Sicario: Day of the Soldado Review

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is the sequel to 2015's masterful Sicario.  It was one of my favorite movies from that year.  But it's also not exactly a movie you would think would/should have a sequel.  It did, after all, seem to tell a single, stand alone story.  But then Taylor Sheridan, the screenwriter of both films (he also wrote 2016's Hell or High Water and wrote and directed Wind River from last year) came out said that he had actually envisioned this as a trilogy.  So now we get this movie.  While it was nice to know that Sheridan, who wrote both films, and two out of the three main actors (both Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin reprise their roles while Emily Blunt whose character had a clear arc that seemed to have come to a conclusion) are back, there was a pause for concern.  Besides Blunt not coming, the other reason why the first movie was as masterful as it was arguably was because of director Denis Villenueve's sure hand at the helm.  Also not coming back was cinematographer Roger Deakins, though his absence isn't as detrimental.  Fortunately, any concerns proved largely unwarranted. Though Sicario: Day of the Soldado is not nearly as masterful or powerful as the first one and the movie clearly has it's flaws, it's a solid enough entry on it's own.

The plot of the movie revolves around a plot to kidnap the 16 year old daughter of a Mexican drug cartel kingpin and make it look like a rival cartel did it so that it encites a war between cartels near the border.  Why and to what end? To be honest, I'm not really sure.  It all has to do with a couple of terrorist suicide bombings in the US from terrorists believed to have been smuggled in by the cartel through the Mexican/US border.  After the bombings, Matt Graver, Josh Brolin's character, is tasked with starting a war between the cartels and he brings along his asset from the first movie, Alajandro, played by Benicio Del Toro, since the girl they are to kidnap is the daughter of the kingpin who had Alejandro's family killed a while back.  That's the extent of what I'll say of the plot though if you've seen the trailer for the movie, it actually gives away more.  In fact, it gives away too much.  But I suppose that is typical of trailers these days.

Though Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a solid, well made, well acted movie with some tense moments, you realize just how invaluable both Emily Blunt and Denis Villenueve were to making that first movie so special. Though Stefano Sollima, filling in for Villenueve, does a good job with keeping the movie moving at a good pace and with the action scenes, he lacks Villenueve's ability to generate and maintain a real foreboding sense of dread.  And without a character like Emily Blunt's from the first one, there is no conduit into this dark world for the audience.  There isn't really any characters to latch onto.  There isn't anyone really to root for. I suppose there is the kidnapped girl, Isabela, that we are meant to root for, but her character isn't sufficiently developed and that is disappointing because there are hints that she may not be entirely innocent herself because of her first scene and the fact that there are hints that she's aware of who her father is and what he's done. And I'm not saying that Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) and Matt (Josh Brolin) aren't interesting characters, though Alejandro was more interesting in the first one when his character was largely seeped in mystery until it's shockingly revealed just how far he's willing to go at the end of the moviewhen his character becomes brutal, ruthless, pretty much without a conscious.  This movie tries to humanize him and Matt and it made them feel like different characters than the ones we saw in the first one. 

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about this movie was Taylor Sheridan's screenplay.  The first one made the wise decision to make Emily Blunt the central character and her character had a complete arc that helped made that such a memorable movie.  Here, character development is almost nil.  Though I suppose Matt's character is developed somewhat.  And as far as Alejandro, the biggest reveal we learn in this movie compared to the first one is that his daughter was deaf.  Also, there's a sub plot involving a kid who is recruited into a cartel that takes away too much screen time and whose only real purpose is to set up the next, theoretically, final chapter of this trilogy (if Sheridan gets his way).

Despite these flaws though, Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a well made, gripping yarn.  It could have been better.  The characters and situations should have fleshed out more.  Alejandro winds up as a protector to Isabela and I wish the movie would have developed that more.  We never find out why Alejandro becomes so attached to Isabela when we know from the first one that he's capable of monstrous actions.  I guess we are suppose to sumise that she reminds him of his daughter, but the movie never develops that relationship enough.  Likewise, Matt makes some decisions late in the movie that also doesn't really gel with what we see from him in the first movie.  But I was still engrossed and even, occasionally gripped by the movie.  And I do look forward to the third one should this make enough money to justify it to be made.

Grade: B

My Emmy Nomination Predictions

Emmy nominations are just hours away from being announced.  Here's my quick predictions.

BEST DRAMA SERIES

Breaking Bad

Game of Thrones

The Good Wife

House of Cards

Mad Men

True Detective

Other possibilities: Downton Abbey, Homeland, The Americans, Masters of Sex, Ray Donovan, Boardwalk Empire and The Blacklist.

Shows I would love to see nominated but won't: Justified, Person of Interest, Arrow.

BEST ACTOR - DRAMA:

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Woody Harrelson, True Detective

Matthew McConaughey, True Detective

Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

James Spader, The Blacklist

Other possibilities: Matthew Rhys for The Americans, Hugh Bonneville for Downton Abbey, Michael Sheen for Masters of Sex, Liev Schreiber for Ray Donovan, Steve Buscemi for Boardwalk Empire and Jeff Daniels for The Newsroom.

Performances I would see nominated but won't: Timothy Olyphant for Justified, Stephen Amell for Arrow and Andrew Lincoln for The Walking Dead.

BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA:

Claire Danes, Homeland

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Kerry Washington, Scandal

Robin Wright, House of Cards

Other possibilities: Lizzy Caplan for Masters of Sex, Vera Farmiga for Bates Motel, Michelle Dockery for Downton Abbey and Keri Russell for The Americans.

Performances I would love to see nominated but won't: Emily Van Camp for Revenge, Madeline Stowe for Revenge.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - DRAMA:

Josh Charles, The Good Wife

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

Dean Norris, Breaking Bad

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Jeffrey Wright, Boardwalk Empire

Other possibilities: Noah Emmerich for The Americans, Jim Carter for Downton Abbey

Performances I would love to see nominated but won't: Walton Goggins for Justified, David Morrisey for The Walking Dead, Manu Bennett for Arrow, James Purefoy for The Following and Henry Czerny for Revenge.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - DRAMA:

Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad

Lena Headey, Game of Thrones

Michelle Monaghan, True Detective

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Bellamy Young, Scandal

Other possibilities: Emilia Clarke for Game of Thrones, Christina Hendricks for Mad Men, Monica Potter for Parenthood, Betsy Brandt for Breaking Bad, Archie Panjabi for The Good Wife.

Performances I would love to see nominated but won't: Melissa McBride for The Walking Dead, Morgan Saylor for Homeland, Joelle Carter for Justified, Taraji P. Henson for Person of Interest, Amy Acker for Person of Interest and Susanna Thompson for Arrow.

BEST COMEDY SERIES:

The Big Bang Theory

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Louie

Modern Family

Orange is the New Black

Veep

Other possibilities: Girls, Parks and Recreation, Silicon Valley, Mom, Shameless.

BEST ACTOR - COMEDY:

Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Louis C.K., Louie

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

William H. Macy, Shameless

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

BEST ACTRESS - COMEDY:

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Anna Faris, Mom

Julia Louise-Dreyfuss, Veep

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Emmy Rossum, Shameless

Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - COMEDY:

Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Tony Hale, Veep

Ed O'Neill, Modern Family

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - COMEDY:

Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory

Julie Bowen, Modern Family

Allison Janney, Mom

Kate Mulgrew, Orange is the New Black

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie

I'll skip the other awards (miniseries, tv movie, variety series, reality competition, etc.)

Who Will/Should Win Tonight at The Academy Awards

In this post, I'll post my predictions on who I think will win as well as who I think should win.  Unfortunately, there are still several movies I need to catch up on.  Dallas Buyers Club, Philomena, Nebraska, Blue Jasmine are but a few of the movies that I have yet to see.  Also, I have seen none of the films nominated for Animated feature and Short, Documentary feature and short and live action short.

