What you really care about is how did Michelle Williams do in her performance. Well ladies and gentlemen, the rumors are true, while Williams may not be as stunning as the real life Monroe, she gives the performance of a lifetime. When Williams was not present I found myself bored, waiting for her to return to the screen, a similar quality that the real life Monroe had in her films. While that is not a testament to this film, it is a true testament to Michelle Williams as an actress. She will receive an Oscar nomination for this role, she may even win it, and she deserves it.

So what about the film itself? Although I found myself bored when Williams was not on screen, fear not, she is present the majority of the time so these moments were few and far between. But the story itself is a bit weak and repetitive. Monroe’s insecure and erratic antics slow the production down, everyone gets angry with her, then young Colin Clark comes to her rescue. Put that cycle on repeat and you have our movie. This film was good, just not fantastic, but it is elevated by Williams’ outstanding performance, which brings the quality to excellence.

There are other noticeable performances as well, including Redmayne himself. It’s unfortunate because Michelle Williams clearly has the spotlight, but Redmayne manages to make young Colin Clark a sympathetic and loveable character despite his character being somewhat shallow. Also look out for Dame Judi Dench in a delightful extended cameo and Emma Watson (yes, Hermione from Harry Potter), who manages to do well with the little role she is given.

Overall, ‘My Week With Marilyn’ has a mediocre plot, it tells the tale of a troubled young actress who was more famous than she could handle, and a young boy who fell for her in a mere week. But alas, this film is not about the story, it’s about the performances, and Michelle Williams’ transformation as Marilyn Monroe is more than enough to make this film a diamond, after all, they are a girl’s best friend.

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When Jobs left Apple in 1985 due to complications with its then CEO, John Sculley, he subsequently bought The Graphics Group from Lucasfilm Limited, George Lucas’s (yes, that George Lucas) production company, in 1986. During his time there, Jobs was able to impact the world of film forever. He changed the company’s name to the Pixar Animation Studios that we all know and love today and it was under Jobs’s supervision, that Pixar produced its first movie, and the world’s first-ever computer animated film, Toy Story. Since then Pixar has gone on to produce a number of Oscar winning films including Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Up and Toy Story 3. It was with Jobs’s guidance that the world saw its first computer animated film, and every computer animated film after this seminal film has Jobs, no doubt one of many, but a central one of many, to thank for this contribution.

Jobs was truly an innovator in every sense of the word. He will be missed dearly, but his legacy continues, not just in the Apple products we use, but also in the movies we see. Thank you, Mr. Jobs, for a lifetime served.

Today we finally have the first look at Streep’s performance in the trailer for ‘The Iron Lady.’ While it is only just a short teaser trailer, it is clear this is going to be another slam-dunk performance by Streep. Maybe she will finally get another win this time! Did you know she’s been nominated for 16 Academy Awards and has only won twice! I think it’s time for another win if you ask me. Take a look at the teaser trailer below and let us know what you think!

What do you think Banters? Another solid performance by Streep or should she head for early retirement?

Click here to view the embedded video.

While some people may disagree and say he has always been a stable working actor, nothing will compare to the productions he has lined up in the next year. Earlier this year he wrapped up filming on both ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ opposite Tom Cruise as well as ‘Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.’ He is currently filming ‘The Avengers’ featuring an all star cast (Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo just to name a few) as well as providing the voice for a new character in the next Ice Age flick. Even after all that he will then step into the shoes of Matt Damon as the new lead in the ‘Bourne’ franchise! That doesn’t even include his lesser known projects like ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’ and ‘Slingshot’ (which he is also producing).

While it may seem a bit premature I really do think this time next year we will be talking a lot more about Jeremy Renner.  He won’t just be known as a two-time Academy Award nominated actor, but as a staple in the Hollywood action star category.   I say bring it on, I think he’s got the looks and the acting chops to pull it off.

What do you think Banters? Next big thing or over-exposed?

Earlier today the 2009 Razzie Award Winners were announced. Sandra Bullock took home the top, or should I say worst, acting prize of the night by winning Worst Actress of the year for “All About Steve.”

