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Calling All Sushi Lovers
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011/IN THEATERS) 
You might find yourself dreaming of Sushi, or better yet, heading off to get some after watching this wonderful documentary featuring 85 year old sushi master Jiro Ono (and his sons). Jiro has earned 3 Michelin stars for his tiny Sushi restaurant located in a subway stop in Tokyo and is completely devoted to perfection in his chosen field. During the movie, we learn much about him, above all his love of sushi and his dedication to the high standards he sets for every bite he serves and for all those who work with him. Rising every morning at 5:00 a.m., and often not home until 10:00 p.m. when he was younger, Jiro personally smells, tastes and supervises his small 10-seat domain. Diners must book ahead by as much as a year to get a seat. You will be amazed at the complexities of fish preparation (as well as rice and everything else) for perfect sushi–for example, massaging an octopus for a full 45 minutes to increase its “softness.” Wow…now we understand why good sushi is so expensive! Jiro emphasizes the need for an unrelenting search for perfection, and has passed this devotion on to his sons who have been trained to take over the business. In particular the film presents an inspiring portrait of Jiro’s oldest son Yoshikazu, now 50 and the eventual heir, who really runs much of the restaurant while working for his father. Yoshikazu exemplifies the traditions of Japan and the devotion of the oldest son to those traditions. Asked if he wanted to get into the Sushi restaurant business, he replies, “well, not really” but of course, there was no alternative and he is as passionate and quietly devoted as his father. This is the feature film debut of director David Gelb who uses exquisite music to underly his thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and the art of perfection. Catch it on DVD if you miss it in theaters, and enjoy!
Grade: A
Familiar Fairy Tale Falls Flat
MIRROR MIRROR (2012/IN THEATERS) 
Directed by Tarsem Singh, this year’s first retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is beautiful to look at, but sadly lacking in anything else. The able cast includes Julia Roberts as the Wicked Queen, Lily Collins (that’s Phil Colllin’s daughter, mind you!) as Snow White, Armie Hammer as the Prince, Nathan Lane as the Queen’s right hand man Brighton, and features a short appearance by Sean Bean as the King. In this film, the seven dwarves seem to be having more fun than the rest of the characters—they’re cast as bandits who wear “slinky” legs that allow them to appear as giants and jump about. Sporting new names like Napoleon, Half Pint and Grimm (no Dopey in this movie), the seven are played by familiar dwarf faces including Jordan Prentice (In Bruges), Mark Povinelli (Water for Elephants) and Danny Woodburn (Death to Smoochy). In fact, the dwarfs were my favorite part of the film because they were lively while the rest of the movie felt strangely flat and slow. Was it the screenplay? The pacing? Many scenes felt like a theatrical stage-play, with characters either sitting (Roberts on her throne, for example) or standing (Armie Hammer minus his shirt and pants) while delivering lines that just simply fell flat. Even Nathan Lane couldn’t make us laugh. A shame, because each of these actors is very appealing and the film should have been much more fun. If you go, enjoy the sets and costumes—they are absolutely gorgeous–and be sure to stay for the Bollywood ending. It is truly the highlight of the film and makes you wish that Singh had aimed for that tone throughout the entire flick.
Grade: C
BTW: Critics and audiences are evenly split on this film—Rotten Tomatoes puts it at 49% from Critics and 53% from Audiences. Here’s hoping this summer’s Snow White and the Huntsman with Kristen Stewart as Snow, Charlize Theron as a very deadly Queen, and Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman delivers more. Standees for this next version are already up in the theater for you to view as you’re leaving Mirror Mirror!
2ND PLACE FINISHES: The Films That Came So Close But Missed
As we prepare our Oscar menus and make our picks for our Oscar pools, one of our favorite Oscar past times is less than 24 hours away. That past time is judging the whether Academy made the right decision. So we will take a look at the films that almost were the “Best”. We’ve gone over the best of the best pictures, so now we look at the nominees that did not win. We used the same criteria as before: Must be an Oscar Nominee for Best Picture, must be on AFI’s top 100 Movies list, AMC’s Top 100 list, and must be on Roger Ebert’s Top 100 List (why because he is the best). Out of 337 films we narrowed it down to 10, we picked the top five, in our opinion.
