Bayley and Napoli At the Movie Theater

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Greatest Movie Trailers of All Time List- By Daniel Bayley

Hello there! So if you're like me, you watch movie trailers on youtube all the live-long day. I re-watch movie trailers to get pumped for upcoming flicks (looking at you "Dark Knight Rises/Avengers/Spiderman/Prometheus/etc.), and watch old film trailers just to re-live the film in 2 minutes. That's what a good trailer should do: Give you the essence, tone, and mileu of the film without revealing too much. It should inform you of the narrative without spoiling anything that would ruin the film experience. I HATE when I see a clip of a scene in the trailer and I look for it in the film later. But that's the world we live in. I have to say though, some trailers really get me excited. Trailers truly have become somewhat of an artform. So I thought I would put together a list of my all-time favorites and supply you with the links to enjoy them yourselves. I didn't include some Hitchcock trailers (Psycho) or some Kubrick (The Shining/Clockwork Orange) but I do hope you will look those up as well because they are classics. Enjoy!

11. Cloverfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fCPoF6o5wA&feature=player_embedded
Although it is not my favorite movie by any means...the trailer is awesome. When I saw it in theater's it blew me away. Popularizing the "Found Footage" movement, this is the trailer that jumpstarted it all.

10. The Social Network
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lB95KLmpLR4
"Creep" as done by Scale & Kolcany Brothers fits really well here with this story of an outcast who would become a huge social-networking billionaire. I love the buildup from the "Facebook" shots to the film scenes.

9. The Departed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGWvwjZ0eDc
I remember going home after school in high school and watching this three times in a row.

8.Terminator Salvation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GmLfivKQL8
This completely changed my mind about a new Terminator film being made. Even though this would end up being my least favorite Terminator film, I LOVED this trailer. "The Day the Whole World Went Away" by Nine Inch Nails added with Christian Bale's fully realized raspy voice....oh man.
"We are dead! We are ALL DEAD!".

7. Spider-man (2002)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN3YaybNJ2s
They tell you the origin in 2 minutes. It's fantastic. "Pompeii" featured here would end up being a song over-used in sooo many trailers. It gets you crazy pumped.

6. The Dark Knight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jqq4j52Fb4
I remember waiting everyday for this trailer to come out. When it finally did, I was amazed. The epic reveal of Heath Ledger..."Evening, Commisioner". The Dark Knight Theme. It was just the perfect "Batman Vs. Joker" trailer for the Nolan universe.

TOP 5

5. Titanic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5gtS3pgA3Y
James Horners Music with all the epic-ness that is Titanic. That last shot at 2:12 is just NUTS.

4. Prometheus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHcHYisZFLU
This just came out and I feel it deserves to be regarded as one of the best trailers ever. It's homages to the original "Alien" trailer, with all the new CGI, Ridley Scott's amazing sci-fi vision, a notable cast, and music and cuts that will have you on the edge of your seat....I can't wait for this film!

3. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo5PYJvAAMI&feature=player_embedded
This is one of the greatest trailers ever. What did it tell you? That "Star Wars" is back. Anakin and Obi-wan would meet. That Oscar Schindler was wielding a light-saber. That the pod-race looked nuts. And that there would be a DOUBLE-BLADED LIGHTSABER!?!?!?! Blew my 9 year old mind.

2.Inception
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TuSJo4dZM
Introducing the Inception "BUUUUUUUUUUM" noise to the world. "Time" by Hans Zimmer is one of the best trailer tracks ever. The shot at 1:57 of Joseph Gordon-Levitt tying up the cast in mid-air was so mysterious and wild, I needed to know what that was all about.

1. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVLvMg62RPA
A clip-every-second trailer, this is the most impressive and enjoyable trailer I have ever laid eyes on. "Immigrant Song" covered by Trent Reznor and Karen O with this tone and story, this trailer shows you that the "Feel Bad Movie Of Christmas" was coming at you hard and it was going to be a crazy ride. Well done, Team Fincher.

Bonus Trailers:
1. Angels in the Outfield (1994)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCXiGeM9Lqw
I remember seeing this trailer at the beginning of a Disney VHS tape and this music with this famous Disney Narrator has gotten me to just never forget this video. Joseph Gordon Levitt was in some good trailers!

2. Alien
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEVY_lonKf4

Highly regarded as one of the greatest trailers of all-time. It really is. It was soooooo close to getting on my list but I wanted to focus more on modern trailers. CHECK THIS ONE OUT THOUGH. Especially as a reference to the new Prometheus trailer.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Reactions to the Oscar Nominations 2012 (Napoli)

Well, this Tuesday as people are now aware were the nominations for the 2012 Academy Awards. I'd have to say some nominees were right on the money, where as others came from left field.

