2013 Oscar Predicitons

I love to predict the Oscars, so here is my (constantly updated) list of potential 2013 Oscar nominees. Keep in mind, these are early predictions.

Best Picture
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln  
Les Miserables
Argo
Silver Linings Playbook
Django Unchained 
Life of Pi
Moonrise Kingdom 
The Master  
Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty
Ben Affleck - Argo 
Tom Hooper - Les Miserables
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln 
Ang Lee - Life of Pi

Best Actor
Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Denzel Washington - Flight 
John Hawkes - The Sessions  

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Naomi Watts - The Impossible  
Marion Coltiard - Rust and Bone
Helen Mirren - Hitchcock

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - The Master 
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook  
Javier Bardem - Skyfall

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Sally Field - Lincoln
Amy Adams - The Master
Nicole Kidman - The Paperboy

Best Original Screenplay
Zero Dark Thirty
Django Unchained
Moonrise Kingdom
The Master 
Looper

Best Adapted Screenplay
Lincoln
The Silver Linings Playbook
Argo
The Perks of Being a Wallflower 
Life of Pi


Best Animated Film
Frankenweenie 
Wreck-It Ralph
Paranorman
Brave
The Rabbi's Cat

Best Foreign Language Film
Amour (Austria)
The Intouchables (France)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
Kon-Tiki (Norway)
The Deep (Iceland)


Best Production Design*
Les Miserables 
Anna Karenina
Lincoln
Django Unchained 
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Best Cinematography
Life of Pi   
Skyfall
Les Miserables
Lincoln 
The Master


Best Costume Design
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables 
Cloud Atlas
Lincoln
Snow White and the Huntsmen

Best Editing
Zero Dark Thirty
Argo  
Lincoln
Les Miserables
Django Unchained

Best Makeup and Hairstyling**
Les Miserables
Lincoln 
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Best Score
Lincoln
Life of Pi
Anna Karenina
Cloud Atlas  
Beasts of the Southern Wild 

Best Song***
"Suddenly" from Les Miserables
"Skyfall" from Skyfall 
"Touch the Sky" from Brave
"Still Alive" from Paul Williams: Still Alive
"Learn Me Right" from Brave

Best Sound Editing
Zero Dark Thirty
The Dark Knight Rises
Skyfall
The Avengers
Life of Pi 

Best Sound Mixing
Les Miserables
Zero Dark Thrity 
The Avengers 
The Dark Knight Rises
Life of Pi

Best Visual Effects
Life of Pi
Cloud Atlas
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Avengers 
Prometheus

Best Animated Short
Paperman
Adam and Dog
Fall of the House of Usher
The Eagleman Stag
Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare

Best Documentary Short   
Open Heart
Mondays at Racine
Redemption
Education of Mohammad Hussein
Kings Fit

Best Livc Action Short
Death of a Shadow
Curfew
when you find me
Asad
The Night Shift Belongs to the Stars  

*Best Art Direction category changed to Best Production Design
** Best Makeup category changed to Best Makeup and Hairstyling
***Best Song category amended to guarantee five nominees in the category following last year's two nominees

Release Date News

I am using this space to announce the official release date of one highly anticipated film and the moving of the release date of another highly anticipated movie: both literary adaptations of influential and classic novels.

Firstly, according to the IFCfilms.com page for the film "On the Road" (directed by Walter Salles and starring Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, and Kristen Stewart, among others) will arrive in theaters and on demand on December 21, 2012 (a.k.a. the end of the world.) This comes after the release of the film in many other countries around the world.

The next piece of release date news is the shocker that the 3D adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel "The Great Gatsby" is moving from its Oscar baity release of December 25, 2012, to sometime in the summer of 2013. According to Warner Bros., this is a perfect film for the Summer. Also, more people are certain to see the film when it is not competing for audience members against "Django Unchained" (which opens on Christmas Day), "Zero Dark Thirty" (which is released on December 19), "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," and "Les Miserables" (both of which are released on December 14). All of those films are high profile award contenders.

Do you think that "The Great Gatsby" will still be able to receive attention at awards next year despite a summer release date? Comment with your opinions! 

Best Movies of the Decade: 2000's

In order to celebrate all things about good films, I have decided to make a list of my personal favorite movies from 2000 to 2009. Keep in mind, this list is not a finished product, and until I see every movie from this decade (exaggeration) I will not have my complete opinion. As of right now, here are my top 10 movies from the 2000 decade.

1. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
2. Pan's Labyrinth
3. Inglorious Basterds
4. Cloverfield
5. The Dark Knight
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban / Half Blood Prince / Sorcerer's Stone
7. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
8. United 93
9. Up in the Air
10. Transsiberian

If you have any questions or comments please comment :)

Movies that everybody should see: "Margaret" and "Rebel Without a Cause"

Two movies that every person should see in their lifetime are the modern and masterful Margaret and the classic James Dean film Rebel Without a Cause. Both films are timeless classics that are amazing in their own ways.

Let's start with Margaret. This film had a notoriously long and disrupted production and release. Filmed over seven years ago, this film was just recently released in theaters last fall. The film made barely any money and few people have seen it, but those who have mostly agree that it is a masterpiece. I was one of the few people who saw this on its first weekend, and considering how little money this made, I am special. 

The film is about a teenager, Lisa (Anna Paquin, who actually was close to being a teenager at the time of filming), who witnesses a bus accident. It is a long film, but the story unravels brilliantly. After I initially saw it, I liked it but didn't love. But, the more I let it sink in, the more amazing it seemed to me. The extended cut is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray in a couple weeks, so I am very excited to see the version that the director wanted people to see.

It is an amazing movie that everybody should see because it captures real human emotions. Even though Lisa is a less than great person at times, everything about her character is honest. The performances and screenplay are absolutely perfect.

Now on to the classic, Rebel Without a Cause. This is an amazing and influential move that captures what it means to be a teenager. James Dean stars in this timeless classic. There's really as much to say about this film as Margaret because everybody knows about this film. James Dean proves his talent in one of his three film credits. This is a perfect movie for teenagers to see because they would be to really connect. Brilliant and stunning film that stands the test of time.

Capsule Reviews: Snow White, Moonrise Kingdom, and Prometheus

Snow White and the Huntsman directed by Rupert Sanders

When one envisions Snow White, they most likely see the animated Disney princess singing. Seeing this film changes that idea. Here, Snow White is shown as an imprisoned youth who escapes her cell and goes on a mission to revenge the evil Queen Ravenna. It is an interesting, but a little bland, story told with amazing visual beauty. I mean it, the visual effects and cinematography are completely outstanding, easily some of the best of the year.

Kristen Stewart plays Snow, with a British accent. Many may be surprised to hear that her British accent is actually very good. I know that she is a good actress based on her film roles outside of Twilight, and this will hopefully show the general audience that. She is not as good as she was in The Runaways or Welcome to the Riley's, but she is better than average. Christ Hemsworth is also good as the Huntsman. He plays the character similarly to how he plays Thor, which is fine. Charlize Theron is the real standout here. As one would expect, the main attraction of the movie turned out to be the Queen, a supporting character. Charlize embodies the idea of a completely horrendous person.

Overall, this was a very good film that made up in visual department with its minor shortcomings in narrative.

8/10

Moonrise Kingdom directed by Wes Anderson

This is one that really grew on me. At first, it appeared to be another quirkfest from quirk master Wes Anderson. Slowly, it was able to find a balance with the right amount of quirkiness. The story Anderson tells is a surprisingly romantic one: two kids run away from home to be together.

The ensemble cast is uniformly great. The two young leads (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) make amazing film debuts. Bruce Willis does a better than normal job as the cop at the center of the investigation looking for the children. Edward Norton is hysterical as the Khaki Scout troop leader, a role that easily be seen as a creepy role. Frances McDormand and Bill Murray are also exceptional as the parents of the runaway girl. Tilda Swinton's role is basically a cameo, but she pulls off an American accent perfectly and is hilarious.

Overall, this is an amazing film that has a lot of heart. Even if it doesn't necessarily attract you in the very beginning, you will become invested in the characters by the end.

9/10

Prometheus directed by Ridley Scott

This was easily one of my eagerly anticipated movies of 2012 (following The Dark Knight Rises, of course), and I am pleased to announce that it does not fail to meet my level of hype. From the very first sequence, I was absolutely sucked into this environment that Scott created. As the mission in space goes on, you become accustomed to this new foreign planet. It appears eerily Earth-like. Anymore of this film cannot be spoiled because it would really ruin the fun.

The performances are very strong, especially by Michael Fassbender, who plays David, a robot. Noomi Rapace tries her best with an English accent, but she still gives a powerful performance that is reminiscent of Signourney Weaver in Alien. Charlize Theron also is very good as the antagonistic character on the ship.

This film had amazing visual effects. Some of the best I have ever seen. I could not tell what was practical and what was CGI because the practical elements were so grand and the CGI so flawless.

