Award Shows: 2016 Oscar Nominations & Winners

Source: collider

Here are the nominees of the 88th Annual Academy Awards. The ceremony will be held on 28 February 2016. 

Who are you rooting for? Which of your favourite movies didn't make the list? Whose performance did you like best? Whose was the worst? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this post. 

* Winner

Best Picture
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
* Spotlight


Best Directing
Adam McKay for The Big Short
George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
* Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson for Room
Tom McCarthy for Spotlight


Best Actor in a Leading Role
Bryan Cranston for Trumbo
Matt Damon for The Martian 
* Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant
Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne for The Danish Girl


Best Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett for Carol
* Brie Larson for Room
Jennifer Lawrence for Joy
Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn


Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale for The Big Short 
Tom Hardy for The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo for Spotlight
* Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone for Creed


Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Jason Leigh for The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara for Carol
Rachel McAdams for Spotlight
* Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs


Best Original Screenplay 
Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for Bridge of Spies
Alex Garland for Ex Machina
P. Docter, M. LeFauve, J. Cooley, R. Del Carmen for Inside Out
* Josh Singer, Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
A. Berloff, J. Herman, S. L. Savidge, A. Wenkus for Straight Outta Compton


Best Adapted Screenplay
* Charles Randolph, Adam McKay for The Big Short
Nick Hornby for Brooklyn
Phyllis Nagy for Carol
Drew Goddard for The Martian
Emma Donogue for Room


Best Cinematography
Edward Lachman for Carol
Robert Richardson for The Hateful Eight
Joh Seale for Mad Max: Fury Road
* Emmanuel Lubezki for The Revenant
Roger Deakins for Sicario


Best Film Editing
Hank Corwin for The Big Short
* Margaret Sixel for Mad Max: Fury Road
Stephen Mirrione for The Revenant
Tom McArdle for Spotlight
Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens


Best Production Design
A. Stockhausen, R. DeAngelo, B. Henrich for Bridge of Spies
Eve Stewart, Michael Standish for The Danish Girl
* Colin Gibson, Lisa Thompson for Mad Max: Fury Road
Arthur Max, Celia Bobak for The Martian
Jack Fisk, Hamish Purdy for The Revenant


Best Costume Design
Sandy Powell for Carol
Sandy Powell for Cinderella
Paco Delgado for The Danish Girl
* Jenny Beavan for Mad Max: Fury Road
Jacqueline West for The Revenant


Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Love Larson, Eva Von Bahr for Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann
* L. Vanderwalt, E. Wardega, D. Martin for Mad Max: Fury Road
S. Grigg, D. Jarman, R. A. Pandini for The Revenant


Best Original Score
Thomas Newman for Bridge of Spies
Carter Burwell for Carol
* Ennio Morricone for The Hateful Eight
Jóhann Jóhannsson for Sicario
John Williams for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens


Best Original Song
"Earned It" from Fifty Shades of Grey
"Til It Happens to You" from The Hunting Ground
"Manta Ray" for Racing Extinction
* "Writings on the Wall" from Spectre
"Simple Song #3" from Youth


Best Sound Mixing
A. Nelson, G. Rydstrom, D. Kunin for Bridge of Spies
* C. Jenkins, G. Rudloff, B. Osmo for Mad Max: Fury Road
P. Massey, M. Taylor, Mac Ruth for The Martian
J. Taylor, F.A. Montaño, R. Thom, C. Duesterdiek for The Revenant
A. Nelson, C. Scarabosio, S. Wilson for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens


Best Sound Editing
* Mark A. Mangini, David White for Mad Max: Fury Road
Oliver Tarney for The Martian
Martín Hernández, Lon Bender for The Revenant
Alan Robert Murray for Sicario
Matthew Wood, David Acord for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens


Best Visual Effects
* A. Whitehurst, P. Norris, M.W. Ardington, S. Bennett for Ex Machina
A. Jackson, T. Wood, D. Oliver, A. Williams for Mad Max: Fury Road
R. Stammers, A. Langlands, C. Lawrence, S. Warner for The Martian
R. McBride, M. Shumway, J. Smith, C. Wadlbauer for The Revenant
R. Guyett, P. Tubach, N. Scanlan, C. Corbould for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens


Best Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
O Menino e o Mundo
* Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Omoide no Mânî


Best Foreign Language Film
El abrazo de la serpiente (Colombia)
Krigen (Denmark)
Mustang (France, Turkey)
* Saul fia (Hungary)
Theeb (Jordan)


Best Documentary Feature
* Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom


Best Documentary Short Subject
Body Team 12
War Within the Walls
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
* A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Last Day of Freedom


Best Animated Short Film
* Historia de un oso
Mi ne mozhem zhit bez kosmosa
Prologue
Sanjay's Super Team
World of Tomorrow


Best Live Action Short Film
Ave Maria
Day One
Alles wird gut
Shok
* Stutterer

 

Award Shows: Oscar Predictions 2016

© Alan Cleaver, altered by BSP | Source: flickr

Finally, award season is coming to an end. But before we all go back to our everyday routine after months spent in the cinema watching and reviewing potential Oscar winners as well as following campaigns and award frenzy, we get one final treat: Oscar Night. An event abounding with Hollywood stars and wannabes, glorious and not so glorious fashion moments, exciting and not so exciting musical acts and lovely to downright boring acceptance speeches.

But we know what's actually most fun about the film event of the year: the guessing game. We all have our favourite Oscar contenders and would like to see them take home an award or two today. However, there can only be one winner in each category and predicting who'll eventually claim Oscar glory can really spice up any Oscar viewing party.

So if you're in for the game, go here, download our Oscar Ballot and have your guess. In the meantime, we over here at BSP present you with our predictions for the Academy Awards 2016. Will we be right in the end?

Squuls

Rina

Nata Lie

What are your predictions? Let us know in the comments below or via social media.

Award Shows: Official BSP Oscar Ballot 2016

© BSP

Alrighty, BSPeeps, the Oscars are near, and we know you love a good guessing game. All you have to do is print out our very own Oscar Ballot, tick the nominees you think will win in their respective categories, and wait until the winners are announced this coming Sunday to check whether you've guessed correctly. See? It's that easy.

We hope you enjoy watching this year's Academy Awards and wish you good luck reaching a high score. May the odds be ever in your favour.

The Oscars 2016 - Official BSP Ballot by Big Screen Philosophers

Award Shows: Oscar Movie Review Roundup 2016

Source: collider

In case you didn't know, the Academy Awards are approaching. So if you're still not sure who to root for on Sunday, 28 February, we provide you with a neat collection of all our reviews on films that were able to grab a nomination this year. Just follow the links below and you'll  be sure to hold your ground on every Oscar-themed watching party. Additionally, you can find our full list of all the nominees here.

Brooklyn

Nominated for 3 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay

© Fox Searchlight Pictures | Source: FilmSchoolRejects

Our review

Creed

Nominated for 1 Oscar: Best Supporting Actor

© Warner Bros. | Source: ZekeFilm

Our review

The Danish Girl

Nominated for 4 Oscars: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design

© Universal Pictures | Source: Vogue

Our review

Mad Max: Fury Road

Nominated for 10 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design

© Warner Bros. | Source: Forbes

Our review

The Revenant

Nominated for 12 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design

© 20th Century Fox | Source: The Hollywood News

Our review

Spectre

Nominated for 1 Oscar: Best Song

© MGM | Source: CVR Magazine

Our review

Straight Outta Compton

Nominated for 1 Oscar: Best Original Screenplay

© Universal Pictures | Source: cbscw44.files.wordpress.com

Our review

Trumbo

Nominated for 1 Oscar: Best Actor

© Entertainment One | Source: Hitfix

Our review

Manic Monday: Big Screen Philosophers Award Announcement

© BSP

This Monday we are leaving the manic behind for once and are trying us on some #MondayMotivation. There's a new project coming your way - our very own, very serious contribution to award season:

