Movie review: Nebraska

Movie Review: Nebraska

Rated R

115 minutes

Directed by Alexander Payne

This was a very special experience for me. Nebraska was my first R-rated film that I saw in theaters. It was always going to have a special place in my heart, regardless of the quality. Nebraska was also my first Alexander Payne movie. I've heard great things about Payne, so that just set the expectations even higher. No film should've faced these expectations (Inside Llewyn Davis faces similar expectations), but I had them set. The question is, did Nebraska reach or fail the expectations?

Movie Review: Catching Fire

Movie Review: Catching Fire

Rated PG-13

146 minutes

Directed by Francis Lawrence

Catching Fire isn't groundbreaking. It essentially repeats the first one in some instances. However, and this is a big however, Catching Fire is a lot of fun. It's exciting, it's fast-paced, and it feels like an event. I only felt the running time once, and that was near the end. It had me hooked, almost never leaving me thinking that I should check a watch or go to the bathroom for a break. It was a lot of fun.

Fall Pilot Wrap-Up: Part 2

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

Broadcast by: 

ABC (USA), CityTV (Canada)

It wasn't memorable. It was boring and unproductive. It has terrible CGI. It was tedious. I wish that it was better. I thought that it could've been a lot better. Most everything can be. But yeah, I have nothing else to say about it, it's just so bland.

2/5

C-

Movie Review: Philomena

Movie Review: Philomena

Rated PG-13

95 minutes

Directed by Stephen Frears

Me: This should be rather fun. It looks fine, and it's getting Oscan Buzz, so I think I should go ahead and watch it. You know, #forthefans. Plus, I have some interest in it. I think it will be rather good.

Film: Nope.

Upcoming Schedule

Ok guys, I know I don't post as much as I want to. I guess I should start posting trailers and things like that. But, over the next month, I'm going to try to bring the amount up. I'm going to be watching a bunch of movies soon, so I'll have plenty of reviews. As soon as I finish Dracula, I'll post the rest of the pilot catch-up. I'm going to be holding midterms for new TV. I'll post my temporary top 10 in mid January. And then, things will go back to normal. After the jump, I'll have a list of films that I'm going to try to watch, as well as a schedule for the TV articles. Also, not all the films I'm going to list may not get seen, like Inside Llewyn Davis and Nebraska. They're both rated R, though only for language, so I think I should be good.

Brief Thoughts: Thor: The Dark World

Brief Thoughts: Thor: The Dark World

Rated PG-13

120 minutes

Directed by Alan Taylor

Movie Review: Delivery Man

Movie Review: Delivery Man

Rated PG-13

105 minutes

Directed by Ken Scott

When you're strolling by without a care in the world, you see a poster for a movie called Delivery Man. You go home and read about it, unsure whether or not you should see it. I know whether or not it's mediocre, great, or just plain bad. Join in, won't you? 

Fall Pilot Wrap-Up: Part 1

Alright, since I neglected my round-up of all the fall pilots, I'm going to just round it all up in between 2 parts. This first part is going to cover the week of September 29-October 4th. The next part is going to cover the rest of the pilots of the season. Additionally, I'm not going to review any CW shows, as I decided not to watch any of them, unfortunately. Also, the "reviews" are only going to be around 2-3 sentences, as this article is a combination of many pilots. Now, let's get into the pilots, shall we?

Movie Review: All is Lost

Movie Review: All is Lost

Rated PG-13

106 minutes

Directed by J.C. Chandor

You walk into a movie theater, and have no idea what you're going to see. You see that All Is Lost is playing, and contemplate checking it out. The question is, is it good, mediocre, or terrible? I'm here to answer that question, as well as provide some analysis. By the end, your life will be exactly the same, only with the knowledge of whether or not to see All is Lost. Jump in, won't you?

November 2013 Oscar Predictions: Best Actor

Part 3 of 8 for my November 2013 Oscar Predictions, this time for Best Actor. I'm going to run through the top 15 contenders, then provide a nugget of analysis. Are you ready to not be completely flabbergasted?

Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Rated PG-13

134 minutes

Directed by Paul Greengrass

Captain Phillips is a story about a captain of a ship, Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), as his ship gets hijacked by 4 armed pirates, the leader among them named Muse (Barkhad Abdi), and serious pirate antics go down, not all of them on the main ship.

November 2013 Oscar Predictions: Best Director

This is part 2 of 8 of my Oscar predictions for the month of November. I'll be covering the 20 most likely contenders, and providing some analysis afterwards. Let's dive in, shall we?

November 2013 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture

November 2013 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture

Alright, over the next week or so, I'm going to be posting my predictions to the 8 main categories at the Oscars. However wrong they may be, these are the the films I believe will be nominated for Best Picture com January 16th, when the nominations are announced, plus a few other strong contenders.

1. American Hustle

2. 12 Years a Slave

3. Gravity

4. Saving Mr. Banks

5. Captain Phillips

6. Inside Llewyn Davis

7. The Wolf of Wall Street

8. Nebraska

9. Lee Daniels' The Butler

---------------------------------------(cut-off point)

10. Blue Jasmine

11. August: Osage County

12. Labor Day

13. Her

14. All is Lost

15. Lone Survivor

16. Philomena

17. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

18. Mud

19. Rush

20. Dallas Buyers Club

Analysis: I've stuck with American Hustle since I heard it was being released this year, so why stop now? But there are other incredibly strong contenders ready to over-throw it, like 12 Years a Slave, which is a critically-acclaimed period piece; Gravity, which has the general audience vote; and Saving Mr. Banks, which is another period piece, and is the only serious contender for Best Picture backed by Disney. I was tempted to move Lone Survivor up some slots, as press screenings seem to have been going very well, but I'm waiting for the reaction from the AFI festival to come in before making any bold moves.

Do you have any predictions of your own? Do you think my predictions are downright terrible? Do you think 47 Ronin is going to be the Dark Horse no one is expecting? Sound off in the comments below.

Movie Review: Ender's Game

Movie Review: Ender's Game

Rated PG-13

114 minutes

Directed by Gavin Hood

Ender's Game is a story about a teenage boy named Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) who is gifted in the art of war. He is recruited to join Battle School by Colonel Hyram Graff (Harrison Ford), who sees Ender as being the one to end the war between the humans and the main alien species, who are called buggers. Ender goes to battle school, and training ensues.

Movie Review: Gravity

Movie Review: Gravity

Rated PG-13

91 minutes

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Gravity is a story about Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) who are in space repairing some machinery when disaster strikes: space debris tears apart their ship, and the 2 astronauts have to find a way to get back to Earth before they die.

Pilot Thoughts: The Michael J. Fox Show

The Michael J. Fox Show

Broadcast by:

NBC(USA), GlobalTV (Canada)

The Michael J. Fox Show is fine. The cast is pretty good. The dialogue was fine. It's imminently charming. It's a mockumentary, and that format's fine for this show, the drama could've been better, but it was serviceable. It certainly could've been better, but it was serviceable. I certainly liked it enough to keep watching it.

3/5

B-

Pilot Thoughts: The Crazy Ones

The Crazy Ones Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by:

CBS(USA), CityTV(Canada)

Half-hour comedy

This comedy doesn't disappoint. It is pretty funny, and imminently charming. It does manage to blend comedy and drama pretty well. The cast is first class, and the performances by them are pretty good. I guess that it sometimes drags in the middle, but I did chuckle frequently, and all in all, it's one of the best pilots of the season.

4/5

B+

Pilot Thoughts: Agents of SHIELD

Agents of SHIELD Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by: 

ABC(USA), CTV(Canada)

Hour long drama

Agents of SHIELD has a fine pilot. It doesn't have the most memorable characters, but you like them in the moment. It doesn't have the best dialogue, but it's fine once you're watching it. The action isn't noteworthy a few days after you watch it, but it's fun in the moment. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while it may not be the greatest pilot in the world, it is a great deal of fun while it lasts.

