Ellis at the Movies is back!

Ellis At The Movies Oscar Picks
Hey everyone,
I decided that there would be no better night then Oscar night to bring back Ellis At The Movies I have been missing do it and this time I will not let my depression or anxiety get in the way. With that statement here are my Oscar picks for tonight. My picks will be highlighted in bold. If I didn’t highlight a category it is because I didn’t see the films in that category

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
127 Hours
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening (The Kids are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Best Documentary Short Subject
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

Best Short Film (Animated)
Day & Night Teddy Newton
The Gruffalo Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
Let's Pollute Geefwee Boedoe
The Lost Thing Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary) Bastien Dubois

Best Short Film (Live Action)
The Confession Tanel Toom
The Crush Michael Creagh
God of Love Luke Matheny
Na Wewe Ivan Goldschmidt
Wish 143 Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Achievement in Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

Achievement in Cinematography
Black Swan (Matthew Libatique)
Inception (Wally Pfister)
The King's Speech (Danny Cohen)
The Social Network (Jeff Cronenweth)
True Grit (Roger Deakins)

Achievement in Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland (Colleen Atwood)
I Am Love (Antonella Cannarozzi)
The King's Speech (Jenny Beaven)
The Tempest (Sandy Powell)
True Grit (Mary Zophres)

Achievement in Directing
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit)

Best Documentary Feature
Exit through the Gift Shop Banksy, director (Paranoid Pictures)
Gasland Josh Fox, director (Gasland Productions, LLC)
Inside Job Charles Ferguson, director (Representational Pictures)
Restrepo Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, directors (Outpost Films)
Waste Land Lucy Walker, director (Almega Projects)

Achievement in Makeup
Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

Achievement in Film Editing
Black Swan (Andrew Weisblum)
The Fighter (Pamela Martin)
The King's Speech (Tariq Anwar)
127 Hours (Jon Harris)
The Social Network (Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall)

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Biutiful (Mexico)
Dogtooth (Greece)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Hors la Loi (Algeria)

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell)
Inception (Hans Zimmer)
The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat)
127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)
The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
"Coming Home" from Country Strong Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
"I See the Light" from Tangled Music and Lyric by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
"If I Rise" from 127 Hours Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
"We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3 Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Achievement in Sound Editing
Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

Achievement in Sound Mixing
Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

Achievement in Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours (Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle)
The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)
Toy Story 3 (Michael Arndt, story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
True Grit (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)
Winter's Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini)

Original Screenplay
Another Year (Mike Leigh)
The Fighter (Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silverand Paul Tamasy)
Inception (Christopher Nolan)
The Kids are All Right (Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko)
The King's Speech (David Seidler)


Next week I will be back with a review of Kick-Ass on Blu Ray. Also check out my twitter feed to hear my commentary on tonight’s Oscars http://twitter.com/#!/ellisatthemovie

My Top Ten Movies of 2009

Wow it,s been a long time since i posted here. Life and various symptoms of depression and a love life had been affecting me but one of my new years resolutions is to work more on this blog because dammit i can do it!

10.Star Trek
Kudos to J.J. Abrams for revitlzing a dieing franchise.I am excited for the sequel.

9.Up
I got to view this on DVD and fell back in love with pixar again. Which was broken up by Cars when that was released in theaters.

8.Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince
I got to see this twice once in the theater and once in imax 3-D. I enjoyed the movie both times.Especially how They get the whole love triangle between Lavender Ron and Herminonie

7.Extract
Poor Mike Judge he creates another great ensemble comedy in the style of Office Space and get pretty much ignored.Very funny movie especially Ben Affleck as Dean the bartender.

6.Sherlock Holmes
I found this adaption absolute perfect.Downey is becoming a two franchise man with this and Iron Man

5.Inglorious Bastards
When i sat in theater this summer i was reminded of the summer i saw Pulp Fiction in the 8th grade and fell in love with the work of one Quentin Tarintino.

4.Julie and Julia
When i was going to see this movie i thought i would be getting a total chick flick.I was misinformed i found this to be a story of two women who were looking for an outlet for their passions and found it.

3.Paper Heart
Charlyne Yi convinced this cynical crtic that love can and will happen to anyone.

2.Up in the Air
Jason Reitmen is the next Robert Altman in my oppion. The story of Ryan Bingham is the story of the man who has been traveling all his life and is looking for a place to land.

1. Knowing
If all you could hear about was how fucked up Nic Cage finaces were.Check this flick out. It is the Dark City of the the double aughts.

Ellis at The Movies # 6 Knowing

In 1998 Chicago Sun Times Film critic Roger Ebert named Alex Proyas Dark City the best movie of 1998. One year later as a teen i rented Dark City and was just mesmerized by the story of John Murdoch and his journey to figure out who or what he was. I have seen this film a couple of times since at Con-vergence and ounce at midnight at the uptown theater and with each viewing i loved this film even more and more.So when i decided to see KNOWING i had high hopes and i was not disappointed.


Here is a description from imdb.com
A teacher opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son's elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions -- some that have already occurred and others that are about to -- that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold.

What i liked about this movie.
I really enjoyed the screenplay by Ryne Douglas Pearson ,Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. They make the story blend so well. It was like you were seeing an suspense,thriller and Science fiction movie all rolled into one. The moment that had it all comes together near the very end.I am not going to post spoliers but if you this film you will know what i mean.

What i didn't like about this movie
I will says this Nicolas Cage is the reason why this is an awesome movie his portrayal of widowed MIT professor John Koestler is spot on . But i just didn't think alot of his facial expressions were right. It seemed that when there were serious moments in this film. Like when his son is kidnapped he just has a goofy ass look on his face like he is acting.To me what makes a great movie is when you believe the actor or actress is playing the person that they are playing and not havening a goofy ass grin like cage does.

