Movie Geeks

Giveaway – Win A Copy Of STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON Blu-ray/DVD

Follow the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. as they forge their anger and inner-city frustrations into the most potent weapon imaginable: their music. In Straight Outta Compton: Unrated Director’s Cut fans can follow N.W.A.’s electrifying lyrics and unique sound, which introduced a truth that no one had heard before and exposed life in the hood igniting a social revolution that still reverberates today.

The culturally relevant and explosively entertaining biopic is coming to Digital HD onJanuary 5, 2016 and Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand January 19, 2016 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The Blu-ray and Digital HD versions include the exclusive Unrated Director’s Cut that gives fans more of the N.W.A. story with 20 additional minutes of the film. Directed by F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, Friday),Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of five young rebels from South Central Los Angeles who, armed with only their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent, stood up to the authorities attempting to keep them down.

With an 89% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and hailed by critics as, “an electrifying piece of hip-hop history that speaks urgently to right now,” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), Straight Outta Compton bowed as the box office’s biggest R-rated August opening of all time and biggest musical biopic ever, grossing $60 million during its opening weekend and generating over $200 million worldwide to date.

WAMG is giving away copies of the film to celebrate the Blu-ray/DVD release.

ENTER YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW. WE WILL CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE A WINNER.

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No purchase necessary.

Order here: http://www.amazon.com/Straight-Compton-Blu-ray-DIGITAL-Ultraviolet/dp/B013P0X16Q/ref=sr_1_2_twi_blu_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1452540757&sr=1-2&keywords=straight+outta+compton

Read WAMG’s review here.

Following the rise of the world’s most notorious group, Straight Outta Comptonfeatures breakout stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube), Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre), Jason Mitchell (the late Eazy-E), Neil Brown, Jr. (DJ Yella) and Aldis Hodge (MC Ren) as members of N.W.A. and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Paul Giamatti (HBO’sJohn Adams) as the group’s manager.

As the essential companion piece to the home entertainment release, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will release Straight Outta Compton: The Soundtrack. This new collection is the official soundtrack featuring key cuts from the film including “Quiet On Tha Set,” “Gangsta Gangsta,” “Express Yourself” and the explosive title track. In addition, Straight Outta Compton: Original Motion Picture Score will be released separately featuring music composed and conducted by Joseph Trapanese, and produced by Bryan Lawson and Joseph Trapanese. Both collections will release worldwide on all digital and CD formats on January 8, 2016, with Straight Outta Compton: The Soundtrack being pressed as a 2-LP vinyl set.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO Blu-ray:

DELETED SCENES
BECOMING N.W.A. – An in-depth look at how the producers and F. Gary Gray tackled the challenging task of casting these larger than life creators of gangster rap.
NEVER BEFORE SEEN PERFORMANCE

BLU-RAY and DVD BONUS FEATURES

N.W.A. THE ORIGINS – N.W.A. was a group that changed history. Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, and many others talk about their start in the 80’s and where it all began.
IMPACT – An exploration of the impact N.W.A. and specifically their breakout album that changed everything.
DIRECTOR’S JOURNEY – Utilizing a large amount of stand up interviews, we follow F. Gary Gray through the streets of Comptonas he brings together the story of the founders of gangsta rap.
THE STREETS: FILMING IN COMPTON – Take a look through the lens of Director F. Gary Gray as he perfected the authentic feeling of what it was like to walk the streets of Compton.
N.W.A PERFORMS IN DETROIT – We go behind the scenes of what this performance meant to the original members of N.W.A. as they saw their lyrics spark controversy against the corruption of the police in Los Angeles, as well as the thoughts of the actors performing the song on stage for the movie.
FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR/PRODUCER F. GARY GRAY

Website: http://uni.pictures/StraightOuttaCompton
Trailer: http://uni.pictures/SOCTrailer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StraightOuttaComptonMovie
Twitter: twitter.com/ComptonMovie
Instagram: https://instagram.com/OuttaComptonMovie
Hashtag: #StraightOuttaCompton

Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how five young cultural rebels – armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent – stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.