3.5/5

B- 

Pilot Thoughts: The Goldbergs

The Goldbergs Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by:

ABC(USA), CTV(Canada)

Half-hour comedy

Well, seeing this in full right after Lucky 7 certainly helped it. That's not to say it's good, because it isn't. It's filled with 80's references, which do not make a comedy. The cast is meh, sometimes they do a fine job, but mostly they're just mediocre. I also just don't get a comedy centered around a family yelling at each other. It's not exactly smart writing, either. And, to top it all off, the dramatic moments are completely out of place, with no emotional resonance left behind. It's just not very good.

2/5

D+

Pilot Thoughts: Lucky 7

Lucky 7 Pilot thoughts

Broadcast by:

ABC(USA), CityTV(Canada)

Half-hour "drama"

There's only one thing you absolutely have to know about this show.

It's horrible.

It's filled to the tee with stereotypes, the title completely negates what goes on (only 5 are truly lucky), it's terribly written, most of the acting is terrible, and it looks so cheap.

Please don't watch it.

.5/5

F

Pilot Thoughts: The Blacklist

The Blacklist Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by:

NBC(USA), Global TV (Canada)

Hour-long drama

The Blacklist is a mixed bag. On one hand, there are an incredible amount of conveniences in this pilot, making it almost unbelievable at points. But on the other hand, it is so entertaining. It moves quickly with a fast pace, Spader is fantastic as Redd Reddington (ridiculous name much?), it is sometimes shot very beautifully, and it has a good premise for a TV show. Overall, even with the inconsistencies that are in it, it is a quick, fun way to knock off an hour of your time.

3.5/5

B-

Pilot Thoughts: Hostages

Hostages Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by:

CBS (USA), CTV (Canada)

Hour-long drama

Hostages is a poorly thought out drama for a TV show. It feels better suited for a movie, and it even has a cast that I would expect to see in that movie. It has a good cast, but it doesn't do anything with them. It establishes little to no motivation for why the family is being kept hostage, it doesn't provide a sufficient enough background for any of the characters, and it has no real long-term goals to keep it interesting to watch week after week. The strong cast certainly helps it, but it most definitely does not save it.

2/5

D+ 

Pilot thoughts: Mom

Mom Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by:

CBS (USA), CityTV (Canada)

Half-hour comedy

Mom is a comedy with cliche dialogue, a rote story that's been done over and over, a premise that doesn't stand out, and a cameo that doesn't really work with the show. But, there are saving graces to it, and their names are Anna Farris and Allison Janney. They have great chemistry together, and really try to elevate the show from the depths it sinks into. Still, with that in mind, Mom is everything you've seen before, with little to no laughs to be found anywhere.

2/5

C-

Pilot Thoughts: Trophy Wife

Trophy Wife Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by: 

ABC (USA), CTV (Canada)

Half-hour comedy

Trophy Wife is a comedy that while having no really wacky or otherworldly spin to a typical comedy like this, it manages to be funny. The cast is mostly well-rounded, with no real weak link other than maybe the main character's best friend. It's an average premise comedy incredibly lifted up with some humorous writing enveloped, delivered very well by a wide range of capable actors who never feel too good for the roles.

3.5/5

B

Pilot Thoughts: Dads

Dads Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by:

FOX(USA), CityTV(Canada)

Half-hour comedy

Dads is an interesting case for me. On one hand, I can tell that it's racist, misogynistic, crude, and just plain unfunny to some people. But, on the other, when it's not being those things, it's actually pretty funny. I laughed more than I normally do with comparable TV shows, and I actually did enjoy some of it. There is obviously some room for improvement, but I was able to somewhat enjoy it at some point. I don't know whether or not to recommend it. I'm just going to leave it at this: There is room for it to be a great TV show, but it just needs to stop relying on "controversial"humor so heavily. 

3/5

C+

Pilot Thoughts: Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by: 

FOX (USA), Global TV (Canada)

1-hour drama

Sleepy Hollow isn't memorable in any way. It doesn't have really entertaining characters, fantastic actors, an intriguing story, or anything like that. It wants to be ridiculously entertaining, but it is sometimes very serious. It just doesn't stand out, which is a shame, because I had a baseline interest in the concept. 

