Happy Oscar Day! For the second year in a row, I'm not really feeling the Oscar race this year. But unlike last year, I actually do like many of the films that are up, I just didn't get around to watching most of the Best Picture nominees. I am, however, extremely excited to see Leo FINALLY take it home!!!
10. Ex Machina
Creepy as hell! But very good! But creepy! But good! But oh the nightmares! So good, though! When Caleb, an employee at a huge tech company wins a company contest for a week long retreat in the middle of nowhere at the CEO's private resort, he finds himself a participant of a very interesting artificial intelligence experiment. The CEO, Nathan, played brilliantly by Oscar Issac, has created a robot he calls Ava, played by Alicia Vikander. Caleb's role is to determine if Ava passes the Turing Test, a test to see if artificial intelligence can pass as human. The deeper Caleb goes in this experiment the creepier things get. It's so good! And for the millionth time, so creepy!
When Pat and I finished this movie, we had a conversation about what we thought would freak us out more to suddenly find out about one another: That we were A) born of the opposite sex, B) an alien, or C) a robot. Pat said an alien because at least the other two are of this world. I said a robot because at least the other two are organic and "real" so to speak. To find out that Pat is actually a robot would really freak me out because that means I fell in love with an object, and I would feel like that object basically "tricked" me. That's kind of what Ex Machina is about! Except Caleb knew the robot was a robot, and he fell in love with her anyway. I was excited to hear that Alicia Vikander was nominated for an Oscar. Then I found out it wasn't for this movie and I was like, "What?!" I haven't seen The Danish Girl, but her work in Ex Machina is fantastic! As well as everyone else's!
9. Beast of No Nation
So I watched this movie while on the elliptical, and fifteen minutes in I was a breathless, bawling, sweaty, hot mess! I am so, so proud of Netflix. I remember when they first started back when I was in college, and as soon as I got a job, I signed up right away and added over 200 movies to my queue! Now Netflix pretty much rules my world, and I'm sure 80% of the population feels the same way. The quality of their original series is unbelievably good, and their first original full length feature film is no exception! Beasts of No Nation tells the story of Agu, a young boy living in an unnamed African village that's being torn apart by a civil war. His entire family is brutally murdered, and Agu is initiated into a militia lead by the magnificent Idris Elba. It's completely heartbreaking to see Agu transform from an innocent young boy to a cold hearted killer. I'm irked that this movie got left out of the Oscar race. Is it because it's Netflix? Doesn't the Academy know this is the future?
8. Spy
I didn't have high expectations for this one, but I ended up loving it! Whoever wrote this movie is a comic genius. The jokes are seriously non stop. They some how made the line, "You look like a flute player in a wedding band" one of the funniest things I've ever heard! Melissa McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, an unassuming CIA agent who works behind a desk, guiding star spy Bradley Fine, played by Jude Law, through very dangerous missions. Secretly, she has a crush on Bradley, and when he dies in the line of action, she is devastated. To avenge him, she volunteers to go under cover and finish his mission. Hilarity ensues.
7. Magic Mike XXL
This was the third best time I had at the movies this year! (The best time goes to 50 Shades of Grey. I went with my girlfriends, we were tipsy, the whole audience was filled with giggling grown women - it was a hoot, let me tell ya!) Who would have thought that the year's most positive feminist film would be about a bunch of male strippers - ahem, excuse me - male entertainers!? I didn't love the first Magic Mike - it was surprisingly dark and depressing - but Magic Mike XXL is everything I wanted the first movie to be and so much more! The whole cast is great, Channing is of course amazing, but I want to take a moment to talk about Stephen "Twitch" Boss. Does anyone else watch So You Think You Can Dance? Twitch tried out three times before he got on the show, and came in second place in season four. Now he's he's this huge star! I am so happy for him! What an incredibly talented (and sexy) guy!
I didn't want to do this...but...I just can't help myself. I'm going to get political with this one. The world of Magic Mike XXL is the world I want to live in. And I'm not just talking about the hot male strippers, although that is a plus! I'm talking about a world where men respect women as human beings with ambitions and desires, regardless of her race, body type, and age. A world where the worst thing a group of men say about a woman is that she looks like she's never smiled, and then proceeds to try to make her smile by stripping to the Backstreet Boys. A world where men talk through their problems, fully support each other (without everything turning into a pissing contest), and don't care about being accused of homosexuality. A world where women fully support each other and encourage happiness for all women kind. I know this was a silly movie with lots of hot guys dancing around with no clothes on, but it also shows us that we can live in this world!
