Bayley and Napoli At the Movie Theater: January 2012

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.

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- The 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 and it challenges the audience to find the meanings within. Terrence Malick proves that movies can be beyond story and it can become pure poetry.

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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