2015 Oscar-Nominated Films You Should Watch

Forget about who won, who lost, who got snubbed and the person who won your Oscar pool (I won mine, no big deal!), here are the top 5 films nominated this year that should be next on your list:

1. The Grand Budapest Hotel

There is something to be said for a movie that got released early in the year, yet still stayed with people enough to be nominated for several Academy Awards. You can find this on Netflix so you have no excuse. It’s hilarious, gorgeously shot and has a stellar cast. It is my introduction to Wes Anderson movies and I must say, if his films are all like this, then he’s my new favorite director. It’s also the only Best Picture nominee that wasn’t super heavy in terms of subject matter. If I was a member of the Academy, I would’ve definitely voted for this one to win the top prize.

2. Big Hero 6

I cannot say enough good things about this movie. It’s the only one of the nominated animated films that I’ve seen, but I have a feeling that even if I watch all of them, this one would still stand out. I don’t want to ruin the story, but suffice to say, it has everything: comedy, drama, action, superheroes, and Beymax. Oh, Beymax.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

I’m sorry, what? You still haven’t seen what’s probably the best movie of last year? Sorry, we cannot be friends.

4. Boyhood

It may have been essentially snubbed by the Academy, but I think that compared to Birdman, this movie has more staying power. Yes, it’s long (around 3 hours), and yes, it’s gimmicky (filmed over 12 years), but it works. It’s a universal story that’s so relatable, so real, so raw. It deserves to be watched.

5. Whiplash

I was surprised by how much I liked this movie. It’s powerful and at times hard to watch. But if you love amazing performances, jazz music and a compelling story.

Happy Hump Day and happy viewing!

It Happened This Week…

Greetings, all! This week has been super hectic so forgive me if I’ve failed to include something in my weekly nerdy news round-up:

…in Central City

HitFix just announced that Mark Hamill is set to reprise his role as Trickster on The Flash, which I’m sure my boyfriend will be all about, since he actually watched the 90s series. While I have not, I’m still happy since it’s Mark freaking Hamill.

...in #Flarrow

Shameless plug coming up. You can now listen to Episode 5 of Shoot, Quick! – our Arrow & The Flash podcast. We talk about the historical crossover episodes.

…in Middle-Earth

Drumming up more buzz on the last of The Hobbit movies, Stephen Colbert shows us why he really is the biggest Tolkien nerd in the land.

…in the DC TV universe

THR reported that Syfy and David Goyer are currently developing a Superman origin story TV show called Krypton. Ok…I don’t know how I feel about this, but I do know I’m not excited… According to the article:

From Warner Horizon Television and DC Comics, Krypton takes place years before the Superman legend we know, when the House of El was shamed and ostracized. This drama, which is in development, follows the Man of Steel’s grandfather as he brings hope and equality to Krypton, turning a planet in disarray into one worthy of giving birth to the greatest Super Hero ever known.

…on YouTube

I’ll just leave you with this. Happy Thursday, a-holes!

Christmas Gift Guide 2014: Fandom

Happy New Comic Book Day! Part Three of my gift guide series continues with today’s post on all the geeky gifts your nerdy heart would want:

1. No matter what fandom you’re a part of, there is definitely a Funko Pop! figure for you. I like to get mine from Paradise Comics.

2. I would be a terrible girlfriend if I didn’t recommend the 4th volume of Kill Shakespeare collecting “The Mask of Night” run, with the back-up story written by the boyfriend. You can get your copy starting Wednesday next week from Paradise as well. End of shameless plug.

3. My love of baking and Star Wars come together for the perfect gift.

4. This game is perfect for the board game lover in your circle, beginner or veteran. Very simple concept with gorgeous art, board and pieces. In my opinion, better than the original.

5. Who wouldn’t want ice shaped like Daleks and TARDISes?

6. I wish I had gotten the box set rather than getting them individually, but now I can give them to a friend.

Happy Hump Day everyone.

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! I’m not sure if it’s the weather, but I could not wait for this week to be over. On Tuesday, my boss asked me if it was Friday yet. Here’s to my favorite things from this week and to making the most of the weekend.

Shoutout to Dlish Cupcakes for their amazing twitter contest! I won cupcakes and tickets to the Mockingjay Part 1 premiere, which turned out to be a good thing since I could’ve just waited for it to come out on DVD. I’ll probably write a review on it for next week.

Loving the Second Cup holiday cups this year since they’re Tiffany blue.

The new board game cafe that just opened up next to our apartment is pretty sweet.

Start your weekend off right with this gem:

It Happened This Week…

Just came back from the Mockingjay Part 1 premiere (more on that in a later post) so this week’s round-up will be short and sweet.

…in live-action adaptations

Robb Stark is Prince Charming! And I’m a sucker for any movie that has Cate Blanchett in it.

…in the TARDIS

Trouble in TARDIS paradise? Just when I was starting to like Clara, word on the street is that Jenna Coleman still hasn’t finalized her contract. At least, Peter Capaldi is confirmed to be coming back.

…in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel released an official Phase 3 round-up for us to print out. How thoughtful.

