Yesterday, the Academy decided that ten could be too much. Instead, anywhere from five to ten films could be nominated in a given year. This seems…fair. Good job! Ten nominees were clearly too many. Everything was getting in there. If you ask me, sometimes five is too many as well. That is somewhat of an exaggeration because the goal here is to nominate five for the recognition. But really, by the time the nominees are out, everyone knows who the two frontrunners are. There may be one underdog who never wins, but that’s really it.

They supposedly used the last ten years to determine that some (the last two) could have used less nominees and some more. Most notably there was the debate that The Dark Knight deserved a nomination in 2008 but was shafted because of its box office showing and its comic book nature. However, in five years time, when The Reader and Frost/Nixon are dust in the wind, The Dark Knight will still be remembered. I’m sure there are plenty of other examples, but that seemed to stir up some feelings that Oscar season.

However, ten was clearly too many considering the last two years were a race between a pair of noticeably different films. In 2009, it was exciting to see a film like District 9 get nominated but clearly it had no shot to win. But everyone was still high on the idea that it could. By 2010, it was clear that a film like Inception was an excellent and entertaining film; however, it didn’t stand a shot at the big prize. Let alone films like Winter’s Bone and True Grit which, while very good, had no reason to be up there.

But I guess that’s the beauty of the Oscars: to get people excited about movies. The only thing to worry about (and it’s really not a concern for us but more for the reputation of Academy) is the legitimacy of receiving a Best Picture nomination, and I think that it has actually been a problem the last two years. People will run to see five movies so they’re not out of the loop. But when there’s ten and it’s clear that four of them have no shot of winning, it’s less likely. Regardless, Academy, this is the last time! Stick with it.

The month of February is commonly considered a dark period for movies. Nick mentioned that it is the graveyard for film. New releases are basically overshadowed by the award season.  In fact, Oscar nominated films get a distribution boost in February in order to milk the buzz they get from the nomination.

So, we know that you are not going to hit up the theaters for new releases. Instead, we know that you all are going to try to catch up on the Oscar movies that you didn’t get to see the first time around.  Get this, “An Education” went from 100 theaters before being nominated for the award, to over 700 after receiving the nod for Best Picture. However, Summit’s “The Hurt Locker” was sent to DVD, which went from being in theaters to being completely removed. Theaters will not show movies that get sent to DVD FYI. So, Summitt messed up.

As we are in the Oscar season, there is trophy talk everywhere. We have a year where 10 films got nominated and lots of movie hooplah to go through.  Since we know you all are trying to play Oscar catch up, we wanted to help you out.   Here are the 10 films nominated for Best Picture and our review for each one.

1. The Hurt Locker

2. Avatar

3. Up in the Air

4. Precious

5. Inglorious Basterds

6. The Blind Side

7. District 9

8. An Education

9. UP

10. A Serious Man

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Stranger Than Fiction ipod The 2009 Summer movie lineup has come and gone; a Summer loaded with big budget action sequels, wizards, robots, gay fashionistas, comic book spin-offs, and book-to-film adaptations.  With all the money and hype poured into many of these movies, we at TheMovieBanter realized that the best movies of the Summer were just the opposite.  Well, not completely the opposite. But in comparison to Transformers, Harry Potter, Terminator, Wolverine, and Angels & Demons, the best 2009 Summer movies took less money to make and were far better films.  These films succeeded on clever scripts, fresh plot lines, new faces, originality, and witty humor.  We might even see one of them be around come Oscar season, something rarely seen in Summer film world as most Academy Award contenders surface during the Christmas movie season.  Well, with Labor Day approaching and the end of Summer near, lets go through the top 5 movies of Summer 2009.

Honorable Mention – 500 Days of Summer, Inglorious Bastards, Funny People

5.  UP

UP was the best Pixar movie in a while and I would include it in the category of the best CGI films ever made along with Shrek, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E; not in any specific order.  CGI film creators rush to throw new films out month after month as emphasis gets put on luring kids to theaters instead of putting out intelligent products.  UP was not only intelligent, not only humorous, but lured adults as well as kids to theaters.  The pairing of a grumpy old man seeking adventure and an overweight, nerdy boyscout out to prove something to himself and his father, left many in tears and many in smiles.  UP took in well over $200 million at the box office (well-deserving) and makes our list at the 5th best movie of the Summer.

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4. District 9

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Neill Blomkamp’s participation on the Halo project got screwed up, so Peter Jackson handed him $25 million and said make me a movie.  Sometime later Blomkamp spit up a little film called District 9.   This film had some of the most original storytelling we have seen from the science-fiction genre in quite some time.  This film completely flipped the alien vs human plot as the story was told from the perspective of aliens.  What if humans were really the “bad guys” in an alien vs human story?  This film showed that.  I also loved the choice of the setting the film in Johannesburg, South Africa as opposed to cliche cities like NY, LA or Tokyo.  The setting added a fresh tone to the movie.  Additionally, the documentary style shooting made it as though we were watching a CNN special.  Blomkamp was really onto something in District 9, and a sequel is more than likely in his future.  We put it as the 4th best of the Summer.

