127 Hours

127 HOURS Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: March 10th, 2011 at 3:00 pm

The main character of 127 Hours, Aron Ralston, is a real person and the film is based on his experience of being pinned to a cliff for a period of time that should be self-evident. As such – with a clock and an unavoidable ending – any film based on this event is bound to be something of an exercise. That’s not a knock against the movie – it’s just that what’s going to happen is predetermined by one’s knowledge of the events. Much like Into the Wild or Milk, I guess an audience could not know where the narrative is going, but that’s not the point with these movies. For director Danny Boyle, it was his follow up to his Academy award winning picture Slumdog Millionaire. For James Franco – who stars as Ralston – it a chance to show that he could carry a movie by himself, which led to an Oscar nomination. And for the audience it’s an interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying meditation on one character coming to terms with his life. My review of 127 Hours on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and More to Perform Songs at Academy Awards

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 4th, 2011 at 12:12 pm

What are the Oscars without a little pageantry?  As it’s been done in years prior, the Best Song nominees will be performed by the folks who sang them in the movie.  Gwyneth Paltrow will perform “Coming Home” from Country Strong; Randy Newman will perform “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3; songwriter Alan Menken will provide piano accompaniment to Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi for “I See the Light” from Tangled; and songwriter A.R. Rahman will join Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine to perform “If I Rise” from 127 Hours.

Hit the jump for the press release and to hear the songs.  The 83rd Academy Awards will be held on February 27th.

Best Picture Nominees in LEGO Form

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 27th, 2011 at 4:30 pm

Inevitably, every year a number of different visual interpretations of the Best Picture nominees for the Academy Awards hit the net. While some are better than others, this one is pretty great. I give you, the 2010 Best Picture nominees as interpreted by LEGOs. My personal favorite is the 127 HOURS set-up: brutal, yet still funny. Hit the jump to check them out.

2011 Oscar Nominations Announced; THE KING’S SPEECH Leads with 12 Nominations

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 25th, 2011 at 6:27 am

The nominees for the 83^rd Annual Academy Awards have been announced.  The King’s Speech led the pack with 12 nominations.  True Grit followed with 10 nominations while early favorite The Social Network racked up eight.  Most of the nominees were easy to predict.  While I’m not surprised that John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) nabbed acting nominations, I’m happy they were recognized for their work.  I’m also ridiculously happy that Exit Through the Gift Shop picked up a nod for Best Documentary.

As far as snubs go, the biggest one has to be Christopher Nolan for Inception.  While he picked up the DGA nomination, the Academy chose to go with Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit.  As someone who loved the hell out of True Grit, it’s hard for me to complain.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominees along with my commentary.  Winners will be announced on February 27^th.  James Franco and Anne Hathaway are set to host the awards ceremony.

127 HOURS Expands to 600 Theaters on January 28 to Capitalize on Academy Awards Nominations

by Jeff Ames    Posted: January 20th, 2011 at 10:12 pm

Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours is one of 2010’s overlooked gems. I happened to catch a screening of it in Las Vegas back in December and I can honestly say it’s one of the director’s finest works. Of course it helps to have James Franco on board, delivering a heart wrenching, even gutsy performance as Aron Ralston, the daredevil hiker/mountain biker who became trapped in a gorge after an accident left his right hand pinned between a rock and a hard place. I should also mention the film contains one of the most graphically explicit hand-chopping sequences I’ve ever paid witness to (the bit makes Saw look like a children’s PBS special).  Despite my wild enthusiasm for the film, I’m sorry to say not many people have had a chance to see Boyle’s work. That’s because it’s currently showing on just 76 screens across the country.

Well, fret no longer movie fans! According to THR, 127 Hours is getting a pre-Oscar expansion in order to take advantage of Franco’s sure-to-be-nominated performance. Fox Searchlight is planning on expanding the film to more than 600 screens January 28, three days after the Oscar noms are announced, which should give you plenty of time to see this magnificent tour de force before the Academy Awards on February 27.  Franco himself will host along with Anne “Catwoman” Hathaway. Hit the jump for the trailer and the synopsis.

