Divergent

 Hey everyone, I'm your faithful film freak and I'm currently lacking in the sleep department. I won't bore you with the details as to why I didn't get any sleep last night Of course, it didn't help that my brother was in town and he decided to wake me up. Let this be a lesson children, running on less than 2 hours of sleep isn't fun.


Say, are you in the mood for another young adult oriented film set in a fictional dystopia starring attractive young celebrities? I know I sure am. Because “The Hunger Games” has proved to be a worldwide success, other YA books are being adapted into film. However, having seen several of these movies, they're starting to blur together. I think it's great we have young female heroines for girls to look up to. Katniss Everdeen is our Mockingjay, showing us that we can make a huge impact on the world, even if we are just one person. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter taught us that brains as just as sexy as beauty.


Now we can add Beatrice “Tris” Prior to the list.


Well...I didn't exactly see her as a heroine. Sure, she's young and brave and ready to face all her new challenges but overall, she bored me. Her attitude is wishy washy at best. She can't seem to make a decision until she's absolutely forced to. Like, when her test results prove to be Divergent (which is actually bad in this world) she cannot choose her faction.


Let me spoil this real quick. In this version of a war torn Chicago, everyone is divided into factions in order to keep the peace. We have Abnegation, the selfless, Amity, the peaceful, Erudite, the intelligent, Candor, the honest and Dauntless, the fearless. Tris is in Abnegation but she's bored, questioning why she has to always be selfless. She can't even appreciate what she has because she can't seem to accept that she's Abnegation. So when the day to choose her faction comes, she goes back and forth between Dauntless and Erudite. It's not hard to guess what she picked if you've seen the trailers. Even after she joins her new faction, she questions everything.


I will give Tris some credit. She is determined. Even when everyone doubts her, she practices twice as hard as everyone else. Plus, I really like Shaliene Woodley. I see great things for her in the future and I am looking forward to seeing her performance in “The Fault In Our Stars”. I have yet to read that book but I picked up today. I did read some of “Divergent” and to my surprise, it isn't too bad. Ironically, the pacing of the text is extremely fast so it feels like everything happens in a matter of hours instead of days. It was almost dizzying for me. The film, however, is agonizingly slow. I get that you have to add in the exposition but you can leave some things out.


Let me side track for a moment. I want to talk about Four and yes that's his name in the movie. He's not bad looking. I actually thought it was Dave Franco at first but its not. It's Theo James, someone I know nothing about. I basically have no idea who any of these people are, save for Kate Winslet. Before this, I didn't even know who Woodley was, so this movie came as a pleasant surprise. She's actually good. As for everyone else, sorry, you're not memorable. I know Zoe Kravitz plays Christina, who ends up being Tris's best friend. She is a source of humor and mild comic relief but as with everyone else, lackluster.


Don't think I hated this film because in all honesty, I am indifferent. It wasn't great but it wasn't a failure. It knows its target audience and catered to that crowd. Speaking of the teenage audience...I have absolutely no shame in the fact that I yelled “Shut the hell up!” at you. I don't know why you felt it necessary to freak out when Four took his shirt off. He's not cute. And I'm too old for your crap. You should also know better than to cheer and whoop like that. Shame on you and shame on your chaperones for not stopping it. We were in a packed theater, so thank you for distracting everyone.


Also, woman who took a picture of her food, in the dark WITH FLASH...I don't care how good it looked, Instagram can wait.


Anyway, here's my main issue with “Divergent”. The book has some really interesting scenes where people are learning to train or they're getting to know each other better. The film plays the romance up so much. It dominates the film to the point where the main plot gets lost at times. Like, in the book, Four doesn't make his attraction to Tris so freaking obvious. He's more subtle, helping her in smaller ways but almost admitting he cares about her at one point. She asks what he has against her and why he hates her and Four almost says something along the lines of “I don't hate you I...”