FILMMAKERS:
Cast: O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown, Jr., Aldis Hodge,Paul Giamatti
Directed By: F. Gary Gray
Screenplay By: Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff
Story By: S. Leigh Savidge, Alan Wenkus, Andrea Berloff
Produced By: Ice Cube, Tomica Woods-Wright, Matt Alvarez, F. Gary Gray, Scott Bernstein, Dr. Dre
Executive Produced By: Will Packer, Adam Merims, David Engel, Bill Straus, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni,
Director of Photography: Matthew Libatique, ASC
Production Designer: Shane Valentino
Edited By: Billy Fox, Michael Tronick
Music By: Joseph Trapanese

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY:
Street Date: January 19, 2016
Copyright: 2016 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 61165837 (US) / 61165862 (CDN)
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.40:1
Rating: R for language throughout, strong sexuality/nudity, violence, and drug use
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish DTS Surround 5.1, French DTS Surround 5.1
Run Time: 2 hours, 27 minutes (theatrical) / 2 hours, 47 minutes (unrated director’s cut)

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD
Street Date: January 19, 2016
Copyright: 2016 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 61165838 (US)/61165861 (CDN)
Layers: Dual
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.40:1
Rating: R for language throughout, strong sexuality/nudity, violence, and drug use
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Sound: English Dolby Digital 5.1/Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Run Time: 2 hours, 27 minutes

SHOCKWAVE DARKSIDE – The DVD Review

Review by Stephen Tronicek

To anyone who has played a 90’s video game that was on CD-ROM, the phrase FMV will be very familiar. They were these exciting videos that would have real people acting as characters in the game setting up the story. They were…awesome. Cheesy beyond belief, but awesome in their own way. You’re not supposed to make an entire movie like that though.

That said just like the FMV’s, there are parts of SHOCKWAVE DARKSIDE that seem awesome-ish. The story concerns a group of space soldiers trying to get to an extraction point on the moon after a brutal attack. Their story begins horribly with a large battle sequence going down. The filmmakers might have been too ambitious in their attempt to stage this. While there seems to be lots of work put into it, the whole thing is choreographed and shot in an unexciting, and uneventful way. But after that the whole film barrels down, and actually becomes a couple of soldiers walking across the moon it actually gets good. Sure, it looks like an FMV and sounds like an FMV, but once it gets to this point the film starts to becomes engaging. The dialogue isn’t good, but it’s just ok enough to create a sense that the soldiers however silly their personalities are, human…enough.

The film’s main problem is the way that it’s themes almost seem understated. There’s a huge idea of religion revolving around the movie that is only hinted at through the dialogue, and then shows up as a huge plot point during the last 20 minutes of the film. Why this is understated is because the dialogue hasn’t really given any context as to the importance of religion in the film. There is a sense of bafflement when it tries to make a twist out of that.

Overall SHOCKWAVE DARKSIDE didn’t really work, but was still ok at times. The beginning, and the end are no fun, but the middle is full of dialogue that tends to work while you’re watching it, but is supposed to set up ALL the context of the film. SHOCKWAVE DARKSIDE is a better film then one might expect when getting into it but there were low expectations in the first place.

SHOCKWAVE DARKSIDE is available on Video on Demand and DVD.

This Week’s WAMG Podcast – RIDE ALONG 2, 13 HOURS, David Bowie And More

This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Michelle McCue, Jim Batts, Cate Marquis, and Tom Stockman discuss the weekend box office. We’ll review 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI, RIDE ALONG 2, and NORM OF THE NORTH. We’ll also discuss the Oscar nominations, talk about the Alliance of Women Film Journalists awards, and pay tribute to the film careers of Alan Rickman and David Bowie.

Here’s this week’s show. Have a listen:

Top 10 Disappointing Films Of 2015

2015 offered some terrific films for audiences – THE MARTIAN, CREED, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, BROOKLYN and STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS to name a few. They were huge crowd-pleasers and very successful at the box office. But not every movie connected with audiences this past year, as much as we wanted them to.

WAMG takes a look at the past 12 months and the movies that we really wanted to love, but just couldn’t. Here we go with our Top 10 list of the Most Disappointing Films of 2015.

Dishonorable Mention: SEVENTH SON

It’s hard to decipher exactly what Jeff Bridges is saying under his accent that sounds like a cross between Gandalf and Bane from THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. And that is only one of the many problems with this film. SEVENTH SON is nothing but hallow, visual clutter that is cobbled together to form something that struggles to appeal to the D&D or THE LORD OF THE RINGS crowd; both of which are smarter than this nonsense.

10. Tomorrowland

A dated Disneyland fixture never seemed like much of a premise for a science fiction/fantasy adventure anyway but TOMORROWLAND figures out what it wants to be about or what kind of story it is really telling. There are plenty of expensive effects but little point to this mixed-up mess.

9. Fifty Shades of Grey

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY is a dumb, escapist, sex fantasy that will rarely get your blood going. The results are far from steamy, if not maybe a little too vanilla given the subject. Isn’t this stuff supposed to be racy? The only thing about the dull and lifeless Mr. Grey that will leave any impression is the sight of his washboard abs. Aside from that, he will most likely put you to sleep – along with the film as a whole.

