One Man's Film Tangent: February 2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Why George Clooney Will Win Best Actor

Everyone seems to think that Jean Dujardin is the lock for the Best Actor Oscar. Listen to why I think it will be ol' George walking away with the award tonight.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Oscar Predictions 2012

Well, it’s that time of year again: Oscar predictions. Film writers and bloggers like to write about upsets and surprises and snubs and guarantees...but the truth is, no matter how much everyone likes to pretend like they know what’s going on inside the Academy’s mind, we’re all pretty much flying blind. Oh, sure, we’ve got plenty of evidence to build our cases upon–the biggest being the slew of various committee awards given out in the months building up to the big night–but at the end of the day, those really don’t add up to as much as we like to think they do. The ripe, rich history of Oscar shockers proves that.

Below, I’ve listed my personal predictions, minus the BS–you’ll find no arguing for why one nomination will win over another here, folks. I've based my guess strictly on what directions I sense the wind of the Academy steering in, as well as, admittedly, some of my own personal hopes and preferences. Like many of you, the thing I look forward to most on Oscar night isn’t pretending to know who or what is going to win, but rather, kicking back with my notecarded predictions and letting the oh-so-fake-but-oh-so-glamourous tidings of the event sweep over me for 26 hours (or however long the broadcast tends to last). I feel good about my predictions–some more than others–but regardless of how well I do numbers-wise, the fun won’t be diluted by overconfidence or grandiosity (I’m not smart enough for that, anyway). So, without further ado, here are my picks for who will win big come Sunday night:

The Top 7 Worst Superhero Films of All Time

With the release today of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (which currently has a glowing 12% on Rotten Tomatoes), I figured it was as good a time as any to write up a piece that I've been itching to tackle for a while now: the Top 7 Worst Superhero Films of All Time. Below you'll find my picks for #7-#1, as well as some "honorable" mentions below that.

7. Spider-Man 3:

Of the seven movies on this list, Spider-Man 3 is definitely the best of the bunch...yet oddly enough, it’s also easily the most disappointing. Coming off of the awesomeness of Spider-Man 2, Sam Raimi and company seemed to have all the materials they needed to make a terrific conclusion to their three-film story arch. Yet sadly, that didn’t happen. Crammed with subplots–many of which feel as if they were ripped from a soap opera, including Peter’s on-and-off-and-on-again relationship with Mary Jane, and a story thread with Harry that features, of all things, amnesia–the film tries its hardest to juggle the material, yet ultimately collapses under the weight of its excess.

Fault shouldn’t go solely to Raimi–stories of the studio’s pressuring of the director to include Venom in the film have been well documented–but regardless of whoever the blame goes, it still doesn’t change the fact that Spider-Man 3 represents a huge missed opportunity. The fact that it remains Raimi’s final sendoff to the series only makes the aftertaste that much more bitter.

Safe House Review

What's there to say about the new Denzel Washington film 'Safe House'? Now much, as it turns out.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Star Wars: Why I Appreciate the Prequel Trilogy More than the Original

With the re-release of 'Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace' this weekend, I thought I'd share a few of my own personal thoughts on Episode I, both as a film and as the starting point for one of the most maligned trilogies in film history.