For Your Consideration-Veda Rains

Random Thought of The Day...
I am not a film snob. Yes, I adore film and appreciate it, but I haven't seen every film on the "[insert very important organization who knows everything there is about film] and has a list of films that only 'true' film connoisseurs would love." Just because I haven't seen every film on AFI's Top 100, etc., does not make me any less of a film fan nor does it warrant others to judge my love of film or my opinion on certain films. Let's all just enjoy the movies, shall we? And respect each other's opinions.

Anyway...This time of year is very exciting for films because...it's awards season! Now, of course only a select number of people get to vote on certain awards for certain groups, but I still get excited to see which films and people connected to those films get the honor of being recognized for their work-especially when it's a film I connected with! The Academy Award and Golden Globe morning announcements are like my NFL Draft. So I was kind of disappointed I missed the Globes announcement. Did it even air this year? I know it was supposed to be announced around 7 AM Central last Thursday, but found nothing on TV, but here I am going off on another tangent...

Side Note: It drives me nuts how every year, columnists say "there's no clear front-runner this year-unlike years past." Then why is it, every year, you say the same thing? Following some of the nominees that have been announced for the Globes, SAG and Critics Choice (among others), I'd like to disagree and point out that the clear favorite this season is The Artist. I've only had a chance to watch a handful of clips and the trailer, but it appears to be a refreshing entry: Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.

I've also noticed who's being passed over during this competitive time-some of my favorite films of the year. And so...if this wasn't long winded enough, here are a few highlights from this year's film offering-that (in my opinion) deserve to be recognized:

Andy Serkis as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes & Patrick Doyle, composer
Sure, Serkis received a much-deserved nomination from the Critics Choice, but the chances of him getting an Oscar nom are very low. It's unfortunate some voters don't fully understand how much goes into motion capture acting. Serkis has become somewhat of a motion-capture actor pioneer for films such as Avatar, and every time, he gives it his all. Caesar is no exception.

It's important for me to note, that I was a little aprehensive about another Ape movie. I'm a huge fan of the originals (spawned from Pierre Boulle's novel) and it appears filmmakers/producers/companies keep rehashing old franchises. It gets old. But after viewing the european trailer, I was intrigued, and went to the film. I'm so glad I did! Caesar is such a "real" character, and I found myself really gravitating to him. Surprisingly, I found myself tearing up the most when he is allowed to climb a redwood tree-a time lapse device to show him grow into an adult. Why? Because the music by Patrick Doyle! It soars, to aches, it triumphs. Both of these guys deserve to be recognized for making a great movie grand.


Alan Rickman as Professor/Head Master Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 & Alexandre Desplat, Composer.
Viewers/readers of the Harry Potter franchise have grown up wondering if Snap is really all that bad, when something unspeakable happens in book 6, it throws some for a loop. This film pulls everything together. It's never easy turning a massive book into a film, and the filmmakers have done an incredible job. This film (and Part 1) has some of the best acting from its young actors in the entire franchise. But it is Rickman who steals the spotlight! Give this guy some recognition, already.

Another thing I don't particularly like about awards season, is how some really good action/fantasy films get passed over (yes, I know, sometimes they don't, see The Lord of The Rings). The entire team of Harry Potter truly deserve to be recognized for their work in this final chapter in the Harry Potter film series.

Music Note: Another scene that totally gets the waterworks going because of the excellent execution of music (courtesy of Alexndre Desplat): Harry, Ron and Hermione running through the courtyard whilst everything and everyone around them is being destroyed.


Super 8, written by J.J. Abrams, composed by Michael Giacchino.
Another action/adventure/fantasy film that deserves some love because, well, it's a love letter to film making. It has everything: heart, laughter, redemption, coming to terms with what life brings you, all while bringing back memories to those who made super 8 films or home movies when they were younger. The music is also another outstanding piece (composed by Michael Giacchino) that-along with the incredibly acting abilities of the young cast-makes this nostalgic film pure magic.

