The New Class

Every few decades or so stars rise in the film industry and then slowly ebb away, leading to the rise of new stars. Most of the stars from while I was growing up are growing old and slowly receding from the business. Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, and Harrison Ford just to name a few. A question that has been on the tip of my tongue for a while now is who will be the next generation of mega-stars?

I have decided to do my research and I believe I have compiled a list of five film actors and actresses, all of which are just at the beginning of very promising careers, or have been in the industry for years and are finally getting some much deserved recognition. These five I believe to be the next group of acting giants in the film industry. Here we go:

* Shia LaBeouf - Yeah, I know he's already on his way to becoming a big star, but I don't care. Shia LaBeouf, no matter how you spin it, is a terrific actor. I've been a fan of his ever since his days on the Disney Channel. He showed a range of acting ability in his early years that he still has yet to match later in his career, but I think once he settles in with his celebrity he will become an actor to look out for, and dare I say there might be an Oscar in his future.

* Saoirse Ronan - While not a household name, she's already garnered much attention from the film community, wowing critics and the Academy with her work in Atonement (which garnered he a Best Supporting Actress nod), and this December she plays the lead in the new Peter Jackson film The Lovely Bones. She's a marvelous actress, already loved by critics, and I think she is on her way to becoming the next Cate Blanchett.


* Joseph Gordon-Levitt - While he has been around for a while, he's just now starting to break through the ranks of Hollywood and is just on the cusp of becoming a mega-star. Garnering terrific reviews in small independent films like Stop-Loss and (500) Days of Summer, he's created a name for himself and is starring alongside Leonardo Dicaprio in next summer's Inception. Levitt is a very likable actor, not too dissimilar from Tom Hanks or Jimmy Stewart. Not only is he a very likable guy, he's a darn good actor as well, one to look out for in the coming years.


* Carey Mulligan - An actress similar to Gordon-Levitt. She's been around in the industry since her teens, but thanks to a recent slew of fine performances she's finally on the radar. From a supporting part in Pride & Prejudice to her most recent role in the independent film An Education, which is receiving huge Oscar buzz for Ms. Mulligan, she has managed to break through the ranks, starring alongside Michael Douglas and Shia LaBeouf in Oliver Stone's sequel to Wall Street. She is a fine actress, and one that both audiences and critics seem to enjoy.

* Rupert Grint - While he's a recognizable face due to his work in the Harry Potter films, he's the most versatile of the Potter trio, being able to pull off anything, ranging from comedy to drama to romance. Grint has flexed his muscles in between the Potter films taking parts in smaller, more character driven independent films like Driving Lessons. He's a likable guy, funny, laid back, but he also has that leading man swagger. I'd almost compare him to a Johnny Depp-type. He's typically quiet, and also he's known for being a bit of an eccentric; not to mention he seems to pull off just about anything he's tried up to this point.

And that's it. These five actors and actresses are what I believe to be the future of film. Only time will tell whether I am right or wrong.

Old School Fridays!

Today marks the first day for a new weekly event here at the Unicellular Review. Beginning today we will be revealing a new, old movie trailer each and ever Friday. These trailers will range from the bad to the unique. The whole point is to see how far trailers have truly come in just the past decade or so. Without further ado, the first edition of Old School Fridays!

For our first edition I would like to highlight the original theatrical trailer for my favorite movie of all time, The Empire Strikes Back. Take a look, with cheesy narration by Harrison Ford:



While this trailer does manage to capture the atmosphere of the film, the narration puts this one over the top; first time I watched it I had no clue it was Harrison Ford narrating. The main thing though that makes this trailer so old school is simply the fact that it is definitely a product of its times. It looks like this trailer was pieced together for a 1970s audience. Even still, it's fun for a Star Wars fan to reminisce.

That's it for this Friday. Come back next week where we highlight a new, old movie trailer on Old School Fridays!

Extended Editions Galore!

It has been rumored for a long time, but finally it seems to be coming to fruition. The Harry Potter films will be receiving Extended Edition DVDs.

While ABC Family typically airs the Harry Potter movies with the deleted scenes from the DVD special features thrown in, the fact that Warner Bros. is going out of the way to re-release all of the films on DVD and call them an Extended Edition, makes me think that more stuff was cut from the films than what was initially put on the Special Features disc of the original DVDs.