8. Pan

It wasn’t about the A-list cast or the release date – audiences just weren’t interested in another incarnation of the Peter Pan story. No matter how you spin it, PAN was supposed to woo moviegoers with an origin story on the ”Boy Who Could Fly” but how many times is Hollywood going to rehash the same story? We’ve seen the classic PETER PAN (1953), HOOK (1991), RETURN OT NEVERLAND (2002), PETER PAN (2003), FINDING NEVERLAND ( 2004) and various animated direct-to-DVD films starring Tinker Bell that Disney began in 2008. Who doesn’t love J. M. Barrie’s story of Peter, Wendy, Tiger-Lily and Captain Hook, but we think it’s time to move onto other theatrical adventures.

7. The Longest Ride

In yet another movie romance based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel, a rodeo bull-rider and a college student hoping to run a New York art gallery meet cute, and despite having nothing in common, fall in love – naturally. However, THE LONGEST RIDE is not satisfied with that unlikely premise, but piles on a bunch other far-fetched plot devises, including a love story set in World War II. If the film had stuck with the WWII romance, it might have had some charm. Instead, it sinks under a huge mountain of assorted gimmicks and coincidences..

6. Ted 2

TED was a one trick pony when it hits theaters in 2012. Funny, clever, and raunchy – all from the mind of Seth MacFarlane – the movie became Universal’s highest-grossing film of the year. We kind of liked the idea of a sequel, to see what happened to John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and his beloved teddy bear, but when TED 2 hit theaters in June, minus the wonderful Mila Kunis, most of the gags and one-liners didn’t payoff. All our entertainment dollar got us was a talking CGI stuffed bear and movie that wasn’t really funny.

5. Aloha

Oh, what has become of Cameron Crowe? The man behind some of the best romantic comedies of the late 80’s and 1990’s (SAY ANYTHING, JERRY MAGUIRE) continues his downward spiral with this lifeless mess that wastes an astounding all-star cast. What was intended as a movie valentine to our fiftieth state is bogged down with subplots involving lost loves, distrusting locals, military con-men, mystical island legends, and a space satellite system scheme from an off-kilter media mogul played by Bill Murray. What little press this flick garnered concerned the head-scratching casting of the usually entrancing Emma Stone as a character who is half native Hawaiian. Sad to say, but this may have been the least of ALOHA’s problems. Not that’s a real poo-poo platter!

4. By the Sea

Those who would like to see more women directors would love to see Angelina Jolie Pitt succeed in her ambition and become a polished director. But, as her latest effort shows, she is still not there, despite her considerable film-making resources. Both slow and strange, Jolie Pitt’s latest directorial effort BY THE SEA sports pretty photography and pretty people (herself and husband Brad Pitt) but, unfortunately, the film is both dull and somewhat creepy. Maybe next time she’ll succeed but not with this film.

3. Grandma

Misleadingly promoted as a fun intergenerational comedy, GRANDMA was an ugly and disturbing look at a cranky old lesbian poet and her granddaughter who spend a day driving around trying to find ways to raise money to pay for the young girl’s abortion. This quest includes selling her precious dog-eared, wine-stained stack of first editions ‘60s feminist literature. It’s a serious subject that could have been handled with far more maturity and insight than the writers of GRANDMA writers were capable of. Tomlin’s Grandma was the most abrasive and unpleasant on-screen character in recent memory.

2. Love the Coopers

This year’s cinematic lump of coal came in the form of LOVE THE COOPERS, a precious and irritating film that saw a large family trying to cover up their noisy dysfunction during the holiday season. Diane Keaton and John Goodman starred as the heads of the Cooper clan whose obnoxious members (including Ed Helms, Marissa Tomei, and a farting June Squibb)are wrestling with unemployment, divorce, hormones and general disappointment. In lieu of any insightful observations about how Christmas can actually bring people together, the film tried to evoke a little Christmas spirit by with weird scenes of the Coopers spilling their guts to people they hardly know. The subplot in which Grandpa Cooper (Alan Arkin) lusts after a suicidal waitress (Amanda Seyfried) was just creepy, but the biggest disappointment was the waste of such a large, photogenic cast. Watching LOVE THE COOPERS was like getting a Christmas card from a family you can’t stand.

1. The Fantastic Four

So, everything from Marvel Comics is box office gold? Well, when Marvel’s own studio handles it, yes usually. This reboot was a rushed (to keep the movie rights), poorly conceived clunker that actually made audiences nostalgic over Tim Story’s modest pair of flicks from the past 11 years (and makes the Roger Corman produced 90’s low-budget trifle seem charming). Giving “the world’s greatest comics magazine” to CHRONICLE’s Josh Trank looked like a sure thing. Then his team gave comics and film fans a lethargic, dark, dreary origin story that ended with a truncated dismal battle finale with a boring revamp of Doctor Doom. Get the rights back, Marvel, and show us a foursome that’s truly fantastic.

