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Abe Vigoda has died. He was 94 years old.
The world-weary and elderly actor is best known for Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather, where he famously asks for a pardon "for old times' sake", and often made television watchers laugh as Detective Sgt. Phil Fish in Barney Miller. 90's kids will also recall him for his role as Otis in Good Burger.
His death is deeply ironic, as the actor has constantly fought off death reports since the 80's but always took in stride and good humor.
He will be missed.
Glenn Frey has tragically died from complications while recovering from a recent surgery. He was 67 years old.
The latest music legend to pass away this month, Frey was best known as one of the key members of the legendary rock band The Eagles. He commanded the lead vocals for several of the band's most famous hits, including "Take It Easy", "New Kid In Town", and "Heartache Tonight".
Soundtrack fans will fondly remember his solo career during the 80's, where he gave Kenny Loggins a run for his money with several hit songs spun from popular movies and television shows. His biggest hit came from Beverly Hills Cop, where the watershed comedy starring Eddie Murphy kicked off with him crooning to "The Heat Is On". He followed that No. 2 charter with another one: "You Belong To The City", a dark pop song that was written for and put to great use in a certain television show called Miami Vice. He scored an additional track for the show with "Smuggler's Blues", which went to No. 12 on the charts, translated into an episode of the same name, and allowed Frey to guest star.
He will be missed.
I come home from work to see if the Academy has changed their ways in how they determine their nominations. Oh wait, no I didn't because of course they are destined and doomed to repeat their white-first ways and following the motto, "the blander, the better."
Even though I'm fine with the Best Picture selections to a degree (real talk: I have only see 2 out of the 8), I feel the field is too bland, even with Mad Max: Fury Road in there. Maybe if the Academy grew a heart and had Inside Out in there or at least had some acclaimed movies that didn't bomb at the box office, I would have been mildly pleasant.
Seriously, I still haven't seen The Big Short, nor do I have any urge right now, but how in the hell did Adam McKay get a Best Director nom? And over Ridley Scott?!
The Best Actor category was totes obvious. I still wish that Eddie Redmayne wasn't there.
Benicio del Toro not being up for Best Supporting Actor: Heresy. I have heard nothing but bad things about Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight, both from Boston film critics and people angry at his participation in white-washing, so he should be the one to be removed. But at least Tom Hardy deservedly is there!
Nothing really wrong with the Actress categories. All good choices. I sadly knew Charlize Theron wouldn't have a chance. Thankfully, Rachel McAdams is in there instead of easy choices like Helen Mirren.
Very surprised with Best Animated Feature. Minions, The Good Dinosaur, and The Peanuts Movie out and Boy and the World, When Marnie Was There, and Shaun the Sheep Movie in? Yes please! Thank god the animated department of the Academy know what to look at.
Please, oh please, let Roger Deakins win for Best Cinematography. Emmanuel Lubezki has enough Oscars and he shouldn't totally be awarded for his hit-or-miss job with the tiresome The Revenant.
Netflix keeps creeping in but solely through the Documentary awards. Seriously, where the hell is Idris Elba?
Going Clear isn't on the final ballot! Damn you, Tom Cruise!
Hell yeah, "Earned It" over "Love Me Like You Do"! The Weeknd and his goofy hair get to walk down the red carpet and perform live.
Already pulling for Don Hertzfeldt for Best Animated Short. World of Tomorrow was heralded by so many critics.
Other snubs to remember: Aaron Sorkin, Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Michael B. Jordan, Ryan Coogler, Samuel L. Jackson (seeing a trend?), Quentin Tarantino, Todd Haynes, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, and Going Clear
That's all I can muster right now. But again, just wow at the many blown opportunities.
Well, what do you know? The people controlling the Razzies went for the easy pickings instead of films that deservedly need the scorn and punishment. They certainly would not be covered by ET and the like if their categories were filled with titles such as United Passions, despite it truly being one of the most heinous things put to screen.
