2016 OSCARS: My Final Prediction of the Winners

Below are my predictions for the Top 8 categories for the 88th annual Academy Awards. Last year I correctly predicted 7 of the Top 8 categories. Below I put in red the movie or person I want to win, and in blue the person I think actually will win.

Best Picture

• The Big Short
• Bridge of Spies
• Brooklyn
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Martian
• The Revenant
• Room
• Spotlight

SHOULD WIN: The Big Short 

WILL WIN: The Revenant

Best Director

• Alejandro G. Iñárritu, "The Revenant"
• Lenny Abrahamson, "Room"
• Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight"
• Adam McKay, "The Big Short"
• George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

SHOULD WIN: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

WILL WIN: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant

Best Actress

• Cate Blanchett, "Carol"
• Brie Larson, "Room"
• Jennifer Lawrence, "Joy"
• Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years"
• Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn"

SHOULD WIN: Brie Larson, Room

WILL WIN: Brie Larson, Room

Best Actor

• Bryan Cranston, "Trumbo"
• Matt Damon, "The Martian"
• Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant"
• Michael Fassbender, "Steve Jobs"
• Eddie Redmayne, "The Danish Girl"

SHOULD WIN: Leonardo Dicaprio, The Revenant

WILL WIN: Leonardo Dicaprio, The Revenant

Best Supporting Actress

• Jennifer Jason Leigh, "The Hateful Eight"
• Rooney Mara, "Carol"
• Rachel McAdams, "Spotlight"
• Kate Winslet, "Steve Jobs"
• Alicia Vikander, "The Danish Girl"

SHOULD WIN: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

WILL WIN: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Best Supporting Actor

• Christian Bale, "The Big Short"
• Mark Ruffalo, "Spotlight"
• Mark Rylance, "Bridge of Spies"
• Sylvester Stallone, "Creed"
• Tom Hardy, "The Revenant"

SHOULD WIN: Tom Hardy, The Revenant

WILL WIN: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Best Original Screenplay

• Bridge of Spies
• Ex Machina
• Inside Out
• Spotlight
• Straight Outta Compton

SHOULD WIN: Ex Machina

WILL WIN: Spotlight

Best Adapted Screenplay

• The Big Short
• Brooklyn
• Carol
• The Martian
• Room

SHOULD WIN: The Martian

WILL WIN: Room

Oscar Totals:
1. Mad Max: Fury Road (5)
2. The Revenant (4)

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: First X-Men: Apocalypse Trailer Released!

I have been a huge fan of the X-Men comics since I was introduced to them as a teenager living in Barbados. I started collecting them in earnest (especially when they split off to form the New Mutants) when I was in college. Anyway, I have also been a fan of director Bryan Singer's film adaptations of the X-Men movies. The last one was X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014 and the one before that was X-Men: First Class which stars James McAvoy as the young Charles Xavier an Michael Fassbender as Magneto. The third movie in the sequence if the forthcoming X-Men: Apocalypse.

The trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse is now out, and it looks amazing! The film comes out May 27, 2016.

MOVIE REVIEW: X-Men: Days of Future Past

The summer blockbuster movie season began with The Amazing Spider-Man 2  on May 2 and  Godzilla on May 16  (neither of which I went to see) and continued with X-Men: Days of Future Past which I went to see on opening day. I spent a fair portion of my formative early teen years reading the X-Men and New Mutants comics and I have enjoyed the X-Men films, especially the ones directed by Bryan Singer which play up the metaphorical analogy between having mutant powers and being gay. (In both cases, the person often tries to keep information about their status secret and often has to "come out" and reveal it, and society stigmatizes the status of being gay and being a mutant.)

Anyway, the latest X-Men movie is Days of Future Past and follows events depicted in 2011's X-Men: First Class. The movie starts in our near-future ad life sucks for the mutants because giant, adaptable robots called Sentinels are successfully hunting down and killing all mutants on Earth, making life pretty miserable for everyone on the planet as life as we know it is collateral damage to the ongoing human-mutant war.

Our heroes (from the earlier X-Men movies that starred Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Halle Berry as Storm, James Marsden as Cyclops, Anna Paquin as Rogue, etc) realize that the only way they can win this battle is to go back in time and prevent the current war from starting. This means that their earlier selves (who were introduced in  X-Men: First Class as James McAvoy as Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto/Erik Lensherr, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique/Raven and Nicolas Hoult as Beast) are going to have to be convinced to stop fighting each other and save the day.