Perhaps I'm wrong, being extremely foolish, hoping that there is more that I have never seen from some of my favorite films of the past decade. For all I know this could be an attempt by WB to milk as much money out of Harry Potter fans as possible, I don't know. What I do know is that even if these DVDs simply are the cuts of the films in which they show on ABC Family, it'd still be a real treat to own them all without any commercial interruption.

As of now there is no official release date, but the first two films have already been resubmitted to the ratings board and gotten PG ratings, so I'd say look out for 'em by year's end.

Oscar Watch: Part 2

Today I am going to conclude my latest edition of Oscar Watch with Part 2, taking a look at the Oscar hopefuls that will be released between now and the end of the year. Now seeing as how none of these films have been released yet, and very few of them, if any, have been screened, it's mostly a bunch of guesswork from trailers and word of mouth. Without further ado, Oscar Watch continues.

One of the more anticipated films to come out this entire year is Spike Jonze's interpretation of the classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are. The trailers for this film have been fantastic, making my mouth drop in awe every single time. Not to mention the film has generated some very positive word of mouth. It is slowly climbing up the ranks, and if it delivers like I think it can, I think it's entirely possible for this to be considered for some big-time Oscars, most notably Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director.

Another film that has been on the radar all year long as an Oscar hopeful is Rob Marshall's adaptation of the stage musical Nine, which was based off Felinni's 8 1/2. The film stars Daniel Day Lewis along the likes of Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, and Fergie (weird, I know). This film is not only a contender for Best Picture, but with DDL involved it could very easily be another shot at Best Actor for this man. Not to mention Judi Dench and her chances.

Another film that has seemed to stay put on the Oscar radar since the start of the year is Amelia, starring Hilary Swank. This film looks to be typical Oscar fare, so I wouldn't be surprised at all to see it wind up in practically every major category and a few of the tech categories as well. Not to mention Hilary Swank for Best Actress.

With the move of Shutter Island from this year's Oscar race, it's going to be interesting to see who fills its spot that it was, for the most part, guaranteed. Perhaps it could be The Lovely Bones. Peter Jackson's latest looks to be a terrific film anchored in genuine human emotion. While it many not be your typical Oscar fare, I seriously believe this will show up very well in the acting categories, especially Stanley Tucci for Supporting Actor.

In terms of animation only two films are coming out later this year that have a serious chance at Oscar contention. The first is Wes Anderson's The Fantastic Mr. Fox. With an all-star voice cast and it being done in claymation, it could easily be a hit with the Academy, but I think that there have already been a slew of other animated films that will eclipse it at year's end. The other film is Disney's The Princess and the Frog. This is Disney's first hand-drawn musical in nearly a decade. For this reason alone it stands a chance when it comes time for the Oscars, but I think the Animation Branch will most likely feel a sense of been there, done that with this film.

Moving on into December we get Avatar. Before seeing this trailer I believed that it was a possible Oscar contender, but after seeing it I think it will be limited solely to the tech categories. This isn't to say that I don't hope this film is good, it's just that it doesn't look to be the type of film the Academy goes for. Another strictly tech film is Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. This film looks to be a fun re-imagining of the classic detective/adventurer. The film looks to be well made and will possibly show up in the costumes and art direction categories.

While I'm not a big fan of him, Michael Moore has a new film coming out, Capitalism: A Love Story. With this guy's track record it'd be no surprise for him to take Best Documentary, and now with ten nominees, possibly get a Best Picture nod as well (which really ticks me off by the way cause this guy's films annoy me).

The Coen's have a new film coming out titled A Serious Man. This looks to be a return to their films like Fargo, and I think that this could maybe go the same route and strike big with the Academy. As well The Road, a book by Cormac McCarthy has been adapted into a film starring Viggo Mortensen. The film seems to channel the glory days of Hitchcock. This could easily be another Oscar contender.

Then the legendary Terrence Malick surprised all by announcing that his latest film, The Tree of Life, will be released in December, early enough for Oscar contention. Terrence Malick is one of the few directors left from the '70s that still seems to be chugging along other than Spielberg and Scorsese, for this reason alone I think it is entirely possible to see a potential Best Director nod here, and if the film is any good, Best Picture.

Though one of the films getting the most buzz is Jason Reitman's latest, Up in the Air. The film stars George Clooney, and has been getting hailed as Reitman's best work to date. Seeing as how he's already got one Oscar nod, I think it entirely possible for him to getting his second here.

