R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor

One of the last true heavies from the Hollywood Star System has died. Although Elizabeth Taylor began at the tail end of the failing system she always had a Golden Age star quality about her. She was a bridge between the Golden Age and the Method Age, and she blended in with both. Taylor held her own with William Powell and Spencer Tracy as she did with Montgomery Clift and James Dean. Her career fell off by the late sixties, but she stayed relevant for the rest of her life. Taylor was famous first as a movie star,then her personal life(marriage, health/weight problems, and Richard Burton) and finally as an activist. She was one of the first and easily the most famous person to bring the A.I.D.S. problem into America's households. Elizabeth Taylor was more than a pretty face, she was a great actress with a lot of range. My three favorite performances from her are Giant (1956), Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958), and Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?(1966),solid films that she helps carry.  These are other highlights of her film career that are must sees. National Velvet (1944), Life With Father (1947), Father Of The Bride (1950), A Place In The Sun (1951) one of her best films,but this movie belongs to Monty, Raintree County (1957)another great Liz performance, and Butterfield 8 (1960) not a great film, but she was good enough to win her first of two Oscars for it. Elizabeth Taylor left behind two great legacies, iconic star and trailblazing activist,she was 79.

The Oscars post-game show 2011

What the hell happened this year? Bad writing, horrible skits, and a host that looked as interested as a gay man in the playboy mansion. Hal and Cody take time out of their busy schedules to discuss the worst televised Oscar presentation....ever.


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Below is the rejected "Grease" parody opening number...........thank God.








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Cody's 2010 Oscar Predictions

My 3rd Annual Oscar predictions is here!!!! This year is a better quality of film, but it seems to be a bit tricky this year, just like every year. This is what I think will win, not what I want to win, here we go.

Best Picture- The King's Speech. I would have said The Social Network is a shoe in a month ago, but the Weinstein Machine is working overtime and it feels like Shakespeare In Love and The English Patient all over again. I liked The King's Speech, but I think it's the 6th best film nominated. Ignored: I can't really think of anything that was left out. There are still some films I haven't seen, but with 10 nomination the Academy did pretty good this year.

Best Actor-Colin Firth. I smell make up Oscar all over this one. Firth was very good in this film, but between having a speech impediment and his performance in A Single Man last year the award is his. I was glad that Jeff Bridges and Jesse Eisenberg got nominated and I really hope Bridges wins, but he won't. Ignored: Again can't really think of anyone, pretty weak category this year.

Best Actress-Natalie Portman. The strongest this category has been in years too bad it's a year too late and Sandra Bullock has the same amount of Oscars as Stanley Kubrick! I think Portman gives one her best performances ever, and now that she is pregnant the statue is hers. Ignored: I don't know.

Best Supporting Actor- Christian Bale. Every year this is the best category with the most talent, maybe this should go up to ten nominations. Bale was great and lets all hope for a freak out on stage. Ignored: Andrew Garfield and (gulp) Justin Timberlake for The Social Network. Matt Damon and Josh Brolin for True Grit. The biggest snub and second best supporting performance is Vincent Cassel in Black Swan. Portman and Cassel made that boat float.

Beat Supporting Actress-Melissa Leo. Even though she has been self sabotaging lately I think she squeaks this one out. I think her only real competition is Hailee Steinfeld and if Mrs.Tim Burton wins I will be pissed. Ignored: All of the sisters from The Fighter and Barbara Hershey and Mila Kunis from Black Swan.

Best Director-David Fincher. Fincher finally gets his Oscar and it's about time!! It's a shame his film won't get Best Picture and again the Weinsteins get a statue while their directors are left out in the cold. Ignored: Banksy!

Original Screenplay-The King's Speech. Not a strong category this year, probably because nobody seems to be writing and Hollywood isn't buying original screenplays nowadays. The Fighter is a good film, but just a newer version of Rocky. I think Inception would have a chance if it wasn't against the Oscar favorite and if didn't seem like a sequel to Flatliners. Ignored: Black Swan, it's nominated for every other category why not screen play?

Adapted Screenplay- The Social Network. Better than Original Screenplay nominations this year, and Aaron Sorkin really deserves this one. I think it is very hard to write a good contemporary history screenplay that works, and every once in awhile you get a All The President's Men or The Insider. I don't think any screenplay this year touches The Social Network, and it's the best thing about the movie. Ignored: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1. Every year a Harry Potter film comes out they ignore it. It can't be easy turning a 600 page book into a 2 hour film that keeps everyone happy.

Cinematography-The Social Network. This is very hard because The Academy is never consistent on this one. The King's Speech could win and it shouldn't have been nominated, every other film belongs. The King's Speech may win because they link this to Best Picture and not to photography, but sometimes they do. I don't know, I'm rooting for the Roger Deakins western flick.

Editing-The Kings Speech. If this film wins editing then it wins Best Picture. I think it's a toss up between this and The Social Network.Ignored: Inception and True Grit.

Foreign Film-Biutiful. I haven't seen any of the nominated films and I picked this because it has a nomination in another category.