3. The Hangover Scenes of a Sexual Nature

Can a film about a bachelor party in Vegas gone wrong, really make the Summer’s top movie list?  Well, you bet your ass it can.  Todd Phillips put together quite a group of guys to produce the Summer’s funniest movie by far.  The shenangans that went down in this movie had me non-stop laughing for 2 hours, and made me envious that these guys were simply in Vegas.  How many people left theaters dying to get to Vegas? And, how many people had new aspirations to make a legendary trip once they got there?  I’m sitting on my rooftop right now, on August 30th, and this film just recently left the box office 10, 12 weeks after it debuted on June 5th. As of right this moment The Hangover has made about $270 million in the US alone, only costing $35 million to make.  For you finance junkies, that’s a 770% return.  Brad Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha could not be casted more perfectly for their respective roles; especially Cooper and Galifianakis.  The lines from this movie will be uttered for years,

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and the wolfpack speech will be the next big fraternity pledge reenactment skit.  The Hangover is a must on the DVD purchase list and ranks as our 3rd best movie of the Summer.  Also, a sequel has already been been greenlit.

2.  Star Trek

A new Starship Enterprise and a fresh new crew brought back Star Trek to the theaters in May.  Chris Pine portrayed the character of Captain James T Kirk with a new bad-ass swagger that targeted a new generation of Trek fans.  This movie was not made for Trekkies, it was made for you and me.   With a cast also including Eric Bana, Zack Quinto and Karl Urban, Star Trek was interesting, original, funny, suspenseful, and just plain cool.  I also might add that the music was excellent.  The biggest addition to the franchise is no doubt JJ Abrams, creator of Lost.  Studio Execs made a brilliant decision in hiring him to get the franchise back on its feet.  Abrams just gets it, and there’s not much more to say than that.  Star Trek trumped all other big budget sequels this Summer.  It also seemed to me that Pine is being groomed to become the next big action star.  He carried the cocky swagger of Brad Pitt in Fight Club and likeable brainless heroism of Bruce Willis in Die Hard.  For the first time I could remember, my anti-science fiction friends were sprinting to theaters, and only had great things to say when it was over.  ‘Awesome’ is really the only word that comes to mind when describing this movie. While the world waits in anticipation for the sequel, Star Trek sits on our list as the 2nd best movie of the Summer.

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Drum roll please……

1. The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker is the most intelligent, raw, suspenseful and gritty war film ever made about the war in Iraq.  Starring small time actor Jeremy Renner, up-and-coming actor Anthony Mackie (we know him as Poppa Doc from 8 Mile),  and  Brian Geraghty, the Hurt Locker shows life inside Iraq from the perspective of a three person bomb-squad division.  More than just a war film about bloody battles, The Hurt Locker shows a more personal side to war.  We as viewers become more concerned about the well-being of the characters, than anticipating the next gun fight.   The film focuses on the psychological impact of war and each individual’s reasons for fighting.  We see some are there because they have no choice and eagerly await their release while some are there because the thrill of war gets them high.  Mackie’s performance is also Oscar worthy.

Much like Saving Private Ryan, The Hurt Locker makes you feel like you are right on the front line.  However, this time you don’t know who is good and who is bad.  In fighting an enemy you cannot physically see, this film shows frustrated soldiers, chaotic battle plans, lack of order, and overall uncertainty to who is trustworthy; a movie that truly keeps you at the edge of your seat.  This film clearly depicts Iraq as hell on Earth, and sends a message that there really is little or no successful game plan to winning.  The Hurt Locker is not only the best movie of the Summer but the best movie of the year so far.  With the recent increase to 10 Best Picture nominations, The Hurt Locker will unquestionably be nominated for movie of the year.  I will not say it should win, as we have 4 months of movies left to see this year, but The Hurt Locker will be a contender come Oscar time.

There you have it. The Top 5 Movies of the Summer.  What are your thoughts? We want to hear them.

Also, stay tuned for tomorrow for the top 5 worst movies of the Summer

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It Came from Outer Space hd Craig and I saw this film on Saturday.  Not only did we think it was very good, we both thought it was a really original film. Blomkamp created a very new world, shooting this movie like a documentary. Unlike Cloverfield, this movie was not like a homemade film with handheld camera’s responsible for the entire shoot.  District 9 was shot like a ’60 Minutes’ episode with a twist of smart science-fiction  movie.   Check out my review below.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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The low budget science fiction dominated the box office over the weekend taking in $37 million. Let’s just say this movie will be a success as it only cost $30 million.  That figure does not include marketing, which people anticipated about $25 million.  So, by next weekend this movie will have become profitable. That is an amazing performance for a film.

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Also, this is pretty good news for Peter Jackson, who handed Blomkamp $30 million to make basically any movie he wanted.  This happened because the plan to add Blomkamp to the Halo project fell through.  District 9 was the product of all that happening. Check out my review in my next post.  I have no doubt a sequel will be on the to-do list.

