best movies

5 Hollywood Celebrities Who Never Won an Oscar Although They Should Have

March 4, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

Since we already know who won some Oscar Awards this year (much to peoples’ surprise, discontent or lucky predictions), there are some Hollywood celebrities who never won an Oscar although they should have, and it seems that this list is perpetuated for far too long. If you saw Leo DiCaprio’s reaction when he found out he wouldn’t go home with the golden statue and consider that he should have, then you understand our pain and disappointment to see year after year a bunch of talented people who give 100% to the movies they star in and wishfully think that maybe next year, they will get the award they deserve. You will hear some voices shouting about the Academy’s incapacity to recognize value when it sees it, confronted by the voices that believe everything was fair and square and some celebrities still have a chance for winning, but also still have a lot to learn. Without any disrespect for the ones that indeed took their awards home this year (but with a round of applause and eternal appreciation for their acting skills – Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, we’re looking at you), let’s take a look over 3 Hollywood celebrities who never won an Oscar although they should have.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Who else? We wrote about him a while ago, appreciating not only the movie projects he dedicated himself to, but also his irrefutable acting skills, charisma and talent to portray powerful characters having to face tricky circumstances. Four Oscar nominations but no award can seriously mess up with an actor’s mind, but we trust we will see the day when Leo leaves home with the statue. He may still have a lot to learn and he definitely still has a lot to show us in the years to come, so our confidence is that we will see the day when DiCaprio gets his well deserved Oscar Award for Best Lead Actor. He’s closer than ever!

Amy Adams

Five Oscar nominations in her career and yet, still no award. She got closer than ever with her part in American Hustle, even though her past four nominations were in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, and we have to admit Amy is indeed talented, sexy and charming. Maybe the Academy considers she is too young to get an Oscar yet? She still needs to perfect her acting skills? Who knows, but among the Hollywood celebrities who never won an Oscar, she has five nominations to show off with. So by the looks of it, we all still have time to applaud Amy in the future and rejoice about her bringing home the statue.

Samuel L. Jackson

Now this is a mystery, impossible to understand and impossible to wrap our minds around: the badass of all badasses, Samuel L. Jackson, who starred and rocked around 100 movies, who is a cinema legend, who made all the motion pictures he showed up in look and especially sound like works of art, got ONE Oscar nomination in his entire career (Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction) and didn’t even won the Award. If you are thinking injustice, we’re thinking it too. But, for all it’s worth, Oscar Award or not, Samuel L. Jackson is a living and breathing legend, a complete, complex and mind blowing actor and he will remain in our hearts forever as long as we all shall live. Maybe we will get the chance to cheer and bow in front of this cinema titan sometime in the future, because there is still time for the Academy to come to its senses and award Samuel with the honor he deserves.

There are plenty of other Hollywood celebrities who never won an Oscar although they may have deserved it at some point (Tom Cruise, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and so on), but we all keep our hopes up and wish our favorite actors and actresses to engage in fabulous movie projects and shine on the silver screen in the future, so they can be honored with an Oscar for incredible performances.

5 Female Fictional Characters to Bring in a Battle. Would You Win?

March 3, 2014 By Ali Quinn Leave a Comment

Given the rise of superhero movies in today’s cinema industry, there are plenty of options for anyone to make alliances and win wars with the help of some badass guys out there. Imagine yourself as a fictional character in a movie who needs to fight the good fight against evil forces. Who would you call in by your side? The Avengers team? Or maybe Superman would be enough to restore the balance? Would you desperately call Alfred and see if Batman is available by any chance, or he’s bound to protecting Gotham and he’s not servicing other cities or countries? Would Spiderman be a choice? Now, if we take a look over the most fierce and fearless superheroes who make movie box – offices to explode, the choices are wide and there is little room for error. But how about if there were only female superheroes available? In a world where all the cape crusaders, costumed fellas and muscle – packed superheroes would be busy doing something heroic in another part of the galaxy and you’d have only women to help you win a conflict with some monsters or aliens, which are the best female fictional characters to bring in a battle? Today we will look at five badass women in movies and see who might be your best ally in a life or death confrontation to save the world.

