Oscar Buzz

Which upcoming movies are getting that Oscar buzz??

As the year comes to an end and the holidays start another amazing thing happens.... the best movies of the year hit theaters in hopes of being nominated for best picture at the Oscars. This year after the Toronto Film Festival there was a lot of buzz around a couple of films and I am making my predictions on which ones you will be seeing nominated on Oscar night.  

First up "The Martian" staring Matt Damon as an astronaut who while on a mission on Mars gets left behind by his crew and is forced to survive on the planet until help can arrive. This movie has been in theaters since early October and still almost a month after debuting is still number one at the box office which shows you how good this movie is. I got to see it on opening weekend and was very pleased with the film. Matt is alone for a lot of his role in the movie and does an amazing job and making you laugh and cry with him. The movie also left me thinking about how crazy and awesome science is and was really inspiring. Because of the way people are reacting to this film I could see it possibly being nominated for best film at the Oscars, but sadly I thought the same thing about "Gone Girl" (which came out at the same time as this film last year) and it was snubbed. I think sometimes early October releases are just to early for Oscar. I still think everyone should see this movie and should do so in 3D. I am sure Matt will be recognized for his work in the film though. 

Trumbo is based on the true story of 1940's screenwriter Dalton Trumbo who was blacklisted for his political beliefs and then shows everyone how crazy the blacklist is while also winning two Academy Awards. When I first heard about this movie I read an article that said the academy loves movies about Hollywood ("Argo", "The Artist", etc) and I believe it. Personally I think everyone also loves Bryan Cranston which will make people want to come out and see this movie. The movie doesn't come out until November 6th but I am sure we will hear more about it when it does. 

I recently brought up the movie "The Danish Girl" and how I think it could take home the award for best picture along with best actor for the performance by Eddie Redmayne and I still agree with this. "The Danish Girl" is based of a true story of Lili Elbe who was the first male to ever have female sex reassignment surgery. Redmayne plays the role of Einar Wegener who after posing as a female for his painter wife decides he would like to live his life as a female instead of a male. The movie looks like such a powerful story I am sure it will be recognized by many as a front runner at the Oscars. This film comes out November 27th which is the day after Thanksgiving so after things settle down for black Friday head over to the movies and catch this film. 

As with the last two films this last one called "The Big Short" is also based off of a true story. This movie also has a ton of star power behind it with Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, and Ryan Gosling staring in it and to top it off the guy who wrote the books that inspired "Moneyball" and "The Blind Side" wrote the book that inspired this film (and we know what happened to those films.... they were nominated for best picture). This movie focuses on the financial crisis that hit the US really hard during the years of 2007 to 2010. I think since this movie is about something so fresh in our minds many will be able to watch it and relate to the premise of the film. This film will come out in theaters on December 11. 

Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato Announce the "Future Now" tour

Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato "Future Now" Tour

Today while appearing on "Good Morning America" Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato announced that next year the pair will be going on tour together on what they are calling the "Future Now" tour. The two of them have been friends for a very long time now from their days on Disney Channel ("Camp Rock") and have recorded with each other in the past so there is no surprise that the two would choose to do a tour together. The two also announced that they are starting their own record label called "Safe House" for up and coming artist to use. I am sure the tour will focus on the music from Nick's latest self titled album and Demi's new album "Confident".These two are both so hot right now and just keep putting out hit after hit that I am sure this will be one of the hottest tours in 2016. 

Speaking of tours and Nick Jonas, he is currently out on tour and I was lucky enough to catch his show this past Friday at The Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Nick put on a great show and was very entertaining. Being a big fan of his latest album it was fun to see it preformed live. I will say my only complaint about the show was that it was over so quickly but that could have been from the amazing time I was having. Nick did mention that he is currently recording for his new album so keep an eye out for that sometime next year.

My seats were quite high but this was my view of Nick. I'll say it wasn't a bad way to spend a Friday night. Hopefully I can make it out to the "Future Now" tour and catch him and Demi on the road next year too. I'll leave you for now with their biggest hits right now "Levels' and 'Confident". 

I'm back........ and I am talking Leo DiCaprio

Will this year be the year Leo walks away with the Oscar?

First things first let me just say after taking almost 2 years off from blogging I am coming back and I am also starting up a podcast as well so look out for that. My dream job is to be able to talk about my love of all things pop culture so I am out to make that a reality. Thanks for reading and your support.

