21 JUMP STREET - Review

For those fans of the 1980's series by the same name, be prepared that the name and a cameo appearance from some of the original actors are the only things these two have in common. This is a funny film with more than a few laugh out loud moments for the audience.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller have brought us a fantasitc comedy in which I feel that Channing Tatum has finally found himself as an actor. He has done a few romantic leads and I have often noted that he seems wooden and uncomfortable (and I'm not the only one), but in this pice of comedic genius, he has really come into his own.

Schmidt and Jenko (Jonah Hill and Chaning Tatum) were polar opposites in high school, and yet they bond and become besties during their time in the police academy. After an unfortunate drug bust where they fail to read their perp the Miranda Rights, they are sent down to 21 Jump Street, an undercover project that is trying to infiltrate a high school drug ring and bust it.

21 JUMP STREET is unrealistic and ridiculous and that's why it's so much fun. You can tell that they all had fun making the film and that always transfers to the screen and makes it so much more enjoyable for the audience. Beware that this film got it's MA15+ rating for a reason, so don't let your kids run out and watch it without watching it first to see for yourself what's going on. Kids these days don't need any encouragement to party hard and take drugs!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this remake (and I use that term VERY loosely!), and so did the rest of the audience. It's definitely not a piece of cinema that will gain critical acclaim for any aspect, but it was light and funny and drew out some fantastic belly laughs from the gentleman sitting in front of me which was almost as entertaining as the film itself.

 4 out of 5.

A SEPARATION - Review

So I know I voted for this in my Oscars predictions and I was not surprised I came up trumps. This film was getting amazing reviews and fantastic feedback not only from critics, but also from your regular Joe who just loves films.

Now it's my turn to give it a review, and whilst I did really like the film, I'm not going to gush all over it and be as dramatic as those who have said it's the best piece of foreign language film since CITY OF GOD.

A wife seeks a divorce becuase her husband won't agree to leave Iran and go with her to America and take their daughter so she can have a better life. He won't go because they look after his father who has Alzheimer's, and even though his father doesn't know who he is he can't leave him. So he tells his wife if she wants a divorce she can have it, which breaks her heart because all she really wanted was for him to ask her not to leave him.

He hires another woman to come and look after her father while he's at work and his daughter is at school, and after returning home from work one day to find his father has fallen off the bed (with his arm tied to the bed post) and almost dead, he fires her. An argument ensues and he pushes her out the door and she takes a fall on the stairs. He is then charged with murder because the woman has suffered a miscarriage and lost her baby.

The remainder of the film then centres around what seems like court proceedings, but it's hard to tell as they are nothing like the western court proceedings we are so used to seeing.

This film is beautifully shot, has some of the most fantastic lighting I have seen for a while and a gorgeous sound track. I had some difficulty determining the levels of emotion during parts of the film, purely becuase I'm not used to hearing the Farsi language, however these actors did a wonderful job using their body language and facial expressions to convey their emotions to the audience.

There was a great little twist at the end of the film, but I feel like they left it too late and didn't give it any time to develop, which is a shame becuase everyone really came out of their shells for this part of the story line. The other things that frustrated me was the ending. It's not clear what happened with either of the storylines that I spent two hours and 15 minutes following, and that's a long time to end up with no resolution. It does leave you with something to talk about, although the film is not lacking in talking points.

Over all I think the film was beautiful and a fantastic storyline, although it could have moved faster and developed more and come to a more satisfying end. Perhaps I just went in with expectations that were too high and I was disappointed, I'll never know and that's the problem with films that get so much hype before you get to see them.

3.5 out of 5.

DARK SHADOWS - Trailer

Three words...Burton, Depp, Bonham Carter. 

This is currently my most highly anticipated film of the year. 

THE HUNGER GAMES - Review

"May the odds be ever in your favour" - You could play a drinking game with that line. Seriously, you could.

I'm too much of a nanna to have stayed awake for the midnight sessions, but I heard there were character dress-ups, and a few verbal disagreements about the quality of the film from avid book fans. Plus there was a whole lot of excitement, as the Australian midnight sessions were among the first screenings worldwide - winning! So, I packed it in early and headed in with the after school crowd to see what all the fuss was about.

Many years ago, there was a war, an uprising of the poorer outer districts against the wealthy controlling Capitol. Now, what started as a punishment and a constant reminder of the uprising is one of the most highly anticipated and widely watched events of the year. Each district selects a boy and a girl to fight to the death and it's broadcast live. Reality TV folks, no matter how sick it is, it still gets the ratings! Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take the place of her younger sister Primrose, and it's all very dramatic and exciting.