1. Lara Croft

Granted, Lara has her own agenda and adventures to leave us breathless, but if you’d call her and ask for help, would she be able to save the day? Our bet is that she would, not only because she is a skilled fighter, but because among all the female fictional characters to bring in a battle, she is the most tech – savvy, resourceful, well – connected and imaginative. So fighting next to her would bring you the advantage of high – tech weaponry and some ingenious ways of making it alive.

2. Daenerys Targaryen

Well, she’s not a soldier per se, but The Mother of Dragons has impeccable marketing skills when she has to build an army, and since we all know what’s about to come next in the Game of Thrones TV series, the woman manages her troops like a true commander. And she has dragons. Enough said.

3. Katniss Everdeen

Among the female fictional characters to bring in a battle against evil menace, Katniss is the most skilled when it comes to surviving and messing up with her opponents’ plans. We’re still not sure she can match Hawkeye in shooting arrows, but she has definitely a strong will to live against all odds and stir the waters enough to make the system crumble and fall. Who knows, maybe the evil forces would dissipate by default if she manages a riot to rise among the enemies’ own troops.

4. Hermione Granger

Well… if other female fictional characters to bring in a battle have military skills, weaponry, survival skills or dragons, Hermione has magic. She could just cast a spell and pufff! evil forces disappear into the void. But if we took a closer look on how magic works in the movies, even Gandalf had to engage in sword fighting and strategy building, so apparently magic has its own limitations. But Hermione is a powerful ally nonetheless and you should be proud she’s fighting by your side.

5. Black Widow

Unfortunately, she has only super – human skills in combat, but no magic and no dragons. Still, she is born and bred for standing against enemies and if you manage to capture one of the bad guys’ soldiers, you certainly want her to conduct the interrogation. She is an awesome gun fighter and has some moves, not to mention she’s fearless.

BONUS

The list of fictional female characters to bring in a battle should also leave some room for Buffy and River Tam from Firefly. Buffy is Buffy and it would be an honor for you to fight by her side, while River… that is a girl to fear when she gets serious. What is your favorite badass woman you’d choose to call when the dark forces threat this peaceful planet?

4 Movies To See If You’re Trying to Get a Divorce And You’re Still Undecided

February 6, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

The concept of divorce is so filled with a range of emotions so wide, people are still finding hard times to talk about it or make up their minds about it. It is sometimes excruciating and sometimes liberating, while it is always complicated, no matter who wants to stay and who wants to get out of the marriage. And having people coming and telling you that you should see a bunch of movies to help you through the ordeal is not the wisest thing to do, is it? You have your own pain to deal with, who needs to add up some fictional stories about fictional people who pretend to understand what you are going through?

But movies are not all meant to motivate you to keep your sanity through the whole mess or to cheer you up, or to change your perspective, or to provide you with hopes for a brighter future after the storm is gone. Some movies weren’t even meant for people going through a divorce and they certainly cannot be labeled as “break-up and divorce films”. However, some of them, willingly or not, can make up one’s mind to ask for a divorce or to make the first step towards ending their marriage. So if you are still undecided, if you still don’t know what’s best, to flight or fight, if you can’t make up your mind about your future, here are four movies to see if you’re trying to get a divorce. And I personally know a few ones who turned off their TVs afterwords and called their attorneys.

4. Under the Tuscan Sun

We’ll start slow and address women making up their minds regarding a future divorce. This is the story of a freshly divorced woman who packs her bags, frustrations, bad history and inner pain and moves to Tuscany. It is a romance movie, granted, but if you feel like never finding love again and being scared to death to not ending up alone, this movie has that cheering role to it, as it teaches us that true happiness can be found in the most unexpected of places. Yes, fiction, yes, cheesiness, and yet, there’s a grain of truth there.

3. The War of the Roses

Do you still remember this 1989 comedy – drama? You might think that this movie will prove that no couple should ever get a divorce, because these two characters managed to turn their house and lives into a solid war zone. But the subtle message of the movie can also reach the depths of your mind, convincing you that freedom is far more acceptable than being caught forever in a carousel of perpetual hate. Among the funnies movies to see if you’re trying to get a divorce, The War of the Roses, besides brilliant performances and wise quotes, also has the power to show you how truly bad things can get in a marriage that doesn’t work anymore. Do you really want to reach that level of hate?

