep on watchin'
The Little Critic

'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' Makes You Rain Tears of Agony in the Best Possible Way

AKA: 'Les Parapluies de Cherbourg'

Release Date: February 19, 1964 (France); December 16, 1964 (USA)

Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon, Marc Michel, Ellen Farner, Mirielle Perrey

Director: Jacques Demy

Music: Michel Legrand

Writer: Jacques Demy

Part 1 on Youtube (English Subtitles Available)

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. OF ALL TIME. (Where's Kanye when you need him?) Although the sets and some of the styles are terribly outdated, the main theme of 'Umbrellas' is still strong today and is expressed in the most unique way: Every word is sung.

I mean, every word. Musical-haters, don't fret! What I enjoy about 'Umbrellas' is that the singing is not done with obnoxious movements or dance routines (which I do like, but it's not everyone's cup of tea); it is done in a way that singing is just the natural way of talking and it is done beautifully. Also, this movie is not very long, so it's not too bad.

I think this is what allowed the film to live on well and way past its generation...well, the singing and the theme of "first love."

You probably are thinking, "It's lived on? How come I've never heard anything about it?" You'd be surprised where influence from this film has turned up.

Matt Groening's 'Futurama' episode entitled 'Jurassic Bark' involves Fry finding his fossilized dog from the past. In the end of the episode, we find out exactly what happened to his loyal pet. This scene uses a version of "I Will Wait For You;" which is a popular song that uses the melancholy melody of the two lovers from 'Umbrellas.' The video I provided of the ending is terrible quality, but the only "good" one I can find.

Anyways, now that that is out in the open...

'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is a 1964 French film that surrounds the relationship of 17-year-old, Genevieve (Catherine Deneuve) and 20-year-old Guy (Nino Castelnuovo). They enjoy the happiness that first love often gives, but their relationship takes a hard turn when Guy must leave for 2 years due to the Algerian War.

On Guy's last night before his departure, the two...you know...and both make a vow of waiting for each other. After Guy leaves, Genevieve finds out she is pregnant weeks later.

However, Genevieve's mother (Anne Vernon) disapproves of her daughter waiting for a man who may be killed or may find another woman. Instead, she insists that Genevieve should marry another man who is courting her (and one who is richer), Roland Cassard (Marc Michel).

If you're interested in watching this, I'm letting you know right now, you'll need some tissues. If you cry at the smallest things, you'll need a tissue factory for 'Umbrellas.' If you hate sad (but it's definitely realistic) endings, you may not like it. Me? I love sad endings; makes me remember a film more.

The music is just so wonderful for the most part and I love listening to the entire first act every now and then. You may find the music and "conversational singing" a little odd at first, but once you get to Guy and Genevieve's scenes, you can't help but love it.

Really my only complaint is the style of some aspects of the film are outdated, but like music and basic love theme make up for it completely.

Rent worthy? Yes, yes, yes! I've put up part one of the film in the beginning of this entry. The next few parts are on the side bar and the username is: RobinSenathePhoenix.

DVD/Blu-ray worthy? I don't think it's out on Blu-ray, but the DVD restoration project they did years ago is quite good enough already. Yes, it is in my possession, as is the soundtrack cause I love it that much! Yes, love.

Keep on watchin'
The Little Critic

'Tales From Earthsea' Is Really Not Much of a Story at All

"There was a time when humans and dragons were one."

Release Date: (Japan) July 29, 2006; (USA) August 13, 2010

Starring (English Voice Actors): Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Matt Levin, Cheech Marin, Blaire Restaneo, Marishka Hargitay

Director: Goro Miyazaki

Writer: Ursula K. Le Guin (Novels); Goro Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa (Screenplay)

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some violent images.

Trailer

Official Movie Website

No, this is not Hayao Miyazaki's work, this is his son's. Hayao wanted to work with the film, but could not due to 'Howl's Moving Castle,' so he passed the job onto his son, Goro.

Honestly, I wish Hayao just waited until 'Howl's' was done and then took on 'Tales From Earthsea.' To be blunt, this was not my favorite Studio Ghibli film.

'Tales From Earthsea' is a 2006 Japanese animated film loosely based on Ursula K. Le Guin's 'Earthsea' series.

Honestly, I still do not understand the significance of several events in the film. I don't understand them so much, I'm not comfortable providing my own summary as I usually do for you. It's not that I don't know what was going on. I could understand the dialogue and all...

It's just the significance of certain things were hardly explained. For example, in the beginning, the audience learns that it is apparently unusual for two dragons to fight...okay, I got that much... now why? They never get around to explaining a lot of things, like why and how Arren, the protagonist, had his light and dark sides split from each other into separate beings.

The film seems to assume that one has read the books, but even then, 'Earthsea' is not even close to the books, according to Le Guin.