The story was enough to keep me entertained and it was slightly suspenseful for me because I haven't read the books and I had no idea what was going to happen next, let alone in the end. If it wasn't for the annoying tweens sighing and commenting "that's not what happens in the book" I would have been none the wiser.

As far as an adaptation of a series I haven't read goes, I can only compare it to the TWILIGHT movies, and whilst I haven't actually seen any of those, I can compare it to the god-awful trailers and tell you that they've done a much better job of this, not only in terms of casting, but also script and directing.

The casting is fabulous, Jennifer Lawrence (if you're not across her it's time you got with the program - WINTER'S BONE), Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson and Lenny Kravitz. Plus the two men vying for Katniss' heart, Josh Hutcherson and our very own Liam Hemsworth (not my fave Hemsworth, but still...cute).

According to reports from people who have read the book, the film is not as dark, not as violent, and there's plenty cut out. The cutting of scenes, is no surprise to me and nor should it be to you - it happens in book adaptation. My assumption with the violence and the darkness is that film makers were going for an M rating rather than an MA15+ as the appeal of the books starts from that tweeny age group. For me it didn't have huge affect because I didn't know what it was meant to be like, although a little more guts and gore wouldn't have gone astray!

I think it will be a smash at the box office this weekend, but I'm not sure if it will have the staying power of the HARRY POTTER. I liked it, but I didn't love it, but there are plenty of people in my session that certainly did love it.

3.8/5

Trailer Watch

NOW IS GOOD - so Dakota Fanning was good in THE RUNAWAYS, but she hasn't really tackled a good serious piece of mature material (emphasis on good) since I AM SAM. NOW IS GOOD looks like it might have a bit of something I can sink my teeth into or at the very least get emotional about. Also starring Jeremy Irvine of WAR HORSE NOW IS GOOD is about a young girl who decides to forgo her leukemia treatment so she can "do as much as possible, as fast as possible".

Click here to watch the trailer over at Yahoo! Movies.

Casting Call

Variety reports that Rose Bryne and Anna Faris will be joining Simon Baker and Rafe Spall in the new romantic comedy I GIVE IT A YEAR.


This rom-com is written and directed by Dan Mazer (writer/director of some Ali G eps and writer/producer of Borat and Bruno)and centres around a couple who as the title suggests are trying to make it through their first year of marriage. Based on Mazer's credits I would guess that this pic is going to get a rating higher than your average rom-com, maybe an MA15+, but that's pure speculation.

Spall and Bryne star as the main couple with Faris and Baker are set as "strong supporting characters". I'm glad fellow Aussie Byrne is going to get a go at the lead in this pic as she's certainly been proving her worth of late with X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, BRIDESMAIDS and GET HIM TO THE GREEK plus a whole bunch of television stuff as well.

PREMIUM RUSH - Release Date

I posted this trailer a while ago and I'm please to tell you that it's set for release in Australia on the 13th of September and I can't wait!

Cinema Lorosa'e Fundraiser

The Sun Theatre is the founding sponsor of Cinema Lorosa’e, a free, community based outdoor cinema program in Timor-Leste that opened in August 2011 and ran during the dry season in Dili and the districts. There are no cinemas in Timor-Leste and the first season of Cinema Lorosa’e was a huge success. Over the three month period the Lorosa’e team screened in Dili and throughout the districts to over 45,000 people and the response has been incredible with evenings of up to a few thousand people gathered together to see a film.

Sun Theatre is planning to continue the program this year with more screenings in the districts from May through to November. They have been running indoor screenings in Dili through the wet season with all proceeds directly supporting the operations of the outdoor screenings.

In their efforts to get the 2012 Cinema Lorosa’e outdoor program running, Sun Theatre will be hosting the Melbourne premiere of AFRICA UNITED as a fundraising event on Wednesday the 7th of March. Tickets for this event are $25 per person and include ticket, a glass of sparkling on arrival, popcorn and door prizes and all monies raised will be utilised in the Cinema Lorosa’e program for 2012. 

Releasing This Week

Here's a look at what's opening Thursday 8th of March;

AFRICA UNITED - a sweet story about 5 kids who beg, borrow and steal their way from Rwanda to South Africa to the Soccer World Cup Opening Ceremony. There are some serious themes disguised in this lighthearted comedy of errors. I really enjoyed it and will post a full review soon.