6. Kingsman: The Secret Service
I thought Kingsman was very underrated! It was recommended to me by a few people, but I don't remember hearing much hype when it was actually in theaters. But now I think it has a cult following because I hear they're making a sequel. Or maybe a prequel? Either way, count me in! This movie is about Eggsy, a young troublemaker kid who gets recruited by Colin Firth to be a Kingsman, a secret spy organization. While Eggsy is going through the very tough initiation, the villain, Samuel L. Jackson (that BMF!) devises a plan to destroy the population! Well...at least the dumb and poor people of the population. The Kingsmen have to stop evil Sam Jackson and save the world as we know it! The action is non stop and very stylish! It's definitely more spectacle than story, but it works! And the kid who plays Eggsy...cuuuute! If I were 10 years younger....
5. Pitch Perfect 2
This was the second best time I had at the movies this year. I loved the first Pitch Perfect, and Pitch Perfect 2 did not disappoint! Not for me, anyway. I heard a lot of criticism for this film, and yes, I'll admit, the first one is better, but the sequel is also very funny! And the music performances are really good! I think they really did one-up the first film, as far as musical performances go. That opening scene with the Obamas was pitch perfection! Such a funny opening to this ridiculous movie! I also especially loved Keegan-Michael Key's character. He played Anna Kendrick's boss in her internship and he was hilarious! Maybe I'm too easily amused, but I had a blast watching this movie and I can't wait for the third installment!
4. Steve Jobs
I'm super bummed that this movie wasn't as well received as everyone had anticipated. Because it was a great movie! I blame Ashton Kutcher. I think everyone does. Which is too bad. I saw the Ashton version and it wasn't terrible, but it was a pretty straightforward biopic of Steve Job's life. This movie version of the Steve Jobs story, however, is not structured like a typical film; it feels more like a play. It's almost like three mini movies in one. Each "mini movie" illustrates the behind the scenes drama of Apple's product launches. I'm glad Fassy is up for Best Actor, though he won't win. Kate has a shot, though! They are both really great in this movie. The script is very sharp, I mean it's Aaron Sorkin, after all!
3. The Cobbler
Does anyone know if this movie was in theaters? I saw it on Netflix. It's so good! It's one of those rare feel good movies that just puts a smile on your face. I felt like a kid experiencing being mesmerized by the power of film for the first time. It is a very magical feeling that is missing in a lot of films these days. Adam Sandler plays Max, a cobbler (shoemaker for those of you who are as dumb as me....) who has lost that loving feeling for life. He was handed down his shop by his father and doesn't really love his job; he dreams of living another, more exciting life. When his shoe repair machine (I don't know what they're called!) breaks, he digs out a really, really old school machine that's gathering dust in his basement. This machine, however, is magical! Any shoe that gets repaired with it receives magical powers. When Max puts on the shoes, he literally turns into the owner of the shoes! He spends a fun montage being other people until one day, he gets himself into trouble when he steps into the wrong person's shoes. This movie got pretty bad reviews, and I honestly can't understand why. Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film from start to finish!
2. The Revenant
Come on, Leo, you can do it!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! You ate raw buffalo meat and crawled into a horse carcass! The Oscar is YOURS! Seriously, you guys, if Leo doesn't win, it will be a worse crime than the sequel to #OscarSoWhite. I mean if it was up to me, he would have won for his very first Oscar nominated performance as Arnie Grape, but...it's not up to me. He will win. He has to! Look at that picture! How many times does he have to make that face to finally earn a gold statue?? And for the second year in a row, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu completely blew me away! He has truly become a master of his craft. I think he will win the Best Director Oscar tonight. He absolutely should. I also think The Revenant will win Best Picture. I don't like to use this word much, but The Revenant is a masterpiece. It really is. Watching this film, I found myself thinking, "How did they DO that?!?" often! The dedication of the cast and crew had to be unprecedented to overcome the hellish conditions in which this film was shot. I like to think that everyone involved thought it was absolutely worth it; and when Leo wins tonight, I want to see it in his eyes!! I want to see those baby blues look into the camera and say, "Worth it."
