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2 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER JMUNNEY’S 2013 OSCAR CONTEST!!!

February 28, 2014

jmunney Cinema, Oscar Contest, Oscars Leave a comment

There’s still time to enter the Oscar prediction contests. Here’s a reprint of the details:
It’s time for another Oscar contest presented by me, a guy who hosts Oscar contests. The ceremony will air at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, March 2, 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, March 2, 2014.

Best Picture
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

Lead Actor
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Lead Actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

Animated Feature
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest & Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises

Cinematography
The Grandmaster
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Prisoners

Costume Design
American Hustle
The Grandmaster
The Great Gatsby
The Invisible Woman
12 Years a Slave

Director
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle
Martin Scorcese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Documentary Feature
The Act of Killing
Cutie and the Boxer
Dirty Wars
The Square
20 Feet From Stardom

Documentary Short
CaveDigger
Facing Fear
Karama Has No Walls
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

Film Editing
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
12 Years a Slave

Foreign Language Film
The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
The Great Beauty (Italy)
The Hunt (Denmark)
The Missing Picture (Cambodia)
Omar (Palestine)

Makeup and Hairstyling
Dallas Buyers Club
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
The Lone Ranger

Original Score
John Williams, The Book Thief
Steven Price, Gravity
William Bulter and Owen Pallett, Her
Alexandre Desplat, Philomena
Thomas Newman, Saving Mr. Banks

Original Song
“Happy,” by Pharrell Williams, Despicable Me 2
“Let It Go,” by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, Frozen
“The Moon Song,” by Karen O and Spike Jonze, Her
“Ordinary Love,” by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen (that is, U2), Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Production Design
American Hustle
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Her
12 Years a Slave

Animated Short Film
Feral
Get a Horse!
Mr. Hublot
Possessions
Room on the Broom

Live Action Short Film
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)
Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)
Helium
Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)
The Voorman Problem

Sound Editing
All is Lost
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lone Survivor

Sound Mixing
Captain Phillips
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lone Survivor

Visual Effects
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
The Lone Ranger
Star Trek Into Darkness

Adapted Screenplay
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke, Before Midnight
Billy Ray, Captain Phillips
Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, Philomena
John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave
Terence Winter, The Wolf of Wall Street

Original Screenplay
Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, American Hustle
Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine
Craig Borten and Melissa Wallack, Dallas Buyers Club
Spike Jonze, Her
Bob Nelson, Nebraska

Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 2/25/14

February 26, 2014

jmunney Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment

Each week, I check out FUSE’s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Pharrell – “Happy”
2. Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
3. Bastille – “Pompeii”
4. A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera – “Say Something”
5. John Legend – “All of Me”
6. Passenger – “Let Her Go”
7. Lorde – “Team”
8. Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z – “Drunk in Love”
9. Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – “Timber”
10. OneRepublic – “Counting Stars”
11. Miley Cyrus – “Adore You”
12. One Direction – “Story of My Life”
13. American Authors – “Best Day of My Life”
14. Avicii – “Hey Brother”
15. Demi Lovato – “Neon Lights”
16. Kid Ink ft. Chris Brown – “Show Me”
17. Imagine Dragons – “Demons”
18. John Newman – “Love Me Again”
19. Ellie Goulding – “Burn”
20. Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Happy
2. Team
3. The Monster
4. Demons
5. Pompeii
6. Hey Brother
7. Love Me Again
8. Drunk in Love
9. Timber
10. Burn
11. Counting Stars
12. Let Her Go
13. Adore You
14. Talk Dirty
15. Best Day of My Life
16. All of Me
17. Show Me
18. Say Something
19. Neon Lights
20. Story of My Life

Whan Won TV? – February 16-February 22, 2014

February 23, 2014

jmunney Television, What Won TV? Leave a comment

In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.

Sunday – Girls
Monday – Jeopardy!
Tuesday – Kroll Show
Wednesday – Broad City
Thursday – Jeopardy!
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – Syracuse-Duke

This Is a Movie Review: Dallas Buyers Club

February 22, 2014

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Leave a comment

Dallas Buyers Club is primarily about two things: Ron Woodroof’s enlightenment and his fight against the DEA. I do not know how well the movie’s depiction of Woodroof’s change in attitude regarding homosexuals accurately captured the real-life version. By the end, he still wasn’t comfortable with pictures of George Michael adorning his wall, but he was tolerant enough that he could actually be friends with gay and trans people, and that was a huge change from the good ol’ homophobic cowboy he was introduced as. Frankly, at least as far as the success of the movie itself is concerned, I don’t think it matters how accurately this evolution captured real life. More important is the internal logic of the story as it was presented. Woodroof’s change of heart may have strained credulity, but the way he changed is kind of the way that people’s prejudices go away. That is to say, he got to know the people he was prejudiced against. The development that prompted this change may have been self-focused, but it wasn’t selfish: ultimately, Woodroof was a bigger fan of surviving than he was of gay-bashing, and he realized soon enough that making gay friends increased his chances of living.