One thing I do find interesting is that the film's main antagonist, Lord Cob (Willem Dafoe) was actually a witch named Kumo in the Japanese version instead of a wizard in the English. Suddenly the malicious witch turns into a creepy man for the USA dub.

Oh, all right USA, I guess Michael Jackson  is much creepier.

One thing I do love about this film though, is 'Therru's Song.' It is a very beautiful piece and even though I did not like the film, I found myself downloading the song and listening to it when I went to bed the same night.

The music is definitely beautiful, there is no doubt about that. Kudos to Tamiya Terashima for that!

I did not find any problems with the English voice acting. I love Timothy Dalton's voice; it has a nice speaking quality and Willem Dafoe always has a creepy-ass voice that's perfect for villains.

Despite the wonderful music, beautiful animation, and tolerable voice acting, 'Tales from Earthsea' failed to tell a story that could have been another masterpiece from Studio Ghibli. The film was very bland in the fantasy genre. Nothing too special about it.

Rent worthy? Eh....I really would not waste your time if I were you.

DVD/Blu-Ray worthy? Definitely not. Not a film for my shelves.

Keep on watchin'

The Little Critic

'Hard Candy' A Good Treat, But Lacks Some Sweetness

"Strangers shouldn't talk to little girls."

Release Date: January 2005 (Sundance); April 14, 2006 (Limited)

Starring: Ellen Page, Patrick Wilson, Sandra Oh

Director: David Slade

Writer: Brian Nelson

MPAA Rating: Rated R for disturbing violent and aberrant sexual content involving a teen, and for language.

Trailer

Once again, children can be f*cking terrifying.

'Hard Candy' is a psychological thriller surrounding a budding online-turned-face-to-face relationship between a 14-year-old girl, Hayley Stark ('Juno' and 'Inception's Ellen Page), and 30-something photographer, Jeff Kohlver ('The Phantom of the Opera' and 'Watchmen's Patrick Wilson).

The two agree online to meet up at a cafe'. It isn't long until Hayley goes into Jeff's home. Images of the color red flash constantly, as if exposing the coming omnious events...not against Hayley, but against Jeff...

As the tagline says, "Strangers shouldn't talk to little girls."

I've been interested in 'Hard Candy' for a while now and finally got around to watching it and finished it today.

The story has always intrigued me and I was a bit disappointed with the film.

It has its great moments and great dialogue, don't get me wrong. At one point, Hayley and Jeff have this interesting little banter that I really liked. (Courtesy of IMBD)

Jeff Kohlver: You were coming on to me!
Hayley Stark: Oh, come on. That's what they always say, Jeff.
Jeff Kohlver: Who?
Hayley Stark: Who? The pedophiles! 'Oh, she was so sexy. She was asking for it.' 'She was only technically a girl, she acted like a woman.' It's just so easy to blame a kid, isn't it! Just because a girl knows how to imitate a woman, does NOT mean she's ready to do what a woman does. I mean, you're the grown up here. If a kid is experimenting and says something flirtatious, you ignore it, you don't encourage it! If a kid says 'Hey, let's make screwdrivers!' You take the alcohol away, and you don't race them to the next drink!

That being said, there were also moments when the dialogue lacked something and was just messy. The writing and/or the performances weakened sometimes.
 
Still, the concept of 'Hard Candy' is pretty awesome and Ellen Page really did do a good job. The ending of the film makes me feel torn as to whether or not all this was justified or if Hayley was just a maniac. Seriously, if a pedophile's worst nightmare is Dateline NBC's Chris Hansen, they have no idea what fear really is.

Suddenly Chris Hansen is much more appealing than underage girls.

There was also one point in the film where I made this horrified face:

Courtesy of the Spanish Inquistion and Monty Python

I honestly think that 'Hard Candy' is 'To Catch a Predator' meets 'Hostel' and that would make a much more interesting show...albeit more controversial than just "entrapment."
 
As a whole, I thought the film could have been much better than it really is. The concept is, as I've stated before, pretty kick-ass. 'Hard Candy' was missing something though, but I applaude it for originality and for the performances of the actors. So, if you must, treat yourself to a little 'Hard Candy.' Don't expect anything sweet though.

Rent worthy? Yeah, just for the concept alone I'd say it's worth checking out once, but you may or may not be disappointed. Part of me still wants people to give it a chance though. I suppose it really depends on what kinds of films you normally get into.
 
DVD/Blu-Ray worthy? I'm not going to buy it. I think it is good enough to watch once, maybe twice if I want to see through it again.
 
Random Trivia: There have been real-life events that 'Hard Candy' reminded me of. Although they don't go as far as Hayley did in the film, there have been cases in Japan where schoolgirls will seduce in men into an alley. Instead of getting forbidden fruit, the men find themselves getting beat up and having their valuables taken from them. I'd feel bad for the men more if they weren't expecting to get some underage action.
 