1. Tangerine
Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are. When I looked over all the films I saw over the past year, it was an impressive group of movies. There were big hits like The Avengers Age of Ultron, touching films like Inside Out, and great biopics like Straight Outta Compton. Then there was this little gem that just snuck in there and took the number one spot! I saw Tangerine on Netflix, not really expecting much, and I was seriously blown away. This movie reminded me why I love films and filmmaking. It reminded me why I went to film school. Why I live and breathe movies. They don't make them like this anymore! This is rogue indie filmmaking at its best! The director of this film, Sean Baker, shot it with three iPhone 5s's! That's the iPhone I have!
The film is about Sin-Dee a transgender prostitute who is just released from jail on Christmas Eve in Hollywood. She finds out from her best friend, Alexandra (also a transgender prostitute), that her pimp has been cheating on her with another (non-trans) prostitute named Dinah. Sin-Dee gets super pissed and goes on a rampage all over Hollywood trying to track down her pimp and Dinah. Meanwhile, one of Alexandra's regulars, an Armenian taxi driver who has a wife and kid, struggles with his desire for and attraction to transgender women - something that is outrageously unacceptable in his culture. The film ends with an explosive confrontation scene in a donut shop! This movie gave me a glance into a world that - let's be honest - I am THRILLED I know nothing about! But it was very interesting to be exposed to that gritty part of the world. It reminds you that no matter how different we all seem, no matter how little we really know about each other and our struggles and experiences, we all crave the same thing: acceptance and love.
My opinion on the rest of the nominated films. I was bad this year and missed most of them!
The Big Short - I didn't see it.
Bridge of Spies - I didn't see it.
Brooklyn - I didn't see it.
Mad Max - Sigh. I think I'm the only person on the planet who just didn't get the hype. I am shocked - SHOCKED - that Mad Max is up for best picture.
The Martian - I liked the Martian a lot! Matty Damon was great!
Room - I didn't see it. But I HIGHLY recommend the book, ya know, if being depressed out of your mind is your thing.
Spotlight - I didn't see it.
What were your favorite films of 2015 and who are you rooting for tonight?
10. Ex Machina
Creepy as hell! But very good! But creepy! But good! But oh the nightmares! So good, though! When Caleb, an employee at a huge tech company wins a company contest for a week long retreat in the middle of nowhere at the CEO's private resort, he finds himself a participant of a very interesting artificial intelligence experiment. The CEO, Nathan, played brilliantly by Oscar Issac, has created a robot he calls Ava, played by Alicia Vikander. Caleb's role is to determine if Ava passes the Turing Test, a test to see if artificial intelligence can pass as human. The deeper Caleb goes in this experiment the creepier things get. It's so good! And for the millionth time, so creepy!
When Pat and I finished this movie, we had a conversation about what we thought would freak us out more to suddenly find out about one another: That we were A) born of the opposite sex, B) an alien, or C) a robot. Pat said an alien because at least the other two are of this world. I said a robot because at least the other two are organic and "real" so to speak. To find out that Pat is actually a robot would really freak me out because that means I fell in love with an object, and I would feel like that object basically "tricked" me. That's kind of what Ex Machina is about! Except Caleb knew the robot was a robot, and he fell in love with her anyway. I was excited to hear that Alicia Vikander was nominated for an Oscar. Then I found out it wasn't for this movie and I was like, "What?!" I haven't seen The Danish Girl, but her work in Ex Machina is fantastic! As well as everyone else's!
9. Beast of No Nation
So I watched this movie while on the elliptical, and fifteen minutes in I was a breathless, bawling, sweaty, hot mess! I am so, so proud of Netflix. I remember when they first started back when I was in college, and as soon as I got a job, I signed up right away and added over 200 movies to my queue! Now Netflix pretty much rules my world, and I'm sure 80% of the population feels the same way. The quality of their original series is unbelievably good, and their first original full length feature film is no exception! Beasts of No Nation tells the story of Agu, a young boy living in an unnamed African village that's being torn apart by a civil war. His entire family is brutally murdered, and Agu is initiated into a militia lead by the magnificent Idris Elba. It's completely heartbreaking to see Agu transform from an innocent young boy to a cold hearted killer. I'm irked that this movie got left out of the Oscar race. Is it because it's Netflix? Doesn't the Academy know this is the future?
