Rss

  • linkedin

Archives for : February2017

Predicting the Winners: 89th Academy Awards

Posted by :Susan Kamyab On : February 24, 2017
0

Category: Special Events, Special Features

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Related image

Performance by an actor in a leading role

  • Casey Affleck in “Manchester by the Sea”
  • Andrew Garfield in “Hacksaw Ridge”
  • Ryan Gosling in “La La Land”
  • Viggo Mortensen in “Captain Fantastic”
  • Denzel Washington in “Fences”

Will Win: Casey Affleck
Could Win: Denzel Washington
Want to Win: Casey Affleck

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

  • Mahershala Ali in “Moonlight”
  • Jeff Bridges in “Hell or High Water”
  • Lucas Hedges in “Manchester by the Sea”
  • Dev Patel in “Lion”
  • Michael Shannon in “Nocturnal Animals”

Will Win: Mahershala Ali
Could Win: Dev Patel
Want to Win: Mahershala Ali, Dev Patel, or Michael Shannon

Performance by an actress in a leading role

  • Isabelle Huppert in “Elle”
  • Ruth Negga in “Loving”
  • Natalie Portman in “Jackie”
  • Emma Stone in “La La Land”
  • Meryl Streep in “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Will Win: Emma Stone
Could Win: Natalie Portman
Want to Win: Natalie Portman or Emma Stone

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

  • Viola Davis in “Fences”
  • Naomie Harris in “Moonlight”
  • Nicole Kidman in “Lion”
  • Octavia Spencer in “Hidden Figures”
  • Michelle Williams in “Manchester by the Sea”

Will Win: Viola Davis
Could Win: No Contest
Want to Win: Viola Davis

Best animated feature film of the year

  • “Kubo and the Two Strings” Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner
  • “Moana” John Musker, Ron Clements and Osnat Shurer
  • “My Life as a Zucchini” Claude Barras and Max Karli
  • “The Red Turtle” Michael Dudok de Wit and Toshio Suzuki
  • “Zootopia” Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer

Will Win: Zootopia
Could Win: Moana
Want to Win: Zootopia

Achievement in cinematography

  • “Arrival” Bradford Young
  • “La La Land” Linus Sandgren
  • “Lion” Greig Fraser
  • “Moonlight” James Laxton
  • “Silence” Rodrigo Prieto

Will Win: La La Land
Could Win: Arrival
Want to Win: La La Lan

Achievement in costume design

  • “Allied” Joanna Johnston
  • “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” Colleen Atwood
  • “Florence Foster Jenkins” Consolata Boyle
  • “Jackie” Madeline Fontaine
  • “La La Land” Mary Zophres

Will Win: Jackie
Could Win: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Want to Win: Jackie

Achievement in directing

  • “Arrival” Denis Villeneuve
  • “Hacksaw Ridge” Mel Gibson
  • “La La Land” Damien Chazelle
  • “Manchester by the Sea” Kenneth Lonergan
  • “Moonlight” Barry Jenkins

Will Win: La La Land
Could Win: Moonlight
Want to Win: Manchester by the Sea

Best documentary feature

  • “Fire at Sea” Gianfranco Rosi and Donatella Palermo
  • “I Am Not Your Negro” Raoul Peck, Rémi Grellety and Hébert Peck
  • “Life, Animated” Roger Ross Williams and Julie Goldman
  • “O.J.: Made in America” Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow
  • “13th” Ava DuVernay, Spencer Averick and Howard Barish

Will Win: OJ: Made in America
Could Win: I Am Not Your Negro
Want to Win: OJ: Made in America

Best documentary short subject

  • “Extremis” Dan Krauss
  • “4.1 Miles” Daphne Matziaraki
  • “Joe’s Violin” Kahane Cooperman and Raphaela Neihausen
  • “Watani: My Homeland” Marcel Mettelsiefen and Stephen Ellis
  • “The White Helmets” Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara

Blind Guess: The White Helmets

Achievement in film editing

  • “Arrival”Joe Walker
  • “Hacksaw Ridge” John Gilbert
  • “Hell or High Water” Jake Roberts
  • “La La Land” Tom Cross
  • “Moonlight” Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon

Will Win: La La Land
Could Win: Moonlight
Want to Win: La La Land

Best foreign language film of the year

  • “Land of Mine” Denmark
  • “A Man Called Ove” Sweden
  • “The Salesman” Iran
  • “Tanna” Australia
  • “Toni Erdmann” Germany

Will Win: The Salesman
Could Win: A Man Called Ove
Want to Win: The Salesman

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

  • “A Man Called Ove” Eva von Bahr and Love Larson
  • “Star Trek Beyond” Joel Harlow and Richard Alonzo
  • “Suicide Squad” Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson

Will Win: Star Trek Beyond
Could Win: A Man Called Ove
Want to Win: Star Trek Beyond

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

  • “Jackie” Mica Levi
  • “La La Land” Justin Hurwitz
  • “Lion” Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka
  • “Moonlight” Nicholas Britell
  • “Passengers” Thomas Newman

