PODCAST SPECIAL: Top 5 Films of 2015

Oh god, it's happened again! Forest & Cory have wasted another year watching movies. Listen as they recount their favorites from the past year and explain why they are each a must see!

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Joy (2015)

Genre

Drama

Director

David O. Russell

Country

USA

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Édgar Ramírez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Elisabeth Röhm, Dascha Polanco, Melissa Rivers, Donna Mills, Susan Lucci, Maurice Benard, Laura Wright, Alexander Cook, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Drena De Niro, Isabella Crovetti-Cramp, Madison Wolfe, Emily Nunez

Storyline

The story of Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence), a divorced, young mother of two, who rose to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty.

Opinion

Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper starring in a film directed by David O. Russell, how original. Anyway, I had high expectations for this film given the story and the people who worked in it: what a disappointment!

Bland but with a strong performance from its lead, Jennifer Lawrence, "Joy" doesn't quite live up to its title.

The story, a feel-good American dream kind of story, is loosely based on the true story of inventor Joy Mangano, and had Oscar material written all over. Then the screenplay happened. A terrible, atrociously written screenplay, which choose to focus on the dysfunctional family rather than the inventions and career path of the main character. Joy's family indeed has an important role in her life, but it takes over on everything else, and it ends up overshadowing Joy's growth, as she learns about the world of business eventually losing her innocence.

The fairly tale narrated by the dead grandmother is ruled by chaos, and it's quite hard to understand how such a simple and straightforward story ended up in a film that doesn't exceed by much the level of a soap opera.

The editing certainly does not help. The scenes, that seems to be cut with by a brutal butcher, feel like they were put together randomly at the expense of the decisions and motivations of the protagonist: it's not very clear how a haircut is connected and have the same value of the invention of mop. Of course, there's a path behind it, but the messing editing really doesn't help.

The production design is that of a Christmas film, but maybe that's what David O. Russell wanted, it was released at Christmas after all. The same applies for the poor music choices. Maybe it was someone's iPod on shuffle, who knows.

And lastly the acting. Jennifer Lawrence gives an incredible performance, the best it could have been given the role. She carries the whole film, and she brings some energy to the character - and film - without which we would struggle to find something interesting in the film. Did she deserve to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy? And over Amy Schumer? I don't think so. Robert De Niro is a great actor, I'd never dare to say otherwise, but I'm really tired of seeing him doing the same role over and over again. Bradley Cooper's performance is quite weak, but the rest of the cast is no better, that's certainly not the case.

Best Costume Awards - for the years that didn't have it

 

Since the Award for Best Costume was not instituted until the 1949 Academy Awards, and since I am doing a Timeline of Award-Winning Costumes for the 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon, I thought it would be fun to finally give recognition (albeit in a small way) to all of the Costume Designers whose work went, certainly not unnoticed, but un-lauded from the years 1930 up to 1948 (films from 1947). But to do this as fairly as possible, I am going to need YOUR help.

First I need everyone to spread the word. You can use one of the banners below and/or write a short blog post (preferred) to get as many people to vote as possible.

Second you can nominate some films in the comments. Below I have nominated some films but they are, of course, restricted to films I have seen. And as it's impossible to see every film from every year, I need your help for the films I haven't seen. Comments will remain open until February 12th.

On February 13th, I will create a poll for each year and give everyone a chance to vote on which films should be nominated. Voting for nominations will end February 20th. The five films with the most votes for each year will then be the official nominated films.

Voting for the Academy Award winner will be held from February 21 - 27 with the winner announced on February 28 during this years Academy Awards ceremony.

Guidelines:

When nominating a film, keep in mind what was going on that year (mainly WWII), if the costumes progress the storyline, and what films WERE nominated that year, especially in the Best Picture and Best Art Direction categories, which you can view on the official Oscars website.

If you have written a post on any of the nominated films I would love to share the link so that those who haven't seen all of the films or are having trouble remembering the costumes can have something to look at to help them vote.

Dates to Remember:

• Comments open for nominations open until 2/12 at midnight EST.
• Voting for final five nominees open from 2/13 - 2/20 - Click here to vote
• Voting for Oscar-Winning Costume for the years 1929-1947 open from 2/21 - 2/27
• Winners Announced 2/28 at 8:30pm EST.

