As a movie buff since the age of 5, and someone who is not a sports fan, The Oscars are my only live tv event that is equivalent to the Superbowl. I have great respect for everyone that is nominated , but l do get frustrated at some of the Academy’s picks, nominating the same people over and over again , I am looking at you Meryl Streep and Bradley Cooper, and not giving Leonardio DiCaprio an award yet. He definitely deserved one for  Wolf of Wall Street. He wasn’t just playing himself! ( at least, I hope not ) There are always Oscar snubs every year , this year most notably the movie Selma having the director and lead actoor not nominated although the picture was. And the Lego Movie was one of the best 3 animated movies I have ever  seen in my lifetime!

So for the main categories I will point out what  will win , according to  awards already won, and what I  would vote for if I was a member of the Academy. The median age of Academy members is 62, and there are 77 % males and 23% females/ That needs to be changed to fit in with the 21st century , if you ask me.  This is probably why Crash won over Brokeback Mountain, and why The King’s Speech won over The Social Network, which is a far superior film.

Best Picture:  Boyhood, as people are impressed by the 12 year long dedication of the cast and Richard Linklater , highly original concept. I would have voted for the Imitation Game , as I love true stories and it was the only movie that I would like to own and watch again.

Supporting Actor: JK Simmons because of his extraordinary turn as an verbally abusive teacher! This is a choice I agree with,

Best Actress : Julianne Moore gives a very nuanced performance as an early onset Alzheimers patient, and has already won an award. I would vote for Rosamund Pike as her performance made the movie Gone Girl what it is. I was on the edge of my seat the whole movie and she was the character I hated most all year

Best Actor::This is the only category that is not clear cut as all the nominees are equally strong. At first Michael Keaton got most of the buzz, then it was Eddie Redmayne  playing real life genius Stephen Hawking. The Academy loves to reward actors who can play real people effectively, and I do too that is I why I would vote for Benedict Cumberbatch

He excels at playing arrogant geniuses, but unlike in Sherlock, and the Fifth estate, he shows true vulnerability here and his performance was the only one that moved me to tears!

Supporting Actress :Patricia Arquette is the sure thing. I like her and Reese Witherspoon ,but would vote for Patricia as Reese has already won an Oscar for Walk the Line.

Best Animated Movie: Big Hero 6 and I agree,nothing else comes close except The Lego Movie which wasn’t even nominated

Best Documentary : Citizenfour ( about Edward Snowden) and I agree

Best Director : Richard Linklater, which would be my second choice after Morten Tyldum ( The Imitation Game

This movie is powerful,brilliant, and heartbreaking! I don’t often wish movies went on for longer but I did here! If I had actually seen this in 2014  it would have been my Number 1 pick for the year! At least the Academy got something right by nominating this movie , it is miles better than Boyhood and Birdman , and very similar to Foxcatcher with its  bleak look at unhappy and lonely people ! Alan Turing is a genius and  has never been a people person as he was so different from the other kids in school he was bullied. He had only 1 great friend named Christopher which he remembers so fondly he calls the  code breaking machine Christopher in memory.

He and Keira Knightley are fast friends immediately, connected by their ability to do crosswords in 6 minutes  ( impressed! takes me 10 minutes)  and both being outcasts in their field , she being a woman in a mans job. When she says why are you helping me? He says  a quote  Christopher once said to him  “Sometimes its the people nobody imagines of that can do the things no one can imagine!”

Turing  has a secret that can’t get out as his  superior  is always looking for any reason to get fired , When it does, the injustice of how this  war hero/code breaker  was treated  made me cry for 10 minutes! Only 2 movies a year have the power to do that these days. When I was a kid I would cry at anything!

I really hope Benedict Cumberbatch wins Best Actor for this , as you forget that he also plays Sherlock Holmes, he lives and breathes the tortured, vulnerable, brilliant  Alan Turing.

I am glad he  got a posthumous  pardoning from Queen Elizabeth in 2013 , but he should have been respected when he was alive

Verdict 5/5 This movie is definitely worth owning on DVD

My Dad and I went to see this at the theater primarily because it was Robin William’s last live-action film . His last movie,Absolutely Anything, in 2015 will only feature his voice. I enjoyed the first one ,still haven’t seen the second one but didn’t ever feel like they were must own dvds.. With this one I do! There are celebrity cameos that very pleasant surprises, and Rebel Wilson has a delightful role as the British Museum’s Night Guard and she flirts with Ben Stiller by saying I could have been a supermodel if only I didn’t love pizza so much !