Best Picture: I'm ecstatic that the Tree of Life got the nomination despite the love from the guilds. Also glad that Bridesmaids didn't get in, though many consider it a snub, it's okay in my book. But, seriously. Where did Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close come from? Good for Stephen Daldry who managed to have all of his films be nominated for Picture and/or Director.

Best Director: The race really had 6 contenders. Four legends, one prominent filmmaker, and a foreign director. One of them was going to take a fall, but did we expect the King of the Movies to get it?

Best Actor: Here's the case where we wish we could nominate more than five actors. Fassbender is the upset here, but I am very glad that Gary Oldman got his first career nomination. A pleasant surprise. I was thrilled that Damien Bichir managed to pull through with the little movie A Better Life. He is fantastic and I am happy that he got it. To Fassbender, Gosling, Shannon, and DiCaprio: Better luck next year.

Best Actress: Hooray for Rooney Mara! That's all I have to say. I would not be surprised if she managed to pull an upset on Oscar night.

Best Supporting Actor: Poor Albert Brooks. I haven't seen Drive yet, but I can watch Brooks in almost anything he does. Max Von Sydow, like the favorite Christopher Plummer, is a veteran in the business and in time he will get honored as well.

Best Supporting Actress: No surprise here. Although Shailenne Woodley would have been the better choice over McCarthy.

Best Screenplay(s): How Bridemaids is considered a better script than the moving, funnier 50/50 is beyond my wildest dreams. Go to see that Margin Call got recognized. I guess the Academy liked Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy.

Other notes: Hugo: 11 noms. The Artist: 10 noms. Could this mean a potential steal by Hugo. Or are the producers of The Artist already planning their celebration party. Nice to see Moneyball got some love with 6 nominations. The Help definitely lost steam, but it managed to get noms. in big categories. One last thing. How is it possible that there could only be two songs from film in 2011 that are considered the best? The Muppets alone had three potential songs. But I shouldn't gripe too much. It is now an Oscar nominated movie and hopefully a winner as well.

-Michael Napoli

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Reactions to the Oscar Nominations 2012 (Bayley)

Well the Oscar nominations are upon us!

This is just a quick post. I wanted to just say which nominations surprised me the most this year. It really is a wonderful event when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announce the nominations for the Academy Awards and celebrate a great year in film-going.

Surprises: 1) No nomination for Shame. In a way, I should have seen it coming. It is a NC-17 rated film that probably was disconcerting or uncomfortable for the average Oscar-voter but I would have had Michael Fassbender on my ballot any day.

2) Extremely Loud and Incredible Close for Best Picture??????????

3) Demian Bechir for Best Actor for A Better Life. I have to say I'm surprised but I haven't seen the film so I will reserve all judgements on this decision. All I can say is congrats to him.

4) No Albert Brooks for Drive. I had read a few blogs post about how this might happen so it wasn't the biggest of shocks but that really is so disappointing. He was fantastic in that film.

All in all, I can say I'm excited about this years Oscars. Only the #2 "surprise" I posted actually really upset me because I felt that film was mediocre among the rest. I would like to hear your thoughts on the nominations so please do respond with any comments you have.

Also, look out for BAYLEY AND NAPOLI'S OSCAR WINNER PREDICTIONS, coming soon, as well as MICHAEL NAPOLI'S REACTIONS TO THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS.

Thank you very much for reading.

Sidenote: This was the first year in about three years that my Oscar Nomination Predictions beat Napoli's. I have taken the lead!

-Daniel Bayley

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Predictions: The 2012 Academy Award Nominations! (Part 2)

Predictions: The 2012 Academy Award Nominations!

Daniel Bayley and Michael Napoli make the predictions for Tuesday January 24th's Oscar nominations. Whoever gets closer buys the other man food (happens every year my friends). May the best man win! Let us know what you think of the picks.

Michael Napoli Predictions

Best Animated Feature

1. The Adventures of Tin Tin
2. Arthur Christmas
3. Puss in Boots
4. Rango
5. Winnie the Pooh

Watch out, because I have a feeling that Kung Fu Panda could steal a spot.

Best Original Screenplay

1. The Artist - Michel Hazanivicius
2. 50/50 - Will Reiser
3. Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen
4. The Tree of Life- Terence Malick
5. Win Win - Thomas McCarthy

This is a tricky category, simply because we do not have any idea on whether the Academy will honor The Tree of Life. I'd would really hate if Bridesmaids got the nom, because people to seem to embrace a mediocre script. Plus it would a shame for it to be nominated this year where The Hangover didn't get it two years ago. I'd prefer to see Diablo Cody get it for Young Adult.

Potential Spoiler(s):
Young Adult and/or Bridesmaids

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
2. The Help - Tate Taylor
3. Hugo - john Logan
4. Moneyball - Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
5. War Horse - Richard Curtis, Lee Hall

This one is probably the most predictable. But I could be totally wrong. The problem with predicting the screenplay nominations is that the Writes Guild Nominations sometimes do not accurately predict sure fire nominees. Many screenplays are not eligible.