Overall, this was a spellbinding movie that needs to be seen. It was not perfect (no movie is), but it is almost perfect.

10/10

"Struck By Lightning" World Premiere

Backround:     
     One of the many benefits of living in New York is the annual Tribeca Film Festival. It is a great film festival that I have not previously had the pleasure of attending. So, when I heard that "Struck By Lightning" written by and starring Chris Colfer was being premiered here, I really wanted to go (even though I'm not a fan of "Glee"). Unfortunately, tickets were sold out. Fortunately, the Tribeca Film Festival has "rush" tickets available where you show up early and wait, and after the ticketed people go in, you can buy a ticket if there are any left. Me and my fellow movie watcher just reached the front of the line after a 2+ hour long wait only to be told that there were no more seats, but she said to wait a little longer just in case some become available. Lo and behold, there were very few more seats. We were going to see the film!

Red Carpet

     While we were still waiting on line, Mr. Colfer himself made his appearance on the red carpet set up and walked up and down the line for people with tickets and interacted with them... all of them. (I took pictures when he was close to me.) I'm always close to the famous people but never actually meet them **cough cough** Daniel Radcliffe **cough cough**

Hugs! (I swear the woman in red was my old science teacher...)

   


     Anyway, we finally took out seats in the sold out theater, the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. The seats for the "rush" tickets were not great, in the back corner of the auditorium. We still had a clear view of the screen. Now, the world premiere of "Struck by Lightning" happened.

Review:
     Colfer is certainly very talented, as I have heard "Glee"-fans tell me. He is a very funny performer, and his script is hilarious and smart.
     Colfer plays Carson, a high school senior struck by a bolt of lightning and killed. That's how the story begins, with Carson dying. We are then sent to his life in high school and how he ended up getting struck by lightning.
     Carson's main goal in this film is to get into SouthWestern, and he decides to publish a literary magazine in order to make him look better, on top of already being the editor of the newspaper and president of the writing club. In order to get any submissions for the magazine, Carson has to blackmail people.
     His parents divorce left his mother Sheryl (Allison Janney) a mess. His father Neal (Dermot Mulroney) is engaged to a pregnant pharmacist April (Christina Hendricks), who Sheryl meets at the pharmacy filling her prescriptions. At school, his classmates include his only friend Malerie (Rebel Wilson) and the bitchy cheerleader Claire Mathews (Sarah Hyland).
     The humor in this movie is very original; it feels like not a lot of it has been done before. Aside of being soley funny, I felt like this was one of the more realistic high school films (although no movie will ever be 100% realistic in terms of high school). The characters were all relatable to people I know.
     In such an amazing cast, Colfer was definitely a standout. He was funny and self-aware as a high school student in over his head.
     When this movie is released in theaters, I recommend it. Teenagers are not the only age group who will enjoy this movie.

Rating: 4.5/5

Q&A:
     The only reason I want to mention the Q&A is to say that Emma Watson was at the premiere and asked a question. I had no idea she was there until she after the question was asked and Colfer pointed it out. She wasn't that far from me and I was in awe. She is one of my favorite people and seeing her in person was my favorite moment of the night. Unfortunately, she left to quickly for me to take a picture of her.

Q&A

John Carter

I appear to be the only person who actually wanted to see John Carter. TO me, it looked like an interesting movie with great visuals, but I wasn't able to see it until a month after it's release. It's such a shame that this film made no money.

As of my viewing of John Carter, I have read the introduction and first two chapters of "A Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Borroughs, the first novel in the "Barsoon" series of books in which John Carter is based on. Except for the very first scene, I am happy that this film follows this book closer than I thought it would. The one major change in the first few scenes compared to the first two chapters is actaully kind of important, but kept the same idea. After the introduction scene, the first scene on Earth is exactly like the introduction in the book with the author being called to John's residence right before his death. This is where the manuscript of his adventures are discovered. Then the story begins:

Taylor Kitsch as John Carter

Instead of having the title character (played by Taylor Kitsch) end up in the cave after being chased by Indians after they attacked his best friend, the movie changed John into a person who was arrested and escaped jail. He is then chased by Indians after a three way battle between the INdians, the law, and john. It is very different from the book actually. Once John gets to Barsoon, I have no idea how closely the movie follows the book.

The story is actually quite entertaining, even though the beginning scenes on Earth (excluding the scenes with the author) and the introduction scene are a little underwhelming. They aren't bad, just a little cliched. On Mars (Barsoon), there is an alien species that is tall and green, but there are also groups of humans who are at war, as described in the opening scene. Their history gets a tad confusing, but it is never impossible to follow.

