Best Picture of 1929/1930: All Quiet on the Western Front

The Winner of Best Picture for the Third Academy Awards was All Quiet on the Western Front. Released on April 21, 1930 by Universal Studios, it was well received by the public and critics alike. With an astonishing 1.2 million dollars budget (over 16.8 million in today's money) Universal Studios made one of the most honest war films ever created. Not only did it beat out MGM's The Big House, Warner Brother's Disraeli, MGM's The Divorcee, and Paramount's The Love Parade it also took home the Oscar for Lewis Milestone as best Director.

This movie is a treasure because it has to both glamourize and in-glamourize war at the same time. When we are introduced to the characters at the beginning of the film they are deciding whether or not they want to volunteer "to save the fatherland" at the start of what would become World War I. Their teacher is giving a speech about "the pride of the land is in them" and "you can become hero's", and also "we need you". That gets a group of friends pumped to join, which they do, and then they come to realize what war is actually like. The trenches, the lack of food, their friends dying around them, and the realization that none of them will come back the same way they came in, really starts to sink in with Paul (the leader of this group of friends). The movie does make you really think about what it's like for soldiers fighting in the war.

Even today we like to glamourize war. There have been plenty of movies made about war, there have been many speeches about the men and women who serve our country, and even TV news stations make it up to be a great cause. We don't really get the real opinions of war for all soldiers. We don't see it from their side. This film does an amazing job of bringing up issues like what soldiers think, how civilians act when they are talking to a soldier (and we sometimes don't realize how we are acting), and asks why are we fighting a war the we didn't want in the first place or one that we did not even start?

This film is so great that it was added onto the fist 100 Years... 100 Movies list in 1998 where it was ranked number seven on Best American Epic Film. Then in 1990 it was selected and preserved by the Library of Congress. The reason for the choosing was because the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

I would say that this film is historically significant and does need to be watched by everyone. Just so everyone has a better understanding of what war is really like. However, as great as it was I probably will hold off before I see this film again.

Offical Oscar Nominees

Alright. I am a little late, we now have all of the official nominees for the 2017 Oscars. I will post my original predictions and then I will write the official nominations. I will also put an asterisk (*) next to the movies that I think will win the award.

My Predictions                                                         The Official Nominees

Best Picture                                                             Best Picture                                 
1. Hello, My Name is Doris                                     1. Arrival
2. Money Monster                                                    2. Fences
3. Genius                                                                  3. Hacksaw Ridge*
4. Florence Foster Jenkins                                       4. Hell or High Water
5. Hell or High Water                                              5. Hidden Figures
6. The Magnificent Seven                                        6. La La Land
7. The Dressmaker                                                   7. Lion
8. Birth of a Nation                                                  8. Manchester by the Sear
9. Hacksaw Ridge                                                    9.  Moonlight
10. La La Land

Best Actor                                                               Best Actor                           
1. Money Monster                                                   1. Casey Affleck (Manchester)                   
2. Hell or High Water                                              2. Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)*         
3. The Magnificent Seven                                       3. Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
4. Sully                                                                    4. Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
5. The Dressmaker                                                  5. Denzel Washington (Fences)

Best Actress                                                           Best Actress                    
1. Hello, My Name is Doris                                   1. Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
2. Money Monster                                                  2. Ruth Negga (Loving)
3. The Meddler                                                       3. Natalie Portman (Jackie)
4. Florence Foster Jenkins                                      4. Emma Stone (La La Land)
5. The Dressmaker                                                  5. Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)*

Best Supporting Actor                                         Best Supporting Actor             
1. Money Monster                                                 1. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
2. Florence Foster Jenkins                                     2. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)*
3. The Magnificent Seven                                     3. Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
4. Hell or High Water                                           4. Dev Patel (Lion)
5. Hacksaw Ridge                                                 5. Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Best Supporting Actress                                     Best Supporting Actress 
1. Papa Hemingway in Cuba                                1. Viola Davis (Fences)
2. Genius                                                               2. Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
3. Hacksaw Ridge                                                 3. Nicole Kidman (Lion)
4. Anthropoid                                                       4. Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)*
5. The Dressmaker                                               5. Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Animated Picture                                       Best Animated Picture  
1. Zootopia                                                           1. Kubo and the Two Strings*
2. The Secret Life of Pets                                     2. Moana
3. Kubo and the Two Strings                               3. My Life as a Zucchini
4. Trolls                                                                4. The Red Turtle
5. Moana                                                              5. Zootopia

Cinematography                                                Cinematography  
1. Genius                                                             1. Bradford Young (Arrival)
2. Hell or High Water                                         2. Linus Sandgren (La La Land)*
3. War Dogs                                                        3. Greig Fraser (Lion)
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them     4. James Laxton (Moonlight)
5. Rules Don't Apply                                          5. Rodrigo Prieto (Silence)

Directing                                                            Directing  
1. Money Monster                                              1. Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
2. Florence Foster Jenkins                                  2. Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)*
3. Sully                                                               3. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
4. Hacksaw Ridge                                              4. Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
5. La La Land                                                     5. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

Documentary Feature
This category is N/A because I did not watch any documentary films this year.