HEADHUNTERS - This film had sneak peaks over the weekend and has been getting some fantastic word of mouth. I'll be sticking my head in on this on Thursday to see what all the fuss is about!

JOHN CARTER - If you still want to watch this film after seeing the trailer then more fool you. It is as bad as it looks. 

THE AVENGERS - Trailer 2

WISH YOU WERE HERE - Review

Alice and Dave (Felicity Price and Joel Edgerton), married with two kids and another on the way, and Jeremy and Steph (Anthony Starr and Teresa Palmer) only a few months into a new relationship. Steph convinces her sister Alice to come on holiday with her and Jeremy partly due to the newness of her relationship and party so that Alice and Dave can have a bit of fun before the increased responsibilities a third child will bring. None of them know that much about Jeremy and what he does, other than importing items from Asia to Australia and making a hefty profit.

On their last night the two couples go to what I'm assuming is a full moon party, pop some pills and really let loose. Unfortunately for them, something goes horribly wrong on their last night and only three of them make it back. Or does it? Jeremy has in fact said that in the ultimate fantasy he would stay right where he was and never leave, so is that what he did? I don't want to say too much here because it's the mystery of this film that really carries you through, but the film transitions beautifully through the present day in Sydney and the very recent past, hinting at what might have happened, what could have happened and what shouldn't have happened.

The film is fantastically directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith, who co-wrote the script with wife and leading lady Felicity Price, and keeps you guessing simply by revealing tid-bits of information in seemingly random order, Edgerton, Price and Palmer (sounds like a law firm!) have done a splendid job with these characters and I really believed in what they were going through.

I'm going to say that if you enjoyed ANIMAL KINGDOM, you might well enjoy WISH YOU WERE HERE, while it's not quite as "blow you away" it is really well done, and got some good exposure at Sundance earlier in the year.

The ending is a little soft, and whilst it does tie up all the lose ends, I felt a little rushed and slightly disappointed. For that reason I'm giving WISH YOU WERE HERE 3.5 out of 5.

CARNAGE - Review

There's 18 year old liquor, un-smoked cigars, drowned cellphones, a dead hamster and a very impressive projectile vomit. This is a dark and twisted comedy and is by far the most fun I can remember having during a Roman Polanski film. It is just the right mix of awkward and funny and fascinating in an "I can't stop watching this train-wreck" kind of way. Polanski is not the first director you would think of for such a farcical comedy, however his two years under hours-arrest may have just given him the edge to capably and interestingly direct this one location film.

Based on the play God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, this film is set within the confines of an apartment where we meet the Mr & Mrs Longstreet (John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster) and Mr & Mrs Cowan (Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet). They have come together to have a civilised discussion about their sons, who we see get into an altercation during the opening credits. As the discussion continues, the film begins to descend into madness with each character breaking out of their restrained adult behaviour and fall just short of the monkey flinging his own poop.

At just 79 minutes this adaptation (completed by Polanski and Reza) gives each character just enough time to unfurl, without leaving the audience fidgeting and distracted as can sometimes happen with one location pieces. I'm not saying that it's believable that these characters would stay in that apartment for such an extended period of time, I for one would have left a damn sight quicker, but Polanski has done a good job of turning the Cowan's inability to leave into quite an amusing running joke.

I don't think a better team could have been found for this film than the four actors involved, and with such extensive careers behind them, I'm not surprised by their outstanding performances. Whilst I don't think there's many times you feel sorry for them, there's plenty of times you can relate and plenty of times you want to punch each of them in the face! And, I could tell that the rest of the audience felt the same, there was audible laughter and sighs of desperation and one guy even punched the armrest next to him out of what I can only imagine was frustration.

4 out of 5 for CARNAGE

And the Oscar goes to...

What a fun party the Oscars was this year! Some lovely wine, good company and the ceremony on the big screen. Sadly I didn't win any prizes, but I did get to have a quite chat with Oscar winner Adam Elliot and I bumped into Geoffrey Rush. Exciting times!!

I've listed the winners in green, and if I got it wrong, my prediction is still in pink. 

