The Greatest American

Lincoln- Steven Spielberg is at it again working his magic in his latest installment revolving around one of the greatest leaders America has ever had. Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) delivers the performance of his career as our 16th president during a time where the country was at war with itself leaving him to do whatever he can to mend the gap between races. It's January, 1865 and an end to the Civil War is very much in sight but the war on Capitol Hill between the democrats and republicans is still neck and neck. The task at hand is to pass the vote to put the 13th amendment into effect, ending slavery and involuntary servitude in its entirety. Only one problem, there are some politicians in the House of Representatives that do not agree with President Lincoln; democrats. Lincoln, being a republican president, must somehow get his left-sided colleagues to see things clearer, the way it should be as we know it. Along with his wife, Mary, played by Sally Field (Forrest Gump), a few persuading and unorthodox lobbyists, and his cabinet, the president intends to do nothing more than reset the bonds of man, simple.
        Lincoln tells the story of not just a president in a controversial time, but of a man who must juggle the burden of this country as well as that of his rather dysfunctional family. Starting with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, who is in strong belief that her husband is set out to put his job before her as well as their sons and is a very emotionally-racked woman to begin with. The eldest son, Robert Lincoln (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Dark Knight Rises), is back from school and has plans other than those of his parents. And finally the youngest, Tad Lincoln (Gulliver McGrath), who wants to be just like his father. This makes up the First Family who look to their head who happens to be Commander-In-Chief as well in times of need. 1865 was not only the year of the Civil War's end, but also that of Abraham Lincoln's.  Day-Lewis' breathtaking role is supported with faces such as Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, and David Strathairn in the cinematic experience of the year. Spielberg can already begin shining the Academy Award statuettes from directing this mesmerizing cast portraying a time in the life of one of, if not The, greatest American to have ever lived. Grade: 9.4/10

Lights, Camera, take Action!

Argo: Taking a few steps back to late 1979, citizens of Iran have invaded the U.S. Embassy in Tehran after America took over the Iranian government and replaced the leader with one of our own. During this series of events numerous American diplomats were taken as hostages except 6 brave individuals. Those escapees find refuge and after over 2 months of hiding, it's the CIA's turn to take action. Specialist Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) heads a very risky operation to get the lucky 6 back home to safety. This covert op is mentored by Mendez's supervisor (Bryan Cranston) with the help of a couple insiders from the movie industry (John Goodman and Alan Arkin). Details are everything as the act unfolds and there is no room for error or forgetting your lines.
          Ben Affleck stars and directs this nerve-racking drama along with a star-studded cast that backs up the immense amount of research necessary for such a film. Based on actual events on President Jimmy Carter's watch, Argo is a movie-within-a-movie with an exceptional supporting cast and discloses timeless information about the bravery of America's CIA. Pay attention, because Affleck's take on this 30 year old operation fills the viewer with White-knuckles and worry while on the edge of your seat. Afterward, look for Argo in the Oscar nominations; The best movie so far in 2012. Score: 8.8/10

Prohibition Problems

Lawless: Virginia, 1931--the Prohibition has been in the books for a few years and that gives the average American only one option: bootlegging. Franklin county aka "The wettest county in the world" is a magnet for bootleggers and the police officers looking to catch bootleggers, including the infamous Bondurant brothers. Forrest, Howard, and Jack Bondurant have their craft down to a science and are known as the best in the area--even to some of Franklin county's finest. Howard (Jason Clarke, Death Race) is the expert distiller and deliveryman who always makes sure to enjoy some of his own creation. Jack (Shia Labeouf, Transformers) is the runt-of-the-litter delivery truck driver and aspires to his brothers' expertise. Last but not least, Forrest (Tom Hardy, The Dark Knight Rises) is the family's gas station manager, muscle, and most recognized bootlegger. Throughout the film, these three encounter gangsters, love, friendship, pain, hardship and hate; but mostly hate. The state of Virginia takes drastic measures by calling upon the talents of Special Deputy Rakes (Guy Pearce, The King's Speech) to track down the county's distilleries by any means necessary. Not a spoiler alert, but, you are not going to side with Guy Pearce in this movie, there, I said it. Tom Hardy steals the show again in this one with this insanely engaging fight scenes and one-liners but doesn't leave his costars in the dust. Shia LaBeouf plays a really coming-of-age character dealing with the likes of Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) as a famous gangster and does so very well. Director John Hillcoat includes a lot of gore and intensity to tell this true story of rooting for the lawbreaker instead of the enforcer and drive its point across of a struggle worth strugglin' for. Grade: B+

The Knight is Darkest just before The Dawn.

