American Music Awards (AMA) Nominees Announced-Justin Timberlake, and Taylor Swift, Lead the Pack!

Maybe Vanity Fair is right, Timberlake should stick to music.  The American Music Awards (AMAs) announced their nominees today.  These awards are based more on popularity, and are more like the VMAs, but watch out for some of these names to do well at the Grammy Awards this year.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Bruno Mars
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
Justin Timberlake

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KOHL’S

Florida Georgia Line
Ariana Grande
Imagine Dragons
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Phillip Phillps

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

Florida Georgia Line Featuring Nelly/Cruise
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz/Thrift Shop
Robin Thicke Featuring Pharrell & T.I./Blurred Lines

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK

Bruno Mars
Robin Thicke
Justin Timberlake

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK

P!nk
Rihanna
Taylor Swift

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK

Imagine Dragons
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
One Direction

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK

One Direction/Take Me Home
Taylor Swift/Red
Justin Timberlake/The 20/20 Experience

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY

Luke Bryan
Hunter Hayes
Blake Shelton

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY

Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE BAND, DUO or GROUP - COUNTRY

The Band Perry
Florida Georgia Line
Lady Antebellum

FAVORITE ALBUM - COUNTRY

Luke Bryan/Crash My Party
Florida Georgia Line/Here’s To The Good Times
Taylor Swift/Red

FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP

Jay Z
Lil Wayne
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP

Jay Z/Magna Carta…Holy Grail
Kendrick Lamar/good kid, m.A.A.d city
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/The Heist

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B

Miguel
Robin Thicke
Justin Timberlake

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B

Ciara
Alicia Keys
Rihanna

FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B

Rihanna/Unapologetic

Robin Thicke/Blurred Lines
Justin Timberlake/The 20/20 Experience

FAVORITE ARTIST - ALTERNATIVE ROCK

Imagine Dragons
The Lumineers
Mumford & Sons

FAVORITE ARTIST - ADULT CONTEMPORARY

Maroon 5
Bruno Mars
P!nk

FAVORITE ARTIST - LATIN

Marc Anthony
Prince Royce
Romeo Santos

FAVORITE ARTIST - CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

tobyMac
Chris Tomlin
Matthew West

FAVORITE ARTIST - ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)

Avicii
Daft Punk
Calvin Harris
Zedd

TOP SOUNDTRACK

The Great Gatsby: Music From Baz Luhrmann’s Film
Les Miserables
Pitch Perfect

A Tribute to Great Film: The Player (1992)

I honestly can't believe that Robert Altman has been dead for 7 years, this man was a genius, and his imprint is missed on films.  Altman's cannon of films is beyond impressive with MASH (1970),  McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), Nashville (1975), Short Cuts (1993), Cookie's Fortune (1999), Gosford Park (2001), and of course the subject of this post The Player (1992).  Altman's directorial style preferred large style casts which have an over lapping dialogue, which sets up an incredibly layered film experience.  Film critic Pauline Kael stated Altman "can make fireworks out of next to nothing."

My first Altman experience was with Cookie's Fortune (1999), while at that point in my life I did not understand Altman's style, after a few years later after loving Gosford Park, I went back to this film and fell in love with and explored this man's films even further.  Up until this past weekend my favorite Altman was Nashville, but now I have to give it up to The Player, but both are amazing films.

The Player is one of the films people need to talk about more. The film centers around Hollywood executive Griffin Mill played Tim Robbins who is blackmailed by a writer who he spurned.  The film takes a dark twist and explores the darkest aspects of the emerging studio model, and the modern day star system.

Without giving much of the plot away this film is a scathing indictment of the Hollywood manufacturing system, which still exists today, but has come to become more a sequel system as opposed to the star system.  The running joke throughout The Player is the use of Julia Roberts, who shows up in the end of the film, great to see her in on the joke.  A year prior to The Player, Roberts was launched into stardom with Pretty Woman; she was the "it girl" and the highest paid movie star of the time.  Numerous celebrities appear throughout the film from John Cusack to Andie McDowell, Bruce Willis, Susan Sarandon, and many more.  Bringing in the these celebrities only adds to the experience of this film.

The Player is brilliant because of the way it shows the dark, and dangerous path with which executives have manipulated the system to push out the creative types.  Peter Gallagher's character Larry Levy argues to cut out the writer because they waster time.  The movie itself makes a "killing" of a writer seemingly showing the power of the executive and the role with which writer is kept down.

You have to applaud Altman for his bravery in putting together this film with and producer David Brown (Jaws, The Sting).  While Altman himself is quoted as saying this was "a mild satire meant to offend no one" there was no direct offensive nature to any one person, but merely the modern day Hollywood executive.

