10 of the most famous actors who directed their own films recently.

Several full-time actors ventured into directing lately..here are 10 of the famous actors who took a small break in acting to direct their own film.

1. Rusell Crowe
Title: The Water Diviner (2014)

Oscar winner Rusell Crowe recently directed an Australian historical-drama "The Water Diviner". After directing several documentaries and short films,Crowe debuted his first full-length film late last year. The movie is currently at 73% certified fresh in Rotten Tomatoes and received 7.1 user rating in Imdb. The film was released in Australia last December and will be released in US this month.

2. Chris Rock

Title: Top Five (2014)

Top Five is one of my favorite comedy films last year. This is the comedian's third film as a director but his most successful film so far. The film was a box-office success and became one of the recognized comedy films for 2014 praising both directing and acting for Rock. 

3. Angelina Jolie  

Title: Unbroken (2014)

Last year was a very fruitful year for Oscar Winner Angelina Jolie. After starring in world-wide box office success fantasy film Maleficent, she directed the multi-Oscar nominee biopic drama Unbroken. This is her second directed film, her first was the not-so-known drama "In the Land of Blood of Honey" in 2011 .

4. Jason Bateman 

Title: Bad Words

We've seen Bateman in a lot of comedy films, the most recent are "Horrible Bosses 2",  "This is Where I Leave You" last year and before that in "Bad Words" in which he personally wrote and directed. Though the movie didn't click with audiences, his directing and acting were praised by critics.

5. Seth Rogen

Title: The Interview (2014)

Seth Rogen first directorial job was with the surprise-hit "This is The End" in 2013. This was followed by the most controversial comedy "The Interview" late last year.

6. James Franco

Title: Child of God

Seth's pal James Franco also directed many films. His most recent are "Child of God" & "Interior, Leather, Bar" but were poorly received by critics and released in limited cinemas mostly in US only.

7. Ben Stiller

Title: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Who would forget "Reality Bites" in 90's? Yes, it was Stiller's first directorial feature. He directed several comedy films since then which include Cable Guy, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder and the comedy-drama The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

8. Keannu Reeves 

Title: Man of Tai Chi (2014)

Known as Neo in sci-fi action film Matrix Trilogy, Keannu Reeves' comeback was a martial-art film "Man of Tai Chi" in which he wrote and directed.

9. Joseph Gordon- Levitt

Title: Don Jon (2013)

Gordon- Levitt also directed his first directorial feature with romantic-comedy Don Jon. The film was a box-office success and was praised by critics.

10. Elizabeth Banks

Title: Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

After starring and producing the first film, Banks will not just reprise her role in Pitch Perfect sequel but at the same time she will be working as the director of the musical-comedy film. 

My Oscars 2015 pick

Few minutes before the Oscar starts, here I am listing my own set of winners.

Best Picture - Boyhood

"Whiplash" is my favorie movie of 2014 and Boyhood is second to my list. While Whiplash offers great and inspiring tale, Boyhood has the same elements except that it came out of its normal way of showing it. Richard Linklater took time crafting his master-piece which took 12 years to make. It deserves to win the best film for iys ground-breaking approach in film-making history.

Best Director - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Well, it's harder to put up a large great ensemble than directing the same actors for 12 years, I guess.

Best Actor - Michael Keaton

Eddie Redmayne may look a lot to win but Keaton has proven his worth despite being out of play for a long time.

Julianne Moore, Patricia Arquette and J.K. Simmons, nothing can separate this trio. All three will win Best Actress, Supporting Actress and Support Role respectively

Original Screenplay - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Adapted Screenplay - Whiplash

Best Animated Film - How to Train your Dragon 2

Best Foreign Film - Leviathan

Best Cinematography - Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Prodution Design - Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Costume Design - Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Song - Lost Stars (from Begin Again)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling - Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Editing - Boyhood

Best Visual Effects - Interstellar

Best Sound Mixing - American Sniper

Best Original Scoring - The Theory of Eveything

Best Sound Editing - Birdman

Best Documetary - Citezenfour

2015 Oscars Best Picture Nominee, Whiplash

Prior to announcement of the nominees last Thursday, indie drama, Whiplash has been my favorite movie of 2014. Yes, I like it better than Boyhood. Here is my brief review of the film and I rate it as 10/10. 

At first, the movie looks like a typical story of a promising student who wanted to do great with the help of his teacher. But as it progresses, the film takes you to something new, something more beautiful than it already is. Its little twist and turn will make your heart cry, laugh and shout for joy all at the same time.

Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons were equally great and gave life to their characters. I only remember Simmons as a funny guy in Spider-Man movies and Juno, so seeing him in this film is a 360-degrees turn of his usual role showing the actor's real potential. As for Teller, he was over-shadowed with rom-coms. He had serious role once with Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole" but this film should get him to wide-range of roles in the future (hopefully).

There are a lot of takeaways in Whiplash, but perhaps the strongest of all is that you don't limit yourself. Pushing someone beyond their capability is an absolute necessity, as Fletcher (Simmons' character) said in the film. And that must have what writer-director Damien Chazelle applied in making this gem because it transpired and visible to every take, scene by scene.  

Whiplash is nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Actor in a Supporting role for J.K. Simmons. 

Oscars 2015 Nominees

First off, I'm so thrilled that my favorite movie this year Damien Chazelle's Whiplash is nominated for 5 awards including Best Picture, Screenplay and acting for J.K. Simmons.

This year, Oscar went only for 8 films to compete for the top prize (they had 9 for the last 3 years). Critics' favorites Boyhood and Birdman as expected are nominated and the two are in very close fight. Other nominees are American films "Whiplash", "Selma" and "American Sniper". British films "The Theory of Everything", "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "The Imitation Game" complete the list.

