Oscars 2017 Nominees List – The Highs and Lows

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced their picks for the best of the best in 2016’s movie releases. Yes, La La Land and Moonlight got into the race. But there are some nice surprises in that special group. Curious to see who made the list? Take a deep breath, grab your popcorn, and let’s see who could grab the gold at this year’s upcoming Oscar ceremony.

Dalin’s Top 10 Best and Worst Movies of 2016

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – at least for this critic. Yes, 2016 has finally come to a close, and thank god for that. From celebrity deaths to certain rough political aspects, 2016 has been a weird one for sure, and movies are definitely part of the equation. In fact, this might be one of the hardest annual lists to make for me in quite sometime, since there was quite a bit of bad mixed with a lot of good. But don’t worry, we got enough fuel for the fire for each list respectively. Let’s start off with the Worst Movies of 2016….

“A Competition” – “Sing” Movie Review

2016 has been one of the greatest years for animated films. From Disney’s two releases, Zootopia and Moana, to Laika’s under-appreciated Kubo and the Two Strings, animation has rocked the movie world better than much of its live-action competition. But then there is Illumination Entertainment (Minions), who like Disney decided to release two heavy hitters this year. First was Secret Life of Pets, which took the world and box office by storm, and now Sing is looking to do the same. But with so many movies already released, can it ignite the same excitement as Illumination’s other hits?

Dalin’s Oscar Predictions 2016 – Best Actress Edition: Jackie and Friends

Hello, movie friends! I’m back with another Oscar-hopeful filled article to help you with your Award season picks. And now that the Golden Globe nominations have been announced, we can get a better idea of the true buzz around Tinseltown. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the 5 ladies that could take the slots for Best Actress at the Oscars this coming February.

Boldly Going Beyond: “Star Trek Beyond” Review

Star Trek Beyond premiered on July 22nd. It’s the third movie in the “Kelvin Timeline,” as Paramount is now calling the films produced by J.J. Abrams. I saw it in 2D on a Thursday night, then again in 3D on Saturday. I haven’t seen a movie more than once in theaters in a long time, perhaps not since Star Trek Into Darkness. When it was revealed that Simon Pegg was co-writing  and Justin Lin was directing, I breathed a sigh of relief. Star Trek Into Darkness was a movie that appeared to be a good film initially, but that the fandom later trashed. With a change in writing and direction, I was ready to enjoy Star Trek Beyond and I was not disappointed.

Captain Kirk (Chris Pine)

“Time Jump” – Alice Through The Looking Glass Movie Review

Back in 2010, everyone and their mom was waiting for the release of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. It was the movie that every Hot Topic kid had fantasized about since their first purchase of a Nightmare Before Christmas wristband, and with every new image and trailer, the anticipation grew and grew. But some 6 years later, many viewers of the original still debate about whether Burton’s take on the famous tales of Lewis Carroll was actually good or not. But what cannot be denied is it made a bucketload of money, and as a result, we now have a sequel: Alice Through The Looking Glass, now directed by James Bobin and starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Sacha Baron Cohen, along with many other familiar residents of Burton’s Wonderland.

“You Just Started A War” – “Captain America: Civil War” Movie Review

Good versus Evil. The North versus The South. The Rebels versus The Empire. These are just a few of the great battles throughout history, non-fiction and otherwise. They were intense, blood filled, but someone came out on top, and whatever side you chose dictated quite a bit about yourself. Now in 2016, we have many other sides to chose, but the most important of all (in the nerd community that is) resides in the simple question: Are you Team Cap or Team Iron Man? Personal choice aside, both teams have an argument to be made. But until you see the evidence (aka Marvel’s latest release, Captain America: Civil War, directed by the Russo Brothers), the choice rests on your own inner nerdy core.

Warning: If you consider even the tiniest of mentions a spoiler, even if they are in the trailer, you might want  to wait to read this review!

“Do You Bleed?” – “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” Movie Review

DC Comics – a company that in comic and TV form I love deeply, but cinematically has let me down so many times. From the brilliance of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy to the less than stellar results of both Green Lantern and the later 90’s Batman films, the inconsistency of DC’s comic to film adaptations have left many to speculate what they’ll be like in the future. But at Comic Con 2013, a ray of light seemed to shine down from the cinematic comic book heavens, and it was in the shape of a Bat mixed with a giant oversized symbol of hope. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice could well have been the movie to get DC on the same track as the Marvel Comics Universe, and I – like many fans of the Justice League – had high hopes for the film. But did those dreams exactly come true? Eh….not really.

“You’ll Be A Great Grown-Up” – “The Little Prince” Movie Review

When we look at our life in any form, we realize that childhood is only but a small fraction of what makes up our entire journey. But some of the best moments of our development into who we become as an adult can ultimately be forgotten, and much like the tales of Peter Pan and other children’s fables, the fear of “growing up” never really goes away. That struggle, is represented in the Annie Award-winning The Little Prince, directed by Mark Osbourne and featuring the voices of Jeff Bridges and Rachel McAdams in the English version.

“We Are All Animals” – “Zootopia” Movie Review

Some of you might have watched the 2016 Oscars, during which Chris Rock asked some very important questions of the film industry and their dealings with a difficult topic that must be addressed: prejudice. Ironically, one of the movies that will be arriving into theaters this weekend handles the subject of the issue and how to fix it, in such a simple way, that it is hard to think of any other film before that has gotten it this right. Oh, and it stars a bunny and a fox. Meet Disney Animation’s Zootopia, directed by Bryon Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush, featuring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman.