2011 Oscar Predictions

These are my Oscar Predictions for 2011, keep in mind I've yet to see "Winter's Bone", "The Kings Speech", "127 Hours", and "Never Let Me Go", so I may be a bit tainted. Otherwise, though, I'm quite well versed in the top movies of the year. So here we go...

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Will Win - The Social Network

Should Win - The Social Network

Why? Sorkin took a story that I initially thought trite and hacky and crafted it into a masterfully portrayed, riveting story.

Watch Out For - True Grit, 127 Hours, Never Let Me Go, Winter's Bone

Best Original Screenplay:

Will Win - Inception

Should Win - Inception

Why? The most original film of the year. It was complex, multi-layered, easy to follow, and continues to make me think months after watching it. Film-making at its finest.

Watch Out For - The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actor:

Will Win - Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Should Win - Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Why? Bale's range as an actor can never be questioned. He magnificently portrayed a crack addicted ex-fighter with close bonds to his mother and younger brother.

Watch Out For - Jeremy Renner (The Town), Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right), Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)

Best Supporting Actress:

Will Win - Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

Should Win - Steinfeld, Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right)

Why? Because I'm spineless. I loved all three of the performances equally, but for different reasons. Steinfeld held her own against the likes of Bridges, Damon, and Brolin. Leo was perfect and Moore was incredibly intriguing.

Best Actor:

Will Win - Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Should Win - Colin Firth

Why? Haven't seen the movie, but apparently he was great. Ha. I respect the critics enough to know that their glowing reviews in such quantity must mean something.

Watch Out For - Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), James Franco (127 Hours)

Best Actress:

Will Win - Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Should Win - Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)

Why? Portman was brilliant. Her performance, flawless. If she won I would be quite pleased and unable to argue. But, Bening was phenomenal in a more "real" way. I felt that Black Swan was un-relatable and thus, it makes me harder to laud Portman's work. Bening, on the other hand, gave a moving and steadfast performance. Plus, she deserves an Oscar.

Best Director:

Will Win - David Fincher (The Social Network)

Should Win - Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Why? Inception was a 10-year-in-the-making masterpiece. Nolan flat out deserves it. The other movies were great and the other nominees will all - probably - be very worthy names, but Nolan takes the cake this year.

Watch Out For - Danny Boyle (127 Hours), Coen Brothers (True Grit), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)

Best Picture:

I'm just going to do my personal list of my favorite movies, with a star next to the "will win".

1. Inception

2. The Social Network*

3. The Town

4. The Fighter

5. Black Swan

6. The Kids Are All Right

7. True Grit

8. Shutter Island

9. Easy A

10. Rabbit Hole

Still on iTunes

If you're tired of going through zShare to download the episodes of 2 Guys 1 Mac, we are also on iTunes. All you've gotta do is click on the "Subscribe in iTunes" link on the upper right hand corner of the blog. Or, simply search "2 guys 1 mac", "imjustlikemusiq", etc. in the iTunes store and you will find us. Thanks a lot, I hope you're enjoying our new project.

2 Guys 1 Mac - Midnight Episode

What Happened to College Park? Harry Potter Hotties, Chu's Clues, and much more. Enjoy it!

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/5/3/1044633//Episode 2 - Midnight Show.mp3

2 Guys 1 Mac - Episode 1

Our first podcast was recorded last night, it's a lot like the old show. I hope you enjoy it:

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/5/3/1044633//Episode 1.mp3

Ken Burns - 10th Inning

Can't wait for this. For those of you who haven't seen Ken Burns - Baseball, you are seriously cheating yourself. Anyway, they're doing a screening in D.C. a month from today, definitely gonna check it out. Details below...

If you loved Ken Burns' classic Baseball documentary, you'll probably want to pencil this event onto your calendar. On Thursday, September 23rd, Burns will join filmmaker Lynn Novick for a preview screening of his new film, the Tenth Inning, at Lisner Auditorium in Washington D.C. at 7 p.m.

