Cine Beaverhausen Catches Up with the Oscar Nominees: Trumbo

Bryan Cranston is a Best Actor Oscar nominee for his performance in the biopic, Trumbo. The movie details how top-tier 1940s screenwriter Dalton Trumbo became blacklisted in the early 1950s during the McCarthy hearings.

The film sports a grand cast. Diane Lane plays Dalton's wife in a poignantly understated acting job. Helen Mirren, who's in practically everything it seems, is right-wing Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper; a serious role that, nonetheless, has a camp edge to it.

John Goodman's excellent herein. Elle Fanning's in this, too. And David James Elliott makes a fine John Wayne. (I just love to look at the guy, frankly. Is that so wrong?)

This film is still politically relevant today, unfortunately, especially in America. "Are you, or have you ever been, a homosexual?" With our current Congress, that doesn't seem so far-fetched.

Script by John McNamara from a book by Bruce Cook, directed by Jay Roach. Not mere agitprop, this is a beautifully made film all around. Impressive score by Theodore Shapiro, vivid cinematography by Jim Denault.

Cranston and Mirren won Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards for their work in Trumbo. If Cranston loses to the likes of Matt Damon or Leonardo, I will spit nails. Just warning everyone.












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Cine Beaverhausen Reviews The Revenant

The Revenant is a macho action flick that's Oscar-bound. Nice cinematography, tedious film.

Somehow, I felt like I did watching The Martian. Bored and that I would never, ever want to endure sitting through it again.

Totally gratuitous and hard to believe plot twists are thrown into this trail mix to try to keep things interesting. They just kept me yawning all the harder.

I'd rather watch paint dry than watch this movie once more. I felt absolutely emotionally detached throughout and never drawn into the story for a moment. This was completely not up my alley. Everything about it was piss poor except, as I mentioned, the camerawork.

DiCaprio and Matt Damon (for Martian) seem to be odds-on favorites for Best Actor this year at the Academy Awards, unfortunately. I pray for an upset with Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl.

And the Oscar Goes to....

The Academy Awards were announced yesterday. 2015 was a strong year at the movies so there are plenty of worthy nominees and surprises.

Of the nominated films, here are some of my picks based on what I have seen:

Best Film: Brooklyn.
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl.
Best Actress: Cate Winslet, Carol.
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ryylance, Bridge of Spies.
Best Supporting Actress: Rooney Mara, Carol.
Best Director: George Miller: Mad Max: Fury Road.
Best Costume Design: Cinderella.
Best Original Song: "Witing's on the Wall" from Spectre.

I expect to be out at an Oscar party next month to watch the ceremony and celebrate.

A  highly competitive and fierce competition this year, a wonderful one for films.

Please share your Oscar votes with me here!

Looking forward to the 88th Oscars presentation for 2016 on Sunday, February 28th,