List of To-Watch Films for Post Oscar blues

That Maya feeling after Usama Bin Laden was finally captured and killed in Zero Dark Thirty. That's what I feel about the end of this Oscars season. LOLJK but it's close ;_; and now that we're starting over again for 2014 films, most of the films to look forward to are not going to be released anytime soon.

So for now, I made a to-see list of films from the past years while waiting for the next awards season. This list is heavily influenced by the things I've learned, read, heard and everything from the recently wrapped up 86th Acadamy Awards. Here they are:

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

I've read a lot of articles and comments about this film since the beginning of Leo's buzz for Wolf. This film garnered him his first Oscar nomination and some even say that his performance in this is his best ever and worthy of a win. I'll never know how true is that but if it is indeed a robbed performance then poor Leo. When will he win an Oscar? Oh well, if it happens in the near future (or in the far future), I just know that it'll be sweeter for him, and for his loyal fans as well.

Capote

I know! I know! It's such a shame that I haven't seen this yet. Truth is, I never bothered reading anything about Capote before because... :/ I didn't care. I had no intentions of seeing this even if I know that it's critically acclaimed. I was never highly impressed by anything I've seen from him anyway. Thought he's just okay. But after seeing Phillip Seymour Hoffman's name for his performance in this in many best performance lists, it made me curious.  So I searched this on Youtube and WOW! He's AMAZING!!! Also, he just recently passed away so I consider this a viewing tribute for him.:3

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

This film has been in my hard drive for several years now but I keep on ignoring it because it looks too serious. The title piques my curiosity though. Is it about Virginia Woolf or what? So after seeing August: Osage County, which is also based on a play like Woolf, I realized that I might enjoy this like how I enjoyed August. The fact that Woolf has better reviews and has a great legacy makes me think more positive about the film.

Happy-Go-Lucky

I've read this years ago in forums and even planned of watching it but completely forgotten about it because I guess it's not that memorable. Sally Hawkins recent awards recognitions just reminded me again that I should see it. Unlike many, I find Hawkins' performance in Blue Jasmine as just okay so I hope Happy-Go-Lucky will change my opinion of her and I'm sort of positive it will especially she's the lead in it.

Manhattan

Woody Allen is the latest recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award in Golden Globes and during that segment, they showed a montage of Woody Allen films. Manhattan quickly captured my attention. The fact that Meryl Streep is in this is just a bonus. Meryl + Woody = what more could I ask for? I have all the reasons to watch this and the fact that I haven't yet, I will never understand.

Groundhog Day

This film is dubbed as one of the best comedies of all time, and one of the best films of 1993. And that says a lot because 1993 brought us films like Schindler's List, Philadelphia and Jurassic Park, to name a few. It's also directed by Harold Ramis who just recently perished, someone I didn't know before he died. :( But anyway, the premise sounds interesting and the lead is Bill Murray, one of my favorite actors so it just makes sense for me to see this film.

Citizen Ruth

I realized that I've seen all Alexander Payne's films except for this. And when I researched for this, it looks like it's light and fun that it wouldn't be a chore to sit down through this film. I say, why not?

Skyfall

I actually should have seen this last year since it's nominated in 2 or more Oscar categories. But I haven't seen any James Bond film yet so I was kind of hesitant. A year has passed and I'm still procrastibating. This year, hopefully I'll be able to watch it since a friend also recommended me to see it. His reason? cinematographer Roger Deakins who's nominated for this film and for Prisoners as well.

Grave of the Fireflies

I become interested in seeing Japanese animated films because of The Wind Rises and aside from it, I heard LOTS of good things about them. I haven't seen Wind yet but I watched its 5 minute-trailer. It made me search for other Japanese animated film trailers and from watching clips and reading viewers' comments, one of the most popular suggestion is this, Grave of the Fireflies. This seems deep, and not in the usual Pixar animated films deep, but 'seriously deep' and that got me curious because it's an animated film and I think it's hard to achieve that quality through animation. We'll see.

Cape Fear

Juliette Lewis impressed me in August: Osage County but I gotta admit that I've never heard of her before :/, the fact that she's been nominated when she was younger made me want to see that performance and voila! it's Cape Fear directed by Scorsese. If I watch this, I realized that I'll gain more insights about Scorsese's filmography and that would be a treat as I find almost all of his films with great quality. It also has Jessica Lange who I've never seen in a film before.