Honorable Mentions: (10-6 In Alphabetical Order) Chinatown, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Pulp Fiction, Raging Bull, and Taxi Driver.
Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings and the Academy can go to hell.
5.It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – This holiday classic is the standard bearer for the phrase Capra-esque. However, it was released in a very good year for the best picture category. In the end, it lost to our favorite The Best Years of Our Lives, but as we all know, it has gone on to be part of everyone’s video library since then, while Best Years faded.
4. Apocalypse Now (1979) – The horror, the horror that this is in fourth place. This epic, that nearly killed Martin Sheen and Francis Ford Coppola, is one of the best films of all time, and is placed here because the following movies just had something a little more. Unfortunately, Apocalypse faced a similar problem during its year, Kramer vs. Kramer won the statue that year appealing to the Academy’s heart strings and not their fear of decapitation.
3. The Wizard of Oz (1939) – This classic gets to number three because of three reasons. One, if you have not seen this movie during your childhood, then we hope you enjoyed growing up in Soviet Russia. Two, the songs for the film are still classics and are still sung to this day. Three, whether it is a story of a crazy munchkin or Dark Side of the Moon matching up, this movie is constantly reemerging into the social consciousness every ten years or so. Unfortunately for the producers, it had to go up against the juggernaut of Gone With the Wind.
2. Citizen Cane (1941) – Regarded as the best movie of all time, this classic was snubbed by the Academy and apparently us as well. There is no denying Orson Welles‘ genius, and this was literally a flip of a coin for us. It’s year or nomination it was in competition with other classics like The Maltese Falcon and Sergeant York, but all lost to How Green Was My Valley.
Hey Academy, I got your My Fair Lady RIGHT HERE!!!
1. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) – Stanley Kubrick was one of the most ignored filmmakers by the Academy. Three of his films were nominated for best picture, and none of which were 2001, which he won his only Oscar for best special effects. Strangelove makes the top of our list because it is a classic film and snub by the Academy. It was a black comedy about nuclear annihilation during the Cold War, Peter Sellers give three pitch perfect performances in one film, George C. Scott is unforgettable, one name Slim Pickens, and many more reasons. Perhaps the most annoying though is looking at its fellow nominees. Becket, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady (which won), and Zorba the Greek joined Strangelove. None of which made any of the lists that we used to filter the nominees. Strangelove is regarded as timeless classic, but this is concerning the same organization that did give Crash the Oscar.
THE BEST OF THE BEST: And not the Eric Roberts Movie (Although We Did Consider It)
It is that time year, OSCAR‘s is soon to be upon us. For us movie lovers, this is the culmination of a year of disappointments and triumphs. So we thought before we hear the winners from this year we look back at the best of the best of Oscar. These are the top five movies that won the Best Picture award since the Academy Awards began back in 1927. We whittled the over all list of 83 winners down to five by using the following criteria: Must be an Oscar winner for Best Picture, must be on AFI’s top 100 Movies list, AMC’s Top 100 list, and must be on Roger Ebert’s Top 100 List (why because he is the best). Then we here at Serious Movie Lover chose from the remaining 10.
Honorable Mentions: (10-6 in alphabetical order) Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Schindler’s List, and West Side Story.
"Hey lets make a movie about our relationship, maybe we'll get an Oscar."
5. Annie Hall – (1977) The lone comedy on this list, and maybe one of the best ever. The instant classic that made Woody Allen not just another funny comedy writer also stands as the last comedy to win the statue. Along with Allen’s steady self doubt, Diane Keaton gives her Oscar winning performance.
4. On the Waterfront - (1954) The most analyzed movie on this list gives us the quintessential Brando performance of all time. Elia Kazan‘s anti-Communist film centered around the dock worker who could (everyone say it together) “Have been a contender.” With its win, On the Waterfront became a classic and one of the most divisive Cold War/Black List Era movies of all time.
