Buzz (Award Season) Review: Black Swan

Natalie Portman is utterly magnificent in her portrayal of Nina Sayers in Black Swan.  Hello once again, I’m Alex Ortiz bringing you, this time, a special edition of my Movie Buzz Reviews. Since it’s awards season I will be reviewing the most buzzed about movie awards wise and will tell you the likely-hood of them winning the top prize(Oscar, Golden Globes, etc.) and what they will win and might win. First up, obviously, is Black Swan, the story of a young ballet dancer who gets chosen to play the Swan Queen in the stage production of Swan Lake. She immediately sees competition coming her way through Lily played by the equally impressive Mila Kunis. She quickly becomes overwhelmed with all the physical and mental demands of portraying both the White Swan and the Black Swan. As the movie progresses we, as well as Nina, see the revelation of her inner demons. These “demons” take hold of Nina and this is where the movie begins to shine. We begin to feel sympathy for Nina as well as hatred as well as confusion. We begin to wonder why the character is the character and Natalie Portman pulled it off so effortlessly. Although you already notice the complexity of the character from the start of the movie, which makes it slightly predictable, we still see her evolve as a character. This movie clearly shows evolution, as we also see Nina’s relationships evolve with her rival/friend, mother, and her artistic director, which is, to say the least, complicated. Although Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis play the tension filled, difficult, friend/enemy rivalry so superbly, I commend Barbara Hershey and Vince Cassel as their extremely credible and eerily portrayals of Nina’s perfectionist mother and her demanding artistic director, Thomas. This well-rounded cast of character really bring the movie to life and Darren Aronofsky’s unique style of directing gives this movie it’s true beauty. Although there are some unnecessary, Hollywood style visual effects, to emphasize the symbolism(eg. Her growing black feathers) it still maintains it’s beauty and intrigue. There are some points in the movie where you expect what’s going to happen yet there are equally points in the movie where it completely catches you off guard. This movie must not be missed, from the opening sequence to the bitter-sweet ending, Black Swan kept my interest with it’s beauty, exoticism, and intrigue.  

BEST PICTURE WINNING ODDS

Moderate

The competition is very heavy in this year’s award season and Black Swan is one of those movies that stand out and has a chance at taking home the gold.

WHAT IT WILL WIN

Best Actress-Natalie Portman

Best Art Direction

Best Makeup

WHAT IT MIGHT WIN

Best Supporting Actress-Mila Kunis

Best Screenplay

Best Cinematography

The writing of this movie is one of the most unique stories ever told as well as the execution of supporting characters and the way it is filmed is also one that award’s voters might give way to. 

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1-Buzz Review

Harry Potter; perhaps the most successful book series of all time and soon to be the biggest and most successful movie franchise of all time, soon to be beating the record held previously by the Star Wars series. In the movie adaptation of the last book the producers and director, David Yates, decided to split it into two movies. They couldn't have made a better choice. In this installment of the series we find Harry and friends tracking down the source to Voldermort's immortality; the horcruxes.Without giving away too much I'd have to say that this movie is by far the most intense and nailbiting of the series. Part 1 is also the most serious and darker than all the other ones. However, there are a few instances of slapstick and comedy, even in the most serious times. With all that said, the Harry Potter movies have truly defined themselves as a generational phenomenon, especially with this installment. I grew up with Harry Potter along with my friends and seeing this movie really shows me where I've gone and where I'm going. You could easily relate to Harry's hardships and struggles and pain and joy in the midst of trouble. And with the cliffhanger ending of this one, I'll be waiting to see how his story comes to the happy conclusion I know is coming next July. So even if you aren't into Harry Potter or you are a hardcore fan this movie is a must see and definitely WORTH IT.