Nerd moment. Doctor Who reference here. Let's all go back to when Rose was stranded and the Doctor was burning up a sun just to say goodbye...”Rose Tyler, I...”


IT NEEDS SAYING...IN BOTH CASES!


My other problem is that while it is exposition heavy, it also skips it at the same time. For instance, we don't get to know anything about the Prior family before the choosing day while in the book, we get to see more of Caleb and Beatrice's relationship. Like how she knew which faction he'd pick all along. So, while certain aspects, such as the romance, were emphasized heavily, some of the things I found more important were left out. For instance, in the text, Beatrice is bullied and treated horribly by almost everyone because she's from Abnegation. They don't just all become friends overnight. In fact, there are three people who constantly harass her.


Then again, there is also a scene involving a butter knife and an eyeball...glad that was left out.


But there's also this vague explanation about why they have factions. “The war tore us apart so this is to keep the peace.” Ok...why was there a war? Why did it destroy Chicago? What makes a person Divergent? I get that they have no strong leaning towards one faction but couldn't that be true of anyone? In all fairness, I have not read past this book, so I have no knowledge of what to expect. However, thanks to all you lovely fans on Pintrest, I know something really bad happens in the final book. Let me guess...Four dies?


But really, it's not a terrible movie. It's not the best movie I've seen this year, that still goes to Walter Mitty. The characters are interesting, the plot works out quite well and you do get genuinely absorbed to a point where you can tell what's real and what's a hallucination. However, because the romantic aspect is so important, I got bored of it. We get it, Tris and Four have a thing! It's as obvious as the twist about Eric. Also, Tris doesn't seem to see consequences from so of her actions. She breaks the rules and is praised by Four. She leaves the Dauntless training area for an entire day, doesn't get in trouble. It would be nice to know she isn't exempt from the rules.


I don't want to see this movie again but it was good enough to make me want to finish the book and start on the second one. If and when the sequel, “Insurgent” comes to theaters, I'll pay for a ticket. Overall, it is a decent film, even if it feels far too long and is clearly aimed at girls half my age. And I feel incredibly old saying that.


I want to make a quick not before my usual goofy sign off. Fry and I are planning to see “Noah” but I am extremely hesitant on whether I will review it or not. For one, its steadily becoming more controversial because of its inaccuracies and because I'm not comfortable discussing religious matters in general. It's nothing against religion, I just do not like discussing it. I'm always afraid I'll misquote something and offend someone. Should I choose to review “Noah”, I will make sure I have several people to consult. Mostly because knowing my luck, I'd somehow manage to say that Moses took unicorns in his helicopter. I apologize if that's out of line but I have been known to get a story so wrong no one even knows where it came from.


Other than that, Fry and I are attending a Captain America double feature on Thursday, so you have that to look forward to. I need to review “Pompeii” still. Don't laugh...I actually forgot that I'd seen it. That's how mediocre it was. It wasn't memorable at all. So that'll get written soon. Then I need to touch on “Muppets Most Wanted” which, sadly, was a bit of a let down for me.



I'm TheCinemaChick and I could be in my pajamas right now...with naked feet.

300: Rise of an Empire

 Hello everyone, I'm TheCinemaChick and I review all kinds of movies! I've seen it all, good and bad. Today, let's talk about the bad. Well, not bad so much as it needlessly gory and overly violent when it just didn't make sense. The first one was great and having watched it again, I can appreciate it more. In case you couldn't tell, we're discussing a sequel, one that did fairly well for roughly two weeks then failed miserably to “Mr. Peabody and Sherman”. Honestly, did not see that coming.


So, let's dive into the bloody water that is 300: Rise of an Empire.


First off, let me say that I hated this movie. It's on my worst of 2014 list and I've sat through some really bad movies. And its not that the film itself is bad but there are so many elements that I just couldn't stand that it ended up being a failure in my book. Remember, this is my personal opinion and I know that lots of people loved this movie and found it to be one of the best action films of the year but why? Seriously, I don't get why this movie is so great.


