A BLOG DEDICATED TO MY LOVE OF THE SILVER SCREEN
Established May 2010.


Gordie: Do you think I'm weird?
Chris: Definitely.
Gordie: No man, seriously. Am I weird?
Chris: Yeah, but so what? Everybody's weird.
-STAND BY ME

Film Critic for Twin Cities Live

Member of THE LAMB: The Large Association of Movie Blogs LAMB #1588

Follow me on Twitter for updates to my blog and other fun movie news. Find me at @PaulsMovieTrip

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Friday, January 28, 2011

Comfort Movies. What's yours?










I had a wonderful dinner with DeeAnn McArdle a few weeks back. DeeAnn writes the "Unleash Your Inner Foodie" blog that I guest-blog for each month. We decided that the blog I write for January was going to be on comfort movies. I posed a question to all of my Facebook friends about their choices for comfort movies. Turns out I got a lot of responses. Here is the blog I wrote for DeeAnn with the results and my ideas for comfort movies.

Here's the blog
http://unleashyourinnerfoodie.com/friday-night-at-the-movies/
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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Oscar Nominations and My Early Predictions


The Oscar nominations were announced today! It's a big day that I look forward to every year. I get so excited around awards season leading up to the Oscars. If I remember correctly, I've been watching the Oscars every year since 1993. I make it a point to see as many of the nominated movies as I can. A few years back, I won an Oscar contest at the White Bear Township movie theater. I think I won a few months worth of few movies.

Here are my early predictions AND who I would pick to win if it were up to me:
* will win
# my vote

Best Picture
127 Hours
The Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network *#
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone


Best Director
Darren Aronofsky--Black Swan
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen--True Grit
David Fincher--The Social Network *#
Tom Hooper--The King's Speech
David O. Russell--The Fighter

Best Acting in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem--Biutiful
Jeff Bridges--True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg--The Social Network
Colin Firth--The King's Speech *#
James Franco--127 Hours

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening--The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman--Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence--Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman--Black Swan *#
Michelle Williams--Blue Valentine

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale--The Fighter *#
John Hawkes--Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner--The Town
Mark Ruffalo--The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush--The King's Speech

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams--The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter--The King's Speech
Melissa Leo--The Fighter *#
Hailee Steinfeld--True Grit
Jackie Weaver--Animal Kingdom

Best Original Screenplay
Another Year--Mike Leigh
The Fighter--Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson.
Inception--Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right--Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg #
The King's Speech--David Seidler *

Best Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours--Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
The Social Network--Aaron Sorkin *#
Toy Story 3--Michael Arndt
True Grit--Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Winter's Bone--Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Best Animated Motion Picture
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3
*#

Best Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland--Robert Stromberg,Karen O'Hara
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1--Stuart Craig,Stephenie McMillan
Inception--Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias and Doug Mowat #
The King's Speech--Eve Stewart, Judy Farr *
True Grit-- Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

Cinematography
Black Swan--Matthew Libatique #
Inception--Wally Pfister *
The King's Speech--Danny Cohen
The Social Network--Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit-- Roger Deakins

Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland--Colleen Atwood
I am Love--Antonella Cannarozzi
The King's Speech--Jenny Beavan *#
The Tempest--Sandy Powell
True Grit--Mary Zophres

Foreign Language Film
Biutiful--Mexico
Dogtooth--Greece
In a Better World--Denmark
Incendies--Canada
Outside the Law--Algeria

Make-Up
Barney's Version--Adrien Morot
The Way Back-- Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
The Wolfman--Rick Baker and Dave Elsey *#

Best Original Score
How to Train Your Dragon--John Powell
Inception--Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech--Alexander Desplat
127 Hours--A.R. Rahman
The Social Network--Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross *#

Best Original Song
Country Strong--"Coming Home"
Tangled--"I See the Light"
127 Hours--"If I Rise"
Toy Story 3--"We Belong Together" *#

Best Film Editing
Black Swan--Andrew Weisblum
The Fighter--Pamela Martin
The King's Speech--Tariq Anwar
127 Hours--Jon Harris *#
The Social Network--Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo *#
Waste Land

Best Documentary Short Subject
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warrior of Quigang

Best Short Film (Animated)
Day and Night #
The Gruffalo
Let's Pollute *
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, a Journey Diary

Best Short Film (Live Action)
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143


Sound Editing
Inception--Richard King *#
Toy Story 3--Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
Tron: Legacy--Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
True Grit--Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
Unstoppable--Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing
Inception--Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick *#
The King's Speech--Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
Salt--Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
The Social Network--Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
True Grit--Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hereafter
Inception *#
Iron Man 2



We still have a little over a month before the Oscars, so many predictions could change. The King's Speech could gain popularity and steal Best Picture away from The Social Network. My two biggest snubs are probably for Christopher Nolan for Best Director (Inception) and Ryan Gosling for Best Actor (Blue Valentine).

What was your favorite movie from 2010? My choice is The Social Network.

-P McG

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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Movie Weekend Recap: Are you going to stop talking?

So I guess when you really do set your mind to something, you really can accomplish it! Too bad I'm not talking about anything major in my life. I'm only referring to the fact I was 3 of 3 this weekend on seeing movies Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Good thing they were all really terrific movies.

FRIDAY: The King's Speech

SATURDAY: Rabbit Hole

SUNDAY: True Grit

I would like to pose this question to my readers. When is the right time to stop talking when you are at the movie theater? The growing trend lately is that you don't stop talking. People are whipping out their cell phones throughout the movie or answering calls or translating the movie for the person next to them that doesn't speak English. I'm not making that last part up either. When I saw Julie and Julia, this guy translated the whole movie to his wife because she didn't speak English. Of course, they just HAD to sit right behind me. How dare he interrupt my Meryl. BACK to the reason why I posted the question. I went and saw The King's Speech with Erik and Joyce. We happened to go Friday New Year's Eve at 1:20 at the AMC Rosedale. We get there about 15 minutes early to find out it must be Seniors Day Out or something. The theater was PACKED. Immediately, I began to panic because I clearly will not be sitting in the dead center. We ended up sitting way in the front in the second row. We got there early enough before any of the trailers started and it was just the trivia showing on screen. Joyce, Erik, and I were talking DURING THE TRIVIA to get interrupted by this:

Old Lady in the front row: Are you guys going to be talking like this during the movie?

Paul: Actually, no. Talking in theaters is one of my pet peeves.

Old Lady: Well...that's good. We already have bad seats and I don't want to have to put up with you talking

Erik: I didn't realize there was anything that we need to be watching right now

Old Lady: Well...can you at least start and practice being quiet?

I was so shocked at what happened I was speechless. I have NEVER been told to stop talking at a theater. BESIDES, it was the TRIVIA. I would understand if we were talking during the trailers. Who stays quiet during the trivia? The theater was bustling full of people trying to find seats and talking. However, Erik, Joyce, and I were the loud ones. Need I remind you, I don't talk during trailers or the movie. I do find that trivia or the AMC First Look at Ice Road Truckers (or whatever show is coming soon on cable) to be the time to converse with your friend. I should point out that right as the credits starting rolling, the old lady turned back to us and said "Can you tell him (she means me) that I'm sorry I was such I crab?" I acknowledge the fact that she apologized. Most people do not apologize even when they know they are in the wrong.

HERE'S THE RECAP

The King's Speech

Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon
4 out of 5 stars ****




Rabbit Hole
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Weist, Sandra Oh
4 out of 5 stars ****




True Grit
Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper
4.5 out of 5 stars **** 1/2

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