BAFTA Nominations Announced; THE KING’S SPEECH Leads with 14 Nominations

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 18th, 2011 at 6:35 am

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) have announced their nominations for the 2011 BAFTA Awards (the British equivalent of the Oscars).  While The Social Network is busy dominating awards circles on this side of the Atlantic, it looks like (unsurprisingly) The King’s Speech is going to clean up at the BAFTAs.  The film received 14 nominations including Best Picture and Outstanding British Film.  The Social Network still managed to pick up 6 nominations including Best Picture.   Also in the Best Picture race: Black Swan (12 nominations), True Grit (8 nominations), and Inception (9 nominations).  Other great films getting some love from the BAFTAs included Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop (1 nomination) and Chris Morris’ Four Lions (2 nominations).

Hit the jump for a full list of the nominations.  Winners will be announced on February 13th.

WGA Announces Screenplay Nominations; Nods for BLACK SWAN, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and INCEPTION

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 4th, 2011 at 11:02 am

The Writers Guild of America has announced their nominations for the best screenplays of 2010.  Most of the usual suspects scored noms, including The Social Network and Black Swan. A couple of nice surprise nominations for Please Give and I Love You Philip Morris shake up what’s mostly a list of more of the same. Oscar favorite The Kings Speech failed to meet eligibility requirements to be considered, and was therefore disqualified (as were a number of other high-profile scripts).  Usually a reliable predictor for Oscar gold, the winner of the WGA award has gone on to win the Oscar in the same category 11 of the last 16 years.

Don’t let the lack of a Kings Speech nom fool you, as that film and The Social Network have been racking up awards in the original and adapted screenplay categories respectively over the past month. Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominations in the Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Documentary Screenplay categories.

Producers Guild Award Nominees Announced

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 4th, 2011 at 7:50 am

The Producers Guild of America have announced their nominees for the 2011 Producers Guild Awards.  The nominees for Best Motion Picture are 127 Hours, Black Swan, Inception, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, The Town, and True Grit. Notably absent from their selections is Winter’s Bone.  With the exception of The Town, I think you’re looking at the ten Oscar nominees for Best Picture (I think Winter’s Bone will ultimately nab the 10th slot).

Hit the jump for the full press release, which also includes nominees for Best Animated Film, Best Documentary (no Exit Through the Gift Shop—boo), and various television categories.  Winners will be announced January 22nd.  Judd Apatow will host the awards ceremony.

Best Performances, Directors, and Other Miscellany of 2010

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 29th, 2010 at 3:33 pm

In my profession, there are two very important things you must do: watch movies and keep notes.  I did an alright job with the first one, but admittedly fell short on the latter.  While last year I was able to confidently provide what I thought were the best kills and quotes, this year I didn’t do a good job with record keeping and so I’ve omitted those categories.  Next year I’ll be more meticulous and make it a point to see movie where people get destroyed while saying witty things.

However, I did see enough movies to confidently make a list of the folks I thought were the best actors, directors, and other miscellaneous greats.  Hit the jump to check out my picks.

Critics Choice Awards Nominations Announced; BLACK SWAN Lands Record 12 Nominations

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 13th, 2010 at 8:11 am

The Broadcast Film Critics Association have announced their nominees for the 2010 Critics Choice Awards. Leading the pack with a record 12 nominations is Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan.  After David Fincher’s The Social Network racked up wins from the NBR, LAFCA, and BSFCA, the 12 nominations from the BFCA is a nice boost to Black Swan (although Social Network picked up 9 nominations).  The King’s Speech and True Grit each racked up 11 nominations.

Hit the jump for a full list of the nominees.  Winners will be awarded on January 14, 2011.

AFI Announces the Top 10 Movies and TV Programs of 2010

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 12th, 2010 at 2:03 pm

The American Film Institute have announced their top 10 movies and TV programs of 2010.  As usual, they forgo a ranking system and instead list each winner alphabetically.  On the film side, we have Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3, True Grit, and Winter’s Bone, with special awards for the British (and thus disqualified) The King’s Speech and Waiting For Superman.  A fine list, and I don’t immediately see any egregious snubs.