The new character of Lancelot  is really well played by Dan Stevens, and there are some great sight gags! The museum director, played by Ricky Gervais, is always fun and he should have a bigger part. There was a planned spinoff of the Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan  characters but this idea was scrapped with Robin Williams death. The movie is dedicated to both him and Mickey Rooney, who also died earlier this year at grand old age of 93

The whole audience was laughing a lot and it is a great popcorn movie for all ages, Not going to win any awards but is perfect for a holiday weekend when you just want to relax and giggle!  I give it 4 out 5 !

The first shot of the movie shows a man at his most vulnerable and we quickly learn why. He desperately wants to be respected as an actor ,not just asked  Didn’t you used to be Birdman?  This is perfect casting as  Keaton’s most iconic role was Batman 20 years ago and his roles have decreased as he got older. Riggan Thomson is  directing and starring in a play by Raymond Carver that could get respect from the critics if he could just get a great lead actor. An  incident on the set  sends the current lead to the hospital and he says why can’t we get Woody Harrelson or Michael Fassbender?  They are in hot projects . A difficult but excellent actor Mike Shiner is suggested by lead actress (Naomi Watts)  This actor is perfectly cast as Edward Norton has a reputation of being brilliant but demanding and being fired from being a superhero (the Incredible Hulk)  it is hate at first sight for these two, but the tickets all sell out the opening night is a full house, so there is no way his stage manager  (Zach Galifinakis ) will fire him. He was the biggest surprise , playing completely against type , and the most sensible one in the cast.

His adorable,cool, bored assistant is also his daughter played by a blonde Emma Stone. She and Norton have sizzling chemistry in a couple scenes.

Both preview nights go wrong but  a bad night when Keaton gets locked out of the theater ends up with him streaking through a crowd  with very  little clothes desperately trying to get back in and going viral on Twitter! He got the fame he wanted,even if it was in a humiliating way!

This movie is totally unpredictable, a blast from beginning to end, a satire of both actors, and the theatre world. This movie is not for everyone , it has strong language and is a black comedy  and I was surprised to see 3 guys get up and walk out 20 minutes into the movie! I think if they had stayed 20 more minutes they would have liked it better.

I do hope it wins a few of the 7 Golden Globes it has been nominated for and I give it 3.5 out of 5 .I would like to see Keaton in a lot more roles.

I like to say if you see me it’s the worst day of your life! -Lou Bloom

Jake  Gyllenhaal is Lou Bloom, a driven man desperate for money who wants more from life than  just stealing items like chained up bikes and selling them to pawnshops. He tries to get hired at places that he sells hot merchandise yet but is snarled at in contempt ” I’m not hiring a thief!”

He stumbles into a  carjacking one night in LA  and sees how fast the paparazzi arrive on the scene, even faster than the cops  and overhears  Bill Paxton on the phone selling a single shot for 300! He asks him if he’s hiring and he says no but he realizes he could work for himself if he just had a decent camcorder and police scanner.

He gets his first graphic footage and sells it to news director  Nina (Rene Russo) at a low rated station she is impressed at how close he got and says bring us more urban crime whenever you can

He takes that a little too literally and will do anything to get the first scoop! this is a movie  with not a wasted moment . It is  sad just  how news has stooped to  showing  graphic stories for shock value and ratings  “if it bleeds it leads” Really makes you see paparazzi in an even more unflattering light  and shows just  how  immoral ethically  news media has become , as we also saw in Gone Girl.

Jake physically transformed himself by losing 30 pounds and his eyes look so haunting when combined with his piercing gaze. His performance here is reminiscent of  Edward Norton’s breakout performance in Primal Fear where you never know what to expect from moment to moment  good side or psychopathic side who ALWAYS gets what he wants. He also wins Worst Boss of the year award from me. I do think it would be a crime if he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar next year!  4.5 out of 5

This epic 3 hour motion picture was by far the most emotional of all that Nolan has directed! This is a real family movie as well, there is something for everyone in the family. There is  action and special effects for the men and kids, and there is a strong father -daughter love story that will tug at the ladies heartstrings! I know it did with mine! There is also very little strong language so its suitable for 8 to 80 years of age..The supervillain in this movie is climate change! The world is now  a  21st century dust bowl,with no crops growing , except corn,and lots of kids with horrible coughs getting lung disease! I hope our future isn’t that depressing!

I think the McConaissance is still going strong, Matthew  has a great cast to work with and he is not playing himself at all! Not once did he say his signature catchphrase but that was probably because  nothing was going the way it should!  Anne Hathaway had a great chemistry with him and Jessica Chastain as  Matthew’s (Coop) daughter (Murph). It was amusing to hear the reason why she was named after Murphy’s Law!  I love how she gives 110 % to every role I see an Oscar in her future! The always excellent  Michael Caine is the NASA science professor and  Hathaway’s (Dr Brand) father who is also a scientist

The movie is a cross between Inception and Gravity but I liked it much better than either! I loved how the characters have a backstory .

