The Buzz: movie reviews

the buzz rating: 4.5 out of 5 In my quest to see as many "Best Picture" Oscar nominees as possible, I was lucky enough to see War Horse on the big screen. I'm not sure if it was a digital showing or not, but the picture clarity was beautiful, and some panoramic shots of England are breathtaking. The sound was also crystal clear, and made me feel like I was in the middle of the action. And, let's not forget the beautiful, lush, and perfectly appropriate musical score by John Williams. I have seen most of the Best Picture nominees, and have liked them all. (Though The Descendants wasn't quite my cup of tea). However, War Horse has been the only movie that moved me to write a review. It is a remarkable achievement that only Steven Speilberg could have brought to fruition with such effectiveness and heart. The official synposis of War Horse is as follows: Adapted from a novel by Michael Morpurgo, this majestic World War I drama centers on Devon lad Albert and his s...

Inspired by The Buzz’s countdown of Oscar winners, and in celebration of Valentine’s Day, I decided to write about the last 12 years of romantic movie releases in February. It’s time to get out a cozy blanket and snuggle up with a loved one for a romantic movie marathon. Here’s the list: 2012: The Vow - I personally prefer romantic comedies, as opposed to pure romance, so this movie probably won’t be my favorite. However, it’s the only romantic movie release this year, so it’s probably your best bet for a Valentine’s date. 2011: Just Go With It - Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston star in this romantic comedy about a doctor who asks his assistant to pose as his ex-wife to cover up a lie he told to his girlfriend. This wasn’t my favorite out of the list, but it had some funny moments. 2010: Valentine’s Day - I am just going to admit it…I LOVED this movie. I own it on DVD. It explores love from different points of view and at different stages in life. It also captures everything that I lo...

The nominations for 2012 are here! We have some odd surprises, Oscar snubs, and the usual gang of suspects up for the golden statue this year. Let's explore the exciting highlights: Best Actor in a Leading Role Demian Bichir "A Better Life" George Clooney "The Descendants" Jean Dujardin "The Artist" Gary Oldman "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Brad Pitt "Moneyball" What happened to Leo DiCaprio for "J. Edgar Hoover"??? This may be the biggest Oscar snub of this year. The most disappointing thing about this list, however, is the lack of standout performances. It's missing that crazy Colin Firth stuttering, or the Phillip Seymour Hoffman "Truman Capote" voice, or an inspiring "transformation" type of performance, like Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler." All of this year's nominated performances, while I'm sure they're subtle and nuanced, are lacking any memorable qualities. (Like, does a...

I'm sorry, loyal readers, that I have left my blog abandoned for the past month or so. The holidays have been busy, and my wife and I have been travelling / shopping / spending time with fam. Looking back at my last blog entry from the beginning of December, I can't help but feel some pride in my early Oscar picks. However, I have to make some corrections to it! I definitely messed some stuff up. Since the Golden Globes, the buzz surrounding the black and white silent flick "The Artist" has picked up steam. And, since this blog is all about movie buzz, I thought I would acknowledge it. Back when I picked my 10 nominee possibilities, I considered "The Artist", but I just didn't think it looked "stout" enough to get a Best Picture nomination. I've changed my mind, though. It's totally going to get nominated. I also now think that "The Iron Lady" probably won't get nominated for Best Picture, although Meryl Streep is a shoe-i...

Ladies and gents, since I have the Oscars on my brain lately, I decided to give you my early "Best Picture" predictions. The real nominations won't be out for another month or so, but I couldn't resist putting together my list of potentials. Bear in mind, these are not necessarily my "favorite" movies from this year, but rather a collection of "Oscar-style" nominees based on what the Academy as done in the past, and the types of movies they normally nominate. You know, flicks that just "seem" like Oscar nominees. So, here goes: Ok, so maybe a couple of these are wishful thinking. What do you think?

Now that December is here, we are almost two years into a new decade! My, how time flies. It seems like no time ago that the year 2000 had arrived. With the ending of a year, there is always the quickly approaching Oscar season. It's already been announced that Billy Crystal will be hosting next year, and that's exciting. It won't be long until the nominees are announced, as well. Hopefully it will be mid to late January. Last year was the strongest year for the Oscars, in my opinion, since 2003. Almost every movie nominated was wonderful. I can only hope next year will be half as good. That being said, I got reflective on the last decade of Best Picture winners. I thought it would be interesting to run down the list and pick a favorite. Also, it would be interesting to start a conversation about which years were disappointments, and which ones were right on the money. Best Picture Winners From 2000 - 2009 2009 - "The Hurt Locker" 2008 - "Slumdog Millionaire...

After posting my favorite movies of Thanksgiving, I began to get a little frustrated. I don't think I gave that post enough love and attention. There are many movies that would be fantastic for Thanksgiving, and many of them got left out of my prior blog post. 1. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (R) (1987) *NOT FOR KIDS* If you have kids that want to watch this, I strongly recommend the edited for television version. The "raw" version has some hard language in it that makes it inappropriate for kids. However, for older folks it is a hilarious John Hughes directed comedy classic about getting home to family for Thanksgiving. I grew up watching the tv version with my family, and I have fond memories of us all cracking up with Steve Martin and John Candy. However, if you watch the DVD version you are in for a rude awakening. There's a lot more crude humor in the unedited version. 2. National Treasure (PG) (2004) This is a fun Mission Impossible meets Indiana Jones s...