…in Marvel’s Netflix universe

Deadline put out the list of actresses vying for the titular role of Jessica Jones as well as actors for Luke Cage. I have to confess that I’m not familiar with both characters but I’m excited since all the actors in consideration are pretty awesome.

…in a clip from my favorite movie of the year

Thank you, Marvel, for releasing this clip.

On that note, happy Thursday!

It Happened This Week…

Information Overload this week! Yes, I’m looking at you Marvel. I don’t think I even have time for an introduction, let’s jump right in:

…in the form of the most awesome trailer of all time (SO FAR)

I hope by now you’ve seen this. It aired during S.H.I.E.L.D. this week. I’ve probably watched it at least 20 times and counting.

If that doesn’t have you peeing your pants in excitement, then this next piece (or pieces) of info should.

…in Hollywood
Marvel decided it was going to announce a whole bunch of movies on Tuesday like it was no big deal! Here’s the full line-up:
Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016.

Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017
Thor: Ragnarok – July 28, 2017

Black Panther – November 3, 2017

With the amazing Chadwick Boseman as the lead!

Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) – July 6, 2018

Inhumans – November 2, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018
Avengers: Infinity War Part 2– May 3, 2019

PHEW! Looks like we have the next few years of our lives scheduled out, guys. Thanks, Marvel, for telling me exactly what I’ll be doing for all the aforementioned dates. To get more in-depth, I’ll just leave you at the able hands of The Mary Sue with their handy dandy recap. I’ll just be here still freaking out.

Now I almost feel bad for the rest of the news I’m about to mention since while interesting, they’re nowhere near as epic as above.

…in District 13

I’m not ready for this.

…in the TARDIS

I’m also not prepared for Series 8 to end.

Have an awesome Thursday!

It Happened This Week…

Happy Thursday! Another week, another round-up of all the latest news happening in the world of fandom, especially since NYCC was this weekend. There’s more Hobbit posters, a first look at the new Daredevil, your favorite a-holes animated and BIG news from both Marvel and DC. So let’s get on with it:

…in Middle-Earth

The rest of the character posters for The Battle of the Five Armies. I’m in serious denial that this franchise is coming to an end. Peter Jackson will return to Middle Earth eventually. Right? Right?!

…in Hell’s Kitchen

A first look at Matt Murdoch and Netflix’s Daredevil from NYCC. I’m not familiar with the character all that much but my boyfriend is not happy.

…in the galaxy

A first-look at the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series!

…in the TARDIS

Did anyone really think Clara was going to just leave mid-season?

…in the world of comics

Exciting news from NYCC! According to The Mary Sue, there’s going to be a new Wonder Woman series based on the 1970s TV show. Thank, Hera!

…in Gotham

Ugh. If you don’t know my thoughts on Gotham…well, in short, I don’t like it so far. Everyone is just SUPER dramatic and I don’t understand why they have to hit us over the head with references and foreshadowing (“My name is Cat!” “You walk like a penguin!”) not to mention the abusive and dick-ish Alfred. So the news that they ordered in 6 more episodes does absolutely nothing for me. Except maybe feel a little amused that they might now have to scramble to change things since they planned their story around the original number of episodes.

…in The Mortal Instruments‘ NYC

Stop right there. You mean to tell me that they won’t continue making more of these movies after City of Bones?! Shocker. According to THR, the book series will now be coming to the small screen. I haven’t decided yet on how I feel about this. I’ll wait for more details.

…in DC’s NYC

A new trailer for Constantine which I’m actually getting excited for if only to distract me from Gotham.

…in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Last week I posted about RDJ saying he’s going to re-don the Iron Man suit and assumed he meant Iron Man 4 but that’s not the case. He’ll be clashing with Steve Rogers in Captain America 3. Variety reports the 3rd movie will be based on the Civil War storyline, which sounds amaze-balls!

…in the DC Cinematic Universe

Finally we get some clarity on DC’s plans via /Film but man do we have to wait a long time for some of the movies in their line-up:
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice directed by Zack Snyder (2016)
Suicide Squad directed by David Ayer (2016)
Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot (2017)
Justice League Part One directed by Zack Snyder, with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams reprising their roles (2017)
The Flash starring Ezra Miller (2018)
Aquaman starring Jason Momoa (2018)
Shazam (2019)
Justice League Part Two directed by Zack Snyder (2019)
Cyborg starring Ray Fisher (2020)
Green Lantern (2020)
Thanks for making the Momoa casting official already. Not sure what all the secrecy was for. I’m very intrigued about the casting choices for The Flash and Cyborg. But more importantly…
FINALLY we’re going to have a Wonder Woman movie!!! Whoever’s going to be in charge of this: Do. Not. Mess. It. Up. Kaythanksbye.

It Happened This Week…

Happy Thursday one and all! This week didn’t have a really major casting announcement like last week did but there were still some pretty interesting stuff going around the geek world. Mostly they’re about upcoming fall shows because in case you haven’t heard, capes are taking over your TV sets in a few weeks.

…in DC’s only property set in NYC

New casting announcement alert! This time it’s for Constantine which now has Irish actor Emmett Scanlan cast as Jim Corrigan. He is a homicide detective who becomes The Spectre, which I’m fully excited for, but it’ll probably take awhile before the show gets there.