Check out the staff’s individual lists:

Jim

Biggest Disappointment: TOMORROWLAND

THE FANTASTIC FOUR
ALOHA
LOVE THE COOPERS
SAINT LAURENT
THE LONGEST RIDE
WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS
STONEWALL
BY THE SEA
BLACKHAT
PAPER TOWNS

Michelle

Biggest Disappointment: THE FANTASTIC FOUR

TED 2
LOVE THE COOPERS
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS
ALOHA
ENTOURAGE
BY THE SEA
THE LAST WITCH HUNTER
MORTDECAI
STEVE JOBS
PAN

Michael

SEVENTH SON
TERMINATOR GENISYS
THE FANTASTIC FOUR
CHAPPIE
JURASSIC WORLD
THE GALLOWS
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
ANT-MAN
BONE TOMAHAWK
A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE

Cate

Biggest Disappointment: STEVE JOBS

THE FANTASTIC FOUR
PAN
SERENA
HOT PURSUIT
THE LONGEST RIDE
TOMORROWLAND
BLACK OR WHITE
TED 2
WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS
BY THE SEA

Tom

Biggest Disappointment: STONEWALL

ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS
LOVE THE COOPERS
GRANDMA
SELF/LESS
50 SHADES OF GREY
AMERICAN ULTRA
FANTASTIC FOUR
TOMORROWLAND
THE LAZARUS EFFECT

88th Academy Awards Nominations – THE REVENANT, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Lead The Oscars 2016 Field

The 2016 Oscar nominations are in. “We All Dream In Gold” was the phrase of the morning when Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski and Ang Lee announced the 88th Academy Awards nominations.

WAMG was at the live news conference inside the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater along with 400 international media representatives.

THE REVENANT received the most nominations Thursday morning with twelve, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD saw eleven, followed by THE MARTIAN with seven.

Seeing six nominations apiece were BRIDGE OF SPIES, CAROL and SPOTLIGHT. Rounding out the multiple nods were THE BIG SHORT and STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS with five bids.

The buzz heard throughout the theater went to the much deserved nod for Sylvester Stallone (CREED) who is nominated for playing Rocky Balboa 40 years after his first nomination in 1976 for playing the same character, Charlotte Rampling with her Best Actress Nomination (45 YEARS) and every time MAD MAX: FURY ROAD was mentioned.

Vying for the big prize for Best Picture are:

“The Big Short” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
“Bridge of Spies” Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
“Brooklyn” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
“Mad Max: Fury Road” Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers
“The Martian” Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers
“The Revenant” Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers
“Room” Ed Guiney, Producer
“Spotlight” Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers

Del Toro and Lee announced the nominees in 11 categories at 5:30 a.m. PT, followed by Boone Isaacs and Krasinski for the remaining 13 categories at 5:38 a.m. PT.

Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominees are selected by a vote of multi-branch screening committees.

All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.

Official screenings of all motion pictures with one or more nominations will begin for members on Saturday, January 23, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Screenings also will be held at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Active members of the Academy are eligible to vote for the winners in all 24 categories.

Nominations for the 88th Academy Awards:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Bryan Cranston in “Trumbo”
Matt Damon in “The Martian”
Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Revenant”
Michael Fassbender in “Steve Jobs”
Eddie Redmayne in “The Danish Girl”

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Christian Bale in “The Big Short”
Tom Hardy in “The Revenant”
Mark Ruffalo in “Spotlight”
Mark Rylance in “Bridge of Spies”
Sylvester Stallone in “Creed”

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Cate Blanchett in “Carol”
Brie Larson in “Room”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Joy”
Charlotte Rampling in “45 Years”
Saoirse Ronan in “Brooklyn”

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Jennifer Jason Leigh in “The Hateful Eight”
Rooney Mara in “Carol”
Rachel McAdams in “Spotlight”
Alicia Vikander in “The Danish Girl”
Kate Winslet in “Steve Jobs”

Best animated feature film of the year

“Anomalisa” Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson and Rosa Tran
“Boy and the World” Alê Abreu
“Inside Out” Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera
“Shaun the Sheep Movie” Mark Burton and Richard Starzak
“When Marnie Was There” Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura

Achievement in cinematography

“Carol” Ed Lachman
“The Hateful Eight” Robert Richardson
“Mad Max: Fury Road” John Seale
“The Revenant” Emmanuel Lubezki
“Sicario” Roger Deakins