Tootsie

Speaking of Jessica Lange, I'm not an avid viewer of American Horror Story but I trust the TV series fans when they say that she's one of the best actress there is. I've seen a number of episodes of it and she's really good. I even read an article saying that she's the counter actress to Meryl Streep. :/ This film gave Lange her first ever Oscar so that urged me to see it. Then, I also saw Chile's Oscar submission Gloria and I read some articles that indicate Gloria's eyeglasses being reminiscent of Tootsie's. Made me curious so I'll watch this.

I'm Not There

Bob Dylan, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale. I've read about this before and watched its trailer even but I didn't plan on watching it. It didn't have enough rave for me to see it but one time, I was bored after reading Oscar related articles that I happen upon some clips I've never seen before of I'm Not There. It looked way interesting than its trailer. Perhaps, this is the time to see it since Cate Blanchett was also praised for her work in this. I mean, she acted as Bob Dylan for cryin out loud. I want to compare which Blanchett performance is the best so this is a must-see.

Children of Men

I've already watched this before. In fact, I'm midway through finishing the film but I fell asleep. I find it interesting but I was just so tired when I watched it so I think this year, alongside celebrating Cuaron's Gravity success, it's about time I finish his other critically acclaimed film. Oh, and it's quite a fun fact that Chiwetel is in this. ;)

Junebug

Like Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams has been nominated several times but has never won. She seems like she's stuck being a runner up and some people even say that she's cemented in 5th place lol. She's becoming the new Julianne Moore. No worries though because she's the lead in the upcoming Oscar baity film of Tim Burton, Big Eyes. I don't wanna jinx it so let's just hope that it will not end up being a flop since.. you know, Tim Burton.. lately. But anyway, a lot of people say that her first Oscar nomination which is for this film is the only deserving one, even deserving of a win they say. I've seen all of her Academy Award performances except for Junebug so maybe 2014 is the year for me to see this.

Spanking the Monkey

I don't know which of the first three feature films of David O. Russell should I watch first. Spanking the Monkey? Flirting with Disaster? or Three Kings? I've never heard of these films before DOR became one of the most known directors of our generation so I just randomly chose Spanking the Monkey. As some people know, I'm not the biggest O. Russell fan. My love for JLaw decreased because of him. The fact that he was nominated for Best Director three times in four years and managed to get all of his actors nominated in the 4 acting categories for 2 consecutive years, I don't know. It's unbelievable and undeserved. But since American Hustle painfully lost all its 10 nominations after having the most nomination count in the last Oscars, and Lupita beat JLaw, and Spike Jonze beat O Russell, everything is now forgiven. :3 I don't hate him anymore. In fact, I gotta admit that I really like The Fighter but I really dislike Huckabees and SLP & Hustle are just okay films for me. So there.. cheers to new start.

This list also includes United 93, Elizabeth, Pretty Woman, My Neighbor Totoro, Howard's End, Sense and Sensibility (which I can't find the energy to finish), Steel Magnolias and probably more. No one knows if I'll be able to see all of these but I'm really curious and excited to see most of them.

There you have it! Do you have other films to recommend? What old films are you planning to see this year?

MOVIE WRITEUPS: Enough Said, Blue Jasmine and Short Term 12

Enough Said

Director: Nicole Holofcener
With: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Toni Collette, Catherine Keener, Ben Falcone, Tony Huss, Anjelah Johnson, Michaela Watkins, Eve Hewson

I don't watch a lot of TV shows so I didn't have much knowledge about James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus before Enough Said existed. I know! Shame on me. I only learned about James Gandolfini after he passed away despite watching films with him as part of the cast. I didn't know his name then. I didn't even know that he's popular. Yikes! As for Julia, I've only watched a few clips of her in Lisa Kudrow's Web Therapy, some Youtube clips of Veep and Seinfeld. I also know Julia as the comedy actress who beat Lisa Kudrow's performance in The Comeback back in 2006. I'm a huge Lisa Kudrow fan so my Julia Louis-Dreyfus awakening isn't that good. But I completely forgot about all of these when I watched Enough Said. Main reason is they proved to be good actors. And the film, while just above average, was also very fun too.