Four of these films are based from real-life story. "The Imitation Game" is about the life Alan Turing, a mathematician and how he created Turing Machine that inspires today's computer. "The Theory of Everything" is about the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife. "Selma" is about Martin Luther's endeavor for securing equal voting rights and "American Sniper" is about the American Navy Seal sniper who became legend among his colleagues.

The other four are fiction and creatively written for screen. The 12-year epic drama "Boyhood" tells the story of a 5-year old boy as he turns into teenager. The movie was shot for 12 years with the same actors. "Whiplash" is about a promising student and his dream to be a successful musician. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" a comedy that tells about the adventure of the owner of a great hotel. While "Birdman" is a comedy-ensemble that centers on an aging film actor who tries to rebuild his career through Broadway.

I haven't seen all the nominees but I'll watch most of these films and pick my own winners before the Oscar Night on February 22nd. Let's just hope I can find a decent copy of the those foreign films as well because they are never shown in our place. Also, I'm not fond of watching documentaries so I can't really give my opinion on that.

Here are the complete list of nominees:

Birdman - 9 nominations
Best Picture
Best Director  for Alejandro González Iñárritu
Best Actor for Michael Keaton
Best Supporting Actor for Edward Norton
Best Supporting Actress for Emma Stone
Best Original Screenplay
Best in Cinematography
Best in Sound Mixing
Best in Sound Editing

The Grand Budapest Hotel - 9 nominations
Best Picture
Best Director  for Wes Anderson
Best Original Screenplay
Best in Cinematography
Best in Editing
Best in Production Design
Best in Costume Design
Best in Makeup and Hairstyling
Best in Original Score

The Imitation Game - 8 nominations
Best Picture
Best Director  for Morten Tyldum
Best Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch
Best Supporting Actress for Kiera Knightley
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best in Editing
Best in Production Design
Best in Original Score

Boyhood - 6 nominations
Best Picture
Best Director  for Richard Linklater
Best Supporting Actor for Ethan Hawke
Best Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette
Best Original Screenplay
Best in Editing

American Sniper - 6 nominations
Best Picture
Best Actor for Bradley Cooper
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Editing
Best in Sound Mixing
Best in Sound Editing

The Theory of Everything - 5 nominations
Best Picture
Best Actor for Eddie Redmayne
Best Actress for Felicity Jones
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Score

Whiplash - 5 nominations
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor for J.K. Simmons
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Sound Mixing

Foxcatcher - 5 nominations
Best Actor for Steve Carell
Best Supporting Actor for Mark Ruffalo
Best Director - Bennett Miller
Best Original Screenplay
Best in Makeup and Hairstyling

Interstellar - 5 nominations
Best in Production Design
Best Original Score
Best Sound Mixing
Best in Sound Editing
Best in Visual Effects

Mr. Turner - 4 nominations
Best in Cinematography
Best in Production Design
Best in Costume Design
Best in Original Score

Into The Woods - 3 nominations
Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep
Best in Production Design
Best in Costume Design

Unbroken - 3 nominations
Best in Cinematography
Best Sound Mixing
Best in Sound Editing

Selma - 2 nominations
Best Picture
Best Original Song

Wild - 2 nominations
Best Actress for Reese Witherspoon
Best Supporting Actress for Laura Dern

Inherent Vice - 2 nominations
Best in Adapted Screenplay
Best in Costume Design

Guardians of Galaxy - 2 nominations
Best in Visual Effects
Best Original Song

Ida - 2 nominations
Best Foreign Film
Best in Cinematography

Single nomination for these films in acting category. In lead roles, Julianne Moore for "Still Alice", Marion Cotillard in "Two Days, One Night", Rosamund Pike in "Gone Girl" and Supporting role for Robert Duvall in "The Judge".

Single nomination for all the Animated Film category: "The Boxtrolls"; "Big Hero 6"; "How to Train Your Dragon 2"; "Song of the Sea"; "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya"

Single nominations for these films in Visual Effects category: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"; "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"; "X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Single nomination for these Foreign Films: "Tangerines"; "Leviathan"; "Wild Tales"; "Timbuktu"

Single nomination in the Best Documentary category: "Citizenfour"; "Finding Vivian Maier"; "Last Days in Vietnam"; "The Salt of the Earth"; "Virunga"

Single nomination for these films: "Nightcrawler" for Original Screenplay; "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" for Visual Effects; "Begin Again", "Beyond the Lights" and "Glenn Campbell: I'll Be Me"  for Original Song; "Maleficent" in Production Design.

Additional Movies I've seen from the list

It's been really a while. I didn't have time to update my list but I made sure I got time for watching. It's not much but each movie seen gets me closer to completing my quest. Here are the additional movies I've seen since my last post.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966)
3. The French Connection (1971)
4. Rocky (1976)
5. Out of Africa (1985)
6. Casablanca (1942)
7. Glory (1986)
8. There's Something About Mary (1998)
9. Pretty Woman (1990)
10. Fargo (1996)
11. Raging Bull (1980)
12. Spirited Away (2001)
13. Platoon (1986)
14. Groundhog Day (1993)

For 2013 Supplementary Edition, few films from 2012 were added which I have all seen.

1. Les Miserable
2. Django Unchained
3. Skyfall
4. Amour
5. Life of Pi
6. Argo

"Citizen Kane" is Timeless

As part of my quest for completing the "1001 Movies You Must Watch Before You Die", I have finally seen another great film in the form of "Citizen Kane". Produced, written, directed, and starred by Orson Welles when he was just 25 years old. It was released in 1941 but still feels like it was made for all times and of all generations.

The story is about a death of a man who was greatly known for the love and hate of his people. His life was narated and shown while a journalist researched about the significance of his last word.

What I like about Citizen Kane is its style of story telling. It keeps you interested on its every bit. It gets you always wanting to know more until you reach the end. And when it does end, you feel that beautiful feeling of satisfaction, not wanting it to end in any other way.

They say real great movies don't really get old and Citizen Kane is a perfect example of it.