Achievement in costume design

“Carol” Sandy Powell
“Cinderella” Sandy Powell
“The Danish Girl” Paco Delgado
“Mad Max: Fury Road” Jenny Beavan
“The Revenant” Jacqueline West

Achievement in directing

“The Big Short” Adam McKay
“Mad Max: Fury Road” George Miller
“The Revenant” Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Won last year for BIRDMAN. The last back-to-back Oscar win for director was in 1950.)
“Room” Lenny Abrahamson
“Spotlight” Tom McCarthy

Best documentary feature

“Amy” Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees
“Cartel Land” Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
“The Look of Silence” Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
“What Happened, Miss Simone?” Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes
“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor

Best documentary short subject

“Body Team 12” David Darg and Bryn Mooser
“Chau, beyond the Lines” Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
“Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah” Adam Benzine
“A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness” Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“Last Day of Freedom” Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman

Achievement in film editing

“The Big Short” Hank Corwin
“Mad Max: Fury Road” Margaret Sixel
“The Revenant” Stephen Mirrione
“Spotlight” Tom McArdle
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey

Best foreign language film of the year

“Embrace of the Serpent” Colombia
“Mustang” France
“Son of Saul” Hungary
“Theeb” Jordan
“A War” Denmark

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

“Mad Max: Fury Road” Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
“The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared” Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
“The Revenant” Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“Bridge of Spies” Thomas Newman
“Carol” Carter Burwell
“The Hateful Eight” Ennio Morricone
“Sicario” Jóhann Jóhannsson
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” John Williams

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Earned It” from “Fifty Shades of Grey”
Music and Lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
“Manta Ray” from “Racing Extinction”
Music by J. Ralph and Lyric by Antony Hegarty
“Simple Song #3” from “Youth”
Music and Lyric by David Lang
“Til It Happens To You” from “The Hunting Ground”
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
“Writing’s On The Wall” from “Spectre”
Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith

Achievement in production design

“Bridge of Spies” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich
“The Danish Girl” Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish
“Mad Max: Fury Road” Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson
“The Martian” Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak
“The Revenant” Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy

Best animated short film

“Bear Story” Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
“Prologue” Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton
“Sanjay’s Super Team” Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
“We Can’t Live without Cosmos” Konstantin Bronzit
“World of Tomorrow” Don Hertzfeldt

Best live action short film

“Ave Maria” Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
“Day One” Henry Hughes
“Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)” Patrick Vollrath
“Shok” Jamie Donoughue
“Stutterer” Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage

Achievement in sound editing

“Mad Max: Fury Road” Mark Mangini and David White
“The Martian” Oliver Tarney
“The Revenant” Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
“Sicario” Alan Robert Murray
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Matthew Wood and David Acord

Achievement in sound mixing

“Bridge of Spies” Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
“Mad Max: Fury Road” Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
“The Martian” Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
“The Revenant” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson

Achievement in visual effects

“Ex Machina” Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
“Mad Max: Fury Road” Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
“The Martian” Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
“The Revenant” Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould

Adapted screenplay

“The Big Short” Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
“Brooklyn” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
“Carol” Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy
“The Martian” Screenplay by Drew Goddard
“Room” Screenplay by Emma Donoghue

Original screenplay

“Bridge of Spies” Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
“Ex Machina” Written by Alex Garland
“Inside Out” Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen
“Spotlight” Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
“Straight Outta Compton” Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff

Facts provided by AMPAS:

In 2011, the balloting rules first allowed for the possibility of between five and ten nominees for Best Picture. For the first three years, there were nine nominees. For the past two years, there have been eight.

Steven Spielberg has set the record for the most Best Picture nominations for an individual producer with nine.

In the Acting categories, eight individuals are first-time nominees (Bryan Cranston, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Brie Larson, Charlotte Rampling, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rachel McAdams and Alicia Vikander). Five of the nominees are previous Acting winners (Eddie Redmayne, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Winslet). At age 25, Jennifer Lawrence is the youngest four-time Acting nominee.

Sylvester Stallone, who received his first Acting nomination in 1976 for Rocky, is the sixth person nominated for playing the same role in two different films. He follows Bing Crosby as Father O’Malley in Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945); Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986); Peter O’Toole as Henry II in Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968); Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974); and Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). Of these, only Bing Crosby and Paul Newman won Oscars (in 1944 and 1986, respectively).

Roger Deakins has the most nominations for Cinematography of any living person with 13. Charles B. Lang, Jr. and Leon Shamroy share the all-time record with 18 nominations each.

Sandy Powell now has the most nominations for Costume Design of any living person with 12. The overall record in the category belongs to Edith Head with 35 nominations.