…in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

GOTG has officially surpassed Iron Man as Marvel’s biggest franchise starter according to this Facebook post by director James Gunn. As per my review, I fully support this.

…in the TARDIS

While I’m a big scaredy cat, I’m getting pretty excited for the upcoming episode of Doctor Who. I’m still trying to form an opinion around the Twelfth Doctor. We’ve seen Capaldi deal with a sillier episode last week (Robin Hood!) so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares with a more serious, horror-centric episode.

…in the Marvel TV Universe

This is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has pretty much guaranteed that I’m going to be watching their upcoming season when TV Guide tweeted the above photo of Peggy Carter guest starring. And I thought I could get away with just watching Agent Carter…Damn you, Marvel!

…in a galaxy far, far away

Ok, I thought they were just trolling when they said they were building an actual Millennium Falcon, but look you guys! Star Wars Episode VII, there may be new hope for you yet…see what I did there?

…in Gotham City

Batman v. Superman (I will never get used to typing that ‘v’ period) director Zack Snyder just tweeted an official photo of the Batmobile and I must say it looks MEAN!

It Happened This Week…

This week has been pretty rough, from hearing terrible news from back home to what’s happening in Ferguson, Missouri, my boyfriend’s home state, to Hollywood legends passing away. But that’s life for you, it gets you down and you must soldier on. On that note…

…in the TARDIS

One positive thing to keep us going is the fact that Doctor Who Series 8 is almost upon us! The latest trailer from this week just builds on the excitement each previous one has teased. It’s fully sunk in now that we have a new Doctor and I’m on board with Capaldi 100%. Let’s do this.

…in Atlantis

Apparently there are two screenwriters working on an Aquaman script separately, according to THR. DC and Warner Bros are hedging their bets by asking not one but two people to write a screenplay on the King of the Seven Seas. So we have two writers yet they still haven’t officially announced Jason Momoa as Aquaman? Go figure. Hopefully one if not both scripts will feature a lot of Mera. As a big fan of the hero and his wife, I’m excited that he’s getting his own movie and maybe people will see just how badass he can be. But I’m still waiting on any Wonder Woman movie news though…

…in the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe

Word on the street is that another group of comic book misfits will appear on the big screen: The Inhumans. For more, read the article by Collider. I’m not exactly familiar with the series but if they say they’ll treat it exactly as they did Guardians, which I loved, then sign me up. Oh and Vin Diesel dropped a hint that he could be in it? ALL THE YES.

…in Hollywood
And now I just want to take the time to pay tribute to two of the most iconic stars to grace us with their talents.

This was a TCM tribute by Kelsey Grammer and I think it just encapsulates everything about the legendary Lauren Bacall. I first saw her in How to Marry a Millionaire and immediately gravitated toward her rather than Betty Grable or Marilyn Monroe. Of course I had known about her relationship with one of my favourite actors of all time, Humphrey Bogart, but aside from love story, there’s just something about Bacall that just draws you in and never lets go. The Big Sleep was where I really fell in love with her. That timing, that chemistry, those double entendres, that “look”! I look forward to discovering even more of her films. Rest in peace, Ms. Bacall, and say hello to Bogey for us.

Like many of you, Robin Williams was a big part of my childhood. Back in the Philippines, I would watch Aladdin, Jack and Jumanji on repeat. Then my parents got divorced and I moved to Canada, leaving my dad behind. It devastated me and the only thing that remotely helped was watching Mrs. Doubtfire over and over and over again. It just helped me feel closer to my father who was on the other side of the world. Then as I grew older, I discovered a lot of his other movies like The Birdcage. I look forward to watching the rest of his films. I just want to say thank you, Mr. Williams, for making a sad, scared little girl who missed her daddy laugh. You brought us all a lot of joy. Rest in peace.

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday everyone! Lots going on this weekend in Toronto. There’s Taste of the Danforth and another (smaller) beer festival. The NFL pre-season is officially underway and tonight is my fantasy football league’s draft. But before the weekend starts, here are my favorite things from this week:

Yes, Guardians of the Galaxy is on the list. I’ve already seen it twice and will probably go again on cheap Tuesdays. Read my review, go see it. Then go again.

Discovered a great breakfast combo this week when the boyfriend told me that everyone at our local patisserie was drinking Orangina with their pain au chocolat. I tried it for myself and I’m happy to report that it actually works. Hey, orange and chocolate work for a reason.

Wednesday night was the MLS All-Star Game, the Rogers Cup is currently going on in Toronto and Montreal plus NFL Pre-season is underway. All these sporting events made me crave a cold one so I raided my local LCBO for some I’m dying to try. (Except for the Trois Mousquetaires gose, I already love that one!)

Last but definitely not least, I went out for lunch with a friend and she suggested we stop at Butter Avenue for some macarons. I couldn’t resist getting a box. Starting from the left: raspberry lychee, jardin zen (citrus black sesame), wild cherry pistachio, lemon, salted caramel and caramel macchiato. The jardin zen was surprisingly the best. I think it’s a limited flavor though so I’d hurry to get it.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Wish me luck for the draft.