Time travel stories are often tricky and non-sensical but Singer manages the action deftly, communicating the main details of Simon Kinberg's screenplay effectively to the audience, reveling in the early 1970s setting to depict the funky fashion and other foibles of the era.

It turns out that only Wolverine has the healing ability to survive a trip back in time (technically only his consciousness goes back in time facilitated by the mutant powers of Ellen Page appearing in her first summer blockbuster as a now openly lesbian actress). So he has to convince McAvoy's Charles and Fassbender's Erik to work together to stop Lawrence's Raven from killing Peter Dinklage's Dr. Bolivar Trask and thus precipitating Trask's evil invention of the Sentinel into the future-killing juggernaut it becomes, especially since Mystique's own DNA is a key component of the Sentinel (since in the original time line she gets caught after killing Trask).  Charles is currently addicted to the drug which allows him to walk but eliminates his psionic powers and Erik is in a metal-free prison deep in the heart of the Pentagon, accused of manipulating the bullet that killed President John F. Kennedy. Yes, the plot is complicated, but it is comprehensible.

The film really centers around the performance of 2013 Best Actress Oscar winner Lawrence with Oscar nominees McAvoy, Fassbender and Jackman having the next most prominent roles. Lawrence is more than up to the task of carrying a huge, visual effects extravaganza on her shoulders (as she has shown repeatedly with the Hunger Games movies) and acquits herself well here also. Dinklage and Hoult are both excellent, with Hoult having the added benefit of being very attractive. There's a small but memorable appearance by Evan Peters as Quicksilver during the action sequence to free Magneto.

The film raises some thought-provoking questions such as "If you could go back in time and stop a bad person from doing a bad thing, should you?" and "What would life be like if we had incontrovertible evidence that people with mutant powers existed"?

Overall, X-Men: Days of Future Past is an intellectually stimulating and well-made movie, smarter than the average summer blockbuster, but plenty entertaining.

Title: X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Director: Bryan Singer.
Running Time: 2 hours, 11 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence.
Release Date: May 23, 2014.
Viewing Date: May 23, 2014.

Writing: B.
Acting: A-.
Visuals: A.
Impact: B+.

Overall Grade: B+/A- (3.5/4.0).

WATCH: Trailer for X-Men: Days Of Future Past

The trailer for the latest entry in the X-Men franchise is out. The movie is called X-Men: Days of Fture Past  and one that I am actually interested in seeing, thanks to its stunning cast and the fact it is being directed by Bryan Singer, the openly gay creator of the first two X-Men films.

The movie is released on May 23, 2014!

2014 OSCARS: My Predictions of The Winners In The Top 8 Categories

The 86th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, better known as The Oscars, are happening on Sunday March 2. The nominations were released on January 15th. Last year I correctly predicted 5 winners in the Top 8 categories and only 14 of 24 overall.

Below are my prediction for the film or person I want to win ("SHOULD WIN") and the film or person I predict to actually win ("WILL WIN").

Best Picture

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

This is the most important category and surprisingly this year is one of the toughest to predict. Last year's winner was Ben Affleck's Argo which was a surprise to some, but was really not unexpected after Affleck was not even nominated for Best Director, a snub which angered a large segment of the Academy. There is a threeway race for the top spot between American Hustle, 12 Years A Slave and Gravity. Gravity and American Hustle lead the pack with 10 nominations, with 12 Years A Slave close behind with 9. Most Oscarologists are calling for 12 Years A Slave to win Best Picture but Gravity is the one with the largest following thanks to its 200-plus million box-office haul American Hustle has its hopefuls as well, but if it were to win it would be because it was on enough people's 2nd place slot that the preferential ballot allows it to sneak out a win. Since I picked 12 Years A Slave as my favorite film of the year I understand why people want it to win, but I think the Academy will go with the crowd pleaser (Gravity), especially since more often than not Best Picture and Best Director are very often aligned and Gravity's director is a lock to win.

