Most Promising New TV-Series of 2012-2013

In my previous post -Top TV Series You Should Expect in 2012-2013 I reviewed earlier aired shows which premiere new seasons during upcoming months. Now I'' check out some fresh series that are being premiered very shortly and tend to be pretty interesting.

Arrow (2012)

The pilot will be aired on October 10, 2012. 

This series is based on Green Arrow, a fictional super-hero, who appears in comic book published by DC Comics. The show tells a story of billionaire playboy Oliver Queen who was missing during five years and considered dead. After the comeback he shortly renews relationships with ex-friends, girlfriends and family but there is something he's hiding about what happened on the island, he was discovered on.

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Upcoming Movie Premieres

Most successful films are premiered by the end of the each year. Foreseeing the Oscar statistics, the award winning movies are being aired from late September to December. 

This year's most of probably best picture contestants will be shown in theaters during November and December. Here are some major film events for next three months:

           

See Updated Post

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Movie Review: Intouchables (2011)

Written and Directed By: Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano

(Based on a true story)

Intouchables (aka Untouchables) is a story of incredible friendship between paralyzed millionaire Philippe and a male nurse Driss. Philippe is unable to do anything by himself but breath, he needs a person to support his most essential needs: a person who'll be his legs when he wants to run or dance, his driver when he wants to drive, his nurse when he's ill and a friend - all the time. Driss is unemployed black ex-detainee, who seems to be little bit irresponsible. He applies for positions of nurse (for Philippe of course) with the only motivation of getting his social security certificate. Despite having no experience millionaire decides to hire him.

Film starts with an astonishing scene: Driss drives a car very fast trying to escape the police. Philippe is sitting next to him. They both enjoy it. Driss bets 200 euros to make the police escort them and he does it. "First time I lose" - said Philippe.

But later I found that this is how the movie ends and then the story happens from the beginning.

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Movie Review: Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Directed by: Roberto Benigni
Written by: Roberto Benigni & Vincenzo Cerami

I could simple call this movie one of the bests ever made. Roberto Benigni created a film that can make you cry and laugh at the same time.

**Spoiler**

Life is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella) tells about Jewish family tragedy during the WWII. Guido (Benigni) is a Jewish husband of Italian woman Dora. German army takes he and his little son (Giosue) to the Nazi camp. Learning about this Dora decides to follow them despite the fact that she's Italian and she can survive.

Probably this day was the last birthday of Giouse who does not understand why and where they are taken. To save his child Guido explains him that they are going to a camp for his birthday party and all the people out there are trying to make a surprise for him. But there is only one condition: he has to hide all the time to make the "surprise" work.

**End of Spoiler**

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Movie Review: Arbitrage (2012)

~In economics and finance, ARBITRAGE is a practice of taking advantage of price difference between two or more markets... an arbitrage is risk free...~

My Economics text-book

Well, main character Robert Miller (Richard Gere) was not that lucky to take things with zero risk, but he was best at leveraging the risks he was facing.

Arbitrage is the first motion picture by New York University graduate Nicolas Jarecki. It tells a story of magnate who almost fails in selling his own trading empire. But before that, he rules a huge family consisting of wife (Susan Sarandon), a son - who seems to be very unimportant person, so that director tells almost nothing about him and a daughter Brooke - skillful professional in business and probably the only person who's able to catch up with father's "mistakes". Robert also deals with young, passionate lover Julie.

But everything goes wrong when Julie dies in car accident when Robert was driving and Brooke finds his father in fraudulence. 

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Movie Review: Shame (2011)

Directed by: Steve McQueen
Written by: Steve McQueen & Abi Morgan
Starring: Michael Fassbender

**Spoiler**

The story concentrates on Brandon (Michael) who is unable to control his sexual wills, he can't stop thinking about it, surfs the porn site at work, masturbates in men's room and awkwardly stares at women in subway. Additionally, Brandon can not attract his attention on his job, people around him and he forms as an indifferent person. 

But life changes when his sister Sissy moves to his apartment. She finds sex more involving, emotionally attached relationship and with the difference to her brother Sissy can not have sex with every human.

**End of Spoiler**

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of EMMY 2012

Yesterday Academy of Television Arts and Science awarded TV actors, directors, writers and producers for the best achievements during the last year. The results were a little bit different from predictions and expectations TV critics and show-lovers stated before.

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Movie Review: Brave (2012)

Directed by: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman

Written by: Brenda Chapman (story) and Mark Andrews (screenplay)

Brave is a new Animated Feature from Pixar and probably this years the best. This is a story of rebel princess trying to changer her fate, to somehow escape from ill-fated life of future queen. So she rides to the very deep in forest and meets a witch asking to changer her mom. The witch makes princess wish come true but in the way that Merida could not imagine and would never wish. That's why she struggles to save beloved mother from the consequences of her own desires.