Spoiler: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Best Supporting Actress

1. Berenice Bejo - The Artist
2. Jessica Chastain - The Help
3. Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
4. Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
5. Octavia Spencer - The Help

Spolier: Shailene Woodley - The Descendants

I really, really, really, don't want to say this but I believe that Melissa McCarthy will get nominated. She has gotten enough support from critics, the Golden Globes and the SAG. It would be a real treat to see Woodley get the nomination.

Best Supporting Actor

1. Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
2. Albert Brooks - Drive
3. Jonah Hill - Moneyball
4. Brad Pitt - The Tree of Life
5. Christopher Plummer - Beginners

I going to shoot a myself in the foot with this, but I do think that Pitt could sneak in with a nomination. He had an incredible year. The chances of him being honored for Moneyball is sub-par; But the Academy could honor him for his great performance in The Tree of Life proving that Pitt is continuing to grow as an actor.

Nick Nolte will probably get the nomination for Warrior. Many are calling it some of his best work of his career. I feel like he really didn't add anything. Just another alcoholic father type role. He was good, but not Oscar worthy.

Best Actress

1. Viola Davis - The Help
2. Rooney Mara - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
3. Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
4. Charlize Theron - Young Adult
5. Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

There are 7 women competing. Glenn Close and Tilda Swinton are favored more to get two slots than Mara and Theron. But something tells me that Swinton is vulnerable more that Close. Albert Nobbs is get polarizing reviews and I can see Close slip through the cracks.

Best Actor

1. George Clooney - The Descendants
2. Jean Dujardin - The Artist
3. Michael Fassbender - Shame
4. Brad Pitt - Moneyball
5. Michael Shannon - Take Shelter

There are four locks (Fassbender, Clooney, Pitt and Dujardin). I would not be surprised if the Academy pulled a wildcard like Shannon. They did when he was nominated in 2008 for Revolutionary Road. Plus last year they chose Javier Bardem over Robert Duvall or Gosling. DiCaprio lost a lot of momentum.

Best Director

1. Michel Hazanvious - The Artist
2. Alexander Payne - The Descendants
3. Martin Scorsese - Hugo
4. Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris
5. Steven Spielberg - War Horse

Spolier(s) - David Fincher, Nicolas Winding Refn, or Terrence Malick.

If the Tree of Life is good with the Academy, it would be a shame if Malick didn't get nominated for HIS film. If the Academy goes for Drive, then Refn could be an upset. I only think Fincher but the DGA usually nominates someone that is not in the top five at the Oscars (Christopher Nolan, Cameron Crowe, Bill Condon).

Best Picture

1. The Artist
2. The Descendants
3. The Help
4. Hugo
5. Midnight in Paris
6. Moneyball
7. The Tree of Life
8. War Horse
9. Drive
10. Bridesmaids

Spoiler(s): The Ides of March, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Well, here is me attempting to shoot a fish in a barrel. I will most likely believe that the Academy will nominate 8 films for this year. It's the safest number of them all. But I chose nine because I am tossed up whether or not the Academy will embrace Drive and The Tree of Life. The other films are locked even though some films lost a bit of steam (War Horse and The Help).

These nine films I chose will almost be a perfect example at what 2011 was all about. Smart, challenging films or movies that paid homages to film itself.

I would really hate to see Bridesmaids get nominated. The Ides of March would be less of a blow. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was nominated by the PGA, but I think because people are questioning The Tree of Life.

Monday, January 9, 2012

The Best Films of 2011

After much further ado and without any more hesitation, Daniel Bayley and Michael Napoli present their Top 10 Lists of the Best Films of 2011. Please comment with your favorites of the year as well as what you thought about our lists.

Michael Napoli's Top 10 of 2011

10. The Descendants- Showcases George Clooney with a fantastic script. The best ensemble cast of the year. Has its moments of humor and then can have truthful dramatic moments that hit home.

9. War Horse- Proves Spielberg is still a master of telling stories with raw emotions. Breathtaking cinematography. Spielberg pulls off the relatable personification of a horse and creates an epic.

8. Beginners- One of the more creative movies of the year. Christopher Plummer is fantastic. A real pleasant gem. Great moral, “anyone can restart their life again”.

7. Hugo- Scorsese combined the astonishing new 3-D technology and old setting. It is Scorsese’s crowning achievement. It’s up there as one of his best movies.

6. The Muppets- Jason Segel honors the Muppets and opens them up to a new audience. The music is fantastic. I cannot wait to see what will come next for these characters.

5. The Artist- Seeing the Artist is like stepping into a time portal. It captures the magic and grace of the silent period. Dujardin and Bejo are brilliant.