SHOULD WIN: 12 Years A Slave

WILL WIN: Gravity

Best director

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

SHOULD WIN: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity 

WILL WIN: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity 

Best actor

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

SHOULD WIN: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave 

WILL WIN: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club 

Best actress

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

This really should be Amy Adams year. She is a 5-time nominee and the only person in this category who has not yet won an Oscar, but Blanchett has won every precursor award and is widely respected. She is going to win a second Oscar eventually, and it might as well be this year. I just hope that Adams does not become another Glenn Close, much nominated and also widely respected but never rewarded with Hollywood's highest honor.

SHOULD WIN: Amy Adams, American Hustle 

WILL WIN: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Best supporting actor

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

Jared Leto appears to have a lock on this category, having won the Golden Globe and SAG award but I find it hard to believe that a little film like Dallas Buyers Club could win two acting Oscars. Then again, the Best Picture nomination for this film is an indication of the overall strength for the film amongst the Academy members. However, the Academy often likes to use the Supporting categories to make surprise wins for an up and coming stars. The question is who would they reward instead? I think the choices would be either Fassbender or Cooper. Who wins this category is very dependent on who wins the Supporting Actress category. If Nyong'o wins there, then most likely Cooper would win here. If Lawrence wins there (which I think is unlikely) then Fassbender would be the back up choice. It is still possible that Leto could win, and I think that he should, but I'm not entirely convinced that he will win.

SHOULD WIN: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club 

WILL WIN: Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Best supporting actress

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

SHOULD WIN: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years A Slave 

WILL WIN: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years A Slave 

Best original screenplay

• "American Hustle" -- David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer
• "Blue Jasmine" -- Woody Allen
• "Her" -- Spike Jonze
• "Nebraska" -- Bob Nelson
• "Dallas Buyers Club" -- Craig Borten and Melissa Wallack

SHOULD WIN: David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer, American Hustle 

WILL WIN: Spike Jonze, Her 

Best adapted screenplay

• "12 Years a Slave" -- John Ridley
• "Before Midnight" -- Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater
• "The Wolf of Wall Street" -- Terence Winter
• "Captain Phillips" -- Billy Ray
• "Philomena" -- Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope

SHOULD WIN: John Ridley, 12 Years A Slave   

WILL WIN: John Ridley, 12 Years A Slave  

The film that ends the night with the most wins will be Gravity, probably ending with at least five, most likely Picture, Director, Sound, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects and Score.

FILM REVIEW: 12 Years A Slave

The film 12 Years A Slave has been getting a lot of attention from critics and moviegoers, primarily for its incredibly realistic depiction of slavery, and the fact that it is based on a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story of Solomon Northup. Northup was a free Black man from New York who in 1841was kidnapped and transported to the South against his will, somehow survived 12 years as a slave and then published a book detailing what happened to him. Black British filmmaker Steve McQueen discovered the incredible story and decided to make his 3rd feature film an adaptation of Northup's book into a movie starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup and sports a cast with celebrated white actors Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano and Benedict Cumberbatch. Another key character in the book is a female slave named Patsey played by Lupita Nyongy'o.

The Other Half and I were able to see 12 Years A Slave at our new favorite theater (Arclight Cinemas in Pasadena) recently. We both agreed with the enthusiastic reactions from the people at rottentomatoes.com (96% critics, 93% audience) and disagree with critics who call the film extremely difficult to watch. There are some scenes which are extremely intense but the film is very well paced and the screenplay cleverly splits the story in such a way that it begins with Northup in bondage in Louisiana but then quickly shifts to show his life as a prosperous Negro gentleman with a wife and two young kids.

From the title of the film we know that Northup survives, but since we don't know what indignities and deprivations he suffers in slavery there is still significant suspense in the audience as we watch the film. And the fate of every other Black person in the film is subject to the whim (no matter how deranged, prejudiced or arbitrary) of any White person in the film.

Additionally, as a Black person, the sonic assault of the use of the n-word is somewhat disturbing, especially coming out of the mouths of so many recognizable (and well-liked) actors like Paul Giamatti, Cumberbatch, Dano and Fassbender.

Despite that aspect of the film, the overall experience of sitting in a theater and watching a visual representation of what slavery was actually like unspool before you for roughly two hours is incredibly rewarding and educational simultaneously. I hesitate to use the word obligatory, but for people who are genuinely interested in issues that involve race, going to see 12 Years A Slave is an edifying and virtuous act, and that is meant as a compliment to the film and the filmmakers.

