Happy Hunger Games!

About two months I was introduced to The Hunger Games by one of oldest and most dearest friends. I had been hearing about The Hunger Games for awhile and I was always intrigued by the fandom. She told me to watch the trailer for the movie and once I did it became must see for this year. I really wanted to the read the books prior to the film release because I wanted to know what it was all about. When I began reading it one January evening at a Barnes & Nobles, I couldn't put it down. I had to purchase the novel instantly and read it in under 48 hours.

The most important lesson I learnt from reading The Hunger Games is never read the first book apart of a trilogy without having the other two books. It was tortuous waiting to find out what happened next. I just recently finished Catching Fire and my love for the books has only intensified. Mockingjay is next on my list. It is so refreshing to see a heroine like Katniss Everdeen and I am excited to see the beloved books come to life on screen. Hopefully Gary Ross(the director) does justice to The Hunger Games and from what I am hearing he has done a fantastic job. When I watch the film, I will write a review. I just hope I like it because I adore the books. I love Jennifer Lawrence and I know she will play a kick ass Katniss. One thing I do  know is I will not be ready to see some of my favorite characters fall before my eyes. When I finally watch the film, I will bring out a box of tissues. Lord help me.

Hugo

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen and Jude Law
Director: Martin Scorsese
Written by: John Logan
Rating: 5/5 Unicorns

I am still on my quest to watch as many Oscar nominated films as possible. Hugo was high on my list on films that I had to watch. I will be the first to admit that Hugo did not strike my fancy when I first watched the trailers. All I knew was that critics were raving about the film and were worried that it would not find a large American audience. When it arrived in my mail( Netflix subscriber), I was still not sure what the movie was all about. I was not sure that I would even like the film. I soon learnt  how much a gift Hugo is to film lovers and it instantly became one of my favorite films released over the past ten years. I have watched several critically acclaimed  films that I thought I would love but didn't. Sometimes when you have no expectations is when movies really do leave a mark on you.

Hugo tells the story of an orphan boy ( Asa Butterfield) living behind the clocks at a train station in 1930s Paris. He is on a quest to fix an automaton given to him by his late father( Jude Law). He believes that the machine holds a message from his father. During his quest he befriends a shopkeeper( Ben Kingsley) and the shopkeeper's  adventure seeking goddaughter( Chloe Grace Moretz). The movie warmed my heart from the very first scene. The cinematography and art direction are out of this world and are well deserving of their wins at this year's Academy Awards. Honestly I completely understand why Hugo was nominated for as many Academy Awards as it was. I also understand why it won the awards it did. This film is so much more than its cinematography and art direction. Asa and Chloe are charming and delightful to watch on screen. Sacha Baron Cohen is hilarious as the Station Inspector. Scorsese did an incredible job bringing this enchanting story to life and reconfirming my love for movies. If you are someone who loves films, trust me Hugo is not only a wonderful treat  but a beautiful homage to the art of film-making.

And the Oscar Goes to...

So last night was the 84th Annual Academy Awards and I could not have been more elated. For some one who lives and breathes movies, the Academy Awards are the highlight of the year for me. From the glitz and glamour of the red carpet to the joy of watching your favorites take home the golden boy, there is a lot to look forward. I was looking forward to what the veteran host Billy Crystal would bring to this year's show. My favorite hosts have been Jon Stewart and Chris Rock but I admit that they are both a little crazy which makes some good TV. With that being said I thought Billy did a great job  but I was not floored by his performance. The best red carpet moment was The Dictator pouring ashes on Ryan Seacrest. I still can't believe that happened. It was a great TV moment but terrible at the same time. My favorite presenters by far were Emma Stone( could she be any more adorable) and Angelina Jolie( Bad Ass). I think I died a little bit when Jim Rash struck the same pose as Angelina. I remember thinking I would never had the confidence to strike a pose like that on TV and loving Angelina for doing it. Then Jim Rash just goes up and does the same thing, it was hilarious. Congrats to him, Nat Faxon and Alexander Payne on their well deserved win for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Descendants.

For the most part there were not too many surprises last night which is always a bummer. I still miss the days when Adrien Brody won Best Actor(wasn't that a magical moment?) and when Crash won instead of the favorite Brokeback Mountain. I like there to be a little mystery when it comes to the Oscars. As expected The Artist won big last night as well as Hugo. I was a little disappointed that Viola Davis did not take home Best Actress this year. Honestly, I had a feeling that it would be Meryl Streep this year. She just had a bigger momentum coming into the awards this year, so it was not such a big surprise. Congratulations are in order to the incredible Christopher Plummer for winning his first Academy Award( can't believe he has never won) , Gary Oldman on his first nomination.(yes he has never been nominated) and the lovely Octavia Spencer on her well deserved Best Supporting Actress win. In all it was a good night but was not a spectacular night.

The Descendants

Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller and Nick Krause
Director: Alexander Payne
Written By: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Rating: 5/5 Unicorns

As apart of my Pre-Oscar ritual I like to watch as many Best Picture nominees as possible. I have been hearing a lot about The Descendants and from watching the previews the film didn't strike me as a film that I would love. I am glad to say that looks can be ever so deceiving.What I came to find out on Friday evening was The Descendants is a funny film with a dynamic group of characters and a whole lot of heart. If I had watched the film earlier it would have made it on top of my list of my ten favorite films of 2011.