Best Picture

The nominees are:

American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Philomena
Nebraska
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

Who Will Win: 12 Years a Slave
Who Should Win: Her


Best Director

The nominees are

Alfonso Cauron, Gravity
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Who Will Win: Alfonso Cauron
Who Should Win: Alfonso Cauron


Best Actor

The nominees are

Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo Dicaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Who Will Win: Matthew McConaughey
Who Should Win: Chiwetel Ejiofor (since I haven't seen Dallas Buyers Club)


Best Actress

The nominees are


Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Who Will Win: Cate Blanchett
Who Should Win: Sandra Bullock (haven't seen Blue Jasmine though)


Best Supporting Actor

The nominees are

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Who Will Win: Jared Leto
Who Should Win: Bradley Cooper (haven't seen Dallas Buyers Club)


Best Supporting Actress

The nominees are

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

Who Will Win: Lupita Nyong'o
Who Should Win: Lupita Nyong'o


Best Original Screenplay

The nominees are

American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Dallas Buyers Club
Her
Nebraska


Who Will Win: Her
Who Should Win: Her


Best Adapted Screenplay

The nominees are

Before Midnight
Captain Phillips
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

Who Will Win: 12 Years a Slave
Who Should Win: The Wolf of Wall Street


My Predictions for the rest of the categories

Animated Feature: Frozen
Documentary Feature: The Act of Killing
Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty
Film Editing: Gravity
Production Design: Gravity
Cinematography: Gravity
Costume Design: American Hustle
Makeup and Hairstyle: Jackass Presents Bad Grandpa
Original Score: Gravity
Original Song: The Moon Song from Her
Visual Effects: Gravity
Sound Editing: Gravity
Sound Mixing: Gravity

I won't bother with the live action short, and documentary and animated short categories.

Anyway those are my predictions.  Tomorrow, I'll be back with my thoughts on the winners and my final thoughts on the show itself.  And next weekend I'll be back with Year in review where I'll give my top 10 Movies and Television of 2013 and my Bottom 5 (or 10 depending) as well as list my favorite performances of the year.

My Probably Way Off Oscar Nomination Predictions

Oscar nominations are just hours away.  Here are my predictions for this year's nominations.  I've decided not to play it safe with certain nominations and make a few out there predictions.  I'm probably wrong, but there's always a surprise or two and what fun would it be if I played it safe all the way and not make a few out there predictions?

Here they are:


My final predictions:

BEST PICTURE:
12 Years a Slave
Gravity
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Her
The Wolf of Wall Street
Nebraska
Dallas Buyers Club
Inside Llewyn Davis

Best Director
Alfonso Cauron, Gravity
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Alexander Payne, Nebraska

Best Actor
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chewetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Robert Redford, All is Lost

Best Actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Adele Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Color
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Best Supporting Actor
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Will Forte, Nebraska

Best Supporting Actress
Lupita Nyongo, 12 Years a Slave
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
June Squibb, Nebraska
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Lea Seydoux, Blue is the Warmest Color

Best Adapted Screenplay
12 Years a Slave
Blue is the Warmest Color
Before Midnight
The Wolf of Wall Street
Philomena

Best Original Screenplay
Her
American Hustle
Nebraska
Blue Jasmine
Inside Llywen Davis

Best Animated Feature
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Monsters University
The Wind Rises
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Best Foreign Language Film
The Hunt
The Great Beauty
The Grandmaster
The Broken Circle Breakdown
Omar

Best Documentary Feature
Blackfish
20 Feet From Stardom
The Act of Killing
Stories We Tell
Cutie and the Boxer

Best Production Design
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Oz the Great and Powerful
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
American Hustle

Best Cinematography
Gravity
12 Years a Slave
Nebraska
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Captain Phillips

Best Costume Design
American Hustle
12 Years a Slave
The Great Gatsby
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Rush

Best Editing
Gravity
Captain Phillips
Rush
The Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle

Best Makeup and Hair
American Hustle
Dallas Buyers Club
Jackass Presents' Bad Grandpa

Best Original Score
All is Lost
Gravity
12 Years a Slave
The Book Thief
Philomena

Best Original Song
Amen from All is Lost
Let it Go from Frozen
Ordinary Love from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Atlas from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
My Lord Sunshine from 12 Years a Slave

Best Sound Editing
Gravity
Captain Phillips
Rush
Pacific Rim
All is Lost

Best Sound Mixing
All is Lost
Gravity
Rush
12 Years a Slave
Captain Phillips

Best Visual Effects
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smuag
Pacific Rim
Star Trek Into Darkness
Iron Man 3

Not going to guess the short (animated/live action/documentary) categories.

Tomorrow I'll do a follow up to see how my predictions stack up (probably not well, they never do) as well as my over all thoughts on the nominees in general.

The Emmy Awards: Who Will Win and Who Should Win

The Emmy Awards on are tonight.  I've decided this year that I'm not going to play it safe and will make some crazy predictions. AKA, I'm probably going to be completely wrong this year.  But, hey, what's the fun in guessing these things if you don't take some risk, eh?

Without further ado, my picks for who I think will win the Emmy's and who I think should win.


BEST DRAMA SERIES, the nominees are:

Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mad Men

Who Will Win: Breaking Bad
Who Should Win: Homeland

I won't be disappointed if Breaking Bad wins, seeing how it's been on a great run last year (and even better currently in it's final 8 episodes) but Homeland is definitely the best show on television, in my opinion.


BEST COMEDY SERIES, the nominees are:

30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Girls
Louie
Modern Family
Veep

Who Will Win: 30 Rock
Who Should Win: ???

It's probably going to go to Modern Family, if not then Louie, but I'm predicting it'll go to 30 Rock as a going away present for the show.  As for who should win, well that's impossible for me to say.  I've seen a couple of episodes of 30 Rock this season and it's pretty funny still.  But it's been a long time since I last saw Modern Family.  Nothing from this season and I need to give the other shows a chance.  It's too bad though that the real best sitcom on television wasn't nominated, the wonderful Parks and Recreation.


BEST ACTOR in a DRAMA SERIES:

Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards


Who Will Win: Kevin Spacey
Who Should Win: Damian Lewis


Tough category to pick.  I think most people seem to think it's a tight race between last year's Lewis and returning heavyweight Cranston, but don't count out either movie stars (Spacey and Daniels).  And if Emmy voters wish to award House of Cards something, this is probably their best and only real shot at giving it something.  Of course Daniels had that amazing speech in the pilot, the episode he submitted, but what's going against him is the fact that his show, The Newsroom, just doesn't have the buzz it use to have.  As for who should win?  Well, despite a strong turn from the always terrific Cranston, the performance that stayed with me the most, without a doubt, was Lewis's.  It's truly a riveting performance.


BEST ACTOR in a COMEDY SERIES:

Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock
Jason Bateman in Arrested Development
Don Cheadle in House of Lies
Louise CK in Louie
Matt LeBlanc in Episodes
Jim Parsons in The Big Bang Theory


Who Will Win: Louis CK
Who Should Win: ???

Again, I'm not sure who should win in this category because 30 Rock is the only one I saw a little bit of.  I will eventually catch some of the others.  As for who will win, I think it's a 3 way toss up between Louis CK, Jim Parsons or Alec Baldwin.  Baldwin could get it as a goodbye, but I think they are gonna go for Louis CK.


BEST ACTRESS in a DRAMA SERIES:

Connie Britton in Nashville
Claire Danes in Homeland
Michelle Dockery in Downton Abbey
Vera Farmiga in Bates Motel
Elisabeth Moss in Mad Men
Kerry Washington in Scandal
Robin Wright in House of Cards

Who Will Win: Claire Danes
Who Should Win: Claire Danes

Easiest category to call.  While I suppose there is a slight chance that either Washington or Farmiga could prove to be a spoiler, but I doubt it.  I'm pretty sure that Danes has this in the bag, and she should too.  It's an amazing performance.