My Rating is 10/10

Quest for 1001 Movies - Part 2

So I started with this little quest a  year ago and I haven't been that successful. I have started with 99 titles and since then I have only added 31 movies and that's even including the latest additions from 2012 edition. While I can't blame myself about it I'm glad that I have found this little quest interesting again, and hopefully I can really complete this the soonest time possible. Here are the additional titles that I have seen so far.

1. The Great Train Robbery (1903)
2. Psycho (1960)
3. The Sound of Music (1965)
4. The Graduate (1967)
5. The Shining (1980)
6. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1981)
7. Poltergeist (1982)
8. Die Hard (1988)
9. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
10. Pulp Fiction (1994)
11. Boogie Nights (1997)

14 more titles added as a supplementary for 2012 Edition and luckily I have seen 10 of it.

1. Shame (2011)
2. The Tree Of Life (2011)
3. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
4. Drive (2011)
5. War Horse (2011)
6. A Separation (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) (2011)
7. Bridesmaids (2011)
8. The Descendants (2011)
9. Hugo (2011)
10. The Artist (2011)

With the movies above, I have come closer to my quest with only 973 movies left (that includes the 102 supplementary titles). Click here to see the complete list of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

Oscar 2013 Best Picture Nominees

Oscar has decided to come up with only nine films to compete for Best Picture trophy this year. While most award-giving bodies have unveiled their best movie of the year, The Oscars has yet to name their's come February 24th.

Let's take a look at the nine films that made it to the standard of the Academy Awards and the odds of taking home the gold as we compare these films to nominated films for past years.

1. Amour  - A French-language drama from Austria. The only non-English speaking film nominated, in fact the first since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon nominated last 2000. Like 'Crouching Tiger', Amour also nominated for 'Best Foreign Film' which is also expected to win in the said category. What makes the film a strong contender is that it's nominated for three other major awards; Best Actress for Emmauelle Riva, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director for Michael Haneke. Only four other films among the list received that type of nominations and for past ten years Best Picture winners emerge from list of films with acting, directing and writing nods.

2. Argo - a rescue movie from director Ben Affleck. Expectations for this thriller to win this year's Best Picture is very high as it won almost all the best picture awards there is. The only disadvantage of the film from winning is Affleck missing on Directing category and the last film recognized by the Academy without directing nod is Driving Miss Daisy and that was 1990. The film also scored a writing nod, a supporting role for Alan Arkin and a couple of technical awards. While these don't necessarily add up, still Argo is a winning piece from Affleck and with best picture trophies it collected, winning The Oscar is not really surprising.

3. Beast of Southern Wild - Grand Jury winner of Sundance Film Festival reaching its ultimate success as a finalist for this year's Oscar Best Film. While Winter's Bone reached the same point last 2011 it failed to win the gold. But with acting nod from amazing young Quvenzhane Wallis, an adapted screenplay and a directing nomination 'Beast' might be the first festival winner to win the Oscar's grand prize. 

4. Django Unchained. This is Quentin Tarantino's third entry as Best Picture finalist following Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds both written by him. With the same gory-style and filled with humor and wit,  Django Unchained might be his first best picture movie. Like Argo, the film is also missing in Directing category, but garnered nods for screenplay and acting award for Christoph Waltz.







5. Les Miserables - Exact ten years ago musical film Chicago won Best Picture and before that Oliver! in 1969. Moulin Rouge tried last 2001 but musical is really not an Oscar movie, at least after 1960s. Surely Tom Hooper's last film The King's Speech won but Oscar is not ready yet to give him another statuette this year. Acting award for Anne Hathaway is a sure bet and it might get some technical awards too but that's should be it.

6. Life of Pi - The only nominated 3D film this year and fourth since Avatar in 2010. This is Ang Lee's fourth Best Picture nominated movie following Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain. This child-friendly movie 'Pi' is like Hugo of last year that ended up with technical awards but it might pull up some surprises too. Chances are really slim that even Avatar didn't triumph a few years ago, but who knows Oscars might favor Lee and go for a 3D film this year.

7. Lincoln - Biopic movie is really an Oscar-prone movie, The King's Speech and A Beautiful Mind are enough proof. The film's boxoffice success helped a lot pushing this Spielberg's latest movie to a strong contender for this year's Oscars. It just has to climb a bit higher enough to knock down Argo though from the looks of it Lincoln is more of a showcase of Daniel-Day Lewis' talent. The movie leads this year with 12 nods including Directing job for Steven Spielberg (and will probably win), Screenplay and a couple for technical categories.




8. Silver Lining Playbook - Rom-com movie shows up rarely in the Oscars as among the best film finalists. Juno in 2008 and As Good as it Gets in 1998 both nominated for most major awards and 'Playbook' is most likely to end up with the same fate. The film seems to be locked in for acting award for its main star Jennifer Lawrence and maybe for director David O. Russell but that's gotta be it.








9. Zero Dark Thirty -the success of The Hurt Locker three years ago made this film a strong contender for this year best film, no to mention that the same people, director and writer made it. Kathryn Bigelow's absence from directing category hurts the movie a lot, and was overtaken by Lincoln and Argo in Best Picture race. The film's theme however is really important for most Americans and Oscars might consider it.




My top 3 movies to win this year's Best Picture are: Argo, Lincoln then Zero Dark Thirty

Les Miserables

I've seen many musical films but this one is the best so far. It was full of heart, entertaining, melancholic but very touching. Director Tom Hooper's movie adaptation of the oldest musical Les Miserables is an instant classic. His idea of having the actors singing live during the shoots has played very well, it added more tunes to the songs, allowing the audience to connect and easily follow the story and able to relate more to the characters.  