Favorite Holiday Films-Christmas Edition by Veda

Happy holidays to all! By now, you've probably spent three times as much as you'd care to admit on gifts for others-and...maybe even yourself (don't deny it. It's okay!)? Homes nearby have strung lights across their rooftops and the first snow has fallen. It's a great time! A cheerful time as the songs would like to have you believe and I'm one of the many who eat it right up! Something else I thoroughly enjoy are Christmas/Winter films! Below is a list of just a few of my favorite/memorable films to watch this time of year. If you haven't seen Adelei Idlewild's list, check it out! You'll notice we share quite a few favorites. All the more reason to check these films out!:

1. A Christmas Story - It's beloved by many and one of the few that gets 24 hours of air time devoted to it around Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. But watching it once is all you need! Follow Ralphie as he tries to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB is all he needs for Christmas! Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon play the most realistic set of parents I've seen on screen and you'll love Ralphie's fantastical dream sequences. Absolutely delightful!
2. White Christmas-A classic movie musical fans will adore. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play singing/dancing duo Wallace & Davis who take it upon themselves to lend a hand to a struggling Vermont Inn their former commanding general runs with his family. Lots of classic songs to go around!
3. Love Actually- One of the few well-done films that follows several different story lines that all lead up to Christmas, this story tugs at the heart strings just as much as it makes you laugh.
4. You've Got Mail- This delightful retelling of The Shop Around the Corner follows two very different people in the book business (who detest each other) and how they connect over the internet, but don't really know it! Ignore the dial-up internet (we've come a long way since then-although, from personal experience living out in the country, we still have a long way to go for everyone to get access to the internet quickly) and enjoy the colorful characters, quick quips and chemistry between Meg Ryan & Tom Hanks once again!
5. The Muppet Christmas Carol-I can't believe this version of Charles Dickens' timeless tale is nearly 20 years old! Another happy heartwarming musical children and adults of all ages well love!
Other Notable Films to See:
6. The Christmas Toy-Before there was Toy Story, there was this film about toys that come to life, but if someone sees a toy out of its place, the consequences could be severe!
7. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
8. Christmas Vacation
9. A Christmas Carol (1984-George C. Scott)- One of the scariest versions you'll come across!
10.Frosty the Snowman
More: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated), The Santa Clause, The Nightmare Before Christmas (love, love love!), Bridget Jones's Diary (another film for all seasons)

Neverland - Joan Finch

     It is commonly accepted that most of the original content SyFy produces is cringeworthy, however, they regularly rock the mini-series format. See Alice immediately for ample proof. Tonight they're starting the 2 night Neverland epic at 8 o'clock central and I'll be watching. Hopeful. 

Poster for Syfy's Neverland

     The internet whispers say its the origin story to the Barrie universe of Hook and Pan. Peter's first foray into the wonderland of endless childhood. Sounds lovely and the trailer is pretty impressive as well. 

     There's some intriguing casting going on here. Rhys Ifans is James Hook, Keira Knightley as Tinker Bell, the brilliant reprise of Bob Hoskins' Smee and a special treat for Pushing Daisies fans in Anna Friel as Captain Elizabeth Bonny. My nerdy senses are tingling. 

Dial M for Murder (1954) - Joan Finch

     A great film from that great era of murder mysteries when men wore coats and ties to dinner and thoughtfully planned out their wife's murder.  The American Film Institute listed Dial M among the top ten greatest mystery films of all time. Not surprising as this is a Hitchcock film, the master of suspense himself, but it surprised me to learn Dial M was adapted from a stage play by Frederick Knott.  Staged like a play the majority of the film is set in the apartment of Tony and Margot where the plot, crime and coverup are all played out.

*SPOILERS* 

     Dial M is a thinking mans murder mystery. Besides being narrated almost entirely from the murderous husbands POV the story went beyond the typical genre film of the time.  Calm & calculating Tony, having discovered some time ago of his wife's short lived affair with an American writer, decides he's too accustomed to his fortune & status to allow divorce to take it away. He spends months planning the perfect murder of his rich wife Margot, even entangling an old school mate with a shady moral compass to perform the deed, but when the perfect plan goes wrong he must quickly improvise a plan B.

     I was in awe at the dialogue and plotting of this script. It contains, in my opinion, a perfect scene. Penultimate within the film and perfectly performed by the actors. There's something almost admirable about the brilliance with which Tony, played by Ray Milland, goes about orchestrating the crime with a charming smile and relaxed manner. Having lured his unsuspecting university friend Charles Swann to his home he speaks candidly about discovering the affair, anonymously blackmailing his wife, then about stalking Mr. Swann and learning so many interesting things about him. It's too late for Swann now. He's left fingerprints on numerous things inside the apartment during the visit, which makes Tony's story of Swann's black mail of and Margot and now Tony all the more plausible. They strike a deal and Tony walks Swann through each masterful step of the murder. He even pauses to answer a call from his wife as Swann thinks it over.  

     And Dial M is just that clever from beginning to end. Watching Tony's mind work over the problem at hand is absolutely mesmerizing. 

     Dial M for Murder also marks Hitchcocks first film with Grace Kelly, his most beloved star.