Documentary Short
This category is N/A because I did not watch any documentary shorts this year.

Film Editing                                                      Film Editing            
1. Demolition                                                     1. Joe Walker (Arrival)
2. The Magnificent Seven                                  2. John Gilbert (Hacksaw Ridge)
3. The Dressmaker                                             3. Jake Roberts (Hell or High Water)
4. Denial                                                             4. Tom Cross (La La Land)*
5. Hacksaw Ridge                                              5. Nat Sanders and Joe McMillon (Moonlight)

Foreign Language Film
This category is N/A because I did not watch any foreign language film this year.

Makeup and Hairstyling                                  Makeup and Hairstyling 
1. Deadpool                                                        1. A Man Called Ove
2. Sing Street                                                      2. Star Trek Beyond
3. Genius                                                            3. Suicide Squad*
4. Suicide Squad
5. Rules Don't Apply

Music Original Score                                       Music Original Score     
1. Hell or High Water                                        1. Mica Levi (Jackie)
2. Kubo and the Two Strings                             2. Justin Hurwitz (La La Land)*
3. The Magnificent Seven                                  3. Dustin O'Halloran and Hauschka (Lion)
4. Hacksaw Ridge                                              4. Nicholas Britell (Moonlight)
5. La La Land                                                    5. Thomas Newman (Passengers)

Music Original Song                                       Music Original Song   
1. Zootopia                                                       1. Audition (La La Land)
2. Alice Through the Looking Glass                2. Can't Stop the Feeling (Trolls)*
3. Sing                                                              3. City of Stars (La La Land)
4. La La Land                                                   4. The Empty Chair (Jim: The James Foley Story)  
5. Trolls                                                            5. How Far Will I Go (Moana)

Production Design                                          Production Design 
1. Hail, Caesar                                                 1. Arrival
2. Florence Foster Jenkins                               2. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*
3. The Dressmaker                                           3. Hail, Caesar!
4. Hacksaw Ridge                                            4. La La Land
5. Rules Don't Apply                                       5. Passengers

Short Film Animated
This Category is N/A because I did not see any animated shorts.

Short Film Live Action
This Category is N/A because I did not see any live actions shorts.

Sound Editing                                                 Sound Editing
1. The Jungle Book                                          1. Arrival
2. Anthropoid                                                   2. Deepwater Horizon
3. Hacksaw Ridge                                            3. Hacksaw Ridge*
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  4. La La Land
5. Rogue One                                                   5. Sully

Sound Mixing                                                 Sound Mixing  
1. Suicide Squad                                              1. Arrival
2. Anthropoid                                                   2. Hacksaw Ridge*
3. Hacksaw Ridge                                            3. La La Land
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  4. Rouge One
5. Rogue One                                                   5. 13 Hours

Visual Effects                                                 Visual Effects   
1. The Jungle Book                                         1. Deepwater Horizon
2. Rogue One                                                   2. Doctor Strange
3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  3. The Jungle Book*
4. Doctor Strange                                             4. Kubo and the Two Strings
5. Kubo and the Two Strings                           5. Rogue One

Writing Adapted Screenplay                        Writing Adapted Screenplay  
1. A Hologram for the King                            1. Arrival
2. Genius                                                         2. Fences
3. Hello, My Name is Doris                            3. Hidden Figures*
4. The Dressmaker                                          4. Lion
5.The Magnificent Seven                                5. Moonlight

Writing Original Screenplay                        Writing Original Screenplay   
1. Florence Foster Jenkins                               1. Hell or High Water
2. La La Land                                                  2. La La Land*
3. Hell or High Water                                      3. The Lobster
4. Money Monster                                           4. Manchester by the Sea
5. Hacksaw Ridge                                           5. 20th Century Woman

Academy Awards Predictions for 2017

Ok, so here is the deal. After watching all the movies that I have seen this year I am going to try and predict the nominations for the Oscars this year. I am putting this up here now because I want it to be done before the actual Nominations are announced on the 24th of January. I am going to just list the name of the movie under the nominations, namely because in categories like Makeup I don't know what person is going to get the name on the nomination.