Movie Review: The Last Exorcism

Ok, I have a bias against horror movies. Not because I go to church frequently, or because I'm a chicken when it comes to those movies. It's because they dissappoint frequently, and they don't truly deliver on what is expected. The Last Exorcism I have to say was a dissappointment. Let me break it down to you why this movie let me down and my expectations of this movie down. #1) It's inspired by other movies. By "inspired" i mean copy. The main "copy" i see in this movie is the "faux documentary" first person camera. Ok, i really actually like the concept of having a first person camera to depict the events of this movie. However, the camera movements were too much and too annoying, with the jiggling, bad focus, and shaking. It seemed like it was trying to mimic The Blair Witch Project (but that was actually good), so instead of depicting the events clearly and scarily, it just got in the way. #2) It's PG-13. When I want to watch a horror movie I expect it to either be violent or filled with cuss words. The reason why expect horror movies to be this way it's because it evokes so much emotion and from the emotion comes the genuine fear. When it's PG-13 it feels and looks very watered down from the blood and the scares. Even though there were some little scares this movie delivered (about 3 or 4) the blood and violence it tried to evoke, plus the emotion, was incredibly watered down, which led to a lack of genuine scares. #3) It's confused. Ok, I think this is the big one. There are 3 types of horror movies in my opinion; the slasher gore horror(eg. SAW, Scream etc.), the supernatural ghost thriller/nail-biters(Paranormal Activity(which I liked), Blair Witch etc) and Psychological Thrillers(Gothika, SAW(it counts as 2)). The Last Excorcism is confused as to what it wants to be. It starts off as a Psychological Thriller, plays off as a Supernatural nail biter(the only part i actually enjoyed), and ends as a slasher(or at least tries to). And because it tries to end off as a slasher, being a PG-13 movie it didn't really help. It also plays a little bit like a character drama where the main character , Cotton Marcus, has faith issues and we see how he is out to prove that the possession of humans from demons is in fact a hoax, and pretty much to show how his entire life has been a hoax. I get the drama I actually like it, but we never are exactly told as to what happened to Cotton Marcus, we're just left hanging with a quick shaky distracting image of what appears of him regaining his faith and actually being the real deal, but the camera got in the way again and we never know what exactly happened to him but we do know what happens to the crew, of course. This movie, I have to say was one of the biggest dissappointments of the year, not the worst movie
'cause it did have qualities to enjoy, but it just wasn't worth it.

Buzz Review: Inception

Welcome once again to my special Buzz Review. This time I am reviewing the movie that generated alot of hype and alot of anticipation; yes I am reviewing Inception. This time Christopher Nolan is going solo with this movie he wrote and directed it as opposed to his brother directing some of their previous films, and I gotta tell you he couldn't have done it any better. Christopher Nolan is a mastermind at playing with your mind and keeping it intriguing at the same time. First, it was the ingenious Memento and now Christopher Nolan delievers another stroke of genius with his take on dreams and dreams within dreams. Yes, there are some parts that look like it was in a Bond movie, but that's what makes it even cooler. The mind blowing effects make this movie unforgettable, and the story and plot(I won't give away alot, only that it involves being in a dream within a dream and mixing reality with a dream) make this movie a true masterpiece. Why is it a masterpiece? Well, you'll just have to see for yourself and how Nolan's classic filmmaking approach with new technology and very original, modern storytelling all fit well together and how this movie alongside Toy Story 3 is the best movie of the year. It's a movie that the Academy shouldn't ignore. So, with it's mind blowing style and intriguing plot, Inception is a MUST SEE and definately WORTH IT!!

Buzz Review: Toy Story 3

Hello everyone, it's Movie Buzz again and i'm here to give a special Buzz Review to the latest entry from Disney and Pixar, you guessed it Toy Story 3. Just so you know my special Buzz Review is based on the hype and anticipation of many movies and I will tell you if they are WORTH IT or DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME or if it's in the middle I'll merely give it an OK . I do it on rare occasions and this will be the 2nd time doing this, however, the 1st time on my blog :). Anywho, lets cut to the chase, I was 3 years old when the very first Computer Animated movie released in theaters, a little movie by the name of Toy Story. That movie received critical aclaim and got itself a sequel. 15 years later and you get another little movie by the name of Toy Story 3. Naturally, I felt I HAD to see this movie as well as many of my friends who grew up with the franchise. I can tell you right now I was not dissapointed. Toy Story 3 exceeded ALL my expectations and really delivered on GREAT storytelling and alot of heart. This time Andy, the little boy you know long ago, is finally going to college(just like me) and growing up. The toys feel somewhat left out of his life but still want to support Andy. However, through a mistake of his mother they are sent to a daycare and put into a room where every toy's nightmare resides; pre-kindergarden. So, just like every good Toy Story movie, they must find a way to get back to Andy. I won't spoil the rest for you, but in this movie you can really feel that these toys actually have feelings and personalities and even when they come to terms with their inevitable doom, they still want to be toys just a little bit longer. Growing up with the characters in Toy Story made me want to go back and get some more toys because this movie is excellent. Disney and Pixar know how to make phenomonal movies and I wouldn't be surprised if this movie garnered an Academy Award win. The movie overall made me feel like a kid again and it makes you realized all the good times you've had in your childhood and how free you felt and how you had no worries in life. And eventually as life goes on and you grow up, you see that you'll always remember all those times you had fun with your toys. If you haven't guessed yet Toy Story 3 was ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT! Disney and Pixar you've done it again.