UPDATED - Films with Notable Costumes (Click on each year to view list of most notable films for each year) - the number at the end indicates the number of votes it received. Films crossed out were not nominated in the nomination poll.

1930 - these are the nominees
The Divorcee - Norma Shearer 5
Romance - Greta Garbo 2

1931 - these are the nominees
Mata Hari - Greta Garbo 2
Possessed - Joan Crawford & Clark Gable 4
The Smiling Lieutenant - Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins 0
Man of the World - Carole Lombard & William Powell 1

1932 - these are the nominees
Grand Hotel - John & Lionel Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford 5
Letty Lynton - Joan Crawford 3
Jewel Robbery - William Powell & Kay Francis 1

1933 - these are the nominees
Queen Christina - Greta Garbo & John Gilbert 1
Dinner at Eight - Jean Harlow, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler 5
Little Women - Katharine Hepburn 1
Bombshell - Jean Harlow 1

1934 - these are the nominees
Cleopatra - Claudette Colbert 3
The Thin Man - William Powell & Myrna Loy 4
Sadie McKee - Joan Crawford & Franchot Tone 2

1935
Captain Blood - Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland 6
Anna Karenina - Greta Garbo
A Midsummer Night's Dream - James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Olivia de Havilland
China Seas - Clark Gable & Jean Harlow 1
The Littlest Rebel - Shirley Temple
Top Hat - Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire 4
Peter Ibbetson - Gary Cooper
Naughty Marietta - Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy
Barbary Coast - Miriam Hopkins & Joel McCrea

1936
The Great Ziegfeld - William Powell, Luise Rainer, Myrna Loy 1
My Man Godfrey - William Powell & Carole Lombard 2
Camille - Greta Garbo & Robert Taylor 5
The Jungle Princess - Dorothy Lamour & Ray Milland
Romeo and Juliet - Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard
San Francisco - Clark Gable & Jeanette MacDonald 2
The Charge of the Light Brigade - Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland
The Gorgeous Hussy - Joan Crawford & Robert Taylor
Rose-Marie - Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy

1937 - these are the nominees
Stella Dallas - Barbara Stanwyck 2
Fire Over England - Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh 1
The Prisoner of Zenda - Ronald Colman & Madeleine Carroll 2
Maytime - Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy 4

1938 - these are the nominees
The Adventures of Robin Hood - Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland 4
Marie Antoinette - Norma Shearer 3
Jezebel - Bette Davis & Henry Fonda 1
Suez - Tyrone Power & Loretta Young 1

1939 (we all know Gone With the Wind is going to win)
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex - Bette Davis & Errol Flynn 0
Gone With the Wind - Clark Gable & Vivien Leigh 7
The Wizard of Oz - Judy Garland 1
The Women - Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara
Stagecoach - John Wayne & Claire Trevor
Wuthering Heights - Merle Oberon & Laurence Olivier

1940 - these are the nominees
The Sea Hawk - Errol Flynn 0
Rebecca - Joan Fontaine & Laurence Olivier 2
Kitty Foyle - Ginger Rogers & Dennis Morgan 2
Pride and Prejudice - Greer Garson & Laurence Olivier 4
New Moon - Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy 0

1941
They Died With Their Boots On - Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland 0
The Lady Eve - Barbara Stanwyck & Henry Fonda 3
Ziegfeld Girl - Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr, Judy Garland 4
How Green Was My Valley - Maureen O'Hara
That Hamilton Woman - Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh 0
The Little Foxes - Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall
Moon Over Miami - Don Ameche & Bette Grable
That Night in Rio - Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Carmen Miranda

1942 - these are the nominees
To Be or Not To Be - Jack Benny & Carole Lombard 0
The Palm Beach Story - Claudette Colbert & Joel McCrea 2
Now, Voyager - Bette Davis & Paul Henreid 4
Yankee Doodle Dandy - James Cagney 2
The Major and the Minor - Ginger Rogers 0

1943 - these are the nominees
The More the Merrier - Jean Arthur & Joel McCrea 1
Song of Bernadette - Jennifer Jones 1
The Gang's All Here - Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda 1
Sweet Rosie O'Grady - Bette Grable & Robert Young 1
Du Barry was a Lady - Lucille Ball, Red Skelton, Gene Kelly 5

1944 - these are the nominees
Meet Me in St. Louis - Judy Garland 5
Gaslight - Ingrid Bergman & Charles Boyer 3
The Dolly Sisters - Betty Grable, John Payne, June Haver 0

