My Review: Hugo/ Best Picture Nominee #3

I'm totally bummed that I didn't get to see this in 3D. The closest theater that had it in 3D was way to far to go by bus, so I was stuck with 2D. But, even though it probably would have been a lot cooler in 3D, it was still an amazing film. I swear I was alternating between laughing and crying every five minutes while watching this movie. It is just further proof of the amazingness of Martin Scorcese. Not only does he do amazing with violent gangster movies, but he can do really amazing family films as well. I enjoyed every second of Hugo. Being a Film Studies major I loved it that much more because a major part of the plot had to do with George Melies (I've watched Trip to the Moon in several of my film classes) and the early days of cinema. It was just fantastic seeing the montage of all of the early silent films. This isn't the first time Scorcese has paid homage to early cinema either. At the end of Goodfellas he has a little nod to The Great Train Robbery when Joe Pesci shoots the gun straight at the camera. I thought that the little boy who played Hugo did a great job. You just can't help but cry when you see those big blue eyes of his get sad. Chloe Grace Moretz is great as usual as a girl who befriends him, and I loved Ben Kingsley as George Melies. I knew right away that the little robot used to belong to him because of his reaction to the notebook, but it was a delightful surprise when we found out he was George Melies. It was just heartbreaking seeing his films get burned to make shoe heels. It is disgusting how many old films have been lost forever. There was also a great performance by Sasha Baron Cohen as the Station Inspector. He was an interesting character because he was a villain who sent little boys to orphanages, and yet he was also a pretty sympathetic character. I just couldn't help but feel bad for him the first time he tries to talk to the girl with the flowers and his leg brace stiffens up on his way there so he just gives up. It was just sad (like I said I was basically crying this whole movie). This movie was had great performances, was just visually stunning, and was really fun to watch. My rating: 10/10

My Favorite Vampires

Here is a list of my 15 favorite vampires from film and TV.

15. Santanico Pandemonium

Santanico Pandemonium is an exotic dancer/ vampire played by Salma Hayek in From Dusk Til Dawn. After doing a very sexy dance for all of the men in the Titty Twister bar, she transforms into a vampire beast and kills Quentin Tarantino. Here is her death scene...



14. Jesus Gris

Jesus is an old man who becomes a vampire after being punctured by the Cronos device in Guillermo Del Toro's film Cronos. We see Jesus becoming obsessed with using the bug-like device and with the concept of eternal life.



13. Drusilla

Drusilla is one of my favorite characters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so it is pretty disappointing that she is only a series regular in season 2. I always loved her because she was batshit crazy, and I think that her and Spike have the most interesting backstories. I'm pissed that I can't find any good clips of her speaking on Youtube, but I found this cool video.



12. Pam Swynford De Beaufort

While she started out as a minor character, I'm glad that we are seeing more and more of Pam each season of True Blood. She is Eric Northman's right hand woman and has the greatest speaking voice. Here are some of my favorite Pam moments.




11. Dracula's Brides

from Bram Stoker's Dracula

from Van Helsing

When you have a movie about Dracula, you have to have his three beautiful vampire brides. While the ones in Bram Stoker's Dracula are mostly there for eye candy, I love the ones in Van Helsing. Here is a cool video I found that features both sets of brides.



10. Selene

Underworld is basically just about Kate Beckinsale in tight leather outfits kicking ass and taking names. I have only seen this first one, but the trailer for the new one actually looks really cool, so I'm going to have to check out Underworld: Evolution and Rise of the Lycans.



9. David

The Lost Boys is a classic 80s vampire movie. What makes it even better is Kiefer Sutherland as David, the head of a vampire gang!



8. Spike

Spike is my favorite vampire on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I've never been a big fan of Angel, but I always liked Spike. I didn't really start watching this show until after it was off the air, so I had no idea that he wasn't in the first season, and was in like one episode of season 3. Here is one of my favorite Spike moments. I don't know why, but it always makes me laugh...


