Penny's Oscar Picks (2010)

Tonight's the big night in film. I've watching all the best film noms, so therefore a majority of the nominees. Of the 10 best film noms, here's how I'm ranking them--I was a bit hard because some of these films are so different, it's hard say one is better than the other, in some cases it's just as good but "different."

1. Inception
2. True Grit
3. Toy Story 3
4. The Fighter
5. 127 Hours
6. Black Swan
7. The Social Network
8. The King's Speech
9. The Kids Are All Right
   
10. Winter's Bone

As you can see, my clear favorite is Inception with a close second and third with True Grit and Toy Story 3. If you did not tear up in Toy Story 3, you have no heart. All the movies after that, it was really hard to rank. I'll say, I didn't NOT like Winter's Bone but it was very slow moving with a just as slow pay off. Jennifer Lawrence was amazing but it just wasn't my cup of tea, even though I'm known to like boring movies. Social Network could have been ranked higher but everyone knows my disdain for Jesse Eisenberg so I couldn't go any higher; Andrew 'hotsie-totsie" Garfield on the other hand kept it from slipping any further.

Honorable Mentions: Shutter Island; Kick Ass; The Town; Never Let Me Go; Catfish; Jack Ass 3D (seriously, this was hilarious and would never in a 100 years be nominated but hell it was good ole fun)

Who I'd like to see win:
Best Actor: James Franco
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (thought it should have been Hailee Steinfeld but she didn't get this nom)
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush / Jeremy Renner (cuz I still love him from the Hurt Locker and he needs some recognition)
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld
Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky

Enjoy tonight!

What I Think of: Catfish (2010)

(this shot is one of my favorite scenes in the film)

This is a documentary by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman and it follows Ariel's brother, a young (did I mention very attractive) photographer, Nev. I don't want to get too into the plot as I don't want to give away anything. This documentary in a way is like a mystery--you uncover things as you go along but the basis is that Nev was befriended by a child prodigy that saw one of his photos and painted it for him. They become 'friends' online and becomes friends with her extended family. As the relationships blossom, Nev has developed an interest in learning more the friends he has made and this is when the story starts to unfold.

A discussion that I had with Joshua after the film was that he did not like that the camera man, Nev's brother Ariel, and their friend, Henry interacted with Nev. In summary, Joshua's thoughts around documentary is that it should only focus on the subject and the director/cameramen should not be involved with the story. He's coming in from a technical point of view and from someone who actually really likes documentaries. I, on the other hand, do not prefer documentaries but I've definitely have seen some great ones in my time. But I won't claim to be a documentary expert but I will say I did enjoy the interaction between the subject and the film maker. Why? Because there's a relationship there, the brother and friend are part of the journey. They are his only friends and confidants as he goes down this path.

As for the story itself, it's quite an interesting one. The marketing has been clever in not revealing too much and promoting it in a very ominous way. Is this a documentary? Is it a horror film? Is this the real life Crying Game? Will this become a snuff film? Ok the last two were things I were thinking but perhaps others too. I think if you end up going to see Catfish, go in blind but also don't go in expending some mind blowing experience, just enjoy the ride.

Episode 66: Machete and Resident Evil Afterlife 3D

Hello there and welcome to the 66th episode of the Cinema Cafe Podcast, the bi-weekly, twice monthly film podcast by the fans, for the fans. Join us each week as we review new movies releases, look at some dvd's, talk some film news and share our general love for all things cinema. The main goal is to have some fun and hopefully provide the listener with some helpful insight. We are back and the podcasting world is alight once again.

This week we have a treat: it's our 66th episode, which means we've been bringing you "bi-weekly" content for more than a year now. This week we take a look at 2 movies that have been recently released or are on dvd. With that said here's a look at what we discuss on this weeks podcast:

* Machete
* Resident Evil Afterlife 3D
* Look at most anticipated movies coming out in October
* Upcoming movie releases for the weekend of 9.17.10 and 9.24.10

Also, film news and more, only on the Cinema Cafe Podcast. We hope you enjoy and happy movie watching.