Bear in mind, this is a sequel but it's also a prequel. Ok, it starts off before the main story of the first movie, then goes to the future, to the present, back to the past and to the present and eventually just gets a little muddled. They spend a lot of time reminding the audience that oh yes, Leonidas and the 300 are in fact dead. Seriously, this is repeated more times than it should have been. Then we completely switch gears to someone else's story which has almost nothing to do with the original. There are maybe four scenes that connect the two. Beyond that, there's mostly just a voice over provided by Lena Headey, the queen of Sparta. Did you know her name is Gorgo? I didn't until this movie. And as we all remember, I absolutely loathe the voice over. It's clunky, its distracting and if you can't start a story without reading us a chapter from a book, you fail.


Anyway, “300: Rise of an Empire” focuses mainly on Themistocles and his army. This time, we're going up against the navy...that's led by a woman? Yeah, you heard me right on this one. Xerxes returns as well and in this film, we actually get to see how he became a god-king. I'm really not sure how that worked out. Walking into a cave of hermits and submerging yourself in an underground lake makes you shiny and gold? What powers does he have as a god-king? Why doesn't he seem to own a single pair of pants or even a man-skirt? Mostly, why the hell is he gold? I seriously don't get that. We get to see Xerxes as a man, who was apparently a prince. He then gets manipulated by Atemisia (I'll get to her in a moment) and somehow, this leads to an all out battle on the sea.


Let's discuss our main, badass female antagonist. She's a bitch, no other way to put it. She kills for the sake of killing, shows absolutely no emotion and has a serious vendetta against Greece. I'll admit, I can see why she has the animosity. Greeks killed her family, kidnapped her, turned her into a sex slave and left her for dead. I get that, you're the Loki of ancient Greece. Go eat some ice cream, get some therapy, maybe a kitten and everything will be ok. Seriously, beheading your...brother?...will not heal the pain. Also of he was your “brother” why did you kiss him after slicing his head off? It doesn't make any sense? We get it, your a navy captain with a heart as black as your awesome costumes!


It seems Artemisia and Themistocles have something between them because they are constantly changing tactics and trying to kill each other. It kind of gets old after a while. Attack, regroup, attack, regroup, negotiation, extremely awkward and probably supposed to be kinky sex scene with a very sad attempt at humor mixed in then blah...why did we need to have the sex scene anyway? Because the first one had one? It's just hair pulling, slamming into walls, lots of anger and an abrupt end with neither party being satisfied. And it seems the guards can actually hear this angry sex but they just look at each other like “I wonder what's going on in there? We better just stand here and wait it out. Can't be too bad if no one's screaming. It's just loud thumps, banging and crashing, no big deal. Let's keep staring at the water in the dark. Man, it sure is a lovely night.”


What are they thinking about? Guarding her? Well, obviously not since no one's looking after Artemisia. I get that she's a strong woman who can handle herself but why not have a guard in there as an insurance policy. Things go wrong, Themistocles gets killed, Persians win the war. Simple as that. Ok, this has some base in fact but I don't know the story well enough to say how it actually happened and I ain't going to look it up now. I've got things to do, other than write about movies, although, I love writing about movies.


Here's why I hated this film. The chronology is so bad that I had trouble telling when it was past, present and future. There are two scenes when Themistocles goes to Gorgo to ask for help and there was only one thing that set the time for me. David Wenham pops in a few times to remind us that he was also in the first movie. In one scene, he has both eyes and in another, he only has one. Remember, in the first film, he was sent home because he lost an eye in battle. His name was Dilios. That makes me giggle.