Will Win: La La Land
Could Win: Moonight or Lion
Want to Win: La La Land or Lion

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

  • “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from “La La Land”
    Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
  • “Can’t Stop The Feeling” from “Trolls”
    Music and Lyric by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster
  • “City Of Stars” from “La La Land”
    Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
  • “The Empty Chair” from “Jim: The James Foley Story”
    Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting
  • “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana”
    Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Will Win: City of Stars
Could Win: How Far I’ll Go
Want to Win: How Far I’ll Go

Best motion picture of the year

  • “Arrival” Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Aaron Ryder and David Linde, Producers
  • “Fences” Scott Rudin, Denzel Washington and Todd Black, Producers
  • “Hacksaw Ridge” Bill Mechanic and David Permut, Producers
  • “Hell or High Water” Carla Hacken and Julie Yorn, Producers
  • “Hidden Figures” Donna Gigliotti, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Pharrell Williams and Theodore Melfi, Producers
  • “La La Land” Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz and Marc Platt, Producers
  • “Lion” Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder, Producers
  • “Manchester by the Sea” Matt Damon, Kimberly Steward, Chris Moore, Lauren Beck and Kevin J. Walsh, Producers
  • “Moonlight” Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers

Will Win: Moonlight
Could Win: La La Land or Hidden Figures
Want to Win: Manchester by the Sea or Hidden Figures

Achievement in production design

  • “Arrival” Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Paul Hotte
  • “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
  • “Hail, Caesar!” Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
  • “La La Land” Production Design: David Wasco; Set Decoration: Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
  • “Passengers” Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena

Will Win: La La Land
Could Win: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Want to Win: La La Land

Best animated short film

  • “Blind Vaysha” Theodore Ushev
  • “Borrowed Time” Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj
  • “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” Robert Valley and Cara Speller
  • “Pearl” Patrick Osborne
  • “Piper” Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer

Will Win: Piper
Could Win: Pearl
Want to Win: Pearl

Best live action short film

  • “Ennemis Intérieurs” Sélim Azzazi
  • “La Femme et le TGV” Timo von Gunten and Giacun Caduff
  • “Silent Nights” Aske Bang and Kim Magnusson
  • “Sing” Kristof Deák and Anna Udvardy
  • “Timecode” Juanjo Giménez

Will Win: Sing
Could Win: Ennemis Interieurs
Want to Win: Sing

Achievement in sound editing

  • “Arrival” Sylvain Bellemare
  • “Deepwater Horizon” Wylie Stateman and Renée Tondelli
  • “Hacksaw Ridge” Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright
  • “La La Land” Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
  • “Sully” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman

Will Win: Hacksaw Ridge
Could Win: La La Land
Want to Win: Sully

Achievement in sound mixing

  • “Arrival” Bernard Gariépy Strobl and Claude La Haye
  • “Hacksaw Ridge” Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace
  • “La La Land” Andy Nelson, Ai-Ling Lee and Steve A. Morrow
  • “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
  • “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth

Will Win: La La Land
Could Win: Hacksaw Ridge
Want to Win: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Achievement in visual effects

  • “Deepwater Horizon” Craig Hammack, Jason Snell, Jason Billington and Burt Dalton
  • “Doctor Strange” Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli and Paul Corbould
  • “The Jungle Book” Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon
  • “Kubo and the Two Strings” Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff
  • “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel and Neil Corbould

Will Win: The Jungle Book
Could Win: Doctor Strange
Want to Win: The Jungle Book or Doctor Strange

Adapted screenplay

  • “Arrival” Screenplay by Eric Heisserer
  • “Fences” Screenplay by August Wilson
  • “Hidden Figures” Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi
  • “Lion” Screenplay by Luke Davies
  • “Moonlight” Screenplay by Barry Jenkins; Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney

Will Win: Moonlight
Could Win: Hidden Figures
Want to Win: Moonlight

Original screenplay

  • “Hell or High Water” Written by Taylor Sheridan
  • “La La Land” Written by Damien Chazelle
  • “The Lobster” Written by Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou
  • “Manchester by the Sea” Written by Kenneth Lonergan
  • “20th Century Women” Written by Mike Mills

Will Win: Manchest by the Sea
Could Win: The Lobster
Want to Win: Manchester by the Sea, 20th Century Women or The Lobster (JUST NOT LA LA LAND)

 

We will see how many of my predictions are right…Watch the 89th Academy Awards Sunday, February 26, 2017- on ABC.  Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel!

Movie Review: “Get Out” is an Excellent Mix of Horror and Comedy

Posted by :Susan Kamyab On : February 23, 2017
0

Category: Movie Reviews

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Image result for get out movie

Every once in a while a horror flick comes along that not only scares, but also includes plenty of laughs along the way. In the past few years, films like “The Visit” and “The Guest” have provided this full package. And now at the start of 2017, comedian Jordan Peele (“Key and Peele”) has captured this rarity again, and presented us with the gift of his directorial debut, “Get Out”.

Based on the film’s trailer alone, audiences knew we were in for some race-savvy satire that would lead to a number of awkward scenes. But, these moments of comic relief are so subtle and well executed that they blend perfectly with the eerie tension, while still keeping you engrossed in the suspense of the movie.