Kitsch and Collins

There is a staple strong female lead in Dejah Thoris (played by Lynn Collins). There are also several bad guys whose names I don't know; it got confusing after a while trying to figure who is who.

John gets drawn into this planet's war while becoming aquatinted with its natives.

The visuals in this movie are definitely a standout. They are never less then perfect and almost justify the film's insane budget, almost. The green aliens look amazing, the white apes in the arena battle scene look amazing, the landscape looks amazing, the air battles looks amazing; you get the idea.

John Carter fighting some White Apes

The acting is strong as well. Kitsch is a suitable enough lead, but there probably would have been a couple better choices (maybe Ryan Gosling or Chris Hemsworth?). Collins actually gave a really god performance. She breaks through her characters stereotypes and makes it her own.

Overall, a strong movie that was not perfect, but was definitely a lot of fun with amazing special effects and strong performances.

Rating: A-, 4/5, 8/10

The Hunger Games

I realized that my blog has become mostly an awards prediction site, so I am going to try to change that and post more reviews, especially outside of movies and television. SO, my next post will be about my love of The Hunger Games.

This was easily my most anticipated movie of March, the first half of the year, and possibly the whole year. I am a huge fan of the books and expected the movie to live up to that hype. Unfortunately, this film was unable to live up to the massive expectations I had set on it prior to it's release.

Don't get me wrong, this was a great film, and that is all that matters in the world of movie reviews. I am one of the few people who can look at a book and it's film adaptation as separate forms of entertainment and judge both of them equally.

The Hunger Games is an amazing movie. The book is even better, but the movie is still great. The movie follows the book fairly well, with only several differences that, if anything, improve the story.

katniss Everdeen is an amazingly well-written character, in my opinion. She is a female character who is strong and focuses on survival. (She is more like Lisbeth Salander than Bella Swan.) Katniss never needs a love interest, but one is forced on her by the expectations of the Panen viewers of the Games (and the general public). She is a very brave character, as shown in her volunteering to take her sister's place in the Games. Jennifer Lawrence is perfect for the role, even though there was a point when I doubted the Oscar nominees suitability for the role. She makes Katniss seem like a normal person who is scared, sad, and brave all at the same time.

Peeta Mellark, the male lead, is played strongly by Josh Hutcherson. He is never bad as Peeta, but he never becomes amazing, still a great fit for the role.

The supporting cast also does an outstanding job. Elizabeth Banks was a standout for her role as Effie Trincket (although they supposedly never say her name.) She really is the perfect Effie and delivers the classic line "That's mahogany!" I love that line. Woody Harrelson is also great as Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta's drunken mentor. It is a very kung fu-movie type role in which the mentor is a drunk who used to be a hotshot. Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Alexander Ludwig, and the rest of the tributes also do great jobs in their roles.

This film also looks amazing with perfect costumes, makeup, and great visuals. Even though a lot of people are complaining that this film would have been better with more violence and blood, I feel like that is very superficial and not true. That doesn't matter in any movie, unless they were to cut it out completely. The Copernicus scene was actually very violent.

I highly recommend this film, even more to people who have not read the book because a lot of high expectations will then be set, which will probably not be lived up to. When I talk to people about this film, I don't think they understand that I actually love this movie. My girlfriend even thought that after I saw it with her. I saw it twice for crying out loud.

Rating: A, 4.5/5, 9/10

P.S. The IMAX version was really great.

"The Grey" 2012

     As the very first movie released in 2012 that I saw, it is my honor to review "The Gray" starring Liam Neeson:

     What a way to start off the new year. January is notoriously known as a "dumping ground" for studios to release really bad movies (I.E. this year's "One For the Money" and "Man on a Ledge"), but this is one major exception.

     The story starts off simply enough: some people who work in the wilderness of Alaska are going home. Ottway (Neeson), a wolf hunter for the drill company, is on the verge of killing himself the last night in Alaska when he hears the howls of wolves in the distance. He goes and hunts the wolf and doesn't kill himself.

     While on the plane, there is an accident. The plane crashes in the middle of nowhere in one of the most intense and startling plane crashes in film history. There are only a handful of survivors and they have to struggle to stay alive as they fight against natural elements around them and a pack of wolves. The wolves are absolutely brutal to these poor survivors.

