Monday, January 31, 2011

WELCOME TO OUR FIRST BLOG: ...AND SO, IT BEGINS...LET'S TALK OSCARS


JER: Greetings to ALL and welcome to our first blog…fitting enough…THE RACE BEGINS: The 83rd Annual Academy Award Nominations have been announced and those last minute, mad-dashes to the ballots are occurring as we speak!...Let me cut some of the fat off and go right for the meat and potatoes! To begin with...THANK GOD we didn't see the likes of either ALICE IN WONDERLAND or THE TOURIST carry a Best Picture nomination from the Golden Globes!!! These are your 10 Best Picture noms:
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
THE KING'S SPEECH
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
WINTER'S BONE


Jer's choice: INCEPTION
My personal favorite, INCEPTION, doesn't look like it has a chance amongst the "now" favorites THE SOCIAL NETWORK and THE KING'S SPEECH. TOY STORY 3 will probably win Best Animated Film and not too sure if WINTER'S BONE should have gone as far as getting a nom here.
10 Best Picture noms still only equal 5 Best Director noms, which includes (a Director I personally worked with) David O. Russell (THE FIGHTER) and Joel and Ethan Coen (TRUE GRIT) but I am greatly disappointed by the omitted nod to Christopher Nolan for INCEPTION.
Best Actor and Best Actress nominations became a bit scrambled; including everyone from Jeff Bridges (my personal fav for TRUE GRIT), Javier Barden, Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth and James Franco... then, Annette Bening (she could take it!), Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence (my fav for WINTER'S BONE), Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams.

On a personal side-note, I would LOVE to see Rick Baker win another Best Make-Up award for THE WOLFMAN! It would certainly bring things to full circle to see him win another award and match the first one won for AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON! (also involving wolves, I may add)

JC's Choice: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
JOHNNY CHAZZ: ‎"Social Network" wins Best Picture most likely and Fincher will win for Best Director. "Colin Firth" is a virtual guarantee for Best Actor. Not sure that the Best Actress category is that "wide-open" Jer - it looks like there are only two likely winners (Portman and Bening): I believe however that Natalie Portman likely wins for "Black Swan" due to her popularity and established Hollywood personae as well as the artistic quality of the role - but Jennifer Lawrence probably deserves it for the wonderful, yet understated performance in Winter's Bone. Supporting roles will go to (deservingly so) Christian Bale and Melissa Leo from "The Fighter" as they were both excellent. Still, keep an eye out for a possible upset in the Supp. Actress category if Leo does not win: Hailee Stenifeld (True Grit) could get the nod. Alejandro Inarritu's Mexican-Spanish drama "Bitiful" has a realistic shot at the Best Foreign Film category as well. On a final note, there are 3 films that have no business being nominated and they include: Toy Story 3, 127 Hours and The Kids are All Right. 
TOY STORY 3 for Best Animated Film (?)
JER: What I meant by "wide-open" is that it seems there is a large variety to choose from...very different than what the Golden Globes offered recently. I have to agree with your selections, try as hard as I can to deny it, though.... AAAAHHHH! ...I will disagree with your "no business being nominated" comment towards TOY STORY 3 for Best Picture. It will likely win Best Animated Film, but deserves a reflective nod in the category and should proudly stand as a well-deserved nomination...unlike the agreed 127 HOURS and THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT...still need to see BLACK SWAN before I say anything further on that film.
Natalie Portman for THE BLACK SWAN
JOHNNY CHAZZ: "No Business" being nominated in respect to - if a film is nominated it should have a somewhat reasonable chance to win....and well, Toy Story 3 has little if no shot at the award. So, my point is - why nominate it and take a spot away from another film - especially a foreign film that is 10x the caliber? I know they can't be nominated, but they should be. Black Swan remains a sleeper for the award night, and I expect it to make the most noise in the Best Actress category as Portman is a serious contender.

JER: JC, you have to agree that TOY STORY 3 'rightfully' belongs in that category, considering the other bad options the Academy could have gone with...also... you have to agree that the Academy now having to pull 10 possible nominations...pardon my French...FROM IT'S ASS...since there aren't 10 solid films that came out in 2010 that would fit the bill! Seriously, what about THE TOWN? I'm still a little perplexed by 127 HOURS and WINTER'S BONE, myself...


