Blind Spot Series: Some Like It Hot

What I knew going in: That many Marilyn fans say this film is their favorite of hers.

Musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) inadvertently witness the St Valentine's Day massacre and quickly try to leave town to avoid some mobsters from killing them as well. The only way out is to pose as women in a traveling band. They are "reborn" as Josephine and Daphne, they quickly befriend Sugar, (Marilyn Monroe) the naive singer in the band. They have trouble keeping their cover when Joe (out of disguise) tricks Sugar into thinking he's a millionaire and Jerry finds himself the object of a horny old perv's (Joe E. Brown) affection.

Marilyn Monroe is just someone that never interested me. I don't idolize her like a lot of women I know do. When I took public speaking in college, someone used a quote from her in a speech, and the entire class got into an argument over whether she actually said that or not. Clearly, Miss Monroe evoked a lot of emotions. After watching this film, I can almost see why, she was mesmerizing. This role felt like it was made for only her to play. Jack Lemmon was the film's stand out for me. (That and Joe E. Brown's face) I thought he was absolutely wonderful as Jerry/Daphne.

Some comedies don't hold up well over time, this one certainly does. (Even though some of it is probably unintentional) After reading some of the trivia on IMDb, this movie sounded like it was hell to shoot, but it doesn't translate that way on screen. This one was a lot of fun.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "Hello, I'm Cinderella II" - Jerry (Jack Lemmon)

Indie Gems: Short Term 12

FINALLY!

If you follow me on Twitter, you've probably seen me complaining about this film since January. I bumped it to the top of my queue a few days before it was scheduled to be released, and patiently waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. Never once did it occur to me that some asshole was probably just hoarding the blu ray and the regular DVD version might be available, so I switched the format, and it came right away. Awesome. I'm an idiot. 

At least it was worth the wait.

Grace (Brie Larson) is a supervisor in a youth home. When we meet her, it's obvious she's having some issues. She's somewhat distant to her long term boyfriend and co-worker, Mason (John Gallangher Jr.) and we meet her at a very difficult time in her life. Then they receive a new resident, Jayden (Kaitlyn Denver) who reminds Grace so much of herself that she digs up past demons, and she's forced to, for once in a long time, to really access this situation she's gotten in.

What interested me about Short Term 12 right away was the fact that I work in a very similar facility to the one in the film. (Although by comparison, mine's a little stricter.) I was immediately impressed by how many things they simply got right. The ridiculous insults the kids hurled at the staff when they were put in a hold, the "levels," the running, even that little bracelet that Grace makes Jayden, all of that so was right. Everything felt so authentic. Especially Brie Larson's wonderful performance. It's a shame this film was so little, I think she could've been a serious Oscar contender otherwise. 

I was literally scared for Grace when she started to take her job *too* seriously. That's kind of what they teach you when you work with at risk teens. You're there to guide them, you're not their parent, and don't take things too personally. This film really is the definition of an 'Indie Gem.' I hope you all get the chance to check it out.

Grade: A+

Memorable Quote: "This is what I signed up for." - Mason (John Gallagher Jr.)

DVD Review: Grizzly Man

Watching a slow motion train wreck.

Have you ever watched something simultaneously fascinating and aggravating at the same time? Well look no further, that is exactly how I felt watching the documentary Grizzly Man

Film maker Werner Herzog follows the flight of glorified bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell spent a lot of time in national parks "bonding" with grizzly bears. In 2003, he and his girlfriend Amie were killed by the same bears he thought had accepted him. In fact, audio of the attack was recorded. We don't hear it, but in one bizarre scene, Herzog actually listens to the audio and describes part of it in front of one Treadwell's ex-girlfriend. 

I almost felt bad watching this. In my opinion, Treadwell seemed mentally ill. This man needed help. The way he communicated with the animals started off kind of cute, but then it just got to the point where it was tragic, delusional, and a little bit disturbing. I know you can't force adults to really do anything, but the fact that he was a lonely alcoholic that went off to "find himself" with bears, with seemingly little to no intervention is kind of surprising. (I don't know his entire familys' story, this is just from observing the doc.)

I think Herzog attempted to show a fair portrait of Timothy, but I think even he thought Timothy was a little batshit towards the end. It's almost like Timothy turned into a villain. Like he started out as Dr. Jekyll, then morphed into Mr. Hyde with his outbursts towards the park staff and the many interviews of people saying Treadwell did more harm than good.

That being said, the film is still fascinating. It's just very tragic and hard to watch at times.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I will die for these animals." - Timothy Treadwell. 