And now, let's get to the main source of my rage. “300” is a violent movie with slow motion blood and plenty of violence. It is tame in comparison to its sequel. “Rise of an Empire” has a massive increase in stylized violence, far more than it's predecessor. It is obscenely violent and the amount of bloodshed is disgusting. We get to see hundreds of people murdered in some of the most gruesome ways possible. Oh, and its in 3D so you get to see the blood coming straight at you. That's freaking disgusting. If it had been used infrequently, it would have been effective but because it becomes a constant thing, the gore loses all value and just becomes asinine. What's the point of emphasizing the atrocities of war when there is no other focus on the story? Yes, we get to see how Xerxes became Xerxes, we get to see why Artemisia hates the Greeks so passionately but some of the dots weren't connected.


My only positive note is that the final five minutes are awesome. I want to spoil it but some of you haven't seen it yet. It gave me a new appreciation for “300” and some of its characters. Just...remember when Leonidas and Xerxes are talking about sending the Spartan women into battle? Keep that scene in mind during the ending.


Overall, I just hated “300: Rise of an Empire”. The action was way too overdone, the violence and blood shed is just ridiculous, the plot doesn't quite hold together and honestly, every attempt at humor failed miserably. The 3D detracted from the experience. I respect Artemisia, even though she was a flat character. She had the definite heart of stone, complete bitch thing going and holy hell, her costumes are amazing. Gorgo gets some points for something I can't spoil but everyone else...either the ending is unsatisfying of left vague. If you've seen it and you know what happened with Xerxes towards the end, let me know because I don't.



I'm TheCinemaChick and I'll be entering a short story contest. Wish me luck.

Everything is Awesome!!

 Hello everyone out there sitting at a computer! I'm the one and only girl, TheCinemaChick and as always, I review movies. Now, I actually have 4 movies left before I'm totally caught up with my list but there's a little hitch. One I'm going to save for later (I have my reasons) and the other two will never be reviewed. I will never speak of them and I will not mention the name. In short, I am so embarrassed to have seen it that I regret seeing it. The thing is, it was not a bad movie. It wasn't great but it was decent. However, because of the highly graphic and extremely controversial material, I will not touch this one with a twenty foot pole and a can of disinfectant.


If you're wondering what it is...I'm not talking. Only two other people know the title.


However, I'm not here to talk about films that will leave me mentally scarred for life! Instead, I want to talk about a film that I can finally say is perfect. I don't mean perfect in the sense that there are no flaws and its not boring. What I'm saying is that its a family film that the entire family can enjoy together. Sure, most Disney movies are like that but my nephews and niece all agreed that “Frozen” scared them a little. This film, however, should be an absolute delight.


Guys... “The Lego Movie”.


I went in thinking it would be a movie solely for the little kids. The bright colors, over enthusiastic characters, the fairly simple dialogue...it didn't win me over. Since there was nothing else to see at the time, Fry and I figured we may as well see it. We didn't expect much from it. By the end of the movie, our tunes had changed. We spent nearly the entire movie laughing. The best part is that even though it is aimed at a younger audience, the adult audience can love it too. None of the jokes are complicated so everyone can understand it. Not to mention...those graphics. It seriously looks it was really made of Legos. The animation is that incredible. The amount of effort put into this is absolutely astounding.


I know it's computer animated and my brain knows this but it's so hard to accept. A lot of time and planning had to go into this before it was even considered. Who even thought up the idea of making a movie of and about Legos? If you think about it, most of the toy/video game adaptations have been major failures. Look at “Battleship”. Look at the most recent box office bomb “Need For Speed”. The only movie I can think of that didn't fail epically is “Clue” but even that wasn't a huge hit. It does, however, have a huge cult following. Let's be honest, that movie is hilarious and no one can hate Tim Curry.


Anyway, I did mention that I went into this with very low expectations. I expected a very childish movie. To my complete surprise, it wasn't that bad. The jokes work on every level. Little kids and adults can bond over this but Legos are one toy that has survived the ages. Most of the toys have become a thing of the past, losing their value because of the digital age. Most children seem to want to play on computers, iPads, iPhones, etc. However, things like the miniature plastic blocks seem to be timeless.