The AFI only honored three TV programs with more than two seasons: Mad Men, 30 Rock, and Breaking Bad.  The rest were new series (The Big C, Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead), one-offs  (The Pacific, Temple Grandin), or standout sophomores (Glee, Modern Family).  Hit the jump to see the full lists.

Weekend Box Office – TANGLED Takes in $21.5 Million; HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1 Falls to Second

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: December 5th, 2010 at 9:47 am

The kids are back in school, the leftovers are congealing in the fridge and you’ve already run through all the releases at your local multiplex. Such is life on the weekend after the Thanksgiving Holiday.  The upshot is that there isn’t much to talk about in terms of box office.  We’ve got holdovers as far as the eye can see – and they’re not holding very well at that.  In fact, overall box office is down 13% this weekend from 2009 levels when The Blind Side claimed first place.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Tangled	$21,500,000	$96.5
2	Harry Potter 7A	$16,700,000	$244.2
3	Burlesque	$6,100,000	$26.9
4	Unstoppable	$6,100,000	$68.8
5	Love & Other Drugs	$5,700,000	$22.6
6	Megamind	$5,030,000	$136.7
7	Due Date	$4,215,000	$90.9
8	Faster	$3,829,000	$18.1
9	The Warrior’s Way	$3,051,000	$3.1
10	The Next Three Days	$2,650,000	$18.3

Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced; WINTER’S BONE Leads with 7 Nominations

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 30th, 2010 at 8:57 am

The nominations for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced.  Here’s a quick breakdown of some interesting facts about the nominees.  After winning the top prize at the Gotham Awards last night, Winter’s Bone leads the pack with seven nominations.  And if you need more proof that the Best Actress race this year is crazy, it was the only category with a six nominees.

It’s also a good year for women filmmakers as Lisa Cholodenok (The Kids Are All Right) and Debra Granik (Winter’s Bone) pick up nominations for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Nicole Holofcener also picked up a Best Screenplay nomination along with the Robert Altman Award for Please Give. Hit the jump for a full list of the nominees.  The Film Independent Spirit Awards will be held on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 10pm ET/PT on IFC.

2011 Oscar Preview

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 26th, 2010 at 8:04 am

The holiday season is officially upon us. While that means copious amounts of cholesterol and decidedly awkward confrontations with family members, it also makes for a few days of fairly slow news. So with that, what better time than now to start seriously thinking about the Oscars? Awards season is in full swing, and the majority of the “Oscar-bait” films have been seen, so we can now begin to put together some lists that actually make sense.  After scouring the field, we’ve broken down all the major categories and compiled what we see to be the frontrunners, likely nominations, and outside contenders in each race.

Before we begin, a quick reminder. This is still quite early in the Oscar season. While it’s true that most of the films have been seen and it’s decidedly easier to predict nominees at this time, choosing the winner is a bit tougher. A lot could change between now and February, or things could stay pretty much the same. We just don’t know. But this is how the races seem to be stacking up at the moment.  So what are you waiting for? Hit the jump and let the guessing game begin.

Running Dialogue #19: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1, THE NEXT THREE DAYS, and 127 HOURS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 20th, 2010 at 10:58 am

In the latest installment of our ongoing podcast series, Russ, Curt, and I discuss Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and The Next Three Days.  Also, since it’s finally expanding to the greater Atlanta area, we talk about Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours.  While all three of us liked these movies, we each had our own particular qualms.  We also go into spoiler territory on Deathly Hallows at the end of the episode, so be sure you listen after you’ve seen the movie if you want to get Russ’ thoughts on particular deus ex machinas in the movie as well as my issue regarding the unclear nature of one character’s fate.

Click here to listen to the new episode.  Also, you can hit the jump for a list of all the movies we’ve recommended so far. Finally, click here to add Running Dialogue to your RSS feed.

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design