“Get Out” follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), an African American photographer who’s planning to meet his Caucasian girlfriend’s parents for the first time. They are set to head upstate to her family’s secluded home, and of course, Chris expresses his concern by asking if they know he is black? Rose (Allison Williams) laughs it off and assures Chris that her parents are totally cool. To give him comfort, she lets him know that her dad would have voted for Obama a third term. Oh good, now we all feel so much better… Chris’ best friend (Lil Rel Howery) even warns him not go, but he does not listen.

On the drive to her parents’ house they hit a deer, foreshadowing an unpleasant visit ahead of them. And it’s here that we get our first act of racism with a cop who insists on seeing Chris’ ID after the accident, even though Rose was driving. Luckily, Rose diffuses the situation in a pretty knight in shining armor way.

Image result for get out movie

Finally, they arrive to her parents’ home, and both are welcomed with open arms. Rose’s mom Missy (Catherine Keener) and her dad Dean (Bradley Whitford) appear to be nice. Dean comes across a bit foolish at times with a few ignorant remarks when trying to “bond” with Chris, but other than that the parents seem harmless. However, their two African American servants, Georgina (Betty Gabriel) and Walter (Marcus Henderson) behave in a very odd manner with forced smiles and unusual emotional breakouts.

Things just continue to get stranger. Missy offers to hypnotize Chris so that he can quit smoking. Rose’s brother Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones) makes it blatantly clear that he does not care for his sister’s new boyfriend. Then there’s a disturbing party in which Chris is hounded by the many white people in attendance. Soon enough, everything begins to unwind.

Jordan Peele’s script is sharp, witty, and an effective horror. There are subtle Hitchcock-like notes in his story telling. Peele’s cast only furthers his film with their well-rounded performances. Keener and Whitford do an incredible job maintaining their creepy, Stepford Wives composure. Major kudos to Lil Rel Howery for being the character that hilariously speaks on behalf of everyone in the audience.

“Get Out” is a refreshing horror-comedy that will keep you on edge till the very end!

Rating: 4/5

“Get Out” opens in theaters February 24th.

Share

Movie Review: “Fifty Shades Darker” – A Foolish Tale Laced with Sex and Thrills

Posted by :Susan Kamyab On : February 10, 2017
0

Category: Movie Reviews

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ana and Christian are back in an even hotter and more ridiculous film!

Let’s get one thing out of the way before I begin. Yes, E.L. James’ Fifty Shades book series is unrealistic and incredibly cheesy. And Fifty Shades Darker encourages even more eye-rolls with its Lifetime style drama. However, this time around the film has added enough excitement and sex to where you can let go of reality, and just have fun with this Made-for-TV quality movie.

When we last left off on Fifty Shades of Grey, Ana (Dakota Johnson) had broken up with Christian (Jamie Dornan) after discovering how much pleasure he got from giving her so much pain. She realized she couldn’t be in a submissive relationship with him.
 
As we pick up with Fifty Shades Darker, some time has gone by and Ana seems to have moved on with her life, working for a handsome, yet questionable boss (Eric Johnson) at a publishing company. But it’s at her friend Jose’s (Victor Rasuk) photography exhibit that we find out Christian has been lost without her. Christian wants Ana back and is willing to have a relationship with no rules, no punishments, and no secrets. Essentially giving Ana the “vanilla” relationship she always wanted. Of course, this now “normal” boyfriend/girlfriend status isn’t going to progress smoothly by any means.
 
The two sexual love birds, who literally are going at it during any spare moment, must deal with an inappropriate boss, a former submissive girlfriend (Bella Heathcote), and “Mrs. Robinson” (Kim Basinger) – the woman who turned Christian into the sex hungry dominatrix. All three of these new characters create thrilling turmoil and more intrigue, as opposed to the previous film’s lackluster conflict of “will they or wont they” stay together.
 
Though some may find all the different struggles going on in the film messy or idiotic, I found them extremely entertaining. I mean Christian and Ana go through so many near death experiences that you almost can’t blame them for wanting to continuously have sex. It could be their last time! And as Ana says in the film, “We haven’t had enough time.”
 
Speaking of sex! Fifty Shades Darker turns up the heat with plenty of steamy sexual sequences that will have audiences either immensely uncomfortable, or anxiously awaiting their own bedrooms. Director, James Foley, allows for more provocative sex scenes by introducing a few new toys and intensifying the couple’s “love making”. The scenes are tastefully filmed and still limits the nudity to topless and butt shots. And might I add, Jamie Dornan looks better than ever! The man is ripped and the film clearly wants to show off the efforts from his intensive work outs.
 
Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan have grown as actors since their last performance as these characters. They are what truly makes this film watchable. They succeed in delivering every cringe-worthy line with such conviction, that you might not notice the stupidity of what actually was said.
 

As much as I can ridicule Fifty Shades Darker, there’s no denying the moments of satisfaction. Though, this is still very much a film for fans of the book, the intended audience should sit back, throw away your thinking caps and enjoy the hell out of this electric and tantalizing romance.

Rating: 3/5

Fifty Shades Darker opens in theaters on February 10.

Share