Review: 10 Items or Less (2006)

Freeman and Vega are terrific.

Directed by Brad Silberling
Produced by Julie Lynn, Lori McCreary, and Brad Silberling
Written by Brad Silberling
Starring Morgan Freeman, Paz Vega, Bobby Cannavale, Anne Dudek, and Jonah Hill

May Oscar Predictions

Cannes loved Llewyn, but will the Academy?

Not much has changed since my April predictions, except that I now see Inside Llewyn Davis getting more nominations and The Immigrant getting only one. In other words, I'm not sure about many of these predictions. Here's a quick look at where I'm at right now. (Changes from April's predictions included.)

Five Films in Five Words #4

I've been watching some films in preparation for Friday's ballot, so here's my take on five 2009 ones.

Review: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Kirk (Pine) and Spock (Quinto) question the prisoner (Cumberbatch).

Directed by J.J. Abrams
Produced by J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, and Roberto Orci
Written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof (script); Gene Roddenberry (TV series)
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Alice Eve, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, and Peter Weller

1999: My Ballot

This year was so hard, and I still have many more films to see from it. I could pick 10 strong nominees in almost all of these categories, but some people had to be left off, unfortunately. Some films I still need to see include The Wind Will Carry Us, Audition, Dogma, The End of the Affair, Angela's Ashes, The Hurricane, Tumbleweeds, Snow Falling on Cedars, Flawless, Happy, Texas, and eXistenZ.

Double Feature: Battleground (1949) and The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)

Battleground (1949) - ***1/2

This World War II film, like many others, is loosely based on a true story. Trapped in the snow and surrounded by German troops, a squad from the 101st Airborne Division fought to hold their position until reinforcements arrived. The small unit dwindled, but the outfit had several strong characters, such as Holley (Johnson) and Kinnie (Whitmore), to get them through the rough spots. They refused to surrender to the Germans, and were bombarded for several days. A forgotten little war film, this features recognizable characters, yet the interesting story and a few of the performances make it a rousing piece of cinema from the 1940s. Technically speaking, the film also looks and sounds great, with snow-covered landscapes and battle noises being a major part of it. Is it a must-see? Probably not, but it's an enjoyable film nonetheless. It's easy to see why it was honored at the Academy Awards.

10 Travers-esque Quotes from My Reviews

Peter Travers, or the critic you often see quoted in advertisements or on DVD cases. Sometimes a quote of my own pops out at me, but I try to avoid writing that way. Some of these quotes are more akin to Travers than others, but I thought this would be a fun post.