Nerd in the 'Noke

It's that time of year again. Time for me (and my friend Chris Wieder) to take a stab at predicting the turnout of this year's Academy Awards. The format below is basically the same as my picks were from last year ( see previous blog post ): the categories, the nominees, which nominees from that category that Wieder and I have seen, and our thoughts about that category. We've picked the seven most well known categories, and with a little luck we'll disagree somewhere (I did not read Wieder's picks prior to making my own). Otherwise, what's the fun in having multiple opinions? Wieder is a friend and former co-worker who, I must say, has pretty decent taste in movies. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have seen Winter's Bone as early as I did. Knowing that he and I have many of the same interests when it comes to movies, I will apologize in advance on the off chance that he and I have similar rants concerning the Best Lead Actress ca...

We're into the beginning of the New Year and there is a bit of a lull until the next wave of movies that I'm looking forward to seeing in theaters hit so there's not a much better time to drop my Top 10 list for the past year on you. Just a couple things to keep in mind as you take a look at the countdown: As always, the list is an opinion and includes movies that I actually saw in the theater upon their release. There's a good chance you won't agree with some of the films, or their placement, but with a little luck, there may be something on here that sparks your interest. These are the films that I enjoyed the most when I saw them in the theater not necessarily the best from an award winning potential standpoint. Most of these films I had reviewed earlier in the year. If you have more interest than the bullet point I've listed here, click the movie title and follow the link to my previously posted review. Movies from 2010 that I wanted to see, but d...

The Social Network (2010), PG-13, 120 minutes – In The Social Network (the story of how facebook came to be) Jesse Eisenberg takes on yet another geek role. Only this time around he isn’t the quiet pushover, but instead a quick talking, driven, ‘I’m smarter than you and not afraid to show it’, Harvard student (facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Just as I was afraid that the likeable Eisenberg was going to be stuck in a typecast rut, he shows us the other side of the coin. A geek who is typically socially challenged, but is highly confident in his knowledge and abilities and enjoys showing them off when he can. Eisenberg is easily the star of the film and not just because he’s the main character but because his portrayal commands attention. The film kicks off with Zuckerberg conversing with his girlfriend Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) over a couple of beers. What should be a casual conversation about his attempts to join one of Harvard’s social clubs turns into an argument that le...