Keep on watchin'
The Little Critic

'The Orphanage' Another Movie That Makes You Wonder Why Kids Are So Goddamn Creepy

Release Date: January 11, 2008 (USA)

Starring: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Edgar Vivar

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona

Writer: Sergio G. Sanchez

MPAA Rating: Rated R for some disturbing content

Trailer


Official Movie Website

I'm back! I'm not dead! Halloween and its horrifying ghouls have not gotten to me yet! Sorry for the long wait on my next entry.


In light of Halloween, I'll be reviewing some of my favorite scary/horror films...and some not so good ones (see 'Devil').

Please do not confuse 'The Orphanage' with the crappy 2009 US film 'Orphan.'


'Orphan' = Crap.

'The Orphanage' is a 2007, Spanish film surrounding Laura's (Belen Rueda) family. Laura moves her husband (Fernando Cayo) and young son, Simon (Roger Princep), into a huge hoouse that used to be her orphanage when she was younger.

Laura plans to make the large home into a place for disabled children. Problems arise when Simon believes he has a masked friend, Tomas, living with them at the home.

Laura believes Simon is making up imaginary friends due to the move and thinks nothing of it at first. It is not until Simon disappears after an argument that Laura begins to wonder if there are spirits in her old home.

'The Orphanage' is a horror film with a great story. It reminds me of another film titled 'The Others' in the style and feel.

The story is quite melancholy and dark, as all horror films tend to be. However, there is also love shining through the film as a mother longs to find her child. I love horror films that have a bit of an emotional feel to it. As much as slasher films are amusing, I tend to be more attracted to human emotion-filled horror movies. I remember them much more easily that way, as long as they're good.


Make me cry, Jason. MAKE ME CRY!

The actors were believable and Belen Rueda did an excellent job in her role as the mother.
On the "scare meter" of the film, there are not too many jumping moments, save for one where it creeped the f*ck out of me. First time I saw 'The Orphanage,' I watched it on the computer and I had my face close to the screen the moment that happened. I responded correctly in freaking out with an increased heart rate.

So, if you want to be scared a lot while watching this, I wouldn't recommend this. This is a horror film all about story and content; not about young teenagers getting murdered for having sex in the woods.

Rent worthy? I'd definitely say this is worth watching once. I think it is available on Netflix for those of you who have it. If you do not, refer to my previous entry on the Pros & Cons of Netflix.

DVD/Blu-ray worthy? If you enjoyed it as much as I did, then you might own it. No need to get it on Blu-ray quality; the DVD is good enough for 'The Orphanage.'

Keep on watchin'

The Little Critic

Well, 'Devil' Isn't Too Bad, But It Ain't That Heavenly Either

Release Date: September 17, 2010

Starring: Chris Messina, Jenny O'Hara, Bokeem Woodbine, Bojana Novakovic, Geoffrey Arend, Jacob Vargas, Logan Marshall-Green

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Writer: M. Night Shyamalan (Story) and Brian Nelson (Screenplay)

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images, thematic material and some language, including sexual references.

Trailer

Official Movie Website

I think, from my very first review in The Little Critic ('The Last Airbender') you can safely assume how disappointed I have been in M. Night recently. Either his films are just not what they used to be or they have always been like that and  it is just getting old now.

We all know his storytelling style almost always includes a twist in the end and there is nothing wrong with that, but it seems like he's been trying too hard with the twists lately. 'Devil' is not an exception to the twists-concept, but it is not exactly a bad or good thing.

I think it is worth saying that he did NOT direct 'Devil,' but wrote the story. 'Devil' is the first film of The Night Chronicles production company; this company plans to create more films based on supernatural tones in a modern society.

In 'Devil,' through seemingly random events, five strangers are brought together in an elevator and evidentally trapped as it comes to a sudden, complete stop.

This mere inconvience becomes a fight for their lives as they slowly realize that one of them is not who they appear to be; that the devil is among them...

The film is fairly short, about 80 minutes, and, as stated before, not a good or bad movie. Actors are believable as mediocre, random people, especially since most of them are random actors who I am not familar with. Exceptions for Chris Messina ('Julie and Julia') and Geoffrey Arend ('(500) Days of Summer')

I think there is a moral to be learned from this film that probably does not have to be there, but that is just how I feel about it.

If 'Devil' was a TV episode of a show similar to 'The Twilight Zone,' it would have translated well as there is not much you can do with the story (they ARE in an elevator, for Pete's sake), but it is still a good premise for a short one. I do not think 'Devil' stands out enough to be its own feature-length film.

So, to be blunt, it is a decent start for my faith to come back to M. Night Shyamalan. Despite its moral lesson of forgiveness, 'Devil' does not give me a good reason to forgive Night for the atrocity that is 'The Last Airbender' just yet. Perhaps the next few films he spews out will change my mind...or condemn him to the Devil for all eternity.

