Peculiar Reviewer

My alarm wasn't set for 5:30am this morning when Emma Stone and this year's Oscar host Seth MacFarlane announced the nominees, but I compiled the gist of it. Villain-ry gets no love at the Oscars this year: Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio are painstakingly left out. Best Supporting Actor category is filled to the brim with all previous Oscar winners. At 85 and 9-years-old, both the oldest and the youngest ever nominees for Best Actress were announced. When I was 9 I was picking scabs and eating grass, so kudos to her. A foreign film no one has seen nabs 5 nominations, including Best Picture. As upsetting as yet another snub for great talent DiCaprio (who literally has no comfort zone as an actor. Seriously Academy, are you still with us?), my favorite film this year, Silver Linings Playbook , did get recognized for the 5 majors: Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Although, it has no chance up against the Spielberg sn...

Slave revenge meets spaghetti western in post-modern filmmaker Quentin Tarantino 's brutal ride/comedy of the races Django Unchained . Django ( Jamie Foxx ), now broken from the chains of slavery after being freed by Dr. King Schultz ( Christoph Waltz ), sets off across America's Deep South with the German bounty hunter. The two rebels are on a mission to rescue Django's wife ( Kerry Washington ) from the unforgettable plantation owner Calvin Candie who runs Candyland, played by no other than Leonardo DiCaprio . DiCaprio sinks his spurs into his Candie, silencing the audience in fear of his wrath during the scene at Candyland which is the most memorable of the film. Tarantino takes his time with each scene, and this is why the viewer remains attentive throughout. The running time is non-existent when the layout is so smooth . Django has many of the Western genre staples, including rural long shots, the outlaw underdog, a quest for justice, and a final showdown (slightly ...

Fall 2012. A DiCaprio Christmas Day double-header. The return of a Master. Two gothimated (that's goth + animated) movies. Which will you choose? The screen awaits. The Master (September 14th) This is Paul Thomas Anderson 's first film since the 2007's knock-out film  There Will Be Blood . This also marks the return of Joaquin Phoenix in his first dramatic role since Two Lovers (2008), a film that no one saw. Of course, Philip Seymour Hoffman will master another performance. Django Unchained (December 25th) Quentin Tarantino directing Leonardo DiCaprio - will Di finally win an Oscar this time?! Or will the Academy wait until he's old and gray to recognize that he's the most talented actor since Marlon Brando. The film is inspired by 1960s spaghetti westerns.   The Great Gatsby (December 25th) Baz Luhrmann 's version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's beloved novel will no doubt be much different than the 1974 release starring Robert ...