1945 - these are the nominees
Christmas in Connecticut - Barbara Stanwyck & Dennis Morgan 0
Caesar and Cleopatra - Vivien Leigh & Claude Rains 1
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders, Donna Reed 1
Saratoga Trunk - Gary Cooper & Ingrid Bergman 3
Thrill of a Romance - Esther Williams & Van Johnson 2

1946 - these are the nominees
The Harvey Girls - Judy Garland 2
Notorious - Ingrid Bergman & Cary Grant 2
The Postman Always Rings Twice - Lana Turner & John Garfield 3
Gilda - Rita Hayworth & Glenn Ford 3
Anna and the King of Siam - Irene Dunne & Rex Harrison 0
So Goes My Love - Myrna Loy & Don Ameche 0

1947 - these are the nominees
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - Danny Kaye & Virginia Mayo 1
My Favorite Brunette - Bob Hope & Dorothy Lamour 1
Life with Father - William Powell & Irene Dunne 5
Green Dolphin Street - Lana Turner, Donna Reed 1

Thunderball (1965)

Genre

Action | Thriller

Director

Terence Young

Country

UK

Cast

Sean Connery, Adolfo Celi, Claudine Auger, Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van Nutter, Bernard Lee, Martine Beswick, Guy Doleman, Molly Peters, Earl Cameron, Paul Stassino, Desmond Llewelyn, Roland Culver, Lois Maxwell, Philip Locke, George Pravda, Michael Brennan, Anthony Dawson

Storyline

In a bold and deadly scheme, the evil SPECTRE organization hijacks a NATO plane and seizes two atomic warheads, each capable of killing millions of innocent people. As the world is held hostage by the threat of a nuclear nightmare, James Bond (Sean Connery) jumps into action, racing against the clock as the trail leads him to tropical Nassau.

Opinion

My journey continues as I join the handsome James Bond on 'our' fourth mission to fight, once again, the evil SPECTRE organization.

"Thunderball" is an(other) excellent entry in the Bond saga, with non-stop action and a better plot than ever.

The strength of the film lies in the writing. The plot is interesting, more original and well thought out, and despite this is the fourth chapter, the great story gives the film a fresh look. It may seem quite familiar to those who watch more recent action thriller such as "Mission: Impossible" though.

The exotic landscapes, and the beautiful Bond girls that were only eye-candy in the previous films work perfectly with the plot, and make the film a truly enjoyable experience.

The characters are great and they all have a reason to exist, from the charismatic and evil Emilio Largo - not as intriguing as Goldfinger though - to the atypical Bond girl Domino, still very beautiful, but not brainless, to the other Bond girl, femme fatale Fiona Volpe.

After "Goldfinger" there were a lot of money available: they were used, and what a glorious way to use them! In fact the action is spectacular, especially in the underwater scenes, and the special effects are damn good for a film that has half a century of life - the crew was awarded with Best Special Effects Oscar for a reason.

The photography is overall great, but the underwater photography is on a whole different level. Also Ted Moore really did a wonderful job integrating the special effects.

Once again Sean Connery is at the top of his game and does an admirable job as the sophisticated, though super spy James Bond. Adolfo Celi makes a superb villain but he kinda loses his threat element as the film progresses. In the role of Domino, Claudine Auger is gorgeous and her acting skills are above average for the film, but Luciana Paluzzi steals the show as Fiona Volpe - probably because she is the first to stand up to Bond's charm.

I hope we didn't scare the fishes. - James Bond

Thursday Movie Picks: Movies Adapted from Movies of a Different Language

Hello and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks, a weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.

This week's theme is foreign adaptations aka movies adapted from one language to another. It's not difficult to find such a film, but finding a great one is a whole different story. For that reason my picks for this week are one great and two bad.

The Departed (2006)

Adapted from the Japanese film "Infernal Affairs", it is the story of two different yet similar men: a young undercover cop who infiltrates the mob syndicate, and a young criminal who infiltrates the state police as an informer for the syndicate. The film is engaging, filled with action and suspense, and not only it lives up to the original, but it's slightly better thanks to more depth of the characters and better dialogue.