This is one of those typical “loser turns out to be the hero and gets the girl” story. Emmett is a guy stuck in a world where he doesn't stand out at all. He knows everyone but no one seems to know him. Things take a huge turn when he crosses paths with Wildstyle, the rebellious girl who doesn't follow the rules. They embark on an adventure to stop the evil Lord Business and make sure all the worlds are safe. This is sort of like a massive advertisement for Legos since it does come across as a commercial at times. But, it doesn't matter because it's so appealing.


Let's discuss the characters. There are tons of cameos in this, some of which you'd never expect. As far as fictional characters, you've probably seen Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman from the previews. There's also Gandalf, Dumbledore, The Flash, Green Lantern, Shaquille O' Neal and oh yes, Lando freaking Calrissian! The man from Cloud City (along with this iconic voice provided by Billy Dee Williams) makes an appearance. And oh yes, Anthony Daniels, C-3PO, is also in this movie. The amount of talent put into this is astronomical. And the dialogue...oh my goodness let's discuss that.


There is absolutely no cursing or offensive language or any sort. The worst thing said is “heck” and “gosh”. Seriously. It really is family friendly, which I cannot stress enough. If you want something that everyone can laugh at, that everyone can enjoy, “The Lego Movie” is perfect. There are some parts that might be a little bit scary for younger kids, but overall, I see no harm in taking a child as young as four to see it. I'm an adult and I want to see it again and again. I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed “Frozen”. Sorry to “The Lego Movie” but “Frozen” had music that got stuck in my head.


I have nothing bad to say about this one. It's going to end up as one of my top favorite films this year. There's no reason for people to not see this. I can give you one really good reason. Morgan Freeman as Vitruvius. Yes. Morgan Freeman.


I'm almost done catching up at long last. I've still got to touch on “300: Rise of an Empire” and why I absolutely hated it then later this week, I'll be reporting on the newest “Muppets” movie and possibly “Divergent”. I don't know much about “Divergent” but I have been reading it. So far, it's just ok. The pacing is terrible, the descriptions are almost nonexistant and the main character isn't all that interesting. But, far be it from me to judge a book based on its movie. Unless its both a bad book and a bad movie.



I'm TheCinemaChick and I've got an orange.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

 What's up guys, I'm the ever (not really) popular critic, TheCinemaChick! I know, I know, once again, I have been slacking but there have been some major events in this past month that have prevented me from writing. March has not been a kind month.


To start, my deepest and sincerest condolences to Kit Kat. She lost her father very suddenly and she's...well, she's doing ok, but I worry. We've both lost parents so we understand each other's sorrow. It breaks my heart. I knew her family, having spent a week with her over the summer. He was a very kind, warm hearted man.


A few days later, I saw on the news that a woman had gone missing in New Mexico. Normally, I tend to ignore those stories but when I saw a picture of her...well, I flipped out a little. If you haven't heard, an elementary school teacher and mother of 2 was beaten and strangled to death. She was from the Richardson area. The thing is, I didn't know her as a mother and teacher. I knew her as my neighbor. Her family has lived next door since I was roughly 7. I'd known her about 22 years. Having two major losses in such a short time really hit hard, plus it was time for midterms.


I'm sorry I'm never up to date but understand, life happens to us all. Sometimes, things are just unavoidable. Those two deaths are both tragic and untimely.


Now, this is a movie I hadn't planned to see. It didn't interest me but a friend of mine...who doesn't have a nickname yet...insisted I watch it. Since I had some time that night, I sat down, pressed play and soon became enveloped in a movie that could have been a fairy tale. Folks, if you haven't seen “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, consider renting it and watching it. Seriously, I dismissed it, thinking it was going to be boring but I am so glad I was wrong. My friend, let's call him The Canadian, really pushed this one on me. He and I share a love of movies. I quickly learned that he has excellent taste.