John Williams extends his record number of music scoring nominations with 45. His overall total of 50 nominations (including five for Original Song) increases his record for the most Academy Award nominations of any living person (the only person with more is Walt Disney at 59). Thomas Newman’s nomination for Original Score for Bridge of Spies is his 13th and brings the total for members of the Newman family (Alfred, Lionel, Emil, Thomas, David and Randy) to 89, more than any other family.

The Original Song nomination for “Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction is the fifth for a song from a documentary. Previous nominations were for “More” from Mondo Cane (1963); “I Need To Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth, which won an Oscar in 2006; “Before My Time” from Chasing Ice (2012), also written by this year’s nominee J. Ralph; and “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me (2014).

With his two nominations for Sound Mixing (for Bridge of Spies and Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Andy Nelson has tied Kevin O’Connell’s record for the most individual nominations in the category with 20.

Inside Out is the ninth animated feature to receive a Writing nomination. To date, none has won. With his fourth Writing nomination this year, Pete Docter has tied Andrew Stanton for the most writing nominations for animated films.

Watch the 88th Academy Awards LIVE on Sunday, Feb. 28 on ABC with host Chris Rock.

Visit oscar.go.com/nominees for more on today’s nominees.

Contributed by Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

Actor Alan Rickman Dies At Age 69

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

The world has lost British great, Alan Rickman. The actor sadly died at the age of 69.

From the AP:

Rickman’s family said Thursday that the actor had died after a battle with cancer.

Born to a working-class London family in 1946 and trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Rickman was often cast as the bad guy; with his rich, languid voice he could invest evil with wicked, irresistible relish.

His breakout role was as scheming French aristocrat the Vicomte de Valmont in an acclaimed 1985 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Christopher Hampton’s “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.”

Film roles included the psychopathic villain Hans Gruber who tormented Bruce Willis in “Die Hard” in 1988; a deceased lover who consoles his bereaved partner in 1990’s “Truly Madly Deeply”; the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” in 1991; and a wayward husband in 2003 romantic comedy “Love Actually.”

Millions know him from the Potter films, in which he played the potions and defense against the dark arts teacher Severus Snape, who was either a nemesis or an ally — possibly both — to the titular teenage wizard.

His villains were memorable, and included an Emmy-winning turn as “mad monk” Rasputin in a 1996 TV biopic.

But Rickman’s screen roles were remarkably varied, and included the upright Col. Brandon in Ang Lee’s 1995 film version of “Sense and Sensibility” and Irish politician Eamon de Valera in 1996 historical drama “Michael Collins.”

He had a sideline in comic sci-fi, bringing knowingness and fun to the spoof “Galaxy Quest” in 1999 and delivering existential ennui as the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” in 2005.

He appeared frequently onstage, earning Tony Award nominations for “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” in 1987 and Noel Coward’s “Private Lives” in 2002.

Rickman was also a filmmaker, directing and co-starring opposite Kate Winslet in 2014 costume drama “A Little Chaos.” Seventeen years earlier, he’d directed Emma Thompson and her mother Phyllida Law in “The Winter Guest.”

Frequently charming in person, Rickman was, by his own account, uncompromising as an actor. During the filming of “Harry Potter,” he maintained Snape’s air of haughty disdain even off-camera.

“The animal in me takes over,” Rickman told The Associated Press in 2011 when he appeared on Broadway in Theresa Rebeck’s play “Seminar.”

“You’re as polite as possible, but it’s not always possible.”

Rickman is survived by his partner of 50 years, Rima Horton, whom he married in 2012. Funeral details were not immediately available.

Our condolences to Rickman’s family and friends.

88th Oscar Nominations Predictions

“There is one night, we all dream in Gold.”

The Academy has unveiled the new posters and TV spots for the 88th Oscars (Feb. 28, 2016).

The 2016 Oscar campaign illustrates the emotional power of movies and their ability to inspire all of us to achieve our dreams. Movies remind us that imagination is limitless. The Oscar is, at once, a representation of excellence in film and a tangible symbol that dreams can–and do–come true.

“The Dream campaign embodies what people love about the Oscars—the range of emotions and excitement that comes with those unforgettable moments in a live show,” said Christina Kounelias, Academy CMO. “Fans also look for the comedy and the unexpected, and that’s what they’ll get with our host, Chris Rock. His comedic perspective will be a great complement to the more dramatic moments.”

The deadline for AMPAS voters to have their ballots into the Academy was 5pm this past Friday. (Ballots were received by members on Dec 30). Since then many of the major guilds have announced their nominees, as well as the BAFTA awards nominations.