7. Jerry Dandridge

Fright Night (1985)

Fright Night (2011)

Jerry is the vampire next door played by Chris Sarandon in Fright Night and by Colin Farrell in the remake. He is a vamp who messes with his next door neighbor Charley, turns his best friend into a vampire, and uses his vampiric powers of seduction to kidnap his girlfriend, and then turn her as well. I really love the original Fright Night, so I was annoyed when I read it was getting remade, but I actually liked the remake as well. Colin Farrell is one very sexy vampire...


6. Claudia

I read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles books when I was in Junior High, and I really loved the character of Claudia. Although she is more interesting in the books in my opinion, I love Kirsten Dunst as Claudia in Interview With a Vampire. She is a bit too old, but I think that they made the right choice in choosing an actress older than the character.




5. Nosferatu

Although technically Nosferatu is a rip-off of Dracula, I am going to count him as his own character. Nosferatu is one of my favorite silent films, and is filled with really cool imagery including the famous sequence of him going up the stairs. He also just has a really great look. His pointy ears and long skinny fingers. His also has the creepiest fangs.


4. Dracula

Although I am not a huge fan of Bram Stoker's novel, I have always liked Dracula on film. The best two movie Dracula's in my opinion are Bela Lugosi and Gary Oldman.



3. Eli/ Abby

I still have not read this book, but Let the Right One In is one of the best vampire movies ever made. Eli is a little vampire girl (or boy?) who makes friends with a boy named Oskar. In the remake they are renamed Abby and Owen. The remake is nowhere near as good as the original, but it is still a pretty good movie.




2. Lestat De Lioncourt

I wasn't a big fan of Stuart Townsend's performance as Lestat in Queen of the Damned, but I loved Tom Cruise in Interview with a Vampire. It is my favorite of any of Tom Cruise's roles. He makes a very charming and dashing vampire, but can also be quite evil.




1. Eric Northman

Number one on my list is the sexy Viking vampire from my favorite show True Blood. He is Sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana and owner of the vampire bar Fangtasia. While his role was very small in the first season, we see more and more of him each season. He is so sexy and tall and vicious and awesome and is by far my favorite character on the show. Here are some of my favorite Eric moments. I cannot wait until season 5!!!!

Character of the Week: Hit-Girl

This week's character of the week is from one of my favorite movies from last year. She is Hit-Girl and was portrayed by Chloe Moretz. She is a total badass! She was raised by her father to be this kickass superhero and spends the whole movie kicking ass and taking names. Moretz is my favorite child actor working today and it was this movie that made me start to take notice. While pottymouth Hit-Girl isn't a little girl that I would like to babysit, she is someone that I would like to have on my side if I were ever in a fight. Here is one of the best scenes from Kick-Ass.

My Most Anticipated Movies for 2011 (Part 2)

My last list only went up to July, so here are the movies that I plan to see from August through December.

August

I am a huge fan of the original Planet of the Apes movie with Charlton Heston, and I didn't think that the Tim Burton version was as bad as everyone says it was. Also, I adore James Franco, so this is a movie that I am really excited to see. What I am really curious about is how the timeline of this fits into the timeline of the original film.

I really like all four of the leads in this movie, and after seeing the trailer, I think this movie looks really funny.

I loved the original Fright Night, and am really curious as to how they will update the story, since the orginal was very 80s. Plus, what beats Colin Farrell as a sexy vampire?

I had this movie on my first list because it was supposed to come out a long time ago!!! I was pissed when they changed the release date, but now it is only a month away!! It is a rarety that a movie trailer can scare the hell out of me, and this one made me scream the first two times I saw it. (Once on my laptop, and once before I saw Let Me In.)



September

Two reasons I want to see this. 1. I'm a sucker for boxing/ fighter movies. 2. Tom Hardy

This is another movie that was supposed to come out a long time ago. I think that this movie looks super cute, and I really like Mia Wasikowska. Plus, I'm curious if Henry Hopper is as good of an actor as his father (who is one of my favorite actors)



I actually haven't seen the trailer for this movie (and can't watch it right now because my speakers are broken), but the cast alone is enough to make me want to see this movie. I heart Joseph Gordon-Levitt!