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Well Banterers, District 9

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is here.  I have read a couple reviews on it as well as discussing the movie with some people that have seen it already, and reviews are mixed.  The Banter review will be on the site by Sunday, and we will notify you about it.  This way you guys can check out what we think.  Craig is actually making his maiden voyage back to NY this weekend.  So we will be attending a movie together for the first time since the Banter was founded in January 2009.   Anyways, back to District 9. Let’s run through the word on the street about this movie.

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Rafer Guzman of Newsday says – “What the sci-fi action flick “District 9″ lacks in famous faces it makes up for with sheer imagination. It’s an unlikely summer blockbuster, shot with a South African cast on a restrained budget. It’s also a refreshing blast of original filmmaking.” Click here for a complete review.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times says – ““District 9” does a lot of things right, including giving us aliens to remind us not everyone who comes in a spaceship need be angelic, octopod or stainless steel. They are certainly alien, all right. It is also a seamless merger of the mockumentary and special effects (the aliens are CGI). And there’s a harsh parable here about the alienation and treatment of refugees.” Click here for a complete review.

The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel hd Peter Travers of Rolling Stone writes – “District 9, with a chump-change budget of $30 million, soars on the imagination of its creators. This baby has the stuff to end the movie summer on a note of dazzle and distinction.” Click here for a complete review.

However, I spoke to my father about this movie at around 3pm on Friday. He is a big science fiction buff and was fairly excited for this film.  Let’s just say he is a bit of Trekkie.  Well, he told me he literally walked out of the theaters 1 hour 15 minutes into the film.  He said that it was just not his thing, he couldn’t take the movie, and things were not moving along well.  I’ll be sure to tell him how the movie ended after I get done seeing it.

So we have an interesting array of opinions. The critics seem to like while one member of the sci-fi fan base did not. I would expect to see the complete opposite. Typically the sci-fi fan base likes films (or will at least go see them)  despite awful reviews from critics.  I’m not saying my father represents the entire sci-fi base, but it’s really interesting to point out that a true sci-fi fan was not into this movie.

We will put our snap review of the film up this weekend.

Also, check out this link for the entire weekend lineup. We have a lot of movies opening up this weekend; lots to see. What will you be seeing?
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This Friday, August 14th, is the debut for the new Peter Jackson movie “District 9.” The film is directed by Neill Blomkamp with Jackson this time in a producer role.  The movie appears to be of the science fiction theme with a dose of action; aliens have crash landed on Earth, in Africa, and we are keeping them there for purposes of learning about them.  The trailer alludes to them wanting to leave, us not letting them leave, and some serious retaliation ensuing.  Click the “District 9″ link in Banter Radar West of Brooklyn movie download section to check out the trailer or see below.  Anyways, this movie has the makings to be a large-scale science fiction drama, but it is not being marketed like one.  Instead, the marketing campaign has been trying to capture some mystery, intrigue and uncertainty to what it’s really about.

When I walked to work about 4 weeks ago, I saw on a bus stop with the following billboard “Bus Stop, no aliens allowed” with a picture of a “red caution circle” over a picture of a drawing of an alien. It looked like this. Anyways, at first I thought to myself WTF.  What in the world could this be? I Twister divx went on the internet and learned that it was for the new movie “District 9.” I slowly began noticing more of these mysterious caution signs all over the city. However, they were all kept to relatively small scale ads; there were no mega billboards in Times Square. The more I noticed these, the more intrigued I was about this movie. The campaign is trying to make this movie be as realistic as possible; and for an alien movie? wow? Well, that is the angle they are taking.

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The trailer approach has also been that of a teaser. We typically see major science fiction movies, who rely so heavily on special effects and action, get these grandiose trailers, billboards, and buzz (i.e. “Independence Day”, “Armageddon”, and even “The Day After Tomorrow”).  This trailer barely shows a thing.  It is bizarre to me that this movie is taking the total opposite.  It reminded me of “Cloverfield Ladder 49 dvdrip The Guitar release

” in the way that both trailers maintained some element of mystery.  The tone of the “District 9″ trailer is more frightening and less cheesy than “Cloverfield,” but both are essentially capturing the same thing.  Additionally, there is very little sound to the new TV trailer spots creating an intense and thrilling set of images.

The original trailer is a montage of flashing words, quick glimpses of aliens jumping around, and the local African population displaying their displeasure and frustration towards the aliens during news interviews.  When I first saw the trailer, I thought movie was actually a documentary.  Check it out below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The marketing approach this movie has taken is really a bit unorthodox.   It’s refreshing to see a new approach to marketing.  Rather than taking the typical large scale route with exploding bombs and insane action, this movie is aiming towards the more suspenseful and frightening path as it is creating a very realistic setting.   I think this campaign will be successful for the movie as word of mouth will turn into box office success.

Anticipate some water cooler conversation next Monday.  Are you seeing “District 9” this weekend?

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