8. Spy
I didn't have high expectations for this one, but I ended up loving it! Whoever wrote this movie is a comic genius. The jokes are seriously non stop. They some how made the line, "You look like a flute player in a wedding band" one of the funniest things I've ever heard! Melissa McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, an unassuming CIA agent who works behind a desk, guiding star spy Bradley Fine, played by Jude Law, through very dangerous missions. Secretly, she has a crush on Bradley, and when he dies in the line of action, she is devastated. To avenge him, she volunteers to go under cover and finish his mission. Hilarity ensues.
7. Magic Mike XXL
This was the third best time I had at the movies this year! (The best time goes to 50 Shades of Grey. I went with my girlfriends, we were tipsy, the whole audience was filled with giggling grown women - it was a hoot, let me tell ya!) Who would have thought that the year's most positive feminist film would be about a bunch of male strippers - ahem, excuse me - male entertainers!? I didn't love the first Magic Mike - it was surprisingly dark and depressing - but Magic Mike XXL is everything I wanted the first movie to be and so much more! The whole cast is great, Channing is of course amazing, but I want to take a moment to talk about Stephen "Twitch" Boss. Does anyone else watch So You Think You Can Dance? Twitch tried out three times before he got on the show, and came in second place in season four. Now he's he's this huge star! I am so happy for him! What an incredibly talented (and sexy) guy!
I didn't want to do this...but...I just can't help myself. I'm going to get political with this one. The world of Magic Mike XXL is the world I want to live in. And I'm not just talking about the hot male strippers, although that is a plus! I'm talking about a world where men respect women as human beings with ambitions and desires, regardless of her race, body type, and age. A world where the worst thing a group of men say about a woman is that she looks like she's never smiled, and then proceeds to try to make her smile by stripping to the Backstreet Boys. A world where men talk through their problems, fully support each other (without everything turning into a pissing contest), and don't care about being accused of homosexuality. A world where women fully support each other and encourage happiness for all women kind. I know this was a silly movie with lots of hot guys dancing around with no clothes on, but it also shows us that we can live in this world!
6. Kingsman: The Secret Service
I thought Kingsman was very underrated! It was recommended to me by a few people, but I don't remember hearing much hype when it was actually in theaters. But now I think it has a cult following because I hear they're making a sequel. Or maybe a prequel? Either way, count me in! This movie is about Eggsy, a young troublemaker kid who gets recruited by Colin Firth to be a Kingsman, a secret spy organization. While Eggsy is going through the very tough initiation, the villain, Samuel L. Jackson (that BMF!) devises a plan to destroy the population! Well...at least the dumb and poor people of the population. The Kingsmen have to stop evil Sam Jackson and save the world as we know it! The action is non stop and very stylish! It's definitely more spectacle than story, but it works! And the kid who plays Eggsy...cuuuute! If I were 10 years younger....
5. Pitch Perfect 2
This was the second best time I had at the movies this year. I loved the first Pitch Perfect, and Pitch Perfect 2 did not disappoint! Not for me, anyway. I heard a lot of criticism for this film, and yes, I'll admit, the first one is better, but the sequel is also very funny! And the music performances are really good! I think they really did one-up the first film, as far as musical performances go. That opening scene with the Obamas was pitch perfection! Such a funny opening to this ridiculous movie! I also especially loved Keegan-Michael Key's character. He played Anna Kendrick's boss in her internship and he was hilarious! Maybe I'm too easily amused, but I had a blast watching this movie and I can't wait for the third installment!
4. Steve Jobs
I'm super bummed that this movie wasn't as well received as everyone had anticipated. Because it was a great movie! I blame Ashton Kutcher. I think everyone does. Which is too bad. I saw the Ashton version and it wasn't terrible, but it was a pretty straightforward biopic of Steve Job's life. This movie version of the Steve Jobs story, however, is not structured like a typical film; it feels more like a play. It's almost like three mini movies in one. Each "mini movie" illustrates the behind the scenes drama of Apple's product launches. I'm glad Fassy is up for Best Actor, though he won't win. Kate has a shot, though! They are both really great in this movie. The script is very sharp, I mean it's Aaron Sorkin, after all!
