Thursday Morning with Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane

It's actually night though in Japan. So adding to what Seth MacFarlane said, the only people who are awake at the hour of Oscar nominations announcement are the ones who's flying or drunk or living on the other side of the world. They were announcing the nominees for this year's Academy Awards that will be held on February 24. I won't list the nominees but I would say that Amour robbed some of the more deserving, Hollywood films. I mean, like The Artist and Life is Beautiful, you already have your own category. This is what Seth Rogen said in last year's Spirit Awards. It's true and the Academy doesn't learn anything from that.
This are the films and people that Amour robbed from:
- Best Picture: Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom.
- Best Actress: Marion Cotillard in Rust & Bone.
- Best Director: Ben Affleck for Argo or Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty or even Tom Hooper
- Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson for Looper
I mean no disrespect to the film itself but those films and people deserved it more, in my opinion.
It's quite surprising that The Dark Knight Rises doesn't get nominated in a single category. The same goes for Cloud Atlas for Best Make-up. Even Ted now is an Oscar-nominated film! How did that happen? I'm not surprised for Skyfall not getting a nod in the Best Pic category. It's a very long shot. Among the Best Picture nom, I have only watched three of them. I'm going to go watch Lincoln tomorrow. I'm still waiting for Zero Dark Thirty on February 15 and Django Unchained on March 1. Whereas for the others, I'll have to wait for the DVD release. Right now I really really wanna check out Django Unchained because I got to see Christoph Waltz. I was betting on crazy-mode Leonardo DiCaprio to get a nom but Waltz got it instead. And the fact that no film is being a front runner in this award season makes me think that Amour is going to snag that gold. Neglecting the French film, I have my money on Lincoln. Also, I think Seth MacFarlane is just going to be a near-Ricky-Gervais-type host for the Oscars. Good to know!

Anyways, I watched three films and reviewing it.....now.

1. Upside Down
A romantic drama set in an imaginary world where two worlds 'almost' collide and there is a double gravity thing going on. It's kinda hard to explain. Imagine the world in the new Total Recall, reverse it. Still don't get it? Anyways, the film was cool and inventive. I love a good sci-fi film and this is actually is a good idea for a sci-fi film. But it's not pure sci-fi, it's a romance set in a sci-fi world. Like Brit Marling films, it's drama but set in an alternate universe. It's One Day meets Inception. A Romeo and Juliet story where two different worlds are their love's obstacle. The film was promising and it delivered at least 3/4 of what it promised. The ending is disappointing and takes it too simple after all the fuss we've been given. But still worth a peek. Upside Down: 2.5/4

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
I really did not expect the film to be this good. It's a refreshing, teenage film. It doesn't get dumb and it is smart. The story is about a troubled boy who enters high school and struggled to socialize. But there's two cool misfits that befriends him and makes his high school life a little brighter. Emma Watson is amazing and Hermione is totally gone. Logan Lerman is also good in his role, mostly due to the complexity of his character that he could deliver it well. Also the scene-stealer Ezra Miller is really 'scene-stealing'. When he's in frame, he nails it everytime. And the fact that this film is directed by the book's author makes it more awesome. Don't forget the killer songs that are featured in this film! Perks of Being a Wallflower: rated 3.5/4

3. The Impossible
An inspired-by-true-story film that took place in the great disaster that hit South East Asia in December 2004. This is the story of the survival of one family. For me the film is hard to watch. Not because it's bad, but it's so good that is very realistic and emotionally draining. The intense opening tsunami scene is so thrilling that I think I literally held my breath. It's amazing that it is a film that reminds us to celebrate life, to love your family and to keep believing in your own hope. It's a film that celebrates human spirit, as the tagline said. This film makes you believe that the world is here to help us whenever we got into trouble, and we must be there when the world needs us. Naomi Watts and Tom Holland is simply amazing in their roles. Ewan McGregor too and also the children that portrays the two younger children. Juan Antonio Bayona, the director, was the director of The Orphanage, a horror film. He infused some horror film sound effects to the film and the film just gets better. Still in Oscar mood, I'm wondering to death why isn't this film nominated for Best Picture? But congrats for Naomi Watts because you're so awesome in this film. The Impossible: rated 4/4.