Django Unchained

In my opinion, Quentin Tarentino is a master storyteller. He mixes drama, humor and blood in a style I really enjoy. His latest film, Django Unchained, is set in the pre-civil war south. We watch a slave be freed by a charismatic bounty hunter to find and rescue his wife. The story is lush and the characters are interesting. Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio give fantastic performances. The blood flows freely, but there is humor as well. There is also a lot of eye candy in this film. So many shots are just beautiful tableaus. Torch-wielding men on horseback coming over a hill was a thrilling sight.  This film has been controversial for its themes and violence, but sometimes you have to say, "it's only a movie." And a good one at that.

Oscars 2013

For the first time in over a decade I am watching the Oscars with my daughter and her husband. I usually watch alone, often by design, but the invitation to spend the weekend and stay over through Monday was too tempting. We will talk fashion, speeches, production and general snark. My son-in-law is overseeing the Oscar Pool with his wonderful sense of humor. Of the 53 nominated films, I have seen 46. It was a good year for My Oscar Project. Below are my picks if I were to cast an Oscar ballot. I am Red Carpet ready, and wishing Seth McFarland a good show.

Linda's Oscar Picks

Best Picture  Argo
Best Director Michael Haneke - Amour
Best Actress  Jessica Chastain - Zero Drk Thirty
Best Actor Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress - Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Best Supporting Actor- Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Best Foreign Feature - Amour
Best Animated Feature - The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Best Documentary Feature - Searching for Sugar Man
Best Animated Short - Fresh Guacamole
Best Live Action Short - Curfew
Best Documentary Short - Mondays at Racine
Best Costume - Anna Karenina
Best Makeup and Hairstyles - The Hobit
Best Original Screenplay - Moonrise Kingdom
Best Adapted Screenplay - Lincoln
Best Original Song - Skyfall
Best Score - Argo
Best Cinematography - Skyfall
Best Production Design - Anna Karenina
Best Visual Effects - Life of Pi
Best Editing - Argo
Best Sound Editing - Zero Dark Thirty
Best Sound Mixing - Les Miserables

Favorite Films of 2012

Having seen Zero Dark Thirty this weekend, I'm ready to post my favorite films of 2012. I don't feel qualified to say which films are "best", it's a very subjective term. No one can argue with me on my favorites, because they are mine. Going through all of the films I saw released in 2012 I came up with 30 I really enjoyed. From there, I found my way to the conventional number of 10. I'm going to list them in alphabetical order because I liked them all equally. Click on the titles to see what I thought.

Argo ~ A thriller based in a true story. The editing in this film is outstanding.

Cabin in the Woods ~ A crazy horror story that was a ride I was happy to take.

Django Unchained ~ A love story based in pre-civil war south wrapped in a bloody ride.

The Intouchables ~ A story of friendship and comment on how you live your life.

Magic Mike ~ A stripper wants more. This story is elevated by it's acting and sincerity of its characters.

Moonrise Kingdom ~ A sweet story of young love. Filmed in RI, this one has a special place in my heart. Someone called it a lovely jewel box. So true.

Ruby Sparks ~ A creative spin on the crazy girlfriend story.

Seven Psychopaths ~ A roadtrip extraordinaire

Skyfall ~ A wonderful addition to the Bond franchise

Sleepwalk With Me ~ A true story that made me smile.

The other 20? The Master, Zero Dark Thirty, Frankenweenie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Cloud Atlas, Robot & Frank, The Sessions, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Flight, Killer Joe, Chronicle, Hunger Games, Sound of My Voice , The Avengers, Ted, The Dark Knight Rises, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lawless and Looper. All solid films and worth a look. On to 2013!