BIG SCREEN PHILOSOPHERS AWARDS

Look forward to some fun categories and the big award revelation next week after the Oscar buzz has died down. We kindly invite you to check in with us on social media or on our new and so far underused YouTube channel during this week. We'll be revealing new categories and nominees every day :)

Philosophers Corner: Deadpool (2016) [Spoilers]

© 20th Century Fox | Source: Fox Movies

USA, Canada; 108 min.; action, adventure, superhero, comedy, romance

Director: Tim Miller

Writing: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick; based on characters by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld

Cinematography: Ken Seng

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, Stefan Kapicic, Brianna Hildebrand, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Karan Soni, Leslie Uggams

Welcome to an R-rated episode of our Philosophers Corner. Today, it's all about Ryan Reynold's career reinvigorator Deadpool. So join us while we discuss meta levels, private body parts, dirty language and what it takes for Marvel ladies to break the glass ceiling. Get cosy, BSPeeps, and press play!  

Philosophers Corner: Deadpool (2016) by Big Screen Philosophers on hearthis.at

 

Nata Lie:    

Rina:           

Squuls:        

Copyright information

Audio clips from Deadpool

20th Century Fox YouTube channel

Intro/Outro: 

"Level Up" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In case you have any further questions or concerns regarding your material on here, 

please have a look at our Disclaimer.

A Scene to Remember: Bar Brawl

© Sony Pictures Classic | Source: tumblr

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny will be hitting cinemas on February 26. So I figured this was the perfect occasion to take a look back at one of the most memorable scenes from its predecessor, the Chinese martial arts classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

When I think of Tiger and Dragon, which was released sixteen years ago (!), the first thing that comes to my mind is the brilliant bar brawl scene. Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang), disguised as a man, takes a lunch break in a rural restaurant. A place oozing with testosterone. Lost in thoughts, maybe of home or her loved one or maybe the priceless stolen sword “Green Destiny” by her side, she sips her tea when a group of local fighters challenge her to a duel. With their chests puffed out like roosters, they announce their warrior names (Iron Arm Mi, Flying Saber and Shining Phoenix Mountain Gou) and then strike at Jen. 

Without letting go of her tea cup, she fends them off single-handedly, but as they keep pressing her to reveal her identity, she loses her patience. Spouting one epithet after the next, she not only takes the men, but the whole restaurant apart in that gravity defying way of hers. 

You want to know who I am? I am... I am the Invincible Sword Goddess, armed with the Green Destiny that knows no equal! Be you Li or Southern Crane, bow your head and ask for mercy! I am the dragon from the desert! Who comes from nowhere and leaves no trace! Today I fly over Eu-Mei. Tomorrow... I topple Mount Wudan! - Jen Yu

I’d call that a flashy introduction. You can tell Jen is enjoying every second of it. And so do we. By not only beating the local warriors physically but also verbally, Jen shows these bulky men that she is not having their bullshit. For every fan of martial arts movies and strong female characters this brawl scene is a treat. Have a look and enjoy!

Film Review: Spotlight (2015)

© Open Road Films | Source: churchmilitant.com

USA; 128 min.; drama, biography, history

Director: Tom McCarthy

Writing: Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer; based on a series of articles by The Boston Globe Spotlight team

Cinematography: Masanobu Takayanagi

Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci

"If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse them." - Mitchell Garabedian

While summer is a time for flashy, light movies the darker part of the year comes along more subtle and, well, deep. Whether or not it’s that our attention span is actually shorter during the hot months or whether we are conditioned that way by film studios, the fact remains that heavily plot-based movies are more likely to hit us in winter. One of those films is Spotlight, a promising Academy Award prospect, which truly deserves to be – wait for the bad pun – in the spotlight.

