Moving to WordPress!

Well friends, I took a look at WordPress to see what al they had to offer, and it won me over right away. From everything I can tell it is superior to Blogger, at least for what I am trying to do with my site. But don't think I am going to forget about you all, i'll still read and comment like always, don't worry! Here is a link to my new blog if you want to follow me there: http://mattandmotionpictures.wordpress.com/

Have a great week!

Breaking Dawn Part 1 - 2011

You know, I was thinking the other day, as much as people love to hate on the Twilight Saga and all of the people working with it, the films sure do bring in buckets of gold. If I remember correctly on opening weekend Breaking Dawn brought in around 138 million dollars, and when a movie is making that much I really don't think Bill Condon, Stephanie Meyer and the producers give a care if they are getting Oscar nods or being slammed by the critics, it's all the same to them. And being the prelude that it is, Breaking Dawn was bound to receive unusually negative reviews, even for the franchise. However, with that being said, I thought the film was by far the best i've seen, and I would actually go as far as saying it was well-made. Of course, that does not in any way mean that I liked it, I am just here to say Condon (director change) seems to actually have a grip on the franchise, and expect decent to bad reviews for the final installment.

The story basically follows the same path as the other three films, only this time Bella and Edward are married. I don't want to write a short summary, as I might make myself sick. To all the guys out there that have seen the film, you understand what I mean. I guess if you are a fan of the book series you will love how they work with the story, from what I hear at least. I for one am not at all interested in the source material, which I suppose I cannot criticize the film for that, but it does make it all the harder to watch. The movie as a whole is developed fairly well, it sure will put half the audience asleep, but for what it is Condon does a nice job directing it. If there was a fit for the role, Condon's directing style is probably one of the few that can pull the franchise through.

Sharing the Blogging Love!

Tom at Motion Picture Gems says his "10 Reasons Why I Love 'Hugo'", with very strong reasons as to why it is a masterpiece.

Bonjour Tristesse reviews Midnight in Paris, giving it a pretty solid rating. One of the year's finest no doubt!

Sati of Cinematic Corner gave a strong review for Sweeney Todd, a film I need to see. Go read her reviews! They're awesome.

Andy lists his top 100 films, and let me tell you it is one of the best lists i've seen in awhile!

Ruth got the chance to see and review The Trip, a film I am very interested in.

Stevee reviewed Contagion, and like it quite a bit!

Never Too Early Movie Predictions saw The Descendants, yes I am very jealous.

Groggy shared his thoughts on Zodiac, one of Fincher's finest!

Championship, Actresses!

I apologize for the delay!

Meryl Streep vs. Kathy Bates

Final Four Results:

Streep over Winslet (6-1)

Bates over Hepburn (5-2)

Championship, Actors!

Well, my friends, the big day is finally here. As voted by you, here are the two greatest actors in history. Now, who is the greatest?

Robert De Niro vs. Daniel Day-Lewis

Final Four Results:

De Niro over Hopkins (7-1)

Day-Lewis ties with Brando, overall votes favor Day-Lewis 19-17

Hugo - 2011

Time after time throughout what is considered one of the most respected career's in film making history, Martin Scorsese never ceases to amaze film lovers around the world. It's funny though, after last year's release "Shutter Island" which received shockingly low reviews, everyone seems to have lost faith the man, not only saying Hugo will be a let down, but that it will possibly be Scorsese's worst work yet. Obviously, as soon as the reviews came pouring in all of the haters shut up, and I must admit a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes does speak for itself. Now, with that being said, the biggest question of the day is will Hugo have a shot at a Best Picture nomination? The good news for you, the reader, is that I have a perfectly logical answer to that question, it does not matter if it gets any nominations at all!

Woody Allen

Earlier this year as I was continuing my journey through the world of film making, I introduced myself to a director named Woody Allen. Before I went to see his newest release, Midnight in Paris, I decided to have an open post where people came and gave their opinion on Allen, and like all directors there were mixed opinions. But what I found most interesting was half of the people thought he was top 5 all time, and the other half hated him, mostly for reasons concerning his personal life, which is understandable I think. You take directors like Scorsese, Kubrick, Spielberg, Kurosawa, and so on, and whether people consider them "one of the greatest", "greatest", or "just a fine director", pretty everyone can agree they are excellent at their job. With Allen it's entirely different, he is an acquired taste, you either love him or hate him.