Nominations for the 88th annual Academy Awards will be revealed on Thursday, Jan. 14.

WAMG will once again be at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theatre with other domestic and international outlets covering the morning’s announcement.

Below is our list of our predictions in the major categories. Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski and Ang Lee will announce the 88th Academy Awards nominations in all 24 Oscar categories at a special two-part live news conference.

At 5:30 a.m. PT, del Toro and Lee will announce the nominees in the following categories: Animated Feature Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Song, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

At 5:38 a.m. PT, Krasinski and Boone Isaacs will take the stage to unveil the nominations for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Directing, Film Editing, Foreign Language Film, Original Score, Best Picture, Production Design, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay and Original Screenplay.

The Nominations Announcement is a live news conference where more than 400 media representatives from around the world will be gathered. The event will be broadcast and streamed live on www.oscars.org/live.

The 88th Oscar Nominations Announcement will be streamed live on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/Oscars.

Best Picture – it can be anywhere from 5 to 10

BRIDGE OF SPIES
BROOKLYN
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
THE BIG SHORT
THE MARTIAN
THE REVENANT
SPOTLIGHT
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Alternate: CAROL. Will STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS make it into the final announcement?

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Bryan Cranston – Trumbo
Johnny Depp – Black Mass
Leonardo DiCaprio -The Revenant
Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs
Michael B. Jordan – Creed

Alternate:

Matt Damon – The Martian. We’d love to see Ian McKellen’s performance in MR. HOLMES see a nod.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Christian Bale – The Big Short
Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation
Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight
Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies
Sylvester Stallone – Creed

Alternate: Jason Tremblay – Room

Performance by an actress in a leading role

ALICIA VIKANDER – The Danish Girl
BRIE LARSON – Room
CATE BLANCHETT – Carol
CHARLOTTE RAMPLING – 45 Years
SAOIRSE RONAN – Brooklyn

Alternate: MAGGIE SMITH The Lady in the Van

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

ALICIA VIKANDER – Ex Machina
JENNIFER JASON LEIGH – The Hateful Eight
RACHEL MCADAMS – Spotlight
KATE WINSLET – Steve Jobs
ROONEY MARA – Carol

Alternate: Julie Walters – Brooklyn

Best animated feature film of the year

ANOMALISA
INSIDE OUT
MINIONS
SHAUN THE SHEEP
THE PEANUTS MOVIE

Alternate: THE GOOD DINOSAUR

Best Cinematography

BRIDGE OF SPIES Janusz Kamiński
CAROL Ed Lachman
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD John Seale
THE REVENANT Emmanuel Lubezki
SICARIO Roger Deakins

Alternate: CREED Maryse Alberti

Best Costume Design

Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road

Alternate: Suffragette

Best Director

THE BIG SHORT Adam McKay
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD George Miller
SPOTLIGHT Tom McCarthy
THE MARTIAN Ridley Scott
THE REVENANT Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Alternate: CAROL Todd Haynes

Best Documentary Feature

Amy
Cartel Land
Going Clear
He Named Me Malala
The Look of Silence

Alternate: The Hunting Ground

Best Editing

THE BIG SHORT Hank Corwin
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Margaret Sixel
SPOTLIGHT Tom McArdle
THE MARTIAN Pietro Scalia
THE REVENANT Stephen Mirrione

Alternate BRIDGE OF SPIES – Michael Kahn

Best Foreign Language Film

SON OF SAUL (Hungary)
LABYRINTH OF LIES (Germany)
MUSTANG (France)
A WAR (Denmark)
VIVA (Ireland)

Alternate THEEB (Jordan)

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

BLACK MASS
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
THE REVENANT

Alternate MR. HOLMES

Best Score

BRIDGE OF SPIES Thomas Newman
CAROL Carter Burwell
THE HATEFUL EIGHT Ennio Morricone
SICARIO Jóhann Jóhannsson
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS John Williams

Alternate STEVE JOBS Daniel Pemberton

Best Song

“See You Again” – Furious 7
“Simple Song 3” – Youth
“Earned It – Fifity Shades of Grey
“Til It Happens to You” – The Hunting Ground
“Writings on the Wall” – Spectre

Alternate “Love Me Like You Do” – Fifty Shades of Grey

Best Visual Effects

JURASSIC WORLD
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
THE MARTIAN
THE WALK
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

Alternate: THE REVENANT or ANT-MAN

Best Adapted Screenplay

Adam McKay – The Big Short
The Martian – Drew Godard
Carol – Phyllis Nagy
Steve Jobs – Aaron Sorkin
Trumbo – John McNamara

