Oscars 2011 - time to pick the winners!

Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
James Franco in “127 Hours”

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech

Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine

Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Animated Feature Film
“How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
“The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
“Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

Cinematography
“Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
“Inception” Wally Pfister
“The King's Speech” Danny Cohen
“The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth
“True Grit” Roger Deakins

Directing
“Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
“The Fighter” David O. Russell
“The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
“The Social Network” David Fincher
“True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Music (Original Song)
“Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
“I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best Picture
“Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
“The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
“Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
“The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
“The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
“127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
“The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
“True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
“Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Visual Effects
“Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
“Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
“Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
“Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
“The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
“True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh
“The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
“Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
“The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
“The King's Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

The Raddest Films Ever! Part 21:The Year 1991

THE TOP 5 FILMS FROM 1991

5. My Own Private Idaho
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves




I think this is Gus Van Sant's best movie. It is full of lovely, dreamlike visuals, something he seems to have gotten away from in recent years. I blame Good Will Hunting. At any rate, River Phoenix is great in this road film about male hustlers (quite the risky opening scene with River giving a blow job to some dude). River had survived the child-actor curse and survived the teen-beat pin-up of the month, but wasn't able to survive real life. Too bad, that guy was a excellent actor. Way better then his brother could ever hope to be.








THIS YOUTUBE TRIBUTE TO RIVER PROVES THAT HE HAD COOLEST HAIR BY FAR!













4. Boyz n the Hood
Directed by John Singleton
Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube and Laurence Fishburne




I loved Boyz n the Hood. So much so that it's one of the few movies I watched in the theater by myself. Of course when I did, I was the only white boy in the theater watching the movie, but I don't think they held it against me. John Singletons one good film is a snap-shot of late 80's early 90's Los Angeles South Central and the rising gangs that flooded the streets. He captured it all before it exploded with Rodney King. It's so funny to see Ice Cube back then, straight out of N.W.A, hard as hell, and now he stars in the TBS family comedy "Are We There Yet?". Ice Cube, what happened to the "A" in N.W.A? I think maybe he had one too many "good days".






I TRIED THIS SCENE OUT ONE NIGHT WHILE PLAYING DOMINOS WITH MY PARENTS. IT DIDN'T GO OVER THAT GREAT. MY MOM SAID, "YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"














3. The Silence of the Lambs
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins and Scott Glenn



The only horror film to win best picture at the Oscars and most likely the last. Some people wouldn't think, or consider Silence a horror film - but have you watched it lately? Don't let the stellar all-star cast and big budget fool you - this is a horror film through and through. Buffalo Bill ranks up there with the likes of Freddy and Jason, and the dude is way fucking creepier. But hey, how many of us guys have performed that dance he does in the movie? Huh? Come on, you know you have tried it at least once. I mean I..... uh....wait, nevermind.






ALL RIGHT READY? HERE WE GO......



















2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Robert Patrick



Let's see, how many movies have I stood in a line that stretched around the block for? Indiana Jones 3, Jurassic Park, The Star Wars 1997 re-release, Batman 1989, Titanic, and this one, Terminator 2. And T2 is by far the funnest movie experience I've ever had. I saw at the haunted State Theater in Marysville CA. The line did indeed go around the block and the place was packed! You've heard the phrase, "roller coaster ride of a movie!" well this pretty much was. I strapped myself in the theater seat and the movie took off. EVERY thing that happened on the screen that was even remotely cool the whole theater would erupt in applause and yells and laughter - every person there was INTO this film. I had a smile on my face the whole time. So much fun. T2 still to this day has one of the best action sequence's ever put to film - from the time they enter Cyberdyne to destroy Miles Dyson's work to when Arnold tells the frozen T1000, "Hasta la vista baby". Perfect.













1. JFK
Directed by Oliver Stone
Starring Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman




A masterpiece. Truly this film can be called that. Even if the facts were distorted or fabricated, it doesn't take away from the shear enjoyment of watching an artist create something that blows everything else away. JFK is Oliver Stones Sistine Chapel. Every time I watch this film, and I've watched it a lot, I am amazed at the grace of it all and craftsmanship of the celluloid. Stone utilizes all forms of cameras and film stock and techniques, just like a master painter not afraid to dab his brush into the colors laid out before him. And by the end of it all, he has made you a believer. A milestone in film.

YOU DON'T HEAR STAND-UP LIKE THIS MUCH ANYMORE


END PART 21

Trailer for DC Comics new Online Game!