BEST ACTRESS in a COMEDY SERIES:

Laura Dern in Enlightened
Julia Louise Dreyfuss in Veep
Lena Dunham in Girls
Edie Falco in Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey in 30 Rock
Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation


Who Will Win: Amy Poehler
Who Should Win: Amy Poehler


This might be just wishful thinking on my part, but I do believe that this is finally Poehler's year to win.  Of last year's winner, Dreyfuss, could prove to ruin that.  And if Emmy voters are wishing to give 30 Rock one last hurrah in it's final season, Fey could take it as well.  But, as much as I love both of those ladies, I've got my fingers crossed for Poehler.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR in a DRAMA SERIES:

Jonathan Banks in Breaking Bad
Bobby Cannavale in Boardwalk Empire
Jim Carter in Downton Abbey
Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones
Mandy Patinkin in Homeland
Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad

Who Will Win: Aaron Paul
Who Should Win: Jonathan Banks or Mandy Patinkin


Emmy voters sure do love Paul in Breaking Bad, which is why I think he's going to make history tonight and be the first actor ever to win 3 times in this category.  Normally, I would agree, Paul is awesome, but I personally felt like he was kind of underused in season 5.1 or 5a or whatever you want to call it.  I don't usually do ties, I normally find them to be a cop out, but I honestly can't choose between Banks or Patinkin.  Patinkin's work is so subtle that I fear he may be in danger of being overlooked and that would be a shame.  But Banks was also just incredible.  He's also a very subtle actor, similarly to Patinkin, but I think he had a little more to do than Patinkin did.  Still, a win by either would be fine by me.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR in a COMEDY SERIES:

Ty Burrell in Modern Family
Adam Driver in Girls
Jesse Tyler Ferguson in Modern Family
Bill Hader in Saturday Night Live
Tony Hale in Veep
Ed O'Neill in Modern Family

Who Will Win: Ed O'Neill

I think the Emmy's will go with O'Neill since he's a veteran who has never won.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS in a DRAMA SERIES:

Morena Baccarin in Homeland
Christine Baranski in The Good Wife
Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones
Anna Gunn in Breaking Bad
Christina Hendricks in Mad Men
Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey

Who Will Win: Anna Gunn
Who Should Win: Anna Gunn

Maggie Smith could be a potential spoiler but hopefully not.  I think Smith is Gunn's only real competition although I also personally love Baccarin, but even I will go with Gunn, who was incredible in Breaking Bad in season 5.1


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS in a COMEDY SERIES:

Mayim Bialik in The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen in Modern Family
Anna Chlumsky in Veep
Jane Krakowski in 30 Rock
Jane Lynch in Glee
Sofia Vergara in Modern Family
Merritt Wever in Nurse Jackie


Who Will Win: Jane Krakowski

Krakowski was pretty damn funny in her episode she submitted, which was the series finale.  I think she'll win but it wouldn't surprise me either if they went with either Modern Family women.  In fact, Bowen keeps winning this.  Will she win again?  We'll find out tonight.  But I'm going with Krakowski.

Emmy Nominations Predictions

The Emmy nominations are less than 2 hours away.  So real quick, here are my predictions.  Some are bound to be right, but are bound to be way off.

Best Drama Series:

The Americans
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Mad Men

Best Actor - Drama:

Damien Lewis in Homeland
Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad
Timothy Olyphant in Justified
Jeff Daniels in The Newsroom
Matthew Rhys in The Americans
Kevin Spacey in House of Cards

Best Actress - Drama:

Clair Danes in Homeland
Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife
Kerri Russell in The Americans
Kerry Washington in Scandal
Robin Wright in House of Cards
Vera Farmiga in Bates Motel

Best Supporting Actor - Drama:

Mandy Patinkin in Homeland
Walton Goggins in Justified
Jonathan Banks in Breaking Bad
Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad
Noah Emmerich in The Americans
Corey Stoll in House of Cards

Best Supporting Actress - Drama:

Anna Gun in Breaking Bad
Joelle Carter in Justified
Morena Baccarin in Homeland
Monica Potter in Parenthood
Christine Baranski in The Good Wife
Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey

Comedy Series:

30 Rock
Louie
Veep
Arrested Development
The Big Bang Theory
Modern Family

Best Actor - Comedy:

Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock
Louis C.K. in Louie
Jason Bateman in Arrested Development
Jim Parsons in The Big Bang Theory
Jake Johnson in New Girl
Matt Leblanc in Episodes

Best Actress - Comedy:

Tina Fey in 30 Rock
Zoey Deschanel in New Girl
Julie Louise Dreyfuss in Veep
Lena Dunham in Girls
Edie Falco in Nurse Jackie
Melissa McCarthy in Mike and Molly

Best Supporting Actor - Comedy:

Max Greenfield in New Girl
Jeffrey Tambor in Arrested Development
Will Arnett in Arrested Development
Ty Burrell in Modern Family
Jesse Tyler Ferguson in Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet in Modern Family

Best Supporting Actress - Comedy:

Julie Bowen in Modern Family
Sofia Vergara in Modern Family
Jessica Walter in Arrested Development
Alison Williams in Girls
Jane Krakowski in 30 Rock
Kelly Cuoco in The Big Bang Theory

Later today, I'll have my official reactions to the nominees.  But these are my guesses though a few of them (Olyphant, Goggins, Carter and, to a lesser extent, Banks) are simply wishful thinking on my part.  Actually, if I REALLY wanted to put wishful thinking I'd have Fringe up for best drama series, Walking Dead for best drama series and Andrew Lincoln for best actor in a drama series.  But of course all of those, are most definitely NOT going to happen!

2013 Mid Year Review

June has ended and July has begun, which means we are officially into the second half of the year.  So how was 2013's first half?  To say the least, it's been a disappointing year.  No 4 stars movies yet, which in and of itself, is not uncommon.  But the most distressing thing about the year so far?  Only 3 3.5 star movies.  By this time, we usually have at least half a dozen or so.

To be fair, there are  still several independent films that I have yet to see.  I have yet to see the eco terrorist thriller, The East, which was given to us by the same writing/directing team that gave Another Earth a few years ago and I loved that movie.  It's on my top 10 of that year.  Another promising title I have yet to see is Upstream Color, which is from the writing/directing team of 2004's somewhat confusing but still clever and cool Primer.  Disconnect also looked promising.  Terrance Malick is always a wild card.  I like most of his stuff, but I wasn't much of a fan of The New World.  And while I thought Tree of Life was, for the most part, a terrific movie, it got off to a rough start.  This year, Malick had out what may be his most divisive film yet with To the Wonder.  I want to say that I'm looking forward to it, but I hear most of the dialog is told in voice over narration.  That does dampen my excitement for the movie.  A big Hollywood movie that I, unfortunately, missed out in theaters was Bazz Lurhman's latest, The Great Gatsby.  Reviews for that one were all over the place, but that's pretty much true of almost any of Lurhman's movies.  I was particularly sad to miss out on that one since it seemed like a movie that should have been seen on the big screen.  I also have yet to see Before Midnight.  I haven't even seen Before Sunset yet and I want to see that one before I see Midnight.  One of the year's most critically acclaimed movies was the Matthew McConaughey film, Mud.  That comes to us from the director of the excellent Take Shelter.  I hope to see that one soon.  A few other promising movies I missed include Stoker, The Company You Keep, The Kings of Summer, Trance, Spring Breakers and 42 among others.  I also will be seeing Sofia Coppola's latest, The Bling Ring, sometime in the next day or so.  So, yes.  2013 has been a weak year so far, certainly for big Hollywood studio efforts (several disappointments too, some of which I'll talk about in the worst of the year list), but the year might be saved by independent movies.  We shall see.

Without further do, here are my top 10 of 2013 so far:

10. The Last Stand - Arnold Schwarzenegger was back and he remains in solid form.  The Last Stand is aided immeasurably by Kim Jee-Woon's very stylish direction.  There are some great car chases in the movie, my favorite being one near the end through a corn field.  The supporting cast is surprisingly strong, particularly, and perhaps surprisingly, Johnny Knoxville, playing a guy who loves his gun.  He's a hoot to watch.  And so is the movie.