Alternate Room – Emma Donoghue

Best Original Screenplay

Bridge of Spies -Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Spotlight – Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
Straight Outta Compton – Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff
Trainwreck – Amy Schumer
The Hateful Eight – Quentin Tarantino

Alternate Sicario – Taylor Sheridan

NIGHTMARE CODE – The DVD Review

Review by Stephen Tronicek

Great horror movies stick with us because they have a great story and a chilling underlying fear sitting under the surface to stick with us. Subpar horror films have the story, but lack the underlying fear. Bad horror films lack both. NIGHTMARE CODE is a subpar horror film because it’s missing something. The same problem afflicted this year’s highly acclaimed IT FOLLOWS, but in reverse order. It had the deep seeded fear, but lacked the storytelling chops to actually do anything with them. NIGHTMARE CODE has the story, but lacks deep seeded fear.

NIGHTMARE CODE is the story of Brett Desmond (a surprisingly excellent Andrew J. West), a convicted ex-hacker who is brought in to finish a code with a team of experts. The code in question is thought to have caused the last lead coder to go on a massacre in the office before executing himself. The premise is intriguing enough, but never pays off. The film has such an interesting, and intense story line, but doesn’t back it up with anything that should really scare the audience. NIGHTMARE CODE doesn’t build too much tension outside of its middle climax, and final act and its mysterious nature demands more than that.

The reason for this lack of tension is quickly seen too. The film seems unfocused. At one moment it’s being comedic, and a little sexist, and the next a man shoots a couple of people in an office. The jarring tone shifts provide some interesting parallels between scenes, and does a ratchet up some tension, but that’s not enough to balance the sense that NIGHTMARE CODE is all over the place.

The filmmaking creates an excellent juxtaposition for this point too. The entire film is found footage, and mostly shot from an angle of a character facing a computer screen. Much of the runtime is represented on a frame with four cameras running at the same time. A four square isn’t exactly ideal for an intimate horror thriller. Throughout the entire film there’s a sense that if the filmmakers had used a more dynamic camera the film may have been much more exciting. It also all but cripples the relationship between the people working on the project not really allowing them to feel bonded as a team.

The performances offered here are actually pretty good though. Andrew J. West brings a nice everyman performance, and he keeps the film believable as the story becomes more and more preposterous. The other notable here is Googy Gress playing the villain of the piece Foster Cotton. Gress doesn’t actually fight the preposterous nature of the story, he dives in head first, and benefits from it. Many of the other actors fall on either side of this spectrum, and most are at least entertaining to watch.

NIGHTMARE CODE has an original, refreshing story, but lacks a sense of fear or tension because of the filmmaking choices made. It’s still an interesting debut for director Mark Netter, and there’s still promise in the enticing stories he could bring to the table.

NIGHTMARE CODE is available on Video on Demand and DVD. Details can be found HERE

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of THE 5TH WAVE In St. Louis

WAMG has your free passes to catch an early screening of Sony Pictures’ upcoming adventure THE 5TH WAVE.

Based on the novel by Rick Yancey, the author, stars and filmmakers discuss the making of the new film where four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated.

Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, Cassie (Chloë Grace Moretz) is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie teams up with a young man who may become her final hope – if she can only trust him.

Directed by J Blakeson, the cast includes Nick Robinson, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Alex Roe, Maria Bello, Maika Monroe and Liev Schreiber. The score is from composer Henry Jackman.

THE 5TH WAVE opens in theaters January 22, 2016.

WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of THE 5TH WAVE on Wednesday, January 20 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.

We will contact the winners by email.

Answer the following: Name the films in which Chloë Grace Moretz has starred.

Hit-Girl/Mindy McCready
Rachel Hansen
Carrie White
Ann Sliger
Abby

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWERS AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.

3. No purchase necessary.

The film has been rated PG 13 for violence and destruction, some sci-fi thematic elements, language and brief teen partying.

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Snapchat: The5thWave

This Week’s WAMG Podcast – THE REVENANT, ANOMALISA, THE FOREST, and More!

This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Michelle McCue, Jim Batts and Tom Stockman discuss the weekend box office. We’ll review THE FOREST, THE REVENANT, and ANOMALISA. We’ll preview 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI and RIDE ALONG 2. We’ll also talk about the Golden Globe Awards program and predict what films will be nominated for what Oscars when those are announced this week.

Here’s this week’s show. Have a listen:

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Dishonorable Mention: SEVENTH SON

10. Tomorrowland

9. Fifty Shades of Grey

8. Pan

7. The Longest Ride

6. Ted 2

5. Aloha

4. By the Sea

3. Grandma

2. Love the Coopers

1. The Fantastic Four

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Nominations for the 88th Academy Awards:

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