The movie follows the story of a convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who has broken his parole and live at large with a new identity as the new Mayor of a town. The ruthless policeman Javert (Russel Crowe) has been hunting him for years. As a second life given to him by the priest that took him in, Jean Valjean has dedicated his life for helping people in need. One night he met the dying Fantine (Anne Hathaway) who has been raising her daughter Cosette. He promised her of taking care of the young Cosette and saved her from cruel couple. The two escaped and lived as father and daughter. The movies goes to another decade where Cosette has grown into a lovely lady (Amanda Seyfried) and met Marius (Eddie Redmayne) in the middle of a revolution. The two fell in love while Epinone (Samantha Barks) hid her loving flare for Marius and sacrificed for him. The film itself tells a lot of stories through singing, there were little dialogues unlike other musicals I've seen and it's really a good thing. It was tragic and melancholic but satisfyingly moving.You'll find  yourself looking for the songs and wanted it played over again.

Actors were really amazing, Anne Hathaway herself is one great reason to watch this great musical with her  rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream". Hugh Jackman and Russel Crowe set aside their fighting fists and showed their vocal talents and they did good too. Amanda Seyfried,  Samantha Barks, Eddie Redmayne were of great support while Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Cohen Baron provided the comedic acts and added to tragic and melancholic plot. The film is adapted from Victor Hugo's novel of the same title, written for screen by William Nicholson (Gladiator, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and directed by the Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech, Damned United). Les Miserables is nominated for this year's Oscar Award with 8 nods including  Best Picture and acting awards for Jackman and Hathaway. (rating 5/5)

Taken 2

Its first movie last 2008 brought back Liam Neeson's career making him one of the A-listers and starred in several actions movies since then. Because of that it was clear that another Taken movie will be made and it did come out last year. While it surpassed the boxoffice success of its predecessor the sequel has nothing to offer but ridiculousness. It doesn't have anything that the made the first film exciting. It was boring and got countless of funny scenes that made me almost hitting the stop button to not finishing it.

Neeson starred as retired CIA agent Brian Mills like in the first movie this time trying to make his relationships with his daughter (Maggie Grace) and his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) to work and went on a vacation in Istanbul. As he being chased down by the family of his enemies from the last film Brian Mills needs to rely once again on his skills to save himself and his family from being taken. This thriller is by far a mediocre version of its prequel. You will be surprised how bad the film is, the chasing scenes or fight scenes were poorly edited. There were even scenes that you can almost see Neeson's double. What I hate the most is when he and  his wife were about to get abducted and while the guns are almost at their heads he still able to make a phone call letting his daughter about their situation. It was really ridiculous.

Sequel is always difficult to make especially if the first film is supposed to be completed. But given the time and how broad the plot for this genre is, it could have been better at least of the same level of the first film or closer to it. It's just very disappointing that the film you like has been expanded and relived after a few years but it made you wished that it didn't happen. (rating 1.5/5) 

Zero Dark Thirty

I have finally seen the most controversial film of the year in Hollywood. Director Kathryn Bigelow and screen writer Mark Boal teamed up once again for another middle-east war drama this time with an espionage thriller hunting down OBL entitled Zero Dark Thirthy. Before its wide release '0D30' has been accompanied by controversies and dubbed as a pro-torture film  while government of America condemned it. Along with these controversies are the Oscar buzzes since the film is getting recognized as one of the best films and best actress for its lead star Jessica Chastain.

While the film has been informing people that this is a true story I must say that I don't belong to those group that believe everything in it. I however enjoyed the film, it's indeed one of the great movies of the year. It was gripping and an edge-of-your-seat thriller with great performances from the lead to the supporting actors. Jessica Chastain is continuously making her name in Hollywood after a breakthrough last year. I like the way she said 'Im the motherf*cker that found this place' while being unnoticed in a meeting with her bosses. Her determinations and her drives in this film can be seen, stealing the whole show and making you wonder what's gonna happen to her in the end. The film just revolved around her, although it's not really a good a thing for a movie in general but for some people THE story itself is the main selling point but not for me, at least after watching it. I give the credit first to Chastain, as she makes the movie worthy  and probably and in second or third or maybe fourth to the whole plot or to the film itself.

I also have to mention that the film got a smart title. I'm not sure if 'smart' is the right adjective to it but I guess it's something out of ordinary. The creators of it might have just gone for a controversial title or something that would people get so easily without going to Google it. Bigelow and Boal last film entitled 'The Hurt Locker' which put a lot of people who watched it in to question. I had to search for it my self too after seeing it and I had to do the same for the 'Zero Dark Thirty' which I found in Imdb.com and its defined as ''term commonly used by the military to refer to a non-specific time when it is dark outside, either very late or very early. However, the prevailing pronunciation is "oh dark thirty"".

Also starred by Jason Clark (who also co-starred with Chastain in two movies, Texas Killing Field and  Lawless), Kyle Chandler (Super 8, King Kong, Argo), Jennifer Ehle (Contagion, The Ides of March), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holms, Thinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom, Warrior), Chris Patt (Moneyball, The Five-year Engagement), and Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed, Your Sister's Sister). Directed by Oscar Winner Kathryn Bigelow and written by Oscar Winner Mark Boal. (rating 4/5)

Arbitrage

There's nothing really new about this drama-thriller film Arbitrage but it got all the right ingredients of becoming one of the best thriller films of all time. Mr. Robert Miller (Richard Gere),a  multi-millionaire who owns several companies desperately tried to complete a sale before getting noticed on his fraudulent act. He tried to weigh this with his infidelity to a young French-girl who later resulted to a tragic accident. The movie revolves around these two acts that he is trying to walk away from, sacrificing innocent people around him including his family. What I like most about the film is a strong script and genuine acting from the cast. It was unexpectedly moving too, the short scene of Mrs. Miller and her daughter Brooke touched me, and the life of the accomplice Jimmy Grants also added to the great story, creating twist and turn to Robert's fate.

