Film: Glass

GENRE: Drama

RATING: PG-13 for violence, language & thematic elements
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 9 minutes

STARRING: James McAvoy (Split, Atonement, X-Men: First Class)

Bruce Willis (Die Hard, Sixth Sense), Samuel L Jackson (Unbreakable)

DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan (Split, Unbreakable, Sixth Sense)

WRITER: Shyamalan (Signs, The Village, The Visit, Unbreakable, Split)

PLOT: David Dunn, Elijah Price and Kevin Wendell Crumb all end up in the same institution.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Loved Unbreakable, just okay with Split.

STORY STUFF: In my opinion, Shyamalan is back. While the critics are having a hey-day bashing the filmmaker and making ‘glass half empty’ quips, I think Shyamalan has made a solid conclusion to his trilogy. It’s not perfect. The pacing is slow (like Unbreakable). I will admit that it is a pretty slow burn but I’m fine with it as long as there is a good pay-off. And I think the pay-off was pretty awesome. Shyamalan loves twists and thankfully gives you some breadcrumbs to follow so it’s earned. There were a number of scenes I found myself scoffing at but later looked back and understood. A lot of time is spent on McAvoy’s character and I wish it was more evenly split between the three (pun intended). I will say, if you haven’t seen Unbreakable or Split, this will be a lot harder to enjoy. See those first, especially Unbreakable.

ACTING STUFF: Willis and Jackson seamlessly fall back into their roles. The stand-out of course is McAvoy who continues to impress with his quick-changing multiple personalities. I found Sarah Paulson (AHS, ACS, Ocean’s 8) annoying, but I think I was supposed to. When David Dunn’s son, Joseph, appears, I was impressed with the casting department. This guy looked exactly like the kid in Unbreakable. The eyes, the face. Then I realized it was the same actor, Spencer Treat Clark (Agents of Shield). Felt a bit foolish.   

ARTISTIC STUFF: I was surprised that the colour palette wasn’t played with more. Sure there is a lot of purple for Mr. Glass, but the tone shifts a bunch, especially at the end. I used to be more impressed with Shyamalan’s cinematography skills. There was nothing that grabbed me in this one though. I liked a lot of the music. Not much else artistically, which is a shame and downgrades the film a bit for me.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like Unbreakable or Split or Shyamalan.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

Oscar Nominee Predictions

The Oscar nominations are being announced this Tuesday (my birthday).  Here is who I think will get the nominations this year and who I wish would get nominated (based on what I’ve seen). At this stage, I do not predict the shorts (live, animated or documentary), foreign films, animated feature or documentaries.

BEST PICTURE

Will be nominated: BlacKkKlansman | Black Panther | Bohemian Rhapsody | The Favourite | Green Book | If Beale Street Could Talk | Mary Poppins Returns | Roma | A Star is Born | Vice

Others I want nominated: A Quiet Place

BEST ACTOR

Will be nominated: Christian Bale (Vice) | Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born) | Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate) | Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) | Robert Redford (The Old Man and the Gun)

Others I want nominated: Viggo Mortensen (Green Book) | Lin-Manuel Miranda (Mary Poppins Returns)

BEST ACTRESS

Will be nominated: Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns) | Glenn Close (The Wife) | Olivia Colman (The Favourite) | Lady Gaga (A Star is Born) | Nicole Kidman (Destroyer)

Others I want nominated: can’t think of anyone

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Will be nominated: Mahershala Ali (Green Book) | Timothee Chalamet (Beautiful Boy) | Sam Elliott (A Star is Born) | Richard E Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) | Sam Rockwell (Vice)

Others I want nominated: John Krasinski (A Quiet Place)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Will be nominated: Amy Adams (Vice) | Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) | Emma Stone (The Favourite) | Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) | Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians)

Others I want nominated: Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place) | Letitia Wright (Black Panther)

BEST DIRECTOR

Will be nominated: Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born) | Alfonso Cuaron (Roma) | Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk) | Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) | Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)