2014 Academy Award Winners + my thoughts

Alright, alright, alright. The Oscars have came and went. I went 18/24 (mind you, I left the short categories blank as I had no clue) As always, I had a great time tweeting with everyone about it. Even though host Ellen actually broke Twitter after taking a selfie. I thought she did a great job hosting. She was very interactive with the audience. (both there and at home) Plus she ordered pizza and told a dick joke, so she wins in my book. Here's a list of the winners. They are in bold, and my thoughts are in green.

Best Picture
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

This was very deserving, and Steve McQueen gave a great speech at the end of the night. Plus Paul Dano was up on stand, and I will never tire of watching that.

Best Director
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

I know I'm in the minority, but I would've rather seen McQueen win this one.

Best Actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Her speech was classy,classy, classy.

Best Actor
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

NOOOOO Leo!! Actually, I'm happy for McConaughey, I really am. He gave a great performance, but I shall not rest until Leo is given his overdue Oscar.

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

He started this whole thing out with an amazing speech, then he was topped by...

Best Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

Not only did I squeal and clap when she won, but I almost cried after her speech. It was so beautiful and elegant. It's fitting because she literally looked like a princess last night.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight
Billy Ray, Captain Phillips
Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, Philomena
John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
Terence Winter, The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Original Screenplay
Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, American Hustle
Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine
Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, Dallas Buyers Club
Spike Jonze, Her
Bob Nelson, Nebraska

I'm SO glad Her won something. It certainly deserved this.

Best Original Song
“Happy,” Despicable Me 2; music and lyrics by Pharrell Williams
“Let It Go,” Frozen; music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
“The Moon Song,” Her; music by Karen O., lyrics by Karen O. and Spike Jonze
“Ordinary Love,” Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom; music by Paul Hewson, Dan Evans, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, a.k.a. U2; lyrics by Paul Hewson, a.k.a. Bono

Let It Go was really underwhelming (Especially when Karen O. and Pharrell gave awesome live performances of their songs) but the husband and wife duo that won gave a really sweet speech.

Best Animated Feature
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises

Best Documentary — Feature
The Act of Killing
Cutie and the Boxer
Dirty Wars
The Square
20 Feet from Stardom

The best part of this was when one of the singers in the film started singing her acceptance speech, and Bill Murray jumped to his feet like a fucking fan boy.

Best Foreign Language Film
The Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium
The Great Beauty, Italy
The Hunt, Denmark
The Missing Picture, Cambodia
Omar, Palestine

This was the one time during the ceremony that I was like "WHAT!?!?!" I really wanted The Hunt to win. 

Best Original Score
John Williams, The Book Thief
Steven Price, Gravity
William Butler and Owen Pallett, Her
Alexandre Desplat, Philomena
Thomas Newman, Saving Mr. Banks

Best Cinematography
Philippe Le Sourd, The Grandmaster
Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity
Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis
Phedon Papamichael, Nebraska
Roger A. Deakins, Prisoners

Congratulations to this guy and his computer and his green screen. Sorry Deakins, you were just a mere camera man shooting on an actual camera.

Best Production Design
Judy Becker (Production Design); Heather Loeffler (Set Decoration), American Hustle
Andy Nicholson (Production Design); Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard (Set Decoration), Gravity
Catherine Martin (Production Design); Beverley Dunn (Set Decoration), The Great Gatsby
K.K. Barrett (Production Design); Gene Serdena (Set Decoration), Her
Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Alice Baker (Set Decoration), 12 Years a Slave

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews, Dallas Buyers Club
Stephen Prouty, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny, The Lone Ranger

Best Costume Design
Michael Wilkinson, American Hustle
William Chang Suk Ping, The Grandmaster
Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby
Michael O’Connor, The Invisible Woman
Patricia Norris, 12 Years a Slave

Best Film Editing
Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten, American Hustle
Christopher Rouse, Captain Phillips
John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa, Dallas Buyers Club
Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger, Gravity
Joe Walker, 12 Years a Slave

Best Visual Effects
Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould, Gravity
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick, Iron Man 3
Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier, The Lone Ranger
Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton, Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Sound Mixing
Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro, Captain Phillips
Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro, Gravity
Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland, Inside Llewyn Davis
Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow, Lone Survivor

Best Sound Editing
Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns, All Is Lost
Oliver Tarney, Captain Phillips
Glenn Freemantle, Gravity
Brent Burge, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Wylie Stateman, Lone Survivor

Best Documentary — Short
CaveDigger
Facing Fear
Karama Has No Walls
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

Best Live Action Short
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)
Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)
Helium
Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)
The Voorman Problem

I didn't see any of these prior, but just based on the clips I knew Helium was going to win.

Best Animated Short
Feral
Get a Horse!
Mr. Hublot
Possessions
Room on the Broom

McConaughey sounded so ridiculously gentleman-y when he announced this winner.

I think this needs to be my new Awards Coverage banner. What do you think?