DBC‘s anti-Drug Enforcement Administration stance is a little simplistic, but purposefully so, in that the movie is primarily Woodroof’s story. He does his research to determine what AIDS treatments are most effective, but he is not a doctor, so he does not have the years of experiences that would presumably be necessary for someone to make the best determination. So his dismissal of AZT may not be completely warranted, but his frustration with the government absolutely is. Woodroof’s is a forceful personality, with an unwavering focus, which is so essential when a crisis is at its most desperate, and that is why his story works as one of the most inspiring movies of the past few years. This story required a commanding lead performance, and no surprise that is what was delivered from Matthew McConaughey in the midst of his career renaissance.

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 2/22/14

February 22, 2014

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

Each week, I check out VH1′s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera – “Say Something”
2. Ellie Goulding – “Burn”
3. Lorde – “Team”
4. American Authors – “Best Day of My Life”
5. Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – “Timber”
6. Bastille – “Pompeii”
7. John Newman – “Love Me Again”
8. One Direction – “Story of My Life”
9. Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”
10. Pharrell – “Happy”
11. The Fray – “Love Don’t Die”
12. Miley Cyrus – “Adore You”
13. Christina Perri – “Human”
14. John Legend – “All of Me”
15. Demi Lovato – “Neon Lights”
16. Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
17. Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z – “Drunk in Love”
18. Daughtry – “Waiting for Superman”
19. Fitz and the Tantrums – “The Walker”
20. Passenger – “Let Her Go”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Happy
2. Team
3. The Monster
4. Pompeii
5. Love Me Again
6. Drunk in Love
7. Timber
8. Burn
9. The Walker
10. Let Her Go
11. Adore You
12. Love Don’t Die
13. Talk Dirty
14. Best Day of My Life
15. All of Me
16. Say Something
17. Neon Lights
18. Human
19. Waiting for Superman
20. Story of My Life

Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 2/20/14

February 21, 2014

jmunney Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment

Each week, I check out FUSE’s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Pharrell – “Happy”
2. Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
3. Passenger – “Let Her Go”
4. A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera – “Say Something”
5. Bastille – “Pompeii”
6. Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – “Timber”
7. Lorde – “Team”
8. Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z – “Drunk in Love”
9. OneRepublic – “Counting Stars”
10. Miley Cyrus – “Adore You”
11. One Direction – “Story of My Life”
12. Imagine Dragons – “Demons”
13. John Newman – “Love Me Again”
14. Shakira ft. Rihanna – “Can’t Remember to Forget You”
15. Avicii – “Hey Brother”
16. Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”
17. American Authors – “Best Day of My Life”
18. Sara Bareilles – “Brave”
19. Kid Ink ft. Chris Brown – “Show Me”
20. Ellie Goulding – “Burn”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Happy
2. Team
3. The Monster
4. Demons
5. Pompeii
6. Hey Brother
7. Love Me Again
8. Can’t Remember to Forget You
9. Drunk in Love
10. Timber
11. Burn
12. Counting Stars
13. Let Her Go
14. Adore You
15. Brave
16. Talk Dirty
17. Best Day of My Life
18. Show Me
19. Say Something
20. Story of My Life

This Is A Movie Review: The Lego Movie

February 19, 2014

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Chris Pratt, Christopher Miller, Lego, Phil Lord, The Lego Movie 1 Comment

The ending of The Lego Movie was spoiled for me before I saw it. I’m not complaining; it is my prerogative to not go out of my way to avoid spoilers. And it wasn’t specifically spoiled in any one review – I put the details together from various reviews and comments sections. It is also my prerogative when writing my own reviews to include spoiler-ish information if useful, so be forewarned and stop reading if you feel you must. I believe that a great movie still holds up even if I know the ending ahead of time, whether or not that ending is surprising. But if it is a surprise, it is fun to have that surprise revealed when it is meant to be. But, oddly enough, I think I actually enjoyed The Lego Movie more than I would have without knowing the ending. Each point of conflict was so much more resonant because I knew it was supposed to have sprung from the imagination of a young boy trying to get through to his dad.