4. Moneyball- An unconvential sports movie with stand-out performances by Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. A very smart movie, brilliantly written by Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian.

3. 50/50- The funniest movie of the year.

2. Midnight in Paris- One of Woody Allens best films. A beautiful homage to art, love, and Paris.

1. Tree of Life- Most polarizing movie of the year is the most beautiful, innovate, and creative film of the year. Every shot is beautifully crafted. Nothing is put out on the front so it challenges the audience to find the meanings within. Terrence Malick proves that movies can be beyond story and it can become pure poetry.

---------------------------------------------------

Daniel Bayley's Top 10 of 2011

10. Hugo: The 3-D gave me a headache but that’s one minor fault in this otherwise wonderful film about Scorsese’s personal fondness for the birth of cinema. A great family film by the wonderful collective imaginations of Scorsese’s production team. Asa Butterfield is heart-breaking.

9. Our Idiot Brother: The underrated comedy of the year. Paul Rudd gives the best performance of his career in a wonderfully endearing turn as Ned Rochlin.

8. Take Shelter: Michael Shannon gives one of the top best performances of the year and deserves Oscar consideration. There is a real evident control of suspense by writer/director Jeff Nichols.

7. The Descendants: The ensemble is strong, lead by George Clooney. It is nice to see Clooney break free of his usual “man in control” role into someone who is very relatable and flawed.

6. War Horse: I respect the hell out of this movie. Every shot is breathtakingly well –crafted. Not one of Spielberg’s best, but his use of light and shadow, as well as his balance of multiple storylines, shows he still is one of the best directors alive.

5. 50/50: The best comedy of the year. You’ll laugh; you’ll cry. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a very natural performer on-screen.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Ended one of the best film series’ of all time in historic fashion. Alan Rickman IS my choice for Best Supporting Actor of ’11.

3. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: Rooney Mara takes on the iconic role of Lisbeth Salander and hits it right out of the park. Her relationship with Craig on-screen is handled very well. “Immigrant Song” covered by Trent Reznor and Karen O is my most listened to film song of the year. Another hit for Fincher.

2. Super 8: My favorite film of the summer. It takes all of the Spielbergian elements of summer classics we all enjoyed and fuses them together in a summer adventure starring a great cast of child-stars. Michael Giacchino's score is beautiful, especially in the end scenes.

1. The Artist: The best film of 2011. Jean Dujardin and Bernice Bejo are multi-talented stars I would love to keep seeing. After the initial 2 minutes when you realize you are watching a modern film that will have no sound, you realize you never really needed it as long as the story is well told and the talent on and off screen is as clear as it is in this film. It is so wonderfully lovable and pleasant. I applaud the heart of this film and wish everyone to see it.

Be sure to stay tuned for our Oscar nomination predictions next week after the Golden Globes air on January 15th on NBC. Also, here are some of the films we enjoyed that just missed the cut...

Napoli

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Win/Win

A Better Life

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Bayley

Ides of March

The Help

Drive

Source Code

Melancholia

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Reaction to the Golden Globe and SAG Nominations

Hello there Readers!

I have not be able to post any of my reactions to this years award-season films yet and am very happy to update on some great films I have seen! The Help lived up to the hype and was a fantastic ensemble piece worthy of it's acclaim. Shame is daring and gripping and Michael Fassbender will hopefully be recognized. Ides of March was a complete surprise and impressed me (I was not a fan of Good Night and Good Luck).

In terms of my early summer predictions of "People to Watch", I did not see Dicaprio's J. Edgar to be poorly received and I was strongly disappointed with some of the over-acting of Knightley in A Dangerous Method (the performance felt a tad forced but I give her respect).

Now onto the Nominations!

Sag Award Nominations

Surprises: Demian Bicir for Lead Male Actor for A Better Life. Patrick J. Adams, Best Male Actor Drama Series, Suits.

Snubs: Parks and Recreation and Community.

For Full List of Nominees go here: http://www.imdb.com/oscars/nominations/screen-actors-guild

Golden Globe Nominations

Surprises and Snubs: No Gary Oldman. No David Fincher, No Alan Rickman, No Harry Potter love, No Best Original Song nominations for The Muppets or "So Long" from Winnie the Pooh.

For Full List of Nominees go here: http://www.imdb.com/oscars/nominations/golden-globes

Final thoughts: The Artist, The Descendants, and The Help are the front-runners, leading the nominations. George Clooney is leading towards a Best Actor Oscar with Jean Dujardin gaining on him. Glenn Close and Viola Davis also seem like a tight race. I am mostly pleased but would love to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and The Muppets receive Supporting Actor and Original Song talk.

Full reviews and thoughts on the Best of 2011 coming soon along with a BAYLEY AND NAPOLI VIDEO BLOG of our TOP TEN BEST OF THE YEAR.

See you at the Movies!

-Bayley