2014 Independent Spirit Award Winners

The fact that I don't get IFC anymore makes me want to weep. Anyways, here are the winners of the Indie Spirit Awards! The winners are in bold. Lots of 12 Years A Slave here, I wonder if that will transition to the Oscars tomorrow.


BEST FEATURE
12 Years a Slave
All Is Lost
Frances Ha
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

BEST DIRECTOR
Upstream Color, Shane Carruth
All Is Lost, J.C. Chandor
12 Years a Slave, Steve McQueen
Mud, Jeff Nichols
Nebraska, Alexander Payne

BEST SCREENPLAY
Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen
Before Midnight, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater
Enough Said, Nicole Holofcener
The Spectacular Now, Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
12 Years a Slave, John Ridley

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Blue Caprice
Concussion
Fruitvale Station
Una Noche
Wadjda

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
In A World, Lake Bell
Don Jon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Nebraska, Bob Nelson
Afternoon Delight, Jill Soloway
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, Michael Starrbury

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – (Best Feature made for under $500,000)
Computer Chess
Crystal Fairy
Museum Hours
Pit Stop
This is Martin Bonner

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
Gaby Hoffmann, Crystal Fairy
Brie Larson, Short Term 12
Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now

BEST MALE LEAD
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford, All Is Lost

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Melonie Diaz, Fruitvale Station
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Yolonda Ross, Go For Sisters
June Squibb, Nebraska

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Will Forte, Nebraska
James Gandolfini, Enough Said
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Keith Stanfield, Short Term 12

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt, 12 Years a Slave
Benoit Debie, Spring Breakers
Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis
Frank G. DeMarco, All Is Lost
Matthias Grunsky, Computer Chess

BEST EDITING
Shane Carruth & David Lowery, Upstream Color
Jem Cohen & Marc Vives, Museum Hours
Jennifer Lame, Frances Ha
Cindy Lee, Una Noche
Nat Sanders, Short Term 12

BEST DOCUMENTARY 
20 Feet From Stardom
After Tiller
Gideon’s Army
The Act of Killing
The Square

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM 
A Touch of Sin (China)
Blue is the Warmest Color (France)
Gloria (Chile)
The Great Beauty (Italy)
The Hunt (Denmark)

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Ensemble Cast)
Mud

Indie Gems: Charlie Countryman

Is it necessary for Charlie to die?

I couldn't help but reference the film's original title. They should've kept it.

Charlie's (Shia LaBeouf) mother (Melissa Leo) has just passed away. Charlie feels lost and has a vision of his mother after she dies. She tells him to go to Bucharest, Romania. He does just that, when a man he's sitting next to on the plane dies, he has another vision to meet the man's daughter. He also does just that, he meets Gabi (Evan Rachel Wood) a beautiful and now heartbroken cello player. He's drawn to her immediately, but her ex husband Nigel (Mads Mikkelsen) is still in the picture and he is a dangerous man.

The thing that sticks out the most in this film is the music, it's absolutely beautiful. It fits with the fast scenes and free spirits that Charlie and Gabi so obviously have. It can be brutal at times, but it never feels over the top. The cast is great. Rupert Grint has a small role as an aspiring porn star Charlie meets in a hostel that's definitely amusing. Shia, well, I get that people hate him. I've never been one of those people. I've always thought he was alluring on screen, and there's no exception here. I think this might be one of his best features. Evan Rachel Wood was great as well. I can't tell you if her Romanian accent was convincing or not. I'm not familiar with them. It seemed like a decent Eastern European accent. Mads was interesting too. He's dangerous, but at times very amusing.

And don't worry, Charlie's mother does eventually explain why she picked Bucharest. That was kind of getting on my nerves because it's not addressed until the end.

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "That is the most pathetic display of puffer fish.." - Nigel (Mads Mikkelson)

Final 2014 Oscar predictions: Who will win, who should win.

Alright, alright, alright. Let's get this guessing game going!

Best Picture

"American Hustle"
"Captain Phillips"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Gravity"
"Her"
"Nebraska"
"Philomena"
"12 Years A Slave"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"

Who will win and should win: 12 Years A Slave.