     As a whole, this movie works. The characters become well-developed as they have to work together to stay alive. The acting is uniformly strong among the whole cast, especially Neeson, who carries to film on his shoulders. Although there are some cliches that are inevitable in almost every film now-a-days, this is a highly original, and often surprising, film. Not many movies make me actually sit on the edge of my seat and cringe or gasp in shock or horror. The film never really loses a sense of surprise regarding the deaths of the characters, except in one scene where it was obvious that somebody was going to die (it was still a frightening death).

     **Spoilers ahead**
     My biggest problem that lies in this film is the ending. I'm sure that many other people also had this problem (I know the people I was with did). It just ends. That's not even the worst part about it, the movie ends right before a fight between the last survive and the alpha wolf! There is one very short post-credit scene that shows the outcome, but how freaking awesome would it be to see Liam Neeson fighting a giant wolf! if this were added in the film, my rating would definitely be higher.


Final Rating: 8/10

Best Harry Potter Kisses

The Harry Potter movie series may be over, but in an attempt to keep my Harry Potter obsession going as long as possible, I decided to make a list of all the major characters Harry Potter kisses and how good they are. here we go:

1. Hermione and Ron (Deathly Hallows Part 2) - This is the most awaited kiss in the whole series and I think they pulled it off perfectly. It had the emotional aspect covered and was in an iconic location.
 (it was very hard to find a picture of this kiss)

2. Harry and Hermione (Deathly Hallows Part1) - Technically, the characters of Harry and Hermione didn't kiss, but the Horcurux's projection of them did, to make Ron jealous. This was definitely the longest and most graphic kiss in the series and it was very well done by showing just enough to get the just of what is going on.


3. Ron and Lavender (Half-Blood Prince) - This kiss was pretty spontaneous and glanced at fairly quickly with no real emotional strings, but it was still effective. This was debatably one of the first things that made Hermione realize she was jealous of Ron when he was around other girls. It is a very realistic kiss between teenager.


4. Harry and Ginny (Deathly Hallows Part 1/2) - Technically, they kiss twice between these two movies, but since they are rather short kisses and these are two parts to one movie, I will include them together. These are completely normal, average kisses, but that's why I liked it. Neither one of them planned it, it just happened. It is the only way the movies really showed that Harry and Ginny were still together, and it worked well. A huge improvement over their first kiss...
 
(DHp1)                                       (DHp2)

5. Harry and Cho (Order of the Phoenix) - I really didn't care for this kiss. It was very hyped up, but nothing really happened; their lips were only together for a second. In the book, it was much more exciting and in depth. They just kind of threw in the kiss because they needed to please fans. They cut out the whole Harry/Cho date fiasco, so this is really out of nowhere. It wasn't horrible though, like the last kiss on the list.


6. Harry and Ginny (Half-Blood Prince) - Where to begin with this kiss. I hated this kiss. It was so poorly executed. The actual liplock lasted for about a quarter of a second, and it so hyped! It was the only way the film set up Harry and Ginny's romance, which I would have understood if they followed up the romance, which they didn't. It's really a shame how bad this kiss is because this is one of my favorite Harry Potter movies.
 (That's basically the whole kiss...)

So there it is, my list of all the major Harry Potter kisses and my order of preference.

Agree with me? Disagree with me? Did I leave anything out?
Comment and let me know! Thanks!

Early Oscar Predictions

I like to predict the Oscars a while before they actually happen. I usually predict earlier than this point in the year, but I would to predict now. Last year, I got 8/10 best picture corrections correct (including District 9). I also got most acting nominations predicted.

♥ = Movie I Want to Wn
☀ = Movie That I Think Will Win

Best Picture

1. Toy Story 3  ♥
2. The Social Network ☀
3. The King's Speech
4. Love and Other Drugs
5. Winter's Bone
6. The Kids Are All Right
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1  ♥♥
8. Black Swan
9. The Fighter
10. Inception

Best Actor

1. Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
2. Leonardo DiCaprio - Inception ♥ 
3. James Franco - 127 Hours
4. Colin Firth - The King's Speech  ☀
5. Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter

Best Actress

1. Anne Hathaway - Love and Other Drugs
2. Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
3. Noomi Rapace - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo  ♥♥
4. Natalie Portman - Black Swan  ☀  ♥
5. Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christian Bale - The Fighter
2. Andrew Garfield - The Social Network  ☀ ♥
3. Justin Timberlake - The Social Network
4. Aaron Eckhart - Rabbit Hole
5. Matt Damon - True Grit

