How do I review a film like this? It’s this internal struggle of whether to take it seriously or accept it for what it is: a corny, over-the-top action thriller. That’s what I hoped for, and that’s exactly what Rambo provides the audience with.
John Rambo (none other than Sylvester Stallone) returns after 20 years, now living in Thailand. His mission: to help bring a group of nice Christian Americans safely up a river to war-torn Burma to bring medical supplies. Traveling up a river in a small boat through a war-devastated country, sounds kind of like Apocalypse Now only Marlon Brando does not wait at the end of the river for us. Only a bunch of crazed rebels.
Stallone delivers an Oscar Worthy performance (just kidding). His performance is just like that of the rest of the series; much grunting and shouting and a whole lot of killing.
Whether you should see it, it’s all up to you. If you want to see a violent work of art, go see There Will Be Blood or No Country for Old Men instead. Those of you looking for a fun 90 minutes at the movies filled with brutal killing and hammy laughs, this is the movie for you. I had a blast, and most likely, so will you.

No matter what, you must always be yourself and never do what the rest of society tells you to do. That is the lesson of Persepolis. This masterful work of animation is a darkly comic coming of age story set in the background of the Iranian Revolution of the late 70s.
Marjane is just a child as efforts to overthrow the emperor and strive for a democracy. She also lives through Iran’s bloody war with Iraq. Marjane is not like most girls however. She wears a vail walking down the streets but underneath wheres a pair of sneakers and listens to Iron Maiden. She was born in a family of political prisoners and therefore learns how to stand up and most importantly, always be proud of who you are.
The Iranian Revolution was a perfect way to show a coming of age story. It allowed this girl to leave and roam free while discovering harsh lessons about life throughout the world like artificialness of love and the cruelty of strangers.
Instead of using the typical computer animation, the director decided instead to go traditional. Every character looks like a 2D cutout but they gush with life and fascinating stories to tell. Persepolis reaches the height of the greatest works of Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) as an animated film that reaches out to its younger audience while still ringing true to the adults that view as well. Everything is mythical but relatable, each shot stunning. The lessons of this film may guide the lives of the younger viewers wise enough to watch it and give them a better understanding of the world. This is one of the year’s best films.

Larry the Cable Guy: Witless Protection

Out February 22…

Michael Scott: Yeah, I went hunting once. Shot a deer in the leg. Had to kill it with a shovel. Took about an hour. Why do you ask?
-The Office

Becca: [drunkenly making out with Evan] I *so* flirt with you in math.
Evan: Tell me about it. I – same-sies.
-Superbad

Every week, I will have a new top 10 list prepared. What better way to start my blog then with the top 10 movies of all time? So here it is:
The top 10 movies of all time:

1. A Clockwork Orange-Kubrick’s brutal view of the future offers unforgettable images, shock, and hilarious irony. 30 years on, and it’s still as shocking as it was upon its release.
2. The Godfather-Coppola’s timeless crime saga contains one of the greatest performances of all time (Marlon Brando) as well as an unflinching portrayal of honor and betrayal that will forever outlive all predecessors and imitators.
3. Pulp Fiction- Tarantino’s hilarious and fascinating dialogue manage to avoid focusing on plot and instead show subtle character development. It’s also the best performance by (Scientoligist) John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson.
4. Goodfellas- Another great crime film from the 90s is also Scorsese’s greatest work. It brings us into a life we don’t want to hear about it but by the end, we’re haunted and begging for more. To bad Dances with Wolves beat it for Best Picture.
5. Once upon a Time in the West- The Good the Bad and the Ugly has always been the most revered, but West is Leone’s greatest film, and the genre at its finest. The prolonged silences and lack of dialogue are substituted by its beautiful musical score. Clocking in at nearly three hours, its worth every minute.
6. Chinatown- Polanski took this homage to 40s crime thrillers and pumped it up with the demons of his own life for this film. Every snippet of dialogue and plot is unforgettable along with one of film’s darkest endings ever.
7. The Graduate- Made in 1967, this film brought down Classical Hollywood and the line between Baby Boomers and the new generation. Not at all political, but a comment of its time and a timeless portrait of the loss of innocence and the aimless journey to adulthood.
8. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- Nicholson’s free-spirited R.P. McMurphy brings life into the cold halls of a corrupt mental hospital ruled by evil Nurse Ratched. The ending never fails to bring me to tears even as I stand up and applaud.
9. Taxi Driver- DeNiro’s best performance is well beyond the legendary mirror scene. Nobody but the team of him and Scorsese have created such a truthful and haunting portrayal of loneliness and isolation.
10. American Beauty- Unjustly considered by many the worst film ever to win best picture (Rocky over Taxi Driver/Network/All the President’s Men, anyone?) the film truly embodies its tagline: “Look Closer”. Look closer to understand one man’s (Kevin Spacey) struggle to break free from his dull suburban life and reach the so-called “American Dream”. Haunting and hilarious, it dares to portray this country in the darkest ways that no one else will.