9. The Internship - In a year that has had it's fair share of disappointments, The Internship came as a pleasant surprise.  Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are almost as good here as they were together in Wedding Crashers.  There is nothing remotely original about this movie.  It's definitely a very formulaic film.  But it's an immensely likeable effort and frequently funny and even, surprisingly, a little touching at times.  Also loved the chemistry between Owen Wilson and the lovely Rose Byrn.  Any movie is made better by her presence.  I just wish she had more to do here.

8. Now You See Me - A clever and mostly well written movie, that begins as an usual heist movie, but by the end, morphs into kind of a revenge film.  To say anymore though should be a crime.  This is a movie best left for you to watch it unravel before your eyes.  It's a well cast movie, with Mark Ruffalo being especially good.  The only downside to the movie is that the chase scenes are filmed shaky cam style.

7. World War Z - With reports of production woes and reshoots, there was every reason to expect a complete disaster with this movie.  But surprise, surprise.  It's actually quite good.  Taut, fast paced and extremely well directed by the always reliable Marc Forster, World War Z zips along at a good pace from one great set piece to the next.  The first twenty minutes are especially dazzlingly and horrifyingly well done.  With other great scenes set in Israel, an airplane and North Wales, it all comes to an immensely satisfying conclusion.  A nice surprise.

6.  Fast and Furious 6 - No, I did not do this on purpose.  Easily my favorite of the franchise, surpassing Fast & Furious (the 4th film) and Fast Five.  It's got a cool story involving Letty's reappearance after long being thought dead.  And some great action set pieces involving a tank and the terrific climax set on an airplane trying to leave a runaway.  Great stuff.

5. White House Down/Olympus Has Fallen - The two "Die Hard in the White House" movies that came out this year.  I can't really pick one from another.  I enjoyed both of them about equally.  The sad part is that both of these movies are easily then the actual Die Hard movie that came out.  Sigh.

4. Dead Man Down - Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace are both excellent, playing characters who have been wounded on the inside and both looking for revenge.  It's a taut, moody, atmospheric, wonderfully acted revenge thriller.  Bonus: it was shot here, in Philly.

3. Jack the Giant Slayer - The year's best surprise.  The trailers and commercials failed to grab my attention, consequently, I went in with low expectations.  I never should have doubted Bryan Singer, the director.  He hasn't given me any reason to doubt him before, he is after all the guy behind The Usual Suspects, X-Men 1 & 2, Superman Returns and Valkyrie.  I'll never doubt him again.  The leads are appealing, the supporting cast, especially Ewan McGregory, are wonderful.  The special effects and battle scenes are astonishing.  And I loved how it ended.  I loved every minute of this LOTR's type epic retelling of the popular fairy tale.

2. Iron Man 3 - The only big Hollywood epic this summer that was actually great.  Shane Black is a better director filmmaker than Jon Favreau and he definitely does a better job of directing action sequences than Favreau.  One of the best scenes of the movie, which is also one of the best scenes of any movie I have seen this year, is a scene where Air Force One is attacked, and Iron Man has to rescue 13 people who are falling to their deaths from the plane.  It's a fantastic sequence.

1. Side Effects - Supposedly, this will be Steven Soderbergh's final theatrical released film.  I somehow doubt that will be the case, but if does end up being true, then at least Soderbergh will have gone out on a high note.  I won't even bother with saying anything about the plot.  This is a movie that is best going in and watching knowing NOTHING about it.  It's got so many twists and turns.  It's wonderfully unpredictable.  I loved every minute of this movie.  Great performances from top to bottom with special mention going to Rooney Mara in a very tricky role and Jude Law, whose character goes through a real tailspin and Law never misses a beat.


That's the best and now here are the year's worst.

My Bottom 5 of the year:

5. Broken City - A crime/morality thriller that lacks any interesting characters and a story that's dull and too much that goes too much into been there/done that territory.

4. Oblivion - A dull, plodding movie.  Movie looks great, the production design is stunning.  And there are individual moments that work, movie actually gets off to a promising start.  But the movie takes itself so seriously, it's just not fun, and quite frankly it's boring.

3. A Good Day to Die Hard - The year's biggest disappointment.  I was probably more harsh on the movie than I needed to be.  Truth be told, if this was just another generic action movie, I probably would have given it 2 stars, rather than 1.5.  But since they are trying to pass this off as a Die Hard movie and since they call the Bruce Willis character John McClane, it just made me all the more angry.  A soul crushing experience.

2. Lords of Salem - It's a Rob Zombie movie.  Nuff said.

1. Scary Movie V - About as unwatchable as movies get.  The Scary Movie films were never great, but even the dreadful first film, wasn't this bad.  This is so bad that you'd be forgiven for thinking it was from the same guys who gave us Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie, Epic Movie, etc.


That's the first half of 2013.  Here's hoping for a better second half.

Next off: a list of movies I'm looking forward to for the fall movie season, Emmy nomination coverage including shows and names that I would like to see get nominations (but most of them, if not all of them likely won't).  I'll also do my predictions.  And some movie reviews and some television reviews, including the end of Breaking Bad next month.

The Academy Awards: Who Will and Should Win

Here are my last minute predictions for tonight's Academy Award's.  Plus who I think should win.


BEST PICTURE:

The nominees:

Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Who Will Win: Argo
Who Should Win: Life of Pi


BEST DIRECTOR:

Michael Heneke, Amour
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Who Will Win: Steven Spielberg
Who Should Win: Ang Lee


BEST ACTOR:

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Who Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis


 BEST ACTRESS:

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuel Riva, Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Who Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence
Who Should Win: Naomi Watts


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Who Will Win: Robert De Niro
Who Should Win: Robert De Niro


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway
Who Should Win: Helen Hunt (though I haven't seen Les Miz yet)


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

Who Will Win: Argo
Who Should Win: Life of Pi


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

Who Will Win: Django Unchained
Who Should Win: Flight


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck it Ralph

Who Will Win: Wreck it Ralph
Who Should Win: Brave


BEST FOREIGN FILM:

Amour
Kon-Tiki
No
A Royal Affair
War Witch

Who Will Win: Amour


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Who Will Win: Life of Pi
Who Will Win: Life of Pi


BEST FILM EDITING:

Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Who Will Win: Argo


BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

Anna Karenina
The Hobbit
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Who Will Win: Anna Karenina
Who Should Win: The Hobbit


BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Who Will Win: Anna Karenina


BEST MAKEUP:

Hitchcock
The Hobbit
Les Miserables

Who Will Win: Les Miserables


BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Who Will Win: Skyfall
Who Should Win: Lincoln


BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

Before My Time from the movie Chasing Ice
Everybody Needs a Best Friend from Ted
Pi's Lullaby from Life of Pi
Skyfall from Skyfall
Suddenly from Les Miserables

Who Will Win: Skyfall
Who Should Win: Skyfall (though I loved Everybody Needs a Best Friend as well)


BEST SOUND MIXING:

Argo
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Who Will Win: Les Miserables


BEST SOUND EDITING:

Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

Who Will Win: Zero Dark Thirty


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

The Avengers
The Hobbit
Life of Pi
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

Who Will Win: Life of Pi
Who Should Win: Life of Pi


And briefly the documentary and short categories:

Best Documentary Feature
Who Will Win: Searching for Sugar Man

Best Documentary Short
Who Will Win: Inocente

Best Animated Short
Who Will Win: Paperman

Best Live Action Short
Who Will Win: Henry


I know next to nothing about these categories so they are basically just complete guesses.  A shot in the dark.

A Good Day to Die Hard review

I hope this movie doesn't kill the Die Hard franchise, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Unfortunately, the movie is pretty much as bad as the critics are saying. It breaks my heart to say this, but this movie really did just flat out suck. Seriously, can I erase the 90+ minutes of the movie from my memory so that the term bad Die Hard movie doesn't exist?