The Dark Knight Rises: Will someone Kill the Batman? You'll find out! The last installment of Christopher Nolan's epic trilogy of the Caped Crusader comes to an end with a lot of loose ends to tie. The regulars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman returned to head the cast and the newcomers include Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This film introduces us to one of Batman's more intimidating villains, Bane. Played by Tom Hardy (Inception, Warrior), Bane is huge, strong, powerful, mean, and, to Batman's disadvantage--well-trained. He, along with a posse of outlaws, strive to take over the city of Gotham and they believe they have Batman's weaknesses figured out. Beside the villain there's always a girl to catch Bruce Wayne's eye, this time there's two; Anne Hathaway plays Selina, a conniving, agile, sweet-talking thief with "cat-like" reflexes and Marion Cotillard (Inception, Midnight In Paris) is Miranda, a board member at Wayne Enterprises.
        Eight years have passed since Harvey Dent was killed and Bruce Wayne has become a recluse in his mansion recovering from a leg injury as well as past traumas. His loyal butler, Alfred (Michael Caine) keeps watch over him during this time and provides his usual parables of strength and overcoming hardships. Meanwhile, with Dent gone along with his message of hope, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) is struggling with his police department to restore order in Gotham. Very early in the movie we are introduced to Bane and his action-packed skills and persuading leadership as he doesn't joke around and attempts to overpower Gotham's finest. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Officer Blake, a rookie on the force with the heart of the police chief. His goal is to get through to the real Bruce Wayne and reintroduce him to who he truly is.
      This movie had all the explosions and fast-paced fight scenes one looks forward to in a Batman movie but even though it may be appropriate to compare movies in a trilogy to each other, do not walk in the theater still thinking of The Dark Knight. It's not, No it's not. Tom Hardy is not Heath Ledger and Officer Blake is not Harvey Dent. This movie revolves around the struggle of Bruce Wayne finding the strength to put the cape back on and avenging his parents once again while the police force is reconstructing altogether under new leadership. Keep an open mind while watching.
      It may not keep you on edge as the second movie did and I feel it did fall apart a bit with the acting, mostly on Joseph Gordon-Levitt's part, and jumps around in the middle with some plot-planning, this was still a quality film for any superhero fan. Grade: B
   

Oscar Night

The 2012 Academy Awards


Finally the biggest night in showbiz has arrived; the Oscars! It's been a tradition of mine to fill out an Oscar nominee ballot for fun and then just watch the show and see how I did so I wanted to share with you some of my picks this year. I'm taking a similar approach as Peter Travers from Rolling Stone Magazine with this by giving you my choices of the well-known categories and then touching up on some elements that would have made good nominees but were overlooked. Hope you like it and remember the show starts at 8pm on ABC!

Best Picture
Should win: "Moneyball"
Will win: "The Artist"

Best Actor
Should win: Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Will win: Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

Best Actress
Should win: Michelle Williams in "My Week With Marilyn"
Will win: Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"

Best Supporting Actor
Should win: Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Will win: Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"

Best Supporting Actress
Should win: Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
Will win: Berenice Bejo in "The Artist"

Best Directing
Should win: "Hugo"
Will win: "The Artist"

   There you have it. Those are my picks for the winners followed by what have the best chances of beating them.

   When it comes to being snubbed for these awards, bigger disappointments come about every year but this year I had a few bones to pick with the Academy myself. Probably my biggest problem is the absences of Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor in "J. Edgar" and Ryan Gosling in "Drive" or even for his role of Best Supporting Actor in "The Ides of March". It was also disappointing to see neither Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar) or Steven Spielberg (War Horse) nominated in Best Directing.

    Switching gears for a second, there are a few nominees that I believe have a good chance at upsetting both my pick and the probably winner: Rooney Mara in "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" for Best Actress, Kenneth Branagh in "My Week With Marilyn" for Best Supporting Actor, and George Clooney in "The Descendants" for Best Actor.

Well there you go, fill out your own ballot, compare it to mine if you'd like, Put on your tuxedo or dress for the classiest night in Hollywood!