Brave is different from Pixar normal animations and Princess Merida is opposite of all well-known princesses in fairy tail history. She fights, she is funny (most princesses are boring and sad) and not that sweet as the rests. So the story is absolutely original and fascinating.

Last year, I thought Cars 2 was the edge of Pixar's creative works. Now I am sorry for that. Brave is visually stunning, beautifully pictured, spectacularly designed and well told story. I loved the landmarks of Scottish nature and I find the idea of "Scottish Story" just amazing.

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Movie Review: A Good Year (2006)

A Ridley Scott's one of the best non-action film adaptation. A Good Year is a romantic comedy screened according to Peter Mayle's book, starring Russel Crow, Albert Finney and Marion Cotillard.

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Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The Cabin in the Woods is directed by Drew Goddard - a producer of  Lost 22 episodes and co-producer of well-known Alias. Well, Lost is a cult, one of the bests in it's genre, most inducing TV-series produced lately. Alias was an iconic spy-show for me. So, the Cabin in the Woods ought to be remarkable horror I would not regret watching it.

I was right. I liked it as horror movie, I liked it's logical setup of screenwriting. It was spectacular. Let me get through it more precisely.

The thing most horror films lack of is logic. I don't enjoy very much when I finish watching the film and can't get any idea why the villain kills that much innocent people without any premise. But by the end of the Cabin in the Woods the real reasons of assassinations come out and you get quite clearly what was going on during the film. 

As you find out the real motive of brutal murders then you guess that couple of unlucky teenagers are not the only ones in danger but there is something more shocking taking place out there. During the first minutes of the movie "You think you know the story..." but actually you don't and that's what you gonna love as you get to the end. 

I liked the actors. Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford have an amazing chemistry together making the movie a little bit funny and easy-watching. Also Thor Chris Hemsworth made a nice try of playing charming victim dying while trying to survive. Most of actors gave a clichéd horror character performances but still played not badly.

Finally, I pretend this movie as a great work of Goddard as a director teamed up with Joss Whedon an Oscar nominated writer of Toy Story. This facts make the Cabin in the Woods something special you won't regret to walk into. 

I does not look like me rating a horror genre picture with 8 points out of 10 but this movie is worth of it.

8/10

Oscars 2013: Full Predictions

In my previous posts I've split OSCAR nominations in major and technical categories. Now I present all nomination (including documentary and live actions) predictions in one post.

Last Updated on Dec 5.

The nominees are listed in likelihood of winning (and nominating).

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Top TV-Series You Should Expect in 2012-2013

From the end of September 2012 through spring of 2013 numerous TV-Series are premiered. Some of them are old enough to have heard about, some are fresh. There are most highly recommended and rated TV-Series by the Running Reel and it's author, me.

666 Park Avenue (2012)

Created By: David Wilcox (Also Creator of Fringe and Law & Order)

Starring: Rachel Taylor, Dave Annable (Known for "Brothers&Sisters") and Terry O'Quinn (from "Lost")
IMDB rating: N/A

The new horror genre TV-Series is premiered on September 30 this year. This is a story of a young couple who wished wealth, sex, love, power and everything just people want but they have to pay for it, by their own lives and souls when they move to the Drake, a premiere apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side.  As Henry (Dave Annable) gets promoted he has to move to one of the most luxurious apartments in New York City. He and his wife find their new bohemian life quite fancy and attractive but they don't know everything about it. The moment they discover what's going on around them, it's too late.

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Movie Review: The Hunger Games

Directed By: Gary Ross

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence (as Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (as Peeta Mellark), Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks and others.

The Hunger Games is most unexpected box-office success of 2012. It like boomed one day, everybody around me went to the session during the first few days, some did it twice.

Well, actually I didn't and I had my own reason - I wanted to read the book at first. So I did. That was a mistake because now I believe I could have liked it more without reading it.

First of all the book was outstanding. I loved in a maximum way I could love the adventure drama. It was so much fun to read this book that when I finished it, I was mad at myself for doing this so quickly. But I'm not writing this post about Susan Collins. It's about a movie:

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Movie Review: Two Snow Whites

This year was simply year of adaptations and Brothers Grimm. Two directors Tarsem Singh and Rupret Sanders took us in a spectacular journey alongside Snow White. I was there and I'm gonna tell you how I felt about them.

6/10

5/10

First of all, Mirror Mirror is more a comedy than an evil-queen drama and Snow White and a Huntsman is thriller genre epic movie. The first one, made by Indian director (Tarsem), mostly looks like an Indian musical  - dances, music is so typical but the second one, directed by new commer Rupert is more Hollywood made picture foreseeing visual effects and plot development.

