We'll Be Back in Business Starting January 25th

After having some laptop issues which were out of my control, I've been watching films, old and new, and doing what I can to keep myself updated. But I'm back. Well. Soon at least. I'll be posting new material on here beginning next Wednesday, as these next few days I'll be preparing to head back to college. I shall see you all soon.

Must See Movies for January

We're about one week into January, and it's safe to say that there really hasn't been many good movies to check out. Actually, just yesterday I received two free passes to go to a pre-screening of The Devil Inside. I decided to stay home and watch the Rangers game instead. Anywho! Here's 7 films, plus a couple of mentions if you're interested in some possible Oscar worthy films that I'm not all that interested in. All plot info comes from Moviefone.

Movie Review - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Screenplay - 3/5

While the film sounded extremely smart and sophisticated, it doesn't mean that it's easy for an audience to truly understand what people are talking about. I get that it's tough to condense a novel into a film format, especially knowing that there's a 7 episode television series (which would be about 7 hours devoted to the source material), but clearly there were just too many characters to remember and just too much going on. 

Editing/Pacing - 3/5

Again, bringing up the fact this film is based off a novel that has so much material, it's tough to find the perfect balance. The film does start off a tad slow, but it does slowly build itself up. At times it does feel awkward, but it's due to the fact that the film is trying so hard to fit as much as possible. It all does work out in the end for a fantastic finish.

Score - 4/5

It's not overpowering to where it'll blow your ears off (looking at you Hans), but it's not something that'll move you to feel a certain way. It helps to dictate the direction the film is going. At times, the score is so subtle that you can confuse it for something that's playing in the life of these characters. The score was created by Alberto Iglesias, who has also composed for films such as The Constant Gardener, Volver, and The Kite Runner.

Mise-En-Scene - 5/5

The look of the film feels so much like Britain during the 1970's as far as the color scheme goes. It all feels like an espionage film, which is where you have to give credit to Art Directors Tom Brown and Zsuzsa Kismarty-Lechner. The film is filled with brown and gray palettes, and you can just feel something shady is going on.

Acting - 5/5

This was expected with the superb cast that takes part in this film. Gary Oldman, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Stephen Graham, Kathy Burke, Svetlana Khodchenkova. This is a massive list, and all of them play their parts perfectly, regardless of how small a role it may have been. Gary Oldman, playing the lead role of George Smiley, really just takes the role and runs with it. He challenges Guinness, who was amazing in his portrayal of Smiley. Gary Oldman should be considered for Best Actor, but we'll just have to see what happens. John Hurt, who had a short amount of screen time, gives it his all, and it's obvious he's exhausted from his search to find this mole that lies within his men. I could go through each actor one by one, but I'll jump to the actor who really took it away: Benedict Cumberbatch. Most of you may not know him, but I'm telling you...he'll be around for quite some time. He ends up playing the role of Smiley's right hand man, Peter Guillam. For the sake of the movie, I won't say much more about the character, but you'll most definitely be impressed. 

Directing - 5/5

Taking a piece of literature like this is tough to put into a film, especially when there's a lot that comes with the challenge. Tomas Alfredson takes the challenge and makes the world of 1970's Britain his own. Every choice that Alfredson made worked out perfectly for the film, and I'm sure he won't get the appreciation he deserves come Oscar season, but it surely won't go unnoticed. Alfredson, who also directed the vampire film Let The Right One In, has a great idea of what he wants, and brings out the best in his actors.

Overall - 4/5

This is a dark horse film that could possibly win Best Picture in the majority of award shows, but, being realistic, it probably won't win much. That doesn't take away from how fantastic this film truly is. It has so much going for it, and to pick out any flaws the film may have actually hurts me. I will say this, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the best film I've had the chance to watch to come out in 2011.

New Review System

Instead of just giving a number review, I'll be breaking the film down by certain aspects of filmmaking -- screenplay, editing, score, mise-en-scene, acting, and directing. From there, I'll be giving a certain number of stars, ranging from 1 - 5. When I get other members to be a part of the group, they may have different ways. But from here on out, this is how I'll be doing things. Tomorrow I'll begin with three films - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Midnight Cowboy, and On The Waterfront.

New Segments for 2012/Help Wanted

Alright! After having a bit of time off to refresh and relax, I'm back. And I've got some things in-store for the next year. If I keep at it for that long. Who knows. We'll see. Anywho. I have a few ideas I'm going to try out for the blog, and I'll see how smoothly they go. Although I will say that I may not be able to work on here as much as I am associated with another blog, so we'll see how things work out.

Now let's get to the new segments. First off, with the Oscars coming up, I'll be doing my usual predictions on A) who should be nominated; and B) who should win. This is nothing new if you know me, but it's something I'll take much more seriously this time around. Next, I'll be doing a month by month review of films that I believe will be either fantastic or just fun to watch. Films will range from blockbusters, indie films, to films that seem like they'll be awful but look like it'll be funny as hell to watch, whether it be intentional or not (looking at you Ghost Rider). I will try to be more consistent with my movie reviews and with updates from onlocationvacations and premieres, but doing everything myself is pretty tough. Which is where I may be looking for some help.

If anyone would be interested in contributing to this blog in any way, contact me. I've done all I could on my own, and I want to expand this thing, and I won't be able to expand alone. If interested, my e-mail address is joshua.kaye@purchase.edu, or you can find me on facebook at Josh Kaye. Let's get this new year started!