Movie Review: Couples Retreat

Hello Everyone. It's been awhile since my last post, but now i'm back and reviewing some movies. Recently i rented the comedy movie Couples Retreat starring Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau who also wrote the movie. Couples Retreat had, what can i say, one too many characters. The movie focuses on married couples who seemingly have good lives with each other, except for one couple, played by Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell, who have decided to embark on a Couples Retreat to fix up their broken marriage before it shatters. However, their friends must go along with them so that they don't have to pay full price for the seemingly perfect getaway. So, reluctantly, and stupidly, their friends go with them to this "magnificent" retreat. Little did they know all of the couples had problems they didn't know about, besides being trapped on an island that they could leave and have it over with. This movie was overcast, the director and the writers should've just left this movie to the one couple having problems and how they surpass instead of just putting in the other characters just to create laughs. Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, and Jon Favreau, are great comedic actors. They were just shoved into an overplotted, overcast, and frankly unnecessary movie. The movie drags on to stuff we don't wanna see, or hear. It did have a little heart to it which is why i mildly recommend someone to rent this movie. 

My Top Ten Movie Villians of All-time

Hey everyone
it's me again=) posting my take on the lateset movie news.
This post, however, will not have any recent movie news even though there was alot of buzz about the recent oscar nominations. No, this posting will be about who I think are the greatest movie villains of all time. But don't worry, next week I will be posting my top ten movie heroes of all time. So, down to business.
#10 Mini-Me from the Austin Powers movie series.
       Yeah I know what you're all thinking, "minime", well think about it. Mini-Me doesn't talk, he bites, he could very well beat the crap out of everyone who is twice his height and lastly he doesn't talk. To me a little clone who doesn't talk and fights hard deserves to be on this list.
#9 The shark from Jaws
      Yes, this has to be the best animal villian anyone has encountered. This shark perhaps had everyone biting their nails when they saw this movie as well as the characters in the movie itself. As soon as he devours his victims he makes sure that it is cold, unpredictable, and he just keeps coming back. The perfect recipe for a villian.
#8 Goldfinger in Goldfinger
     Perhaps one of the most popular and most sinsiter Bond villians of all time. This guy just wants gold and gold only, and doing whatever it takes to make his gold more valuable makes him absolutely sinister. The famous scene where all he wants to do is get his kill James Bond by lasers, just increase his value of gold is truly a stoke of villainy.
#7 Lord Voldermort in the Harry Potter series
     His look pretty much defines who he is. Lord Voldermort's persistance to come back and finish Harry Potter off for good. Why? We don't know (yet). But the way Voldermort looks and his trechery to everyone who is technically good stands out alot. Think about it, a snake is looked upon as a bad thing and Voldermort truly resembles a snake and his sneekiness and true evilness makes him a very great villian.
#6 Karen Eiffel in Stranger than Fiction
      Yeah, I know many don't look at Emma Thompson's character as a villian. But when it really comes down, she really is. She desires to kill the characters she writes about(all unknowing that they could've been real people). And overall she doesn't really care(until the end), she only cares about her writing. Her writing of only tragedies. A villain has never gone to this extent.
#5 Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs
     Ooh...just saying the name gives me the creeps. This man has to be the best monster in movie history. I mean come on the guy eats people. And to top it off he details on how he did it while she is unknowingly being manipulated into listening into him. Also, he also enjoys it and his sinister and very erie look gives anyone a shutter through their spine
#4 The Matrix in The Matrix
     I know many people say that Agent Smith is one of the greatest villians of all time, but I personally think that its the actual title role that deserves to be one of the greatest villians of all time. The reason being is that it is wanted by an elite group who escaped from it and is near impossible to defeat. It also blinds those it entraps with a world that we always thought was real but really isn't. It's smart in the way constantly fools people and that many will never see the truth and is slowly killing them. A true villian is the one you never knew about.
#3 The Terminator in The Terminator
      Who knew a robot from the future can be so bad? Well James Cameron did in his ingenius interpretation of the future and a story to protect her from a really buff humanoid robot who really can't be killed(unless you put alot of weight on it). The title role character really takes the cake on the movie, however, because he is so cold and that his only motive is to carry out his mission on killing John Connor and making sure the machines prevail in taking over the future. Man...the machines just keep getting smarter.
#2 The Joker in the Batman movie series.
      Perhaps...no IS the most coldblodded villian in history. The Joker has no other name and kills many people and is sure to turn the city of Gotham upside down. His only motive is nothing. He literally enjoys burning Gotham and doesn't care what happens to them. Also, his makeup and his crazy clown laugh really leaves someone to turn away from his face, but either way he could be perhaps the most evil of all the villians.
#1 Darth Vader in Star Wars
       And so we reach number one. Yes, it is indeed Darth Vader and if you're wondering why I put him above all these other villians is because he just defines what a villian should be. He strikes fear into those who respect him and he makes others obey him. He resembles many dictators of the past age and the story he has is truly tragic. His ultimate power is unfathomable and his infamous costume leaves everyone wanting more, however, his power and lust for more power no matter the cost, is what makes Darth Vader a perfect villian.
  So what did you think of my list. Comment below.