Best Picture
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Help"
"Moneyball"
"War Horse"
"The Tree of Life"

Best Actor
Demian Bichir, "A Better Life"
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"

Best Actress
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, "My Week With Marilyn"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte, "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Max Von Sydow, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"

Best Director
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"

Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
JC Chandor, "Margin Call"
Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, "Bridesmaids"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, "The Descendants"
John Logan, "Hugo"
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, "The Ides of March"
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, "Moneyball"
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

Best Animated Feature
"A Cat In Paris"
"Chico & Rita"
"Kung Fu Panda 2"
"Puss in Boots"
"Rango"

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)

Original Score
"The Adventures of Tintin," John Williams
"The Artist," Ludovic Bource
"Hugo," Howard Shore
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Alberto Iglesias
"War Horse," John Williams

Best Original Song
"Man or Muppet," The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio," Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Achievement in Art Direction
"The Artist"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Cinematography
"The Artist"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Costume Design
"Anonymous"
"The Artist"
"Hugo"
"Jane Eyre"
"W.E."

Best Documentary Feature -  I've only seen PINA so I chose it, but I can't really make a sound judgement here as I haven't seen any of the others!
"Hell and Back Again"
"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"
"Pina"
"Undefeated"

Best Documentary Short Subject - I haven't seen any of these at all, but I like the sound of TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM, so I chose that 
"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?"
"God Is the Bigger Elvis"
"Incident in New Baghdad"
"Saving Face"
"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"

Best Achievement in Film Editing
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"

Best Achievement in Makeup
"Albert Nobbs"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"The Iron Lady"

Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Live Action Short Film
"Pentecost"
"Raju"
"The Shore"
"Time Freak"
"Tuba Atlantic"

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
"Drive"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Real Steel"
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

So I didn't do too badly this year getting 14 out of 24 of the categories correct. There are a few winners that I didn't necessarily agree with including sound mixing and sound editing, but overall most of the winners were fairly predictable. 

RAZZIES 2012

Today is about the best and the worst for films, and below is a list of the Razzies nominations for 2012. Adam Sandler cleaned up this year (deservedly) and I'm pretty sure he now holds the record for the most nominations in one year...Other big names joining Adam include Katie Holmes, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman and Al Pacino.

2012 RAZZIE AWARDS: FULL LIST OF NOMINEES 

Worst Picture:  I'm not sure what to pick here...they are all soooo deserving!!

Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star
Jack & Jill
New Year’s Eve
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

Worst Actor:

Russell Brand, Arthur
Nicolas Cage, Drive Angry 3-D, Season Of The Witch, and Trespass
Taylor Lautner, Abduction and Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I
Adam Sandler, Jack & Jill and Just Go With It
Nick Swardson, Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star

Worst Actress:

Martin Lawrence (As 'Momma'), Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
Sarah Palin (As 'Herself'), Sarah Palin: The Undefeated
Sarah Jessica Parker, I Don’t Know How She Does It and New Year’s Eve
Adam Sandler (As 'Jill'), Jack & Jill
Kristen Stewart, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I

Worst Supporting Actress:

Katie Holmes, Jack & Jill
Brandon T. Jackson (As “Charmaine”), Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
Nicole Kidman, Just Go With It
David Spade (As “Monica”), Jack & Jill
The Underwear Model (Aka Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), Transformers: Dark Of The Moon

Worst Supporting Actor:

Patrick Dempsey, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
James Franco, Your Highness
Ken Jeong, Big Momma’s #3, Hangover Part 2, Transformers #3 and Zookeeper
Al Pacino (As 'Al Pacino'), Jack & Jill
Nick Swardson, Jack & Jill and Just Go With It

Worst Screen Ensemble:

The Entire Cast of Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star
The Entire Cast of Jack & Jill
The Entire Cast of New Year’s Eve
The Entire Cast of Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
The Entire Cast of Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I

Worst Director:

Michael Bay, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
Tom Brady, Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star
Bill Condon, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I
Dennis Dugan, Jack & Jill and Just Go With It
Garry Marshall, New Year’s Eve

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel

Arthur
Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star (Rip-Off of Boogie Nights and A Star Is Born)
The Hangover Part 2 (Both a sequel and a remake!)
Jack & Jill (Remake/Rip-Off of Ed Woods’ Glen or Glenda)
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I

Worst Screen Couple:

Nicolas Cage & Anyone Sharing the Screen with Him in Any of His Three 2011 Movie
Shia Lebeouf & The Underwear Model (Aka Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), Transformers #3
Adam Sandler & EITHER Jennifer Aniston OR Brooklyn Decker, Just Go With It
Adam Sandler & EITHER Katies Holmes, Al Pacino OR Adam Sandler, Jack & Jill
Kristen Stewart & EITHER Taylor Lautner OR Robert Pattinson, Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part I

Worst Screenplay:

Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star, Written by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert and Nick Swardson
Jack & Jill, Screenplay by Steve Koren & Adam Sandler, Story by Ben Zook
New Year’s Eve, Written by Katherine Fugate
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, Written by Ehren Kruger
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I, Screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, from the novel by Stephenie Meyer

It's really hard to predict the Razzies, when I really just want to vote for everything that's been nominated!! I especially liked the nomination for Nicolas Cage and anyone sharing the screen with him in any of his 3 2011 movies! Quite amusing!