Others I want nominated: John Krasinski (A Quiet Place) | Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Will be nominated: BlacKkKlansman | Black Panther | First Man | If Beale Street Could Talk | A Star is Born

Others I want nominated: Mary Poppins Returns

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Will be nominated: Eighth Grade | The Favourite | Green Book | A Quiet Place | Vice

Others I want nominated: Bohemian Rhapsody | Isle of Dogs

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Will be nominated: Black Panther| The Favourite | If Beale Street Could Talk | Roma | A Star is Born

Others I want nominated: Bohemian Rhapsody | A Quiet Place

BEST FILM EDITING

Will be nominated: The Favourite | Green Book | Roma | A Star is Born | Vice

Others I want nominated: Bohemian Rhapsody | A Quiet Place|  

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Will be nominated: Black Panther | The Favourite | First Man | Mary Poppins Returns | A Star is Born

Others I want nominated: Bohemian Rhapsody | Fantastic Beasts 2 | Isle of Dogs | Welcome to Marwen

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Will be nominated: Bohemian Rhapsody | Black Panther | The Favourite | Mary Poppins Returns | Mary Queen of Scots

Others I want nominated: Green Book

BEST MAKEUP & HAIR

Will be nominated: Bohemian Rhapsody | Mary Queen of Scots | Vice

Others I want nominated: Black Panther

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Will be nominated: Avengers: Infinity War | Black Panther | Mary Poppins Returns | Ready Player One | Solo: A Star Wars Story

Others I want nominated: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Welcome to Marwen

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Will be nominated: Black Panther | First Man | Isle of Dogs | Mary Poppins Returns | A Quiet Place

Others I want nominated: can’t think of any

BEST SONG

Will be nominated: “All The Stars” (Black Panther) | “Girl in the Movies” (Dumplin’) | “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” (Mary Poppins Returns) | “I’ll Fight” (RBG) | “Shallow” (A Star is Born)

Others I want nominated: “Nowhere to Go But Up” (Mary Poppins Returns)

BEST SOUND EDITING

Will be nominated: Black Panther | First Man | Incredibles 2 | Mission: Impossible - Fallout | A Quiet Place

Others I want nominated: Avengers: Infinity War | Bohemian Rhapsody

BEST SOUND

Will be nominated: Black Panther | Bohemian Rhapsody | First Man | Mary Poppins Returns | A Star is Born

Others I want nominated: A Quiet Place | Ready Player One

Let’s see how I do.

2019 Golden Globes Recap

The odd pairing of Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh as hosts worked for the most part. It really looked like Andy was nervous up there. I enjoyed the moving of Jim Carrey from the movie tables to the TV tables. Fun stuff. Most of the presenter banter was pretty weak with the exception of Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph who stole the spotlight. Too many acceptance speeches had too many thank you’s and extra political stuff. I did enjoy Olivia Colman’s flighty speech, Mahershala Ali’s classy speech, and Christian Bale’s drunk words including thanking Satan. I loved Steve Carrell introduction of Carol Burnett, her speech and the fact that there is now an honorary award for television. Speaking of honorary awards, what was Jeff Bridges smokin’? He can’t be the dude all the time. When it came to the awards, I was happy that Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book got some love. Also that The Americans won best series (though snubbed for acting). And is it wrong that I was practically giddy that A Star is Born only won the song category and nothing else? Anyway, here are the winners:

Best Motion Picture – Drama

Bohemian Rhapsody (wanted)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Glenn Close (The Wife) (wanted)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) (wanted)

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

Green Book

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

Christian Bale (Vice) (wanted)

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Regina King (if Beale Street Could Talk)

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Mahershala Ali (Green Book) (wanted)

Best Animated Feature Film

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (wanted)

Best Foreign Language Film

Roma (Mexico) (wanted)

