The 86th Academy Awards - Señors Predictions!

The Nominations

Best Picture - 12 Years a Slave
Head to head against American Hustle, the historical significance of the this movie is what I think will push it ahead of the competition.

Best Director - Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)
Introducing new technology, incredible effects, and delivering a wonderful theater experience makes Alfonso Cuarón my top pick.
 
Best Actor - Matthew McConaughey
Winning other awards for the same category, such as the Golden Globes, Matthew McConaughey has remade his acting career, proving the actor that he is.

Best Actress - Amy Adams
Nominated for the same category before, but with no wins, Amy Adams may see herself taking home the win. I think, despite her competitors, it's Adam's turn for the gold.

Best Supporting Actor - Jared Leto 
Along with his co-star Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto won this category in the Golden Globes, ad has proven with his performance that he is a respectable actor, worthy of Academy recognition.

Best Supporting Actress - Lupita Nyong'o
Her very first Oscar nomination, Lupita Nyong'o is going to head to head with Hollywood's favorite girl, Jennifer Lawrence. Although Lawrence took the Golden Globe, Lupita Nyong'o took home the SAG award, proving this is going to be one to watch. I personally think, given the performance of
Nyong'o and last years win for Lawrence, Nyong'o will take the gold home

Best Animated Feature - The Wind Rises

Cinematography - Gravity

Costume Design - American Hustle

Original Score - Thomas Newman (Saving Mr. Banks)

Best Original Song - "Original Song" (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)

Production Design - 12 Years a Slave

Visual Effects - Gravity

Adapted Screenplay - 12 Years a Slave 

Original Screenplay - Her


These are my predictions for this years Oscars! Who do you think will win? Who are your favorites? Let me know in the comments! Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and like my Facebook page :D

This has been SeñorMovie, I'll see you at the theaters!

Señor Review: The Monuments Men

Based on true events, The Monuments Men stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, and Jean Dujardin. As WWII comes close to an end, Frank Stokes is tasked with making a team, known as The Monuments Men, to travel through Europe and rescue pieces of art before the Nazi regime steals and/or destroys the works of art. With the preservation of history and culture at stake, The Monuments Men will risk their lives to save as many paintings, statues, and drawings possible.

Going into this film I was not expecting an Academy award worthy film. Or a thrilling action film. I actually didn't really know what to expect from this movie. I wasn't dreading watching this movie and I wasn't particularly excited either. After watching the movie, I still feel the same way: I don't hate it, but it wasn't very good either. The best way to describe this movie is that it is just...bland.

While the performances are good (with remarkable actors, at that), there is no connection made with any of the characters on screen. The movie suffers from an over abundance of characters, actually. There is no time dedicated to each character to truly get to know them on a personal level, as the movie jumps from one set of characters to another, and to another. Writing this review, I didn't even remember the name of the supposed main character played by George Clooney, less the names of the other characters. There are no exciting, or engaging, characters; they are just there, pushing the story along. The characters themselves are boring.

Before the film was released I had heard others commenting that it looks like Oceans 11 during WWII, and while watching The Monuments Men I definitely felt that vibe, but only in some parts of the movie. The movie changes tones very often throughout: from an interesting historic piece, to an Oceans imitation, to a comedy, to an overly dramatic film, and back to a historic tale. This was my biggest problem with the movie: it didn't decide what it wanted to be. It kept trying to be too many different things and that kept pulling me out of it, and thinking, "Huh? What just happened?"

One thing I did like about the story was the idea of "is art worth the lives of these men?". An interesting concept that was explored throughout the film, and executed quite well.

I would have very much loved to see this movie utilize its amazing cast in a better way. Better character development, a consistent tone, and even a better score would have propelled the performances of the cast. While there's nothing that detracts from the movie, there certainly isn't very much that gives it life.

I give The Monuments Men 3.5/10 Señor thumbs up.

This has been SeñorMovie, I'll see you at the theater!

Señor Review: Robocop

Robocop stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, and Abbie Cornish, and is a remake of the classic 1987 film of the same title. Directed by José Padilha, Robocop is the story of Detroit police officer Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) who is given a second chance at life when disaster befalls him. Funded by enterprise OmniCorp, Murphy is made half human-half robot, to become the greatest crime fighting officer on the streets, known as Robocop.

First of all, I want to stress that for my review I'll be looking at this movie separate from the original. Having been released over 20 years ago, the original 1987 film was made for a different audience, a different generation.