Best Supporting Actress

1. Melissa Leo - The Fighter
2. Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech  ☀ ♥♥
3. Elle Fanning - Somewhere
4. Marion Coltiard - Inception  ♥
5. Kristin Scott Thomas - Nowhere Boy  

Best Original Screenplay

1. Inception  ☀ ♥♥
2. Black Swan ♥ 
3. The Fighter
4. The Kids Are All Right 
5. The King's Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Toy Story 3 ♥
2. The Social Network  ☀
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows  ♥♥
4. Love and Other Drugs
5. Winter's Bone

Best Animated Film

1. Toy Story 3  ☀ ♥♥♥♥♥
2. How to Train Your Dragon
3. The Illusionist

Best Director

1. Toy Story 3  ♥
2. Inception
3. Black Swan 
4. The King's Speech
5. The Social Network  ☀

Best Visual Effects

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1   ♥
2. Inception  ☀
3. Tron: Legacy

Best Editing

1. Inception  ☀ ♥
2. The Social Network
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1  ♥♥
4. Black Swan  
5. Tron: Legacy

Best Score

1. Inception  ☀  ♥♥
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1  ♥
3. The Social Network
4. Black Swan
5. Toy Story 3

Well, when the Oscar nominees are announced, we will see if I am right, but I have a feeling that I am very wrong. But I hope I'm right about Harry Potter because I love Harry Potter :)

Original Vs. Remake #1 - Piranha

This is my first installment of "Original Vs. Remake" (OvR) where I compare the original and remake of something. This week's OvR is comparing Piranha (1972) and Piranha 3D (2010). I saw Piranha 3D before I saw the original, and it gave me a motivation to see the original 70's one. The older one is very cheesy, stupid, badly acted, but amazing all at the same time. I really enjoyed it. The sounds the fish made while "biting" was bone-chilling and hilarious. The whole movie was illogical, but very fun. The remake is barely a remake. The only reason these movies are connected is because of killer piranhas and a crowded mass of people at a gory eat-all-you-can-eat scene. The newer movie knew it was campy, and acted likewise. The deaths were VERY violent, almost too violent. There was excessive nudity, violence, and drinking. It had this AMAZING plot twist at the end that left me and my friends shocked and laughing. "Sequel Aisle 1"
Overall, each movie had it's own factors that made them better and worse than the other. The old one relied less on gore and had cheesy effects, acting, and dialogue. The new one acted cheesy, had excessive gore, and a story that made sense but it might have been a little overload. It comes down to a very narrow line, but I think that the winner is... Piranha 3D. It was just overall better, but I recommend both.

Twitter: ryanstweeting11

First batch of reviews!

Each time I post, I will try to review/commentate multiple things. Unless something is very important, I will do this.

Let's start with a movie review:
"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" (2010) Directed by Oliver Stone

If you saw the original "Wall Street" movie, you will be all set to go to view this sequel, which takes place 23 years after the original (fun fact: both movies take place 2 years before their release year). Gordon Gekko is getting out of jail after serving his eight year jail sentence for security fraud. His daughter, Winnie, is dating Jake, a person very similar to Bud Fox from "Wall Street." They are happy, and Winnie dislikes her father. Her brother committed suicide and she blames it on him. Jake and Gordon secretly become acquaintances, and they try to get Winnie and Gordon back together. Their is a simultaneous plot about a Wall Street Firm. That was the less interesting part, and it was also more confusing.
Overall, the acting was amazing with very realistic dialogue. The direction was smooth and the plot was good. Recommended.
 ✰✰✰/4

T.V. Review
"My Generation" Episodes 1 and 2 (2010)

This series had a very good concept, and if executed correctly, it could have been very good. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. It is about a group of teenagers who were followed for a documentary in high school, and what they are like 10 years later. Most of the characters are the exact opposite of what they were in high school. The "Over-achiever" is a surfer slacker, the "Beauty Queen" is the perfect housewife, the "Rebel" is the wife of the jock turned military man, and the "Wallflower" is the mother of the "Over-achiever"'s child. The actors are not given a lot to work with, but they make the series somewhat watchable. There are about 5 minutes in each episode I enjoy. This over-the-top dramedy is not recommended.
☆☆/4

Well, that's it for now, but keep following!
Twitter: ryanstweeting11

Introduction

Hey! I'm R. Kenny and I love movies, tv shows, book, and everything else. This is the place for current and old movie reviews, tv shows that are new, book, and anything else I think of. This is kind of like a one-stop site for reviews and conversations. Feel free to comment on every post. Thanks so much for reading, and don't forget to follow me!