Great mixed stories of infidelity and fraud in a Wallstreet-like setting has set this indie movie a total sold out for people loving its genre. The performances from the cast were outstanding, lead by Richard Gere who should really get an Oscar-nod this time. Susan Sarandon as always as one of the best actresses, she never fails to impress me even in this little role as Gere's wife. I've seen a completely different Brit Marling in this movie compare to her previous role in Another Earth, her work as Gere's smart daughter showcases her real versatility, I'd love to see more of her and hopefully in hugely-produced and widely-distributed ones. Also starred Tim Roth, written and directed by Nicholas Jarecki. This is surely one of my favorite movies of the year, I'm giving it a healthy rating of 4.5/5

The Day

If you like the British film Tomorrow, When The War Began you will find The Day interesting for some similarities in it. It featured group of young survivors who tried to escape from group of cannibals (modern people but eat their own kind, not the aborigines-like or mutants). Set in a post-apocalyptic era, five people must stick together to fight for their lives but survival became stiff when one of them discovered to be a member of the predators that hunt them.  

The film was presented in almost black-and-white picture which supposed to hide the goriness in it. It also set the tone of the film as being dark which I find interesting, it somehow warned me that things can get ugly along the way and it did, at least for a while. But it was weakened by some noticeable scenes that were unnecessary and unbearable and there were a lot of them unfortunately. The ending however was satisfying and Ashley Bell really kicked some asses, I think she'll be the next Jennifer Lawrence.

Bell breakout role was the surprised hit found-footage horror movie The Last Exorcism. Accompanied by actors who also starred in numbers of horror and actions movies. Dominic Monaghan was in X-Men Origin:Wolverine; Shannyn Sossamon was a lead in two horror films One Missed Call and Catacombs; Shawn Ashmore starred in X:Men Trilogy, also in The Ruins and Frozen; while Cory Hardict was in alien/action movie Battle Los Angeles. Directed by a new comer Douglas Aarniokoski who's coming up with another horror film next year Nurse 3D. (rating 3/5)

Rurouni Kenshin (Live Action)

I wasn't aware of the live action version of this famous manga and anime Rurouni Kenshin 'til it started to be shown here in our local cinema this December. I was reluctant to believe when one of my peers asked me about the film since I hadn't heard about it 'til it was shown (I thought it was just some web series or fan-based videos online). I'm not a fan of the manga nor its anime series, though I have come across an episode or two of its TV adaptation I lacked background about what the story is all about. So earlier today I took time watching the movie version of it, it was a little over two hours of non-stop sword-clashing  and  and I kinda like it.

The movie centers on a former assassin Himura Kenshin who wanders the city of Japan trying to forget about what he really was, a murderer. With too much blood on his hand he tried helping people as an atonement to the crimes that he committed, this time without killing them. He later met Kamiya Kaoru, the owner of the fencing school that was owned by her father. Her school discourages the use of sword for fighting and doesn't believe in killing. As Kenshin seeks a new life, with the help of Kaoru he remains true to his pledge of not using his sword to kill under any circumstances.

The film goes from slow-paced drama to a non-stop sword-clashing action. Fight scenes were beautifully choreographed and managed to show some blood without appearing it be gory as young adults are expected audience. The score and music sounded a little off sometimes but mostly it was great, especially towards the end of it. What amazed me are the characters, they looked like the ones in manga or in tv series which somehow added to your viewing interest. While I couldn't really speak on how this film as an adaptation I would just based my review from the movie itself and I could say it's among those samurai films that you'll surely appreciate. It wasn't moving nor life-changing but it wasn't a waste of time either. (Rating 3.5/5) 

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas is one of those movies that requires serious attention for you to fully realize its significance. It was more than a film or a published material that will continually haunt you even after seating through it for almost three hours. Adding to its beautifully narrated story is mesmerizing visual effects and scores. Actors were amazing for taking multiple roles, it was like watching multiple films in a one show and if you don't really know them you won't realize that it was them all along. 

The film is about how people from the past, present and future interconnected to each other. How a single piece of work inspires and changes one's belief. It has six main stories presented in six different times. With multiple story lines, the film goes from the present time back to 1800 then to the far future of 2044. It was carefully edited so following the story wasn't that difficult and at the end of, it will leave you so moved that you want to watch the movie again.  

From the time I've seen the first trailer of the film it has already gained my curiosity but I didn't know that I'll get so hooked up to it. There maybe some obvious unlikable stuff in it, like the make-up maybe which I think was overdone, and some plot that were vague or  something that wasn't agreeable but it wasn't that much. In general Cloud Atlas is lovable, this is one the films that you want to see stocked on your shelves and seeing it there among others brings you joy and reminds you the beautiful feeling when you first watched it. Starred by Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw and Susan Sarandon. Adapted from the novel of the same title, written and directed by Andy and Lana Wachosky (who also wrote and directed The Matrix trilogy) and Tom Tykwer. 

The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey

My love for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings Trilogy was the primary reason why I watched his new adventure trilogy. It was one of my anticipated films of the year. Though I didn't really care watching it in 3D, the  first part of The Hobbit trilogy was still worthy to watch but I would say it falls a little behind the the LOTR films.

'The Unexpected Journey' is the first part of the prequel of the new trilogy which took place 60 years before 'Fellowship of the Ring' where Bilbo Baggins was young and went on an adventure with Gandalf The Grey. Accompanied by thirteen dwarves lead by the Thorin Oakenshield whose kingdom was taken by a dragon Smaug,  Bilbo Baggins reluctantly joined the the group and went on a journey that changed his life forever. While traveling to the  Lonely Mountain where the dragon resides, the young Bilbo met the Elves, Giant Spiders, Goblins, Orcs and Gollum with his precious Ring along the way. I haven't read the book so I didn't have any idea how the story goes, I sat through it and satisfied my eyes with great special effects, though the story felt a little vague as the first LOTR I still find the ending a little touching and makes you hang on for two more films to come. (Rating 4/5)
  

The Perks of Being of Wallflower

"Let's go be psychos together" as Sam said to Charlie in the movie that I recently watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower. That's I think the sweetest thing that I would ever hear from a girl. The film is the least movie on my list  to watch this year but has become one of the best movies I've seen. It was a little melancholic but satisfying and moving. 

