Justin at the Movies

Christoph Waltz

// January 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // Random Movie Musings

When I mentioned the great speeches of the night on my previous Golden Globes post, I have no idea how I forgot about Christoph Waltz. This guys acceptance speech is brilliant. His performance in “Inglourouis Basterds” is well worth the rental price alone. This guy is so good, and was one of the very few actually deserved awards of the night. Because of the injustice of me not mentioning him before, I have posted his speech to the right. Watch it. I love this guy, and I hope to see a lot more of him.

Golden Globes 2009

// January 18th, 2010 // 7 Comments » // Random Movie Musings

So the Golden Globes have come and gone, and once again, just like the Oscars last year, they really screwed the pooch in one major category. We will get to that, but first Ricky Gervais was absolutely brilliant as the host. His constant jabs at actors and celebrities were incredibly funny, and he proved once again that he is the funniest man in the world. My favorite speech of the night belonged to Mo’Nique (surprisingly enough) and Jeff Bridges. Just about everybody else’s were pretty boring. And my favorite award of the night went to Michael C. Hall for Dexter. It’s about time he got an award for his incredible performance on that show. He has been deserving for three seasons and I am really glad he finally got his due. Here are the winners in case you didn’t see the show. Film results only though, after all this site isn’t called “justin on the couch.”

Best Motion Picture–Drama
Avatar

Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy
The Hangover

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture–Drama
Jeff Bridges–Crazy Heart

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture–Drama
Sandra Bullock–The Blindside

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy
Robert Downey Jr.–Sherlock Holmes

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy
Meryl Streep–Julie & Julia

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Christoph Waltz–Inglourious Basterds

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Mo’Nique

Best Director Motion Picture
James Cameron–Avatar

Best Screenplay
Up In The Air–Jason Reitman/Sheldon Turner

Best Animated Film
Up

First, Avatar winning best picture for the drama category?! Really?! James Cameron really owes all the awards he is going to win to his marketing team. They managed to come out of their meetings and tell everybody that Avatar was going to change filmmaking and the way films are made. What about Avatar is going to change the filmmaking? Somebody answer this question for me. This is all over the trailer and the posters, and now it’s all over forums and discussion boards, and yet nobody every says how it is doing this. The Avatar team has been saying this so much that everybody else just believes them and spews it out to the next person they talk to. Kudos to the marketing team for making this movie seem way more important then it really is. I like Avatar, I think it is a good movie, but the Hurt Locker should have won. The Hurt Locker is a superior film in every aspect, with the exception of animation and that’s because it doesn’t have any. Avatar is good, but it isn’t in the same league as the Hurt Locker. This was the biggest screw job of the night. The Hurt Locker is filmmaking at it’s finest, and it better get the oscar, although I don’t believe that’s going to happen.

Secondly, I am perfectly ok with The Hangover winning best picture for musical or comedy, and for Jeff Bridges winning best actor. These awards are both well deserved and I couldn’t think of a bad thing to say about either. On the positive side, I love Jeff Bridges, always have, and his speech was awesome. I love to see an actor who is completely humble and dedicated to his wife of 33 years. That’s an impressive feat for anybody, especially for a celebrity.

I have serious issues with the next three acting categories. Sandra Bullock winning best actress for the Blind Side? Really? Sandra Bullock has never proved to me that she can act. Even with good material in Crash, she does a sub par job. I won’t believe it until I see it. Meryl Streep winning for Julie & Julia was no surprise at all. Anybody with half of a brain knew that she was going to win. I wasn’t impressed at all by her impression of Julia Child. It wasn’t very accurate, and in fact, Jesse can do an almost exact impression of Meryl Streep doing it. So apparently, Jesse could also win a Golden Globe. And her fake humility is getting really old. She is so transparent, and I honestly think she is getting tired of trying to hide her ego, because it shines through more and more everytime I see her. And finally, to wrap up this paragraph, we have the completely one dimensional Robert Downey Jr. winning for Sherlock Holmes. Apparently ANYBODY can win a Golden Globe. This dude is always the same, and yet he didn’t get nominated for his other very similar roles. Hmm….that’s weird. There were four other much more deserving candidates that should have won. This makes me semi nauseated.

