Cinema | Jmunney's Blog

Jmunney’s 2012 Alternative Oscar Contest

February 10, 2013

jmunney Cinema, Oscar Contest, Oscars Leave a comment

In addition to the normal Oscar Contest, here is the second annual Alternative Oscar Contest. Answer each of the ten questions; some are multiple choice, some – not so much. The winner will receive a video of me congratulating that winner on his or her win that will be sent to that person and posted on YouTube. The Oscar ceremony will air at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, February 24, on ABC. To enter the contest, e-mail your predictions to me at jmunneyoscarcontest@gmail.com. (Note the new e-mail address this year.) All entries must be received by 7:59 on Sunday, February 24, 2012.

1. What movie will win the most awards? (If more than one movie ties for the most wins, then each or all of those movies will be considered a correct answer.)

2. What will be the first category presented?

3. What will the first commercial be for?

4. How many of the acting winners will cry during their acceptance speeches?

5. How long will the show be?
A. Under 3 hours
B. 3 hours-just under 3 ½ hours
C. 3 ½ hours-just under 4 hours
D. Over 4 hours

6. Who will present the award for Best Picture?

7. How many acceptance speeches will include foreign words and phrases?

8. Will host Seth MacFarlane open with a montage of clips that he appears in or a stand-up routine?

9. How many times will the orchestra start playing while a winner is still giving the acceptance speech?

10. How many winners will not be present to accept their awards? (Multiple winners honored for the same win count as one.)

Jmunney’s 2012 Oscar Prediction Contest

January 31, 2013

jmunney Cinema, Oscar Contest, Oscars Leave a comment

It’s time for another Oscar contest presented by Jmunney. The ceremony will air at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, February 24, on ABC. This particular contest is of the simple pick the winners variety. In the event of a tie in any category, anyone who picked any one of the winners in that category will receive full credit.

The winner will receive a video of me congratulating that winner on his or her win that will be sent to that person and posted on YouTube.

The list of nominees appears below. To enter the contest, predict the winner in each category and e-mail your predictions to me at jmunneyoscarcontest@gmail.com. (Note the new e-mail address this year.) All entries must be received by 7:59 (Eastern) on Sunday, February 24, 2012. (And don’t forget to enter the Alternative Oscar Contest as well.)

Best Picture
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Lead Actor
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

Lead Actress
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Director
Michael Haneke, Amour
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio, Argo
Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Tony Kushner, Lincoln
David Magee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Original Screenplay
Michael Haneke, Amour
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom
John Gatins, Flight
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

Documentary Feature
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man

Documentary Short
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption

Animated Feature
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

Foreign Language Film
Amour (Austria)
Kon-Tiki, (Norway)
No (Chile)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
War Witch (Canada)

Film Editing
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Cinematography
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Production Design
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Animated Short
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare
Paperman

Live Action Short
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
Henry

Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel’s The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

Sound Mixing
Argo
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Sound Editing
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

Costume Design
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Makeup
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables

Original Score
Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina
Alexandre Desplat, Argo
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
John Williams, Lincoln
Thomas Newman, Skyfall

Original Song
“Before My Time,” by J. Ralph, Chasing Ice
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend,” by Walter Murphy and Seth MacFarlane, Ted
“Pi’s Lullaby,” by Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri, Life of Pi
“Skyfall,” by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth, Skyfall
“Suddenly,” by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer, and Alain Boublil, Les Misérables

Come On, Academy, Let Me Have a Vote!

January 9, 2013

jmunney Cinema, Oscars Leave a comment

Yesterday, I posted my Oscar predictions. Today, I’d like to highlight some choices that I’d like to see make the cut, but probably won’t. I’ve allowed myself up to two choices per category: one that might actually have an outside chance of making it, and one that probably has no chance.

Picture
Outside Chance: Looper
No Chance: Cabin in the Woods

Director
Outside Chance: Rian Johnson, Looper
No Chance: Drew Goddard, Cabin in the Woods

Lead Actor
Outside Chance (but really, No Chance): Jack Black, Bernie

Lead Actress
No Chance (since actors can’t be nominated twice in the same category, otherwise maybe this would be an Outside Chance): Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games

Supporting Actor
Outside Chance: Samuel L. Jackson, Django Unchained (before I saw Django, I would have liked to have said Matthew McConaughey for Magic Mike)
No Chance: Richard Jenkins, Cabin in the Woods

Supporting Actress
Outside Chance: Kelly Reilly, Flight
No Chance: Rebel Wilson, Pitch Perfect

Adapted Screenplay
Outside Chance: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises
No Chance: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray, The Hunger Games