October

This is supposed to be a prequel to The Thing, so I don't know why they would give it the same title. I guarantee that this is going to be nowhere near as good as the original, but I plan to see it out of curiousity. I'm hoping that it's not all CGI, and that they use practical effects like they do in the original.

I've read both good and bad things about this movie, but I like Kevin Smith (Chasing Amy is one of my favorite movies!), and I am curious about how he does directing a film in my favorite genre...

I am really excited to see In Time, which looks like a modern day version of Logan's Run. Justin Timberlake plays a man who tries to run away from a society where you can't age past 25. Interesting...

You put Johnny Depp in a movie, chances are that I'm going to go see it. Here he is starring in The Rum Diary, which is another Hunter S. Thompson story, which is really cool since I love Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

November

My Week with Marilyn should be pretty good, I think that Michelle Williams will be a great Marilyn Monroe. What I am most curious about is how Kenneth Branagh will be playing Laurence Olivier. 

Hugo is a Martin Scorcese film. 'Nuff said...

Love The Muppets!! My favorites are the Swedish Chef, Professor Honeydew and Beaker, and Animal. I know I'm just going to love this movie! Plus, it was co-written by Jason Segal, so it should be good!!

December

I thought that the first Sherlock Holmes movie was just okay, but I still want to see the sequel. I'm curious to see Noomi Rapace in something besides  the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movies...

Speaking of the The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo movies...This is my number one most anticipated movie that I want to see for the rest of the year. It looks amazing! While I was skeptical about Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander at first, I have decided that I think she is going to be great. Can't wait until December!!!

Spotlight On: Martin Scorsese

I never realized that I was a big Martin Scorsese fan until one day I realized that I have loved every single movie of his that I have seen. Crime/ gangster films have never been my favorite, but for some reason I just love Scorsese films. They are always really cool and have really great dialogue. Plus, a good majority of them feature Robert De Niro, who is one of my all-time favorite actors. Here are the films of his that I have seen.

Mean Streets

I actually just saw this movie for the first time around a week ago. I believe that this was the film that first started to get Scorsese some notice, and was also his first collaboration with Robert De Niro.



Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver is one of my favorite Scorsese films. It has an interesting story, a great performance by De Niro, and is just a classic. It also features one of the most famous scenes in cinema history...



Raging Bull

I've always hated sports films, but for some reason I just love ones about boxing. In my opinion, the greatest boxing movie of all time is Raging Bull. Both De Niro and Joe Pesci are brilliant in this film, and it also features some of the greatest boxing scenes ever. Like the one HERE. There are just tons of great scenes in this film, like the one HERE. One of the other main things about this movie is La Motta's jealousy which is shown in the clip below...



The King of Comedy

This movie is quite a bit different than most Scorsese films. It features De Niro as an aspiring stand up comedian that ends up stalking and kidnapping the star of a talk show. Rupert Pupkin is one of the saddest characters in film history, and is also another great De Niro performance.



Goodfellas

Although I've never been a big Ray Liotta fan, I do like Goodfellas. De Niro and Pesci give more great performances, along with a great performance by Lorraine Bracco. This is, without a doubt, one of the greatest gangster films of all time.

Cape Fear

I have never seen the original Cape Fear, but I guarantee that the villain in that film is nowhere near as creepy as De Niro is in this film. The accent he has in this film just makes him ten times as creepy. This film also features a young Juliette Lewis in an Oscar nominated role.



Gangs of New York

This is Scorsese's first collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio. To be honest, I don't know if I have ever seen this entire movie. What I remember most is Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as Bill the Butcher, which is one of his many brilliant performances.



The Aviator

This biopic features DiCaprio as film director Howard Hughes. Being a huge fan of Katherine Hepburn, I think that Cate Blanchett did an amazing job playing the famous movie star in this film. Blanchett gives an Oscar winning performance of an Oscar winner...



The Departed

After decades of brilliant filmmaking, this is the film that  (finally!) won an Oscar for Director for Scorsese. If features great performances by DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, and Vera Farminga. My favorite performance in this film, however, is Mark Wahlberg as Staff Sergeant Dignam.



Shutter Island

Probably my least favorite of all of the Scorsese movies I have seen, but it does have its good moments. Plus...you gotta love that BAAW-ston accent.