Never has the same actress won the Razzie and Oscar in the same year. Bullock will be at the Oscars tonight and is the front runner for Best Actress. Her portrayal as Leigh-Ann Toughy in “The Blind Side” was one heck of a performance and is likely to get her Oscar gold. I guess all I can say is, Bullock is fairly dynamic if she can put on the best and worst acting performances. Could she make history?

If somebody else has something to say about it, it might be Gabby Sidibe in Precious.

Anyways, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen won for Worst Picture and the Jonas Brothers collectively won Worst Actor for the Jonas Brothers Movie.

As discussed in an earlier post by Craig,  this year’s Academy Awards will expand its nomination total to 10. What really gets me thinking is that could the Academy have picked a worse year to expand the nominations.  Taking a look back on the movies that have come out this year, this has been a really bad year for movies.

When most years we see plenty of worthy movies being left off the Best Picture list, this year there might not be 5 worthy movies at all.  To date, I believe the only  movie to be worthy of a Best Picture nomination is “The Hurt Locker” starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie.  In fact, Mackie could win for Best Supporting Actor as well.  So if we just look at this from the perspective of 5 worthy movies, this year could be a real stretch.  Well, with 10, there might be some problems.

Plenty of great movies came out this year; these movies however are wouldn’t what we call Best Picture worthy. One that comes to mind is J.J Abrams remake of “Star Trek.” This was one of the best movies of the summer, and a movie I will definitely get on DVD. However, worthy of a Best Picture nomination? Umm, I’m not so sure. In a year where there is a real shortage of quality films, “Star Trek” is more than likely to be up for the top prize.

Another movie that will likely be up for Best Picture is “UP.” “UP” was the CGI Summer smash hit that captured the hearts of adults and kids. Again, “UP” was great, but I would be skeptical to say it was as good as “Shrek.” Did “Shrek” get picked to race with the big boys, umm no, and neither should “UP.” However, because of the expansion, it will surely be up for Best Picture.

The final movie thus far this year that I think that will be selected as a Best Picture nomination is “Inglorious Basterds.” This movie was a big hit with a lot of people, especially Tarantino fans, with some even showering it with Best Picture hope. For me, I’m not so sure to jump on that band wagon. I enjoyed the movie but don’t think it’s Best Picture worthy. I leave the debate to you. However, I do believe it will get the nod only because of the need to fill 10 slots.

In year’s past plenty of incredible movies missed the boat on getting a Best Picture nod. One that comes to my mind last year was Gran Torino. That movie blew me away, and I thought it was the best movies of the year. Yet, somehow it missed the boat.  Had the Academy expanded to 10 last year, the film would have surely been up for the award.

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In a move that should really be good for movies, reduce the debate on who got screwed, and shower more films with accolades, expanding the list to 10 is not a good idea for this year.  Sure, we still have 2 more months of movies, but to date this year has been disappointing.  We will see some mediocore films getting nom’s they don’t deserve.

What do you think?

This Friday, Clooney’s highly-anticipated Fantastic Mr. Fox, director Wes Anderson’s first animated feature, hits theaters as well. And a few weeks later in December, he’ll finish it off with Jason Reitman’s hugely-awaited Up In The Air.

This may just be me, but I expect Fox and Air to at least be nominated for some kind of Oscar come February. This spur of great movies isn’t so unlike Clooney. If you’ll think back a few years to the fall 2005/winter 2006 Oscar season, there came a bunch of Academy Award contenders all starring, you guessed it, George Clooney.

The historic-drama Good Night, and Good Luck, in which news anchor Edward R. Murrow (played by David Strathairn) attempted to remove Senator Joseph McCarthy from office, gave Clooney two more Oscar nods: one for Best Achievement in Directing and another shared with Grant Heslov for Best Original Screenplay. Clooney won his first Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar for playing Bob Barnes in Syriana, the thriller about people involved in the oil business. In one of my favorite films of 2006 The Good German, I was sad to see Clooney’s wonderful performance as Jake Geismer ignored. Still, the film’s composer Thomas Newman took Oscar home for Best Original Score.

Some people flat out dislike George Clooney, which I can respect. Although you can’t deny the fact that he makes some pretty damn good films. I’ve always loved Clooney’s work, and look forward to the future spectacles he’ll star in, produce or hopefully even direct. Being a freak for Where the Wild Things Are, I’ll be a part of the audience for Fantastic Mr. Fox this weekend, and one of the many who will take up seats in December for Reitman’s Up In The Air.