That being said, I was surprised by this movie. I liked it more than I thought I would. Now here's the thing: I walked into this movie expecting a less than impressive remake, similar to that of 2010's Total Recall. But what drew me into this film was the level of sophistication on screen. When it was announced that this remake of Robocop would be receiving a PG-13 rating, the internet went abuzz about how Robocop needs to be rated R. While I don't agree with this opinion, I did go into the film expecting a movie at the content and subject matter level of a PG-13 film. However, Robocop successfully portrays real world issues, human emotion, and corporate motivation. The first 10 minutes or so of the film left me very impressed, with so much social commentary happening within such a short amount of time.

Things such as the consequences of this extreme situation, both personal to the lead and to the public in general, are not overlooked just to give way for action and explosions. The motivation of OmniCorp to create Robocop are given an air of legitimacy, as opposed to the only reason being because "it's cool". Even the underlying message of how marketing and the media are shaped for the public speaks true, and at times very humorous, to real life. There is a weight to the film. It's not just a shell of a film, which is what I had been expecting.

Also, the acting was believable. There are parts of the film that would seem corny or farfetched if it wasn't for the acting of Joel Kinnaman as Robocop. He sells his performance really well, along with the rest of the cast. Gary Oldman, in particular, is very convincing as the doctor in charge of the Robocop procedure. The script isn't rushed and not filled with cheesy lines or one-liners. As I said before, it's surprising the amount of sophistication that went into the film.

Now, this movie isn't perfect, even though I enjoyed it. There are parts that drag, and it's a bit slow moving at the beginning. While it's cool and fun to watch this half-man-half-robot fight, the action doesn't seem to have the same weight as the social commentary in the film. The CGI is impressive and as a viewer you are cheering for Robocop, but it doesn't go beyond that. There are also things that happen in the movie that go unexplained, or rather, are given a very quick, unsatisfactory explanation.

All in all, Robocop is an enjoyable time. It goes further into itself than other remakes have, dealing with political, social, and business issues. It creates a believable world and believable characters. Although there are bumps along the way, Robocop is a valiant effort at bringing a classic film to this generation and putting it in a modern context.

This has been SeñorMovie, I'll see you at the theater!

Señor Reviews: The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie stars Chris Pratt as the voice of Emmet Brickowoski and Elizabeth Banks as the voice of Wyldstlye. The Lego Movie has Emmet, a normal, average, unspecial lego construction worker, face his fate, as foretold by a prophecy, to save the Lego universe in which he lives from the evil President Business (voiced by Will Ferrell), who plans on attacking the Lego universe with his weapon, the Kragle. Along the way, Emmet is guided by Wyldestyle and Vitruvius (voiced by Morgan Freeman), master builders determined to help save the Lego universe; he also meets varoius characters, including Batman, a Unikitty, Superman, and many many more.

To say this is a fun movie is very much an understatement; just as fun and imaginative actual Lego are, The Lego Movie explodes with clever animation, funny moments at every turn, and characters easily lovable. This world built entirely of Lego sucks you into the movie early and keeps you there for the rest of the ride; and it really is a ride. Exciting chase sequences, explosions in action scenes, and cheesy love moments are scattered in this film, and the best part is that the movie KNOWS it's doing this! The Lego Movie pokes fun at all the Hollywood clichés we know from other movies, but does in such a way that doesn't make the viewer immediately recognize that it is. This is something I especially loved about the movie.

The characters also are very easy to enjoy in this movie. Immediately after meeting Emmet, the hero, you already like him. And that goes for every character in this movie. The movie is filled, FILLED with Lego characters, so much so that one is left even looking for more. All the voice actors are clearly having fun with their roles, totally up to the task of bringing these little people to life and making them larger than life. Notable performances go to Will Arnett as Batman, Liam Neeson as Bad Cop, and of course, Chris Pratt as Emmet.

A great aspect of The Lego Movie is its sophistication, as well. It's easy to see the parallels of this society's issues and that of the Lego universe, but never beating you over the head with it. It doesn't ever forget to have fun. The references and little Easter eggs here and there with a multitude of characters, and the heart throughout the movie, especially during the last few scenes, truly make this movie a great experience for everyone. The Lego Movie captures the heart and imagination of the viewer, and always has fun.

Did you see The Lego Movie? What did you think? Excited to see it? Comment down below!

This has been SeñorMovie, I'll see you at the theater!

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