Finally we reach Clint Eastwood's latest, Invictus, a biopic about Nelson Mandella. The film looks to be very different than what is typically expected from Eastwood, whose films are typically fairly dark and opaque. This one looks to be a slight touch brighter. Never count Eastwood out when it comes to director, and Best Picture is a fair possibility as well, but the one that I am most eager to see come to fruition is Morgan Freeman for Best Actor as Mandella. I think this role fits Freeman like a glove and could bring him home another Oscar.

Taking all this into account, this is how I see the Best Picture race shaping up at this current moment, and in no particular order:

Invictus
Where the Wild Things Are
Amelia
Nine
An Education
Up
(500) Days of Summer
A Serious Man
Up in the Air
The Tree of Life

And that wraps it up for this edition of Oscar Watch. Check back as I will update my predictions later on in the year at about mid-award's season. Till then.

Rewatchability, Showing Favoritism

Whenever I watch the shows showcasing their lists of the greatest films of all-time, I tend to always wonder if there truly is a film that is greater than the other. It's an entirely subjective argument. While one person may think Citizen Kane is the best film of all-time, there are countless others who might champion a film like Dumb and Dumber. Since it is entirely subjective, these vast lists are nothing more than an accumulation of a certain amount of people's favorite film's list.

What makes me bring up this subject is that earlier today me and my friend were talking about our favorite movies of all-time, and how we can classify them as such. In other words, what makes those movies so much better to us than any others we have ever seen. It all boils down to one word, nostalgia, or a word that I like a lot better, rewatchability.

There are many great films out there, in just nineteen years I feel I have only scratched the surface. Over the years I have seen many of the classics, arthouse films, and populist entertainment. My thoughts on these various films typically do not differ based off of what type of film it is; a quality film is a quality film regardless of its genre or the audience in which it is trying to appeal to. Taking this to heart I had begun to question what were truly my favorite films of all-time.

This is something commonly asked whenever you make new friends, something in which often defines you as a person in some people's eyes. While I could easily go with the quality of Orson Welles, the innovativeness of Godard, or the suspenseful view of Hitchcock, in determining my own favorite films of all-time it all comes down to one thing, rewatchability.

Rewatchability simply means whether or not you could continue to watch a particular film over and over again for the rest of your life and still never get tired of it. Rewatchability has nothing to do with how well-made a film is, it all boils down to how you feel when you watch it time and time again; whether you cry at the sappy ending, or laugh at your favorite scene, or even cheer where it's appropriate. I have seen many well made films, many of which I quite enjoyed and would label an A+ film, but at the end of the day do I feel like I could watch that film again, probably not. So while a film may be an A+ in quality, it's not an A+ in rewatchability, which is all that matters in the long run between it just being a critically popular film to being a beloved classic.

To show a fine example of this I'll use two recent films, both highly popular, and both I really enjoyed. I am speaking of Batman Begins and its sequel, The Dark Knight. While in terms of quality filmmaking, I'd have to give The Dark Knight the edge over Batman Begins. The Dark Knight was far more serious, far more complex, and far more thought-provoking, but what makes me like Batman Begins more is simply the fact that it's more emotional, more entertaining. In the first, I cheer when Batman stops the monorail from erupting fear gas across all Gotham, I feel sad when Bruce loses his parents, and I laugh each time Gary Oldman makes his comments upon first seeing the Tumbler. When it comes right down to it, I can rewatch Batman Begins a great number more times than I could The Dark Knight. Rewatchability.

Based upon the principle of rewatchability, I've decided to compile my own list of my 25 favorite films of all-time, ranging from number 25 all the way down to my favorite film ever made. On this list you will find many films by the same filmmakers, and that is simply because they make the type of films in which I can enjoy. There are also a few comic book films scattered within, and what can I say, I'm a geek. Without further ado:

25. Johnny English
24. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
23. It's a Wonderful Life
22. Back to the Future
21. Singin' in the Rain
20. Secondhand Lions
19. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
18. Princess Mononoke
17. Rear Window
16. Jaws
15. Hot Fuzz
14. Spider-man 2
13. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
12. Batman Begins
11. My Neighbor Totoro
10. Howl's Moving Castle
9. Jurassic Park
8. Arsenic and Old Lace
7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark
5. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
4. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
1. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Sound off in the comments below on your own opinions on what your favorite films are.