My Final Thoughts
See this movie even thought Nicolas Cage has a goofy ass grin this is a film that is on par with Dark City. I would recommend this movie highly hell it may be on my top ten list for 2009.

Star Rating
I give this movie Four of Four stars you will not regret it.

Later this week i will post my review of Monster vs Aliens and have a dvd pick of the week.

Thank you for reading this and i will save you a seat

Ben

Ellis at the movies 5. The best and worst of 2008

The worst movies of 2008

1. Rambo
2. Cloverfeild
3. Charlie Bartlett
4. Leatherheads
5. Baby Mama
6. Prince Caspian
7. Pineapple Express




Bens Ten Best of 2008
10. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
9. Be Kind Rewind
8. Young At Heart
7. Iron man
6. Mama Mia
5. The Dark Knight
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Burn after Reading
2. Slumdog millionaire
1. The Wrestler

Honorable mentions
Run Fat Boy Run, Horton Hears A Who
Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Tropic Thunder

Ellis at the movies 4. W.

I have learned about American History through film from Patton to Nixon. This was my education about the bastards and heroes of American history. The history of our 43rd president is an interesting one. In some eyes he would be seen as hero in other eyes he would be seen as the religious rights bitch. That’s what for my forth review I have chose to review
Oliver Stones W.

Here is the description from imdb.com

Oliver Stone's biographical take on the life of George W. Bush, one of the most controversial, secretive, cynical, and ruthless president in USA history, chronicling from 1967 to his wild and carefree days in college, to his military service, to his governorship of Texas and oil businesses, leading to his 2000 candidacy for president, his first turbulent four years to his 2004 re-election campaign


What I liked about the movie.
I really enjoyed Josh Brolins performance as Bush. He makes you feel like you are watching a documentary about his life instead of a movie. A great example of this is the opening scene where the cabinet is discussing the invasion of Afghanistan. It like stone is giving you an eye into the oval office where this is being planed.

What I didn’t like about this movie.
I didn’t like how they only focused on Bush his mother father and wife. I wanted to see the impact that his actions had on his daughters and what they did bring to the family eventually.

My overall thoughts
I did like this DVD and will add it to my collection. I give this fine film 3 stars.

Next time.
Just to let everyone know I have had a rough few months so that’s why I haven’t done any reviews but my goal is to catch up by the end of the month or if not sooner. My next review will be Pineapple Express and then my 10 best

Ellis at The Movies 3 Burn After Reading

This weeks film is

Joel an Ethan Coens Burn After Reading (2008)

A good movie is like falling in love for the first time. You realize that this person/movie is everything to you and whenever you think about this person/movie you just melt inside to me that is the experience i felt after seeing Burn After Reading. I fell in love with this movie.

Here is the description from IMDB.com

A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

What i liked about this movie.
The performance of Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt as Linda and Chad two of the employees at Hard bodies Gym. I just loved how they played these two totally idiots who have no idea what they have gotten themselves into. A great example of this is the scene where they discover the memoirs of Osbourne Cox ( John Malkovich). They see it as a big break to something bigger for both of them I also enjoyed the set design by Jess Gonchor. I liked how he created the places where the characters lived. A perfect example is The Cox home i found it very tight and cold like the characters of Osbourne Cox and Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton). Another example of this is Linda's apartment it is really plain in its design just like Linda how Linda feels that she is plain to the rest of the world

What i didn't like about this movie

I found the movie to be to short. It clocks in at 96 minutes but i just felt it could have been longer. Otherwise a brilliant film from Joel and Ethan Coen

Final Thoughts
After a rough week at Ellis at The Movie headquarters. This was the perfect movie to get me out of my funk. I recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed the coen brothers films in the past or if you like a good dark comedy.

Ellis at the Movies final rating
Four our of Four stars See this movie and you will not regret it

Next week i will be back with a review of Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona and i will also share my top ten movies of summer. Thanks for reading and save a seat for me

Ellis at The Movies 2 Mamma Mia

In this weeks blog i have decided to review
Phyllida Lloyd's Mamma Mia.

When i go the the pearly gates st peter will ask me what my deepest darkest secret is. I will think for one second about my life in this mortal world and tell him that I was a sucker for a good musical. Werther it is watching Gene Kelly dancing with Cyd Charisse in Singing in the Rain or Tim Curry doing the time warp in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I have always been a sucker for a good musical

Here is a description from IMDB.com

20 year old Sophie is preparing to marry her boyfriend Sky at her mother's hotel on an island in Greece. She seemingly has it all -- a carefree life, a loving fiance, and happy friends -- but one thing has been missing all her life: a father.


What i liked about this movie.
I enjoyed the cinematography which was shot by Haris Zambarloukos who was the second unit director of photography on Batman Begins. The one particular moment i enjoyed was was the opening shot of the film in which Sophie the main character sings I Have a Dream The way Zambarloukos composes the shot like a painting of muse callening out to the gods for insperation.I also enjoyed the choreography which was done by Anthony Van Laast. who was the original choreographer on the west end version of Mamma Mia. The way he transitions the dance numbers from the stage to screen is amazing, One moment that stands out is the Money number. This is the song Donna sings after the Dynamos arive on the island. i like how Laast has the performers move around the island not as if they were on the stage.

What i didn't like about the movie.
There was really nothing that i didn't like about this movie



Final Thoughts
I don't plan on going to the pearly gates anytime soon but if i do i will still say to Saint Peter That i was a sucker for a good musical during my lifetime.I give Mamma Mia Four out of Four Stars for the stunningly beautiful cinematography and for the choreography which transitioned well from stage to screen.

Next Week
I will have a review of a new movie i haven't decided which one yet and Sunday i will have the DVD review of the Second Coming posted.

Thanks for reading and i will save you a seat