3. The Cobbler
Does anyone know if this movie was in theaters? I saw it on Netflix. It's so good! It's one of those rare feel good movies that just puts a smile on your face. I felt like a kid experiencing being mesmerized by the power of film for the first time. It is a very magical feeling that is missing in a lot of films these days. Adam Sandler plays Max, a cobbler (shoemaker for those of you who are as dumb as me....) who has lost that loving feeling for life. He was handed down his shop by his father and doesn't really love his job; he dreams of living another, more exciting life. When his shoe repair machine (I don't know what they're called!) breaks, he digs out a really, really old school machine that's gathering dust in his basement. This machine, however, is magical! Any shoe that gets repaired with it receives magical powers. When Max puts on the shoes, he literally turns into the owner of the shoes! He spends a fun montage being other people until one day, he gets himself into trouble when he steps into the wrong person's shoes. This movie got pretty bad reviews, and I honestly can't understand why. Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film from start to finish!
2. The Revenant
Come on, Leo, you can do it!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! You ate raw buffalo meat and crawled into a horse carcass! The Oscar is YOURS! Seriously, you guys, if Leo doesn't win, it will be a worse crime than the sequel to #OscarSoWhite. I mean if it was up to me, he would have won for his very first Oscar nominated performance as Arnie Grape, but...it's not up to me. He will win. He has to! Look at that picture! How many times does he have to make that face to finally earn a gold statue?? And for the second year in a row, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu completely blew me away! He has truly become a master of his craft. I think he will win the Best Director Oscar tonight. He absolutely should. I also think The Revenant will win Best Picture. I don't like to use this word much, but The Revenant is a masterpiece. It really is. Watching this film, I found myself thinking, "How did they DO that?!?" often! The dedication of the cast and crew had to be unprecedented to overcome the hellish conditions in which this film was shot. I like to think that everyone involved thought it was absolutely worth it; and when Leo wins tonight, I want to see it in his eyes!! I want to see those baby blues look into the camera and say, "Worth it."
1. Tangerine
Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are. When I looked over all the films I saw over the past year, it was an impressive group of movies. There were big hits like The Avengers Age of Ultron, touching films like Inside Out, and great biopics like Straight Outta Compton. Then there was this little gem that just snuck in there and took the number one spot! I saw Tangerine on Netflix, not really expecting much, and I was seriously blown away. This movie reminded me why I love films and filmmaking. It reminded me why I went to film school. Why I live and breathe movies. They don't make them like this anymore! This is rogue indie filmmaking at its best! The director of this film, Sean Baker, shot it with three iPhone 5s's! That's the iPhone I have!
The film is about Sin-Dee a transgender prostitute who is just released from jail on Christmas Eve in Hollywood. She finds out from her best friend, Alexandra (also a transgender prostitute), that her pimp has been cheating on her with another (non-trans) prostitute named Dinah. Sin-Dee gets super pissed and goes on a rampage all over Hollywood trying to track down her pimp and Dinah. Meanwhile, one of Alexandra's regulars, an Armenian taxi driver who has a wife and kid, struggles with his desire for and attraction to transgender women - something that is outrageously unacceptable in his culture. The film ends with an explosive confrontation scene in a donut shop! This movie gave me a glance into a world that - let's be honest - I am THRILLED I know nothing about! But it was very interesting to be exposed to that gritty part of the world. It reminds you that no matter how different we all seem, no matter how little we really know about each other and our struggles and experiences, we all crave the same thing: acceptance and love.
My opinion on the rest of the nominated films. I was bad this year and missed most of them!
The Big Short - I didn't see it.
Bridge of Spies - I didn't see it.
Brooklyn - I didn't see it.
Mad Max - Sigh. I think I'm the only person on the planet who just didn't get the hype. I am shocked - SHOCKED - that Mad Max is up for best picture.
The Martian - I liked the Martian a lot! Matty Damon was great!
Room - I didn't see it. But I HIGHLY recommend the book, ya know, if being depressed out of your mind is your thing.
Spotlight - I didn't see it.
What were your favorite films of 2015 and who are you rooting for tonight?
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