Surprise or no, that last scene worked brilliantly. I loved the way it was directed and edited. Obviously there was plenty of care given to the visual aesthetic of the majority of the movie, goofily capturing the herky-jerky rhythm of moving blocks around. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller probably could have gotten away with blowing off the live-action portion, but it appears that they gave it just as much care. There are several high shots of Dad Will Ferrell that are blocked by the Lego models that effectively convey a child’s POV and just look cool. Also, props must be given for the psychedelic transitions of Emmet traveling between the Lego and real worlds that made everything disorienting in the best way.

The message of The Lego Movie is inspiring, and it is phrased in a perfectly nuanced way. A prophecy declares that whoever finds the Piece of Resistance will be “the Special,” the one who will save the world. And so it is that Emmet, a simple construction worker, finds himself in this position. But Emmet doesn’t find himself among the more obvious Master Builders like Wyldstyle, Batman, and 1980-Something Space Guy because everyone is special; he is among them because anyone can be special. You see, Vitruvius made up the prophecy, but that does not mean it wasn’t true. It just meant it was incumbent on Emmet to make it become true. And so it is for everyone to figure out how to be special themselves, knowing when to follow instructions and when to imagine whatever they can think of. A

This Is A Movie Review: The Monuments Men

February 19, 2014

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Leave a comment

The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program was established as part of the Allied Armies in 1943 to retrieve artwork stolen by the Nazis. The Monuments Men, the movie about this program, showed me these retrieval efforts, but it did not make me feel these retrieval efforts. That is not entirely true, as there were moments when I my heart responded to the film’s tugging. But overall, the effect this movie left on me was noble, but flat. The emotions were believable, but some of them felt a little rote. There is one oddly pitched scene in which Bill Murray’s character, Richard Campbell, receives a recording of some family members singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which Bob Balaban’s character, Preston Savitz, plays for him, and it basically came out of nowhere. Actually, Murray and Balaban’s whole dynamic is off. They are supposed to be an antagonistic odd couple who eventually come around to be great friends, but I never got the sense that they didn’t love hanging out with each other, Balaban’s constantly bemused face notwithstanding.

Monuments Men does not fail completely. Frank Stokes’ (George Clooney) speeches to FDR that bookend the film make a grand case for why this endeavor needed to be taken on and why it ought to be continued after the war’s end. Essentially, the story itself is the selling point. It is hard to screw up completely. And with a cast this talented, it is unlikely that the result is going to be a complete waste of everyone’s time. But this isn’t the best work of anyone involved. I feel like Clooney works best as a director when he has a commanding lead performance and/or a strange story. (Although I’m guessing a bit here, as I haven’t seen Good Night, and Good Luck. or Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.) Ultimately, it’s not like there was anything all that bad about The Monuments Men, just not enough that was good. Like, I want to rip into it, but also, I don’t? B-

What Won TV? – February 9-February 15, 2014

February 16, 2014

jmunney Television, What Won TV? Leave a comment

Sunday – True Detective
Monday – Almost Human
Tuesday – I’ve locked down Kroll Show. (L-A! DE-LI!)
Wednesday – Syracuse-Pittsburgh
Thursday – Jeopardy!
Friday – Jeopardy! (even though nobody got the clue about Community)
Saturday – A lot of great finishes: Duke over Maryland, St. Louis holding on against VCU, UConn over Memphis in OT, UNC over Pitt

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 2/15/14

February 15, 2014

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown Leave a comment

Each week, I check out VH1′s Top 20 countdown, and then I rearrange the songs based on my estimation of their quality.

Original Version
1. Pitbull ft. Ke$ha – “Timber”
2. A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera – “Say Something”
3. Ellie Goulding – “Burn”
4. Lorde – “Team”
5. Eminem ft. Rihanna – “The Monster”
6. Bastille – “Pompeii”
7. American Authors – “Best Day of My Life”
8. John Newman – “Love Me Again”
9. The Fray – “Love Don’t Die”
10. Zedd ft. Hayley Williams – “Stay the Night”
11. One Direction – “Story of My Life”
12. Pharrell – “Happy”
13. Miley Cyrus – “Adore You”
14. Christina Perri – “Human”
15. Beyoncé – “XO”
16. John Legend – “All of Me”
17. OneRepublic – “Counting Stars”
18. Daughtry – “Waiting for Superman”
19. Passenger – “Let Her Go”
20. Demi Lovato – “Neon Lights”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Happy
2. Team
3. The Monster
4. Pompeii
5. XO
6. Love Me Again
7. Timber
8. Burn
9. Counting Stars
10. Let Her Go
11. Adore You
12. Love Don’t Die
13. Stay the Night
14. Best Day of My Life
15. All of Me
16. Say Something
17. Neon Lights
18. Human
19. Waiting for Superman
20. Story of My Life

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