Walter Mitty is a normal man, one who goes unnoticed and stays quiet. Others pick on him and he has a crush on his coworker. He works at Life magazine, dealing with photographs and their negatives. While working on photographs for the magazine's last print issue, Walter is collecting negatives from Sean O'Connell, but one of them is missing. However, the transition manager, Tod Hendricks, becomes increasingly difficult. When Walter thinks he sees O'Connell inviting him on some sort of “treasure hunt”, he sets off for Greenland.


What could this treasure possibly be, you're wondering? It's a single frame. One negative, frame 25, is missing. Tod wants that particular one for the issue and will not give up on it. Once in Greenland, Walter embarks on this wonderous journey to discover the truth about the photo. This is where I say its like a fairy tail. He's seeking the mythical treasure to impress his lady and defeat evil. Before he can really do that, he must go through numerous trials and tribulations. He basically travels alone across the country, meeting various characters, like the drunk pilot, the fishing crew and the man who warns him about the volcano.


During his journey, he keeps in contact with Cheryl, the woman he loves and Todd (not to be confused with Tod), who is an eHarmony customer service person. He relays the story to both of them, earning popularity with both people. However, he must abandon his search when he recieves word to immediately return to New York. Most of the staff is being let go but Walter is fired for not being able to obtain the negative. Discouraged, he visits his mother. She knows Sean and had previously mentioned this to Walter, who had been lost in a daydream. Feeling hopeful again, he takes off and travels through the Himalayas until he finally reaches the end of his long journey. He finally meets Sean O'Connell while he is trying to snap a shot of a rare snow leopard.


This is where Walter Mitty learns the moral of the story. Sometimes, what you're looking for has been in your hands the entire time. By this he means, “hey, that wallet your mother gave you...it had the negative you've been looking for all along.” They head back down the mountain and play soccer with some locals. It seems Walter now knows the meaning of his life...to be happy and not let others bully him. He flies into Los angeles where he is detained and calls the only person he knows in the city: Todd. For the first time, they meet and seemingly become friends. I say seemingly because it's never mentioned or brought up again.


Back home, Walter and his sister Odessa (who has been in a few scenes but I found her insufferable) help their mother sell her beloved piano. He mentions what O'Connell said to him and that he had actually tossed the wallet in the garbage. Thankfully, his mother tends to hang on to his little knick knacks and has it in her possession.


This next part was by far my favorite.


Walter never looks at the picture. He takes it and walks into a meeting Tod is holding. The negative is slammed on the table and Walter berates Tod for mistreating and disrespecting the entire staff before letting them go. Without so much as a second glance, he leaves. Walter Mitty has finally learned to stand up for himself and what he believes in.


The movie has a happy ending, which I loved. The subtle romantic subplot did not detract from the overall feel at any way. It added to it. Walter and Cheryl end up together, holding hands after they see the final issue of the magazine. To both their surprises, it is not the negative Tod had obssessed over so much. It is Walter, examining a negative. The text salutes the staff, praising them for all their hard work.


If you want a movie that will make you feel good, definitely check this one out. It does start off a little slow but trust me, it just gets better. For me, I could see parts of myself in Walter. I'm not the most outgoing person in the world and I should stand up for myself more. Seeing Walter actually inspired me to stop being so hard on myself and accept that my life will have some amazing journeys and that I can and will change for the better. For instance, I have spent 2 weeks traveling Europe, where I stood on the edge of a mountain, went halfway up the Eiffel Tower.


I highly recommend this one, especially now that it's in DVD. It's a wonderful film that really went unnoticed. I did learn it is a remake but I have yet to see the original. As of right now, I have no desire to do so. There's enough going on in my life so I can't really add much more. School is about to pick up again and I've got other things to do. Basically, it's a great story, its inspiring and there's nothing to hate. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” should be on your movie list. It's a feel good film that doesn't overdo the whole “we're trying to inspire you and make you feel awesome” thing.