The Descendants tells the story of Matthew King (George Clooney) a Hawaiian  land baron who tries to reconnect with his two daughters(Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) when his wife is put on life support after a boating accident. Early on in the film Matthew learns that his distant relationship with his wife was in a worse state than he previously believed. Using the backdrop of "paradise" Alexander Payne tells a great human story; a story about loss, betrayal, connection and most importantly love. It is a film that everyone who has had experienced the heartbreak of life will be able to relate to. I am not someone who cries at the movies but this film made me teary eyed. The entire cast gave outstanding performances which was fueled by an excellent script. One of my favorite moments in the film was Matt looking at the pictures of his descendants. One of his relatives was named Cecil King( My father's name) and another was named Edward King(my brother's middle name).

If you have to see one movie that was nominated for an Academy Award this year I recommend you check out The Descendants. I really hope that they pick up some trophies on Sunday night  because it deserves that level of recognition.

King's Guide Top Ten Films of 2011

We are officially two months into the year 2012 and the fresh crop of films arriving in multiplexes have left very little to the imagination. Seriously, I have been feeling disappointed during the previews these days. It seems like the same old recycled garbage. Hopefully as the months go by, better films will arrive. Even a lot of the movies that came out last year were disappointing with a capital D. There were a few bright spots  and I have composed a list of my ten favorite films of the year 2011. I know its a little late but better late than never. 

1. Jane Eyre
2. Bridesmaids
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
4. Super 8
5. 50/50
6. Attack The Block
7. Mission:Impossible- Ghost Protocol
8. The Help
9. Real Steel
10. Thor

Honorable Mentions: X-Men First Class and Fast Five

Movies I think I would love that I have yet to see: Drive, Moneyball, Midnight in Paris, The Artist, Shame, Pariah, Hugo, War Horse, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Martha Marcy May Marlene,  and Tomboy

Bold and the Fabulous: King's Oscar Predictions

Tomorrow marks the climax of the award season; the 84th Academy Awards Nominations will be revealed. I admit that I have not been following the award circuit this year like I have in previous years Since I have not been too up to date I will only be predicting the big six categories. I believe that the silent film The Artist will have  the most nominations followed by The Descendants. There won't be too many surprises this year.

Best Picture:
The Artist
The Descendants
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Help
The Tree of Life
Alternatives: War Horse; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Drive and Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy
Notes: There will be between Five to Ten films nominated for Best Picture. The top six are guaranteed to be nominated. I have a feeling that there will be seven films nominated for Best Picture.


Best Director:
Woody Allen- Midnight in Paris
David Fincher-The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo
Martin Scorsese- Hugo
Alexander Payne- The Descendants
Martin Hanazavicius- The Artist
Alternatives: Steven Spielberg- War Horse, Terrence Malick- The Tree of Life, Steve McQueen- Shame


Best Actor
George Clooney- The Descendants
Brad Pitt- Moneyball
Michael Fassbender- Shame
Gary Oldman- Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy
Jean Dujardin- The Artist
Alternatives: Leonardo DiCaprio- J. Edgar

Best Actress
Viola Davis- The Help
Meryl Streep- The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams- My Week with Marilyn
Tilda Swinton- We Need to Talk About Kevin
Glenn Close- Albert Nobbs
Alternatives: Rooney Mara- The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, Charlize Theron- Young Adult


Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer- Beginners
Albert Brooks- Drive
Jonah Hill- Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh- My Week with Marilyn
Nick Nolte- Warrior
Notes: I am certain that this will be the final list for Best Supporting Actor.

Best Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer- The Help
Jessica Chastain- The Help
Melissa McCarthy- Bridesmaids
Berenice Bejo- The Artist
Shaileen Woodley- The Descendants
Alternatives: Carey Mulligan- Drive/Shame

The Boondock Saints

Starring: Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery, Willem Dafoe
Director: Troy Duffy
Rating: 5/5 Unicorns

For many years I have been hearing about The Boondock Saints. I never knew much about the story but was always intrigued by the love for the film. I decided to give the film a try after developing a bit of a love affair for one of the film stars, Norman Reedus. Not even ten seconds into the film I was absolutely in love with it. Once again I found myself saying "where have you been my whole life?"

The film tells the story about twin brothers who decide to take the law into their own hands. They believe that God called them to rid the world of evil. So they proceed to do so, one bad guy at a time. Throughout their mission their is a detective(Willem Dafoe) right on their trail. Whoever cast Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus to play the MacManus brothers is a genius. Their chemistry is impeccable and love how they played off of one another.There is a good amount of violence in this film but it never is off-putting. There is always comedic factor to those scenes mainly because this is all new to the brothers.   Besides amazing "Fire fights" this film had an interesting bunch of characters that kept the audience entertained throughtout. The character Paul Smecker played brilliantly by Willem Dafoe was a shinning example of a great character. This film was hilarious and the scene in the courtroom was beyond epic.  I suggest if you have not seen it already check it out. I completely understand why it is a cult classic, this film is fantastic.