Dudes, this is pretty bad-ass

Movies that could be rad in 2011! Part 1A - H Films

13 Assassins
Opens: 2011



I love Samurai movies - Yojimbo, Sanjiro, Seven Samurai, hey wait these are all directed by the same dude. No one makes them better then Kurosawa did but I have high hopes for this new movie directed by cult fave Takashi Miike (Ichi The Killer, Audition). I've also read that this movie has a 45 minute dual/showdown at the end that is being called the best ever filmed. Can't wait to judge for myself.




The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Opens: December 23rd 2011




Hmmm, is this the first cartoon directed by Steven Spielberg? I think it is. Even though it's based on an obscure foreign comic book, this project has the right names attached to it: Spielberg and Peter Jackson. The computer animation is using that "rotoscope" technique for realistic movement, which can be either a good or bad thing. I do think this cartoon will be a hit with the masses.




Apollo 18
Opens: March 4th 2011



Here's the skinny: This movie is about recently “found footage” shot by the crew of an abandoned moon mission that NASA claims never took place in the early 1970s. The footage reveals the existence of alien life and explains why the agency has hidden the evidence for all of these years. Could be cool. Pseudo-Doc's seem to be the cash cow these days (Paranormal Activity, The Last Exorcism).





Battle: Los Angeles
Opens: March 11th 2011



What? No Will Smith in this movie? I thought it was in his contract to be in any movies about Aliens attacking the Earth and having Los Angeles be the "Last Stand" for all mankind?! Maybe he'll make a cameo. But he do have awesome actor Arron Eckard (Two Face!) in the film, so it can't be all that bad.






Captain America: The First Avenger
Opens: July 22nd 2011




as you well know I love comic books. And even though I don't collect Marvel Comics, I am still a fan of their movies (Iron Man, Spider-Man). I do know enough to know that this new Captain America movie takes place mostly around World War II, before Cap gets frozen and then thawed out in 2011 to end up joining the Avengers (another Marvel movie coming out soon). Marvel is on a roll, let's hope this movie keeps things moving along.






Contagion
Opens: October 21st 2011



One of Stephen Kings best novels, The Stand, told the story of a virus that wipes out 95% of the Earths population. It was the first in a long line of similar story's and films. The latest, Contagion, looks promising with its all-star cast and director. I hope it captures the Stands awesomeness and none of Outbreaks lameness.






Cowboys and Aliens
Opens: July 29th 2011




I contemplated whether or not to put this on the list of Rad 2011 movies. I mean the title along reeks of lameness, but again, the right names are attached to it: Spielberg and Jon Favreau. Favreau of course has proven himself a genre pro with his Iron Man films, so I know the dude can direct a cool action scene and get great performances out of the actors. Speaking of actors and great performances, I've read that Harrison Ford is in rare Han Solo form here and knocks it out of the park. I sure hope so.






Fright Night
Opens: August 19th 2011



I love the original 1980's film Fright Night. Great story and special effects. The remake looks like it could be cool. Collin Ferrel as the Vampire, Christopher Mintz-Plasse from Superbad and Kick-Ass as Charlie Brewster, plus I've read that the vampire effects are totally old-school and horrific. Good.





Green Lantern
Opens: June 17th 2011



I love Green Lantern comics. The last couple of years I got into the DC series big time and I have to say I'm geeking out about the movie - even though watching the trailer I cringed a little when the ALL CGI SUIT showed up. Ugh. But the scenes on Oa (the planet where they train the Green Lanterns) looks pretty f'ing great. I hope things go well in the writing and acting dept and a new franchise in born.












Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two
Opens: July 15th 2011



I'm not a Harry Potter fan, but I may just go see this movie at midnight July 14th 2011 with my Sister (the biggest Harry Potter fan I know) for the fun of it.







The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence
Opens: 2011



Ahhh, The Human Centipede - three people attached "ASS TO MOUTH". Sick man, sick. Part 2 up's the ante with 12 people attached ass to mouth. I bet you can't wait for this one, right?



END OF PART 1

The Raddest Opening Lines Ever!

Here are the best opening lines from the Raddest Films Ever (1971 - 1990) I've picked over the last few months.

A Clockwork Orange (Number 1 Raddest Film from 1971):
(voice-over) "There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence."


The Godfather (Number 1 Raddest Film from 1972):
"I believe in America. America has made my fortune. And I raised my daughter in the American fashion. I gave her freedom, but - I taught her never to dishonor her family. She found a boyfriend, not an Italian...Two months ago, he took her for a drive, with another boyfriend. They made her drink whiskey. And then they tried to take advantage of her. She resisted. She kept her honor. So they beat her like an animal...She was the light of my life - my beautiful girl. Now she will never be beautiful again..."