Tom McCarthy’s 2015 motion picture is based on the true story and articles of the 2003 Pulitzer-Prize-winning Spotlight team of The Boston Globe. It provides an in-depth look at the investigation into a grand-scale child molestation scandal within the Catholic Church at the beginning of the new millennium. In a deeply Catholic city such as Boston, this is an even bigger scandal and – as it turns out – much harder to unravel. While there had been reports of isolated incidents before, it is the impulse given by an outsider, new editor Marty Baron (Live Schreiber), which starts a systemic investigation of this problem. So the Spotlight team starts to turn over every rock available – putting in hours at the archives, tracking down witnesses, filing law suits to get access to hidden data – all with significant hindrance and harassment by the local archdiocese. While more and more people come forward (victims, lawyers, private investigators), it also becomes more and more apparent that this is not only a cover-up by the church, but by the whole devoutly Catholic community. Spotlight shows the struggle of a newspaper editorial team to fulfill its duty of informing the reluctant public of their home base, while trying to discretely hold their competitors in the dark. Their thorough research is rewarded with a detailed series of articles that not only document and uncover one of the biggest religious scandals of recent times, but move many people to come forward and finally shed the cloak of secrecy.

Many a movie of the 2015-2016 season comes along with breathtaking visual features, be it action-packed special effects or breathtaking, wide-angle scenic shots. If that’s your thing, Spotlight is not for you. There is no visual spectacle to be found here. Instead there are small, fluorescent-lit rooms, hectic tracking shots of a character trying to meet one deadline or the other, and close-up personal shots that reflect interview situations and in-depth conversations. As I said earlier, Spotlight is all about the story: the shots complement it, the subtle yet nervous score underlines it, and the cast’s performances highlight it. And really, it does not disappoint. There is a scandal that is socially relevant and even more shockingly: true. It is a problem we all have heard of and that in its deceit and inappropriateness is appalling to most of us. It shakes our very foundation of who we can trust and what is good in the world. 

Luckily enough, Spotlight also has a team of morally righteous investigators, who stop at nothing (no personal failures, religious beliefs, old friends and connections) to uncover the truth. As a spectator you can really feel their effort. The movie does a brilliant job at intriguing its audience, inviting us to make guesses about different characters’ loyalties, and grasping the perceived urgency and danger of the situation. While in some parts the conspiracy aspect might seem a little exaggerated and the cover-up on a slightly too grand scale, simply because it’s too awful to be true, I find that it only serves the purpose of highlighting the audacity of the system. Also, if you regard the number of incidents and people involved by the real Spotlight team, it kind of puts things into perspective. Tom McCarthy and his team did an excellent job in trusting the material they had and not making a graphic action flick out of it, but rather a gripping and deep biographical and social thriller.

