Review: At Middleton

Maudlin Middling "Middleton" Saved by Strong Performances

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: January 31, 2014 – U.S.

Rating: R

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Running Time: 99 minutes

Director: Adam Rodgers

Writers: Glenn German, Adam Rodgers

Cast: Andy Garcia, Vera Farmiga, Taissa Farmiga, 

Spencer Lofranco, Nicholas Braun, Tom Skerritt, 

Peter Riegert

"At Middleton" – set on an idyllic University campus – is as pretentious and artificial as the college experience itself. Perhaps it's trying too hard to be like the French romances it so obviously admires. It tends to be too "cute" for its own good: Multiple characters overuse jokey words such as "feckless" and "dingleberry," and there are several scenes depicting ridiculous displays of exuberance while a loud piano score booms in the background. Among them: two people joyously running through a fountain of water, the sun shining down dramatically over them at the top of a bell tower, and others too silly to "spoil" here.

Like a professor, "At Middleton" has a serious message to convey and much to teach – but that doesn't mean you'll walk out with any greater knowledge or deeper insight. For adults with college-age kids, much time has passed and many regrets begin to mount. Lost in the minutia of life, it is easy for 40-somethings to forget how to live. Meanwhile, many 17-year-olds tend to feel the pressure-cooker of college looming. They think their lives are already over before they've even begun. The movie says all of that, but similar to most college courses, its lessons are pretty shallow and you ultimately won't learn much. "Middleton" is more "Medicine 101" and less "Fundamentals of Brain Surgery." It's the cinematic equivalent of a flu shot: skin deep and barely scratches the surface.

As the movie begins, Edith (Vera Farmiga) is taking her daughter, Audrey (Taissa Farmiga, Vera's sister in real life), to see the Middleton campus. While there, they meet a father, George (Andy Garcia), and his son, Conrad (Spencer Lofranco). During the tour, the parents get separated from the children. From there, George and Edith get to know each other. Together, they experience a magical day that brings them new hope, reopens old wounds, fills their eyes with fresh tears, and whatever other ridiculous maudlin sentiments this overblown script forces them to feel.

And yet, despite all of that, "At Middleton" is not without its charms...

Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga sell the hell out of this middling material. Their incredible chemistry is almost enough to make it all work. Because of them, I can't bring myself to entirely dislike the film. I can recognize its flaws – of which there are many – but Garcia and Farmiga are undeniably great together. While the movie definitely belongs to them, the two kids are pretty damn good too – and there are a couple of memorable supporting appearances by veteran actors Tom Skerritt and Peter Riegert, both of whom are in fine form themselves. (Skerritt shares an explosive scene with Taissa Farmiga, while Riegert works wonderfully with young Spencer Lofranco.)

In the right mood, I could see myself taking another tour of "Middleton." It's far from perfect, but it does provide a fun time that feels good.

Matt's Movie Mortuary: Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes

Something Demonic in Deutschland

By Matt Wintz

Release Date: March 1st, 2011 – U.S.

Rating: R

Genre: Horror

Running Time: 91 minutes

Director: Jude Gerard Prest

Cast: Yaz Canli, Kai Cofer, 

Christopher Karl Johnson, Nikki Muller, 

Annette Remter, David Reynolds, 

Robert Shampain, Korey Simeone, 

Gerold Wunstel

In recent years, the found footage genre has become quite popular among big-budget horror studios and those who primarily release direct to video. This genre has also been tag-teamed with the demonic possession genre as well, with movies such as "The Last Exorcism" or "Devil's Due" coming out in the theaters. "Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes" is one such film, based in the 1970s dealing with a young woman in Germany whose family is at the end of their rope. A small camera crew is joined by two doctors (one of which is American) who come to the house only to find two priests there in the process of trying to perform their exorcism. The movie, currently streaming on Netflix with only a one-star rating, caught my attention because anything usually believed to be bad has a need to be seen.

Right out the gate, you know something is at least a little off with Anneliese, as when she first appears on camera, she urinates on the floor in front of everyone and proceeds to lick it off the floor. We are then thrown into the obligatory feud between science and religion, as the two doctors try and push sedatives to try and calm the poor girl down while the priests hate the idea that the doctors are there and are being pushed by the religious parents to continue with the exorcism. This plot device is quite common in these types of movies and is usually to be expected. It's an easy way to create dissension in the group at first, only for the medical professionals to come around as the demonic activity grows to admit that they "have no idea how to explain what they've seen." In this film, this occurs a few times, such as when the bed shakes with Anneliese on it, or when she crawls downstairs only to open her mouth and a wonderful cornucopia of insects come crawling out.

