The Oscars Recap-- Who Won, Who Should Have Won, and Who Should Have Gone Home Empty Handed

     Just a few glorious days ago, one of the biggest days in movies happened to grace the calendar, The Academy Awards. Awards were dealt, trends were established, and dreams were made as the golden figurines were passed casually to their deserving recipients. No award ceremony, however, is complete without intense scrutiny and painful hindsight, so without further adieu, I present to you, The Review's recap of The Oscars.

The Artist

     Sometimes, in the world of ever-evolving technology and time consuming social websites, anything vintage can be a good refresher for the pretense of our modern world. It can be a food, a sweater, or a book-- older things often have a sort of redeeming quality to them: why would this ever go out of style? Yes, modern objects are entertaining and useful, but every now and then, it's nice to be reminded of a time before media became the largest part of everyone's life. The Artist is by far the most charming and unique film of the decade, serving as a throwback to the times of simple motion pictures that had not even evolved to the point of being able to incorporate audio. Some may think: I bet the producers took an easy ride and made a movie about nothing, hoping it would win every Oscar just for being a silent film. I have to say, those were my thoughts going into the theater, but when I came out of the theater, I had a drastically different view of The Artist.

Top Ten Movies of 2011

     'Tis the time of year when we reflect on our previous endeavors and prepare to looks forwards. Throughout 2011, hundreds of pictures were released into the wild for the general public's viewing pleasure. Now, I am compiling a list of the top ten movies of 2011. The way I would like it to work is that I post the top 30 nominees of 2011 and you, the audience, vote for the one you think should win. YOU ARE ONLY VOTING FOR ONE MOVIE. You can vote in any way that suits you: in the comments section, on Facebook, or some other creative way in which it will reach me in a timely manner. The voting is open right now and closes on January 25th, 2012. Votes received after this time will NOT be counted. Once again, you only get one vote and remember: this only works if you participate!

Read on for the nominees...

The Iron Lady

Margaret Thatcher, played by Meryl Streep.

     Rarely are foreign politics portrayed in the American film scene. There are large collections of movies created every year that reflect on the political success and failures of the American government. These range from outrageous comedies to thought provoking dramas, but, nonetheless, they have a common foundation. Every now and then, Hollywood cranks out an outlier in the political scene. The Iron Lady is a biography of sorts that portrays the life, success, and struggles of Maragret Thatcher, the first woman prime minister of Great Britain. This movie primarily focuses on the many prices she had to pay in order to even get a foot in the door of British Parliament, and later, the ones she had to pay to reach extreme political power. Through a collection of marvelous performances, brilliant cinematography, and resonating messages, The Iron Lady proves its gross superiority to others in its category.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Out with the old, and in with the... old.

    For those of us still lingering in the recent celebration of New Years, the saying, "Out with the old, and in with the new" holds a prevalent place in our hearts. The new year is the time for resolutions: our own inward expectations that allow us to grow and mature as people. New things are always exciting no matter their significance because it gives us opportunity to distance ourselves from the memories of our past-- whether they be comforting or disheartening-- and take steps forward. Unlike it's antecedents, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol outfits itself in completely new gear, or likes to think so. The IMF is completely disavowed after being wrongfully blamed for a terrorist bombing of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, and leader of the IMF, gathers together a rag-tag team of agents and sets out to redeem their name, all while following through on their initial assignment: prevent impending nuclear war.

Just a Reminder

Readers--

     Once again, thank you for coming over here to check out the blog. Your visit is appreciated (and recorded, =) ). Just a reminder for all of you: when viewing a post, I advise clicking on the title so you can actually visit the dedicated page to the article. That way, it's easier to comment, like, share, etc. Also, the counter has a more accurate reading of what articles are being viewed and when. This is important because it helps me see which articles and which movie genres are more popular so I can dedicate more posts to that specific category. Happy reading and have a great weekend!

--Zach Cohen

Melancholia

Chains of electrons gravitating towards the immense Melancholia.
No. These are not super powers.

     The indie film scene is not one that is densely populated-- that's for sure. Independent theaters show their fair share of them, but aside from low rate broadcasting, they are far from popular. That said, it is much easier to be a big fish surrounded by little fish than a larger fish surrounded by other large fish... or something along those lines. What I mean by that is being outlandish and different comes easy to films who enter the meager category of indie films. Considering the explosion of popularity surround the movie industry, being different is extremely beneficial to success. If people are intrigued by how unusual the film is, they are more likely to encourage their friends to check it out. Like it's indie peers, Melancholia is a story that has a deep, emotional, complex meaning; all of which is hidden under multiple layers of outstanding acting and excellent cinematography.

The Review

Readers--
     First, to those of you who took time to look around, thank you! Second, I'd like to dedicate this post to lend some insight on to how this blog will work. As you may have seen from my first post, this is aimed at being a website for movie reviews. Being an aficionado of film and cinematography, I figured I would get a blog up and running about it. You can expect new articles fairly consistently; however, there may be periods where the posting pace slows down-- in truth, it's all relative to how many movies I have watched in a certain period. Sometimes there will be a lot, and sometimes, there will be a little. These reviews will be of all movies--in and out of theaters-- and will go through a universal rating system. The categories are: direction, acting, casting, effects/art direction, promotion, and length. The scores received in each category will be subsequently averaged and a rating out of four stars will be place at the end of the review. Reviews will vary in length. My current plan is to draft a short post about incoming reviews before they are put up (maybe with a short preview) and later post the whole review. For those interested in how the reviews will look, head over the my review of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Third, because of my interest in film, aside from this blog, I have also taken to creating a short film of my own and will most likely be following it up with others. Currently, this project is in production and will not be ready for a while, but I may post short clips of it on the blog for your content (if, of course, you have any interest at all).  If you are interested in being in this production, I am in need of a few actors who would be versatile with rehearsals and shooting times. If you are (and as this is an amateur production, no experience is required) comment on this post or any others and I'll send you a message with details.
     Here's to a great New Year! Good luck with all of your resolutions and I hope you stick around to see more!

-Zach Cohen

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (American Version)

     Those who have read the iconic introduction to a thrilling trilogy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, know that few stories are able to measure up to it in terms of suspense, thrill, and an incredibly tense presence drama. The story opens with acclaimed journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, played by Daniel Craig, exiting a courthouse, slowly losing the credibility he strove to retain for himself in his lengthy career. On hiatus, Blomkvist is beckoned to visit a remote island, in Sweden, where a terrible crime has haunted the owning family for generations. Many years before, Harriet Vanger disappeared and was presumed murdered. Intrigued by the nature of the case, and in need of a distraction, Blomkvist agrees to investigate the crimes and hopefully catch the killer that went unpunished. In need of encrypted information, Blomkvist hires renowned researcher, Lisbeth Salander, known for her ability to seek out information, no matter the barriers. Together, the unlikely team take steps to resolve this age old mystery and what they find is simply shocking.