Chinatown (Number 2 Raddest Film from 1974):
"All right, Curly, enough's enough. You can't eat the venetian blinds. I just had 'em installed on Wednesday."


Annie Hall (Number 5 Raddest Film from 1977):
"There's an old joke: Two elderly women are at a Catskill Mountain resort. And one of 'em says: 'Boy, the food in this place is really terrible.' The other one says: 'Yeah, I know. And such small portions.' Well, that's essentially how I feel about life. Full of loneliness and misery and suffering and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly."


Saturday Night Fever (Number 3 Raddest Film from 1977):
"Will you just watch the hair? You know, I work on my hair a long time and you hit it. He hits my hair.


Superman: The Movie (Number 1 Raddest Film from 1978):
"In the decade of the 1930s, even the great city of Metropolis was not spared the ravages of the world-wide depression. In the times of fear and confusion, the job of informing the public was the responsibility of the Daily Planet, a great metropolitan newspaper, whose reputation for clarity and truth had become a symbol of hope for the city of Metropolis."


Apocalypse Now (Number 1 Raddest Film from 1979):
"Saigon. Shit! I'm still only in Saigon. Every time I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle..."


Manhattan (Number 4 Raddest Film from 1979):
"'Chapter One. He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion.' Uh, no, make that: 'He-he...romanticized it all out of proportion. Now...to him...no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin.' Ahhh, now let me start this over..."


Escape From New York (Number 4 Raddest Film from 1981):
"In 1988, the crime rate in the United States rises four hundred percent. The once-great city of New York becomes the one maximum-security prison for the entire country. A fifty-foot containment wall is erected along the New Jersey shoreline, across the Harlem River, and down along the Brooklyn shoreline. It completely surrounds Manhattan Island. All bridges and waterways are mined. The United States Police Force, like an army, is encamped around the island. There are no guards inside the prison. Only prisoners and the worlds they have made. The rules are simple. Once you go in, you don't come out."


Raiders of the Lost Ark (Number 1 Raddest Film from 1981):
"The Hovitos are near. The poison is still fresh, three days. They're following us."


The Fly (Number 4 Raddest Film from 1986):
"What am I working on? Uh, I'm working on something that'll change the world and human life as we know it."


Full Metal Jacket (Number 1 Raddest Film from 1987):
"I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor. From now on, you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be 'Sir!' Do you maggots understand this?"


GoodFellas (Number 1 Raddest Film from 1990):
"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States."

The Raddest Films Ever! Part 20:The Year 1990

THE TOP 5 MOVIES FROM 1990


5. Wild at Heart
Directed by David Lynch
Starring Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern and Diane Ladd




this is the last movie that the "cool, weird, and wacky" Nic Gage would do. After this comes Con Air and buddy movies with Samuel L Jackson. David Lynch's hardrocking road movie utilizes Cages gift for the odd and plays it up for all its worth. Cage goes out with a bang! One thing I love about Lynch movies is the "side characters" that he populates his films with. Those tiny rolls that you remember way after the movie ends. Jack Nance played a lot of these types of characters for Lynch, and his roll in Wild at Heart is a winner. There are scenes with his characters and other fucked up individuals that will give you a panic attack.



BOBBY PERU UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL














4. The Hunt for Red October
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin




There is only one Jack Ryan in my opinion, and that is Alec Baldwin. No offense Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck (well okay, Ben you can take offense), but Alec was the first and the best to play this character. Now that I think about it, this could be the last "cool" Alec Baldwin movie.








ALEC HOW COULD YOU?
















3. Misery
Directed by Rob Reiner
Starring James Caan and Kathy Bates




Like all Stephen King movies, I pretty much read the book first. In the book Misery there is a part that totally blew me away, enough so that I literaly put the book down and took a deep breath. That part in the movie ALMOST lived up to it. But like all Stephen King movies - the book is better.







MISERY STARRING BARBIE AND KEN














2. Arachnophobia
Directed by Frank Marshall
Starring Jeff Daniels, John Goodman, and Julian Sands




I saw Arachnophobia with my friends George, Dean, Jay, and Rob. For some odd reason we thought it might be cool to sit in the front row of the theater too. Most of the time this would be a mistake - neck aches, blurry screen, whatnot - but not this time. This time watching Arachnophobia from the front row was a masterstroke! I would not have this much fun watching a movie until two years later (it would be James Cameron flick that would take that honor). An absolutely roller coaster of a movie. Had a blast!




ANOTHER RAD SPIDER MOVIE!
