"Look Michael, I tried to get it to #1." "Put your shirt back on."
3. The Godfather 1 & 2 – (1972 & 1974) We know, they are two separate movies, but let face it, you cannot watch one without the other. Go ahead and try. It is like baseball and beer, one should not be enjoyed without the other. So we place this as one movie for right now. Do we really need to describe these to you? No, you know them you love them, and the Michael Corelone in you wants to know why it is not number one.
2. Casablanca – (1943) In some circles this is regarded as the best movie of all time due to its near perfection of movie making. It has one of the best casts in a non-heist type movie. It is tough to top Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Raines, Peter Lorre, just to name a few. Then throw in some Nazi’s long lost romance, a budding friendship, and the oddly appealing acting style of Peter Lorre…you can’t lose.
And we love it too.
1. The Best Years of Our Lives – (1946) Sure this can’t beat the star power of Casablanca, but how about a ton of seasoned character actors. The Best Years tells the story of three returning World War II veterans. Each has a different path. One is haunted by his experiences and turns to liquor, another finds the fan fair of a war hero to be non-existent and instead of finding a better life has to return to his job of being a soda jerk, and finally a disabled veteran who survives only to lose his hands and be the object of pity to everyone. This earned an Oscar for the lead actor Fredric March, and a supporting one for Harold Russell who was the living embodiment of his character having lost his hands in a grenade accident during training. This was also a feather in the cap of William Wyler who took home best director. All said this movie is the benchmark by which the Academy should judge best picture nominees by.
BREAKING NEWS: Idiots Like To Go To The Movies Too
!!!Spoiler alert!!! There is no talking
The movie that seem to garner the most attention at the Golden Globes was The Artist. This then leads to some interesting movie going news to follow. Apparently in the United Kingdom, moviegoers, upon finding out that the movie is largely a silent movie, walked out. Now, this action surprised us here, mostly due to the fact that the Golden Globes pointed out that it was a silent movie about a thousand times during the broadcast. So our response is to begin an on going list of rules for watching movies. Please feel free to add here on our Facebook page, and then we can finally avoid morons from going to a theater.
Rule #5: Research the movie you are going to go see. There are thousands of websites devoted to critiquing movies. These range from local newspapers to Internet blogs. Use these sources to get a synopsis of the movie you want to see, by doing so then you know you will not be going to see movies that you will not enjoy. For future reference: IMdB, Rotten Tomatoes, Dark Horizons, Google, etc.
He is so smart yet so relaxing
Rule #4: Have an open mind. Not every movie is made for those that are stuck in comas and don’t care about what is on the screen. What this means is that once or twice a year, a movie is made that challenges the audience to focus on other parts of the movie making process than how many robots blow up. This is wear we refer you to Turner Classic Movies and the delightfully calming Robert Osborn to educate you in classic movie techniques and backstories. After a few weeks, you will realize that not all movies with booby shots are instant classics.
Rule #3: Shut Up! This is not directed to the sassy woman loudly talking on your phone during the credits, nor to the gentleman making funny wise cracks during horribly awesome movies. This is directed to the person that goes to a movie and has to ask questions although out the movie. Questions like: Who is that? What is he doing? What is going on? What happened while I was in the bathroom? Or statements such as: This does not look good. Ooooooh, I wouldn’t do that. That would never happen in real life. All we can say is shut up. If you cannot go two hours without making a sound then you need to stay at home, just be quiet and let the movie explain it to you. 90% of the time, your question is answered within five seconds.
Rule #2: Stay for the Credits. I know this one is kind of out of place for this article, but is a cardinal rule by our standards. We get it, you just spent the last hour and a half plus sitting in one place (quietly), and you got places to go and people to see. All we ask is that you take the extra five minutes to stay through the credits. There are other people that work on the movies that you see that are not on the screen or get to walk red carpets. All that these people get is their name lumped in a large group of people that goes by rather quickly, and you sometimes get rewards like an extra scene or bloopers. So before you leave your next movie ask this question, “Who was the Best Boy and the Key Grip?” Answer those questions and you may leave.