I am ok with James Cameron winning Best Director, although I felt Kathryn Bigelow deserved it more, but I understand the work that went into his film as well, so whatever. But oh boy does “Up” winning best animated feature really bother me. Award shows and Pixar have become a lot like college football polls. It no longer matters the quality of the film, it is all just depends on what the name on the box says. If it has pixars name on it, then it must be brilliant. Right? Just take one film that it was up against, let’s use “Coraline.” Up wasn’t as good of a story as Coraline, and the animation wasn’t as good as the animation was in Coraline, the directing was about the same quality, so I am not really sure how Up wins over Coraline. I think Coraline is a better film in almost every respect, and it doesn’t have damn dogs flying damn airplanes. Man, that is so dumb. I would give that award to Coraline, easy. But then again, I really enjoy watching the love affair between the awards shows and Pixar. Don’t I? Yes, I do, well, that’s what they tell me anyway.

And finally, I was going to have my oscar predictions up before the Golden Globes aired, but that didn’t happen. I really wanted to because I didn’t want anybody thinking that the results of the Golden Globes had anything to do with my predictions. I do already have them written down though, so take that. And for the record, I have been saying that Avatar was going to win best director and best picture for weeks now. It’s pretty obvious, although not completely deserved.

Michael C. Hall

// January 14th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Random Movie Musings

Michael C. Hall has cancer. Apparently he is going through the last of his treatments and his cancer is in remission. That’s all obviously a very good thing. It is Hodgkins-Lymphoma or whatever. I really don’t know exactly what that is and don’t really care to look it up. I am just glad to hear that he is going to kill his cancer, just like Dexter would. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself with that retarded joke. Why isn’t it ever the idiot actors or the waste of flesh ones have bad things happen to them. I am just glad it’s in remission, because Michael C. Hall is awesome.

Disgusting Movie Stat of the Day

// January 9th, 2010 // 18 Comments » // Random Movie Musings

In the last decade, only 2 of the top 20 grossing movies were based on original ideas. That makes me sick.

Iron Man 2

// January 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // Random Movie Musings

I wasn’t a big  fan of the first ‘Iron Man,’ and I certainly didn’t like it as much as everybody else. I thought it was ok, but Robert Downey Jr. ruins it for me. This is a guy who is always the same quick witted-fast talking-smart ass, and nobody calls him on this. He has one character! We saw it in ‘Wonder Boys,’ ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,’ ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Charlie Bartlett,’ and appears to be the same in ‘Sherlock Holmes.’ It drives me nuts. I am adding this trailer just because the trailer on my site needs to be changed. This trailer doesn’t impress me and the character of Robert Downey Jr…I mean Tony Stark drives me nuts. I will see this movie for Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell, even though they will both be bit parts. I realize Mickey Rourke is playing Whiplash but I fear that it will be a movie of “here comes Whiplash,” the whole time and then he won’t appear until the last half an hour. I hope that doesn’t turn out to be true.

Movies I Saw This Year Part 2

// December 31st, 2009 // 6 Comments » // Random Movie Musings

Here is the breakdown of the list of movies that I saw this year. This year was very strange. This year had me go through a very weird horror movie phase. This was also the year that I watched the least amount of movies since 2002. I was busy though, so leave me alone. 2009 was also the worst year for movies of the decade. It was really bad, and I fear it’s just going to get worse.

Action: 27
Animated: 5
Comedy: 44
Documentary: 10
Drama: 63
Foreign: 16
Horror: 33
Sci-Fi: 9
Western: 4
Total Movies I saw: 211

Movies That I saw In Theaters
17 Again
500 Days of Summer
Adventureland
Angels & Demons
Avatar
District 9
Duplicity
Frost/Nixon
G.I. Joe
Gran Torino
The Hangover
He’s Just Not That Into You
Invictus
Paranormal Activity
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Public Enemies
Push
Star Trek
Terminator: Salvation
Twilight: New Moon
Watchmen
Where The Wild Things Are
Up
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Total Movies Seen In Theaters: 24 (Some of these are real winners too!)

Quality of Movies I Saw This Year
Five Star: 15
Four Star: 38
Three Star: 64
Two Star: 75
One Star: 19
*This is certainly indicative of the quality of movies that came out this year. Stupid 2009.