Despite having three major Adam Sandler duds last year, they decided to nominate Pixels as one of the Worst Pictures. Yeah, take the dumb but charming of the three. Not the two hour laugh-free western where he sulks the entire time as a Martin Sue, nor the movie where he nearly sleeps with his own mom and strangely becomes a superhero at the end.
I seriously have no idea why The Ridiculous 6 is nowhere here. They had plenty of time to see it and to deliberate, possessing the same time frame as the Oscar voters!
If it wasn't for Pixels, I would have had Jupiter Ascending as my Best Guilty Pleasure. It is gloriously bad but the Wachowskis did put so much love and detail in their confusing sci-fi world and there are some great moments and ideas in it. That being said, I can see why it's nominated for Worst Picture. Talk to any normal viewer or non-cinephile and they will crap right all over it justifiably. However, Mila Kunis' character was awful, not Kunis herself, who sadly did what she was asked to do for the role. That same defense applies to Dakota Johnson for Fifty Shades of Grey.
Oh look, Katherine Heigl is here in Worst Actress. I'm still kicking myself for not seeing one of her dreck; she would most likely have been my Worst Actress instead of Emilia Clarke but hey, I never will know until I have to sit through Home Sweet Hell or Jenny's Wedding.
Eddie Redmayne for Worst Supporting Actor. Good. Very good.
I didn't see either of his two films but I really don't understand why Chevy Chase is up for Worst Supporting Actor. I literally heard no ill talk towards him last year. My theory is that the Razzies just wanted to throw him in here to fill up the ballot and to sling more mud on him after a long time of him being ineligible. Look to his past 80's and 90's films and the "nominations" he gained to understand.
Rooney Mara is nominated for Worst Supporting Actress for her whitewashed role as Tiger Lily. She's the only actor to be given this "honor". Where's the people from Stonewall, or hell even have the cajónes to nominate Emma Stone for Aloha?
Michelle Monaghan shouldn't be here, nor should Julianne Moore for her campy role in Seventh Son.
Think you should ever take the Razzies seriously? Always look at their Worst Screen Couple category, again offering up some stupid nominations.
Seriously, The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence) is only up for Worst Director and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel?
Why bother with Worst Screenplay if you're just going to copy-paste the same nominations from Worst Picture? You could have throw in The Loft or especially Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser!
Elizabeth Banks being up for Razzie Redeemer is just so stupid. Her being in there is flimsy at best (she was one of the 13 directors of Movie 43) and even then, her short was the only okay one.
Now, for my snub rants: Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser came out in July and still was passed over?! Still no overfill of Christian crap or even a new category for themselves? No Terminator Genisys?!
Please give yourself a wake-up call, the Razzies. You picked out a few quality choices but left many of the truly rotten on the sidelines, again.
It was sadly announced that David Bowie has unexpectedly died from cancer, which he had not disclosed to the public. His sudden departure comes two days after the release of his latest and now last album Blackstar. He was 69 years old.
It's hard to sum up everything Bowie accomplished in this world, as he had a profound effect in pop culture and nearly every aspect of art. Whether it was music, film, or fashion ("turn to the left"), he boldly made his own personal statement or showed a new facet of himself, as he kept reinventing himself up to today.
He broke through in 1969 with his landmark tune "Space Oddity". A rock song that was way too avant-garde at the height of psychedelia and the hippie movement, it would help shape the entire 70's scene for rock music. He followed it up with the album The Man Who Sold The World; though it is more known for its title track and how it would later be popularized by Nirvana, the album proved to be a major step forward for the new artist due to its original cover art. Laying in a colorful dress and made up to underline his androgynous features, it struck a cord with critics and made his stardom even more bigger. His fluid sexual look and multiple tones of rock would return with Hunky Dory, considered one of his absolute best albums, thanks to "Changes" and "Life on Mars?"