Mirror Mirror is a nice comedy - easy, beautiful, somehow light film which sometimes makes you laugh. Julia Roberts is as high as always. She's played a queen no one had done before: evil, funny, natural. When I was a kid I've read that tale, actually my mom read and I imagined the Queen as the most cruel one ever. But I also like the funny sides. I believe this movie is more about the Queen itself than about Snow White (that's why director changed its title).

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Movie Review: ATM (2012)

I'm a great fan of Horror films. I love a dark room, me sitting in, silence and a little bit fear. Last night I decided to watch ATM - quite modern horror directed by David Brooks (have never heard before). The trailer looked promising, but...

**spoiler**
Two boys and a girl are trapped in ATM cabin by the mysterious stranger. A man in the black coat, without face kills a policeman and an innocent citizen in presence of three witnesses and the hunting begins. They fail in every attempt to run out of the cabin, drive the car or call the police. -5F freeze makes their survival more impossible.

**end of the spoiler**

I see this movie very illogical. First of all, why should three people be afraid of one unarmed man staring on them? I guess it's quite creepy but not that much scary. The moment they see a stranger, decide to stay inside the ATM and they start to being afraid without any reason and now guess none of those two men try to go back to car. This is not the only fall out of logic.

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News: Academy Changes Nomination

This year, Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Science has renamed Best Art Direction (Set Decoration) nomination to its original name Best Production Design.

For the 85th ceremony the Art Directors' Branch was renamed to Designers' Branch. So, Board of Governors were advised to officially give award for Best Production Design. In fact, this doesn't change much, as still Art Directors and Set Decorators will be awarded in this nomination.

Movie Review: Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Most of Wes Anderson's movies are very clever, so clever that mainstream movie goers do not understand him. Writer of the Royal Tenenbaums and director of Fantastic Mr. Fox makes another simple and very fascinating picture about two young lovers.

Suzy and Sam are 12. They love each other but Sam is a Scout, living in the camp and Suzy is a daughter of sever parents. So they escape, from everywhere and from everyone, try to go very far far away. Unfortunately they live on the island and there is no much to go. 

I loved the idea, the way writers wrote and director screened it.Both writers (Wes and Roman) have done an amazing job by showing originality of true love through the eyes of 12 year old adults. The movie is smart, quick, fresh, the dialogues between beloved children are so much real that I felt like watching some my neighbor kids talking.

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OSCARs - Foreign Language Film

Foreign Language Film nominations always makes OSCAR nominees more diverse, because mostly their are made in non-Hollywood manner and tell us non-Hollywood stories.

This year 15 countries have already submitted their motion pictures for best Foreign Language Film nominations and they are (Source Wikipedia):

Submitting country	Film title used in nomination
Albania	Pharmakon[4]
Algeria	Zabana![5]
Australia	Lore[6]
Austria	Amour[7]
Azerbaijan	Buta[8]
Bangladesh	Ghetuputra Kamola[9]
Belgium	Our Children[10]
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Children of Sarajevo[11]
Brazil	The Clown[12]
Bulgaria	Sneakers[13]
Cambodia	Lost Loves[14]
Canada	War Witch[15]
Chile	No[16]
Colombia	El Cartel de los Sapos[17]
Croatia	Cannibal Vegetarian[18]
Czech Republic	In the Shadows[19]
Denmark	A Royal Affair[20]
Dominican Republic	Check Mate[21]
Estonia	Mushrooming[22]
Finland	Purge[23]
France	The Intouchables[24]
Georgia	Keep Smiling[25]
Germany	Barbara[26]
Greece	Unfair World[27]
Hong Kong	Life Without Principle[28]
Hungary	Just the Wind[29]
Iceland	The Deep[30]
India	Barfi![31]
Indonesia	Tiny Dancer[32]
Israel	Fill the Void[33]
Italy	Caesar Must Die[34]
Japan	Our Homeland[35]
Kazakhstan	Myn Bala[36]
Kenya	Nairobi Half Life[37]
Macedonia	The Third Half[38]
Mexico	After Lucia[39]
Morocco	Death for Sale[40]
Netherlands	Kauwboy[41]
Norway	Kon-Tiki[42]
Palestinian territories	When I Saw You[43]
Peru	The Bad Intentions[44]
Philippines	Bwakaw[45]
Poland	80 Million[46]
Portugal	Blood of My Blood[47]
Romania	Beyond the Hills[48]
Russia	White Tiger[49]
Serbia	When Day Breaks[50]
Slovakia	Made in Ash[51]
Slovenia	A Trip[52]
South Korea	Pietà[53]
Spain	Blancanieves[54]
Sweden	The Hypnotist[55]
Switzerland	Sister[56]
Taiwan	Touch of the Light[57]
Thailand	Headshot[58]
Turkey	Where the Fire Burns[59]
Ukraine	Firecrosser[60]
Venezuela	Rock, Paper, Scissors[61]
Vietnam	The Scent of Burning Grass[62]

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