How do you really know if a movie actually gets snubbed? Isn't art subjective? If so, then wouldn't the "snubs" the Academy is guilty of be just a matter of personal taste?
At the end of every year, critic groups from major North American cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Toronto, and Boston name their Best Pictures.
I hate writing traditional movie reviews. I hate having to express myself within the confines of a structured checklist. Here's the plot summary. The acting was strong. The writing was confident. The sets were pretty. The music was loud.
Worst of all is having to rate films though some kind of metric: numbers, letters, stars, thumbs, tomatoes, etc.
Is it really possible that Creed, the SEVENTH film in the Rocky franchise, could actually be that good? Seriously? For real?
I love the Rocky movies. I love every minute of each and every one, no matter how gloriously awful they've become.
When I was in school, a teacher would sometimes catch me doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing.
Whenever they'd ask, "Michael, what are you doing?"
"Just putting on the second coat now!" was always my favourite response.
It's been a two picture race since last fall between 12 Years a Slave and Gravity. 12 Years a Slave has always been seen as the front runner, but in recent weeks Gravity's popularity has been increasing. The movie with the most nominations, as Gravity has, wins the majority of the time.
I knew this day would come soon. It always comes eventually. Legendary American Film critic Roger Ebert passed away April 4, 2013 after over a decade long battle with cancer of the thyroid and salivary glands. I'm obligated to write something in his honour. Not because I was asked to. Because I want to. But I really do have to. I have to. I must.
A few weeks ago, a girl asked me what my favourite movie of all time was.
After criticising how predictable the Oscar race has become in recent years, it was almost as if Hollywood heard me and decided to turn this year's race into one of the most interesting.
Nominations for the 85th Annual Academy Awards were announced Thursday and sure enough, just as I predicted, the race is being hyped as a battle of two pictures. The only thing is, I predicted the wrong two films! This year's Best Picture will not bear the name Les Miserables or Zero Dark Thirty.
I'm often asked, "How does one get into film criticism as a profession?" And I always give the answer I once heard Roger Ebert say, "You've got to write for whoever will publish you."
If you've made it that far, consider yourself lucky, because the next step will pro
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