And then, he came to Earth. Bowie premiered the character of Ziggy Stardust in 1972 and he become even more popular. Backed up by his new backing band The Spiders From Mars and relishing every aspect of glam rock, he released the famed The Rise and Fall... album, toured all over England and finally made his existence more known over in the United States.
Two years later, he dropped the Ziggy gimmick, moved to the States, and moved his sound to soul. He still would dapple his toes in glam rock, such as the delectable "Rebel Rebel", but he was more in love with what he termed as "plastic soul", aka soul music perfected by a white male singer. Young Americans gave him his first no. 1 on the Billboard charts with "Fame" and made him a true crossover superstar, even allowing him to famously appear on Soul Train. His huge success would come at a great cost, though: ensuing legal battles, a hard addiction to cocaine, and the short shelf-life of his new character "The Thin White Duke" (an Aryan-influenced persona that led to an infamous public Nazi salute) all hurt his stardom.
Bowie cleaned himself up around 1976 and begin to experiment more, both in music and other forms of art. His musical taste moved more towards the sounds of electronic, best shown in a series of albums he produced while in Berlin and the song "Heroes". But it was on a different stage at this time that Bowie would make a far more lasting impact. He was strangely invited to participate in Bing Crosby's Christmas television special, which would air mere weeks before the famed crooner's own death. The mismatched pair came together to belt out the beautiful "Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth", which is now a major staple during the holiday season and considered one of the very few overall acclaimed Christmas songs.
The 80's wouldn't have been amazing at all without Bowie. His love for the electronic sound in the late 70's would later morph into new wave, which he helped popularized and be a flag-bearer for throughout the new decade. It first started with "Ashes to Ashes", a hauntingly dark rock tune that may not have been a great hit (at least in the U.S.) but became famous thanks to a little thing called a music video. Donning an opera clown outfit and waddling through surreal imagery and special effects, the video was hailed as a masterpiece and would be played quite often on a new start-up television channel called MTV.
After coming back to the charts with "Under Pressure", a duet with rock gods Queen, Bowie unleashed Let's Dance. One of the signature albums of the decade, it gave us the title track (another #1 for him), "Modern Love" and "China Girl", three heavyweight pop songs that dominated the public consciousness. This would be the last peak period for the more-than-accomplished singer. He would continue to chart often (including the ill-made "Dancing In The Streets" duet with Mick Jagger), make more striking music videos, and change up his sound again and again into the 90's and beyond but there was nothing else he needed to do. Except to rule the silver screen some more.
Bowie made his grand entrance to the world of cinema in 1976 with The Man Who Fell From Earth, playing the titular role in Nicholas Roeg's surreal take of the 1963 sci-fi novel. Though it was virtually unseen at the time and many lucky critics weren't enamored with it, the film has since grown in cult status. He shied away from further big film roles until 1983, when he starred in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and The Hunger; the former was directed by Japanese iconoclast Nagisa Oshima and featured what is considered his best role, while the latter was helmed by Tony Scott and has risen from its initial bad reviews to be a cult gem. Three years later, he once again starred in two major films: Bowie helped make Julien Temple's Absolute Beginners another cult title but it was his role as The Goblin King in Labyrinth that has stood the test of time. Jim Henson's labor of love was enhanced significantly by Bowie, who's jovially evil persona made him a delight for kids and who's sexy yet forbidden demeanor, coupled with a particularly big codpiece, help make many a growing girl experience certain weird feelings. Bowie would retreat to smaller supporting roles in further films. Highlights of this era include: his dramatic turn as Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese's controversial The Last Temptation of Christ, Andy Warhol in the indie biopic Basquiat, a significant cameo in Zoolander, and playing the Internet's favorite American scientist Nikola Tesla in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige.
I could on and on about how amazing he was, the fantastic music he produced and sung, his memorable participation in memorial concerts, and how his songs were put to great use in films such as Cat People, Mauvais Sang, and Frances Ha. But really, you should open your eyes and ears right now and take in any of his art.