In real life, he sounded like Snagglepuss
Rule #1: Just because you love movies doesn’t mean that you should see just any movie. We here at Serious Movie Lover obviously love movies, but we disagree on many films. That doesn’t mean that the movie is bad or not worth watching. What this means is some people have different tastes. For instance with two best picture contenders, as mentioned before, The Artist is mostly a silent movie, so if you sit watching a Charlie Chaplin movie and think to yourself, “This would be better if he only would talk instead of acting out his emotions.” then the Artist is not for you. Another example would be Tree of Life; if watching Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey makes your brain hurt, you don’t get the connection between the bone and technology, or you wish HAL would have a more cheerful tone; then Tree of Life is not for you. If you cannot wrap your mind around ideas like these then stick with what works, the newest Shia La Beouf movie.
MAYBE WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE PARTY RICHTER: New Years Means Second Chances for Movies
A few months ago, we saw an article about the remaking of the classic movie Point Break. This led us to think, why? Why mess with one of the best horribly awesome action movies in the last thirty years. This one gets better with age, and if younger audiences cannot appreciate Keanu Reeves‘ horrendous acting, then they do not deserve a reboot. So we have broken these down into ones that you should look out for, and those you might want to avoid and wait until you can get them with Netflix.
To See: Man of Steel – This is the Superman reboot with Zach Snyder at the helm with Henry Cavill (of Immortals and the Tudors) as Superman. Along with Cavill the cast is rounded out with Russell Crowe, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Michael Shannon as General Zod. Seeing as Superman was nearly killed by Bryan Singer and Kate Bosworth with the previous attempt, Snyder and an all star cast have no where to go but up, and I am sure it will be in 3D. This is due out in 2013
Dark Shadows – Yes the beloved campy tv series (both incarnations) is coming to the big screen, however this is looking to be one to mark on your calendar. Headed by the hit or miss trio of Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter; Dark Shadows looks to be one movie that even if awful could be highly entertaining. The rest of the cast contains Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Lee Miller, Christopher Lee, and Alice Cooper as himself (awesome). Summer 2012.
Snow White and the Huntsman – Of the two live action Snow White movies due out, this one looks to be the better of the two. Starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron; this adaptation is more of a dark realistic (for a fantasy movie) version of the fairy tale. Deviating a slight bit from the original story to offer a bit more action than singing dwarves, this version looks to have a shot at being a summer blockbuster. Summer 2012
To Miss: Mirror/Mirror – The flip side of that Snow White coin is this movie geared towards 8 year old girls. Starring Julia Roberts, Nathan Lane, and teen heart-throbs from various other movies; this is the one with singing, dancing, and all the little people jokes that your heart desires (if that is your thing). Even with all that wholesome family fun, this is one that we do not recommend seeing. If you want to see a nice sweet happy version of the story then wait till Disney re-releases the original animated movie from its vaults next time they need a boat load of money. Spring 2012
Maybe: The Bourne Legacy - This one that is tough to gauge. The fourth installment of the Bourne franchise sees the spy role go to the rising Jeremy Renner. This time he is not Jason Bourne but associated with the same organizations. Along with a good cast, the film is helmed but the original screenplay writer for the franchise Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton). This is his first hand at directing in the Bourne series, and he has big shoes to fill following Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass. However, this one could prove to be a new starting point for the franchise and launch it into 
possible early James Bond status. Summer 2012
Total Recall - This one is the toughest. This remake is directed by Len Wisemen (of Underworld fame) and the cast includes Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy (as Kuato), Ethan Hawke, and John Cho. Have to say for myself, this looks pretty awesome. However, this cannot touch the original by Paul Verhoven with Schwarzenegger, which was campy with modest special effects (by today’s standard) and Arnold murdering the English language every line. We cannot cheat on the original, but then again… Summer 2012
Geez Louise….It’s Baaack!