The film had 3 Oscar nominations, including Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing, but no Best Picture, and Tim Robbins was criminally snubbed.  The film won the Golden Globe for Best Picture Musical/Comedy, and Robbins won Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy.  Altman also won Best Director at Cannes.  While this film has seemed to be lost in the pantheon of classics, this is a classic film that should be explored, and will forever be known as re-launching Altman's career.

Captain Phillips proves to be another incredibly succesful film, which builds to incredibly tense, and emotional finale.

Captain Phillips (5 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by: Paul Greengrass (United 93, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum)

Written by:Billy Ray (The Hunger Games, State of Play)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, and Catherine Keener

Is it possible that I have seen three of the best films 2013, and we are only at October 3rd?  After Before Midnight, and Gravity, Captain Phillips proves to be another incredibly succesful film, which builds to incredibly tense, and emotional finale.

Captain Phillips is based on the real life event in 2009 where Somali pirates hijacked the MV-Maersk Alabama, the first US ship to be hijacked in over 200 years.  Captain Richard Phillips (Hanks) is a man who does his job; he follows and gives orders based on the way he was raised, and time in which he was raised.  Muse (Abdi) is in a similar situation, according to the film, but on a different level.  Muse is controlled by warlords who force men to hijack ships in order to ransom the crew and cargo for money.  This real life event delves head first into the hijacking, and attempted rescue of Captain Phillips.

The film has three stars, Paul Greengrass, Tom Hanks, and Barkhad Abdi.  Let's start with Greengrass whose visionary direction guides this film.  Greengrass knows how to build the intensity his work on the second Bourne film, The Bourne Supremacy changed the landscape for the modern day action film.  Within the second and third Bourne films, the direction proved even more crucial guiding the film a well paced, action packed moments.  Greengrass knows how to ramp up the intensity.  While the Bourne films were mostly high octane, he honed his craft with United 93.  In United 93 Greengrass created a slow burn, that long anticipation of the real life hijacking on September 11, 2001.  

Put these two together, and you have Captain Phillips.  Greengrass is an excellent director, and his work on this film is proof he crafts some of the most intensely wrought, and well directed films within the 2000s.  Greengrass knows how to amp the action, but to create some fantastic performances from both stars like Hanks and Matt Damon, but also with people who have never acted before.

Hanks is the obvious standout; he is fantastic as he fights for his crew, stands up for himself and blends even mild comedic moments within this intense situation.  Hanks has not been nominated for an Oscar in 13 years for Cast Away, the last few moments of this film are proof this man is a fantastic actor, and sells the heartbreak, and may even make you shed a tear or two namely because he leaves you just as breathless.

The person many will walk away talking about is Abdi, who plays Muse; he has no previous credits to his name, but this Somali actor is a scene stealer.  While Muse attempts to gain respect from the other hijackers, there is a glimpse in his performance of pure conflict, should this be happening, do I believe in this, but he sells this performance strongly, look out for this man and his strong performance within this film.

Bill Ray who wrote the film creates a parallel with these two men, Captain Phillips and Muse, the script forces you to see the struggle of both of these men as connected.  There are moments where this does feel forced, or that this connection is strained, but the editing by Christopher Rouse, and the direction from Greengrass which pull this film together, and make it the tight thrilling journey in a complicated time.  Even if you are not a fan of the shakier camera you have to admire the way the films comes together and the style with which this film explains the modern day economic struggles in the present day.

While the script is not my favorite Ray does something more pointed than most scripts he turns this "action film" into a deeper more meaningful example of the of macro and micro economic effects on society.  Muse and Phillips are both deemed in American eyes as working stiffs.  The opening sequence points to Phillips as a working man trying to do right, make a living to provide for his family, and give them more than he had.  Muse cites himself as "just a fisherman" but as Phillips says he is more than that, and he is bogged down by the turmoil of his countries poverty.   You can even see the role societal military influence has, no spoilers here, but can four Somali pirates stand a chance battling the US Navy?

Captain Phillips is a great, and will remind audiences of the way in which taught thrillers can build to emotional and heartbreaking situations, based on the larger aspects of life.

October Movies to See and Skip! (2013)

September was kind of a lame duck month, Lee Daniel's The Butler capitalized on the lack of quality/adult films, and the film scored the elusive 100 million dollar mark.  I have a feeling that once this films score numerous Gold Globe nominations it will be re-released and make even more.

On to the actual September releases, the films with the largest weekends were Insidious 2, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.  Insidious 2 had a big drop off, and will not hit the level of The Conjuring, they opened at the same numbers.  Cloudy 2 is approaching its second weekend, the film could hold tight, but it will not be an amazing box office marker.  Prisoners was a small drama, with great marketing which made about 21 million its first weekend, look out for this film at awards shows, it was also the runner up for the audience prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.