He will sorely be missed.
Angus Scrimm has died. He was 89 years old.
Scrimm is best known among horror fans for playing The Tall Man in the Phantasm series, including an upcoming fifth entry coming out later this year. Playing the giant intergalactic alien dressed up as a menacing mortician, Scrimm brought much terror in the cult horror franchise, as he stole dead bodies to create his dwarf servants and snuffed out intruders and pests with his drill-equipped flying metal balls. But it was the disturbingly quiet moments that truly made him a scary presence, including the famed ending of the original where he bellows out "BOY!!!"
He will be missed.
These are all of the movies I have watched throughout last year and were qualified to be judged for my awards.
If I didn't watch a film at all or in its entirety, it is disqualified and ineligible. There were a ton of movies that I couldn't get access to and/or make the time for, which is very sad given how amazing last year's output was. A few examples of films I wanted to see but couldn't before the mandated deadline were Creed, Spectre, Krampus, Goodnight Mommy, Crimson Peak, Spotlight, Phoenix, Beasts of No Nation, Amy, Brooklyn, The Martian and Carol.
Aloha
American Ultra
Ant-Man
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ballet 422
Bone Tomahawk
Call Me Lucky
Cheatin'
The Cobbler
The Connection
Do You Believe?
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Everly
Ex Machina
Fifty Shades of Grey
Focus
Furious 7
The Gallows
The Hateful Eight
The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence)
I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
I Am Thor
Infini
Inside Out
Insidious: Chapter 3
Iris
It Follows
Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser
Jupiter Ascending
Jurassic World
The Lazarus Effect
A LEGO Brickumentary
The Loft
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
Mad Max: Fury Road
Minions
Mistress America
The Nightmare
Outcast
Paddington
Pixels
Poltergeist
The Ridiculous 6
San Andreas
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Sicario
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Spy
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Straight Outta Compton
Strange Magic
Stung
Superfast!
Tangerine
Terminator Genisys
Tomorrowland
Trainwreck
Unfriended
United Passions
The Walking Deceased
What We Do In The Shadows
Overall Count: 61 Films
These are some of the choice quotes from the films of 2015, from the ones that had everyone repeating, to the ones that thrilled us at the art of dialogue, to some personal favorites.
WARNING: Some spoilers abound!
Call Me Lucky
I'm whatever threatens you. I'm a communist with AIDS and I bite!
Ex Machina
Isn't it strange, to create something that hates you?
No matter how rich you get, shit goes wrong. You can't insulate yourself from it. I used to think it was death and taxes you couldn't avoid, but it's actually death and shit.
The Hateful Eight
The only time black folks are safe, is when white folks is disarmed.
Inside Out
Can I use that swear word now?
There's deja vu! There's critical thinking! There's deja vu!
TripleDent Gum!/ will make you smile!...
Take her to the moon for me... Okay?
FOR RILEY!!!
What's "poo-ber-tee"?
Mad Max: Fury Road
Oh, what a day. What a lovely day!
You will ride eternal, shiny and chrome.
MEDIOCRE!
I had a brother! A baby brother! And he was perfect! Perfect in every way!
Mistress America
There's no adultery when you're eighteen. You should all be touching each other all the time.
Why don't you just put pasta up her pussy?
You got me a Chipwich?
Your tragedy is your armor.
Pixels
Don't tell anybody I killed a Smurf.
Sicario
You are not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now.
Spy
I look like someone's homophobic aunt!
I can see your gun, unless you're so extreme that you have a second dick coming out of your hip!
No wonder your dad never had the son he wanted; you fuck that monster once, and you just drop the fucking mic and walk out.
This is a FUCKING LAKE?!
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
...Do I talk first or you talk first? I talk first?
Women always figure out the truth. Always.
That's not how the Force works!
I will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open... And I will drop my weapon.
BEN!