69th Annual Golden Globe Nominations!

Ah...awards season. Such a wonderful time of the year. The nominations for one of the bigger awards shows, The Golden Globes, have been released today, and...well. They're actually not that awful. Compared to last year anyway. Don't forget, last year The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie received several nominations. Burlesque received a nomination for Best Comedy/Musical...it was awful. Really.

This year though...it actually seems promising. Yeah, there are a lot of snubs here and there which is expected, but I can't complain as much. Also, it's nice to see Ricky Gervais hosting again, that's always a fun time if I do say so myself! But yes. I shall give an analysis on the majority of the film categories right now, and hopefully you all appreciate it, as well as the snubs I've listed afterwards.

The Dark Knight Rises Viral Campaign Begins [UPDATED]

I was planning on keeping quiet for a while but I can't. This is really just taking over my mind. Alright. On December 7th, Wired and Empire both received documents, one being a CIA file, the other one being a transcript from what looks to be a CIA Station Chief at the US Embassy and a member of the Georgian Militia. Then from The Dark Knight Rises official twitter, @thefirerises, another document was revealed about "Operation Early Bird", which was expected to commence at 1:00 PM EST Time, 10:00 AM PST.

So far, I haven't seen anything, but with the prologue being released this month, and just all of the goddamn rumors. I have to know what's going on. I may be going on a break for a bit, but this is the one thing I will be damn sure to post for all of you. After the jump, I'll show you the documents. And if anything more comes from the campaign, regardless of how much of a break I want, I'll get it to you.

New Trailer for EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE

With the production of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, I always had one concern: the role of Oskar Schell. The way he's written in the book, with all of his quirks, it seems like it would take someone really special to play the role. Instead of getting an experienced child actor, they decided to pick up Thomas Horn, who won on Teen Jeopardy. This trailer has helped calm and relax me. Any worries are gone, and I expect this film to be absolutely amazing in every way. The film is in good hands as far as the director goes, as Stephen Daldry has been nominated for Best Director with each of his other three films: Billy Elliot, The Hours, and The Reader. I expect he'll earn another nomination for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

After the break, check out the new trailer and the synopsis if you don't really know what it is. The film also stars Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow, Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, and John Goodman. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close has a limited release for December 25th, and will have an extended release January 20th, 2012. 

Trailer for THE CABIN IN THE WOODS [UPDATED]

 

It really seems to be happening. A few days ago, this fantastic poster for The Cabin in the Woods was released. And now, we have our very first trailer. And, in my opinion, it doesn't disappoint. It seems like the film plays with almost every horror cliché there is, and adds in what seems to be a Truman Show effect. It seems like, along with the horror/slasher elements, there is a scientific element as well, which, for all you Buffy fans, isn't the first time Joss has experimented with this idea (Season 4 -- Adam). All in all, I'm pleased, and I'm excited to see much, much more as April 13th comes closer.

Unfortunately, youtube doesn't have a link for the trailer, as it's on Yahoo at this moment in time. I'll give you the link so you can see it, and I truly advise that you do. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchinson, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Bradley Whitford, Amy Acker and Richard Jenkins. Cabin in the Woods will be in theaters April 13, 2012. [UPDATE: The trailer has been posted on youtube. Therefore, after the jump, check out the trailer for The Cabin in the Woods here!]

Movie Review - The Muppets

Rating - 8/10

Directed by James Bobin. Written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller

Starring Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Rashida Jones and Chris Cooper

I have to be completely honest, I didn't grow up watching The Muppets. I've been exposed to them here and there, but there's not much I can say about them. I know the obvious one's, such as Kermit and Miss Piggy, but my knowledge after that is limited. This didn't take away from the excitement that was building in my heart for the new film, "The Muppets". This revival comes at a very odd time, considering there wasn't exactly a uprising for a new film to come to life. 

The movie opens up with the Muppets disbanded; the best years of the Muppets being years in the past. It's a pair of brothers who miss the Muppets the most, Gary (Jason Segal), and Walter, who is actually a muppet himself. The two first watch the Muppets as youths, and they've stuck together with them since. As Gary continues to grow as humans do, Walter stays the same size as Muppets do. 

Gary and his girlfriend of 10 years Mary (Amy Adams) plan to go to Los Angelas for their annivarsary, and decide to take Walter with them so he could have his chance to see the historic Muppet Studios. But when they get there, they see that the studios are abandoned and just a shadow of their former self. Walter decides to go off on his own, where he eventually overhears that millionaire Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) is planning on buying the studios and drilling for oil.

The three decide to find Kermit and convince him to raise enough money so that the Muppets could keep the studios for themselves. How much do they have to earn? Well. A lot. And considering the Muppets aren't as big as they used to be, trying to find a special guest host and a studio to help back them on their project seems to be extremely difficult. 

The film is filled with fantastic songs written by Bret McKenzie, one half of the duo Flight of the Conchords, which will make you laugh and make you cry. Not just crying from laughter either. The best part about the film is that while it's the human characters that attempt to help bring the Muppets back, they sit in the backseat for the majority of the movie. This isn't a movie about the relationship of a guy and girl; it's about the gathering of the Muppets. 

If you're a longtime Muppet fan or someone who doesn't know much about the group, it doesn't matter. The Muppets has a little bit of fun for everyone with the fun music and the numerous amounts of cameos. So, ladies a gentlemen, it's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights, it's time to meet The Muppets.