This preview screening is a PBS and WETA event which will feature a discussion with Burns, Novick and ESPN writer Howard Bryant.

The Tenth Inning, a two-part, four-hour documentary, premiers on September 28 and 29th on PBS. It's the latest chapter in the Baseball series. The film will focus on the national pastime from the 1990s to the present day.

Burns kicked off a cross-country tour to promote the film at Nationals Park earlier this season.

Reservations are required in advance, but tickets are free. Call 703-998-2065 or go tohttp://www.weta.org/local/wetaevents/tenthinning/rsvp.

-http://www.masnsports.com/nationals_buzz/2010/08/special-screening-of-the-tenth-inning.html

Cool Tune - Orange Marsupials

This chick has a bunch of really good videos up on YouTube... most notably a cover of Simple Man which is really dope. But, she has a band which has a ska feel to it, anyway, this is a pretty cool tune. Check it out.

Blagojevich on Letterman

I love Letterman and he does not disappoint with a lot of his zingers in his interview with former Illinois politician Rod Blagojevich.

Super Bowl Movie Trailers

Transformers 2:


Fast and Furious 4:

Oscar Stuff

Today the Oscar nominations came out, I will list all the nominations for all the important categories, plus my pick in bold. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button lead all films with 13 nominations, but the sleeper movie of the year Slumdog Millionaire came in strong with 10 nominations in its own right. Surprisingly, a less critically acclaimed and less hyped movie The Reader (a movie I didn't see, hence no link to a review) crept it's way into top picture honors, beating out the likes of The Dark Knight, Gran Torino, and The Wrestler.

Best Actor:
Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)
Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
Sean Penn (Milk)
Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

Best Supporting Actor:
Josh Brolin (Milk)
Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)

Best Actress*:
Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
Angelina Jolie (Changeling)
Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Kate Winslet (The Reader)

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams (Doubt)
Viola Davis (Doubt)
Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Taraji P Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Marisa Tomei (The Wreslter)

Directing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
The Reader

Best Picture:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire


*Shame on me, I didn't see any of those movies, they're all on my list of movies to see before the summer though!

Ben's Welcomes Barack

President-elect Obama enjoyed some of D.C.'s infamous Ben's Chili Bowl over on U Street. In my opinion the restaurant is a little bit overrated and for the price you can definitely find equal chili in the city, but it is what it is. Anyway, here is the video of Obama mingling with customers at Ben's, chowing down, and stating that he is "neutral when it comes to Maryland and Georgetown" when someone asks which squad he supports.

Movie Review: Revolutionary Road

Ever since I saw the trailer for this film, which features a sampling of the abundance of moving dialogue, laced over a cover of Nina Simone's "Wild is the Wind". Seriously, if you don't feel like reading my review then at least watch this trailer and tell me you don't want to immediately get out of your chair and hit the theaters.
Revolutionary Road is chock full of great dialogue, as Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet turn in two of the finest performances of the movie year. I raved about Rosario Dawson in my Seven Pounds review, but after watching Winslet star as April Wheeler, wife to DiCaprio's Frank Wheeler, battle with the misery of suburban hell, it makes Dawson look like a minor leaguer. The movie opens with DiCaprio and Winslet meeting at a party and sharing a few drinks/laughs, the opening credits fade in and as they fade out we meet the couple years later in a suburban hill, with nice suburban furniture, two nice suburban children, and a nice suburban car. Frank Wheeler works in the city. April Wheeler tends to the home and children. Frank hates his job. April hates her life even more. What's interesting about this film, which takes place in the 1950's, is that it really makes you think (as a younger movie-goer) about your parents lot in life. As a 21 year old, all you think about is how your dreams are becoming less and less likely to be actualized, you see your family at home and their jobs and simply assume that they have accepted their lot in life and are happy with everything they have achieved. Perhaps, they are miserable and nobody even knows it. April Wheeler is miserable and she decides to let it be known; she convinces Frank - who, though reluctant, is likely just as miserable on the inside as his wife - to move to Paris and live life the way they always wanted. Soon after though, Frank gets offered a promotion, April gets pregnant and the couple struggle and fight over what they should do. The extremes of love and hate portrayed by DiCaprio and Winslet are unbelievable. What's most interesting about the film though, is the role reversal you get from a prototypical movie. How many times have you seen a flick where a man and wife settle down and have kids, until the man realizes he never achieved his goals in life and sinks into a mid-life crisis? Well, this time, the script is flipped and Winslet plays is masterfully, her performance is one of the best I've seen in a very long time and her emotional range was put on full display throughout. In a movie where DiCaprio and Winslet shined so brightly on the screen, I would be remiss not to mention the performance from Michael Shannon as a neighborhood man recently released from a mental institution. Shannon's character though is far from insane, he simply sees through the mascaraed and masks of happiness that Frank and Annie put on everyday and frankly, he steals just about every scene he is in. I rate this movie 4.5/5, the acting was incredible, the script was incredible, and the movie was really thought provoking.