From the get go, Julia Louis-Dreyfus made me chuckle with her subtle yet hilarious facial expressions while she massages her clients.  She made a good first impression. Plus points that she's a masseuse in this film. :3 Same with James Gandolfini. I don't know much about his personality or the way he acts. Never saw an episode of The Sopranos, but from what I saw in Enough Said, he acts naturally. He's got the mix of machismo and tenderness in him. Nicole Holofcener's direction and screenplay clearly helped my opinion of them.

Enough Said is a light and simple film that stimulates both our emotions and thinking about love, life, friends and family. It grasps your attention even when there's nothing outrageous going on in the film. Witty conversations and interesting plot drives the film successfully and entertainingly, for that matter. Emphasis on witty because I can watch James and Julia flirt and converse with each other for an hour for the sake of hearing everything that comes out of their mouths. The script is THAT good. Their humorous and natural performances just served as bonus.

Enough Said is nothing short of fun romantic comedy and even bittersweet drama. However, it's also not outstanding compared to other films in the same genre. I might forget about it a few months or years later.

Blue Jasmine

Director: Woody Allen
With: Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin, Bobby Cannavale, Peter Sarsgaard, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay

All the awards to Cate Blanchett! I am rarely in-sync with the award giving bodies' 'bests', but I'm with them thinking that Cate Blanchett is the 'best actress' of 2013. I've always kind of liked her but that doesn't mean that I always find her performances awesome. She's known to be OTT in portraying her characters that sometimes her performance is verging on SNL style of impersonation. Just watch her version of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator. :)) But here in Blue Jasmine, she's got the rhythym and restraint. I have to give Woody Allen credit for calling her to play the role of Jasmine/Jeanette because aside from the fantastic performance, her appearance suits her character really well - glamorous and sophisticated. But she's not the only perfect cast in it. I thought Sally Hawkins and her gang in the film were also perfect. Their appearance, as trashy as they looked, perfectly captured the opposite worlds of Jasmine and her sister Ginger that Woody Allen was trying to convey.

Blue Jasmine is considered a drama but it's actually a very fun and hilarious to be labeled as one. The character Jasmine reminds me of another character Valerie Cherish wherein both are suffering in their current lifestyles because they're used to their old comfortable lives - Jeanette being rich and Valerie being famous. And while the latter is ironically successful in getting back her fame, Jasmine struggles in finding a new way/person to help her climb back up the ladder of high class society. This causes her to have nervous breakdowns, HILARIOUS nervous breakdowns. She's one of those characters where people would probably be annoyed to deal with in real life, but she's undeniably entertaining if you're just going to follow and watch her journey as a viewer.

Woody Allen continues to write entertaining films and creating characters that will grip you from start to finish. I've always enjoyed the ironies, satires, conflicts and chaos in his works and Blue Jasmine is not devoid of them. In fact, they're everywhere in it. Sort of reminds me of 90's comedies. Blue Jasmine may not be my favorite Woody Allen film, Matchpoint has that honor :3, but it's up there as one of the most entertaining.

Short Term 12

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
With: Brie Larson, John Gallagher, Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, Keith Stanfield,

Have you ever met someone who has an almost identical experience as you? And by experience, I mean dark experiences and past. If yes, did you share it with him/her despite not wanting to retell those bad stuff? Most of us probably have those experiences but it's really good when you know someone who shares the same experience as you. That person makes you feel that you're not alone. But at the same time, it may be dangerous because that person will also remind you of things you want to bury in the past. Well, this writeup is starting to become really personal and cheesy but they're all kind of related to Short Term 12. It's a heartwarming film that leads to dark places but finds its way back to the right direction.

Short Term 12 is about dark secrets and dark past as the title itself is the name of a home for teenagers who suffer from these stuff and need guidance. It's a small film that deserves more recognition. Clever screenplay including great children stories and badass original song, creditable performances and themes that would touch your hearts. I keep on mentioning dark stuff but in the end, it's actually a feel great film with nice lessons to tell.

Brie Larson as one of the young supervisors of 'Short Term 12' gave a brave performance, one that would make you admire her character and despite the braveness, she also showed a lot of depth and susceptibility. She also proved her versatility as an actress by showing the mature and independent side of the character. Something that's very different from her roles in The Spectacular Now and Don Jon. Even her fellow young supervisors are inspiring especially on how they treat the at-risk teenagers. They make the difficult and fragile job rather fun and rewarding.

If only Short Term 12 had more back up support by its producers, it would probably be big come awards season. But even I, who consider this a REALLY good film find a hard time integrating this to last year's glut of outstanding movies.