2015 Academy Awards Predictions

Best Picture

American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Who will probably win: Boyhood

Who I want to win: Honestly, this one’s tough.  I think “The Theory of Everything” will pull through.

Best Director

Alejandro Innaritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

Who will probably win: Richard Linklatter

Who I want to win: Richard Linklatter

Best Actor

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Who will probably win: Eddie Redmayne

Who I want to win: Honestly, I have heard nothing but amazing reviews for Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bradley Cooper and Michael Keaton.  I would love Cumberbatch to win this round but I’m fairly certain it’s going to Redmayne.

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Who will probably win: Julianne Moore

Who I want to win: Julianne Moore, hands down.

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Who will probably win: Ethan Hawke

Who I want to win: Honestly, Mark Ruffalo or J.K. Simmons

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Laura Dern, Wild
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

Who will probably win: Patricia Arquette

Who I want to win: Keira Knightley or Meryl Streep

Best Adapted Screenplay

American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Who will probably win: American Sniper

Who I want to win: Another toss up between The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything.  But, let’s be honest, it’s most likely going to American Sniper

Best Original Screenplay

Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

Who will probably win: Boyhood

Who I want to win: Nightcrawler

Best Cinematography

Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ida
Mr. Turner
Unbroken

Who will probably win: Birdman

Who I want to win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Costume Design

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner

Who will probably win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Who I want to win: Into The Woods

Best Film Editing

American Sniper
Boyhood
Grand Budapest
The Imitation Game
Whiplash

Who will probably win: Boyhood

Who I want to win: Boyhood

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

Who will probably win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Who I want to win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Score

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr. Turner
The Theory of Everything

Who will probably win: The Theory of Everything

Who I want to win: The Imitation Game

Best Original Song

“Everything is Awesome,” The Lego Movie
“Glory,” Selma
“Grateful,” Beyond the Lights
“I'm Not Going to Miss You,” Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
“Lost Stars,” Begin Again

Who will probably win: “Glory” Selma

Who I want to win: “Lost Stars” Begin Again

Best Production Design

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner

Who will probably win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Who I want to win: The Imitation Game

Best Sound Editing

American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken

Who will probably win:  American Sniper

Who I want to win: The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (because I’m biased)

Best Sound Mixing

American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash

Who will probably win: Interstellar

Who I want to win: American Sniper

Best Visual Effects

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men; Days of Future Past

Who will probably win: Interstellar

Who I want to win: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (because why not?)

Best Animated Feature

Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Who will probably win: The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Who I want to win: The Boxtrolls

Best Documentary Feature

Citizenfour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

Who will probably win: Last Days in Vietnam

Who I want to win: Citizenfour

Best Foreign Language Film

Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines
Timbuktu
Wild Tales

Who will probably win: Leviathan

Who I want to win: Tangerines

Best Animated Short

The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life

Who will probably win: The Dam Keeper

Who I want to win: Feast

Best Live-Action Short

Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call

Who will probably win: Boogaloo and Graham

Who I want to win: Aya

Best Documentary Short

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press One
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper
White Earth

Who will probably win: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press One

Who I want to win: The Reaper

American Sniper

            What’s up everyone, I’m the one and only movie blogger known as TheCinemaChick and I’m finally reviewing something in the New Year.  I will admit I did see one other movie so far, but I was also battling a nasty case of bronchitis.  It was horrible.  My throat was swollen and sore, I couldn’t talk, couldn’t eat…ugh.  So glad that’s over.

            But, good news everyone!  I am healthy and healed and have gotten back into the real world.  I have seen two movies this year so far but let’s start off on a good note.  And I have to warn you, I am going to get a little political during this review.  I know everyone has their own thoughts.  Please respect my opinions as I try to respect all of yours.

            Keeping that in mind, let’s look at “American Sniper”.

            First off, let’s get the controversial part over.  I do not support war.  I am a pacifist, I am strongly anti-gun (purely because the of a semi traumatic experience), and I do not condone sanctioned murdering.  I know it isn’t intentional murder but when so many civilians are caught in the crossfire and killed…I just feel like its murder.  They had nothing to do with the war, they were just innocent bystanders.  Think about it, women and children are being killed.  I do not and will never support any type of war.

            However, I do support the troops.  I applaud their bravery and courage for going out there and protecting our country.  They deserve to be lauded for what they do.  People in the military are some of the strongest people ever but they are also some of the most fragile.  When they come back from war, they might be injured or left disabled or suffer from PTSD.  I have had family members that served and I have friends who are in the army.

            So no, I am not pro war.  I am pro armed services.

            “American Sniper” is a film based on a novel of the same name.  I have not read the book but after watching the film, I want to.  It is a biographical movie, based on the life of a man named Chris Kyle.  He served in the military as a sniper.  This movie has two main focuses: Kyle’s life overseas and his life at home.  Overall, the movie was very tasteful and to my surprise, did not contain copious amounts of violence.  I don’t like war films for that reason.  Violence, gore, blood…things like that cause me to get nauseated.  There were two scenes that made me slightly sick but other than that, it’s good.

            By the way, you know how everyone’s saying Bradley Cooper deserves an Oscar for his performance?  Oh yes, he earned it.  He became Chris Kyle.  I went into this knowing who the actor was and it still took me a minute to realize, “Oh yeah, that’s Bradley Cooper!”  He just wraps himself into this role and never once did I find it unbelievable.  Sometimes, when I’m aware of the actor, I can’t see him as the character but in this case, I did not see him.  Sienna Miller was also incredible as well.  She threw herself into that role and stuck with it. 

            What I loved the most about the movie was that it kept me on edge the whole time.  I knew the ending, I knew Chris Kyle’s fate but the moments leading up to it had me hooked.  The tone began fairly light, showing his childhood and how it shaped him, then slowly became darker and darker.  I got a good look into his mind as the PTSD started taking over.  Certain sights or sounds cause little triggers in him and for the audience, it creates tension.  It makes me wonder what’s going to happen.  Bless his wife for being so patient and loving with him.

            I could never sit through this movie again, despite it being so amazing.  It was emotionally draining and I cried at the end.  The ending…oh man, the ending…I won’t spoil it because I think this film is worth seeing.  However, I will say this: the ending is footage of an actual event that while cause you to tear up.  I didn’t know it had taken place in Arlington, Texas because I did not know about Chris Kyle until I heard of “American Sniper”.  This event literally happened fifteen minutes from me in 2013.

            Bravo to everyone who worked on this film.  It was far better than I’d thought it would be and the audience applauded at the end.  It is a wonderful movie that I honestly believe should be seen.  Some people will be able to handle it better than me.

            Chris Kyle was a hero.  His family should be very proud of him and what he did for our country.  I felt a sense of pride after watching the movie.

            To everyone who serves in the military, whether it be in combat or tactical or whatever, I appreciate everything you have done for this country.

            I’m TheCinemaChick and coming soon, this year’s Oscar nominations and predictions.

            I am also pleased to announce that I am in the process of creating my very own website!  It will have my podcasts on there, along with my reviews.  I also have people who will be contributing to my site.  Kit Kat will be joining, along with my podcast partner, Draco Ro’tor.  It will be a while since I have no skills on building websites, so bear with me on this.  But soon…I will be moving on to bigger things.

            Thank you guys for your continued support, even during my extended leave due to illness.  You are awesome.

            On a personal note, I have seen the comments made by Michael Moore and Seth Rogen about the film.  As I’ve said, everyone is entitled to their opinion.  And with that said, I would like to say that I believe Michael Moore is wrong about snipers.  They are not cowards.  Snipers must make very tough decisions on the fly and are often haunted by those choices.  Sometimes, you have to decide if you must kill a woman to save your company.  Cowards are men who hide behind Twitter and say such terrible things using inexcusably bad grammar

            Just saying.

            ***No copyright infringement is intended.  All opinions expressed in my blog belong to me and this is purely for entertainment purposes.***

Best of 2014...brought to you in 2015

Hello everyone and welcome to the first blog of 2015!  Happy New Year’s Day everyone!  My name is TheCinemaChick but you knew that already.  I’m sorry this was not written and posted earlier but it seems that a severe cold that I had for 2 weeks has come back with a vengeance.  I lost my voice due to a very sore and swollen throat.  However, I will get through this so you can learn what my top 14 of 2014 are.  You've seen the worst, so now it’s time for the best.

Let’s just jump right into it, shall we?

                Before I begin, I’ like to say that I saw a grand total of 45 films this year.  Two of them I will never speak of again because they were quite disgusting.  Overall, I’d call 2014 a good year.  It was great but it wasn't horrible, it was more in between.

                And now, in no particular order:

1.       12 Years a Slave

This one was just rough.  I wasn’t sure if I could even finish it at some points but the story was just amazing.  It deserved all the awards it got and it brought us Lupita Nyong'o.  I’m telling you, she’s going to be huge in the future.  If you can get through the stomach churning scenes of torture and the uneasiness of the blatant racism that took place in that time, I definitely recommend it.  The entire cast puts forth an outstanding performance and this film should be marked as one of the greatest movies in recent history.

2.       Saving Mr. Banks

I honestly didn't expect to like this one.  It’s a nice, light story about the woman who wrote “Mary Poppins” and how that story came into being.  Tom Hanks dazzles as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson really captured P.L. Travers’ personality.  I think this would be a great movie for the whole family.  It’s clean, it’s wholesome, even if there is a few scenes with smoking and a few scenes that some may find disturbing.

3.       Godzilla

I’m not a huge fan of this franchise but I was interested in seeing this reboot.  After seeing the older one with Matthew Broderick, my hopes were not high on this one.  However, the acting was top notch and the music was absolute perfection.  In my original review, I raved about how the score successfully set the tone for the entire film and I stand by that.  It’s definitely worth a watch but I think it needs more Bryan Cranston.

4.       A Million ways to Die in the West

I am so embarrassed to like this one.  It’s rude, it’s crass, it’s disgusting but it’s so funny.  I laughed so hard and I have watched it several times since.  You’ll feel bad for liking it but it is just so funny.  And then there’s Neil Patrick Harris…he’s going to pop up in this list again…I seriously hate myself for living this movie so much.

5.       Begin Again

This movie wasn’t anything spectacular.  It was a love story about a broken hearted girl and her rock star boyfriend.  I wasn’t wowed by it, but I will say this.  I have a new found respect Keira Knightley.  She sings all the songs on the soundtrack and she’s good.  True, she’s not spectacular but I adored her voice.  It’s so soft, so dainty but the lyrics packed a punch.  It was a nice, refreshing movie, a break from the over hyped, big budget stuff that had come out.  I enjoyed it and again, I recommend giving it a look.

6.       Guardians of the Galaxy

Who didn’t love this one?  It’s by far not my favorite Marvel film.  That honor goes to the Thor franchise because I love the visual effects and settings.  Sorry, but Asgard still leaves me in awe when I see it.  But this one seemed like a more down home kind of adventure.  I know, no one’s seeking out a mystical orb with an infinity stone, but the characters were relateable.  Gamora had an overbearing father and wicked sister, Peter Quill was a thief trying to earn a buck and Drax wanted revenge on the man who killed his family.  They were the last people you’d expect to work together and it just came together.  I do look forward to the sequel and hopefully more Rocket.  And remember, I am Groot.

Also, Lee Pace.

7.       In Your Eyes

This one is on Netflix as we speak.  Go watch the most original love story I have ever seen and I loathe and abhor romance movies.  Joss Whedon, you are an amazing man for giving us this beautiful film.

8.       Chef

I loved how fast paced the food scenes were.  Overall, it was just fun to watch and it made me want to learn how to cook the Latin foods I saw.  It was also so cool to see the cross country road trip to learn about the nation’s cuisine.  The father-son relationship felt very natural, which made the film more enjoyable.  Nothing felt forced and it all just flowed organically.  True, I still don’t like Sofia Vergara because I think she is overexposed (in many senses of the word) and she’s too flamboyant.  Having seen her role on television and this one, they seemed identical: a whiny wife.  She’s the only thing that detracted from the movie.

9.       Into The Woods

I won’t go into too much detail since I did post my review a few days ago.  The music, the atmosphere, the casting, all perfection.  It drags at times and the plot gets a little muddled and the entire third act feels tacked on but I still enjoyed.  Meryl Streep, I envy your acting and singing skills now.

10.   Gone Girl

This movie was so creepy.  I’d read the book so I knew what to expect but seeing it on screen was so much more intense.  The amount of time and effort Amy put into faking her own death and vanishing is astounding.  I genuinely hated her at the end.  I felt so sorry for the people’s lives she ruined.  Neil Patrick Harris was great as the oblivious but supportive ex who tries to help Amy out but he has a horrible fate.  Seriously, Neil Patrick Harris can do no wrong.

11.   Frankenstein

Honestly, I wasn't even sure if this one counted since it was a re-broadcast of a live play from Britain.  Then I figured, well, I saw in a movie theater.  Benedict Cumberbatch played The Monster and he nailed it.  That play…I wish it was on DVD because I do want to see this over and over.  I also want to see it again because of the alternate casting.  Cumberbatch, along with Johnny Lee Miller, switched roles so they both played Frankenstein and his Creation.  If you get the chance to see it, jump on it.

12.   Big Hero 6

I loved this movie.  It was a beautiful blending of California and Japanese culture.  The ending caught me by surprise and almost had be in tears.  It was sweet at times and the main characters were awesome.  Believe it or not, this is based on a Marvel comic so there is a Stan Lee cameo.  There is also an end credit scene which was both hilarious and slightly gross.  It’s meant for children but there are some dark moments mixed ink, so it works for everyone.  Use your own discretion on this one.

13.   Penguins of Madagascar

It was really mediocre but there is some awesome wordplay in the film.  The puns are so bad it hurts but I still laughed at them.  Plus, penguins.

14.   The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Let me start by saying, this was my least favorite film of the trio.  It was jumbled, overrun with bad CGI and personally I think it was just bloated.  The battles themselves were exciting but the film focused more on everyone being mad at Thorin, who’s going insane looking for the Arkenstone.  I wasn't satisfied and it left me wanting more.  The Tauriel-Kili love story feels so forced that I wish she have never been brought on.  I can’t hate a Tolkien film.  It could have been trimmed down a bit and been improved.  The death scenes were heartbreaking and when Thranduil fights, it’s quite breathtaking.

Also, Lee Pace.

That’s all for 2014!  There’s a bunch of new films coming out in 2015 that I am dying to see.  You know me, I’d never miss a Marvel movie, so you know I will be one of the first in line to see the new Avengers film.  I’m also super excited to see Pitch Perfect 2, Mad Max, Jupiter Ascending, the live action Cinderella and Pan.  The list could go on and on, trust me.  There is 12 months of movies to see and I’m just one girl who wants to see them all.

I hope you all stick with me in this new year of adventure, action, horror and comedy as I will do my best to bring you all the reviews I can.  We’re in this for the long haul, guys and gals.

I’m TheCinemaChick and I am quite possibly medicated for my horrible cold.