It centers on a story of an introverted boy, Charlie who's having a tough  freshman life. His best friend just passed after committing a suicide while his aunt's death is hunting him for years.With all these Charlie is having a hard time to belong in school despite the presence of a supportive family. While with great potential his English teacher Mr. Anderson encouraged  him to participate in class and inspired him to write by giving him books. Even as depressing as he thinks, Charlie found a friend through his teacher Mr. Anderson. Meanwhile, one football game Charlie befriended Patrick, a senior and happy-go-lucky type of person who has a step-sister, Sam. The three started to become close and for the first time Charlie is happy and started to grow feelings for Sam. His life started to revolve around his friends and his feelings for Sam. The story goes from a teenage romantic story to a melancholic journey of a boy who has learned that life is free and limitless despite his health condition. 

The three main casts were exceptional. Logan Lerman's dramatic performance as a troubled teen was convincing enough, you'll find yourself sad when he suffers and smiling when he is happy. Emma Watson and Ezra Miller were great too as Sam and Patrick. The film is adapted from the book of the same title authored by Stephen Chbosky who also wrote the screenplay and directed it. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower may not be among those multi-awarded films despite the positive feedback from critics because only a few people have actually watched it. But it deserves to be seen and it's definitely worth of a positive review (ok, it may not be as great as this). (Rating is 4/5)

2012 Movies That I'll Watch In Cinemas

There are hundreds of movies being shown in cinemas a year but only a few of them that really invite you to go to cinemas to watch them. Most of them are just good for your own couch and TV Set at home while others are good for both, others probably just in HBO or local channel or not at all. There are movies that even deserve a second watching (in cinema) which happened to me with Marvel: The Avengers this year. I watched it in IMAX 3D then watched it again with friends in regular screen a week after and I can't wait to get a copy of it in video. Then there is this re-release and 3D conversion of your favorite classic movies which has become the trend for Hollywood films lately like Toy Story/Toy Story 2, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars and the Phantom Menace, and Titanic and expect a lot more to come. I was able to watch Titanic 3D this year though I'd seen it like over 20 times since 1998 and it was still worth it. 

I just arrived home from watching Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter which is just the third film that I've seen this year so far. It wasn't crowded inside the cinema and there were hardly no people reacting to the scenes because most of the viewers were lining up for The Amazing Spiderman, I don't have anything against the new spidey movie and I love Emma Stone in it but I think I feel like it's not anymore for me to watch. Maybe because I've adored Sam Raimi's trilogy too much and  I wanted the film to stop from there. It's not that I don't like watching films in cinemas that much, I just would like to make sure that they deserve to be watched in cinemas to start with because they are clearly a lot ways to catch them so make your money worth it. 

It's just July and a lot of great movies are coming up that are worth the admission tickets. Here are the list of movies that I'll for sure catch in cinemas. 

1. The Dark Knight Rises (July 19) - I just literally purchased a ticket online for IMAX screening. There is no way that I'll miss this final film from the Batman Trilogy. I have never liked any superhero movie before like Christopher Nolan's version and I despise the old Batman films. The film starred by Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Liam Neeson. 

2. Total Recall (August) - A remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1990 sci-fi action movie of the same title. This time will be starred by Colin Farrell (SWAT, Phone Booth). But my primary reason of watching the film is Jessica Biel which I last seen in her last film A-Team last 2010. She has been my favorite actress since 7th Heaven tv series. Kate Beckinsale also starred in the movie and her husband Len Wiseman directed the film who also directed Underworld 1 & 2 and Die Hard 4. 

3. The Bourne Legacy (August 8) - the fourth movie from Robert Lodlum's Bourne Series. Jeremy Renner has become one of favorite actors since the Oscar Best Picture The Hurt Locker. I admire him for always choosing the right roles and working with great directors. His movies are critically praised and box-office hits which include The Town, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and The Avengers. The latest spy-film also starred Oscar Nominees Edward Norton (American History X, The Incredible Hulk) and an  Oscar winner Rachel Wiezs (The Mummy, Constantine). Directed by another Oscar nominee Tony Gilroy who has written the first Bourne Trilogy and directed similar films like Duplicity and Michael Clayton. Above all reasons, the film was partially shot here in the Philippines and I couldn't get more excited than seeing our own country featured in a Hollywood film.

4. The Expendables 2 (August) - Whether Sly has not recruited other action veterans successfully or not I'm still going to watch this action film. I enjoyed watching the action scenes of the first movie and was one of my favorite film of 2010. All original casts are back plus Van Damme, Chuck Norris and extended role for Bruce Willis and Schwarzenegger. Sly didn't direct return in director seat for the sequel and has passed on to Con Air director Simon West. 

5. Resident Evil: Retribution (September)  - The fourth and maybe the final film from the series, still starred by Mila Jovovich still fighting zombies and the Umrella Corporation. I have become a fan not because I play the games it's because I have this crazy obsession about zombies and the last film which I watched in 3D kept me hanging all this time so I want to see how everything ends I guess. Still directed by Jovovich husband Paul W.S. Anderson who directed the first film in 2002 and the last film in 2010.  Michelle Rodriguez is also back on the fourth film after her character died on the first film which will add twist to the whole story.  

6. Flight (November) - Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington starred in this Robert Zemeckis drama which might receive Oscar nominations because of the release schedule. Washington is the obvious reason why I wanna watch this film but Zemeckis comeback as the director is also one of the reasons why I look forward for the film. This is his first live-action movie after directing three animated films since 2004 (Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol). Zemeckis is an Oscar Best Director winner for Forrest Gump and also directed the Back to the Future Trilogy. 

