• 03Feb

    Trying to get into the mindset of Oscar voters is ugly.  Try to imagine Uber Movie Snobs trying to one-up each other with their vast, endless movie knowledge.  Gimme a break. With that said, here are my thoughts.  Remember, I’m not a movie critic. I’m just a guy who likes movies.

    I always have to check myself  & say ‘Oh yeah, it’s the Oscar Voters at work.’ I was blown away at the Animation category, which was hi-jacked. A nod went to a movie called, “Secret of the Kells.” What? Excuse Me? I checked on this. This movie is the epitome of obscurity. I am the Litmus Test. Like it or not, if I haven’t heard of it, living in LA doing movie reporting, who the hell has? Literally no record of box office sales. No one & I mean no one has seen this film. It’s a shame. “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” was really funny. “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” well done. What about Jim Carrey’s “A Christmas Carol?,” which grossed $137 million. It’s too bad.

    (2) other Oscar Snubs….“Star Trek” & “The Hangover.” Oscar voters have zero sense of humor which is why The Hangover was omitted. Also, Sci-Fi movies are rarely nominated. Good job “District 9.” The Coen Brothers are often  so overrated. “Burn After Reading” blew. Now they garner another Oscar nod for “A Serious Man,” get it together Oscar voters. I’m sorry, but the bottom line is, it was a boring movie. “A Simple Man” was well acted, but grim & depressing. Why are movies that bring you down so popular? I know people will read this and say I’ve got no culture or appreciation for fine film. Please save it for the next sucker. I know funny. I know heartfelt. But I also know manipulative & disturbing. I want escapism, not the real life suicidal drama which is always creeping into your life. I won’t go around carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. Life’s too short people!

    What did I like? I called it back in September 09, “The Cove.” I truly believe it’ll win Best Documentary. “Food Inc.” while packed with knowledge about where our food comes from was out & out boring. “The Cove” is a real life Eco- Thriller that’s a Must See Movie. Best Supporting Actor Nominee Christof Waltz as Col. Hans Landa in “IngouriousBasterds” is the only true lock for an Oscar. It’s hard to imagine that Leo DiCaprio was trying to land the role of Hans Landa. Sorry Leo, It’s Christoph’s time to shine.

    Finally, Jeff Bridges. What a cool guy. He was Bad Blake in “Crazy Heart.” Beautiful job Sir. He actually played the music which adds a significant layer of talent to any acting role. Don’t be surprised when “The Dude” walks away with the gold.

    Thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate it. You can friend me on facebook.com/leoquinones or Twitter @leoquinones

    I want “Inglorious Basterds” to win Best Picture, but it’ll go to “Avatar.” Find out who’s right & who’s crazy March 7th!

    One last thing, check out “The Film Freak Movie Talk Show” audio podcast now at www.filmfreak.com, thanks!

  • 22Jan

    So much has been happening & now it’s time I catch you up. Thanks for reading this. I know how busy you must be these days.

    Last Friday, I was on the Red Carpet for TV Guide Network at The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. There’s (3) huge awards shows, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes & The Oscars. I guess the SAG Awards fall in there somewhere.

    I can tell you about a few of my personal highlights for the night. I had a brief chat w/ Quentin Tarantino. He’s earned a slew on nominations for “Inglourious Basterds.” I aksed, ‘If you look at the famous picture of Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Rainn, you clearly see a throat injury. It was never addressed in the film. Since you wrote it, Where & How did Aldo get the scar?’ Quentin laughed and said, “No I can’t tell you that now because it still needs to be explained in the next Basterds movie.” More Basterds? I love it & I’m patient.

    After ‘The Hangover’ won Best Comedy, the entire cast invaded the press room. Ken Jeong, (the crazy naked Asian guy who jumped out of the car trunk) went center stage & said something like, ‘Does anyone wanna see my extremely small penis?’ Once is enough for me dude. But what a great sport.

    The best part of the night was when Jeff Bridges strolled into the press room after winning Best Actor for “Crazy Heart.” He was gracious & well spoken. He also promised “Tron: Legacy” (in theatres 12/17) will blow everybody’s mind. I trust The Dude, always have.

    If you’d you’d like to hear something different while at work, please check out my Film Freak Movie Talk Show podcasts on www.hottalkla.com. They’re FREE & you can suscribe on iTUNES.
    @leoquinones on Twitter & finally Facebook.com/leoquinonesjr.
    I will be here more & I hope you are too!

  • 03Oct

    I never met Stacie. But I found myself at Sonny McLean’s last night watching people donning “Team Stacie” T-Shirts. I was invited down to possibly MC a live auction & possibly help out with the giving away of a few raffle prizes. There was a little confusion on what I was supposed to do & what not. So I thought it better to just chill out & take it the fun. There were celeb bartenders like “24’s” SPRAGUE HAYDEN. She played the President’s betraful daughter of as I call her on the show, “The 1st Bitch.” Also pouring was another “24″ star, CARLOS BERNARD. he’s plays Tony Almeida, Jack Bauer’s bestie. No wonder why my girlfriend took 25 minutes to order a beer. She friggin’ loves that dude. Whatever, it was cool that he was there. D.B. Sweeney & Brian Austin Green were lending a hand pouring brews. Then things started picking up at Sonny’s in Santa Monica. Megan Fox got behind the bar & started bartending. How could she? There were so many cameras flashing, it was blinding. Good for her for halping out. The night catapulted to amazing when Johnny Rzesnick of The Goo Goo Dolls was rumored to hit the stage. My fundraising instinct took over. My buddy Rob, a fantastic karaoke perfprmer/entertainer was in the house. I suggested to raise $$$$ by telling the crowd, ‘If you want Johnny to sing, throw down cash. Man, the money was flying. OK, now I contributed in a small way. There were hundreds of dollars raised in the matter of moments. Johnny w/ his drummer Mike tore into a great upbeat version of their hit, “Slide.” The crowd went into hysterics. My hats off to the staff @ Sonny McCleans. Class all the way. Even though I’ve still to meet Stacie, I feel good knowing she’s got so many people looking out for her best interests! “Team Stacie” well done.

  • 01Oct

    Check back soon for The Film Freak Blog.