Through several editorial features, here is my analysis to formulate my official Academy Award predictions. In this second post, we look at the obscure minor film categories that include foreign films, documentaries, animated films, and short films. Get the dartboard out, but stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read MoreThrough several editorial features, here is my analysis to formulate my official Academy Award predictions. In this first post, we look at the musical and sound categories that include original score, original song, sound editing, and sound mixing. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!
Read MoreAs with any year, there are hot topics being debated immediately stemming from snubs and surprises. Here are my reaction and takeaways, consisting of five snubs and five surprises, coming out of this morning's nominations announcements.
Read MoreThe 88th Academy Award nominations will be announced tomorrow morning, January 14, 2016, hot off of the weekend's 73rd Golden Globe awards. I've been following the full awards season over on my Awards Tracker page. Using that data as the tea leaves and a truckload of hunches, I'm going to attempt to closely predict the Oscar nominations for the "Big 8" categories for the third year in a row.
Read MoreMore and more each year, the Golden Globes have become more an a popularity contest than a true precursor to the Academy Awards. What you're watching on TV is a party thrown by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and hosted by Ricky Gervais in an effort to be loved and share some love. To its credit, the awards show still garners legitimate attention and ratings. The winners do get a pretty positive rub and the marketers gain a few more "Winner of..." graphics to put in the newspapers next to their films.
Read MoreI prefer to be strict enough with my mind and my heart to rank the best and not just give some alphabetical list. This was a difficult list to settle on for an order. After 84 films this year, I think I've seen all I need to see to give out a complete and legitimate "10 Best" list. Here are my picks and, in the spirit of this site, each of the "10 Best" are paired with their best life lesson. Enjoy!
Read MoreAs familiar and predictable as it turns out, by golly, "The Good Dinosaur" will still get you to smile greatly and tear up uncontrollably. Pixar consistently gets its emotion and resonance exactly right. This film achieves that signature Pixar punch effectively enough to be fitting holiday entertainment.
Read MoreThe end of June marks the halfway point of 2015. This website makes it a point each year to measure the calendar year's offerings so far of what has been the best with the goal of building a year-end "10 Best" list. This is as good a place as any to honor the fine efforts that have graced the screen this half-year. Here are the "Top 5 (so far)."
Read MoreThe prevailing feeling has been that the hallmark extra level of magic and poignancy that used to be Pixar's calling cards have been lost while they milked dollars from lackluster sequels and prequels like "Cars 2" and "Monsters University." We have missed the visual originality from "Monsters Inc." and "Cars." We have missed the sense of wonder from "Wall-E" and "Ratatouille." Most of all, we have sorely missed the strong familial dynamics of the "Up," the "Toy Story" series, and "Finding Nemo." "Inside Out" is exactly the redemptive return to form that Pixar desperately needed. The film rivals each of those prior greats in each of those areas. This is exactly what you loved and were missing while being something truly great that can stand on its own merits.
Read MoreIt's business time! The wait is over from the very slow winter and spring seasons! The massive movie slate of the summer of 2015 has been touted on this website for over a year. We knew these big hitters were coming and they are finally here. Let's see how many box office records fall. If you thought "Furious 7" was a big hit, then you've seen nothing yet. The summer is where the big boys play. To split the long season up, here is my complete preview for the early summer months of May and June and their prospective film releases. As always, dates change and shift all of the time. Here's what we have to look forward to! Enjoy!
Read MoreIt's business time! Here's your complete 2015 Summer Movie Calendar. Add these to your calendar or print and slip this list on the fridge at home. As always, release dates shift all of the time, so be aware. I split my full Summer Movie Preview into early (May/June) and late (July/August) parts. The first will be coming soon! Enjoy!
Read MoreDuring the shift from December to January, I enjoy retracing what I reviewed and enjoyed from the previous year, but the trailers and previews for next year's films are starting to make an impact. I can't help but look ahead. Every year, I wrote an "Most Anticipated List." 2015 looks wildly loaded with must-see films. Let's make a new list for a new year. Here are my 15 most anticipated films of this new year. Enjoy!
Read More
