Gearing Up for the Oscars!

Guess who's seen all of the movies nominated for best picture. YEP, THIS GUY! And now, you can tell all of your friends your very intelligent opinions (well, my very intelligent opinions) on them without having to see them (although, really, go see some of them). Just for kicks, (and because my memory will get worse) I'm going to review them starting with the ones I saw first going to the most recent.

First up, one of my favorites, Argo. Now, I've already done a quick review for Argo, so I'll give you the latest Hollywood dirt on the film and repost the review below.
This film's taken home a lot of the pre-Oscar awards (Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild, Golden Globe), and I don't think anyone could be more excited for it's talented (but snubbed by the Oscars) director, Ben Affleck. Who doesn't like a comeback story? He started by winning an Oscar for co-writing the incredible Good Will Hunting; he fell into the depths of Mordor when he did Gigli and was a part of the Jennifer Lopez version of Benifer; and now, he has become Hollywood's "It" man again and directed some great films, including Gone Baby Gone, The Town and this year's Argo. The big controversy is that he was not nominated for the Oscar for Best Director. He took home the Golden Globe for Best Director, beating out some formidable opponents like Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee, and Quentin Tarantino. There's been speculation that Ben could receive enough write-in votes to win, but the last time someone achieved that was in the 1930s. I don't think he's holding his breath. How's that for some water cooler talk?
My mini review from last year:

Can I just say that I find it hilarious that everyone now thinks that Ben Affleck is the genius who wrote Good Will Hunting and not Matt Damon? LOVE IT. There are some things I really liked about this movie. Pretty much the first thing you notice is that this movie presents an unbiased view, which is entirely refreshing. It doesn't scream YAY AMERICA! It tells a multi-faceted story. I appreciate that. Also, I don't believe most of our generation knows much about the Iran Hostage Crisis (an assumption I make because I didn't know very much about it), and this movie educates while it entertains. It gives you great characters and a fascinating story, while you are immersed in history. Besides that the time warping of clothes and sets was done impeccably. Thumbs up for Ben. This smart and suspenseful(!) film is destined for Oscar glory.

Gangster Squad - Check This One Out!

You probably haven't seen this movie. I wasn't going to see this movie. And it's a little confusing why there seems to be general ill-will towards it. Whether it be because of some initial poor reviews or the problematic trailer that needed to be fixed, for some reason, this movie got a bad rap. But, guess what, IT'S A GOOD MOVIE. 

One of the major requirements I have for a movie is to create a complete and enjoyable world, and Gangster Squad succeeds at this. You're brought into Mob-infested LA with all its murder, corruption, and good-looking men in suits. There are hopping clubs, fabulous dresses, and Ryan Gosling uttering witty and elegant phrases that make everyone swoon. It makes the overdone cop drama (can you say Broken City) interesting again by breathing a new era's life into.

The cast is also exceptional. While it may appear that the characters will be boring and one-dimensional from the trailer, they are well-developed and fun to watch. Ryan Gosling was the best treat, as going in, I expected him to talk like Mickey Mouse the whole time and be generally annoying. Instead, he charmed me. I also had extremely low expectations for Emma Stone, but she made a much better performance than the lines in the trailer suggested. Overall, there were a lot of original parts to this film that kept me interested and excited. In my mind, it's some of the best entertainment that's currently in theaters.

Go see this one so it stops failing at the box office for no reason!

This is the End - Red Band Trailer

James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, other hilarious people that you recognize but don't know the names of, Jay Baruchel (who I would marry on sight for some reason I can't explain.) Basically, they just insult each other, and it's funny like how James Van der Beek being on a show as James Van der Beek is so frickin funny. But beware, it's not for kiddies.

Awards Season Style

Good news! The holidays are over! Now I know, that sounds like terrible news. But, it also means that soon I will be posting reviews of all those movie you thought, "Maybe I should see that" or "If only I had a trusted friend's opinion of that." I've been busy busy busy seeing all of those! So, lots and lots of reviews to come. 

For now, enjoy my delightful commentary on red carpet looks from this year's (unusually funny and enjoyable) Golden Globes. I'll be using the same board to pin fashion all awards season, so enjoy!

http://pinterest.com/paper_ring/awards-season-2013-glamour/

And a big congrats to Ben Affleck! Take that Academy who didn't even frickin' nominate him!