Upcoming:
I'm really excited for Hugo Cabret, which comes out in November. If features Johnny Depp, Christopher Lee, Jude Law, and Chloe Moretz. Silence with Daniel Day-Lewis and Benicio Del Toro is set for 2013, and he is also going to direct a biopic of Frank Sinatra. I think that that is really cool, but who in the hell are they going to get to play the Chairman of the Board?

Actors I'd Watch In Anything

These are the actors who, when I see their name attached to a movie project, make me go "oooh, I might have to go see that." They are the actors who have me watching a type of movie that I probably wouldn't see if it was any other actor or a movie that got terrible ratings. They are the actors who's pages I go to on Netflix because I want to watch their entire filmography. This list turned out a lot bigger than I thought it would, so I narrowed it down to just living and working actors, and its still pretty big. I didn't feel like ranking them, so I'm just going to put them in alphabetical order.

1. Asia Argento

While she is definitely not a mainstream actress, I just love Asia Argento. My favorite films of hers are probably the ones she did with her father, the great horror director Dario Argento, like Trauma and Stendhal Syndrome. There is just something about her that makes not that great films, like XXX, Marie Antoinette, and Land of the Dead, better. ( I actually own the last two for some reason...I suppose that Asia is that reason.) I've also found Catherine Breillat's films very interesting, so I was thrilled to find out about The Last Mistress, which I think that she was amazing in.

2. Drew Barrymore

I have loved Drew Barrymore ever since I was a little kid. I grew up watching E.T. and Babes in Toyland, and I still love her to this day. I was obsessed with Charlie's Angels when it first came out, and I even had all three dolls. Her scene was always my favorite in the movie Scream, and even though I'm not the biggest Adam Sandler fan, I love both movies that she did with him.  I think that she is so cute and charming and is really funny. I remember being really excited for Whip It! which is the first film she ever directed, and I really love that movie. I'm kind of disappointed that she doesn't have another movie coming out for like a year, but whatever it is, I'll probably go see it.

3. Cate Blanchett

How many actresses can play Queen Elizabeth, Katherine Hepburn, and Bob Dylan? I love Cate because she is so versatile. She is one of those actresses who makes really great role choices, and has been in so many great movies playing really great characters. She is probably one of the most beautiful actresses living today, and yet she got an Oscar nomination for playing a man in I'm Not There. To be honest, that movie wasn't my favorite, but the best parts were definitely the parts wtih Cate. I'm super excited to see her play Galadriel again in The Hobbit Parts 1 and 2, and the movie Hanna also looks really good.

4. Alexis Bledel

I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan so I love Alexis Bledel. She was the only reason I sat through both Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies and I actually kind of liked the movie Post Grad. Even though she is a gorgeous girl, she is kind of limited in the kind of roles she can get because of her voice and her baby face. I don't think anyone could ever take her seriously as a lawyer or a bank robber or anything like that. I am really excited to see her in The Conspirator though. I watched the trailer for that today and it actually looks pretty good. And even though Sleepaway Camp Reunion is probably going to be really stupid, I'll probably go see it anyways simply because Alexis is in it.

5. Helena Bonham Carter

I love love love Helena Bonham Carter. She is one of my favorite actresses. It's not just because I'm a Tim Burton fan. I love her in Frankenstein, Conversations with Other Women, Fight Club, Room With A View, and even though I'm not the biggest Harry Potter fan, I love her as Bellatrix Lestrange. It was because of her that I wanted to see The King's Speech when I first read about it being made. I had no idea it was going to be this huge Oscar winning film, I just wanted to see it because it had Helena in it. Even though I knew that Melissa Leo was going to win Best Supporting Actress, I was disappointed that Helena didn't win. I can't wait for Dark Shadows to come out! It has such a great cast...including Bonham Carter.

