Hello fellow moviegoers!
Foxcatcher is directed by Bennet Miller and it stars Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, and Mark Ruffalo. It is the story of the U.S. Olympic Gold winning wrestler Mark Schultz. When he gets invited to John du Pont's (Carell) property he is told that Du Pont wants to build a training center there to give the Olympic Wrestlers the attention they deserve. This film is nominated of Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Makeup. But no Best Picture?

Have you seen Foxcatcher? What did you think? Should it have been nominated for Best Picture? Let me know by commenting on this post!

Hello fellow moviegoers!
American Sniper is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Bradley Cooper, and Sienna Miller. It is the story of Chris Kyle, the greatest sniper in U.S. history and the struggles he went through on the battlefield, and how they affected his life back at home. This movie more than doubled the previous record for biggest opening weekend in January, and has been getting a lot of hype. So does it live up?

Overall, American Sniper is a good film. Is it as bad as some people are saying it is? No. Is it as amazing, and inspirational as everybody else is saying. No. The best way I can describe this movie is just by calling it good. 
The best part of this movie by far is definitely Bradley Cooper's performance as Chris Kyle. He was given an Oscar Nomination for it, and he earned it. He was great in this movie. The way he portrays all of the different emotions going through this guy is just so good. Also, when he starts having to deal with  Post-Traumatic Stress that's when his performance really became great. I don't think deserved a nomination over David Oyelowo (Selma), but he was still great.
Everybody else in the movie does a good job acting. Some people are saying Sienna Miller should have gotten a nomination. I would disagree, she was good, but this year is so stacked that she didn't need to get an award for it.
The storytelling and pacing of this movie is what really holds it back. At times, the pacing is just so uneven that you're sitting there wondering what is going on, and did you miss something earlier on that would make somethings make sense. Yeah, sometimes there were scenes that should have been a little longer so that the audience can fully wrap their heads around what is happening. Also, some other scenes it seemed like they were there too long. A couple times,you find yourself thinking, does this really add to any of the plot or characters at all? Why is this scene here?
It would have been nice to get to know some of the people that he was overseas with. They spent a little too much time focusing on him, and developing him, that when things happen to his friends you really don't care too much, because you almost didn't know them at all. 
When the movie does start coming to an end, something happens and then it cuts to credits. It doesn't really show you what happened it just tells you it happened and shows a little aftermath in the credits. But it was such a big thing that it seemed like they just kind of glossed over it like it wasn't that big of a deal. I am not saying they needed to show it. But maybe have his wife getting a call and reacting to it, or something along those lines. If they would have added just another 30-40 second clip of that, the ending would have been so much better.
Overall, I did like this film though. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. The best thing was Bradley Cooper's performance. I don't think this film really deserved a Best Picture nominee but, I would definitely recommend it you are a Bradley Cooper fan or if you like modern war movies.
7/10

So what did you think of American Sniper? Did Bradley Cooper deserve an Oscar Nomination over David Oyelowo? Did you like the way they ended it? Let me know by commenting on this post!

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Hello fellow moviegoers!
The nominations for the 2015 Oscars were finally announced this morning. For the most part I agree with them, but there were a few snubs in here and there. If you don't know already, here are the nominees...

Overall, I really like these nominees. While I have not seen all of the movies nominated yet, I have heard great things about them and their actors and actresses. There were a couple films I thought were snubbed though.

The big one that got snubbed was The Lego Movie. How is that movie not one of (if not the) best animated films of the year?! That movie is so good! I absolutely loved Big Hero 6, but The Lego Movie was even better! That was a poor call on the Academy's part. At least "Everything is Awesome" got nominated for Best Original Song. It better win!

 Another thing that should be on here is David Oyelowo's performance in Selma. While I won't call it a snub because I agree with the other choices. He definitely should have been nominated! I am happy that Selma was nominated for Best Picture though. It probably won't win, but it's still in the discussion. If he was nominated though, who would be taken out? It's such a hard decision!

One category I am really interested in seeing who wins is the Best Visual Effects category. Most likely, it will come down to either Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Interstellar. I would like to say Planet of the Apes will win because those apes looked so real, but all of the things in Interstellar looked so amazing! I mean, think about that black hole! It was so realistic! 

It's amazing how good this year was in film. You never really notice it until you realize how stacked the competition is for the Oscars. So what do you think of the Oscar Nominations this year? Who got snubbed? Who's going to win? Let me know by commenting on this post!

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Hello fellow moviegoers!
Boyhood is a film directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke, and Patricia Arquette. It follows the life of a boy named Mason from when he was 6 to when he leaves for college. What really makes this film special is the fact that they filmed it over 12 years. So as the characters grow older and more experienced so do the actors. There has been a ton of Oscar-hype for this film, but is it really as good as everybody is saying it is? 

I watched this movie with my Dad and it was such a great experience. Personally, I am more in the generation of Mason, so the entire movie I was relating to him a lot. But, my Dad was telling me how he was relating to the father played by Ethan Hawke because of the struggles he was having not only as a father, but as a person as well. This movie, is undeniably one of the best films I have ever seen. No matter who you are, you will be able to relate to somebody in this movie. 
Watching the beginning of this film, I felt like a kid again. Seeing Dragon Ball Z on the TV, talking about which Stars Wars character was the coolest (including those in the prequels), and just having a good time. But as time went on, Mason starts to turn into a young man and you can really relate to all the things he is going through.  I absolutely loved how they really didn't have an exact set script when they began. They started filming, and just let time take the reigns, while making sure it did hit a few plot points along the way. This film so realistic that for a little bit I forgot I was watching a movie and thought I was watching a bunch of a friend's old home videos or something. It was so accurate. It didn't try to sugar-coat everything. It showed you how life is, just plain and simple.
The acting in this film is breathtakingly terrific. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette were both great as Mason's parents. I absolutely loved how the movie wasn't just about Mason, it was also about how his parents after they split, and how they dealt with their kids while they were growing up. These two did a terrific job pulling that off. Patricia Arquette was the Mom that the kids lived with most of the time, and her character really carried the weight of raising these two kids. The emotion she brought to that character was great! Also, Ethan Hawke was the father they visited quite often who was really just trying to be a part of his kids lives. I absolutely loved how you could really see how much he cares about these kids just by the look on his face whenever he's around them. 
But enough about them, let's talk about Ellar Coltrane. Whoever cast this film did such a good job, because they had to choose who would be able to pull off this performance for 12 years, starting as a kid nonetheless. Ellar Coltrane was the perfect pick for Mason. As a kid, his acting may not have been the best, but that can be forgiven because not a lot of kids can act very well. But the thing that made him so great in the film was that as he grew older, he also grew better as an actor. By the end of the movie, he was acting brilliantly!
So, in conclusion, I absolutely loved this film. The characters were great, the acting was brilliant, and the story was amazing. The fact that they filmed it over 12 years is so cool. It is definitely a great achievement in film history. You definitely have to watch this film, no matter who you are.
10/10

So what do you think of Boyhood? This film will no doubt be nominated for Best Picture, but do you think it could win? Let me know by commenting on this post!

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