Watch the trailer by clicking the link.   

Animated Frankenweenie Remake?- Joan Finch

     Next year we're going to be gifted a new Tim Burton film and its going to be animated as well. Animated in the uniquely Burton way of animation that was so striking in The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. Frankenweenie, if you're not familiar, is about a child who brings back his dog after he's struck by a car. A comical verson of the Frankensteins monster story. I loved the original black and white film with its whimsy and absurdism but I can't not be excited to see how Burton will bring the same story to life in clay. Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara and Martin Short are set to lend their voices to this fanciful and dark remake of Tim Burtons '84 film with the same name.

     I'll keep my eye out for more news to come. Keep me updated if you run across any news on your own, will you?

Veda's Fave Halloween Films

The leaves are changing, the temperature is cooling...and it's almost Halloween! Autumn (or Fall) has always been my favorite time of year. I don't know what it is that brings a sense of magic to the air, but here is a mix of a few of my favorite Halloween/Autumn/Scary films to share with you!

Children's Films
I will never get too old to enjoy these classic films. And neither should you!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)
Bing Crosby's whimsical baritone voice narrates this Disney gem about a school teacher who falls for the wrong girl and gets scared out of his wits as he attempts to head home one creepy night.
This film not only keeps children's attention because of its subject matter, but because it's less than 40 minutes long! And adults will love the classic songs.

Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of The Were-Rabbit (2005)
Wallace and Gromit are at it again as they set out to discover the mystery behind the garden sabotage that plagues their village and threatens the annual giant vegetable growing contest! Another enjoyable film for the whole family, the animation, bright colors and semi-scary setting has all the makings of a classic.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
True, this film ends with Christmas, but it begins with Halloween! What's great about this film, is that you can watch it starting at the end of September through the beginning of January and it just "feels right" (of course, you can watch it whenever you want, too). Follow Jack Skellington as he finds new joy in Christmas! Unfortunately, he doesn't fully understand and misinterprets its meaning.

More Films:
The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile
Monster House
The Corpse Bride
Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)
The Canterville Ghost (There's quite a few versions, I like the John Gielgud 1987 version)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (I'd include it. The colors really bring to mind Halloween and that Halloween feast looks so good-tiny parts of an all-around good film)

PG-13 and Up

Trick 'r' Treat (2007)
It's a shame this film didn't receive the proper attention it deserved. Taking place in one night, the film follows four interwoven stories: Each has more to them than what meets the eye. Sure, there's the usual horror film gags: gore & brief nudity, but their only a tiny bit of a great well-made and well-written film.

Halloween (1978)
The one horror film series that completely creeped me out as a junior high kid: Halloween. A vacant, silent, strong, psychotic man with a horrifying refashioned William Shatner mask (yes, that's right) terrorizes the town of Haddonfield, IL and his unsuspecting SPOILER! This is a great film for a horror film marathon.

The Craft (1996)
This would have been a great film to watch at a sleepover when I was younger ("in my day..."). True, the film is very representative of the time it was made (the soundtrack is a little silly looking back), but it's an entertaining story about a new girl at a Catholic High School who falls in with a few teen witches and what happens when she decides to leave the coven.

More Films:
Scream (It brought back the horror film genre!)
Urban Legend
The Shining
Nightmare on Elm Street
Halloween II (An excellent follow-up)
Carrie
Night of the Living Dead

True Timeless Classics
These will never get old...

The Body Snatcher (1945)
Not to be confused with Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this black and white film follows a doctor and his student and the creepy man who supplies them illegal cadavers. The ending of this film alone, creeps me out! And it will creep you out too! "Never get rid of me" "Never get rid of me"... That's all you need know.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Who said ghost-oriented films had to be scary? This somewhat romantic film follows newly widowed Lucy Muir as she moves into a home occupied by a rather-annoyed ghost. In time, they form a caring bond and let's just say, the end will have you happily tearing up!

More Films:
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) - never has technicolor been used in such a dramatic way (save for The Wizard of Oz, of course)
Phantom of the Opera (1943)
Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Where's Candace: Zombie Trailer Update -Veda Rains

Not too long ago, as some of you may know, we shot some awesome footage (involving zombies and a film crew) for our new website! We've had a few set-backs, but want to let you know that we're working hard to launch the site and share the video (entitled: Where's Candace?) with you in the near future! So stay tuned on that. Also, if you're in the Columbia, MO area, please be sure to check out (in its 4th year) Citizen Jane and support film! It's this weekend, afterall: Friday - Sunday!