Apart from the story, it really is the cast that makes Spotlight stand out. It’s not for nothing that the actors took home the SAG Award for Best Ensemble Cast (the equivalent to Best Picture at the Oscars) this year. Everyone, and I mean everyone, on screen in this film does an excellent job of being true to their roles, but it is the main cast that really brings home the story. Mark Ruffalo plays Mike Rezendes, a Boston journalist of Portuguese decent. His portrayal reflects a stop-at-nothing mentality that makes this assignment not a job, but a personal vendetta as well. His desperation is palpable. Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton), another Boston native, is the chief editor of the Spotlight team at The Boston Globe. He went to Catholic school and knows many of the high-ups involved in the scandal. Keaton’s portrayal shows that Robinson is determined to unravel this system of abuse, but is also deeply shocked and ashamed by his own failure to detect a scandal of this scale on his home turf. Rachel McAdams impersonates Sacha Pfeiffer, the only female member of the team. She is close to her grandmother, a devout Catholic, and it hits her hard to have to shatter her grandmother’s beliefs. McAdams does a great job at portraying both the relentless journalist and the compassionate granddaughter. On the one hand, I can’t shake the notion that, because she is a woman, she was given more private and emotional and less tough, investigative screen time. On the other hand, McAdams has one of the most gripping scenes of the movie when her character directly confronts a retired priest about allegations against him. Martin Baron (Live Schreiber) is the new chief editor of The Boston Globe. Born in Florida and of Jewish faith, he is the true outsider that gets the investigation going. His devotion to good journalism and difficulty at getting to know how things are run in Boston are well portrayed. John Slattery is Ben Bradlee Jr., a reluctant believer in the story. As supervisor to the Spotlight team, he is not central to the actual investigation, but Slattery manages to make his unwillingness to believe in the scandal leave a constant air of suspicion against him in the audience’s minds. Matt Caroll (Brian d’Arcy James) is the member of the group with the most personal fear involved. The actor portrays the urgency of a father to protect his and his neighbors’ kids from known perpetrators in their street. Finally, the always amazing Stanley Tucci plays Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney of child abuse victims. Tucci’s portrayal is slightly eccentric as per usual, but mellows down to a sincere and fiercely protective personality when talking to the victims. In most cases a big cast has some standout performances, but in the case of Spotlight the star is the ensemble.

Tom McCarthy’s 2015 feature film Spotlight comes along as a visually humble and seemingly understated motion picture. Yet, the seeming simplicity of the movie in reality is a brilliant testament to confidence in a story that is socially relevant and emotionally gripping. There is no need for any flashy extras when you have plot, performers, and audio-visuals all moving in sync to make a thrilling and highly relevant contribution, not only to this year’s award season, but to motion picture history in general.

Rating:  

Manic Monday: Honest Oscar Posters 2016

© 20th Century Fox | Source: radiotimes.com/

Folks, it's Monday again and two weeks from today we'll all be talking about last night's (Feb 28) Academy Awards. This is a big night for the film industry and we've been preparing you all with reviews of the major nominees over the past few weeks. But today we are just not up for it. It's another one of those Manic Mondays and we don't feel like bullshitting anyone today. We therefore present you with the blunt truth about those fancy nominees in form of honest movie posters. So you can decide for yourself what all the fuss is about:

1. The Danish Girl

Source: theshiznit.co.uk

2. The Revenant

Source: theshiznit.co.uk

3. Brooklyn

Source: theshiznit.co.uk

4. Mad Max: Fury Road

Source: theshiznit.co.uk

5. Spotlight

Source: theshiznit.co.uk

So there you have it. Now you can at least pretend to have seen all the films once Oscar night comes along. And it only took you what? - like 3 minutes? Pretty good, eh? If you want to see more of those movie posters, you can visit the guys over at theshiznit.co.uk. If you can't get enough of these movies, however, you might want to check out our in depth reviews on them by clicking right here and starting your week right ;)

A Scene To Remember: Gene Kelly Singin' in the Rain

Source: youtube

Looking out the window the weather leaves no doubt about what day it is: Umbrella Day. What an exciting entry in the never ending calendar of made up holidays! A day to rejoice and listen to Rihanna all day long.... No, thank you. Instead I opted for another classic, yet more classy umbrella piece: 1952's Singin' in the Rain. To show you there is more to the today's celebrated object than rain protection, have a look at another scene to remember:

This scene not only includes the title song of said motion picture, but summarizes what makes it so great. At the beginning you have the sort of trigger for it all, the true romance between famous movie star Don Lockwood and unknown theater actress Kathy Selden. Despite the glamour sourrounding him, their relationship is honest and loving. They kiss goodbye at her door and - come on - a kiss like that would make any lovebird rejoice, but in 1950s Hollywood it also makes you break out in song and dance! 