7. Skyfall (November) - this 23rd James Bond film is probably the most anticipated action movie of the year. I haven't watched any of the Bond films in cinema so I'll make sure that I won't miss this one. Skyfall is Daniel Craig's third film as Agent Bond. 

8. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December) - Peter Jackson relives the LOTR with another adventure film this time focusing on a Hobbit of the Shrine, Bilbo Baggins. The film is the prequel of the LOTR films which is adapted from another J.R.R. Tolkien novel. Several actors will reprise their roles Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchet, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The film is going to be released in IMAX 3D.

9. Django Unchained (December) - Western-drama film from writer/director Quentin Tarantino. A promising cast lining up for the film including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, and Seth Rogen. Tarantino's last film was with Brad Pitt's Inglorious Basterds in 2009 which is one of my favorite movies along with Kill Bill 1 & 2.

10. Les Mesirables (December) - A potential Oscar winner next year from an Oscar winner Best Director Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech). This musical drama starred one of my favorite actors Russel Crowe with Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.

Other movies that most likely won't be granted a local release but still worth watching in the big screen are Lawless, Robot and Frank, Gangster Squad and Liberal Arts.

The Quest for '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2011 Edition)' - Part 1

            I started sorting out the list of 1001 films along with additional 88 titles (click here for the list of the 1001 films) and only 99 of them I have actually watched and most of them are from the years 90s and 2000s. I have started looking for these titles before but I didn't know what happened and I just completely lost track. So I visited my list again and so far I found 38 titles more which are saved on my hard drive and a couple of them in DVDs that I got on sale a few months ago.  Here are the movies that I have watched from the list so far. (descriptions for the rest of the titles will come soon)

1. A Trip To The Moon (1902) -  a black-and-white short film which can probably be considered as the father of all sci-fi movies. The film running time was just less then 15-mins but it felt like watching a full-length 90-min movie. The film was adapted from Jules Verne's Novel who also wrote Around The World in 80 Days and Journey To The Center Of The Earth. The film was directed by Georges Méliès whose life story was featured in Martin Scorcese's Oscar-nominated film Hugo. (Rating: 5/5)

2. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - this Walt Disney's classic film doesn't need any description as no kids haven't heard or watched this all-time favorite animated film which I just recently found out as Adolf Hitler's favorite film. (Rating: 5/5)

3 Gone With the Wind (1939)
4 From Here to Eternity (1953)
5 The Godfather (1972)
6 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
7 Annie Hall (1977)
8 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
9 E.T.: The Extra-Terestrial (1982)
10 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
11 The Terminator (1984)
12 The Breakfast Club (1985)
13 Back to the Future (1985)
14 Aliens (1986)
15 Top Gun (1986)
16 Rain Man (1988)
17 Batman (1989)
18 Goodfellas (1990)
19 Edward Scissorhands (1990)
20 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
21 Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
22 Jurassic Park (1993)
23 Schindler's List (1993)
24 Forrest Gump (1994)
25 The Lion King (1994)
26 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
27 Casino (1995)
28 Toy Story (1995)
29 Braveheart (1995)
30 Seven (1995)
31 Independence Day (1996)
32 Scream (1996)
33 L.A. Confidential (1997)
34 Titanic (1997)
35 Saving Private Ryan (1998)
36 Ring (1998)
37 There's Something About Mary (1998)
38 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
39 Three Kings (1999)
40 Fight Club (1999)
41 Being John Malkovich (1999)
42 American Beauty (1999)
43 The Sixth Sense (1999)
44 The Matrix (1999)
45 Gladiator (2000)
46 Meet the Parents (2000)
47 Memento (2000)
48 Amelie (2001)
49 The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
50 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
51 A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)
52 Gangs of New York (2002)
53 The Pianist (2002)
54 Chicago (2002)
55 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
56 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
57 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
58 Lost in Translation (2003)
59 The Passion of the Christ (2004)
60 Collateral (2004)
61 The Aviator (2004)
62 Million Dollar Baby (2004)
63 A Very Long Engagement (2004)
64 Brokeback Mountain (2005)
65 Crash (2005)
66 Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
67 The Prestige (2006)
68 United 93 (2006)
69 Children of Men (2006)
70 Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
71 Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
72 Babel (2006)
73 The Queen (2006)
74 Apocalypto (2006)
75 The Departed (2006)
76 No Country for Old Men (2007)
77 Into the Wild (2007)
78 There Will Be Blood (2007)
79 Atonement (2007)
80 The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
81 Paranormal Activity (2007)
82 Wall-E (2008)
83 The Dark Knight (2008)
84 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
85 Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
86 Let the Right One In (2008)
87 The Hurt Locker (2008)
88 The Hangover (2009)
89 Precious (2009)
90 Avatar (2009)
91 Inglourious Basterds (2009)
92 District 9 (2009)
93 Monsters (2010)
94 Black Swan (2010)
95 Four Lions (2010)
96 The Social Network (2010)
97 Inception (2010)
98 The King's Speech (2010)
99 True Grit (2010)

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

I heard about this book a few years back and at first I thought it's impossible to watch all of these films listed because most of them are now hard to find until I read some sites and blogs online that there are actual people who were able to complete the list and some are almost done watching them so I thought I can just do the same. I can start this little quest of mine finishing all these films before dying. It may sound silly but I think it's a good motivation for me to hope to live for couple of years more, I guess. 

To those who haven't heard of it here is the little description of the book from Wikipedia.

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die is a film reference book edited by Steven Jay Schneider with original essays on each film contributed by over 70 film critics. It is a part of a series designed and produced by Quintessence Editions, a London-based company, and published in English language versions by Cassell Illustrated (UK), ABC Books (the publishing division of Australian Broadcasting Corporation), and Barron's (USA). The first edition was published in 2003; the most recent edition was published in 2011. Contributors include Adrian Martin, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Richard Pena, David Stratton, and Margaret Pomeranz. 