I'm TheCinemaChick and I think it's going to rain today.

2014 Oscar Winners!

 And here we go, tonight's the night (well...it'll be over by the time I post this but you know what I mean). Let's see who goes home with the gold!

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"
Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave"
Jonah Hill, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyer's Club"

My pick: Jared Leto or Micael Fassbender

Who would probably win: Bradley Cooper

Who actually won: Jared Leto! His performance was amazing!

Best Costume Design
"The Great Gatsby"
"The Grandmaster"
"American Hustle"
"The Invisible Woman"
"12 Years a Slave"

My pick: "The Great Gatsby" or "12 Years a Slave"

Who would actually win: "12 Years a Slave"

Who actually won: "The Great Gatsby"

Best Makeup And Hairstyling
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Bad Grandpa"
"The Lone Ranger"

My pick: "Dallas Buyers Club"

Who would actually win: "Dallas Buyers Club"

Who actually won: "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Animated Short Film
"Feral"
"Get a Horse!"
"Mr. Hublot"
"Possessions"
"Room on the Broom"

My Pick: “Feral”

Who who would actually win: “Possessions:

Who actually won: “Mr. Hublot”

Best Animated Feature
"The Croods"
"Despicable Me 2"
"Ernest and Celestine"
"Frozen"
"The Wind Rises"

My Pick: “Frozen”

Who would actually win: “Frozen”

Who actually won: “Frozen”

Best Visual Effects

"Gravity"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
"Iron Man 3"
"The Lone Ranger"
"Star Trek Into Darkness"

My Pick: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

Who would actually win: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

Who actually won: “Gravity”

Best Live Action Short Film
"Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)"
"Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)"
"Helium"
"Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have To Take Care of Everything?)"
"The Voorman Problem"

My Pick: “Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)”

Who would actually win: "Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)"

Who actually won: “Helium”

Best Documentary - Short Subject
"The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life"
"Cavedigger"
"Facing Fear"
"Karama Has No Walls"
"Prison Terminal: Last Days of Private Jack Hall"

My Pick: I'm going with “Cavedigger”.

Who would actually win: Um...”The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved my Life”

Who actually won: ”The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved my Life” Well...I guessed right on this one, didn't I?

Best Documentary - Feature
"20 Feet From Stardom"
"The Act of Killing"
"Cutie and the Boxer"
"Dirty Wars"
"The Square"

My Pick: No clue. “Dirty Wars” because reasons

Who would actually win: ...let's go with “The Square”

Who actually won: "20 Feet From Stardom"

Best Foreign Language Film
"The Broken Circle Breakdown"
"The Great Beauty"
"The Hunt"
"The Missing Picture"
"Omar"

My Pick: I didn't see any of these so let's go with...”The Missing Picture”

Who would actually win: I don't know... “The Broken Circle Breakdown”

Who actually won: “The Great Beauty”

Best Sound Mixing
"Gravity"
"Captain Phillips"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Lone Survivor"

My Pick: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug". Again...bias

Who would actually win: "Captain Phillips"

Who actually won: “Gravity”

Best Sound Editing
"Gravity"
"Captain Phillips"
"All is Lost"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
"Lone Survivor"

My pick: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug". Purely because I am biased based on my love of Tolkien.

Who would actually win: "Gravity"

Who actually won: “Gravity” (sort of not shocked with this one)

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"
Lupita Nyong’o, "12 Years a Slave"
Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"
June Squibb, "Nebraska"

My Pick: Lupita Nyong'o, hands down. If you saw her performance, you'd agree.

Who would actually win: Lupita Nyong'o. Seriously. She deserves this.