 If you thought Live Free or Die Hard was laughably cartoonish, wait until you see this movie. This movie makes all of the other DH movies look like documentaries by comparison. Now, the movie doesn't start out all that bad. There is a car chase early in the movie on the streets of Moscow that, while utterly preposterous even by Die Hard standards, was still pretty entertaining. Heck, the hotel room scene wasn't that bad either. It was kind of cool. This movie didn't officially loose me until me get to Chernobyl. And then it becomes utter shit.

 John Moore's direction is extremely lousy. We are talking amateur hour here. The beginning of this movie contains WAY too many zoom ins and outs. It's as if Moore was given a camcorder for the first time and he over does the zoom in and outs. It gets so incredibly aggravating. And then during the climax in Chernobyl, he over uses slow motion. And that got so damn annoying that I was starting to miss the zooms.

 Then we have the movie's pitiful attempt at creating some father/son drama and shit about how John was never there for his kids because he was always working. BOO-FUCKING-HOO! None of this stuff works. It feels completely phony. It is so badly written.

 But perhaps the most disappointing thing of all in this movie is John McClane himself, and most notably Bruce Willis. I can't believe I'm saying this, but McClane actually comes off as kind of annoying a lot of times. This is not the likeable, affable and badass John McClane from previous films. He's constantly bitching about how he's on vacation. Oh, I get it that it's suppose to come off as funny. It's not. And Bruce Willis is practically sleep walking through this entire movie. His performance is completely phoned in. He puts no energy into the movie whatsoever. It almost feels as if like he just doesn't give a damn anymore. Ugh.

 This may be the single most disappointing movie I have EVER seen! It's jaw-dropping how awful this movie gets. And the very last scene just made me want to roll my eyes. This is not a Die Hard movie. This is a very bad parody of a Die Hard movie! At 97 minutes in length, this is easily the shortest of all the Die Hard movies. But it FEELS like the longest by a landslide.

Grade: C-

My Probably Way Off Academy Awards Predictions

Less than an hour till the nominations are announced.  Here are my probably way off predictions ( ;) ) predictions.


BEST PICTURE:

Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Flight
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty


Everybody seems to be in agreement that this was such a strong year for movies that there will definitely be 10 nominees.  I'm gonna gamble and say Skyfall WILL make it in.  Nothing would thrill me more than to see The Dark Knight Rises come in, but I think there is only room for one major action movie and that will likely go to Skyfall rather than TDKR.

If Skyfall doesn't make it in other possibilities include Michael Heneke's Amour, The Impossible, Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master.



BEST DIRECTOR:

Ben Affleck, Argo
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty


I'm gonna go a head and predict Russell makes it in over Les Miserables' Tom Hooper.  Though also not to be counted out is Michael Heneke.  Heck, it's even possible that Quentin Tarantino or Paul Thomas Anderson make it in.  Heck, I wouldn't even entirely count out Sam Mendes even though he's admittedly a dark horse.


Best Actor:

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

There are 6 major contenders but only 5 slots.  The sixth contender, and the one I'm predicting to be left out, is John Hawkes for his wonderful performance in The Sessions.  If I'm wrong, then they may leave out Cooper, though I believe that movie was loved by a lot of people and therefore think Cooper will be safe.  It's also possible that Phoenix could be left out, but I'm betting that won't happen.


BEST ACTRESS:

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea


Chastain and Lawrence are a definite lock.  And Watts and Cotillard are a pretty safe bet.  That leaves just one slot left.  Many people are predicting it will be a battle between the very young (Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild) and the very old (Emmanuelle Riva in Amour) but I'm gonna make a bold prediction that it's neither of them.  Instead I predict that 5th slot will go to surprise contender Weisz, who has already been a surprise in a couple of other awards nominations.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained


Like the best actor category, there are 6 major contenders and only 5 slots, but there is caveat to that.  It is entirely possible that there could be a surprise 7th contender in Javier Bardem in Skyfall.  But I don't think that's going to happen.  As for the other one, there is also Leonardo Dicaprio for Django Unchained.  I'm predicting he doesn't get in, but if he does, I fear it may be at De Niro's expense.  I hope not though.  It could be at Waltz's expense too, but I also hope that's not the case.  I really want both Waltz and De Niro to make it.  They are both fantastic.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Amy Adams, The Master
Judi Dench, Skyfall
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions


Dench is probably wishful thinking on my part.  But she was fantastic in her final Bond outing and deserves to make it.  In her place will likely be either Maggie Smith for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Anne Dowd for Compliance.


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Django Unchained
Flight
Looper
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

Other possibilities: The Master, Amour


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

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

Other possibility: Beasts of the Southern Wild


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:

Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Secret World Arrietty
Wreck it Ralph

Nothing would please me more than to see Brave snubbed in this category, but alas, I don't think it will happen.


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Master
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

Other possibility: Anna Karenina, The Hobbit, Django Unchained, Prometheus, Les Miserables, The Impossible


BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Prometheus

Other possibilities: Django Unchained, Skyfall, John Carter, Cloud Atlas.


BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Snow White and the Huntsman

Other possibilities: John Carter, A Royal Affair, Cloud Atlas.


BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Lincoln
Men in Black 3

Other possibilities: Les Miserables, Looper, John Carter.


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

The Avengers
Cloud Atlas
The Hobbit
Life of Pi
Prometheus

Other possibilities: The Impossible, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Skyfall.



That's all I'm gonna predict.  A couple of notes:


- I hope Skyfall gets nominated for best original song.  Adele's Skyfall is a great tune.  Same with the song from Ted, "Everybody Needs a Best Friend."

- I hope John Carter gets nominated for it's awesome score.  Michael Giacchino is the man!

2012 Year in Review: Television

I'll edit this post later to include some commentary.  But for now, here is a list of my favorite performances of the year as well as my top 10 for television.


Top 10 of 2012 for Television:

1. Homeland
2. The Walking Dead
3. Fringe
4. Justified
5. Breaking Bad
6. Arrow
7. Person of Interest
8. Revenge
9. Parks and Recreation
10. Supernatural

Honorable mentions: House, Revolution.


Best Lead Actor:

Stephen Amell, Arrow
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Hugh Laurie, House
Damien Lewis, Homeland
Andrew Lincoln, The Walking Dead
Timothy Olyphant, Justified


Best Lead Actress:

Claire Danes, Homeland
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Madeline Stowe, Revenge
Ana Torv, Fringe
Emily Van Camp, Revenge


Best Supporting Actor:

Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad
Jim Beaver, Supernatural
Jon Bernthal, The Walking Dead
Neal McDonough, Justified
John Noble, Fringe
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland


Best Supporting Actress:

Morena Baccarin, Homeland
Sarah Wayne Callies, The Walking Dead
Anna Gun, Breaking Bad
Morgan Saylor, Homeland
Susanna Thompson, Arrow


I'll edit this later not only with comments, but may change some things as I continue to get caught up on other television shows.  I'll pick winners, though that probably won't be until right around the Golden Globe Awards air.

Life of Pi review

Wow! I went in this movie with low expectations because the trailers and commercials failed to grab me. Sure the movie looked neat visually, but otherwise, I just couldn't muster any excitement for the movie. Well now that I've seen it I can say: this movie blew me away! There are some scenes that are truly stunning. Some scenes that just take your breath away. Some scenes that are so beautiful, so majestic, so haunting and some scenes that just damn near moved me to tears. And I'm not even a very religious person. I've always considered myself to be agnostic. The truth is, I don't care for religion. I don't think about it. It rarely ever, if ever, occupies time in my head. Is there are a god? I don't know and I just don't care. All I care about is the here and now. But this movie actually made me caught up on this journey the lead character goes to. A journey that is equally spiritual as it is physical.

The lead performance from Suraj Sharma is absolutely incredible. This is a performance so amazing that it actually rivals Daniel Day Lewis's work in Lincoln and Liam Neeson's work in The Grey as among the very best of the year. It will be an absolute crime if he doesn't get an Academy Award nomination, even though his chances appear to be iffy right now. Irrfan Khan, who plays the lead character as an adult, is wonderful as well, but it is Sharma who truly carries the movie on his little shoulders.