OK, so what are your opinions? We welcome your thoughts and ideas.   Would you take sides with either Jer or Johnny Chazz? Thanks for visiting us and please check with us as we will SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY!

Have you visited the official CINEMA: COUNTERPOINT page on YOUTUBE? Check out classic and contemporary trailers, scenes and other great trips down memory lane! Just click the link and check out the "Favorites" on our site! Enjoy!
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24 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 1, 2011 at 3:33 PM

    Great site guys - what movie are you going to talk about first? *Donnie* (Santa Ana, CA)

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  2. UnknownFebruary 1, 2011 at 8:42 PM

    Thanks for commenting and visiting our site! The first film we will talk about will be a classic, by our standards. It will be something you can find at either your local video store, Netflix or Amazon...keep an eye out for next week's post for more!

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 2, 2011 at 10:28 AM

    Saw your movie review site today guys and it looks like fun. I am looking forward to the first movie you guys are going to talk about. - Andrea from Valencia, CA.

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  4. UnknownFebruary 2, 2011 at 3:37 PM

    Hi Andrea, thanks for checking in! The recommendations will be alot of great movies that either haven't been seen for a while, forgotten or probably never been heard of by some! We are looking forward to more comments as we keep growing out our blog! Thanks again!

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  5. AnonymousFebruary 2, 2011 at 9:02 PM

    Love your site, looking forward for your reviews on the old classics and new movies. Keep it up.
    Ali from Imperial, CA.

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  6. AnonymousFebruary 3, 2011 at 12:46 AM

    I was reading your Academy award picks and kinda liked what u 2 said. Alice in Wonderland was sorta a let-down this yeer and I dont' think Winters Bone or 127 hours were that great. Incepion was a really cool movie and I agree wth you there Jer. Toy Story3 was really good too, I enjoyed it a lot but I guess JC above didnt like it 2 much. Jonny chazz did say that Portnan is going to win for Academy Actress award so I agree a lot with that. You guys have cool thigs to say.

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  7. AnonymousFebruary 4, 2011 at 10:30 PM

    Did you guys like that Disney TRON re-make this year? Would like to know both of your thoughts about that one. Thanks - Carl (Montecito, CA)

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  8. UnknownFebruary 5, 2011 at 2:00 AM

    Hi Carl...thanks for checking in and commenting on our blog! This may not be a movie we will cover extensively on this site...but I can tell you that I personally enjoyed the hell out of TRON: LEGACY! I was about 13 years old when the original TRON was released and all I could remember was how blown away I was by the story and the computer effects of the day. TRON: LEGACY is very much like that...but with a systems-upgrade...if you would. There were plenty of cross-over one-liners that the true TRON fan will catch and the digital world never looked colder nor greater! I enjoyed the special appearances by certain actors from the origial film and the introduction of new ones as well. Plenty of eye-candy to go around. I have not been a huge advocate of the 3D craze...but I made an exception and thoroughly enjoyed TRON: LEGACY in 3d! Very crisp digital picture quality! Hang on to your light-cycles, cuz I hear there is a TRON 3 in development...Stay tuned! :)

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  9. AnonymousFebruary 6, 2011 at 10:34 PM

    What movie do you guys think will win the best picture award this year>? thanks - Joshua from San Bernardino

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  10. UnknownFebruary 7, 2011 at 1:13 PM

    Hey Joshua...thanks for commenting with a great question! Johnny Chaz thinks that BLACK SWAN was a far better film than SOCIAL NETWORK...but I think that we are both going with SOCIAL NETWORK as the "sure bet winner." I still would personally like to see INCEPTION win, as I thought that was a far better film than SOCIAL NETWORK!

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  11. AnonymousFebruary 8, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    Hi Jer + Jonny C,

    Where are you guys from?

    Keith - Prescott, AZ

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  12. UnknownFebruary 8, 2011 at 11:18 PM

    Hey Keith... thanks for checking out our blog! JOhnny Chaz and I met while working at a Casino in Southern California. I live near L.A. and JC lives in Las Vegas! We are good buddies that LOVE film and we were always bickering about films and what-not! That's what started this whole thing...Check in every Wednesday for new blog entries!