Best Director – Motion Picture

Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Peter Farrelly, Brian Currie, Nick Vallelonga (Green Book)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Justin Hurwitz (First Man)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

“Shallow” (A Star is Born)

Best Television Series – Drama

The Americans (wanted)

Best Actress in A Television Series – Drama

Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)

Best Actor in A Television Series – Drama

Richard Madden (Bodyguard)

Best Television Series – Comedy

The Kominsky Method

Best Actress in A Television Series – Comedy

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Best Actor in A Television Series – Comedy

Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)

Best Limited Series or TV Movie

The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora) (wanted)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Darren Criss (Assassination of Gianni Versace) (wanted)

Best Supporting Actress in a Series or TV Movie

Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects)

Best Supporting Actor in a Series or TV Movie

Ben Wishaw (A Very English Scandal)

Film: Green Book

GENRE: Biography, Comedy, Drama

RATING: PG-13 for language and some violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 10 minutes

STARRING: Viggo Mortensen (LOTR, Captain Fantastic, The Road)

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Luke Cage), Linda Cardellini (ER)

DIRECTOR: Peter Farrelly (Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, Fever Pitch)

WRITERS: Brian Hayes Currie (newcomer) &

Peter Farrelly (There’s Something About Mary, Shallow Hal)

PLOT: A bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American pianist on tour of the American South in the 1960s.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I enjoyed the trailer (KFC scene particularly).

STORY STUFF: A great road trip movie. Checks all the boxes: growing friendship, car trouble, hotel issues, police involvement, etc. While I’m always disgusted with humanity when I see such blatant racism displayed in film, it’s unfortunate that I’ve seen these types of scenes before. I did enjoy Ali’s mini-speech in the rain though. I also thoroughly enjoyed the KFC scene.  

ACTING STUFF: You could tell that Mortensen was having a lot of fun with his role. Sure, he went a bit overboard with the Italian-American stereotype but it worked for some reason. Ali is always a treat to watch. He has this naturally charisma that just jumps off the screen.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: Nothing really profound about the cinematography or editing. The music choices worked and didn’t depend on the usual road trip classics. I actually really enjoyed Mahershala Ali’s costumes. Such bold choices at times. I would never wear that but am impressed with those with the confidence to pull them off.

VERDICT: Three and a half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like road trip movies and aren’t racist.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Golden Globes recap

Film: The Favourite

GENRE: Biography, Comedy?

RATING: R for sexual content, nudity and language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 59 minutes

STARRING: Olivia Colman (Broadchurch, The Night Manager)

Emma Stone (Easy A, The Help), Rachel Weisz (The Mummy))

DIRECTOR: Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

WRITERS: Deborah Davis (newcomer) & Tony McNamara (British TV)

PLOT: In 18^th century England, a frail Queen Anne depends on her close friend, Lady Sarah, until a new servant works her way up the ladder.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Oscar hopeful. Top of a lot of lists.

STORY STUFF: It was a creative approach to period drama, I will say that. At the Golden Globes, it’s labeled as a comedy (but they also said The Martian was comedic) which seems wrong. There is definitely a quirkiness about it and the content is more outlandish than expected but still. The story is missing something and it’s hard to put your finger on it. Maybe more backstory, maybe more characters, I don’t know. It kept me interested, so that helps.

ACTING STUFF: It was fun to see Colman in such a cringingly wacky role. The deterioration of her character is hard to watch though. Weisz is a force to be reckoned with. She played the calculating friend beautifully. Stone gives a good performance but other than wearing corsets didn’t pull me in like the other two ladies.

ARTISTIC STUFF: This movie does not have the sweeping shots you would expect from a period piece. The color is dingy at times, the hallways go on forever and the darkness permeates a lot of scenes. The oddest addition is the fish eye lens used to show wider shots while distorting the surroundings. Also the music devolves into one note played repeatedly for long stretches of time. Interesting, yet bizarre.