Keep Bantering

Miss Congeniality movie download The Air I Breathe hd If you’re unaware of what Amelia is due to a drab marketing campaign (because again, it’s meant to win awards, not make money), it chronicles the life and career of Amelia Earhart, played by Hilary Swank; from her attempting to fly around the world, to her love life with George Putnam, played by Richard Gere in the film.

Amelia never appealed to me when I heard about it a few months ago, and I gagged even more after I saw the trailer. It looked like Oscar bait and nothing else, a movie that will live hard and be forgotten after February 2010. Although I figured that critics like Roger Ebert and A.O. Scott would drool over Mira Nair’s film and give it rave reviews. However if you paid any attention this week’s movie reviews, you’ll see that I was wrong: on poll site Rotten Tomatoes, Amelia

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received a 16% rating. That’s Hilary Swank’s third-worst rated film of her career. It was rated lower than Saw VI and Astro Boy, for God’s sakes! And critics destroy Saw every year!

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Mira Nair must be pissed. After all, most of her movies have been rather well-received, Monsoon Wedding Vertigo full movie

being called a “banquet for the heart.” Although Monsoon

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, and all of her other movies besides New York, I Love You, have been foreign films. She was actually asked to direct Amelia, she didn’t just choose it out of nowhere. So could Amelia and New York, I Love You’s (which was also poorly received) bad ratings a sign for Nair to return to directing indie love stories? In my opinion, yes. “Some guys just can’t handle Vegas”, as said in The Hangover, “Vegas” in this expression meaning “Hollywood”. Just look at Spike Lee.

So I guess that Oscar Season isn’t here yet, folks. Give Where The Wild Things Are another watch and check back November 6^th when The Men Who Stare At Goats download I Sell the Dead movie comes out.

Keep Bantering

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Sunday night was exciting for movies fans around the world, and even though I didn’t watch the entire Oscars because I can only watch fake smiles for the same amount of time Cookie Monster can go without a cookie.  I did perfectly time my viewing of it for the main awards in the beginning of the show and at the end and there was definitely a lot of eye candy of classy stars to look at.  I couldn’t disagree with the choice selections and was happy to see Slumdog go home the big winner, I truly believed it was the best film of the year.

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One category where I think the Academy got it wrong was in the Best Actor category.  Although Rourke was the given favorite at 5-6 Last Night release

, he lost in what was probably a close margin to second favorite Sean Penn at 2-1.  I don’t even think it was a close margin, I think the Academy straight up screwed Rourke out of the award he deserved.

Sean Penn is a terrific character actor as he shown us as playing Harvey Milk in Milk, Jimmy Markum in Mystic River, and of course the unforgettable Spicoli in Fast Time at Ridgemont High.  The Academy loves him for his views and how he has established himself in Hollywood and as well for his political stances.  He is a terrific actor, and most other years would have agreed with his victory, but he should not have beaten out Rourke.

Rourke had one of those iconic roles that if lucky may come once in a lifetime for an actor.  It is one of those roles that define great acting and moviemaking, truly making the movie experience worth while.  Forget about his previous issues, he created this dark and raw character that showed the audience so much heart and emotion, even with every wrong move the broken down man made.  You feel his sense of shame towards how he has been a dad to his daughter.  You feel his sense of heroism for how he seems to be getting his life and career in order.  And you feel his sense of lost soul as he tries to hold onto his life and former glory like a piece of loose string on a shirt as it all comes tumbling down.

This movie is average at best with any other actor, and original rumors were that Nicolas Cage was supposed to play the role of Ram.  I like Cage, but if he was in this, the movie would have sucked.  This is an iconic role that defines the character to be remembered the way Russell Crowe defines Maximus in Gladiator.

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The Academy frowns upon Mickey Rourke, and even though he looked like a complete doufus on Sunday in his outfit and wearing a picture of his dead dog around his neck, he should have won Best Actor.  I feel he was given the previous awards Patrick movie because they new they would not give him Best Actor at the Oscars.

Do you think the Academy got it right?

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