Now on to two topics I love to talk about Leonardo DiCaprio and the Oscars. As the years go by we see such amazing work come from Leo ("The Wolf of Wall Street" "The Aviator") but still he has never won an Oscar for best actor. In 2014 many thought he had a good shot at winning with his great performance as Jordan Belfort in the wild movie " The Wolf of Wall Street" but he lost to the incredible performance from Matthew McConaughey in his film "The Dallas Buyer's Club". Well this year I see the same thing happening even though it sounds like Leo did a lot of crazy and scary things for his role in his latest movie "The Revenant". In his new movie Leo plays a fur trapper gets mauled by a bear and left for dead by the crew of men that were with him. The men that leave him also kill his son which is the driving force behind him tracking these men down and seeking revenge. From the trailer the movie looks very intense and I am sure it will receive it's own Oscar buzz. Leo recently did an interview talking about the crazy things he did for the movie such as swimming in freezing water, sleeping inside dead animals and eating raw bison liver. I feel like him telling everyone he did these things is almost like him saying "hey look at the crazy things I did, don't you think I should get an Oscar?". Though I am sure that beyond the things he did for the role he  probably does an amazing job at playing this character. Due to this I am sure he will land an Oscar nomination for best actor, but will he win?? 

I personally, just from hearing the little amount of Oscar buzz that is already happening and from the multiple previews I have seen I think I already know who will take home the Oscar for best actor..... Eddie Redmayne for his role in "The Danish Girl". The world is just starting to open it's eyes to the transgender community and to see someone play this role in such a powerful way I think Eddie will be the first actor since Tom Hanks to win back to back best actor Oscars, Hanks won in 1993 and 1994 for his roles in "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump".  I have a strong feeling the film "The Danish Girl" will also win for best picture. "The Danish Girl" will be in theaters on November 27 and "The Revenant" will come a little later on January 8. 

Superbowl or Seahawks bowl?

A look back at Super Bowl 48

Yesterday was Super Bowl 48 between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. Regardless of who you were rooting for I think everyone went into the game feeling like it was going to be a great game between two of the best teams in the league. You have the Seahawks who have by far the best defense in the league and then Denver who has (or so we thought) the best offense in the league. Well we were all wrong! Seattle came out and just dominated the whole game with Denver not even making it on the board till the very end of the 3rd quarter. There were so many horrible plays, turn overs, and interceptions by Denver it was shocking. So many people went into the game thinking that Peyton Manning and his Broncos would probably take the title and he would be known as the best who ever played the game. Instead the game left most of wondering what did I just watch. On top of that the commercials were only so so with most of them being to sentimental or something we have all seen before. The one commercial everyone seems to be talking about is the Radioshack commercial that featured many icons from the 80's and was fun to watch. Something that was exciting to see that wasn't a commercial but was the mini "Seinfeld" reunion that I mentioned on Friday. During halftime we got to see Jerry and George talking about going to a Super Bowl party at a friends house and while talking they run into Newman. It was great to see some of the gang back together. The best moment of the night was the half time show hands down. Bruno Mars was amazing and showed how great of a performer he is. The Red Hot Chili Peppers joined him on stage and were great as well. My only problem with Bruno's performance was I feel like it was very short compared to previous years. I feel like Beyonce had a much longer half time show last year than Bruno got this year. All in all I feel it was an OK Super Bowl, I just wish the Broncos would have shown up. Check out some of my favorite moments. 

Friday Top Five

Friday Top Five 

January is coming to an end and with this being the last week of the month I am going to take a look at five stories from this week. 

5. I have to start off with saying happy birthday to my favorite guy Mr. Justin Timberlake who turns 33 today. I get to see him on his 20/20 Experience tour in August and I can't wait! Happy birthday Justin. 

4. The Grammy's were this past Sunday and they were..... OK. Sadly the biggest story that came out of the night was the hat that Pharrell William's wore. His big brown hat caused many tweets from people comparing it to the Smokey the bear hat, Arby's hat, and a cowboy hat. Other than that people were all about the performance by Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar which I thought was good but not amazing. Hope next year the show is better. 

3. Justin Bieber was all over the news this week for continuing to not care about anything. This kid just seems to get in trouble everywhere he goes and it is starting to tick everyone off. A petition has started to have Justin deported back to Canada and kicked out of the country for good. I honestly think nothing will happen to him because money talks and he has a crap ton of it. Until something horrible happens to this kid or someone around him he will continue being a jackass. Let's hope he changes soon. 