To the movie's credit, all the cameras set up to catch the activity are black and white, and even one of the portable cameras is done in pure 1970s film style with grainy visuals and changes in audio quality. The main camera that is used by the documentary crew seems to always have a more tan hue to the filming, which does set the movie up as not feeling like a 2011 movie striving to be 1970s and failing. The documentary film crew characters, also to their credit, aren't annoying characters in the movie but seem to be played perfectly. They will ask certain questions, but aren't overly pushy when characters need space. While some found-footage movies make you wonder "why are they still filming" in times of crisis, this movie makes it seem perfectly logical that they would continue filming the entire ordeal. The standalone interviews that they do with the doctors, priests, and parents also come across very genuine. While not Academy Award winning acting, everyone in the movie does a perfectly capable job of carrying this story forward.

The movie isn't perfect, however, and it does fall into some of the tried-and-true trappings of the demonic possession film genre. Anneliese speaks in tongues or languages she shouldn't know, she calls people names, tries to molest a priest, and knows things about the people in the room she doesn't know. These happen in almost every demonic possession movie as when it comes to actual cases these are all shared traits of the afflicted, but it just seems tired. Also, the first death occurs a little over the hour mark of a ninety minute film, and while it can be seen as a "slow burn" leading up to the big payoff, it does feel like it took a little long. Also, once there is the first death, which occurs in front of the entire cast of characters, there's no urgency to deal with it. The priests don't seem to care and the entire action of the movie just seems to stop. It also then leads to the next scene where a character who just witnessed Anneliese kill someone then gets drawn into possibly untying her from the bed. It's been already proven Anneliese has never learned English, but then speaks perfect English to someone to get them to try and get her unbound. This leads to another "I know things I shouldn't" moment which again seems to just be a retread of things seen before. Another thing that seems to pull the movie apart is after the first death and the group is having a discussion, the priests refuse to call any authorities over the doctor's death and say that "these things happen" and it's no big deal. This then leads right into another character's death, and a scene where the main priest tries to explain to the documentary crew that this is just par for the course. I'm perfectly fine with a little bit of suspension of disbelief, but it seems like these priests in question are not in the correct line of work.

Overall, the movie doesn't deliver all the shocks as something more along the lines of "The Exorcist," but one shouldn't count out this little film. If you enjoy a movie that can take a little time to get going but fills that time with character building and the occasional creepy moment, then it's worth ninety minutes. Currently, this film is available on Region 1 DVD and streaming on Netflix.

Remembering Mickey Rooney

The Iconic Actor Gave Us Eight Decades of Entertainment

By Chris Sabga

Mickey Rooney had an extraordinary career in film and television that spanned a staggering 88 years – from 1926 to 2014. That kind of staying power is rare in any profession, but especially in Hollywood. To go through all of Rooney's highlights would be an impossibility – his body of work numbers in the hundreds.

The first time I saw Mickey Rooney, I loved him instantly. It was in a 1984 made-for-TV Christmas movie called "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear." He played a grandfather who died but came back from Heaven to share one last holiday with his grandson in New York City. It is still my favorite Christmas film of all time.

Four decades earlier, a teenage Mickey Rooney shared the screen with Spencer Tracey in 1938's "Boys Town." Tracey portrayed a priest who established a home for wayward kids – one of whom was Rooney. It's a classic. (The sequel – "Men of Boys Town" – is pretty good, too.)

One of his most famous roles came six years later, in 1944, when he and Elizabeth Taylor starred together in "National Velvet." To illustrate his staying power, he was still a star – or became one again – seventeen years after that when he appeared in 1961's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with Audrey Hepburn. Of course, like every other actor, Rooney had his ups and downs – especially in those years – but he always worked steadily.

His bucktoothed Japanese character from "Tiffany's" is considered controversial by today's standards. The actor expressed regret in a 2008 interview with The Sacramento Bee: "It breaks my heart. Blake Edwards, who directed the picture, wanted me to do it because he was a comedy director. They hired me to do this overboard, and we had fun doing it." In the 1993 biopic, "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," the famed martial artist (played by Jason Scott Lee, no relation) becomes increasingly upset as he watches Rooney's caricatured portrayal. Rooney, to his credit, "wouldn't have done it" if he had known people would take offense.

His career continued on: "Reqium for a Heavyweight" (1962), "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), "The Black Stallion" (1979), and too many others to name – with roles both major and minor.

A true silver screen surprise and one I highly recommend: the little-seen 1999 film "The First of May" about a runaway boy and an old lady (Dan Byrd and the late Julie Harris, respectively) who escape together to join the circus. Rooney wasn't the star, but his gruff portrayal as a grizzled circus owner was a welcome presence. It's a beautiful, touching movie that's well worth seeking out.

I wasn't particularly fond of "Night at the Museum" – the 2006 Ben Stiller comedy – but Mickey Rooney (along with fellow screen veterans Dick Van Dyke and Bill Cobbs) absolutely stole the show. By then, Rooney was an old pro who could make the most of every moment, no matter how big or small – and he did just that in "Museum."