Films in each category are not listed in any specific order

Best Picture
1. Hello, My Name is Doris
2. Money Monster
3. Genius
4. Florence Foster Jenkins
5. Hell or High Water
6. The Magnificent Seven
7. The Dressmaker
8. Birth of a Nation
9. Hacksaw Ridge
10. La La Land

Best Actor
1. Money Monster
2. Hell or High Water
3. The Magnificent Seven
4. Sully
5. The Dressmaker

Best Actress
1. Hello, My Name is Doris
2. Money Monster
3. The Meddler
4. Florence Foster Jenkins
5. The Dressmaker

Best Supporting Actor
1. Money Monster
2. Florence Foster Jenkins
3. The Magnificent Seven
4. Hell or High Water
5. Hacksaw Ridge

Best Supporting Actress
1. Papa Hemingway in Cuba
2. Genius
3. Hacksaw Ridge
4. Anthropoid
5. The Dressmaker

Best Animated Picture
1. Zootopia
2. The Secret Life of Pets
3. Kubo and the Two Strings
4. Trolls
5. Moana

Cinematography
1. Genius
2. Hell or High Water
3. War Dogs
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
5. Rules Don't Apply

Directing
1. Money Monster
2. Florence Foster Jenkins
3. Sully
4. Hacksaw Ridge
5. La La Land

Documentary Feature
This category is N/A because I did not watch any documentary films this year.

Documentary Short
This category is N/A because I did not watch any documentary shorts this year.

Film Editing
1. Demolition
2. The Magnificent Seven
3. The Dressmaker
4. Denial
5. Hacksaw Ridge

Foreign Language Film
This category is N/A because I did not watch any foreign language film this year.

Makeup and Hairstyling
1. Deadpool
2. Sing Street
3. Genius
4. Suicide Squad
5. Rules Don't Apply

Music Original Score
1. Hell or High Water
2. Kubo and the Two Strings
3. The Magnificent Seven
4. Hacksaw Ridge
5. La La Land

Music Original Song
1. Zootopia
2. Alice Through the Looking Glass
3. Sing
4. La La Land
5. Trolls

Production Design
1. Hail, Caesar
2. Florence Foster Jenkins
3. The Dressmaker
4. Hacksaw Ridge
5. Rules Don't Apply

Short Film Animated
This Category is N/A because I did not see any animated shorts.

Short Film Live Action
This Category is N/A because I did not see any live actions shorts.

Sound Editing
1. The Jungle Book
2. Anthropoid
3. Hacksaw Ridge
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
5. Rogue One

Sound Mixing
1. Suicide Squad
2. Anthropoid
3. Hacksaw Ridge
4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
5. Rogue One

Visual Effects
1. The Jungle Book
2. Rogue One
3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
4. Doctor Strange
5. Kubo and the Two Strings

Writing Adapted Screenplay
1. A Hologram for the King
2. Genius
3. Hello, My Name is Doris
4. The Dressmaker
5.The Magnificent Seven

Writing Original Screenplay
1. Florence Foster Jenkins
2. La La Land
3. Hell or High Water
4. Money Monster
5. Hacksaw Ridge

Best Picture of 1928/1929: The Broadway Melody

It's been a long time since I has don't my first Best Picture Winner. Really it's been almost two years....

Anyways, I am picking up where I left off at and I quick reminder. The first couple of films that have won are not going to be in correct year order. The Academy did not do the awards by calendar year at that time. So, Wings was made and nominated in 1928 but the next movie was also made in 1928 and won it. So, that is why the years might be a little off.

Ok, on to the review!

The Best Picture Winner in the 1928/1929 Awards was The Broadway Melody. It was released by MGM On February 1, 1929 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California. With a budget of $379,000 (5,242,279. 24 in today's money), MGM created the basis of what Classic Musical would soon become. The film beat out United Artists and Feature Productions' Alibi, Fox's In Old Arizona, Paramount's The Patriot and MGM's other nomination Hollywood Revue for the award. The other awards The Academy nominated it for was Harry Beaumont for Best Director and Bessie Love for Best Actress. A big production, big musical numbers, and a touch of color... kinda, it's not doubt as to why the film won it for that year.

In the late 20's and early 30's Hollywood was going through a revolution in technology. With the very recent introduction of talking films, color was the next big venture, and if you were lucky enough to get the two together, you were bound to have a hit. Since this was going to be on of first musicals in a talking format the extra glitz and glamour would be the cherry on top. The Broadway Melody was not filmed all in color but there was a sequence of the film that was in color. That sequence was for the song  "Wedding of the Painted Doll", however, in the version of the film that we see today it is not in color because the version that had the color sequence has been lost. Reading about this news after watching the film it made sense because that sequence in the film was a really focused on for not having any of the stars in the song at all. It was focused on so it could so off the red and green filters that the movie originally had. Even without the color in the film it's a beautiful and fun scene.