Sure, I technically liked Her, Wolf, and Hustle better than 12 years, but I can appreciate a well made film with an all around incredible cast that brought a lot to the table. I see it winning here.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale, "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years A Slave"
Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"

Who will win: Matthew McConaughey

Who should win: Leonardo DiCaprio

I'm not going to be mad when Matthew wins, but I really think Leo deserves this one. It's easily one of his best performances to date, plus McConaughey is going to get a ton of love at the Emmys next year for True Detective. Let Leo have this one.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Amy Adams, "American Hustle"
Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"
Judi Dench, "Philomena"
Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"

Who will win: Cate Blanchett

Who should win: Amy Adams

Cate was great in a rather lack-luster film, and Amy was great in a great film. Sure Cate's character had more to her, but I still love Adams the most.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"
Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender, "12 Years A Slave"
Jonah Hill, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"

Who will and should win: Jared Leto has this in the bag, but I would not be upset if any of these men took home the big award. Not at all.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years A Slave"
Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"
June Squibb, "Nebraska

Who will and should win: Lupita Nyong'o. Part of me is still afraid that they will give this to Jennifer Lawrence, but I'm going to take the big leap to say that the Academy will get it right.

Best Director

David O. Russell, "American Hustle"
Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity"
Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"
Steve McQueen, "12 Years A Slave"
Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf Of Wall Street"

Who will win: Alfonso Cuaron

Who should win: Steve McQueen

I know, Gravity was beatiful and all, but it was mostly due to the visuals. 12 Years A Slave had a lot of heart, which is why I want Steve to win here.

Best Animated Feature

"The Croods"
"Despicable Me 2"
"Ernest & Celestine"
"Frozen"
"The Wind Rises"

Who will win: Frozen. This isn't even a competition. Does it deserve to win? Who knows. I haven't seen any of these.

Best Foreign Language Film

"The Broken Circle Breakdown"
"The Great Beauty"
"The Hunt"
"The Missing Picture"
"Omar"

Who will and should win: The Hunt. Fantastic film that cannot be ignored.

Best Documentary

"The Act of Killing"
"Cutie & The Boxer"
"Dirty Wars"
"The Square"
"Twenty Feet From Stardom"

Who will win: The Act of Killing. I haven't seen any of these, so I don't know which one "should" win. *cough* Blackfish *cough*

Best Original Screenplay

"American Hustle"
"Blue Jasmine"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Her"
"Nebraska"

Who will win: American Hustle

Who should win: Her

The Hustle bandwagon is in full force, and while I loved it, Her was far more original.

Best Adapted Screenplay

"Before Midnight"
"Captain Phillips"
"Philomena"
"12 Years A Slave"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"

Who will and should win: 12 Years A Slave

Best Original Score

"The Book Thief"
"Gravity"
"Her"
"Philomena"
"Saving Mr. Banks"

Who will win: Gravity

Who should win: Her. 

The music in Her was just perfect.

Best Original Song

"All Yet Not Alone" - Alone Yet Not Alone
"Happy" - Despicable Me 2
"Let It Go" - Frozen
"The Moon Song" - Her
"Ordinary Love" - Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

Who will win: Frozen

Who should win: Her

Best Editing

"American Hustle"
"Captain Phillips"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Gravity"
"12 Years A Slave"

Who will and should win: Gravity

Best Cinematography

"The Grandmaster"
"Gravity"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"
"Prisoners"

Who will win: Gravity

Who should win: Prisoners.

Hear me out. Gravity was visually stunning, but it was digital. Gravity is beautiful because of a computer, where as Prisoners was beautiful because the cinematographer made it so. He made Atlanta, GA look exactly like Pennsylvania. I go back and forth on the cinematography award all of the time. As beautiful as Gravity was, I can't get behind it fully on a cinematography stand point..

Best Production Design

"American Hustle"
"Gravity"
"The Great Gatsby"
"Her"
"12 Years A Slave"

Who will win: American Hustle

Who should win: Her

Best Costume Design

"American Hustle"
"The Grandmaster"
"The Great Gatsby"
"The Invisible Woman"
"12 Years A Slave"

Who will and should win: American Hustle

Best Makeup

"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Jackass: Bad Grandpa"
"The Lone Ranger"

Who will and should win: Dallas Buyers Club

Best Sound Editing

"All Is Lost"
"Captain Phillips"
"Gravity"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
"Lone Survivor"

Who will win: Captain Phillips

Who should win: Gravity

Best Sound Mixing

"Captain Phillips"
"Gravity"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Lone Survivor"

Who will and should win Gravity. (I'm obviously torn on who's going to take sound and sound mixing between Gravity and Captain Phillips)

Best Visual Effects

"Gravity"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
"Iron Man 3"
"The Lone Ranger"
"Star Trek Into Darkness"

Who will win: Gravity

Who should win: Star Trek Into Darkness. Because I'm a nerd.

The next three categories I will not be predicting because I have no fucking clue and I haven't seen any.

Best Live-Action Short

"Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)"
"Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)"
"Helium"
"Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)"
"The Voorman Problem"

Best Animated Short

"Feral"
"Get a Horse!"
"Mr. Hublot"
"Possessions"
"Room on the Broom"

Best Documentary Short

"CaveDigger"
"Facing Fear"
"Karama Has No Walls"
"The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life"
"Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall"