Movie Reviews

Well as you all might have heard the Academy Award Nominations are out. As I have said before there has been a complete lack of acting and good movies this year. I can think of only a few movies that top my list of good films for the year.
Hairspray, Ratatouille, Reign Over Me top my list this year. Lions for Lambs gets honorable mention as does the great graphics and childhood story coming to life in Transformers. I would like to add my third favorite film this year to the list.
The Bucket List - As always Jack Nickelson and Morgan Freeman are excellent in their acting. They really make this movie and really can act like sick cancer patients wanting to fulfill some life ambitions and desires before they die. In the process they learn more about their own lives and each other. Great story and the acting makes it so believable. This is the third best movie of the year. Of course there was no nominations from "the academy" for either of these veterans.


One movie that did get a ton of nods by "the academy" is Juno - PG-13. This movie is about a girl who gets pregnant in high school at age 16 and her struggle to find out what to do with it. She decides to have it adopted but struggles as she fails to find a family that can stay together to love and nurture the baby. To be honest I wasnt to pleased with the movie, but the acting by the lead Ellen Page (who is nominate for best actress) is excellent and makes the movie. This one of course is more up "the academy" line and gets a best picture nod for its documentery of the teenage human struggle of todays society, blaa blaa blaa. The film is way over rated and despite the excellent preformace from Page.

I would have to say the biggest underrated film, that wasnt even given a thought by "the academy" is Talk To Me. This movie is about Petey Green an ex-con in Washington DC who was radio DJ for WOL during the time of Dr. Martin Luthur King Jr. assassination. He and his cohost are credited with stopping the riots in DC the night King was shot and leading the people there to a more active role in Human Rights. The movie is rated R for strong language and swearing. Don Cheadle please Petey Green and pulls off the preformance not only of the year but of his career. This movie ought to be nomiated for best picture.

Let me voice my opinion of the infamous "academy". In past years great films have been nominate, great actors and actresses were nominated for great preformances we all remember. Now in todays "academy" it is more about what kind of statement or documentary style movie you make and the message it sends. There are tons of movies out now about the Iraq war or other political issues that are getting nods while great movies like The Bucket List and Talk To Me are snobbed. Great preformances for Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow or Merryl Streep in Devil Wears Prada are overlooked.

To sum up the year to date for me, bad year for acting and movies. The best movies to see are as follows:
1. Talk To Me
2. Hairspray
3. Ratatouille
4. The Bucket List
5. Reign Over Me
6. Lions For Lambs
7. Transformers
and maybe more to come as I see them.