Like I mentioned earlier, Bessie Love was nominated for Best Actress for the film playing full forced Harriet "Hank" Mahoney. The Award ended up going to Mary Pickford in Coquette. I would have to say that she was by far the best actor or actress in the film. I think she had the best part because it was the only part in the film that expected a full range on emotion. The other Stars of the film are Anita Page as Queenie Mahoney, Hank's beautiful sister, and Charles King as Eddie Kerns the slick music writer for Broadway and Hank's fiancé. King was ok for the most part of his performance. He really is happy go luck or jealous through the whole film and stings Hank along while he is falling in love with Queenie. Anita Page's performance would have been more impressive if it were a silent film. She did more acting with her face (over reacting) than what he voice matched up with.

The best part of the film is the music. I loved all of the songs in this film. The music was composed by Nacio Herb Brown and the lyrics are by brilliant Arthur Freed. The reason that I, and many others, would know and love this music is because it was all used again in the major block buster hit Singing in the Rain. It was really great to see the origins of the music in this film and how they have been shaped for  Singing in the Rain.

I would have to say that while the music is amazing this film is not one of my favorites. While I do appreciate one of the foundation musicals, I won't be enjoying this film again any time soon. It was good but it lacked that magical quality to gives musicals the ability to last the tests of time.

Why Him?

Release Date: December 25, 2016

Starring: James Franco as Laird Mayhew
Bryan Cranston as Ned Fleming
Zoey Deutch as Stephanie Fleming
Megan Mullally as Barb Fleming
Griffin Gluck as Scotty Fleming
Keegan-Michael Key as Gustav

Directed by: John Hamburg

Written by: John Hamburg and Ian Helfer based off the story by Jonah Hill, John Hamburg and Ian Helfer.

When Ned finds out his daughter is dating a tech millionaire, Laird Mayhew, he and is family fly to California to spend Christmas with them. When they meet the strange and outrageously honest boyfriend, Ned is less than impressed. Laird gets overly excited and does everything he can to make a good impression, and more often than not goes a little too far. When Laird asks Ned to his daughter's hand in marriage Ned says no. Laird then tries everything to get Ned to like him and agree while Ned does everything to discredit Laird and drive him and his daughter apart.

I knew what to expect going into this film. These types of comedies are, for the most part, predictable and when you have James Franco in the mix you kind of know what to expect from him. While the bits are always the same and jokes are always similar, and the plot almost always goes down the same way, when you put James Franco in he always manages to make it funny. Even if you know what is eventually going to happen he always makes the journey fun. Bryan Cranston showing us a side that we don't see much was great. Franco and Cranston worked very well on the screen and built off each other's energy. I would say that you should go and see this film, it's crazy funny, and well worth it.

Passengers

Release Date: December 21, 2016

Starring: Chris Pratt as Jim Preston
Jennifer Lawrence as Aurora Lane

On a 120 year journey to a new colony, two passengers are accidentally awaken 90 years before they are supposed to arrive at their destination. When they learn that they can't go back to sleep and with no way to wake up the crew they must find a way to deal being alone. After the initial shock, they start to warm up to each other and create their own paradise on the ship to live out the rest of their years. When the ship stars to malfunction they must find a way to fix it and save the lives of the other 5000 people on board.

This is the most visually stunning film of the year. You can not out do what the production team of this film has done. Every thing you see and hear makes you think that you are with Pratt and Lawrence on the ship. It's majestic and electric at the same time. This film's story is very unique and original yet it tricks you. When you see the trailer you think that the whole film is going to be a thriller and you are going to be on the edge of your seat the entire time but it's not. The most action happens maybe in the last 45 minutes or so. The story is really between these two people who go on one journey and literally wake up in the middle of something new. This movie is literally what "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey" means. Lawrence and Pratt have such great chemistry on screen that you can't help but root for them in whatever they decide to do. Simply put, this is one of the best films of the year.

Manchester by the Sea

Release Date: November 15, 2016

Starring Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler
Michelle Williams as Randi Chandler
Lucas Hedges as Patrick

Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan

Written by: Kenneth Lonergan

When Lee's brother, Joe, dies after his heart fails he finds that he is now the guardian of his nephew, Patrick.

Really I think that the one line of the a description that I just wrote was more thrilling than the movie was. This film kept jumping back and forth in the timeline of Lee's life. It was hard to keep up with in some parts. Manly because I had to keep reminding myself what had just happened because I was so bored. When you keep looking at you clock to see if it's been an hour yet, and find that it's been only fifteen minutes, or you consider falling asleep because you know that the void of nothingness behind your eyelids is more interesting than what you paid money to see... you don't have a good film on your hands.