Worst Movie I Saw All Year:  Disaster Movie (Possibly the worst movie ever made.)
Worst Movie That Came Out In 2009:  Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (Yes, this is WAY worse than G.I. Joe. Seriously.)
Best Movie That Came Out In 2009:  500 Days of Summer

Movies I Saw This Year

// December 31st, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Random Movie Musings

Anybody that knows me knows that I love making lists. Here is an end of the year list detailing the movies that I saw this year. The breakdown will be coming in a part 2 post, because this list is just too long as it is. It goes like this.

A list of the movies I saw

An asterisk denotes a movie that I had seen before this year but watched it again in 2009 for whatever reason.

9
17 Again
30 Days of Night
500 Days of Summer
About A Boy
Absolute Power
Adventureland
All The Real Girls
American Psycho*
Angels & Demons
Appaloosa
Avatar
Away We Go
Bangkok Dangerous
Bart Got A Room
Beauty And The Beast*
Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure*
Blade*
Blade 2*
The Blair Witch Project*
Blindness
Body Heat
Body Of Lies
Bring It On Again*
The Brothers Bloom
Cache
Cars
Changeling
Choke
Coach Carter
Con Air*
Confessions Of A Superhero
Coraline
The Craft*
Crossing Over
Cursed
Dan In Real Life*
Darkon
Death Sentence
Defiance
Devil In A Blue Dress
The Devil’s Rejects*
Dirty Harry
Disaster Movie
District 9
Don’t Say A Word
Donkey Punch
Dot The I
Doubt
Drag Me To Hell
Duplicity
Eagle vs. Shark
Earth
Edmond
Entre Les Murs (The Class)
Extract
Eye Of The Beholder*
Fatal Attraction
Fired Up
Flatliners*
Food, Inc.
Forever Strong
Forgetting Sarah Marshall*
The French Connection
Friday the 13th
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Funny People
G.I. Joe
Gigantic
The Girl Next Door
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Gran Torino
The Green Mile*
Gwoemul (The Host)
Halloween*
Hamlet*
The Hangover
Happy Go Lucky
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
The Haunting In Connecticut
Haute Tension (High Tension)
He’s Just Not That Into You
Hellraiser
High Plains Drifter
A History Of Violence*
House Of Wax*
The House On Haunted Hill*
Huo Yuan Jia (Fearless)
I Know What You Did Last Summer*
I Know Who Killed Me
I Love You, Beth Cooper
I Love You, Man
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer*
Il y a Longtemps que je t’aime (I’ve Loved You So Long)
Imagine: John Lennon
Inglourious Basterds
Interview With The Vampire*
Invictus
Jacob’s Ladder
James Bond: Casino Royale*
James Bond: Quantum Of Solace
Jennifer’s Body
Julie & Julia
Jurassic Park*
Jurassic Park: The Lost World*
Kaerlighed pa Film (Just Another Love Story)
Killing Me Softly
Killshot
Last Chance Harvey
The Last House On The Left
Lat Den Ratte Komma In (Let The Right One In)
Les Triplettes de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville)
The Life Of David Gale*
Little Giants*
Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run)*
Lonely Hearts
The Lookout*
The Lost Boys*
Mar Ardentro (The Sea Inside)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Milk
Miss March
Mission Impossible 3
The Missouri Breaks
The Mist
Mrs. Doubtfire*
Murder On A Sunday Morning
Mutant Chronicles
My Cousin Vinny*
Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Night Of The Living Dead
Not Quite Hollywood
The Notorious Bettie Page
Observe And Report
The Omen
Orphan
Palookaville
Paranormal Activity
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
The People Under The Stairs
A Perfect Getaway
Phantoms*
Pineapple Express
Pretty Persuasion
Public Enemies
Push
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
Rec
Religulous
Righteous Kill
Ring Around The Rosie
Robocop*
Robocop 2*
Role Models
Rounders*
Seven Pounds
Seven Samurai
Sexy Beast
Shaun Of The Dead*
The Siege
The Signal
The Silence Of The Lambs*
Sin Nombre
Sleepless In Seattle
Slumdog Millionaire
Snatch*
Sorority Boys*
Space Cowboys
Species*
Star Trek
State Of Play
Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li
Sunset Boulevard
Surveillance
Synechdoche, Ny
Taken
Taking Lives*
The Taking Of Pelham 123
Taking Woodstock
Tenku no Shiro Rapyuta (Castle In The Sky)
Terminator 2*
Terminator: Salvation
Transformers 2
Transporter 3
Twilight: New Moon
Tyson
The Unborn
The Uninvited
Unleashed
Up
Vacancy
Venus Beaute (The Venus Beauty Institute)
Vicky Christina Barcelona
Waiting For Guffman*
Waltz With Bashir
Watchmen
What Doesn’t Kill You
Where The Wild Things Are
The Whole Nine Yards*
Winter Passing
The Witches*
World’s Greatest Dad
The Wrestler*
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Year One
Yes Man
Zak And Miri