VERDICT: Two and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You want to prepare for Oscars and like quirky stuff

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Green Book

2019 Golden Globe Predictions

So the Golden Globes are this Sunday. Usually, I give my predictions of who I want to win and who will win. This year, I wasn’t very impressed with many of the nominee choices, especially in the television comedy categories. However, to make it a bit more interesting, I’ll make a list of who I want to win (if I was being threatened in some way). Let’s see how I do this year.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

Want to Win: Bohemian Rhapsody
Had the most fun watching this one

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA

Want to Win: Rami Malek [Bohemian Rhapsody
He embodied the role of Freddie Mercury so well.

 
BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA

Want to Win: Glenn Close [The Wife]
Don’t want Lady Gaga to win. Close deserves a trophy.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY

Want to Win: Mary Poppins Returns
Had an enchanting time watching this one.

BEST ACTOR – COMEDY

Want to Win: Christian Bale [Vice]
Another masterful performance. Also am okay with Bradley Cooper.

BEST ACTRESS – COMEDY

Want to Win: Elsie Fisher [Eighth Grade]
Not that the film was funny, but she was so believable in it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - FILM

Want to Win: Mahershala Ali [Green Book]
Didn’t see the film, but really like the actor.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - FILM

Want to Win: Amy Adams [Vice]
Haven’t seen The Favourite. Adams is pretty great in Vice though.

BEST DIRECTOR

Want to Win: Bradley Cooper [A Star is Born]
He did do a great job putting this film together.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Want to Win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
I also really like Isle of Dogs

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Want to Win: Roma [Mexico]
Apparently this black and white film is amazing.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Want to Win: Adam McKay [Vice]
It’s pretty funny.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Want to Win: Marco Beltrami [A Quiet Place]
The music was so important in this otherwise quiet film.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Want to Win: “All the Stars” [Black Panther]
Can’t believe no Mary Poppins songs are nominated.

BEST TV SERIES – DRAMA

Want to Win: The Americans
Only one I’ve seen. Also deserves it for the finale alone.

BEST ACTOR – DRAMA

Want to Win: Matthew Rhys [The Americans]
Give him another trophy for this awesome series.

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA

Want to Win: Keri Russell [The Americans]
Gender equality, give her a trophy as well.

BEST TV SERIES – COMEDY

Want to Win: Barry
Glad Good Place was nominated but liked Barry better this year.

BEST ACTOR – COMEDY

Want to Win: Bill Hader [Barry]
It was so fun watching him playing a hitman who wants to act.

BEST ACTRESS – COMEDY

Want to Win: Kristen Bell [The Good Place]
Please no win for Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Bell deserves this trophy.

BEST LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE

Want to Win: Escape at Dannemora
Interesting story and suspenseful at times. Couldn’t get into Sharp Objects.

BEST ACTOR – LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE

Want to Win: Darren Criss [Assassination of Gianni Versace]
He did rock this role as a serial killer.

BEST ACTRESS – LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE

Want to Win: Patricia Arquette [Escape at Dannemora]
She did a great job being cringingly pathetic.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - TELEVISION

Want to Win: Henry Winkler [Barry]
Give him more awards!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – TELEVISION

Want to Win: Yvonne Strahovski [The Handmaid’s Tale]
It’s a long shot but I’ve liked the actress since Chuck.

There you have it.

2019 Film Preview

Here are the films that look interesting for the new year. Again, I am basing a lot of my picks on the people involved, familiarity, or an interesting plot description. My opinions may change closer to the release dates (I missed one films from last year – thankfully it was Holmes & Watson). Keep in mind that most these dates are flexible (some might get pushed into 2020). Here they are in release date order:

Jan.18 Glass

M. Night Shyamalan unites the awesome Unbreakable and Split. I’m there.

Feb.08 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

Loved the first Lego Movie. Chris Pratt is hilarious as is the concept.