Straight Outta Compton
Cruising down the street in my '64...
Ain't that some shit? Speak a little truth and people lose their minds.
Trainwreck
Monogamy isn't realistic!
You know what I do with assholes? I lick 'em!
What We Do In The Shadows
We're werewolves, not swear-wolves.
Best Film Experience of the Year: Pixels (Right when the golf ball in the "Happy Madison Productions" logo hit the glass screen, power went completely out and everybody had to go home.)
2nd Best Film Experience of the Year: Best of Enemies (Headed to the NYC theater it was listed as playing at in the morning, only to be locked out because the building isn't open that day.)
3rd Best Film Experience of the Year: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (An obnoxious teen girl decided to munch down heavily on popcorn like her life depended on it, right during the most serious scene of the entire movie.)
True Best Film Song of 2015: "True Survivor" by David Hasselhoff - Kung Fury
True Worst Film of 2015: Dangerous Men
Best Film Title of the Year: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
Worst Film Title of the Year: United Passions
Most Accurate Film Title: It Follows
Best and Most Likable Movie Character of All Time: Stu in What We Do In The Shadows
The Kathryn Morris Award for "What's The Deal With This Person?": The Mexican cop in Sicario
Worst Duel with an Animal: Zombie Olivia Wilde vs. Dog - The Lazarus Effect
Best Kill: Preparing dinner in Bone Tomahawk
Worst Kill: The stock footage car explosion in Dangerous Men
Most Suspenseful Sequence Involving Gambling Addiction: The "Super Bowl" bets in Focus
Most Suspenseful Sequence Involving a Party Game: "Never Have I..." in Unfriended
Most Suspenseful Sequence Involving a Printer: The dueling print-outs in Unfriended
Best Use of a Jump Scare: The random phantoms in The Nightmare
Best Reason to Fast-Forward to the End: The dinosaur handicap match in Jurassic World
Most Incestuous Film: The Cobbler
Actor with the Biggest Open Schedule of the Year: Judy Greer
The Ryan Reynolds Award for The Biggest Failure to Jump to Stardom: Jai Courtney (Runner-Up: Scott Eastwood)
The Lorraine Bracco Award for The Biggest Failure to Jump to Stardom: Emilia Clarke (Runner-Up: Britt Robertson)
Best Cameo in an Action-Comedy Movie: Bill Pullman in American Ultra
Best Cameo in a Superhero Movie: The Falcon in Ant-Man
Worst Cameo of a Sports Star: Tony Romo in Trainwreck
Worst Use of Whitewashing: Emma Stone in Aloha
Worst Use of ADR: The Walking Deceased
Worst Use of a Queen Song: Pixels
Worst Use of CGI: A ball being thrown in The Ridiculous 6
Best Food: Donuts in Tangerine
Worst Food: Blender Salsa in Unfriended
2nd Worst Food: Broccoli Pizza in Inside Out
Best Product Placement: Legos in The LEGO Brickumentary
Worst Product Placement: AutoTrade in Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser
Most Butt-tastic Poster: Balls Out (Runner Up: Minions)
Worst Spoiler Poster: Drafthouse Pictures' original poster for The Connection
Laziest Poster of All Time: The teaser poster for Secret In Their Eyes
Best Character Poster Line: The Japanese "Kanji" Line of Inside Out
Worst Character Poster Line: Mortdecai
Best Raunchy Tagline: "Coming" - Magic Mike XXL
BEST BREAKTHROUGH: Daisy Ridley
Honorable Mentions: Amy Schumer, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Alicia Vikander, Mya Taylor, Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, Lola Kirke, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez
BEST ENSEMBLE: The Cast of Straight Outta Compton
Honorable Mentions: What We Do In The Shadows, Inside Out, The Hateful Eight, Mad Max: Fury Road, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mistress America, Sicario
BEST DIRECTOR: George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Honorable Mentions: Denis Villeneuve (Sicario), Alex Garland (Ex Machina), Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight), Pete Docter (Inside Out), Noah Baumbach (Mistress America), J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Sean S. Baker (Tangerine), Paul Feig (Spy), F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton), Jemaine Clement & Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows)