Movie Review: Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith and Rosario Dawson, is the tale of... well, it's a story about... really, at it's core, its a movie that focuses in on... uh, honestly, I have no plot description. Not that the movie is about nothing, it is about something, but I'm just not really sure what and I literally had no clue what was going on for almost the entirety of its 2-hour runtime. I will say, though, it was beautifully acted by Rosario Dawson in a supporting role that is worthy of an Oscar in my book, her character was incredibly moving and played as the counter balance to Will Smith's (also putting in a near magnificent performance) solemn portrayal of Ben Thomas, a man whose plot line would surely spoil the movie if told. The problem, though, is that not only does the movie leave you scratching your head (and not in the unpredictable mystery/thriller type of way), but the storyline is complete nonsense and not-believable once it is finally revealed what Smith's Ben Thomas' motivation is for doing what it is he's doing. I realize this review may seem complicated and vague, but I don't have a lot to say about a movie without much purpose for the first 9/10 of the way through and if I do let it be known what happens at the end the movie is ruined. You'd have to see it to understand what I'm saying, but please don't rush out to theaters for this one, there are a ton of better choices. At the same time though, the movie certainly wasn't bad, my official rating of it is a 3/5, it is certainly an interesting - if not depressing (today was a very depressing movie day for me, I started my morning by watching Reservation Road on HBO and that literally ruined my day) - film that is acted flawlessly by Dawson, Smith, and even Woody Harrelson is a very small supporting role.

Movie Review: Gran Torino

Got to check out Gran Torino last night in what, to most of the U.S., counts as an early release screening, but the movie has been out in Bethesda for about two weeks now. Gran Torino, starring Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski, a recently widowed, volatile, old-school, Korean war veteran, tells the tale of Kowalski and his bond with his Hmong neighbors. Eastwood's Kowalski is a complete bad ass who is especially prone to spewing racial and ethnic slurs as if they were pleasantries. Walt Kowalksi is one of the few white Americans left in the neighborhood, and though set on secluding himself from his Asian American community at first, he eventually grows very close to his neighbors who are the victims of torturous behavior from a local Hmong gang. Kowalski even acts as a father figure/mentor to his next door neighbor, a soft-spoken, well-mannered Asian teen who is often bullied by the gang. Though the script and acting is shaky at times and the storyline is very contrived (especially toward the end), Eastwood's performance flat carries the film. The major beef I have with the movie though, is that aside from Eastwood the rest of the characters were given mediocre scripts to work with, especially from the minority characters who were not portrayed realistically at all. They are completely stereotypical characterizations of their racial groups and the dialogue is hardly believable. My initial instinct leaving the theater was to give the movie a 4 because I could not stop laughing from some of the incredibly racially insensitive lines. But after stepping back and fairly assessing all of the films shortcomings, I'm going to give this movie a 3.5/5. It's a very fun movie, especially to see in theaters with friends... just make sure you're not easily offended.