Gene Kelly's smooth and cheerfull voice delivers a tune that is known and loved around the world. Also, to say his tapdancing game is pretty good would be the understatement of the year. He taps and swings, and jumps from puddle to puddle, from sidewalk to gutter, from street light to street. All the while his trusted umbrella is a worthy partner that functions as shelter, baton, walking stick, and dance partner all in one (you see, this trusty gadget might just deserve its own holiday after all). 

Don Lockwood's exuberant joy swaps from feet to puddle right into our hearts and - if not attempting to copy his moves - has us tapping our feet to the tune. A seemingly simple dance number combines the musical quality, romantic feeling, charm, and unashamed fun and entertainment that Singin' in the Rain is known for. All of that in 4.50 mins makes this piece of movie history A Scene to Remember.

Manic Monday: The Disney Cell Block Tango

© Walt Disney | Source: Animation Confabulation

Remember when on a previous Manic Monday we featured the "Cell Block Tango" scene from Chicago to kick off our BSP Chicago Week? Watching those six ladies confess to murder was a perfect introduction to the criminal undertones in Chicagoan history, and it showed us that there are indeed worse things in the world than having to face the start of the week.

So, if you should be on bad terms with today's Monday, let me, once again, remind you of the "Cell Block Tango" and how it proves that your day could in fact be worse. Only this time, the song isn't performed by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mya et al., but by six favourite Disney heroines who just got tired of their male supporting characters... Enjoy!

Film Review: Trumbo (2015)

© Entertainment One | Source: Hitfix

USA; 124 min.; drama, biography, period

Director: Jay Roach

Writing: John McNamara; based on the biography Dalton Trumbo by Bruce Cook

Cinematography: Jim Denault

Cast: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Louis C.K., Michael Stuhlbarg, Elle Fanning, Alan Tudyk, David James Elliott, Dean O’Gorman, Stephen Root, John Goodman

“Friends? What friends? Who the hell has the luxury of friends? I’ve got allies and enemies. There’s no room for anything else.” – Dalton Trumbo

The early Cold War period is not only the time in which the USA fought the Soviet Union in a proxy war far away in Korea. It is also the time in which they heavily prosecuted their own people right at home. Men and women who were suspected of favouring socialist views and communist doctrines found themselves indicted, imprisoned, shamed, blacklisted, sometimes even deported. McCarthyism scarred lives, destroyed careers and endangered one of the pinnacles of modern democracy: the freedom of speech.

Jay Roach’s biopic Trumbo tells the story of one of those men who suffered under a regime dominated by oppression and the Red Scare. In the film, Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), a celebrated Hollywood script writer, is under scrutiny for his passionate support of organised labour and his membership in the Communist Party of the USA. When summoned in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee and questioned about his political views, Trumbo refuses to answer and, in 1947, is convicted for contempt of Congress. Blacklisted after an eleven-month prison term, he has a hard time finding work and keeping his family afloat. Yet, continues to try.

Let me state right away, Trumbo is definitely flawed. Attempting to depict both a significant historical era and the personal struggle of a talented writer and dedicated family man, the film hardly moves beyond the surface. We see a man up against a tyrannical regime, we see a father working his butt off trying to earn money for his wife (Diane Lane) and three children (Elle Fanning, amongst others), we see a man facing betrayal by the hand of a very good friend. There’s a pretty basic formula at work here, guiding us through cornerstones of Trumbo’s life story, channelling some soapy drama, teary eyes and tenacious defiance while doing so. The characters fall rather flat, and an effort to explain McCarthyism rests on pointing out that everybody is plainly hysterical and nuts. Not to say that this isn’t true at its core, but a more in-depth look at the machinery behind this malicious political agenda would have been nice and could have helped to elevate the film out of triviality.