Title: 12 Years A Slave.
Director: Steve McQueen.
Running Time: 2 hours, 13 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for violence/cruelty, some nudity and brief sexuality.
Release Date: October 18, 2013.
Viewing Date: November 16, 2013.

Writing: A.
Acting: A.
Visuals: A+.
Impact: A+.

Overall Grade: A+/A (4.16/4.0).

MOVIE REVIEW: Prometheus

One of my most anticipated films of summer 2012 was Ridley Scott's foray back into science fiction after a near-30-year hiatus,  Prometheus, also known as the "Alien prequel." The film stars Oscar-winner Charlize Theron in her second tentpole film of summer 2012 (the first being the widely panned Snow White and the Huntsman, but more about that film later), Oscar-nominee Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba, Michael Fassbender and Guy Pearce. The screenplay is credited to Jon Spaight and Damon Lindelof (former showrunner of Lost).

The reaction to the film has been somewhat mixed, primarily due to the somewhat overheated hype prior to its release as people tried to compare the new movie relative to Alien, which is currently #42 on the IMDB list of Top 250 movies of all time. Unfortunately, it doesn't appears as if Prometheus will be joining that list anytime soon.


I saw and heard the somewhat mixed reviews (currently in the mid 70s on rottentomatoes.com) before I went and saw the movie, but made the decision to just go by myself after the Men's Final was unable to be completed due to rain on Sunday June 10th. 


My first reaction to the film is that it is absolutely beautifully shot, one of the most cinematographically stunning films since probably Inception. It also is able to scare, excite and surprise the audience. It also is very frustrating because there are many, many aspects of the script and story which simply do not make any sense. There's a difference between leading the audience by the nose by blatantly depicting plot points with no subtlety and being deliberately obfuscatory and confusing by having characters do things which are just clearly stupid and unmotivated. This results in numerous questions being left in the audience's mind when they leave the theater, but not in a good way of "let's debate the various interpretations of what the film makers intended or speculate on what happens next to the characters that we care about" (which is what happened to me after watching Incendies or A Separation) but more like "what the ...."?


I won't go into the details of the specific questions that can be asked, because I don't want to spoil the movie for people who have not seen it yet, and I do think that it is worth seeing, especially for the visuals, which are truly astonishing. In addition, although the script is a hot mess, it does it atleast provide some fodder for how the entire Alien franchise was started, and in my book, that is worth the price of admission.


For people who are science-oriented or who have advanced degrees or extensive training in a scientific field, it will be hard to watch what can only be described as an irresponsible depiction of scientists. The scientists are played with religious fervor by Rapace and with reckless abandon by hottie Joshua Logan-Marshall. With that caveat, I would still encourage people to see the film.


Title: Prometheus.
Director: Ridley Scott.
Running Time: 2 hours, 4 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for sci-fi violence including some intense images, and language.
Release Date: June 8, 2012.
Viewing Date: June 10, 2012.


Plot: C.
Acting: B+.
Visuals: A+.
Impact: B.


Overall Grade: B/B+ (3.16/4.0).

Summer 2012: Movies I'm Looking Forward To See

Summer 2012 is coming soon and the movie I am most looking forward to seeing is Prometheus directed by Ridley Scott (see full trailer here, opens June 1, 2012) returning to the universe of his classic Alien movie. My favorite director Christopher Nolan also has a new movie coming out (see full trailer here, opens on July 20, 2012), The Dark Knight Rises, the final film in his Batman trilogy (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). Some people are looking forward to The  Avengers movie (see full trailer, opens this Friday on May 4, 2012) but since Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America were all disappointing, why would a movie with all of them in it together be better than the movies which featured only one of them?

Charlize Theron appears to be having a good summer. She is in Prometheus, and also stars in Snow White and the Huntsman (full trailer here, opens June 1) along with Chris Hemsworth (who is also in Avengers as Thor) and Kristen Stewart from the execrable Twilight movies.

What movies are you looking forward to this summer?

WATCH: Full Prometheus Trailer

The new film  Prometheus from Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott (Aliens, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise) looks increasingly like it is the film to beat this summer despite the release of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. The extended trailer has now been released. The script was co-written by  Lost executive producer Damon Lindelof.
Check it out, the trailer looks amazing. The movie stars Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce and Noomi Rapace
Hat/tip to Nikke Finke.