“Come on, man. I had a rough night and I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man!”
-The Big Lebowski

Tobias Fünke: So what are your plans for this evening?
Bob Loblaw: I thought that maybe I would stay in and work on my law blog.
Tobias Fünke: Ah, yes. The “Bob Loblaw Law Blog”. You, sir, are a mouthful.
-Arrested Development

Best Picture

The Nominees: Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood

Atonement was an early favorite and despite its Golden Globe Win, its so-so box office and meager critical support along with a lack of love from the Guilds (who make up a large amount of the Academy) hurt its chances. Critics raved about Michael Clayton but it didn’t connect well with audiences. Juno has the highest gross of any of these films and could pull off a shocking “little-indie-that-could” win, similar to Crash in 2005. There Will Be Blood is gaining momentum and could be a possible spoiler but it’s No Country For Old Men which received some of the best reviews of the year and dominated most precursor awards that will end up being crowned as Best Picture of the year.

Predicted Winner: No Country For Old Men Possible Spoiler: Juno/There Will Be Blood

Best Director

The Nominees: Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood

Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men

Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton

Jason Reitman for Juno

Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Schnabel had a surprise victory at the Golden Globe Awards, but after years of churning out brilliant work (Fargo, The Big Lebowski), the Coen Brothers will finally get honored alongside their Best Picture winner.

Predicted Winner: Joel and Ethan Coen Possible Spoiler: Julian Schnabel

Best Actor

The Nominees: George Clooney in Michael Clayton

Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood

Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd

Tommy Lee Jones in In the Valley of Elah

Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises

Could Depp finally get the award he’s been long overdue for with his performance as a vengence-seeking barber? Probably not, because his singing and throat cutting is no match for Day-Lewis’s brooding performance as a power-hungry oil baron in There Will Be Blood. In fact, the actor should already be clearing his shelf for another Oscar, next to the award he also won for 1989’s My Left Foot.

Predicted Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis Possible Spoiler: Johnny Depp

Best Actress

The Nominees: Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie in Away From Her
Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney in The Savages
Ellen Page in Juno

This may be the hardest of the top categories to predict but only three women have a fighting chance. Cotillard, relatively unknown in the U.S., had a surprise win at the Golden Globe Awards while practically yanking the trophy from the hands of Ellen Page. Page deserves the Oscar for her wonderfully heartfelt performance as a free-spirited pregnant teen in Juno and could benefit from the film’s box office and critical support. But will the academy honor someone as young as Page? The one to crush the hopes of these two rising stars will most likely be veteran Christie for her performance as a woman stricken with Alzheimer’s in Away From Her. She’s swept almost every award so far. This one will be no different.

Predicted Winner: Julie Christie Possible Spoiler: Ellen Page

Best Supporting Actor

The Nominees: Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook in Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton

Unless veteran Holbrook receives a “sorry-we-forgot-to-give-you-an-award-before” win, this category belongs to Bardem. He created a new meaning of horror with his understated performance as a quiet but callous killer who roams the desert with a cattle gun in No Country For Old Men.

Predicted Winner: Javier Bardem Possible Spoiler: Hal Holbrook

Best Supporting Actress

The Nominees: Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There
Ruby Dee in American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement
Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton

Many leading critics’ awards have chosen Ryan’s performance in Gone Baby Gone. However, the Academy has always been a fan of actors acting totally out of character. Blanchett, nominated twice this year, will be walking home with at least one statue and it’s going to be for her spot-on interpretation of Bob Dylan in the mind-warping biopic I’m Not There.

Predicted Winner: Cate Blanchett Possible Spoiler: Amy Ryan

Best Original Screenplay

The Nominees: Brad Bird for Ratatouille
Diablo Cody for Juno
Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton
Tamara Jenkins for The Savages
Nancy Oliver for Lars and the Real Girl

No contest. First-time screenwriter Cody wrote Juno about the serious subject of teen pregnancy but pumped it full of witticisms about high school, a mix of one-liners and subtle jokes, loveable characters, and a romantic back-story that questions the meaning of love itself. If voters look into their hearts, they’ll realize that the only award this film may pick up belongs to its screenplay.

Predicted Winner: Juno Possible Spoiler: Michael Clayton

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Nominees: Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton for Atonement
Ronald Harwood for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sarah Polley for Away From Her

Like Best Original Screenplay, there already seems to be a lock on this category. The Coen Brothers adapted Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men nearly verbatim, but the finished product contains the duo’s trademark heist gone wrong as well as moments of wit to lighten up the bloody tragedy. Also, the rare balance of silence with terrifying dialogue makes the film as fascinating to look at as it is to find out what will happen next.

Predicted Winner: No Country For Old Men Possible Spoiler: There Will Be Blood