Despite the overly simplistic approach, however, I can’t claim that I didn’t enjoy Trumbo. While its triviality prevents the film from really gaining ground, it also offers a rather engaging 101 on the McCarthy era and its influence on Hollywood. The reason why I say ‘engaging’ is that I found myself perfectly intrigued by the way in which the film brings the classic movie industry of the 1940s, 50s and 60s to life. The set and costume design is lovely. Characters such as John Wayne (David James Elliott) and Kirk Douglas (Dean O’Gorman) appear. The use of fictional as well as actual radio and movie footage gives the whole thing a documentary style and evokes Hollywood greatness. For example, the voices of Lucille Ball and Gregory Peck are featured, and scenes from Roman Holiday (1953) and Spartacus (1960) incorporated. Combined with the at times vivid editing, the film boasts a rich and energetic atmosphere that is fun to watch.

Besides, the cast manages to move beyond the platitudes of the script and deliver memorable performances. Cranston’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of Trumbo carries the film through a bumpy script. He brings a loveable, slightly neurotic charm to the character, presents wit and passion with ease and has me invested in his journey from start to finish. Helen Mirren shines as fancy-hat-wearing, gossip-spreading Hedda Hopper. A character that could have easily been a mere evil-minded broad becomes a complex, classy, quick-witted evil-minded broad in her capable hands. She spices up the screen every time she’s on it. Furthermore, John Goodman delivers a fun stint as foul-mouthed B-movie producer Frank King, Louis C.K. adds some dry humour as fellow blacklisted screen writer Arlen Hird, and Michael Stuhlbarg steals the show as (apparently historically inaccurate) treacherous actor Edward G. Robinson.

Story- and character-wise Trumbo keeps things very much on the lighter side. It’s thanks to the atmospheric execution, dedicated cast and witty one-liners that the film makes for engaging and entertaining popcorn cinema after all. Trivial it may be, but never incomprehensible or alienating. In the end, Dalton Trumbo and his spirit of defiance against a ramshackle political system resonate strongly.


Rating: 

Data Base: Supernatural

© The CW | Source: Fanpop

Series Premiere	September 13, 2005
Series Finale	---
Genre	Supernatural, Drama, Sci-fi, Mystery, Horror, Adventure
Country of Origin	United States
No. of seasons	11
No. of episodes	229
Running Time	40-45 minutes
Channel	The WB (2005-2006) The CW (2006-present)
Website	http://www.cwtv.com/shows/supernatural
Developed by	Eric Kripke Robert Singer
Starring	Jensen Ackles, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan, Misha Collins, Jared Padalecki, Mark Sheppard

Synopsis

Supernatural is the story of Sam and Dean Winchester - two brothers who grow into their family business of slaying demons. They live on the road and travel from one location of supernatural activity to the next, all the time on the lookout for their father, who left to hunt down the yellow-eyed demon that killed his wife.

Yay or nay?

Well, there is a reason why Supernatural is currently the longest-running North American science-fiction series. The unique mixture of ghost-hunts, urban legends, roadtrips, difficult family relations and a great soundtrack is definitely worth watching.

Manic Monday: The Pokérap

© TV Tokyo | Source: funnyjunk

Hey fellow '90s Kids and everyone else of course! Remember that time, back in the good ol’ days, when there were only 150 Pokémon and not like a gazillion…? In the very first episode it was said that they so far knew of only 150 Pokémon, but that there are likely some more. Then we caught a glimpse of the legendary Ho-Oh and were still all excited, thinking Wow, there’s got to be some more! 

And yes, there were indeed… some more… 

Do you want to know just how many this some is? I’ll tell you: 721! 

We had everything from Bulbasaur over Jigglypuff to Mewtwo and, okay, I also liked Mew, but what about these here:

Luvdisc

© TV Tokyo | Source: geek

Klefki

© TV Tokyo | Source: therichest

Probopass

© TV Tokyo | Source: therichest

Wouldn’t we have done perfectly fine without those?

I don’t know about you, but to me the only real Pokémon are the ones included in this brilliant rap!

Wasn’t that like taking a ride back to your childhood?

And here’s what the Pokérap would sound like today if you included all the new Pokémon.

Enjoy!