Rent worthy? Yeah, if you really must know what happened on the elevator, I'd just rent it. Don't shell out money in the theaters; shell it out in your nearest Blockbuster or have Netflix deliver it to you when 'Devil' becomes available. I already made that mistake of spending money, well actually, someone else did for me, and I'm grateful for that.

DVD/Blu-ray worthy? Ha...no.

Keep on watchin'

The Little Critic

'The Children's Hour' Its Tale of Homophobia Still Rings Strong Today

Release Date: December 19, 1961

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins, Karen Balkin

Director: William Wyler

Writer: Lillian Hellman (Play and screen adaptation)

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Part One of 'The Children's Hour'

'The Children's Hour' and its core topic is one that resonates into present society's issue of homosexuality and homophobia. This black and white, American film is based on a 1934 play of the same name and written by the same person, Lillian Hellman. There is also another version of 'The Children's Hour' from 1936 that is directed by the same director, William Wyler, called 'These Three.' That particular film removes all traces of a homosexual topics and instead focuses on a heterosexual love triangle, but the central theme of gossip remains largely the same as 'Hour.'

This story is based on actual events in Scotland involving two teachers. You can find the article here.
Martha Dobie (Shirley MacLaine) and Karen Wright (Audrey Hepburn) are former college classmates who now own a private school for girls, with some help from Martha's Aunt Lily (Miriam Hopkins). Karen has been engaged to Joe Cardin (James Garner) for two years and finally decided on a wedding date. Joe's relative, Mrs. Amelia Tilford (Fay Bainter), has her granddaughter, Mary (Karen Balkin) enrolled in Martha and Karen's school.

To be blunt, Mary is a bitch. Yeah, she is just a kid, but she is still a bratty bitch. She constantly behaves badly in school and is capable of manipulating her classmates and bullys them from time to time. Mary, the little bitch that she is, even goes as far as blackmailing one of her fellow classmates when she discovers that classmate stole another student's bracelet.

Throughout the whole film, I kept thinking "GOD! HER FACE IS SO PUNCHABLE!"

Mary is constantly punished by Martha and Karen for her bad behavior and decides one day that they've gone too far.
After seeing Martha and Karen involved in a small quarrel one night, Mary creates a lie loosely based on their confrontations. The girl tells her grandmother that she "saw" the teachers kissing one night.

Like some grandparents/parents of most children, Mrs. Tilford thinks Mary is the sweetest angel who can do no effin' wrong. She immediately informs all the parents and, as a result, each of the students are pulled out of the school. Martha and Karen are surprised and have no idea why so many parents have decided to stop letting their daughters go there.

They later find out about the accusations and are immediately peeved. They, along with Karen's fiance', go to confront Mrs. Tilford and even sue her for libel and slander.

Standing with their heads held high and reputations already tattered and torn, the two teachers struggle on with their lives.

I really enjoyed this film and I think it is a topic, two actually, that transcends smoothly into present society.

First, there's the issue of homophobia and how different (but not by much) it was back then to be thought of as gay. Even in the film business, there was a moment in time when you could not mention homosexual terms. That is why the first film version, 'These Three,' centers around a heterosexual love triangle instead of a accused lesbian affair. Even in 'Hour,' you never hear the word "lesbian" throughout the entire film.

Second, is the issue of gossip. We all love a little bit of gossip now and then. Whether it's "OMG! Did you see what Becky was wearing?" to "Wow, did you see that audition that girl did? I wanted to rip out her vocal chords and strangle her with them," we have come across gossip. None of us are innocent of gossip. You can say you've never stated any gossip before, but you have at least heard some. Have you ever thought just a little bit differently about someone (celebrity or acquiantance) after hearing something? Then you've been sucked in some gossip before.

While seemingly harmless, there are the kinds of gossip that can destroy a person, inside and out. 'Hour' is a great story about slander and dangerous assumptions.

All the actors did a great job, except the children, but this is around the era of the 'Leave It To Beaver' crap so, you tend to just ignore it. After seeing this movie, I would really love to work with this play one day. It's well-written and it is not the best play, but the topics of it are too strong to leave in a pile of dust.

Take some time for 'The Children's Hour.'

Rent worthy? If you can stand the speed of older films, I think this is a must-see. I know it is at Blockbuster because my older sister used her membership to rent it. We wanted an Audrey Hepburn film and I'm happy we chose this because it is not as well-known as say, 'My Fair Lady' or 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.' But, you don't have to rent it because I found the film on Youtube for you. I posted Part One in this entry and the rest of the parts are on the suggestion column to the right.

DVD/Blu-ray worthy? It's not available on Blu-ray, but it doesn't really need to be since it is black and white. I would watch this again, but probably will not buy it on DVD.

Keep on watchin'

The Little Critic