1. Goodfellas
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino




Rooting for the bad guys was never this much fun. Goodfellas makes us all sorta want to be part of the Mob - well, up until Robert DeNiro's paranoid ass starts whacking fools right and left and Helicopters hover over the house, full of cocaine and guns. But other then that being a Goodfella looks like a blast! So many awesome scenes in this film to talk about, so many great performances, so many brilliant camera takes, the only thing to say is watch the film. It is one of those movies that you never get tired of, always manages to suck you in and keep you there till the credits roll. Way to kick off the 90's!





HOW AM I FUNNY?




END OF PART 20

The Raddest Films Ever! Part 19:The Year 1989

THE TOP 5 FILMS FROM 1989

5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery




The last Indiana Jones movie turns away from the "doom" and back to the "fun" of the 1st film. What's that you say? There was a 4th Indiana Jones movie? Again, I don't know what the fuck you are talking about. A fourth Indiana Jones movie has been a rumor for years - Harrison did say he would do one if the script was right, but seeing has how the only "legit" scripts out there right now have to do with the lost city of Atlantis and some aliens in the jungle, I think we can safely say that Ford, or Spielberg for that matter, will not being doing another Indy film. And thank god for that.







WATCH HILTER LOSE HIS SHIT WHEN HE FINDS OUT INDY FUCKED HIM OUT OF ANOTHER HOLY RELIC











4. Batman
Directed by Tim Burton
Starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger




So after Superman III and VI single-handedly killed the Comic Book Movie, it would take a true comic book fan to resurrect the genre and show people that comics could be a great source of ideas and fantastic worlds and characters. Tim Burton fought hard to bring his version of Batman to the screen and won - resulting in a major blockbuster. But alas even as good as this Batman movie is, the following sequels once again killed the Comic Book Movie. Things wouldn't get back on track till Wesley Snipes donned some leather and shades and shot silver stakes from a gun at techno-loving vampires.






TWO BATMAN FILMS, BACK TO BACK. UNCANNY.














3. The Killer
Directed by John Woo
Starring Chow Yun-fat




Too bad John Woo became a parody of himself around the time Broken Arrow came out, but way before then he was a master of the bullet-ballet. I of course love action movies and up till I saw The Killer for the first time my fave were The Terminator, Aliens, Die Hard, and countless others - but nothing could have prepared me for what was in store for me when I popped in that VHS of The Killer and hit play. GOD.DAMN. There are scenes of gun play here that DO NOT STOP! They just keep coming and coming and more bullets fly and more people jump and spin and crash and leap - all the while shooting - and shooting TWO guns at the same time no less. Oh yes, The Killer changed the game when it came to gun fights. It's been copied more times then I can count and been done poorly. The Killer is a bar that has rarely been topped.


THINK I'M KIDDING? WATCH THIS.














2. The Abyss
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio




James Cameron is a dick. Just ask any actor that has worked for the dude. Or more specifically, ask any actor that worked for the dude on THIS movie. Have you seen the making of The Abyss? Holy shit Cameron is a one crazy mother fucker but all his craziness payed off and The Abyss really is one kick-ass film. But make sure you watch the CORRECT movie. Yeah that's right, there is a chance you might accidentally watch the wrong Abyss. You see there were TWO Abyss' (Abyssi? Abysses? Abyssei? fuck it). One Abyss ends about an hour too soon and leaves you going, "shit man. This doesn't seem like it should end like this. I feel like I spent 2 hours for nothing". The other movie, the correct one, leaves you going, "Ahhh yes, now this is more like it. It all makes sense and I feel like I just spent 3 hours not in vain." So, do yourself a favor and watch the Special Edition. Word.

THE SPECIAL "SPECIAL" EDITION













1. Say Anything...
Directed by Cameron Crowe
Starring John Cusack and Ione Skye




I know what you are thinking, "How could a Cameron Crowe romantic comedy be your number film from 1989?" Sure, I get it, but allow me to explain. 1989 was the year I graduated high school. For the most part High School sucked balls and I was pretty happy to be done with it - although I gotta say my senior year was awesome and kick-back. I had no plans for what to do after High School. My grades were okay but honestly nothing to write home about. No, I was more into Art and Music and I wanted to spend a few years playing in a band and drawing comics. Oh, and I also wanted a girlfriend. My friends and I hang out at the 7-11 playing Street Fighter II and drinking Slurpee's. I drove a beat up car with a cassette player. I wore a tench coat. All this sound familiar? I was Lloyd Dobler. Say Anything was the last movie of the 80's that spoke to me and countless other 18 year olds just getting ready to enter the "real world" but didn't know what the fuck they were doing. We are all disciples of Lloyd.

"DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME"



END OF PART 19