Full list of winners will be posted after the ceremony on April 1st. 

Oscars Predictions

It's here! The 84th Annual Academy Awards and I'm about to head off to the most exciting event on the industry calendar - the Nova Oscars Gala. Basically everyone gets frocked up, has a few drinks, schmoozes a bit and then we all gather to watch the ceremony telecast live on the big screen. Funsies!! There's a prediction competition with prizes and it's all very competitive. 


I've adjusted my predictions a little since my last post, so here's my updated list. I'll be posting the actual winners after the event today. 

Best Picture
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Help"
"Moneyball"
"War Horse"
"The Tree of Life"

Best Actor
Demian Bichir, "A Better Life"
George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"

Best Actress
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, "My Week With Marilyn"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte, "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Max Von Sydow, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"

Best Director
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"

Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
JC Chandor, "Margin Call"
Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, "Bridesmaids"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, "The Descendants"
John Logan, "Hugo"
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, "The Ides of March"
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, "Moneyball"
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

Best Animated Feature
"A Cat In Paris"
"Chico & Rita"
"Kung Fu Panda 2"
"Puss in Boots"
"Rango"

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)

Original Score
"The Adventures of Tintin," John Williams
"The Artist," Ludovic Bource
"Hugo," Howard Shore
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Alberto Iglesias
"War Horse," John Williams

Best Original Song
"Man or Muppet," The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio," Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Achievement in Art Direction
"The Artist"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Cinematography
"The Artist"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Costume Design
"Anonymous"
"The Artist"
"Hugo"
"Jane Eyre"
"W.E."

Best Documentary Feature -  I've only seen PINA so I chose it, but I can't really make a sound judgement here as I haven't seen any of the others!
"Hell and Back Again"
"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front"
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory"
"Pina"
"Undefeated"

Best Documentary Short Subject - I haven't seen any of these at all, but I like the sound of TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM, so I chose that 
"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?"
"God Is the Bigger Elvis"
"Incident in New Baghdad"
"Saving Face"
"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"

Best Achievement in Film Editing
"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"

Best Achievement in Makeup
"Albert Nobbs"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"The Iron Lady"

Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Live Action Short Film
"Pentecost"
"Raju"
"The Shore"
"Time Freak"
"Tuba Atlantic"

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
"Drive"
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
"Hugo"
"Moneyball"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
"War Horse"

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Real Steel"
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

THE HUNGER GAMES - Trailer

Apparently this film is going to be huge...I don't know much about it, but there's a whole swarm of people that love the books who are gearing up for this big time. Cinemas have just announced midnight screenings (12:01am) on the 22nd of March and for those of you familiar with cinema, midnights usually mean big things are anticipated for the film.

This is the latest trailer released for the film, set to hit screens on March 22nd. What do you think?

THIS MEANS WAR - Review

Not quite a rom-com, not quite an action, this mish-mashed genre film does quite work in my opinion.

Two CIA special agents - partners and best friends - meet and fall for the same girl. Then it becomes all-out special agent warfare to win the girls affections. Who will she choose? I didn't really care to be honest, I was just bored by the end of it.

Predictable and sloppy, the story-line was a little too far-fetched in a story that was trying to be honest. Would the CIA really let two men who are suspended to desk duties utilise all their resources when they have a major case to solve? Would the girl really not notice that the man she's on a date with blows up a surveillance plane that's following them? Really? I'm not normally a skeptic, but I did find it hard to get into the vibe of this film.

That was not helped by the fact that Tom Hardy and Chris Pine, shared more chemistry between them than either of them shared with Reese Witherspoon. I believed more in their bromance than in their pursuit of Reese and I was so relieved when they went back to being friends.

I give THIS MEANS WAR 2/5. I can't even pass it off as a piece of enjoyable fluff.