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

Perhaps I should build up to this statement, but this is my favorite movie of the year. I feel like a plot summary is in order since a lot of people have never even heard of this movie, including the majority of the people I went to the movie with. The film centers around Jamal, a "slumdog" (which translates roughly for us in the States to "street kid"), who has landed a seat on the game show "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" and is one correct answer away from being the first to go all the way and answer every question correctly. Being that Jamal has almost no formal education, he is tortured and interrogated by Indian police who suspect him of cheating. Through the interrogation we learn the story of Jamal, his brother Samir, and their friend (and Jamal's love interest) Latika, as Jamal explains through life experiences how he came to know the answers. The movie succeeds in not only its unique storytelling, but also because of the cinematography, and the way director Danny Boyle uses Mumbai, India as one of the supporting actors. This is the first hit movie from my memory that was centered in India, and I really hope to see more films from the area because it was really incredible. I know this is a hack line, but this is really a film that can make you laugh and make you cry. What's so amazing about the movie is that, in its essence it is a traditional Hollywood melodrama/love story, but the creative storytelling, the impressive acting performances, and awe-worthy cinematography make this a must-see. 5 out of 5 stars. Go see this movie while it's still out in theaters, and if I can I'd like to recommend the AFI in Silver Spring, it really is a great movie theater and I haven't had a single bad experience there.

Movie Review: The Wrestler

I woke up this morning and figured, its 2009, let's get things off with a bang and see one of the mostly highly praised movies of 08, so I set out to Bethesda to see The Wrestler. This is a movie that had interested me since I first saw the trailer on YouTube, but once it got a 98% on RottenTomatoes.com I knew that I couldn't pass it up in theaters. The movie centers around Randy "The Ram" Robinson, an aging professional wrestler struggling with the realities of life after stardom, he is broke, taking mass amounts of human growth hormones, living in a trailer park, and completely alone in life. Aside from his cult following in the underground wrestling world, The Ram is a forgotten man, and after a heart attack caused from the brutality of professional wrestling coupled with his steroid abuse, he contemplates retirement. Taking a job in a deli at a local grocery market, two of the best scenes of the movie take place, one showing Rourke on a high (a non-substance induced high, at that), he jokes with the customers and seems to be content with his job. Later, though, after he inevitably messes up with anyone who would potentially care about him, you see Rourke bitter and hostile. I won't spoil anything, but he eventually loses control, and such is emblematic of the highs and lows of a man once in the pantheon of American popular culture and now a tragic failure in life. I don't want to belabor the point because everyone is talking about it, but this movie was all about acting. The story was good. Not great, just good, but Mickey Rourke is deservedly getting all the Oscar buzz. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm disappointed, but, I almost wanted more... I wanted the story to move me and it didn't. I must say though, Marissa Tomei is getting a raw deal, because she was phenomenal in her role as an aging stripper/mother and some of her scenes with Rourke in the strip club were great. As for rating the movie, it really reminded me of a documentary-style film, a lot of the camera work even got me dizzy just from the camera shaking slightly following Rourke as he walks down the stairs and runs through woods but thanks to Rourke's completely believable performance, the style of shooting worked out brilliantly. I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. Some of the wrestling scenes, one involving a staple gun are really brutal to watch, but some of the best cinema you'll see if you're just into really raw, gritty films. I would recommend you see Benjamin Button first, but this is still a must-see because of the performances of Rourke, Tomei, and even Even Rachel Wood, who played The Ram's daughter.