Best Animated-Toy Story 3. What a waste of time, shouldn't this be given during the Science Awards at the local Arby's?

Art Direction,Costume Design,and Make Up-The King's Speech and The Wolfman. The Kings Speech is a period piece(instant win) and The Wolfmans got nards,ehh I mean make up monster effects. Ignored: Black Swan

Sound Editing,Mixing, and Visual Effects-Inception. Duhhhh!!!!! Ignored: Black Swan and The Social Network! Unstoppable and Iron Man 2 shouldn't exist in this world.

Score-The Social Network. I want Trent Reznor to have as many Oscars as Sandra Bullock! I wouldn't mind Inception winning.

Song-Toy Story 3.Some years this is a nice category, but this year it's just dreadful. Now that the Academy likes Randy Newman he will win 12 Oscars. Ignored: Any song from Get Him To The Greek is better than this crap.

Documentary-Restrepo. The happiest I will get on Oscar night is if Exit Through The Gift Shop wins. I think it will lose for one reason, the Academy is frightened of what Banksy will do if he wins. Too bad, because it's one of the best films of the year.

Doc Short-Killing In The Name. It's about terrorism,weddings, and religion. Nuff said.

Short Film-Wish 143. Terminally ill patient wants to lose his virginity. Nuff Nuff said. Ignored: A Man Of His Word,or will this count towards next year Timmy?

Animated Short Film-The Gruffalo. It has star power and that's my only reason.

Okay that's it, please give me feed back, I love it!!!

2010 - The Best of the Rest

In the previous episode we covered the academy's favorites of 2010. Continuing that discussion brings us to our personal favorites and other notables of last year.

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2010 Best Picture Nominations (podcast)

Today we begin our "Best of 2010" talk. For most of the year there was little to discuss as "Inception" and "The Social Network" dominated the war room banter, but the fall and winter seasons delivered an ultimately solid year for us. Having ten movies to debate over the title of "best picture" leaves plenty to discuss. The Doomsday Machine takes each of the nominees and debates their worthiness of the title.

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Cody's Mega Film Review

The Kings Speech

This film is your typical Oscar bait that comes out this time every year, but I did enjoy this one more than most. I liked that it was a piece of history that I didn't know much about and it really kept my interest. I did know a lot about King Edwards abdication, but had no idea about George VI's speech problems, and I was intrigued on both fronts. Director Tom Hooper has shown in the past his attention to be historically accurate with HBO's Elizabeth I and John Adams, and this film is no exception. I enjoyed the the chemistry between Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush(Rush is very funny), but overall I liked the scenes with the royal family more. Guy Pearce is great as the spoiled and irresponsible King Edward and Michael Gambon is powerful as a sad and domineering King George V.*SPOILERS* My only dislike for the film is the end. I wish the King's speech would have been a recording of the real speech, it would have been more memorable and fascinating to hear the real result. The end of the film drags on for about 5-10 minutes too long. The principals are slowly walking around after the speech, head nodding, and basking in their success. This is fine, but it doesn't stop and it's been done to death. Overall it's a good film that's better than you typical English Oscar bait film. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

True Grit
It always takes several viewings for me to appreciate a Coen Brothers film, but this one was just a delight the first time. Great cast, well written, and Roger Deakins photography is astounding ( I love when he does westerns)! I was wondering if Jeff Bridges voice would get on my nerves when I first watched the trailer, but he character is so real and charismatic that he deserves the Oscar nod. Hailee Steinfeld was amazing and holds her own against the Hollywood heavies and really carries this film. Matt Damon's Dandy Ranger and Josh Brolin's Mongo-Like criminal are just hilarious and both have proven whatever film they do they don't disappoint. The viewer, like Mattie Ross, is introduced to all these colorful individuals, and with the exception of Rooster Cogburn, no one lives up to their reputation. It's a great character study and all of the side characters,especially Barry Pepper, were fascinating. The film is realistic and has a wonderful pace and I thought the epilogue was well done and accurately portrayed how Mattie would end up in later life. 4 out of 5 Stars

The Fighter
David O. Russell may be bat shit crazy, but who cares, the guy hasn't made a bad film yet. Russell earned years ago the right that no matter what he directs I will see it. I had the same reaction to The Fighter trailer I had with the Three Kings trailer, horrible. I see Russell's name at the end of the trailer and that makes me see the film, and like Three Kings, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the film. The Fighter is nothing ground breaking, if fact it's a typical boxing film that really doesn't have a lot of originality. It didn't matter, I really got into the characters, the story kept my interest, and in the end I enjoyed myself. Russell's craziness always seems to get the best out of his actors(I think Wahlbergs best performance to date is I Heart Huckabees).Wahlberg and Amy Adams are good, but this film belongs to Melissa Leo, Christian Bale and the Eklund sisters. Leo and Bale are shoe-ins for the Oscar this year and they both deserve it, your eyes focus on them in every scene. Even though the story is typical I thought it was original that Micky needs Dicky to ultimately succeed. Overall Dicky and the family are not only anchors to Micky's career, but if used right give him the confidence and coaching he needs to win. I am a sucker for boxing films, but it occurred to me after watching this film that 80% of all boxing films are about white boxers. Besides Ali I couldn't think of a great film about black boxers. Very entertaing film and I hope one day a film shows up of O.Russell and Bale having a shouting match while making this movie. 4 out of 5 Stars.