Mar.01 Chaos Walking

Doug Liman directs Charlie Kaufman’s script with Tom Holland & Daisy Ridley.

Mar.08 Captain Marvel

Bring on more Marvel with an extra dose of younger Coulson and Fury.

Mar.22 Greyhound

Tom Hanks wrote and stars as a Navy commander. I like Tom Hanks.

Mar.29 Dumbo

Not my favourite Disney but interested in Tim Burton and his merry band.

Apr.05 Shazam!

Love Zachary Levi (Chuck) and the silliness of this superhero flick.

Apr.26 Avengers: End Game

Gotta catch the conclusion of this story. Anticipating this film the most.

May.17 John Wick: Chapter 3

I’ll watch Keanu Reeves kick some ass for a third installment.

May.24 Aladdin

I think it’ll all hinge on Will Smith’s performance as the genie. Here’s hopin’.

Jun.21 Toy Story 4

I have complete faith in Pixar and their Toy Story franchise.

Jun.28 Ford vs Ferrari

Matt Damon and Christian Bale work together to take down Ferrari.

Jul.19 The Lion King

Curious about the new voices and the more realistic animation.

Jul.26 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

It’s Tarantino’s ninth film. It has Pitt and DiCaprio. It’s a no-brainer.

Oct.04 Joker

It’ll be hard for Joaquin Phoenix to beat Heath Ledger but I’ll give it a shot.

Oct.11 Zombieland 2

The cast is back for some more humourous zombie fun.

Oct.18 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Tom Hanks is Mr. Rogers. As I said before, I like Tom Hanks.

Nov.27 Knives Out

I like director Rian Johnson (Last Jedi). Daniel Craig is a detective in this.

Dec.20 Star Wars IX

Okay, maybe anticipating this more than Avengers: End Game. It’s a tie.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Golden Globe Predictions

2019 Television Preview

Wondering when your shows are returning? Here’s when my shows are returning, as well as a few new shows to check out this winter. I will try and keep this post updated as new dates roll in for some of the ‘To Be Announced’ series. Enjoy.

(Green = New Series, Grey=New Season, Blue=Continuing Season from Fall)

The Big Bang Theory (Jan.3)
Young Sheldon (Jan.3)

The Simpsons (Jan.6)
Happy Together (Jan.7)
Modern Family (Jan.9)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 6 begins (Jan.10)

The Good Place (Jan.10)

Friends from College: Season 2 begins (Jan.11)

True Detective: Season 3 begins (Jan.13)

The Good Doctor (Jan.14)

This is Us (Jan.15)

The Flash (Jan.15)
The Punisher: Season 2 begins (Jan 18)

Saturday Night Live (Jan.19)

Black Monday premieres Jan.20 on Showtime

Don Cheadle in a Wall Street comedy during the 1987 stock market crash

Crashing: Season 3 begins (Jan.20)

Suits (Jan.23)

Russian Doll premieres Feb.1 on Netflix

Natasha Lyonne’s party keeps replaying but ends with her death in this comedy

Whiskey Cavalier premieres Feb.27 on ABC

Lauren Cohan (Walking Dead) and Scott Foley as CIA agents

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Season 6 begins (Feb TBA)

Masterchef Junior: Season 7 begins (Feb TBA)

The Fix premieres Mar.8 on ABC

Marcia Clark-type lawyer is drawn into a celebrity murder
Billions: Season 4 begins (Mar.17)
Veep: Season 7 begins (Mar 31)

Game of Thrones: Season 8 begins (April 14)
iZombie: Season 5 begins (May 2)

The Amazing Race: Season 31 begins (May.22)

Jessica Jones: Season 3 begins (Spring/Summer TBA)

Homeland: Season 7 begins (June 2019)

Stranger Things: Season 3 begins (July 4)

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Season 11 begins (July TBA)

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD: Season 6 begins (July TBA)

The Crown: Season 3 begins (2019 TBA)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: 2019 Film Preview