Original Screenplay
I’ll allow myself two No Chance’s here, since what would have been my Outside Chance choice (Looper) actually probably will be nominated. But maybe one of these two actually does have a shot?
Outside Chance? (probably not): Zoe Kazan, Ruby Sparks
No Chance: Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, Cabin in the Woods

Original Song
I Don’t Know What It’s Chances Are, Probably Not Good, But It’s Awesome, So I Have to Mention It: “The Antidote,” by St. Vincent, from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

Oscar Predictions 2012

January 8, 2013

jmunney Cinema, Oscars Leave a comment

The Oscar nominations are COMING! this Thursday morning. And I think I just might have some idea of who will make the cut. Thanks to all the guilds for having already announced their noms and (possibly) clearing things. My guesses are listed from most likely to be nominated to least likely. I have included a few spots beyond the available number, i.e., those that I don’t think will quite make it but that I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. It’s been a particularly strong year, so I think Best Picture will go all the way and post 10 nominations.

Best Picture
1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Lincoln
3. Argo
4. Les Miserables
5. Silver Linings Playbook
6. Life of Pi
7. Moonrise Kingdom
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild
9. Django Unchained
10. The Master

11. Amour
12. Skyfall
13. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
14. The Dark Knight Rises
15. Flight
16. The Impossible
17. Looper
18. Holy Motors

Director
1. Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
2. Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
3. Ben Affleck, Argo
4. Ang Lee, Life of Pi
5. Tom Hooper, Les Miserables

6. David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
7. Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
8. Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master

Lead Actor
1. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
2. Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
3. Denzel Washington, Flight
4. Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
5. John Hawkes, The Sessions

6. Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
7. Richard Gere, Arbitrage

Lead Actress
1. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
2. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
3. Naomi Watts, The Impossible
4. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
5. Quevenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

6. Emanuelle Riva, Amour
7. Rachel Weisz, Deep Blue Sea
8. Helen Mirren, Hitchcock

Supporting Actor
1. Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
2. Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
3. Alan Arkin, Argo
4. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
5. Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained

6. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
7. Javier Bardem, Skyfall
8. Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike

Supporting Actress
1. Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
2. Helen Hunt, The Sessions
3. Sally Field, Lincoln
4. Amy Adams, The Master
5. Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

6. Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
7. Ann Dowd, Compliance
8. Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Preliminary Best Films of 2012 List

January 1, 2013

jmunney Best in Film 2012, Best of 2012, Cinema Leave a comment

Unlike in past years, I have started planning my best movies of the year list early. However, like past years, I still haven’t seen every movie that I think may have a chance to crack my top ten by January 1st. So, my complete list is not ready today, but since I am prepared, I thought I would share with you how my top 10 is shaping up thus far:

1. Cabin the Woods
2. Looper
3. Flight
4. Ruby Sparks
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
6. The Hunger Games
7. Safety Not Guaranteed
8. The Dark Knight Rises
9. Chronicle
10. Haywire

2012: A Year at the Movies

January 1, 2013

jmunney A Year at the Movies, Cinema Leave a comment

2012 was the first year since I’ve been keeping track of my moviegoing that I did not set a new record, as I fell a few short of last year’s 75. 70 seems to be the new benchmark that I have got to be hitting each year, so I at least managed that. As usual, included with the list of titles are grades, dates, showtimes, theatre locations, and folks I saw the movies with.

1. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – B- (1/14, 7:40 PM, AMC Hamilton, Hamilton, NJ; Laura Janousek)
2. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol in IMAX – A- (1/19, 1:35 PM, AMC Neshaminy, Bensalem, PA; myself)
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – B+ (1/24, 1:15 PM, Regal United Artists Oxford Valley, Langhorne, PA; myself)
4. The Artist – B+ (1/25, 1:30 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
5. Haywire – A- (1/28, 7:45 PM, Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith)
6. Pina in 3D – B (1/30, 1:05 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
7. A Dangerous Method – B+ (1/31, 12:10 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
8. One for the Money – C+ (2/3, 2:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Bob and Sue Malone)
9. The Woman in Black – B- (2/27, 2:20 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
10. Chronicle – A- (2/28, 1:35 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
11. John Carter in 3D – B- (3/11, 1:30 PM, Oxford Valley; Bob Malone)
12. Wanderlust – B+ (3/14, 1:15 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
13. Jeff, Who Lives at Home – B+ (3/20, 1:15 PM, Hamilton; myself)
14. Seeking Justice – B- (3/21, 1:20 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
15. The Hunger Games – A- (3/23, 1:20 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
16. 21 Jump St. – B+ (3/23, 10:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Dave Coyle, Jason Tkach, Walter Wojcik)
17. Friends with Kids – C+ (3/28, 1:05 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
18. Wrath of the Titans – D+ (3/30, 10:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Jason Tkach)
19. Casa de mi Padre – B (4/3, 12:00 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
20. The Cabin in the Woods – A (4/13, 8:00 PM, Regal Plymouth Meeting, Conshohocken, PA; Jason Tkach; also 4/21, 8:10 PM, Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith and Walter Wojcik)
21. Lockout – B- (5/1, 2:25 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
22. Marvel’s The Avengers in 3D – B+ (5/4, 9;20 PM, Oxford Valley; Jason Tkach and Walter Wojcik)
23. The Five-Year Engagement – B (5/6, 7:25 PM, Oxford Valley; Kaity Malone)
24. The Dictator – B (5/29, 1:10 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
25. Men in Black 3 in 3D – B (6/1, 10:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Jason Tkach)
26. That’s My Boy – B- (6/15, 10:10 PM, Oxford Valley; Walter Wojcik)
27. Prometheus in 3D – B (6/20, 12:20 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
28. Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap – B (6/21, 1:30 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
29. Safety Not Guaranteed – A- (6/24, 7:40 PM, Neshaminy; Kaity Malone)
30. Moonrise Kingdom – A- (6/29, 7:20 PM, Oxford Valley; Kaity Malone)
31. Rock of Ages – C+ (7/2, 12:10 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
32. Ted – B- (7/2, 7:50 PM, Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith and Walter Wojcik)
33. The Amazing Spider-Man – B (7/6, 3:45 PM, Oxford Valley; Bob Malone, Sue Malone, Kaity Malone, and Anne Cree)
34. To Rome with Love – B- (7/13, 7:15 PM, Neshaminy; Kaity Malone)
35. Katy Perry: Part of Me in 3D – B+ (7/16, 1:15 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
36. Magic Mike – B+ (7/18, 1:20 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
37. The Dark Knight Rises – A- (7/23, 7:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Bob Malone, Kaity Malone, Anne Cree, and Becca Mutek; also in IMAX, 9/6, 12:30 PM, Regal United Artists King of Prussia, King of Prussia, PA; myself)
38. Savages – C+ (7/25, 1:50 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
39. Total Recall – C- (8/9, 7:40 PM, Regal Manahawkin; Martin Malone, Jane Malone, Beth Woods, Rory Woods, Wesley Woods, and Riley Woods)
40. Ruby Sparks – A- (8/13, 7:50 PM, Hamilton; Kaity Malone and Becca Mutek)
41. Hope Springs – B+ (8/14, 1:40 PM, Oxford Valley; Claire Dansbury and Grace Stanford)
42. Rifftrax Live: Manos: The Hands of Fate (8/16, 8:00 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
43. Brave – B (8/21, 11:50 AM, Oxford Valley; myself)
44. The Expendables 2 – B- (8/31, 7:55 PM, Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith)
45. Beasts of the Southern Wild – B+ (9/4, 11:45 AM, Hamilton; myself)
46. The Campaign – B- (9/7, 2:40 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
47. Celeste & Jesse Forever – B (9/11, 1:45 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
48. The Possession – C+ (9/17, 2:50 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
49. Robot & Frank – B+ (9/18, 11:35 AM, Neshaminy; myself)
50. House at the End of the Street – C (9/25, 2:20 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
51. End of Watch – B+ (9/26, 1:40 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
52. Looper – A (9/28, 1:40 PM, Oxford Valley; Rob Malone)
53. The Master – B+ (9/29, 7:15 PM, Oxford Valley; Bob and Sue Malone)
54. Trouble with the Curve – C+ (10/2, 1:05 PM, Oxford Valley; Claire Dansbury and Grace Stanford)
55. Pitch Perfect – B (10/8, 2:20 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
56. Argo – A- (10/13, 7:10 PM, Oxford Valley; Bob and Sue Malone)
57. Seven Psychopaths – B+ (10/15, 1:40 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
58. Sinister – B+ (10/17, 2:20 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
59. Rifftrax Live: Birdemic (10/25, 8:00 PM, Neshaminy; myself)
60. Paranormal Activity 4 – C (10/31, 2:00 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
61. Flight – A (11/4, 1:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Bob Malone, Sue Malone, Claire Dansbury, and Grace Stanford)
62. Cloud Atlas – B+ (11/13, 12:40 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
63. The Perks of Being a Wallflower – A- (11/15, 12:15 PM, Hamilton; myself)
64. Wreck-It Ralph – A- (11/26, 12:50 PM, Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith)
65. Skyfall – B+ (11/27, 11:35 AM, Oxford Valley; myself)
66. Killing Them Softly – B+ (12/3, 11:50 AM, Oxford Valley; myself)
67. Lincoln – A- (12/4, 11:40 AM, Oxford Valley; myself)
68. Life of Pi in 3D – B+ (12/10, 1:10 PM, Oxford Valley; myself)
69. Hitchcock – B- (12/11, 1:30 PM, Neshaminy; Kaity Malone)
70. The Guilt Trip – B- (12/19, 7:10 PM, Oxford Valley; Kaity Malone and Hannah Plumridge)
71. Les Miserables – B (12/26, 12:00 PM, Oxford Valley; Bob Malone, Sue Malone, Kaity Malone, Claire Dansbury, Pat Dansbury, Anne Cree, and Becca Mutek)