Dinner for Schmucks (2010)

Remake of the French comedy "Le dîner de cons", it follows a man invited by his superiors at a dinner celebrating the idiocy of their guests. For this reason he befriends an idiot because he would make the perfect guest. While the original is an hilarious and witty comedy help up by two great actors, this American version starring Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell is silly and not funny, a quite embarrassing film.

Oldboy (2013)

Adapted from the Korean film "Oldboy", it tells of a man kidnapped on the day of her daughter's birthday and imprisoned for 20 years. After his release, he will try anything possible to find the man who did this to him, but things don't go as planned. The brutal, disturbing yet sweet and moving story of vengeance has been transformed into a shallow and disappointing film by Spike Lee - I actually can't believe he did this. At least Josh Brolin did a pretty good job and Samuel L. Jackson was great.

So there they are. What three films would make your list? 

World Box Office: THE FORCE AWAKENS vs. AVATAR? Forget it... Look At All That Cheddar.

As I've been postulating for weeks now (other than the fact I knew there was no way AVATAR 2 would hit its latest release date), there is no way STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS challenges James Cameron's AVATAR in worldwide box office. Let's face it, worldwide box office is the number that matters most and while the domestic record is an awesome achievement, it's only a third of what really matters or in SWTFA's case, half. Yes, TITANIC may sink, but AVATAR is quite safe.

Was there really any doubt about this? Not to me. There's the old description of a four quadrant movie that sort of fits both movies: Males under 25, Males over 25, Females under 25 and Females over 25. I think SWTFA delivers admirably on this, but not in the league of AVATAR. But of course there is much more to the story than just four quadrants.

Many will argue that shiny new 3D technology helped push AVATAR to dizzying heights and while that is true to some degree, SWTFA has nostalgia and an extremely well established fanbase and, count 'em, SIX previous feature releases. SWTFA also has 3D revenue in MORE theaters. AVATAR was an original work. That more than balances the scales.

Here's why AVATAR will remain king of the world in my opinion:
1. James Cameron. The world loves him. They love his movies and love his environmental stance. That's a huge reason why AVATAR commanded the box office it did. SWTFA must measure up to this standard of relevance or fail in my opinion. Cameron is AVATAR's scientist to SWTFA's fantasy magic. It's a very interesting comparison to contrast AVATAR's environmental message to THE FORCE AWAKENS' well... force, and while I'm sure I'll hear from more Star Wars fans on this (I am one!), AVATAR much better aligns with true Science Fiction. Star Wars embraces the supernatural, albeit in a passionate, space opera setting. Don't underestimate the power of "James Cameron Presents". Just his name alone will bring in masses of people. Abrams is good and is getting better, but he doesn't command Cameron's respect yet in the theater - and very probably never will. Cameron IS Captain SciFi. I feel the pure SciFi play is a better option for box office when we're dealing with four quadrant movies.

2. Everyone can relate to AVATAR's story. Indigenous people's oppression. The environment. Corporate greed. Romance. The world responded to it. It had legs. With SWTFA however, the story continually evolves around the soap opera of grandparents, parents, siblings and children with unexpected gasps from audiences as lineages are revealed. There needs to be more at stake and more that relates to our world directly to connect as AVATAR has. THE FORCE AWAKENS needs more meat to move to the next level. Perhaps EP. VIII or the spin offs will.

3. The AVATAR sequels will punch up cinematic technology once again and potentially set the bar even higher in the coming years. You didn't think he was done with just 3D did you? You can bet Cameron will be marketing some new technology very, very hard for the sequels. AVATAR broke amazing ground with 3D, crossing the uncanny valley with photo realism, performance capture and virtual real-time cameras. You can expect more of the same for the sequels only with technology 10 years better. Imagine what he could and will do.

So if not SWTFA, then what will overtake AVATAR? AVATAR 2? Maybe. I suspect the movies will be BETTER than the original (as Cameron always shines in sequels) and will do massive box office, but AVATAR was a must see event for the world. It will be hard to replicate that again and re-energize that urgency. That being said, if there is one person in the world that can beat James Cameron, it's James Cameron. He's already proven that. And there's plenty of causes that are of urgent priority on this planet. Mine that cheddar.

PODCAST 188: Freaks & The Terror of Tiny Town [Midget Madness Edition]

This week the Horror Duo cover a pare of films that would never be made today, in what they call "midget madness". Forest shares his thought on Tod Browning's Freaks, and Cory reviews The Terror of Tiny Town.

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