Then there is the ending. The ending appears to have been met with mixed reaction but I personally loved it. Admittedly, I wasn't really sure at first what to think, but what I loved about it is that it makes you think back at the movie and look at it differently. It made me want to see the movie again just view it from that point of view.

Ang Lee has made some very fine films in the past, but this is, without a doubt, his best one yet. The movie also contains the best use of 3D I have ever seen, even surpassing Avatar. The scene where the ship sinks is truly a sight to behold. And there are several other gorgeous images throughout the movie. In fact, it's a testament to how enraptured I was at the movie that there were a few times where I even forgot I was wearing those damn glasses. That NEVER happens. Not even with Avatar. But Life of Pi is a different beast altogether. And I can't wait to see the movie again.  It's unlike any movie I have ever seen and probably ever will see.  It is easily one of the year's best films.  There is no doubt that this movie will make my top 10 list.  In fact, it'll probably be in my top 5.

Grade: A

So my overall thoughts on this year's Emmy's?  I loved it.  I thought they did a good job in keeping things moving at a decent pace.  But I was especially pleased by the winners.  I haven't been this elated with the winners since the 2006 Emmy broadcast when 24 won best drama series and Kiefer Sutherland won best actor in a drama series and Jon Cassar won best directing for a drama series.  I actually did horribly in my predictions.  I only got one or two right.  But, as you can imagine, I have never been this happy to be so wrong.  Homeland deserved everything it won.  I was ecstatic when Damian Lewis won best actor.  Especially since I thought for sure that Bryan Cranston had it in the bag.  Of course, Claire Danes' win was no surprise.  But I was thrilled about it anyway.  Homeland winning the Emmy for best writing was great as well.  Although, curiously, it did not win for directing.  Instead, that went to Boardwalk Empire.  But, eh, that's okay.  The biggest surprise of all, however, was that it took the top prize itself, best drama series.  I thought for sure that they were gonna go with either Mad Men or Downton Abbey.  To say the least, I was happy.  Also was happy for Aaron Paul.  I personally would have gone with Giancarlo Esposito, but Paul is great too so I certainly can't and won't complain.

I'm not a fan of Jimmy Kimmel.  The guy just comes off smarmy and I don't like his attitude towards Jay Leno.  His comment about Jay Leno really made me dislike him, I'm not gonna lie.  But I can't deny that he did a good job hosting the Emmy's.  There were some funny skits.  I was especially laughing at The Breaking Bad Show.  That was hilarious.  And hey, it didn't hurt to see many of the Emmy nominated women punch him!  ;)

So those are my thoughts on this year's Emmy broadcast.  It was a great show.  Very well put together.  Moved well.  Was frequently funny but best of all were the winners.  The only winner that made me roll my eyes was when Jon Cryer won best actor in a comedy series.  Seriously?  Two and a Half Men hasn't been relevant in a long time.  It was never any good.  But that aside, I have no complaints and am ecstatic at most of the winners.  Chief of which was the love they poured on Homeland.  It was a great year for television.  Now, as TV shows begin to premiere, let's hope for another great year of television.

Emmy Predictions

Who Will/Should Win at the Emmy's This Year.


It's been too long since my last blog.  I don't know if anyone actually reads this, but just in case, I apologize for that.

Before I go on with who I think will and should win tonight, a quick thought on the nominees: they are OKAY.  I only really have one complain and that is the snubbing of Justified.  I never expected Fringe or The Walking Dead to be nominated, but Justified?  There is no excuse for it's snubbing.  I'm especially disappointed in the snubbing of lead actor Timothy Olyphant getting snubbed.  Shameful of the Emmy's.  I also really wanted Hugh Laurie to get a nomination for his final time on House.  One of television's greatest performances and it's now unrewarded, at least by the Emmy's.


Well, the Emmy's are about to start so here are my quick predictions as well as who I'm rooting for.


BEST DRAMA SERIES:

Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Mad Men


A tougher category to call than usual.  It appears to be a race between Mad Men and Downton Abbey.  A win by either one would not surprise me, but I'm gonna go a head and say it'll go to Mad Men and thus put Mad Men in a rare position of being a four time winner.  BUT, I wouldn't entirely count out Homeland or Breaking Bad either.  I am personally rooting for Homeland.  It was my second favorite show of last season (Fringe being #1).  But I'm going with Mad Men for will win.

Will Win: Mad Men
Should Win: Homeland



BEST COMEDY SERIES:

The Big Bang Theory
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Girls
Modern Family
30 Rock
Veep

Who Will Win: Modern Family
Who Should Win: Don't care


BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES:

Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damian Lewis, Homeland


Who Will Win: Bryan Cranston
Who SHOULD Win: Damian Lewis


BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES:

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Louise C.K., Louie
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory


Who Will Win: Louise C.K.
Who Should Win: Don't care


BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES:

Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julie Louise-Dreyfuss, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly

Who Will Win: Julie Louise-Dreyfuss
Who Should Win: Amy Poehler


BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES:

Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Glenn Close, Damages
Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Juliana Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Who Will/Should Win: Claire Danes


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - DRAMA:

Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
Brendan Coyle, Downton Abbey
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad
Jared Harris, Mad Men
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

Who Will/Should Win: Giancarlo Esposito


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - COMEDY:

Ty Burell, Modern Family
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Max Greenfield, New Girl
Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live
Ed O'Neil, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Who Will/Should Win: Ed O'Neil


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - DRAMA:

Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Anna Gun, Breaking Bad
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Who Will Win: Maggie Smith
Who Should Win: Anna Gun


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - COMEDY:

Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Meritt Weaver, Nurse Jackie
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live

Who Will Win: Kristen Wiig
Who Should Win: Don't care


Those are my predictions.  I'll write a brief conclusion on my thoughts after the show later tonight.

EMMY COVERAGE, part 1

Well, I'm afraid my prediction list will not be as in depth as I was originally planning since I, unfortunately, didn't get to it until and there is less than 30 minutes before the nominations are announced.

BEST DRAMA SERIES:

Breaking Bad
Downton Abby
The Good Wife
Homeland
Justified
Mad Men


The two AMC shows, Breaking Bad and Mad Men, are virtual locks.  As is Showtime's Homeland and Downton Abby.  And The Good Wife is a good bet too.  Which just leaves one more slot available.  It may be wishful thinking on my part, but my rationale for choosing Justified is that I'm hoping that the two HBO shows, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones, will end up canceling each other out.  Besides Justified, it could also end up going to Boss.  But, I'm sticking with Justified just because I REALLY want it to happen!

IF I CHOSE THE NOMINATIONS:

Fringe
Homeland
The Walking Dead
Justified
Breaking Bad
Person of Interest

It's unfortunate that Fringe will all but be ignored by the Emmy's considering that it's  by far the most original, the most audacious, the  most inventive and just flat out the best show on television.

I need to catch up on several shows though such as The Good Wife.  That's an excellent show and I have no doubt it was great this season but I'm unfortunately way behind on it.  I also want to catch up on several critical favorite shows like Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire.  Another show I started to watch and fell off but definitely want to continue is NBC's Awake.  Yes, the show was canceled but I saw the first two episodes and loved it.  A great concept that is extremely well executed.



BEST COMEDY SERIES:

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Girls
Louie
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Veep

I wouldn't be surprised if emmy darling 30 Rock was dropped off this year but, then again, I could be wrong.  Pretty positive that Glee will be ignored as well.

I don't watch enough comedy shows to make a full list of what I would nominate but I love Parks and Recreation and Community.  And, yes, unfortunately, I am predicting that Community is left off yet again.  But I hope I'm wrong.  I haven't seen it at all this season, but Modern Family is a perfectly fine show so I'm okay with it winning.


BEST ACTOR in a DRAMA SERIES:

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Damien Lewis, Homeland
Timothy Olyphant, Justified

Mad Men is another show I need to catch up on.  Same for Boss.  But both Hamm and Grammer are locks for nominations.  As is Lewis, who is absolutely phenomenal in Homeland, and Cranston.  I also think Olyphant is safe.  That leaves one slot left.  I chose Laurie since this is final chance to be nominated but it wouldn't surprise me to see it go to Steve Buscemi in Boardwalk Empire or Dustin Hoffman in Luck.  Michael C. Hall is another possibility.