Jmunney’s Very Early 2012 Oscar Predictions

September 21, 2012

jmunney Awards Shows, Cinema, Oscars, Television Leave a comment

The film festival season is in full swing, the buzz is buzzing, and the Oscar contenders are making themselves known. Here’s what I’m seeing:

Best Picture: The Silver Linings Playbook – This seems to have just the right mix of well-respected director, strong performances, and heart-tugging subject matter.

Director: David O. Russell, The Silver Linings Playbook – I can maybe see a Best Picture/Best Director split this year if voters want to recognize P.T. Anderson for the scope of The Master, but the director of the Best Picture winner usually wins Best Director.

Lead Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master – I think everyone is now realizing – if they hadn’t already – how Joaquin’s dedication to his craft pays off as well as it does.

Lead Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, The Silver Linings Playbook – The only way I don’t see Jen being nominated here is if someone decides to give her a push for The Hunger Games as well and tries to present her Silver Linings role as Supporting (since actors can’t be nominated for multiple roles in the same category in the same year).

No clear favorite has emerged for either of the supporting acting categories yet.

Original Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master

Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell, The Silver Linings Playbook

Bradley Cooper is also a strong contender, which in turn means that The Silver Linings Playbook has a decent shot at being the first “Big 5” winner (Picture, Director, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Screenplay) since The Silence of the Lambs (and only the fourth overall). It is looking more than likely at this point that it will be the first since Million Dollar Baby to at least be nominated in each of the Big 5 categories.

Reflections on Selections from the Filmography of Tony Scott(1944-2012)

August 20, 2012

jmunney Cinema Leave a comment

Top Gun (1986)
The progression of Tony Scott’s career reminds me a bit of the progression of Community. At the beginning, he was mostly accessible, yet with a very noticeable bit of weirdness (all that homoeroticism), but there was hardly any indication just how weird he would end up.

The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Oh man, I gotta see this one. Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans?! Come on!

True Romance (1993)
With a Tarantino script, direction from Tony, and that cast, this is one of the best illustrations ever of the cinematic success borne from collabortation.

Man on Fire (2004)
I have got to see this one soon. Apparently, this was when Tony’s crazy-editing style really started to kick into high gear.

Domino (2005)
For just about everybody, Tony went too far in Domino with his unapologetic editing choices. (A 90-degree camera rotation to start off a scene? Just for the hell of it?) It’s an absolute mess, but endlessly fascinating.

Deja Vu (2006)
Finally, subject matter that’s a perfect fit for Tony’s editing style. An underrated gem, with a very focused take on the mechanics of time travel.

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
A straightforward thrill ride.

Unstoppable (2010)
Could there have been another movie more perfectly designed for the Tony-Denzel collaboration? A great conclusion to one of the great director-actor combos in film history.

Jmunney’s 2012 MTV Movie Awards Prediction Scorecard

June 4, 2012

jmunney Awards Shows, Cinema, MTV Movie Awards, Television Leave a comment

I correctly predicted 8 out of the 13 winners. My successful categories were Male Performance, Female Performance, Comedic Performance, Music, On-Screen Transformation, Gut-Wrenching Performance, Fight, and Hero. I was off with Movie (I picked Hunger Games over Twilight), Breakthrough Performance (Melissa McCarthy when it was Shailene Woodley), Kiss (Tatum-McAdams ,but alas, KStew-RPatz), Dirtbag (Bryce Dallas Howard, but then Jennifer Aniston), and Cast (Hunger Games did not beat out Harry Potter). I guess I let Twilight‘s lack of nominations overall lead me astray. I’m not sure why I didn’t pick Jennifer Aniston. Harry Potter over Hunger Games? Well, I guess the Potterphiles found a way to have at least one win. I’m a bit confused at Shailene beating Melissa, but since that category wasn’t picked by viewers, I’m not sure what way exactly I should be confused.

2012 MTV Movie Awards Live Tweeting

June 1, 2012

jmunney Awards Shows, Cinema, MTV Movie Awards, Television Leave a comment

I will be live tweeting the MTV Movie Awards this Sunday, June 3, at 9/8 central. If you want to follow, go @jmunneymalone.

You know you love me.
xoxo,
Jmunney

Categories