2. Everywhere you look these days their is some kind of 90's reunion happening. This week we got an amazing "Full House" reunion on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon". This isn't the only "Full House" reunion going down these days, the guys are also staring in a Superbowl commercial that is set to air this weekend. Because of these sightings people are thinking a bigger reunion might be on the horizon. Check out the video of the Late Night Full House reunion in case you missed it.  Another exciting reunion is happening with the "Seinfeld" cast! This picture >>>>> was released a few weeks ago and the internet was a buzz with the possibilities of a reunion. Well now Jerry Seinfeld has told us that yes their will be a reunion of sorts though nothing major. Larry David (the creator of the show) was involved with the reunion along with other cast members and they shot in other locations besides the famous diner. He also said that the reunion was not for a commercial. Personally I am very excited to see what exactly the project is and if it leads to any other Seinfeld projects.

1. The biggest story of the week has to go to the Superbowl which goes down this weekend between two amazing teams, the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. I think it is going to be an amazing game. Even more exciting than the game is this years half time show which will feature Bruno Mars and special guest The Red Hot Chili Peppers! Being a fan of Bruno and the Chili Peppers and I am very excited to see this performance. I think they are going to rock the house. Next week I will do a full recap of how the game and half time go. Hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys the game!

The Wolf of Wall Street Review

"The Wolf of Wall Street" Review 

A few weeks ago I went to see the newest Martin Scorsese film "The Wolf of Wall Street" and even though I liked the movie over all I left the theater feeling like it was all a bit much. The fact that I was sitting next to my aunt and uncle during the film (which I would not have done had I known how the movie was going to be) didn't help. I think the fact that I left feeling like the movie was a bit much was exactly what Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio wanted me to be feeling. The movie is based off the true story of a man named Jordan Belfort who goes basically from rags to riches by working in the stock market and maybe not doing everything in the most legal way. It shows how someone who becomes so idolized by his co-workers and has an extreme amount of money can go a little crazy. Of coarse it takes more that just those two things to make the movie a tale of an extreme life you have to add lots of drugs, many illegal activities, a crazy amount of sex, and a record number of f-bombs (the movie has 506 f-bombs in it's 3 hour time span). I have never seen so much vagina in a film that's for sure. Even though a bit extreme I feel like the story was good and the acting was really good. Leo plays an excellent crazy person with lots of power (as he usually does) and Jonah Hill is amazing and used his usual dry humor to keep the audience laughing. One of my favorite performances in the movie was from newcomer Margot Robbie who is from Australia though you wouldn't know from her Jersey accent in the movie. Being a younger actor it was very impressive to see her hold her own to Leo and play such a powerful character. All in all I say see the movie (just not with your parents or aunts or uncles and really not grandparents) and be prepared to see a lot of sex, drugs, and hear a lot of bad language. 

 

2014 Golden Globe Predictions

Who will win at tomorrow nights Golden Globes??

It is that amazing time of year again....... award season! This is the time where we get to see the best of the best in the world of acting come together and celebrate another year of amazing performances. This year has been a little more up in the air than last year as far as a favorite in each category so I am going to give my predictions on who I think will be winning tomorrow night. 

Drama 

For best film drama I am thinking it is a toss up between "Gravity" with the amazing Sandra Bullock and the Tom Hanks film "Captain Phillips" with the possibility of "12 Years a Slave" taking the honor. As far as best actress goes I am saying Sandra Bullock will take it for her work in "Gravity". There are a lot of great names and performances in the best actor category but personally I will be rooting for Matthew McConaughey for his performance in "Dallas Buyers Club".

Comedy or Musical

I can honestly say for best film in the comedy or musical category I don't know who will win. All of the movies in the category have been getting such high praise that I could see any of them taking top honors. For best actress in a comedy or musical I think the legendary Meryl Streep will take it for her work in "August: Osage County". Best actor is another one where I feel anyone could take it and personally I would be happy with any of them winning. 

Best animated feature hands down will go to Disney's "Frozen" and that will be the case for this whole award season. I think best drama series will go to "Breaking Bad" with Bryan Cranston winning best actor for the show as well. I think Modern Family will take best comedy series for another year. 

This year we get to see the lovely and hilarious duo of  Amy Poehler and Tina Fey host again which means almost everyone will walk away going that was a good show. These two were so funny and did such a good job last year hosting the Golden Globes a lot of people were throwing their name out there for hosting duties at the Oscars. All in all I think it is going to be a great night and a good show and I can't wait to see who wins!