2. Revolutionary Road

If you don’t want to get a divorce in your life, then don’t watch this movie. But if you’re thinking about it and all you need is a little push, the Leonardo – Kate duo can shatter your heart and your nerves, as you will see a marriage disintegrating before your eyes. The movie will progressively take you through all the steps from “happily ever after” to “who is this stranger I married to” and you will feel pieces of your soul cracking and burn. It is not the kind of movie to promise you freedom or pink rose petals at the end, but if you feel trapped in that kind of marriage, this is among the most powerful movies to see if you are trying to get a divorce and didn’t make up your mind about the choice yet.

1. 127 Hours

This has nothing to do with couples, relationships or marriages whatsoever, but this was the movie that shook the core of some people so bad, they called their divorce lawyer right after the credits rolled. This is a story about being trapped and looking death in the eye. This is a movie about how somebody refuses to being held prisoner in a place they don’t want to be prisoners in. This is a movie about human sacrifice in the name of life and freedom. The symbolic hand cut can be considered the symbolic file for divorce, if your marriage looks like the boulder that keeps you from being free and alive.

As we said, this is not a very cheerful article, because divorce is not a very cheerful subject to begin with, no matter how strong you are on the inside. Postponing the choice may be sometimes a good thing – a hope for the best, let’s say – while for others, is excruciating. If you need a push or a fresh perspective on things, maybe these four movies to see if you’re trying to get a divorce if you’re still undecided may help you call that lawyer or give your marriage a second chance.

IT was about time: 3 Classic Movies That Deserve A Remake

February 3, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

You know what they say, when Hollywood is out of ideas, it will dig up the archives and choose to remake and rehash some old classic, giving it a hint of CGI and some new character development siding. In an industry dominated by franchises and long series of movies that seem to never end, maybe a remake is healthy and welcomed from time to time, although there are voices who ask for originality and films that will never receive a sequel and do not ask for one in the first place.

But thinking back to the old glorious days of the art of making movies and searching through the rumors and the words whispered at every corner, it seems that the next year, and maybe the next two or three, we will witness the revival and the rebirth of some old classics. And given their titles, there are some classic movies that deserve a remake, better directors, a new take on the script and just a bit of modern special effects. While everybody’s eyes are set on the upcoming Robocop and Godzilla remakes, let’s take a step forward and see what else is out there in terms of classic movies that deserve a remake.

1. Stephen King’s IT

Nobody knows much about this project, except for Cary Fukunaga’s name being announced as the movie’s director, and while he is not that famous or world – known for his abilities of creating blockbusters out of nothing like other colleagues in Hollywood, the scariest story in Derry is one of those classic movies that deserve a remake. Old Pennywise gave everybody some nightmares back in the day, not to mention the fact that Mr. King managed to turn the harmless and amusing concept of the “clown” in something that terrorizes the soul out of children and adults alike, so, conceptually speaking, IT deserves a modern, technically advanced, better played, better filmed story. Nobody knows exactly how Mr. King is going to collaborate or how deep his involvement in the project will be, but we hope they will make a great movie out of this one, because let’s face it, all Stephen King’s books can be and deserve to be rehashed and remade to rise to the expectations.

2. The Neverending Story

Not only among the classic movies that deserve a remake, but a classic in its own rights, both as a book and a silver screen adaptation. Word goes around that Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company is interested in revamping the old, fascinating and marvelous story, but officially, there are even less details on this project that regarding IT. Imagining what can be done today with the tech available, with a better thought and written script and a deeper view and take on the original novel, this can turn into a fantasy movie to sky rocket for children and adults alike.

3. Jumanji

It is rumored and everything you can officially find out about it is that the project is described as “A “re-imagining” of the 1995 film, “Jumanji”, with director Zach Helm in charge. You probably know him better for “Stranger than fiction“, but thinking about classic movies that deserve a remake, Jumanji is the least favored one by critics and movie commentators. Well, the first movie was alright even for 1995, although you probably liked Zathura too, a movie based on a similar idea but taking place into space and released 10 years later. But let’s face it, be it 2014 or 2015, revamping Jumanji may not be a winning lottery ticket for the Oscars, nor maybe for making the box office explode, but it should be nonetheless fun to watch. Without Robbin Williams, for sure.