I would keep Cranston, Lewis, Laurie and Olyphant.  And then go with Jason Isaacs in Awake and Andrew Lincoln in The Walking Dead.


BEST ACTRESS in a DRAMA SERIES:

Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Glenn Close, Damages
Claire Danes, Homeland
Juliana Margulies, The Good Wife
Jessica Pare, Mad Men
Madeline Stowe, Revenge


Admittedly, I'm taking some huge risks for this category.  And I don't really have a reason for it.  It's probably wrong of me to not have Elisabeth Moss on the list or any of the Downton Abby girls.  But Revenge did get a lot of hype this year.  It's a very popular show.  The question, did I choose the wrong Revenge lady?  If  Revenge does get nominated will it be Stowe or Emily Van Camp?  I choose Stowe, but it could go either way.

Danes will probably win and she deserves it.  That said, it's way too bad that Emmy voters will once again snub my favorite leading lady on television: the terrific Ana Torv for her great work on Fringe.  :(


BEST ACTOR in a COMEDY SERIES:

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Louie C.K., Louie
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Joe McHale, Community
Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation


Yes, another category in which I'm taking some major risks.  And I'm probably flat out wrong.  McHale is probably wishful thinking and Jim Parsons will probably, unfortunately, take it.


BEST ACTRESS in a COMEDY SERIES:

Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Lena Dunham, Girls
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

I'm probably crazy for leaving Tina Fey out.  But this is my guess.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR in a DRAMA SERIES:

Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad
Jared Harris, Mad Men
Neal McDonough, Justified
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad


By far the toughest competition to call because there are SO many candidates!  It's absolutely insane how full this category is.  There are at least 10 other guys who have a legit chance of making it.  But only six slots to fill.

That said, it's a damn shame that, once again, Fringe deserves a slot but won't get it even John Noble is among the television elite IMO.  :(  The Walking Dead's Jon Bernthal also deserves a nomination.  He was so utterly fantastic this season.  Shane was one of the show's strongest characters in terms of writing and acting.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS in a DRAMA SERIES:

Morena Baccarin, Homeland
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Anna Gun, Breaking Bad
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Angelica Huston, Smash
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife


Again, I'm probably crazy for leaving out Maggie Smith, but this is my guess.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR in a COMEDY SERIES:

Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation
Ed O'Neil, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS in a COMEDY SERIES:

Kristen Bell, House of Lies
Alison Brie, Community
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Kristin Wiig, Saturday Night Live


Brie is, I'm sure, wishful on my part, but I'm sticking with this.


Well that's it.  Nominations are announced in less than 30 minutes.  Later today, I'll write a follow up article on my thought's on the nominees.  Yes, I'm sure I'm way off in several of my picks.  But it wouldn't be so fun if I didn't take some chances!  :)


And a quick thought on the season premiere of Breaking Bad: in short, I liked it.  There were several memorable moments (Walt, Jesse and Mike teaming up to destroy some evidence and the last two scenes in which, for the first time ever on the show, Walt is actually a pretty menacing and intimidating presence).  The last scene was especially chilling.  The look on both Walt's face as well as Skylar's.  Good stuff.  That said, I didn't love it.  It was a slow start and not as great as last season's premiere, which was a truly intense and gripping premiere.  But the opening scene is intriguing and I'm excited about the direction the show is going.

Also, very excited about The Dark Knight Rises tonight.  But I wouldn't expect a review up until Saturday or Sunday.  I want to let the movie sit in my mind first and truly collect my thoughts before I attempt to write a review.

My 2012 Movie List

Everything I have seen for 2012 movies:

The Grey: A

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: A-
Snow White and the Huntsman: A-
American Reunion: A-
John Carter: A-
The Amazing Spider-Man: A-
Man on a Ledge: A-

The Raid: B+
The Woman in Black: B+
Seeking Justice: B+
The Avengers: B+
Men in Black III: B+
21 Jump Street: B+
The Raven: B+

The Dictator: B
Gone: B
Chronicle: B
Safe House: B
Battleship: B:
Haywire: B
Act of Valor: B
Contraband: B
Safe: B
One for the Money: B
Chernobyl Diaries: B
Goon: B
The Hunger Games: B
Prometheus: B
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island: B

The Five-Year Engagement: B-
Ice Age: Continental Drift: B-
This Means War: B-

Lockout: C+
Wrath of the Titans: C+
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance: C+
Underworld: Awakening: C+
The Cabin in the Woods: C+

Savages: C
The Lucky One: C
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: C
What to Expect When You're Expecting: C

Red Tails: C-

Silent House: D+

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: D

The 2012 Mid-Year Report for Movies

Well, it's July which means we have passed the half way point for 2012.  So how has the year been?  Eh, it's been okay.  I mean, it's been a pretty typical year so far.  Not too many great movies, just a small handful of them and some good, solid, entertaining movies.  Of course, I haven't seen everything.  I've missed some promising titles such as Being Flynn, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Jeff Who Lives at Home, Your Sister's Sister.  Some of those are now available to watch on DVD so I'll definitely be checking them out sometime.  And I still have yet to see other promising looking movies such as Safety Not Guaranteed and People Like Us.  So take that into consideration when you read my top 10 (as well as my bottom 5).

Before I list the bottom 5 and top 10, let me go over some great performances worth remembering.

For best lead actor in a movie this is an easy pick.  Liam Neeson gave a powerful performance in The Grey and easily gets the title.  There is not one other performance that comes close to matching Neeson's work.  Particularly during the movie's final 10 minutes.  Although nobody comes close to matching Neeson, other notable performances include John Cusack in The Raven, Taylor Kitsch who really commanded the screen with great presence in the underrated John Carter and Chris Klein, who gave the best and most nuanced turn of all the main guys from American Reunion, though Jason Biggs remains as likable as ever.

For best lead actress, this was a little tougher.  As much crap as she gets for her work in the Twilight movies, I have always thought that Kristen Stewart is, nonetheless, a very good and capable actress outside of that franchise.  And she gives what may be her best performance yet in Snow White and the Huntsman.  I thought she was absolutely terrific in the movie.  She commands the screen and makes Snow White's transformation in to a warrior taking on Charlize Theron's fierce and evil queen, entirely believable.  It's not quite a revelation for her, but it's close.  That said, as impressive as she was in that movie, my pick for this category goes to Dame Judi Dench, who is positively wonderful in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  The movie is a huge ensemble of great, British actors, but the story is largely told through her eyes and Dench never misses a beat.  Other notable performances from lead actresses came from Emily Blunt in The Five-Year Engagement, Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lopez in What to Expect When You're Expecting, Gina Carano for her kick ass work in Haywire and Amanda Seyfried in Gone.

Best actor in a supporting role was another tough choice.  Ultimately I went with Frank Grillo in The Grey, because he has a slightly more challenging role by making us a care about a guy who really starts the movie off as a real asshole, but Grillo succeeded, magnificently.  His last scene is heartbreaking, terrifying and yet oddly touching all at the same time.  The other performance that nearly took it is Tom Wilkinson, who was absolutely wonderful in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  The journey his character takes, the reason why he has come to back to India, is touching.  I really loved his last moment in the movie.  It's not a big moment, it's actually quite small, but it's quite moving.  Other notable turns for this category include Eugene Levy in American Reunion, Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and the Huntsman, Chris Pratt in The Five-Year Engagement, Josh Brolin for his brilliant impersonation and characterization of a younger K (Tommy Lee Jones) in Men in Black III, Bill Nighey in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Michael Fassbender for playing the only interesting character in Prometheus and Rodrigo Santoro in What to Expect When You're Expecting.