FOOTLOOSE (2011/IN THEATERS) 
250,000 viewers on Rotten Tomatoes have given this film a 73% positive rating–oh sorry…that’s the 1984 Kevin Bacon version! But not to worry…this year’s remake is showing the same rating…how cool is that? Just thinking about this movie gets the music going in your head and like the original, it will have your feet tapping in your seat. The teenaged girls in the theater where I saw the film really liked it—and my friend and I did too. The only difference between us was that we remembered the original (!) which was a big-time surprise hit, taking in over $80 million (a lot of money in those days) at the box office and creating no less than four chart topping songs, including the theme song from Blake Shelton and “Let’s Hear if for the Boy,” a rousing feel-good number if there ever was one. Craig Brewster (Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan) is the writer/director this time around and he says he is a super fan of the original, even going so far as sharing his writing credit with the original screen writer Dean Pitchford who describes the 2011 version as a mashup between his 1984 version and Brewster’s. A couple things have changed. Ren is now from Boston and comes to live with his uncle in the southern town of Bomont, Tennessee, after his mother has died of cancer. Of note, Ren is played by newcomer/unknown Kenny Wormald, who is a native of the Boston area and was a back-up dancer for Justin Timberlake. Taking the role of the “wildcat” is Julianne Hough, best known as the girl friend of Ryan Seacrest –just kidding—she’s really best known as a DWTS (Dancing With the Stars) pro who moved to the big screen with a role in Burlesque opposite Christina Aguilera and Cher. Dennis Quaid is credible as the Rev. Shaw Moore who, as you all know, convinces the town elders of Bomont to ban dancing as illegal after the death of his son in a car accident. Andie MacDowell, looking older and quite credible in the role, plays his wife. My favorite character of the whole movie is Willard—the country hick who befriends Ren and brings us a ton of comic relief. He is played by Miles Teller, who is best remembered for his terrific performance as the young boy in Rabbit Hole opposite Nicole Kidman. That role showed his serious side and this film gives us the exact opposite—terrific. And speaking of terrific, the dance numbers in this version are great, the tunes are still hopping, Ren gets his big solo dance number. You get the picture. My advice: give this movie a chance…you won’t be betraying Kevin Bacon. He would want you to go.
Grade: B+
BTW: Julianne Hough shows plenty of skin and there’s obvious sex going on, but I think the film is safe for your middle aged kids to see. No worse than MTV reality shows, for sure!
Classic Noir Filmmaking on Display
DRIVE (2011/IN THEATERS) 
Perhaps, like me, you’ve been thinking that “Drive” is an Action Flick. Think again. The movie, which was nominated for the Palme D’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is classic noir–complete with a hero who must choose to do the right thing or take the money and run. Ryan Gosling stars as “the Kid,” a part-time Hollywood stunt driver, part-time LA mechanic and part-time driver for hire serving the darker side of the city—robbers, thieves, you name it. In fact, as the film opens, we hear his rules of engagement for these escapades: “You have me for five minutes. I drive.” And how! I had expected the kind of flashy car chase scenes we’ve become used to from Hollywood but this movie actually gives us solid Steve McQueen/ Bullitt level scenes—no tricks, no CGI (to my eye anyway)—just heart-pounding stuff. Danish Director Nicholas Winding Refn was selected for the film by Gosling himself and won Best Director for it at Cannes. Well deserved. The movie builds slowly and believably with strong performances all around, including Carey Mulligan who says a lot with very few lines as the “love interest” and neighbor, Irene; Bryan Cranston spot on as “the Kid’s” employer and sponsor; a wonderful Albert Brooks as the ultimate bad guy; and Ron Perlman as Nino, the link to the mob. And don’t miss Christina Hendricks as a mob doll—she’s not on screen very long but her part is pivotal. As for Gosling himself—like a Clint Eastwood style hero—he doesn’t say much in words, but says plenty with his eyes, his face and his physical moves. Quite a bit of violence and gore, so be forewarned. Great story-telling though.
Grade: A
BTW: Ryan Gosling is having a big and varied year with Crazy Stupid Love already out showcasing his comic talents (who knew?) and George Clooney’s Ides of March on the way (can’t wait). Gosling has already been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role–back in 2007 for Half Nelson. He won the Independent Spirit Award for that same performance. And, of course, he and Rachel McAdams did win the “Best Kiss” MTV Award in 2005 for the Notebook!