Brittany Murphy

// December 20th, 2009 // No Comments » // Random Movie Musings

For those of you living under a rock, Brittany Murphy passed away this morning after going into cardiac arrest. Although she may not have been the most talented actress, she was very loveable and very popular among the hollywood crowd. Regardless of what anyone thinks of her ability as an actress, it is always sad to see somebody pass at such a young age. She will be sorely missed by all of those that knew her personally, and by those of us who felt like we knew her through her movies.

2010 Golden Globe Nominations

// December 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Random Movie Musings

Ahh, award season is upon us. Although I am not nearly as excited as I usually am, because 2009 might be the worst year on record for movies, but I am still excited. Although the Golden Globes mean almost nothing to me, here are the film nominations. There will definitely be more posts about this.

BEST MOTION PICTURE–DRAMA:

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up In The Air

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE–DRAMA:

Emily Blunt–The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock–The Blind Side
Helen Mirren–The Last Station
Carey Mulligan–An Education
Gabourey Sadibe–Precious

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE–DRAMA:

Jeff Bridges–Crazy Heart
George Clooney–Up In The Air
Colin Firth–A Single Man
Morgan Freeman–Invictus
Tobey Maguire–Brothers

BEST MOTION PICTURE–COMEDY OR MUSICAL:

500 Days of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE–COMEDY OR MUSICAL:

Sandra Bullock–The Proposal
Marion Cotillard–Nine
Julia Roberts–Duplicity
Meryl Streep–Julie & Julia
Meryl Streep–It’s Complicated

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE–COMEDY OR MUSICAL:

Matt Damon–The Informant!
Daniel Day-Lewis–Nine
Robert Downey Jr.–Sherlock Holmes
Joseph Gordon-Levitt–500 Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg–A Serious Man

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE:

Mo’Nique–Precious
Julianne Moore–A Single Man
Anna Kendrick–Up In The Air
Vera Farmiga–Up In The Air
Penelope Cruz–Nine

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE:

Matt Damon–Invictus
Stanley Tucci–The Lovely Bones
Christopher Plummer–The Last Station
Christoph Waltz–Inglourious Basterds
Woody Harrelson–The Messenger

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

Coraline
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
The Princess and the Frog

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

Barria
Broken Embraces
A Prophet
The White Ribbon
The Maid

BEST DIRECTOR–MOTION PICTURE:

Kathryn Bigelow–The Hurt Locker
Clint Eastwood–Invictus
James Cameron–Avatar
Jason Reitman–Up In The Air
Quentin Tarantino–Inglourious Basterds

BEST SCREENPLAY–MOTION PICTURE:

Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner–Up In The Air
Nancy Meyers–It’s Complicated
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell–District 9
Mark Boal–The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino–Inglourious Basterds

Historical Significance

// December 15th, 2009 // 7 Comments » // Jesse, Random Movie Musings

by Jesse

I want to pose a question to everyone.  Do you think it’s okay for filmmakers to change the outcome of a true story with historical significance for the benefit of their movie?  For example, if a filmmaker makes a movie about a war, do you think it’s okay for them to change important details, like how the war ended?  I’m not asking about documentaries because I think we would all agree that the very essence of a documentary is that it is supposed to be 100% accurate.  I’m asking about a dramatic representation of a true story.  In the movie “Titanic,” a story line of two young lovers was added to make the movie more enjoyable for the average audience.  Do you think it’s a big deal that they did that?  Now, what if they made it so the boat didn’t sink?  Would that be okay?  What about taking a real person and changing their story for your movie?  Do filmmakers have complete creative license to change the facts as long as they’re not claiming it to be completely true?  Let me know what you think.