And the Winner Is... Totally Predictable

Don't get me wrong, I love the Oscars. I love the red carpet dresses, Jennifer Lawrence's somewhat drunken interviews, and all the amazing movies that come out at the end of the year. But, they do tend to be a bit predictable. I mean by the time the Oscars happen The Golden Globes, The Screen Actors Guild Awards, and The Directors Guild Awards have all already crowned their victors, so you have a pretty good idea of what's coming. So, I've decided to highlight some of the great films and actors that I loved this year, but that would probably never be recognized by the lovely Academy.

Here's a fun, little picture showing you all the great movies that would never get a Best Picture Nomination, but that I think are totally worth watching:

Short Term 12, The Kings of Summer, The Way, Way Back, About Time, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Austenland, Trance, Before Midnight, Wadjda

I can highly recommend all of these, and most are no where near as serious as the nominees for Best Picture. And if you can't rely on my word, here's a playlist of all of their trailers: 

You also don't want to miss these great performances by people who apparently aren't famous enough for the Academy to nominate:

Brie Larson in "Short Term 12," Miles Teller in "The Spectacular Now," Moises Arias "The Kings of Summer," Sam Rockwell in "The Way, Way Back," Josh Gad in "Thanks for Sharing," Julie Delpy in "Before Midnight"

DO IT. WATCH THESE MOVIES. THEY ARE GOOD. END OF POST.

The Fault in Our Stars Trailer

Based on a now beloved book by John Green, here's the trailer for The Fault in Our Stars. If you're a Nicholas Sparks fan (The Notebook, Dear John, The Last Song), this will probably be your cup of tea.

TRAILERS That I Somehow Missed, But You Shouldn't!

Transcendence

Johnny Depp's mind gets transferred into a computer when he dies. Bad shit ensues. Because really, do you want Johnny all up in your browser? Well, maybe...

The Other Woman
Cameron Diaz, Leslie Man, and the hot, sister-loving guy from Game of Thrones make a funny-type movie.

22 Jump Street
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are back and ready to make you snort yo soda out yo nose.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
That movie that was surprisingly better than you thought it was going to be now has a sequel. Hail to the monkeys.

Edge of Tomorrow
You think it's a trailer for Oblivion. It's not a trailer for Oblivion. That already came out. Tom Cruise just wants to make it abundantly clear that you cannot kill him. It cannot be done. Oh, and YAY Emily Blunt!

And just to remind you of this awesomeness coming next year...

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Her AKA The ONE Time I Wrongly Prejudged a Movie

So you and I probably had the same first impression of the movie Her after seeing the trailer. I believe my exact words were “What’s the big deal? A man falls in love with Scarlett Johansson’s voice. Not exactly earth-shattering.” I put it just a notch above phone sex that had been scripted and filmed. I also had my lingering doubts about Joaquin Pheonix since that whole crazy rapper/fake rapper/fake movie debacle (if you don't know about that, where were you in 2009? Google Joaquin Phoenix Hoax). So, despite my usual attempt to go into a movie clear of bias, I was pretty sure this one was not going to be my cup of tea. 

Now, I will say this once, and never again. I may have ever so slightly miscalculated and been possibly... wrong. You go into Her thinking you will be able to anticipate every possible plot turn, thinking you have heard this story a million times before, or that it is not a story worth hearing. But, this film surprised me in so many wonderful ways. One of them was the way the film was able to disarm me and open me up to the story by creating a world ever-so-slightly in the future, but entirely and uncomfortably believable. It's not flying cars and men on Mars, it's Apple's successor (not really, but it's so integrated into life that it could be) creating a product that everyone just adopts. This new AI operating system (that would be Scarlett Johansson) is something that everyone begins to experiment with at the same time and something everyone must then learn to incorporate in society's norms. If everyone is having a meaningful (not always romantic) relationship with their computer, what does that mean? Seeing and experiencing this concept is much better than me explaining it, but the film does an incredible job of raising questions that suddenly seem important given the close reality of this future America. I'm not even someone who enjoys hours of philosophizing, but it is impossible not to get wrapped up in how human nature could so easily (and possibly realistically) evolve. Props to Phoenix, Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, and Chris Pratt who all made this film a gem.

'Tis the Season for Good Movies!

That's right folks, all the Oscar-hopeful films flooded in at the end of December, meaning there are tons of great movies to check out! I'm going to do my darndest to see everything that might get nominated for anything, and I'm filling you in on my top picks!

One of my absolute favorite movies of the year is American Hustle. I went in with little to no idea of the plot of the film, only some very high expectations for its stellar cast. The amazing performances by the whole cast including Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence were the obvious star of the film. Bale once again proves he can truly play any role and make you regain faith in actors (and the world at large). Cooper does a wonderful job playing a psychotic weirdo, a refreshing change from his usual dumb, bro-ish characters. I was nervous to see Lawrence because many people had said she was miscast for her role, but once again, she blew me away with her effortless ability to transform into a crazy, but delightful housewife. Amy Adams' wardrobe distracted a bit from her performance, but if you can stop looking at her low-cut dress for a second, you'll see she also does a fine job. 

I thought this film would be a serious drama, but I was ecstatic to find that it's actually more of a comedy. This one-of-a-kind movie is the unlikely story of a con man, the two loves of his life, and the FBI agent who clumsily tries to use them to arrest criminals. Yes, the plot is technically more of a thriller or crime story, but the absolutely hilarious performances by everyone and the brilliant script leave you in love with every moment of the film. I can tell you without a doubt, skip The Wolf of Wall Street (AKA repeating scenes of boobs and drugs and boredom), and go see American Hustle.

More reviews to come... but here's a cheat sheet. Go see: Her, The Hunger Game: Catching Fire, Frozen, Inside Llewyn Davis, and August: Osage County!