The 84th Annual Academy Awards

It's about time that we've been able to see an Academy Award presentation that is not hosted by wooden, stick figures that either have 'forced' jokes or have no idea of what to do except just stand there. This is only because of Billy Crystal's presence as host. This is his ninth stint, not consecutively, to host the gala event, and he pulled it off as though he'd been the host year after year. But, considering Crystal's inate ability of having perfect timing and delivery within his jokes, it's no wonder this was as entertaining as it was. Crystal also works so well with other actors at the presentation, that he makes it seem effortless. Of course, the best part of the show was his parody of all the nominated films he presents which he always does at the beginning of each Oscar show he happens to host. I just howled!

The complete list of those that received Oscars:
Best Picture: "The Artist"

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin ("The Artist")

Best Actress: Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady")

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer ("Beginners")

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer ("The Help")

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius ("The Artist")

Best Original Screenplay: "Midnight in Paris" (Woody Allen)

Best Adapted Screenplay: "The Descendents" (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash)

Best Animated Feature: "Rango" (Gore Verbinski)

Best Foreign Language Film: "A Separation" (Asghar Farhadi) Iran

Best Cinematography: "Hugo" (Robert Richardson)

Best Editing: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter)

Best Art Direction: "Hugo" (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo)

Best Costume Design: "The Artist" (Mark Bridges)

Best Makeup: "The Iron Lady" (Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland)

Best Original Score: "The Artist" (Ludovic Bource)

Best Original Song: "The Muppets" (Bret McKenzie- "Man or Muppet")

Best Sound Mixing: "Hugo" (Tom Fleischman, John Midgley)

Best Sound Editing: "Hugo" (Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty)

Best Visual Effects: "Hugo" (Robert Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman, Alex Henning)

Best Documentary Feature: "Undefeated" (Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin, Rich Middlemas)

Best Documentary- Short Subjects: "Saving Face" (Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy)

Best Short Film- Animated: "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris" (William Joyce,
Brandon Oldenberg

Best Short Film- Live Action: "The Shore" (Terry George, Oorlagh George)

The Honorary Governor's Awards were presented to:
Oprah Winfrey, Dick Smith and James Earl Jones

Can you believe they got all these awards plus entertainment with a great host in Billy Crystal and all in a 3 hour and 10 minute time slot? Miracles do happen.

Out of 4 stars: 3.5                     Rated: NR                         3:10

Act of Valor

We all have seen war films many times in our lives, but how many war films have you seen that has many of the lead stars as actual Navy SEALs using life ammo in the film? Guess all you want, but I'd say the answer would be definite NONE! Well, this is what one gets with "Act of Valor".

An unprecedented blend of real life heroism and original filmmaking, this is the story of active duty Navy SEALs including (Rorke, Michael, Dave, Ajay, Sonny, Ray, Van. O, and Weimy), as they confront and attack global terrorism with a vengeance. As it states at the beginning of the film, based on true stories of acts of valor, the film combines stunning combat sequences, up-to-the minute battlefield technology and heart pounding emotion for the ultimate adventure.

"Act of Valor" takes the audience deep into the secretive world of the most elite, highly trained group of soldiers in the modern world. When the rescue of a kidnapped CIA operative, Agent Morales (Roselyn Sanchez) leads to the discovery of a deadly terrorist plot against the U.S., a team of SEALs is dispatched on a worldwide manhunt of Christo (Alex Veadov) and Shabal (Jason Cottle) which they received through CIA intel. As these brave men of Bandito Platoon race to stop a coordinated attack that could kill and wound thousands of American civilians, they must balance their commitment to country, team and their families back home. One successful mission leads to another deadly terrorist plot that has them practically circling the globe all to protect their country.

This was intensely well paced by directors, Mike 'Mouse' McCoy and Scott Waugh and amazingly well written by Kurt Johnstad ("300" '06). All these guys are younger and with that, do not have a tremendous amount of experience, but trust me, after viewing this, they will get more work their way.

This was shot by veteran cinematographer, Shane Hurlbut, asc ("Crazy/Beautiful" '01, "Drumline" '02, "11:14" '03, "Into the Blue" '05, "We Are Marshall" '06, "Semi-Pro" '08, "Swing Vote" '08, "Terminator Salvation" '09). As mentioned above, this was shot using live ammo, so for Hurlbut to be put under the gun, excuse the pun, to have to shoot this under all kinds of weather conditions, and the stress of it, he also had the added problem of painstakingly shooting this with real gunfire. This is a consummate pro.

Mind you, the acting isn't great by these Navy SEALs, but you already know this before you walk into the theater. This film was not made for the acting,although even the acting wasn't awful, it just wasn't great. But to see these real SEALs doing what they do best is simply awesome. It makes you appreciate what others do so you can be free.

Out of 4 stars: 3.5                        Rated: R                          111min.

This Means War

I believe the main problem with romantic comedies is the fact that they are extremely formulaic which leads them to be more or less predictable from beginning to end. Even with a CIA backdrop to "This Means War", it still is a rom/com no matter how you slice it.

Two top CIA operatives who are buddies, FDR Forster and Tuck (Chris Pine and Tom Hardy) respectively, end up waging war on one another after they discover they are dating the same woman, Lauren (Reese Witherspoon). These two guys meet her at different times in different situations and she has no idea that they even know one another. So it's the two that basically have a 'face-off' of who is going to be the better man.

This was adequately directed by McG ("Charlie's Angels" 2000, "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" '03, "We Are Marshall" '06, "Terminator Salvation" '09) in that this falls into the same type of film of that of his predecessors. It was written by Timothy Dowling and Simon Kinberg based on a story by Dowling and Marcus Gautesen.

Others to round out the cast are Til Schweiger as Heinrich, the villain they are trying to thwart, Angela Bassett as Collins, the agent the two have to answer to, Chelsea Handler as Trish, Lauren's friend, John Paul Ruttan as Joe, Abigail Spencer as Katie, Rosemary Harris as Nana Forster, and George Touliatos as Grandpa Forster.

The fact that Lauren even met both of these guys is, in and of itself, implausible as can be, but then again it is a romantic comedy. And since it falls into this genre, implausibility and fantasy are allowed if not believed. As said in previous reviews, if you like rom/coms, you'll love this, but if you are looking for something more believable, meatier, that is not so predictable, you might want to look elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a total wash, there were some funny moments, unfortunately not enough to keep this flick moving right along.

Out of 4 stars: 2.5                       Rated: R                           97min.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Adventurous, fantastical films are really the meat of why films were invented-- to be able to go to some other world, time and place so as to escape from the every day world all done with an entertaining format. The 'matinee idol' serial type films were big in the 30's and 40's, so the audience could be transported to a fantastical place and time. This is why "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Star Wars", and the like have been able to make a comeback. The same could be said for "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island".

Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) reluctantly partners with Hank (Dwayne Johnson), his stepdad whom he has a problem with, on a mission to find his Grandfather, Alexander Anderson (Michael Caine), who is thought to be missing on a mythical island according to Sean. In fact Sean, through his own research, believes his Grandfather is on Mysterious Island, an island that is in Jules Verne's novel, The Mysterious Island.

They end up arriving at a small island in the South Pacific and commission Gabato (Luis Guzman) and his daughter, Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) to get them to the island. As they arrive on this fantastical island, they do find Alexander, but soon afterward, realize they must get off the island due to a volcanic eruption which will cause the island to sink into the ocean.

Others to round out the cast are Kristin Davis as Liz, Hank's wife, Anna Colwell as Jessica, Brandscombe Richmond as a tour guide, and Walter Bankson as a hockey player.

This was directed by Brad Peyton ("Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" '10). This guy has also done some TV and many shorts to add to his resume. He will undoubtedly get more work, because, considering his lesser experience, this was directed quite effectively. It was written by Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn based on a story by Richard Outten, Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn which is based on Jules Verne's novel.

You've got to see this on the large screen, because the visual effects, predominantly designed by Digital Domain, MPC (Moving Picture Company), and Rising Sun Pictures, and the 3D process simply makes this as fantastical as the story itself. It is worth the price of admission.

In this day and age where we are beleaguered with graphic violence, gratuitous sex, expletives galore in films, it is certainly refreshing to view a film that is fun, wholesome, without being too sappy, and that is something the entire family can watch. Wow, what a novelty!

Out of 4 stars: 3.5                           Rated: PG                           94min.

Safe House

The CIA seemingly makes for such good fodder when it comes to screenwriters in Hollywood, because we see so many espionage films that surround around this agency. It makes one wonder about the solidity of the workings of the agency considering  Hollywood's obsession with it. Well, they're still obsessed, and it's now in the incarnation of "Safe House".

Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is a CIA rookie who, after 12 months of not getting an assignment in manning a safe house in Cape Town, South Africa, does and it's in the form of Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), the CIA's most wanted rogue agent who is captured and taken to the safe house by agent, Daniel Kiefer (Robert Patrick). During Frost's interrogation not even 4 hours after arriving, the safe house is breached by mercenaries who want Frost. Weston and Frost escape and must stay out of the gunman's sight until they can get to another safe house which CIA's bosses, David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson), Catherine Linklater (Vera Farmiga), and Harlan Whitford (Sam Shepard) has given Weston the location of.