Thanks as always to all our loyal listeners for sharing the ride with us as we've reached this milestone for the show. It's all due to your support that we have kept things going and we hope you continue to share the ride with us in the coming months.

We're also on Itunes so head over there and subscribe to the Cinema Cafe Podcast and don't forget to post a review! Thanks!!

Leftovers - A Capella Inception Trailer

Here's an A Capella version of the Inception trailer. What does that even mean? It means all kinds of funny. Click on the video and check it out. I just want to go around the rest of the day chanting: BRAAAAHMMMM. Enjoy.

Leftovers - The Real Life True Story of What's Going On With M. Night Shyamalan

Ever wonder why you still pay to see an M. Nigh Shyamalan film in the theaters? Plunking down your hard earned money, spending 2 plus hours of your life wondering, "is this the twist? Is the twist that I just wasted 12 bucks and time I'll never get back?" Or better yet, what if all of his films are just an extension of his life, and we're watching the progression of a director gone made. Well think no further, the masterminds behind College Humor have answered all our questions with a wonderful spoof they like to call, No One Likes M. Night Shyamalan. Enjoy.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Episode 65: Movie Review Rundown Extravaganza!!!

Hello there and welcome to the 65th episode of the Cinema Cafe Podcast, the bi-weekly, twice monthly film podcast by the fans, for the fans. Join us each week as we review new movies releases, look at some dvd's, talk some film news and share our general love for all things cinema. The main goal is to have some fun and hopefully provide the listener with some helpful insight. We are back and the podcasting world is alight once again.

It's been a while but we are back for your podcast movie loving enjoyment!!! I know we were gone for a while but I promise that we are back to our usual schedule of bringing you movie reviews twice monthly. I know I missed doing the show and I hope everyone missed listening to it. This week we have a movie rundown extravaganza as we try to recap all the movies we haven't had the chance to review yet. That means 11 new movie reviews for your listening pleasure. We hope you enjoy and thanks for listening.

With that said here's a look at what we discuss on this weeks podcast:

* June movie reviews - Toy Story 3, The Karate Kid
* July movie reviews - Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Predators, Salt, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Inception
* August movie reviews - The Other Guys, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Expendables and...
* Upcoming movie releases for the weekend of 9.03.10 and 9.1o.10

Also, film news and more, only on the Cinema Cafe Podcast. We hope you enjoy and happy movie watching.

Thanks as always to all our loyal listeners for sharing the ride with us as we've reached this milestone for the show. It's all due to your support that we have kept things going and we hope you continue to share the ride with us in the coming months.

We're also on Itunes so head over there and subscribe to the Cinema Cafe Podcast and don't forget to post a review! Thanks!!

Fantastic Short Film Friday (NSFW) - The Pro (animated)

And we are back with another weekly installment in our Fantastic Short Film Friday series, as we look to showcase films released in the "lesser" known form of cinema- the short film.

This week we have for something a bit... a bit... different I guess you can say, and very NSFW. Here is an 8-minute animated short called The Pro which is adapted from the original 2002 graphic novel of the same name by Garth Ennis and Amanda Conner. This short is just crass, wrong and very adult in nature - so adults only here people!! - but I can't lie, I enjoyed the hell out of the original short graphic novel when I first read it back in 2002, and I enjoyed the hell out of this animated short adaptation, although it leaves out some of the better... um... situations found in the graphic novel. Seriously this is NSFW.

Basically this is the story of a prostitute who gets superpowers and joins the League of Honor to fight crime because it pays better. There's foul language and some sexual situations so people easily offended should look away. But if you're into comics like I am and would enjoy seeing a satire where Superman, Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman all play second fiddle to a prostitute with superpowers, check this out.

What more can I say? Just... yeah check it out and hopefully you enjoy it as much as I do.