BEST SCREENPLAY: Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig - Mistress America
Honorable Mentions: Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve & Josh Cooley (Inside Out); Alex Garland (Ex Machina), Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight), Taylor Sheridan (Sicario), Sean S. Baker & Chris Bergoch (Tangerine)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Roger Deakins - Sicario
Honorable Mentions: John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road), Rob Hardy (Ex Machina), Robert Richardson (The Hateful Eight), Mike Gioulakis (It Follows, Laurent Tangy (The Connection)
BEST EDITING: Margaret Sixel - Mad Max: Fury Road
Honorable Mentions: Mary Jo Markey & Maryann Brandon (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Joe Walker (Sicario), Fred Raskin (The Hateful Eight)
BEST SCORE: Disasterpeace - It Follows
Honorable Mentions: Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight), Junkie XL (Mad Max: Fury Road), Joe Walker (Jóhann Jóhannsson)
BEST SONG: "Earned It" by The Weeknd - Fifty Shades of Grey
Honorable Mentions: "Toyland" by Mya Taylor (Tangerine), "Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding (Fifty Shades of Grey), "Jim Jones At Botany Bay" by Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth (Furious 7)
BEST PREEXISTING SONG: "Get Down Saturday Night" by Oliver Cheatham - Ex Machina
Honorable Mentions: "There Won't Be Many Coming Home" by Roy Orbison (The Hateful Eight), "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel (Trainwreck), "Love Makes The World Go Round" by Barbara Lewis (Focus), "This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Daylight" by Max Richter & Dinah Washington (The Connection)
BEST OPENING CREDITS: Furious 7
Honorable Mentions: The Lazarus Effect
BEST ENDING CREDITS: American Ultra
Honorable Mentions: Inside Out, Spy, A LEGO Brickumentary, I Am Big Bird, Ex Machina, Pixels
BEST STINGER: Minions
Honorable Mentions: Avengers: Age of Ultron
BEST POSTER ART: The Visit
Honorable Mentions: Inside Out (Teaser), We Are Still Here, Buzzard, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, Call Me Lucky, Lost River, The Age of Adaline
BEST TRAILER: Creed
Honorable Mentions: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mad Max: Fury Road
BEST ACTION FILM: Mad Max: Fury Road
Honorable Mentions: Furious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron
BEST ANIMATED FILM: Inside Out
Honorable Mentions: Shaun the Sheep Movie, Minions
BEST COMEDY FILM: Spy
Honorable Mentions: What We Do In The Shadows, Mistress America
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM: Call Me Lucky
Honorable Mentions: I Am Thor, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau, I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
BEST HORROR FILM: It Follows
Honorable Mentions: Unfriended
BEST SCI-FI FILM: Ex Machina
Honorable Mentions: Infini
BEST GUILTY PLEASURE: Pixels
FUTURE CULT AND APPRECIATION
Films that I feel will grow on me, beyond my initial expectations and opinions and become the great films that they sought to be.
Bone Tomahawk
Infini
Trainwreck
UNDERRATED AND UNDERAPPRECIATED
Actors and actresses that gave great performances in bad films and/or in roles with little material and screen time.
Sean Bean (Jupiter Ascending)
Zoë Bell (The Hateful Eight)
Jon Bernthal (Sicario)
Brian Bosworth (Do You Believe?)
John Cena (Trainwreck)
George Clooney (Tomorrowland)
Jake Johnson (Jurassic World)
Nathan Jones (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Delroy Lindo (Do You Believe?)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Jupiter Ascending)
James Parks (The Hateful Eight)
Matthias Schoenaerts (The Loft)
Channing Tatum (The Hateful Eight)