I think Don Jon did well for its subject matter, but word of mouth is that its the porn film, but its so much more.  The film is good, go see it.  Rush seemed dead on arrival along with the forgotten The Family and Riddick.

Can October save things?  There are at least 4 major Oscar contenders being released this month, will they live up to the hype, and bring people to the movies?

October 4th 

Gravity is the best film I have seen so far this year.  Read my review here http://eternalthoughtsofkevinsmind.blogspot.com/2013/09/gravity-is-one-of-most-awe-inspiring.html Do not miss this film, beautiful.

If Runner Runner was intended to be a comedy, then I am in, being that the film is supposed to serious then I am going to pass on this, maybe Affleck and Timberlake should think a little more carefully about their acting choices.

October 11th

Captain Phillips is fantastic, a must see film.  Tom Hanks is great.  I will add that the initial trailer made me skeptical, but the television spots and second trailer sold me.  The film also got a standing ovation at the NY film festival.  The film is also a combination of Paul Greengrass (Bourne, United 93) and Tom Hanks win, win.

Machete Kills looks like it will be more of a cult hit so if you want stay ahead of the game with this new Robert Rodriguez film then head to the theatres.  I think it looks pretty funny.

Buzz on The Fifth Estate is that its a exciting (somewhat) and that Benedict Cumberbatch is great as Julian Assange the founder of Wikileaks, but this film apparently flounders in familiarity.  Asange is a complicated person, and I am not sure Bill Condon (Twilight) was the man for the job.

October 25th

Carrie is the only "scary" movie with a release date during this month, bad move.  The preview looks like a shot for shot remake of the original.  We saw how that played out for Gus Van Sant's Pyscho remake.  While Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore are well cast I can't imagine this story being necessary. 

If you are a fan of Stallone and and Schwarzenegger grasping for their action careers in their 60s and 70s than Escape Plan is the film for you, enough said.

Steve McQueen's film 12 Years a Slave is being marveled by critics, and is ahead in many prediction for the Oscars this year.  With a great cast, and being named the audience favorite (even with dark subject matter) at the Toronto Film Festival this is a must see film.

J.C. Chandor's follow up to Margin Call, entitled All is Lost starring Robert Redford looks less like a thriller and more like a meditative drama.  Reviews say that Redford is the star, and that this film could be his second acting nomination in his career. Go for Redford.

October 25th

I am not sure I like the way The Counselor is being marketed, and the whole "have you been bad" hash tag.  I admire Ridley Scott as a director, and Cormac McCarthy's work, but I have this guy feeling this film will flop.  McCarthy's material has been handled well (Coens-No Country for Old Men), and not as well (Hancock-The Road).  I imagine Scott will be more in the middle.

How do I say this without losing credibility, I saw the preview for Bad Grandpa, and laughed louder at the preview than any other in a long time.  I imagine all the funny parts are in the preview, I will probably watch this when it hits HBO.

Tune In or Tune Out: The Crazy Ones (CBS)

The Crazy Ones (CBS)

Created by: David E. Kelley (The Practice, Ally McBeal, Harry's Law)

Starring: Robin Williams, Sarah Michelle Gellar, James Wolk, Hammish Linklater, and Amanda Setton

Robin Williams made his big splash on television with Mork & Mindy (1978-1982), and after this he went on to take on film where he was nominated for four Oscars (won in 1997 for Good Will Hunting, and was nominated for 8 Golden Globes post his initial television run winning three,  Williams meet television goddess Sarah Michelle Gellar who has been an icon on All My Children as Kendall Hart, and of course as Buffy.  When these collide with a great supporting cast, you get magic.

The Crazy Ones centers around an advertising agency run by a father daughter team Simon Roberts (Williams) and Sydney Robers (Michelle Gellar).  Simon is of course off the wall crazy playing with large rock em' sock em' robots, and Sydney is the daughter who is trying to keep things together even.  The rest of the team has their quirks as well too, Zack (Wolk) is a bit of flirt/man whore, but can riff with Simon like no other.  Lauren the receptionist/assistant played by Setton did not get to shine as much, but she has a similar role to which she had in The Mindy Project, let's just hope they use her better.

The pilot of this show was both clever and heart warming, the characters have all the quirks of a traditional David E. Kelley show, like Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal.  Kelley who wrote the pilot knows how to blend humor and sentiment well.  There are moments when he can lose focus or he tries too hard with the quirk, but with the talented cast, and more contained writing he has another hit on his hands.  I will add Hammish Linklater was more window dressing, and needs to be used more.