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  13. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2011 at 4:34 PM

    Nice little site J and J.....love great "cinema" myself too. 2 questions for u guys: What kind of movies do you both like, and what kind of movies do you two usually disagree on? THANKS!!!!! Reynold from Santa Paula, CA.

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  14. AnonymousFebruary 17, 2011 at 5:41 PM

    Yeahhh baby!! DA TALKING HEADS......what a great movie and band that was. Great selection this week,,,,going to go watch it now! - Rasheed

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  15. AnonymousFebruary 19, 2011 at 11:25 PM

    Hi Jer and Johnny C - Say, will your blog discuss both classic as well as contemporary films? I am a film student at my local college and would like to learn more about some of teh classic cinema works. Thanks so much. (Eric -Flagstaff, AZ).

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  16. UnknownFebruary 21, 2011 at 2:32 AM

    Continued thanks for checking us out...we invite you back on a regular basis every Wednesday for new postings. The traditional posting dates may change if it is a special topic, possibly recognizing the passing away of someone dear to either of us in the industry.
    Eric, thanks for chiming in...we have a grand scale of love for all cinema...both classic and comtemporary...so please keep stopping by to see what we will touch on. You may never know what we'll go off on next week...

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  17. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2011 at 1:09 PM

    Hello to Cinemacounterpoint: I am from Visalia, CA and remember Animal House as being rated amongst my top movies of all time. Landis was great in those years and Jer makes a good point about the storylines and plots having some real substance about them. I would agree also with Johnny Chaz in that the movies of Landis did take a tumble throughout the years and he probably did hit his creative peak in the early to mid 1980's. I appreciate the article / blog offered by both of you and had a lots of fun reading it...these are two really good angles here. Thanks and look forward to your future postings!!! - PATRICK

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  18. UnknownFebruary 24, 2011 at 12:15 PM

    Hi Patrick, thanks for checking in an keep following us for new entries every Wednesday! Yes, JC and I (Jer) have two very passionate POVs that work well...they have also caused minor arguements! (lol) We will continue to probe and unearth new and interesting topics in the months ahead!

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  19. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2011 at 5:39 AM

    who do you two think will win the following awards:
    A. Best Actress?
    B. Best Costume?
    C. Best Cinematography?

    Thanks - - Jayson (Albuquerque, NM)

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  20. UnknownFebruary 27, 2011 at 3:12 PM

    Hi Jason....speaking for me' Jer' I will say that the favorite for A.) Best Actress is Natalie Portman (JC agrees as a "slam dunk"!) I would agree, however, I would like to see Jennifer Lawrence win. B.) Best Costume...JC says THE TEMPEST might be a surprise winner...I will take a shot with ALICE IN WONDERLAND...finally, C) Best Cinematography...JC says he'll go out on a limb with TRUE GRIT. Jer would like to see INCEPTION win something, so I'll go with that. Thanks for commenting and catch our special recap on the Awards on Monday!

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  21. AnonymousFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:28 PM

    I like your site - keep it up both of you cause nothing beats great movies! Donna (Santa Cruz)

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  22. AnonymousFebruary 28, 2011 at 11:45 PM

    Very nice site U2 - glad to see others share my passion for film and film-making....lol - sometimes I feel like such an outcast. Anyhow, love the site guys and a couple of questions / suggestions for ya's:

    * Do you plan on reviewing mostly those films of yesteryear or more contemporary types of cinema? Just curious;

    * I really like the "curtain" look on the site on the sides of the page, but the colors in the middle I would probably like to see in more of a black & white motif. Your thougts gentlemen?

    Thanks a ton! (Todd - Anaheim, CA)

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  23. AnonymousMarch 1, 2011 at 11:36 PM

    wow, jonny chazz picked the winners in all the acting categories: best actor, actress and supportings. ALso, jer was right about the wolfman and toy story 3! great job you two! VALISSA from WEST COVINA -

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  24. AnonymousMarch 2, 2011 at 4:40 AM

    COOL HOLLYWOOD SIGN U GUYS & LUV THE SITE! - Trent (Palmdale CA)

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