I am happy to announce the movie was the first 3 hour movie I didn’t have to leave to go to the washroom! For the last half hour I just crossed my legs! That shows you how intense the action was,When walking out I laughed when I heard a couple say  3 hours! Holy Crap ! it didn’t feel that long.

I still like the Dark Knight Trilogy better but this is a masterpiece  and I rate it 4/5

Dysfunctonal family dramas  are not my favourite genre of movie. They often recycle plots and tropes  from other classics, such as Terms of Endearment, which is the gold standard. There is always a black sheep of the family that comes back home after a long absence to help with a family crisis. There is usually an old girlfiend that still lives in the same town and is surprisingly, not married . What elevates a drama for me is the casting choices, chemistry between the actors , and the acting range shown,  A satisfying family drama has to make me both laugh and cry . This is Where I Leave You , a similar  movie where a son had unresolved father -son issues was  well acted, but the script was average, I did laugh but was never moved enough o cry .

Downey and Duvall did make me cry, as well most of the female audience members in the theater!  Downey still has the cocky confidence of Tony Stark , but without the smartass quips, gadgets, or Pepper Potts to back him up. This is the most range he has shown since being nominated for Chaplin 15 years ago , and his first drama since 2009’s The Soloist , which I also enjoyed.

Ever since Robert Duvall’s  breakthrough role in To Kill a Mockingbird as Boo Radley, he hasn’t given a bad performance. Initially unlikable, his humanity and core decency shines through making him a very sympathetic character by the end.

I thought the casting of Billy Bob Thornton as the opposing counsel, was perfect , as well as Vera Farmigia  ( Up in the Air)  who was his first serious girlfriend , but after a bad car accident  and a big fight with his father , Hank decides to leave town for good after a rock concert.

The courtroom scenes were phenomenal , and although the movie is 142 minutes long, it never dragged once and I could have watch another hour. My dad liked it so much he stayed until all the end credits were done .

It is a 4.5 out of 5, my Top Movie of 2014, and I really think  1 or both of the lead actors will receive Oscar nominations .

Gone Girl is a bestseller that has been on the bestseller lists for 121 weeks, starting at number 7 and moving to Number 2 so it was a foregone conclusion that there would be a movie. The best adaptations in my opinion are when the original author does the screenplay, so I was pleased when Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay. Then I was worried would they get the casting right? I am pleased to report they did,

I have always been a fan of Ben Affleck,ever since I saw him in Good Will Hunting , and everyone admits he is a good director.  I think he will be a great Batman as well. Rosamond Pike was perfectly cast as the icy blonde wife straight out of a Hitchcock movie ,and the whole movie felt distinctly Hitchcockian but with the  David Fincher touch. I have never seen a movie of his I didn’t like. Zodiac and The Social Network were masterpieces.

The supporting cast  was perfect,most notably I was surprised by how fun Tyler Perry was as  a  celebrity lawyer who was subdued but charismatic, and  Carrie Coon, who played Margo Dunne, Nick’s sister. I found her to be the most likable,

I thought Neil Patrick  Harris showed dramatic range, worlds away from his Barney Stinson character

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and was only disappointed in 1 area, but that was in the book, so can’t blame the director.

I honestly think this will have Actor and Actress nominations for Ben Affleck and Rosamond Pike  I give it a thumbs up and  a 4 out of 5.

I  have always been  in awe of Robin Williams versatility. He can go  from playing broad physical comedy  ( in drag, no less!)  to the serious drama of Fisher King or Insomnia and make them both look effortless. I have seen 90% of his movies and loved all except  Death to Smoochy ! (what was that?)

So I decided to watch  a drama  I hadn’t seen that was available on Netflix entitled World’s Greatest Dad .  I had heard a critic say this would be unwatchable in light of  Robin’s unfortunate death and I was curious to see why.

Now I was disappointed in this movie overall .   Williams is a struggling writer and teacher at a high school whose poetry class is always in danger of being dropped from the curriculum . His son is doing badly both in studies and in his social life.The plot was stunningly formulaic and a little manipulative of the viewer’s emotions.  The characters were so predictable and the female love interest , a fellow school teacher who is dating Williams  but drops him for a younger, more popular teacher , makes women look very fickle.

What makes the movie still very watchable  is the portrait of a quietly desperate, depressed father watching his world fall apart  . What makes this eerie is I don’t think Robin was acting at all . He was just drawing on his inner well of depression. He has never been farther away from being Mork than he has in this movie. He doesn’t even crack a smile once .Some reviews say it was hilarious but it is too disturbing to ever be funny

After you watch  it let me know as I would like to talk about further things but don’t want to spoil it!

I would give this a 3/5 would be 2.5 out of 5 if anyone but Robin Williams was in the lead!