Others to round out the cast are Ruben Blades as Carlos Villar, Nora Arnezeder as Ana Moreau, Weston's girlfriend, Liam Cunningham as Alec Wade, and Joel Kinnaman as Keller.

This was directed by a relative newcomer, Daniel Espinosa ("Babylonsjukan" '04, "Outside Love" '07, "Easy Money" '10) and considering his lack of experience, he proved himself worthy, because the chemistry between Washington and Reynolds was very effective. And his pacing of these characters was right on. It was written by David Guggenheim ("Exit Strategy" (TV movie) '11), and since he has virtually little experience, this was better than I expected. It was a little long in the tooth, and some areas didn't need to go into such detail, but all in all, it really moved and definitely kept your attention.

I went to see this mostly for Washington, and realized that Reynolds was equally as effective in his role.Reynolds is one of those actors which the more he works, the better he gets. This was slickly done and has some of the most incredible stunt driving in a film I have seen in years. This is worthy to see in the muliplex just to see how these two characters interact with all its grittiness and cat and mouse playing.

Out of 4 stars: 3                    Rated: R                        115min.

The Vow

Normally when we see a romantic drama or comedy, for that matter, it is typically predictable. It has a start, a middle and an inevitable, predictable ending all tied up in a nice pretty bow. But with "The Vow", I actually got more than I bargained for.

This story starts fairly typically in that Paige (Rachel McAdams) and Leo (Channing Tatum) meet and subsequently get married, vows and all. While parked in their car, a truck accidentally plows them in the rear and Paige goes through the windshield experiencing an ICH (Intra Cranial Bleed) which is a traumatic brain injury. While in a coma, she wakes up with severe short term memory loss. This, of course, affects Leo, whom she doesn't remember. So it is up to Leo to win her heart back again, especially with Paige's parents Bill & Rita Thornton (Sam Neill & Jessica Lange) trying to get her to move back into their home.

Others to round out the cast are Scott Speedman as Jeremy, Paige's ex-fiance of years ago, Wendy Crewson as Dr. Fishman, Jessica McNamee as Gwen, Paige's sister, Lucas Bryant as Leo's buddy, and Tatiana Maslany as Lily, Leo's associate at the recording studio he owns.

It was effectively directed by Michael Sucsy ("Grey Gardens" (TV movie) '09). This guy doesn't have a lot of experience, but considering that the chemistry between McAdams and Tatum was amazingly real, this has to reflect on the directing to some degree. It was written by Jason Katims, Abby Kohn, and Marc Silverstein based on a story by Stuart Sender. This was based on true events on a real couple, but there must have been some liberties Hollywood must have taken to make this story happen.

If you want to see a nice romantic drama of a young couple who is totally in love, and their fight to 'make it' after the tragic accident with a credible, real approach, this is one film that will have you on that relationship roller coaster.

Out of 4 stars: 3                       Rated: PG-13                        104min.

The Grey

Films about survival in the wild, especially in desolate, cold places aways lean to the extreme in terms of intensity and desperation of those seriously in a hurt locker. In the case of "The Grey", this concept is loud and painstakingly clear.

In Alaska, an oil drilling team is finishing their 'shift' of work, so they load themselves on a plane home. As they start flying over the mountains, the weather causes the plane to crash. Only eight survive consisting of Ottway (Liam Neeson), Diaz (Frank Grillo), Hendrick (Dallas Roberts), Talget (Dermot Mulroney), Burke (Nonso Anozie), Flannery (Joe Anderson), Hernandez (Ben Bray), and Lewenden (James Badge Dale). As they decide to move from the crash site so as they don't freeze to death, they come across a pack of wolves who are bent on hunting the humans as intruders in their territory. Will any of them survive as the wolves start picking them off one by one?

This was intensely directed by Joe Carnahan ("Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane" '98, "Narc" '02, "Faceless" (TV movie) '06, "Smokin' Aces" '06, "The A-Team" '10). the emotions he was able to get the actors to emit was amazing considering they were constantly in life or death situations. It was equally well written by Carnahan and Ian Mackenzie Jeffers which was based on a short story, "Ghost Walker" by Jeffers.

What really made this film so compelling was what these guys had to go through as far as how they handled the different reactions to death and dying or at least the threat of it. The anger, fear, the faith, lack of faith, bargaining that a lot of them went through was so realistic and credible that it made this intensely gritty, graphically depicted movie shine. The ending could've been a little tighter than was presented, but maybe that was to add to the intensity. You can be the judge of that one.

I would like to dedicate this review to my good friend and confidante, John K. Dickson whom passed away on 1-31-12. He saw this film just two days before he died and thought it had a great story. This was his last film to view, so since he was such a film buff and a great movie buddy, it would be fitting to dedicate this film to his memory. So long John.

Out of 4 stars: 3.5                    Rated: R                       117min.