6. Jeff Bridges

Ever since the 1970s, Jeff Bridges has been in some amazing films! The Last Picture Show, Starman, Tron, King Kong, The Big Lebowski, and his Oscar winning role in Crazy Heart. He was in two movies that came out last year, Tron: Legacy and True Grit, and he was great in both of them. I actually wasn't that interesting in seeing Tron: Legacy until I saw that he was going to be in it. He was perfect as Rooster Cogburn, and I'm saying that as a fan of the original True Grit with John Wayne. Its just proof that Jeff Bridges + Coen Brothers = AWESOME! Hopefully he'll do more films with them in the future because that is something I'd like to see...

7. Abbie Cornish

She gave great performances in Somersault and Bright Star, and I expect nothing but good things from Abbie Cornish. She's in Sucker Punch, which I can not wait to see, and even though Limitless isn't my type of movie, I might go see it just because she is in it. There are two movies coming out that she is in called W.E. and The Girl, and I intend on seeing both of those. Even though I do get kind of annoyed with all the young hollywood actresses, I think that Abbie Cornish is someone who has actual talent and perhaps will be a future Oscar winner, but can also do action films like Sucker Punch! Can't wait til the 25th!!!!

8. Benicio Del Toro

I don't know about y'all, but I was super disappointed that he died right away in the movie Snatch. He was pretty much the reason that I watched that movie and he died right in the beginning! (Its a good movie with or without him, but still...) Anyways I loved Del Toro in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Sin City, Traffic, and in the remake of The Wolfman. I thought that he was an odd choice for Lawrence Talbot, but he proved me wrong and did an awesome job. I don't know if he is still playing Moe in a movie version of The Three Stooges, but if he does I am so going to see that. I'm also really excited to see The Iceman and Silence, both of which should be coming out in the next couple of years.

9. Johnny Depp

I thought that the third Pirates of the Carribean movie was terrible, but you know what...I'm still planning on seeing the fourth one. I was really excited to see The Tourist, but I never got a chance, so I'm going to have to wait for the DVD. I'm also really excited to see The Rum Diary and Dark Shadows. If you put Johnny Depp in a movie, I'm going to see it and thats that. Its not just because he is a sexy sexy man, but because I think that he is one of the greatest actors working today. He gets a lot of criticism for movies like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland, but I just love that he can play goofy, rediculous characters like that and then also play cool, calm John Dillinger.

10. Michael Fassbender

Fassbender came out of nowhere! He was great in supporting roles in 300 and Inglourious Basterds and now he is getting really cool roles left and right. I mean theres Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre, Magneto in X-Men: First Class, and roles in David Chronenberg's A Dangerous Method, Guy Richie's Excalibur, Shame with Carey Mulligan, and probably the coolest thing ever, a role in (the Alien Prequel?) Prometheus. I was pumped when Noomi Rapace was cast in that movie, but I was even more pumped when I read that Michael Fassbender was cast in that movie as well. I have no idea if it has anything to do with Alien or not, but I honestly don't really care because with that cast, the movie is going to be awesome!

11. James Franco

Okay, this dude carried a movie about a guy stuck under a rock. That can't be an easy task for any actor. I love James Franco because he can do super serious roles, but can also be in movies like Pineapple Express and the upcoming Your Highness. Also, he is damn FINE!!! He is one good looking man. I am super excited for The Iceman, The Broken Tower, and most of all, Rise of the Apes. That is a movie that I probably would have seen no matter who was cast, but when I heard that James Franco was in it I became super excited! So, I'll be able to watch another Planet of the Apes movie, and also see his gorgeous, gorgeous face. Win win scenario....

12. Zooey Deschanel

Messing up my alphabetical order, but I just thought of her right now. I remember I was super excited when I was first reading about (500) Days of Summer. Both because I love Zooey Deschanel and because it seemed like a perfect movie for her. I was totally right. I'm really excited to see both Your Highness and My Idiot Brother, and it is really nice to see Zooey move up from best friend roles. She was pretty much the only good thing about Failure to Launch, which was a terrible movie. Shes also a singer in the band She & Him, and I love their video for Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? It is probably the cutest thing Zooey has ever done.

13. Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie is probably best known for being the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet, but she is also a very talented actress. Her performance as Lisa Roe in Girl, Interrupted is one of my favorite movie performances ever. She was amazing in movies like Changeling, which made me sob like crazy, and she is probably the only bankable female action star with her roles in the Tomb Raider movies and Salt. I was so bummed that she didn't get cast as Catwoman in Batman, but I'm looking forward to see her as Malefiscent and Cleopatra. I'm also still hoping that she'll be cast as Ava Lord in Sin City 2 if that ever gets made!

14. Keira Knightley

For the longest time I thought that the first Pirates of the Carribean movie was the first movie I saw her in. In actuality, it was Star Wars Episode I when she played Sabe, Queen Amidala's decoy. After Pirates came out though, I just LOVED her! I bought a bunch of her movies like Princess of Thieves and The Hole, and I was super excited when Doctor Zhivago finally was on television. Since then its been great to see what a great career she has had. I wish that Last Night would hurry up and get an American release date because I really want to see it! She is also going to be in A Dangerous Method with Michael Fassbender, and play Tinker Bell in a TV movie about Peter Pan. Should be cool!

15. Chloe Moretz

As far as child actors go, they don't get much better than Chloe Moretz. In the past couple years she has been in awesome movies like (500) Days of Summer, Kick-Ass, and Let Me In. Let Me In, which was a remake of the (better) Swedish film Let The Right One In, could have been terrible, but Chloe, along with costars Kodi Smit-McPhee and Richard Atkins really made it a great remake. She has a buttload of movies coming out in the next few years, but the one I'm really excited for is seeing Chloe Moretz play Emily The Strange. Could you have more perfect casting? I'm also excited for Kick-Ass 2 because she was awesome as Hit Girl, and really made that movie.

16. Gary Oldman

Just like Cate Blanchett, Gary Oldman is a great example of a chameleon. He has had some amazing roles. Dracula, Sid Vicious, Beethoven, Lee Harvey Oswald, Drexl Spivey, Mr. Zorg, Sirius Black, and Commissioner Gordon in Christopher Nolan's Batman series. I just love Gary Oldman. I even saw that terrible movie The Unborn just because he was in it. Oldman also has a million movies coming out, but I am really excited to see him in Red Riding Hood. I am probably going to see that in the next couple of days, so I'm pumped. I also can't wait for The Dark Knight Rises, which will probably be the last time we see him as Commissioner Gordon.

17. Guy Pearce

Guy Pearce is probably one of the most underrated actors working today. He is amazing in everything I've seen him in, especially The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Memento, L.A. Confidential, and Factory Girl. With Helena Bonham Carter, he was also one of the only reasons I wanted to see The King's Speech. Now I'm just waiting for Don't Be Afraid of the Dark to come out. It was supposed to come out two months ago, but now its been delayed until August. LAME! No worries though, because Mildred Pierce is premiering at the end of the month on HBO. I don't have HBO, but that is what the internet is for. I really loved the movie Mildred Pierce with Joan Crawford, so this'll either be really good or terrible.

18. Natalie Portman

Lets hope Chloe Moretz will have a career like Natalie Portman. Starting with a great career as a child actress, she grew up to be an Oscar winner. I have loved a good majority of Natalie's movies, and shes had two good ones come out in the past year. She was funny and charming in No Strings Attached, and was absolutely amazing in Black Swan. She has two more movies coming out this year, Thor and Your Highness and I intend on seeing both of them. Wow, the movies Your Highness has three people on my list, I guess I'm definitely going to have to see that one, even it it does look a little rediculous.

19. Sam Worthington

Like Fassbender, Sam Worthington is another actor who seemed to come out of nowhere and started getting all of these cool roles in movies like Terminator: Salvation, Avatar, and Clash of the Titans. While he does make a great action star, he is also a talented actor, which he shows in the movie Somersault with Abbie Cornish. He's worked with a few of the actresses on my list. He's worked with Cornish, with Helena Bonham Carter in Terminator: Salvation, and in the upcoming Last Night with Keira Knightley. Seriously, is that movie ever coming out in this country? Well, if it doesn't I still have sequels to Avatar and Clash of the Titans to look forward to.


So there you have it, the 19 actors that I would watch in anything. I could make it an even 20, but I don't feel like it.