For best actress in a supporting role, I have to go with Alison Brie, who is so funny and endearing and instantly lovable in The Five-Year Engagement.  But other notable performances for this category would be Anna Kendrick in What to Expect When You're Expecting, Lynn Collins in John Carter, Mena Suvari, who is  luminous in American Reunion and Maggie Smith in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.


Before I list my top 10 movies of 2012, here are my bottom 5.

5. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - This movie actually begins promisingly with an enjoyable first half.  Alas, the second half of the movie gets bogged down in silliness and is shockingly dull.  The main problem with it being that, what made the first half enjoyable is Lincoln being in the thick of the action, but because the second half takes place during his presidency, he's mostly stuck in the white house.  It's not until the climatic showdown set in a train, where he gets back in the action, and while the climax looks great and contains some impressive pyrotechnics, it's an unfortunate case of too little, too late.

4. What to Expect When You're Expecting - Unfortunately, the movie is exactly what you are expecting.  Well, I suppose the movie could have been worse.  There are some cringe inducing moments, but there are some surprisingly good moments sprinkled here and there as well as a handful of nice performances, most notably from Jennifer Lopez, Rodrigo Santoro and Anna Kendrick.  But as good as they may be, they can't hide the fact that this is another bland, formulaic ensemble romcom.

3. Red Tails - This movie is bad.  It's actually incredibly bad.  Bad writing and bad directing abound.  The dialog is truly atrocious and the movie contains of the worst romances I have ever seen in a movie.  And yet, as bad as it is, it's not the worst movie of the year.  Mostly because the cast is actually pretty solid (Terrance Howard even manages to bring a little bit of class to the film) and the movie is never dull.  Unlike my bottom 2, which are better made movies, but bored me.

2. Silent House - This movie has one thing going for it and that's the cinematography.  I thought the camera work for the movie was outstanding.  In fact, it's so good, that it alone managed to keep my attention for a while.  But then the movie started to get really dull and repetitive.  For most of the movie it was spinning it's wheels. Instead of putting me at the edge of my seat, it came damn near close to putting me to sleep.  And then there is the ending and, well, the less said about it, the better.

1. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - A lot of people seem to like this movie.  I found it to be wildly unfunny and dreadfully boring.  This movie was an utter chore to  sit through.  Really have nothing more to say about this movie.  I can't remember the last movie I saw in which I was this hopelessly bored while watching it.

 Dishonorable mentions go to The Lucky One and The Cabin in the Woods.  Yes, I know most people loved The Cabin in the Woods.  I liked the idea behind the movie, but I didn't like how it was executed.  And I just found the last 20 minutes or so to be very silly.

And before I go to my top 10, here are some honorable mentions.  Some movies that just missed being on the top 10 but are still very much worth checking out.  They are: Men in Black III, 21 Jump Street, The Dictator and The Raven.

So here are my Mid-Year (January-June) Top 10 of 2012:

10. The Avengers - A lot of people probably have this in their top 3.  I wouldn't quite call this a great movie, but it's definitely great fun.  Even though the last 40 minutes final showdown was very entertaining, I enjoyed the character interaction a little more.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  The climax was cool, had some great scenes and some terrific action, but what made this movie as enjoyable as it is, was seeing the characters come together, having to put their egos aside and work as a team to save the world.

9. Seeking Justice - Nicolas Cage was gotten a lot of crap over the last few years, and I'm sorry to say, but a lot of it is sadly deserving.  But this was one film of his that I don't think deserved the ire of critics.  I found this to be an immensely satisfying, actually kind of old fashioned thriller with Cage in fine form though the one who really steals the movie is Guy Pearce, who plays a great villain.  There are a lot of great twists and turns to the story.  Directed by Roger Donaldson, who often excels at this kind of suspense thriller, I thought this was a nice, tight, taut thriller that does exactly what it sets out to do and accomplishes it with finesse.  Definitely one of the more underrated movies of the year.

8. The Woman in Black - Just when I thought I was getting sick of ghost stories, along comes this movie to prove that it is still possible to make a good one.  Of course, the movie isn't perfect.  There are perhaps a few too many scenes of Daniel Radcliff walking through dark, empty hallways.  And I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending.  But this is a nicely atmospheric, visually stunning, very well acted and creepily effective thriller.  One of the year's more pleasant surprises.  It's also proof to me that Radcliff can actually have a career outside of the Harry Potter franchise.

7. The Raid - After a small setup, this movie practically is nonstop action.  And, especially since the action scenes are so brilliantly choreographed and viscerally charged, that's most definitely not a bad thing.  This thing rarely ever lets up.  And the guy who plays the hero, is very charismatic.  He has a real screen presence and commands the camera's attention with ease.  Character development is practically nil, but that's actually okay, because this is a  movie doesn't need it.  We like the hero, and hate the bad guys and want to see the hero survive and see the bad guys get their comeuppance.  And that's enough for a movie like this.  Besides, late in the movie there are a few twists and turns that actually give some of the characters a little more depth.  Mind you, this is still isn't Shakespeare, but it's nice to know that the writer's aren't phoning  it in either.

6. Man on a Ledge - If you were lucky enough to not have seen the trailer for the movie, don't.  It gives too much away.  But even if you have seen the trailer, I still found this movie to be incredibly suspenseful, with some cool twists and turns, solid acting all around and, while the ending does get a little on the silly side, this movie had me from the first frame all the way to the final moment.

5. John Carter - A very old fashioned adventure story, exceptionally well told.  Taylor Kitsch is very charismatic and gives what I thought should have been a star making performance.  Unfortunately, nobody went to go see this movie.  A visually stunning, and wonderfully entertaining sci-fi epic.

4. American Reunion - Watching this movie is like reuniting with old friends you haven't seen for a long time and finding out that, while some things have certainly changed, hanging out with them remains as comfortable as ever.  Very funny and surprisingly poignant at times as well.

3. Snow White and the Huntsman - Definitely the best telling of the classic fairy tale I have ever seen.  Breathtaking, exhilarating, exciting, luscious, beautiful to look at, gorgeous cinematography, great visual effects and a stunning production design.  Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth are terrific as Snow White who manages to escape from the evil queen when she's about to be killed and runs into the dark forest.  Hemsworth's huntsman is then sent in to find her and kill her.  But he has a change of heart and instead of killing her, elects to take her to safety.  The battle scenes scenes are among the best I've seen in a long time.  And, although there are times when she goes a little TOO over the top, Charlize Theron, for the most part, makes for a great evil queen.  This all leads to a very satisfying conclusion.  But be ware, despite being based on a fairy tale, this is no kids movie.  I was actually surprised a little by how dark and scary and violent the movie is, at times.  A great, grand epic adventure.

2. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - A sort of coming of age for old people.  This is a movie that, for most part, is about a group of elderly people who go through a journey when they all decide, for various reasons, to come to India.  And each of the main characters ends up learning something about themselves along the way.  It's a beautifully written and photographed movie and is wonderfully acted by the stellar ensemble cast of mostly veteran British thespians.  Though we do also have Slumdog Millionaire's Dave Patel, playing one of the two major young characters and he has his own story pertaining to a young lady he's in love with and his disapproving mother.  He also plays the young idealist and perhaps a little naive owner of the titled hotel.

1. The Grey - Far and away the best film of the year and the only movie that left a truly lasting, indelible impression on me.  I mean, I still love some of the others, but this was a near masterpiece.  By far, Joe Carnahan's best and most accomplished effort to date (Narc comes close though).  Liam Neeson, as I have already mentioned, gives the performance of the year and it's probably his best performance since at least Michael Collins way back in 1996 and maybe even his best since Schindler's List.  And Neeson leads the year's best ensemble cast, which includes Frank Grillo (my choice for best supporting actor), Dallas Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Joe Anderson, James Badge Dale among others.  Some people had a problem with the ending.  I thought it was perfect.  I absolutely loved the fade to black and found the entire ending to be note perfect.  This isn't merely a man versus nature movie, but it's also about coming to terms about meeting ones end.  And that's why I loved how the movie ended so much.

Next up: A small review of Breaking Bad's 5th season premiere and the first a 3 part Emmy article.