The book is now on its 7th edition which includes latest films like The Hurt Locker, Avatar, and King's Speech. I don't have the actual list on this post but you can go to the website by clicking here to check it out.

The following are the cover of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Janet Leigh of 1960's Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho was featured on the book's first edition released in 2003.The film was nominated for four Oscars including Best Actress for Leigh and Best Director for Hitchcock. The Apartment won the Best Film that year which is also included on this list and its director Billy Wilder named as Best Director. 

   Samuel L. Jackson featured in 2nd edition based from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction in 1994. The film was nominated for 7 Oscars and went home with one for  Tarantino and Roger Avary for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Tarantino was also nominated for directing the film and three acting nomination for lead actor John Travolta, supporting actress Uma Thurman and Jackson for supporting actor. Forrest Gump which won the Best Film that year is also included on the list for this edition including the three other Best Picture nominees,The Shawshank Redemption, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Pulp Fiction. 

Jack Nicholson from the 1980's Stephen King Shining featured on 2006 edition. The film was not an Oscar-nominee but rather a Razzie finalist for director Stanley Kubrick and actress for Shelley Duval. However the film is certified fresh from Rottentomatoes.com with 88% approval rating from critics and rated as one of the top movies on imdb.com with 8.5 user rating. 

George Lucas' 1977 Star Wars character Darth Vader featured on the 2007 edition. The film was a major world-wide box office hit and was nominated for 11 Oscar and took home 5 awards including Best Visual Effects. Lucas was nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay. After focusing on just writing two films from the first trilogy, Lucas returned to director seat after 22 years and completed the saga with another trilogy but only his first film and 1983 Return of the Jedi were included on the list.

Harrison Ford's alter ego Indiana Jones was featured in 2008 edition but the film can be no longer be found on the latest edition. 

One of the latest addition on the list is Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight for the 2009 edition. The film shattered tons of box-office records and ended up with $1 billion for world-wide box office gross. Heath Ledger's Joker character  was highly praised by critics and the fans of the film and won an acting award posthumously for the film, as Best Supporting Actor. 

James Cameron's 3D film Avatar was featured on 2010 edition. Cameron broke his record as being the highest grossing film which earned more $2.8 billion and took over Titanic's record. The film was nominated for 9 Oscar awards and won 3 including Visual Effects and Cinematography. The Hurt Locker which won the Best Film that year is one of the ten films added on the list for this edition along with surprised hits like The Hangover and District 9.

Natalie Portman's performance in Black Swan that earned her an Oscar trophy as Best Actress also landed her as the last year's edition cover for the book. The film was not just a box-office success but a critic's favorite as well and earned 5 Oscar nods including Best Director for Darren Aronofsky.

"All Is Well" in 3 Idiots Movie

Just watched the film again for the nth time, and every time I watched it the more I feel guilty about not writing how great the movie is. So here I am finding all the great words that will amount to best described this gem. To those who know what I'm talking about will for sure agree with what I'm saying or about to say here and for those who couldn't relate will probably find themselves looking for the film after reading this. 

To begin with, 3 Idiots is a rare film because it's not one of those Hollywood films that you can catch in cinemas, it's a Hindi movie (or Bollywood) that was released in 2009 and I came to hear about it a year after it was released and since then it easily became one of my favorite movies. The film is about three friends, Rancho, Raju and Farhan who have been through the best and worst of their college years. While studying  one of the hardest professions there is, Engineering, the three friends learned a lot more than building machines to simplify life. 

The film started from the present time where the two buddies, Raju and Farhan went on to searching for their friend Rancho whom they haven't heard from since their graduation ten years ago. During the course of searching the film slowly flashed back to several years ago that showed the adventures of the three. The film presented beautifully with wit, humor and full of heart. The score and theme songs played on the background made the film more meaningful because of its great lyrics and melody, making your heart cry and laugh out loud at the same time. What I admire most about the film are those little things which I found it smart and funny like the astronaut pen, the invention of Virus Inverter, throwing of the duplicate keys, the price-tag boyfriend, these things and a couple more are sure-laugh. The film got some twists too that made the film ended extraordinarily. 

The phrase "Aal izz Well" (all is well), the most famous line from the film and probably one of those movie lines that you'll always remember. As Rancho explained in the film, our hearts get scared so easily when thing are not turning out the way it should be so we have to trick our heart a little bit by tapping it and saying "All is well, All is well". It doesn't solve our problems but it gives us courage to face them. 

Marvel's The Avengers is an immersive IMAX Experience

Marvel's The Avengers is by far the best superhero movie that I've seen. It surpassed all levels of my expectations, from story line, directing, to acting, to special effects. I'm so glad that I watched it in IMAX 3D for an immersive experience making the whole thing more real (I felt that I was one of the Avengers, kidding!). But seriously, I have watched Transformers 3 in the same format but it wasn't as enjoyable as this. '

Though it wasn't surprising at all, the movie served as the sequel of the previous superhero films from 2008's Incredible Hulk to last year's Thor and Captain America, The First Avenger, they found themselves together as assembled by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (who has been making a cameo in previous films since 2008's Iron Man.) against one common enemy Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

All the members of the Avengers reprise their roles from the previous films except for Hulk, that was played by Eric Bana and Edward Norton. Norton was supposed to take the role again but the negotiation with Marvel Studio broke down and was replaced by his friend Mark Ruffalo. Jeremy Renner didn't have his own movie for Hawkeye but had a cameo for the role in Thor.

The story was written by Zack Penn, who also wrote Marvel's X-Men: The Last Stand, Incredible Hulk, and Elektra. Joss Whedon also co-wrote the story, did the screenplay and the directing. 

Overall, the movie was outstanding, a total summer movie treat, it was action-packed from first to last, funny, smart, each character is engaging and amazingly Joss Whedon managed to give equal spotlights to all the main characters, so that answers the early controversy of who outshines who...Darn it, I wanna watch it again.