Don't Sleep on Don Cheadle

Seriously, who in Hollywood is more underrated as an actor than Cheadle? All the guy does is turn in great performances and still is never talked about as one of the elite actors in the business. As a matter of fact, you'd be hard pressed to find someone as versatile and capable as Cheadle period. I just watched his latest film Traitor the other night, and though the movie wasn't necessarily great (3 out of 5 stars), Cheadle was his usual self and played his role perfectly. He was widely heralded for a period of time after his work in Hotel Rwanda and has also done his fair share of blockbusters (Oceans Trilogy, Crash, etc.), but his name never remains in the conversation of the greatest actors of our generation. The fact that he can play a hilarious and complicated D.C. radio phenomenon (Talk To Me), an undercover Muslim terrorist (Traitor), a cold blooded killer from the South (Devil in a Blue Dress), all equally brilliant is really saying something. Don Cheadle refuses to be type cast and whenever he is on screen you never see someone acting because you believe his roles so much. Shout out to Cheadle.

Movie Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

So many movies so little time. Here's a list of all the movies I had planned to see over the holiday season:

Changeling (w/ Angelina Jolie)
Curious Case of Benjamin (w/ Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett)
Doubt (w/ Phillip Seymore Hoffman, Meril Streep)
Milk (w/ Sean Penn)
Revolutionary Road (w/ Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet)
Seven Pounds (w/ Will Smith)
Valkyrie (w/ Tom Cruise)
The Wrestler (w/ Mickey Rourke)

...and I probably left some out. The starts have really come out in a magnitude of different roles this year and I couldn't be more disappointed that I've only seen one of the aforementioned. I have probably crossed 'Seven Pounds' off my list, after getting panned, but what other time of year can you say you have so many choices that you don't even consider what many call another brilliant performance from Mr. Smith. I'm going to try and hit the movies hard the for the next few weeks and see the movies that will have a shorter theater-shelf life first and move that way. Hopefully, I'll get to see all these before they go to DVD.

On to Benjamin Button, though. First of all, Brad Pitt is underrated. Don't get me wrong, he is a mega star, heart throb of all teenage girls, and married to Angelina Jolie, as an actor though, still underrated. The Assassination of Jesse James was a great movie and Pitt carried it through its lulls in action. My only question to him is why he is doing such long movies lately (with the exception of that piece of garbage Burn After Reading), I mean I'm all for long movies, but they better be damn good to overcome the inevitable boring stretches. I don't want to spoil this particular movie, so I'll tread lightly considering most people may have chosen other options to see in theaters first, but the story as you may have gathered from the previews centers around Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), who was born as an old man, but grew younger into a little boy and his relationship with Daisy (Cate Blanchett), as they struggle to cope with a relationship where one is growing older while the other only gets younger. The movie is brilliantly acted, and paced perfectly, exploring each phase of Button's life with a near-perfect amount of time devoted to all parts. Granted, this causes the run-time to span nearly three hours, but the lulls are limited. I'd give it 4.5/5 stars and a definite recommendation.

Four Guys Three Mics - Episode Eleven

Episode Eleven coming soon in its usual format, for now though, you can listen to it on this link. I'm looking for a new mp3 splitter to cut it down... as for this episode, the first 10 minutes or so is the show before us who ran too long, so skip past that nonsense...

http://wmucradio.com/stream_ripper/wmuc2/fri/I_Need_to_Decompress_at_Times_2200_2400.mp3

What a Debacle

In Germany there is a 16-year old "female" by the name of Kim Petras, who four years ago at the age of 12 underwent a sex change to become a chick. This dudes name was Tim, now he is Kim, but the worst part about all this is that this Tim character is blowing up in Germany becoming a pop star. There's something unnatural about this and frankly I don't know its such a good thing to be trotting this shim out in front of a bunch of little kiddies. Not only that, but what kind of parent gives or allows their 12-year old son to have a sex change. No 12 year old is mature enough to make that kind of decision or realize whether or not that decision needs to be made. It's actually a disaster. Anyway, that's for each person to decide, here's a picture of T(K)immy's album cover:

Four Guys Three Mics - Episode Ten (Part Two)

In part two we continue our discussion of the perfect date and also discuss Plaxico Burress.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/5/3/1044633/4G3M%20E10%20P2.mp3