18 February
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In Award Ceremonies

OSCAR! OSCAR! REVIEWS OF NOMINATED FILMS We are merely days away from Oscar night, and I still can’t predict who will go home the winner of the coveted Best Picture Oscar. I can’t even predict Best Director at this point. I thought I would share links to my reviews for some of the nominated films for those who may be feeling behind or need to narrow down their “must watch” list. Just click on the film’s title to go to the reviews. Plus, I’ve listed the nominations it received. The Big Short – 5 nominations Picture Director – Adam McKay Supporting Actor – Christian Bale AdaptedRead More →

15 September
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On
In Special Series

FALL MOVIE PREVIEW 2015 EDITION This fall season may be one of the best in recent years. It’s chock-full of exceptionally buzzy movies that I’m super excited about. We have films from big directors (Spielberg, Abrams, Mendes, Scott), promising teen/children’s movies (The Good Dinosaur, Goosebumps, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2), and of course plenty of movies looking for Oscar gold. ‘Tis the season! I had a hard time narrowing down my top ten, but here they are: 10. THE DANISH GIRL Director: Tom Hooper Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ben Whishaw Eddie Redmayne reteams with his Les Miserables director Tom Hooper andRead More →

28 February
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In Movie Reviews

THE SQUARE (2013) Director: Jehane Noujaim Starring:Khalid Abdalla,Ahmed Hassan,Magdy Ashour I must say, I am really learning a lot about current events after watching some of this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Documentary. First Dirty Wars and now The Square which brings us right into the forefront of what has been all over the headlines in the past few years. You’re supposed to learn about the news through movies, right? What a splendid idea as I am not up to date on what has been happening on CNN or what’s printed in my local paper. In 2011, a revolution was starting in Cairo, Egypt toRead More →

25 February
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On
In Movie Reviews

20 FEET FROM STARDOM (2013) Director: Morgan Neville Starring: Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Judith Hill, Tata Vega, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Mick Jagger, Bette Midler When you were watching a talk show or attending a recent concert, you may you have noticed the three or four singers standing in the background swaying or dancing along while singing the “oohs”, “aaahs”, or part of the vocal line. It may look easy, which is why it is unfortunate that most people probably take back-up singers for granted. When you start to think about it, some of the best songs ever recorded have background vocals. Sometimes they take aRead More →

24 February
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In Uncategorized

AND THE OSCAR FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG GOES TO…       Here are the nominees for best original song from a motion picture. “Happy” from DESPICABLE ME 2 Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams performed by: Pharrell “Let It Go” from FROZEN Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez performed by: Idina Menzel “The Moon Song” from HER Music by Karen O Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze Performed by: Karen O “Ordinary Love” from MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Lyric by Paul Hewson performed by: U2 You may noticeRead More →

04 February
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On
In Movie Reviews

DIRTY WARS (2013) Director: Rick Rowley Starring: Jeremy Scahill American journalist and investigator Jeremy Scahill presents a very different view of the American involvement in the war overseas. His mission was to bring light and awareness to the “seen and unseen” things that may be hidden in plain sight or covered up by our military personnel. His first center of focus is on the military raids in Afghanistan. He defies his own safety by going past the certain safe zones NATO has mapped out while risking his life from being caught by Taliban forces. He states that the night belongs to the Taliban. He interviewsRead More →

20 January
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On
In Movie Reviews

CUTIE AND THE BOXER (2013) Director: Zachary Heinzerling Starring: Ushio Shinohara, Noriko Shinohara, Alex Shinohara The Academy Award nominations have been announced and four of the five nominees for Best Documentary are currently streaming on Netflix. As an artist married to an artist, I was drawn to the story of Cutie and the Boxer. Ushio Shinohara is celebrating his 80th birthday. He came to New York as a young artist from Japan and received acclaim for his sculpture work and paintings. At the age of 41, he met Noriko who was only 19 at the time. She was instantly impressed by his work as sheRead More →

07 October
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In Movie Reviews

GRAVITYDirector: Alfonso CuarónStarring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris Be ready to be blown away by one of the best movies you will see all year. Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and experienced astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) are doing their routine checks aboard their space shuttle floating around space like it is no big deal. It’s all just part of their job. After seeing Gravity, that is a job I never ever want. I can barely climb up a ladder without my fear of falling kicking in. They receive communication from their command station (Ed Harris!) that a chain reaction of debris is heading their way, andRead More →

21 August
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In Movie Reviews

BLUE JASMINE Writer/Director: Woody Allen Starring: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Sally Hawkins, Andrew Dice Clay, Louis C.K., Bobby Cannavale, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg Cate Blanchett. Cate Blanchett. Cate Blanchett. She has portrayed Elizabeth I, Katherine Hepburn, Bob Dylan, Galadriel the Elf, and was the object of Judi Dench’s affection. All fantastic performances, yet one of the most riveting portrayals comes in Woody Allen’s latest, Blue Jasmine. Jasmine (Blanchett) is trying to start a new life. She leaves New York and moves to San Francisco to live with her sister, Ginger (Hawkins). They are both adopted and could not be any more different. Ginger believes Jasmine wasRead More →

13 August
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On
In Movie Reviews

FRUITVALE STATIONWriter/Director: Ryan CooglerStarring: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Chad Michael Murray Alright, members of the Academy, pay attention to young actor Michael B. Jordan. He is simply incredible as Oscar Grant III. The film is based on a true story, and the tone of the movie is set right away as we watch footage from a cell phone camera of the policy brutality against the real life Grant and his friends by the Bay Area Rapid Transit officers. If you have heard anything about the story of Oscar Grant III, you know the outcome of that evening left a mark on history.Read More →