Who actually won: Lupita Nyong'o

Best Cinematography
"Gravity"
"The Grandmaster"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"

“Prisoner”

My Pick: "Inside Llewyn Davis"

Who would actually win: "Gravity"

Who actually won: “Gravity” (Well...they're kicking some ass tonight)

Best Film Editing
"Gravity"
"12 Years a Slave"
"Captain Phillips"
"American Hustle"
"Dallas Buyers Club"

My Pick: "Gravity"

Who would actually win: "American Hustle”

Who actually won: Gravity

Best Production Design

"American Hustle"
"Gravity"
"The Great Gatsby"
"Her"
"12 Years a Slave"

My Pick: "The Great Gatsby"

Who would probably win: "12 Years a Slave"

Who actually won: "The Great Gatsby"

Best Original Score
Steven Price, "Gravity"
Alexandre Desplat, "Philomena"
William Butler and Owen Pallett, "Her"
John Williams, "The Book Thief"
Thomas Newman, "Saving Mr. Banks"

My Pick: William Butler and Owen Pallett, "Her"

Who would actually win: Thomas Newman, "Saving Mr. Banks"

Who actually won: Steven Price, "Gravity"

Best Original Song

"Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone"
"The Moon Song" from "Her," Karen O. and Spike Jonze
"Let It Go" from "Frozen," Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez
"Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," U2 (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.) and Danger Mouse (Brian Burton)
"Happy" from "Despicable Me 2," Pharrell Williams

My Pick: “The Moon Song”

Who will probably win: “Ordinary Love” because Bono

Who actually won: "Let It Go" from "Frozen," Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Wow, I should have seen this one coming)

Best Adapted Screenplay
"12 Years a Slave"
"Before Midnight"
"Captain Phillips"
"Philomena"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"

My Pick: “12 Years a Slave”. I cannot express how much I loved this movie.

Who would actually win: I don't know...I'm sticking with “12 Years a Slave”

Who actually won: "12 Years a Slave" (Saw that one coming)

Best Original Screenplay
"American Hustle"
"Blue Jasmine"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Her"
"Nebraska"

My Pick: Oh...so many good ones...it's between “Her” and “Dallas Buyers Club”

Who would actually win: “American Hustle” for reasons I cannot fathom

Who actually won: "Her" (Well, it was one of my picks)

Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity"
David O. Russell, "American Hustle"
Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"
Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"
Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

My Pick: Tough call on this one...I'm torn between Alfonso Cuarón and Steve McQueen.

Who would actually win: Freaking David O. Russell. Again, what was so appealing about “American Hustle”?

Who actually won: Alfonso Cuarón (Not shocked, seeing as how “Gravity” has won so much tonight but I was rooting for Steve McQueen)

Best Actress
Amy Adams, "American Hustle"
Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"
Judi Dench, "Philomena"
Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"

My Pick: This year seems like one of the hardest years. All of their performances were great, except Amy Adams who always seems to play this innocent looking woman. She didn't even get a decent shirt in this movie.

I'm going to say Cate Blanchett.

Who would actually win: Surprisingly, I'm giving this one to Sandra Bullock for “Gravity”.

Who actually won: Cate Blanchett (Holy crap! Nailed it!)

Best Actor
Christian Bale, "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyer's Club"

My Pick: Another tough call. I'm torn between Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew McConaughey and Leonardo DiCaprio. But I'd like to see DiCaprio FINALLY win an Oscar after years and years of losing.

Who would actually win: Christian Bale. I see a major upset on this one though.

Who actually won: Matthew McConaughey (DAMNIT!! I'm glad he won, don't get me wrong, but I just want Leonardo DiCaprio to win just once!)

Best Picture
"12 Years a Slave"
"American Hustle"
"Gravity"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Her"
"Nebraska"
"Philomena"
"Captain Phillips"

My Pick: “12 Years a Slave” because it has made a huge impact on me. As intense as it was, everything about it was amazing.

Who would actually win: “American Hustle”. Seriously...what made this movie so good? I thought it was horrible.

Who actually won: “12 Years a Slave” (Amazing movie! Another seriously deserved win!)