2/5

C-

Pilot Thoughts: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by:

FOX(USA), CityTV(Canada)

Half-hour comedy

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is probably one of the funniest new comedy pilots of the fall. It has very consistent laughs throughout, the cast is very good, even ethnically diverse without giving much attention to it, and it has a very quick place. There are quite a few very memorable scenes, such as the hazelnut gelato scene, and the opening scene, where two of the main detectives are in a video store. It does have some problems, such as the whole romantic subplot featuring two of the secondary characters, but even that's not glaring enough for it to start to work. All in all, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is very funny and I can't wait to watch more.

4 out of 5

B+

Pilot Thoughts: Back in the Game

Back in the Game Pilot Thoughts

Broadcast by:

ABC (USA)

Half-hour comedy

Premieres September 25

Back in the Game is pretty cliche, with no real distinguishing qualities. The acting is pretty mediocre, the script is fine, but it can be sexist, like when the men don't believe that a woman can be a good baseball player. And the look of it is very cheap. All in all, while it can be somewhat funny, it is mostly just mediocre.

2.5/5

C

Pilot Thoughts: Ironside (2013)

Ironside (2013) Pilot Thoughts 

Broadcast by: NBC (USA), Global TV(Canada)

1 hour Drama

Premires October 2nd

(Note: I will not be providing full reviews for pilots, just thoughts)

Ironside is a cop drama that doesn't bring anything new to the table. It has very cliche characters who don't have any distinguishing traits whatsoever. It has some of the worst flashback scenes I have ever seen put to existence. It has a pretty poor script that doesn't add any intrigue or suspense to anything. It has a nice diverse cast, most of which can't act to save their lives. It does offer a decent performance from Blair Underwood, but mostly it is just mediocre and forgettable. I would've much preferred "Swanson," with the character from Family Guy who is also wheelchair-bound.

1.5/5 

D+

Blue Jasmine (2013) Movie Review

Blue Jasmine (2013) Movie Review

Rated PG-13
98 minutes
Directed by Woody Allen

Blue Jasmine is the story of Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), and her downfall from riches to rags. Her husband, Hal (Alec Baldwin) is defrauding all of his clients that give him money. He eventually gets caught, gets arrested, and hangs himself. In the middle of a mental breakdown, Jasmine flies to San Fransisco, and starts living with her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) and her 2 sons. As she starts to try to get her life back, she is faced with the fact that she might not be able to let go.

Year-in-Advance Best Picture Predictions

1. David O. Russell Abscam project

Synopsis: The 1970s-set true story of a con artist and his partner in crime, who were forced to work with a federal agent to turn the tables on other cons, mobsters, and politicians - namely, the volatile mayor of impoverished Camden, New Jersey.

Jack The Giant Slayer Review

Rated PG-13

117 minutes

Directed by Brian Singer

Jack the Giant Slayer is a movie about the myth of Jack and the Beanstalk, and how it was dark and gritty to begin with. To begin, we meet Jack (Nicholas Hoult) and Isabelle, the princess of the kingdom of Cloisters. One fateful night, in a look for adventure. Jack, having traden his horse for some beans a monk gave him, strikes up a conversation with Isabelle, but it's cut short when a beanstalk starts growing beneath Jack's house, and through a series of unfortunate events, Isabelle gets taken to the Giant's kingdom.

Hello

Hello, and welcome to Filmé Mignon. This is where I talk about various things related to movies and TV. I may not post that often, so be warned of that. Another thing is that I'm not allowed to watch any recent R-rated movies, so if you're looking for some intelligent reviews about Flight or movies like that, I'm sorry, but this blog will infrequently have things like that. I would also like to say that every year, through January, February, and September, the reviews section will be getting little attention, due to lack of good movies, and if they are good, they're probably rated R. But, with all of that beside us, I hope you'll enjoy what is to come!