Posts tagged American Sniper
COLUMN: Five snubs and five surprises from the 87th Academy Award nominations

The Oscar nominations for the 87th Academy Awards were announced this morning.  Directors J.J. Abrams and Alfonso Cuaron mapped out the little categories and then actor Chris Pine and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs drops some bombs this morning.  As always, there are plenty of surprises and plenty of snubs.  Through it all, the frontrunners have already emerged and this race is taking shape, so much so that I could probably name the eventual winners already today.

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COLUMN: Predicting the major 87th Academy Award nominations

With the 87th Academy Award nominations being announced tomorrow morning, I'm cutting it close with my predictions of who and what names will hear their named called.  I've been following the full awards season over on my Awards Tracker page, where I've been following the trends and reading the tea leaves.  Using that data and a batch of hunches, here are my savvy predictions for tomorrow's nominations in the eleven major categories.

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COLUMN: The 10 Best Films of 2014

Getting into the numbers, I reviewed twenty four-star films and twelve five-star gems.  That means my final "10 Best" list are all champs with two that had to be bumped to lead the next ten.  From there, my four-star reviews were ranked from 12-20 and then honorable mention.  In keeping with the hook of my website, each of my "10 Best" are presented with their best life lesson and linked full reviews.  Enjoy! 

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COLUMN: 2015 Winter Movie Preview

It has to be said every year, but the slowest season of the box office year are the months of January and February.  It's a dumping grounds for studios in slow months of cold weather and foot traffic at the multiplexes.  These are movies that aren't good enough for awards qualification and the holiday audiences of December or for the chipper personality of spring.  It's cold, slow, and drop off from awards frenzy.

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CHECKLIST: 2015 Winter Movie Calendar

Here is your lineup of films coming your way in the slow months of January and February.  Add these to your calendar or print and slip this list on the fridge.  As always, release dates shift all of the time, so be aware.  Enjoy!

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ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW: American Sniper

Go right now to YouTube and play the trailer for "American Sniper."  First and foremost, THAT'S how you do a trailer.  That's how you tease a film, still name drop who you need to, and set the stage without giving a shred of your film away.  Second, after watching it, tell me you were surprised to see a name like Clint Eastwood's attached to a film with that kind of setting and tension.  You wouldn't be alone.  In many ways, "American Sniper" is new territory for Clint Eastwood will still retaining his signature hallmark of grit and heart.

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COLUMN: 2014 Holiday Movie Preview

 The holiday movie season of November and December is what really starts and decides the Oscar race every year and this year's schedule of films is no different.  There are some real contenders here looking to make people forget about "Birdman" and "Gone Girl."  Let's see what happens.  Here is my complete "Holiday Movie Preview" for 2014.  Enjoy! 

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CHECKLIST: 2014 Holiday Movie Calendar

Here is the master calendar for the upcoming holiday movie season releases for November and December of 2014.  Be sure to check ahead at theaters because release dates shift all the time.  Print this out, pin it, or put it on the fridge for the next two months.  Enjoy your holidays and enjoy these movies!

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