Black Swan 
I was really torn after I saw this film, and it took me some time to decide if I liked it or not. I knew I enjoyed it, but wasn't sure how much, and I weighed the pros and cons over the next few days. I came to the conclusion that any film that creeps in my head several days after a viewing is a good thing, so overtime it grew on me. I am not a huge Darren Aronofsky fan, I do respect him as a director, but his style can be his Achilles heel at times. His stamp is what makes him a fan boy favorite, but I think it's a little immature. Like Brian De Palma, he is all style with little substance and a little too much film school mentality. Aronofsky's style is the only thing I didn't like about Black Swan. At times the film making is too chaotic and subtly is thrown out the window. Too much shaky cam, too many cheap jump out and scare you horror tricks, and too many tattoos of black wings on Mila Kunis's back. Aronofsky is great with actors and storytelling, but a tripod and letting the audience use their imagination a little more could have made this a great film. What really won me over was how great the performances were. Natalie Portman is amazing as a up and coming ballerina toppling under the pressures of stardom. The other standout is Vincent Cassel as a ballet impresario who will do anything to get a top performance from his dancers. Cassel and Portman have a great dynamic, and it was my favorite part of the movie. Their relationship reminded me of a exotic version of The Red Shoes (1948), and I was captivated when they were on screen together. Kunis was convincing as the rival dancer and Barbara Hershey was great as her creepy looking domineering mother. Overall I enjoyed a film about a girl who must get off so she can be successful, but I wish Aronofsky would have held back and be more conservative like he was with The Wrestler. 3.5 out of 5 stars 

R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen/ Irvin Kershner (podcast)

The weekend of Nov. 27-28 2010, brought about a massive one-two punch to our childhood memories with the passing of two men who forever affected our movie-watching careers. Tonight we remember Leslie Nielsen and Irvin Kershner.

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The Social Network (Podcast)

We finally found the time to gather together and discuss another one of the most important films of 2010. Fight through the shitty audio with us and join in the discussion. Enjoy.

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Cody's Film Review: The Social Network

One of the best films of the year and defiantly some of the best acting. I was really looking forward to this film because Fincher does a personal pic then a studio pic, and after Benjamin Button (2008) it was time for him to really care about a project. I also have a weakness for films based on true stories in contemporary times, like Shattered Glass (2003). I know this film is a dressed up version of the real thing, but it was realistic and enjoyable. The film represents how business is done today in the fast paced .com industry. Companies are based on fads and software, and are in and out of fashion so fast that Napster seems like a company that existed 30 years ago. The savvy businessman is out the window and young anti social misfits like Zuckerberg are in charge and they come across as cold and deceptive. Are they really bad or just inexperienced nerds thrown into the forefront of a multimillion dollar companies who can't interact with other people? I think David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin bring all of these points to the table and this film will be a time capsule of business in the 2000's, just like Wall Street (1987) was to the 80's. Fincher is also king of how to properly use CGI. He has fun with it wants to fool the audience of it's existence, which is what SFX are supposed to be used for. Great music, smart Sorkin script, and fine directing and acting all around. 4 out 5 stars.

Overlooked and Underrated: Let it Ride (1989)

I got excited last weekend about the time Disney released Secretariat. Not for the film itself, but upon seeing the TV ads that had run the previous weeks, I ordered a copy of an overlooked comedy about horse racing from the late 80's that I happened to catch on HBO one summer in my teenage years....and my DVD finally arrived. Let it Ride stars Richard Dreyfuss as Jay Trotter, a man trying to break his gambling habits in order to save his marriage only to then have a sure bet fall in his lap. The quick-witted screenplay and brilliant casting makes for a very funny, quirky and enjoyable film. Screenwriter Nancy Dowd and first-time feature director Joe Pytka do a great job of capturing the setting of the racetrack as well as the mindset of the everyday bettor. Dreyfuss once again delivers a comedic performance on the money, but the real jewels of this movie are the side characters. David Johansen is hilarious as Trotter's best friend and biggest loser of the group of riff-raff they hang around the track with. Teri Garr was a great choice to play his wife who is used to having her heart broken time after time. Jennifer Tilly plays her trademark dim-witted character, this time with more sex-appeal, and many other recognizable faces pop up as well, like Allen Garfield, Robbie Coltrain, Cynthia Nixon, Tony Longo, and Richard Dimitri (Roman Maroni from Johnny Dangerously) just to name a few. Richard Edson, the garage attendant from Ferris Bueller has all of eight lines and is one of the funniest people in the movie. These days, a story with this many characters would have the director trying to shoehorn in equal screen time for a bunch of egos, but this one gets it right and gives the viewer no more than they need. A collaborative effort between writing, performance and editing generates a comedy with a good pace, and it all wraps up in a tidy 90-minute package. There aren't many copies out there but getting hold of one is well worth the effort.