Also: Gosling and Refn really bonded on this picture and are already working on more together. Check out their cute antics on the Red Carpet in Cannes in this YouTube video.
Soderbergh Blinds Us With Science
CONTAGION (2010/IN THEATERS) 
Is it a bad sign when a movie has SO MANY famous actors in small parts? Probably yes, and admit it, you had a bad feeling about this movie right after you saw the first previews with all those stars, right?? I know I did, but I hoped to be proven wrong. Labeled as a “bio-thriller,” Stephen Soderbergh’s Contagion feels something like a fake documentary crossed with a disaster movie. Of course, we can tell it’s not a documentary because it’s full of famous, beautiful people, starting with opening shots of Gwyneth Paltrow (dying pretty darn quickly) and moving on to Matt Damon (as her surviving spouse), Laurence Fishburne (as the head of the CDC), Jude Law (as an irritating blogger and reminder of the influence of money in all things), Kate Winslet (as the CDC go-to girl), Marion Cotillard (embodying the World Health Organization), and even Elliott Gould in a small part as a pioneering and dedicated scientist. The film brings back memories of SARS and “bird flu” and loads of other things that should scare you. But yet, nothing in this movie is thrilling or, in fact, all that scary. It endeavors to show us what a pandemic might really look like, complete with TV news casts, people holed up in their houses, empty airports, power moves by international and government types, looting, lines and lines of individuals waiting for vaccines, etc. If the movie had followed its mid-section toward a more “end-of-days” conclusion, I’d say it would be a good front-runner to a showing of “The Road.” But indeed, in the film, we humans rise to the challenge and create the necessary vaccine, thus averting a terrible end. My friends found the movie just plain boring. I think there was a bit too much science for them and for most audiences. Soderbergh tries many styles in filmmaking—many are successful (Traffic, Oceans Eleven, Out of Sight)–but some of his experiments are not so great (Solaris). This film unfortunately belongs in the second category.
Grade: B-
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING: Seriously Cuba, Come On!!!
Back in 1996, everyone watched in awe as a young exuberant man jumped up and down on the Oscar stage for winning best supporting actor. For a brief time, his future was bright, and he had the world at his feet. However, the dark hand of the Oscar winner began to creep over him before the night was over. The young man was Cuba Gooding Jr.
After paying his dues, Cuba was given a great role and did everything he had with it. Looking back at his role of Rod Tidwell in Jerry McGuire, he deserved his oscar fair and square, but afterwards, dogs have laid better piles of work than Mr. Gooding, Jr has. The pinnacle of this pile of stinky poo is Radio, but first lets see the movies in between: As Good As It Gets, What Dreams May Come, Instinct, Men of Honor, Pearl Harbor, Snow Dogs, and Boat Trip. In the midst of these are several less notable films. As you can see this is not the most impressive list of films. The most notable is As Good As It Gets, but in that movie he had a supporting role that bordered on a cameo. In addition, it is one of those that we all know that he had signed up and filmed well before he earned his Oscar.
Then in 2003, a movie came along that many a great actor has fell victim to…the mentally handicapped
role. Dustin Hoffman made his career with one, Sean Penn embarrassed himself with another, and Ben Stiller mocked them all. Cuba was no different. Radio gave him a chance at another Oscar, but as Mr. Stiller pointed out in Tropic Thunder about Sean Penn in I Am Sam, Cuba went to far with the character. In the end, he embarrassed himself and was part of a failed movie. To note, Ed Harris also signed on to this turd, and in the end, it was a failed I Am Sam meets Remember the Titans.
Cuba still continues to make films, but has never come close to his former glory. However, in the middle of a horrible slump, Cuba showed his greatness in a small role in American Gangster. That reminded all of us of how good he could be, but either he or his manger need to be smacked in the face for allowing an Oscar winner go the way of Kevin Spacey and Halle Berry.