In case you missed this bit of information, the next two years will get loaded with reboots of old and classic movies, with titles like The Crow, The Thin Man and The Legend of Conan – with good old Arnold to take command of the leading role and superstar director Paul Verhoeven behind the camera. This last one is just in the rumor phase, but don’t be surprised if you see it in cinemas in a year or two. Among the best classic movies that deserve a remake, we can’t wait for rumors involving Stephen King’s The Shining or Frank Herbert’s Dune. There is so much potential there, their success could be Earth – shattering.

3 Fake Languages in Books and Movies You Should Learn

January 23, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

One of the greatest things that could happen to humanity was science – fiction and fantasy genres, no matter the sub-genres and branches and cross-genres alternatives. It doesn’t even matter you are thinking about movies, books, short stories, theater plays or boardgames. It doesn’t even matter if you are a fan or not, as if you are, you probably know more than we could ever write in an article and if you’re not, you still know a lot of things, intentionally or accidentally, because in the last years, fantasy, science – fiction and fiction at its best invaded the cinemas, took over bookshelves and corrupted television, only to gain billions of followers world – wide. And it is so awesome, it can’t be truly expressed into words.

Besides monumental stories, incredible realms and immortal characters, box – office success and plots that will keep us glued to the books’ pages or the cinema seats for years on end, these sci – fi and fantasy productions also brought with them new languages, dialects, strange tongues, unknown and unheard before words and phrases. And some of them became not only famous, but found a place into our common language and now are so popular, you can even find tutorials and dictionaries to help you study. There are at least three fake languages in books and movies you should learn, if not to be the coolest geek in the neighborhood, at least to understand what the other cooler geeks are saying to you. Learning Chinese? Everybody can do it. Try these and then consider yourself a linguistics badass!

1. Sindarin (Elvish) – Tolkien, Jackson and David Salo

This is the language spoken by the Elves in Middle Earth and it was Tolkien who initially invented it in his Lord of the Rings trilogy and the other books he wrote related to the same universe. They say the writer only made up around 400 words and it was director Peter Jackson who collaborated with famous linguist David Salo – an expert in Sindarin – in order to develop the language to become usable in conversation.

So… Pedig edhellen? This means “Do you speak Elvish” and if you don’t, you should start. Beware, it is quite hard and complicated. Luckily for you, there are plenty of resources. You can start with an extensive Guide to Learning Elvish or just memorize some useful Elvish words and phrases to get along with the other Sindarin speakers.

2. Dothraki – Martin and David J. Peterson

If you don’t speak Dothraki yet, you’re not a true Game of Thrones fan, not to mention you should have spoken High Valyrian by now. Dothraki language is fabulous linguist David J. Peterson’s creation and it is among the most popular fake languages in books and movies you should learn, because it seems that everybody speaks it. If you don’t believe us, check out the Internet for the famous love statements between Drogo and Daenerys (written in both English and Dothraki on wedding rings and stuff like that).

It is so cool that there are lots of places available for you to learn Dothraki idioms and phrases. So learn Dothraki fast and maybe anha vazhak yeraan thirat.

3. Banana Language – Tagalog, Italian, Spanish, English and Whatever

Don’t you speak Minion (or the Banana Language) yet? You should be ashamed of yourself. We are, of curse, talking about the Despicable Me series, the animation which got the world addicted to the Minions and their messed – up language too.

YouTube is full of Minion scenes, the Internet got over itself in trying to explain how Banana Language resembles Filipino and a lot of other ones (including Latin languages and ones of Asian origin), in a bundle of phrases and idioms that are now internationally famous. Unlike the Sindarin and Dothraki, Minions’ language is rather limited (as it is hard to write this article in full Banana, while we’re sure somebody can adapt this text to Elvish, for instance), but it sounds awesome nonetheless. There are dozens of Minion – English Translation dictionaries, but one of the most extended resources can be found here.

These are the three fake languages in books and movies you should learn to keep your mind active and be considered the coolest geek in town. Of course, if you want to become a real intellectual and a vast fictional languages speaker, we also recommend you to start learning Klingon (in case you don’t already have a doctoral thesis in Klingon linguistics), Fremen (the language created by Frank Herbert for the Dune Universe) or even Na’vi (yes, the alien language in Avatar!). Happy learning new languages (as human ones are so boring)! Kampai!