Tune In: Kelley and the cast have some "crazy" magic

Don Jon is Both Incredibly Funny, and an Insightful Look at Modern Masculinity

Don Jon (4 out of 5 Stars)

Directed and Written by: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Glenne Headly, and Tony Danza

Who is the modern don?  The original legend of the Spanish Don Juan states that this man devoted his life to seducing a variety of women; he also was saddled with the vices of the times like gambling, and violence.  As time has evolved "the don juan" type has of course changed with society.  This film is aptly named with a translation to Don Jon describing a modern day understanding of heteronormative masculinity within America.

Jon (Gordon-Levitt) states there are "only has a few things I care about in life, my body, my pad, my ride, my family, my church, my boys, my girls, my porn."  Jon is a modern day Don Juan, but is built that way based on nurture from his family his mother Angela (Headly) and his father Jon Sr. (Danza), but mainly from society.  Jon is ladies man whose streak is that every weekend he beds a different girl, but even while bedding these different women he sneaks out of bed to view his greatest love porn.  Jon meets Barbara (Johansson) one night out at a club, and she rebuffs his straight o bed moves, this challenges Jon to think outside of the box, and change his style.

In his first feature film as a director/writer Gordon-Levitt does something great; he creates a genuinely funny film with an interesting point of view on modern masculinity.  Jon is selfish, but aren't we all to some extent.  As a society we have been groomed throughout the years especially throughout the 80s and with this "me me me" generation to put our own needs above those of others.  Jon views porn as the most satisfying sexual experience because he can lose himself within this world and feel satisfied at the end of the experience.  On the other hand after during his other real life sexual experience Jon is never fully satisfied because the women never fulfill every need like within the porn he watches.

The mass consumption of porn is jading young males today, and creating a false reality about sexuality, thus confusing the role of intimacy.  The statistics of porn distribution and usage are too varied to detail but the few I found interesting from the BYU Women's Services and Resources states that the US makes up 12 billion dollars of 57 billion dollar global porn industry.  The statistics also show that revenue is higher than that of ABC, NBC, and CBS combined, thus entertaining more people than the three basic cable networks, astonishing.  Statistics also show that the modern male consumes porn at alarmingly high rates.

Back to Jon, why does he watch this porn?  The film even comments on his good looks, and the fact that he has a girl friend through his night school classmate Esther (Moore).  There is never a true explanation of why, but the proof is in the pudding it's an escape, and contributes the mentality, and his own immaturity, and lack of understanding what it means to be truly intimate with a real person.  Esther's character while an annoyance to Jon at first helps him to explore himself more, and find more depth to him than just those basic values he lists at the beginning of the film.

Gordon-Levitt constructs a film which shows the shallow and simplistic nature of Jon's character through highlighting the basic routines of the characters day to day activity.  Lauren Zuckerman does a brilliant job editing the imagery of the porn, the day to day routines highlighting both mindset and the role with which these daily activities drive Jon's life.  As Jon learns more about himself, and explores things on a deeper level you see him outside of the normal world with which he lives, you see larger landscapes, different spaces; he is no longer merely just a slut who devours women and porn, but explores his friendships, the city with which he lives, and sees new things in his sister, who his played with brief hilarity by Brie Larson.

Gordon-Levitt does a great with this film, and I give him credit for taking on this film, and creating a deeper more meaningful film about self exploration.  Do not let my serious talk fool you either this film is truly funny, and the scripts shines making you laugh just as hard as you explore the psycho social actions of heterosexual male behavior.  

Tune In or Tune Out: The Blacklist (NBC)

The Blacklist (NBC)

Created by: Jon Bokenkamp (The Call)

Starring James Spader, and Megan Boone

Let's hope NBC does a better job handling The Blacklist better than it handled Revolution.  While Revolution got pretty decent reviews, the ratings were solid, but their lack of marketing, and erratic scheduling for the show did not help.  The Blacklist had better reviews, and is getting solid word of mouth so can, and should this show succeed?

The Blacklist centers Raymond "Red" Reddington played with utter deviousness by James Spader FBI Special Agent Elizabeth Keen played by Megan Boone.  In the opening sequence Spader's character "Red." is a wanted criminal who surrenders to the FBI.  After his capture Red states that he will only speak with/work through Agent Keen.  Spader's character has information on one of many criminals he has worked with and is planning on helping the FBI catch him.  Reddington has numerous connections with unknown criminals, because he was the person who brokered the deals between them.

The show started in a traditional formulaic manner, but I like the direction the series is taking, in Silence of the Lambs style allowing for the criminal to guide the new agent towards catching other criminals.  Spader is one of the main reasons to watch this series; he takes the darker nature of his Boston Legal character to a whole new level.  Spader along with the premise of the series have me hooked at the moment.  I am looking forward to where this show goes.

Tune In: Spader is too much fun to miss!