Mickey Rooney has truly done it all: holiday movies (the aforementioned "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"), horror flicks ("Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker"), family films ("The Muppets," "Pete's Dragon," "The Black Stallion"), TV appearances ("The Golden Girls" and "Full House"), and even voice-acting ("The Fox and the Hound"). And then, of course, there are the revered classics that made him a household name ("National Velvet," "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Boys Town," and many more).

Multiple generations – including today's kids and teens – have been exposed to Rooney's incredible work. That was the magic of Mickey.

Matt's Movie Mortuary: The Evil Dead – The Original, The Remake, and Within the Woods

There's Something in the Woods... Even 30 Years Later

By Matt Wintz

Professor Wintz

Note: Matt Wintz is an Adjunct Professor in the Humanities and Cultural Sciences Department of Mesa Community College in Arizona. He teaches "Women and Films," where he discusses the impact of women in different film genres. He has been making short films – specifically horror – for ten years now. He is currently in pre-production for "Pumpkill 2: Seeds of Destruction" and is also planning a web series that's an amalgamation of "Heroes" and "The Stand." Professor Wintz's column –"Matt's Movie Mortuary" – will feature reviews and articles about the spooky and surprising world of horror films.

Remakes. Re-imaginings. Whichever you want to call them the movie industry has seen a share of them, especially in the horror genre. The eighties had them with "The Blob" and "Night of the Living Dead" and as the new millennium joined us, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Halloween," "Friday the 13th," and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" got them. So did "Dawn of the Dead." In some ways the films were able to stand on their own, bringing something that the original was missing or didn't have the full ability to capitalize on. Some were, in the technical term, horse-shit.

When it was announced that there was an "Evil Dead" remake in the works, fans groaned. Even though Sam Raimi and Bruce "The Chin" Campbell were going to be involved, as producers, the fans clamored for a sequel to "Army of Darkness." There's only ONE Ash, there's only ONE chainsaw-handed, one-line spouting, S-Mart Employee of the month who's able to look at one ugly woman and say "Yo She-Bitch... let's go." So to say that this idea was met with skepticism was an understatement. However, with the original being such a classic (seriously, Stephen King praised it) and since I'd heard good things about the remake, I decided to settle in for a viewing. But I was going to do something else. I tracked down "Within the Woods," the short film Sam Raimi did before "Evil Dead" that is supposed to be "Evil Dead" before he got more money, and decided I would watch that film, the original "Evil Dead," and the remake and see just what worked, what doesn't, and what else was going through my head.

___

Evil Dead (2013)

The remake kicks off with a girl in the woods being kidnapped by two "Deliverance" looking guys and being tied up in a basement/cabin, only for her father to be part of the kidnapping. We then see that they are trying to purge a demon from her because, well... in this movie that kind of thing happens. After setting her ablaze as she threatens to rip out his soul, the father then shotguns her to bring up the opening credits. We then get to the obligatory introduction of five young people showing up at a cabin, but this time we're not here for just a fun trip. Mia is being treated to an intervention by three friends and her brother David, and we're treated with some family background and drama as the scene becomes a dark and stormy night for Mia's first night of withdrawal.

As Mia complains of a smell, Olivia (who's a registered nurse) tells everyone it's the withdrawal. However, when the family dog paws at the rug in front of everyone, it uncovers a bloodstained floor and door into the cellar. Upon opening it, everyone reacts to a smell and we go downstairs to the cellar from the opening scene, complete with the Necronomicon and Double-Barreled Boomstick sitting on the table. Mia, the recovering drug addict, is the smartest one in the room, telling them they shouldn't have touched anything in the basement as they bring the book and shotgun up. Dun-dun... DUN.

Our hippie-looking high school teacher Eric decides to cut open the bag with the book and read it, aloud, as he cuts his finger on a page and bleeds on it. And even though it's written in BIG RED LETTERS to NOT read the book, he decides to. And we get the classic "Evil Dead" force running through the woods and hits Mia just as she throws up. She then begins seeing a creepy girl in the woods before coming inside and we're treated to Mia saying she needs to get out of there, the group refusing to let her go, and her running out and grabbing the car and taking off. She sees the girl on the road again and crashes the car into the river, and now we've established they won't have a way out when the demons come a calling. As Mia runs from the river, we're then treated to a remake of one of the more memorable scenes from the original when a group of trees decide to get a little frisky and proceed to, well... rape her, thanks to some black grossness provided by a possessed version of herself.

Eric and Olivia talk about how David is there, and there's no reveal of why Eric's pissed. David finds the dog dead, having been beat to death with a hammer, and David believes it to be Mia, leading to him trying to break the door in and they find her boiling in the shower. As David tries to get Mia out, we come to the bridge which has been washed out while Mia is going all demoness in the front seat. Olivia, who had been the whole "I'm giving her the treatment she'd get at a hospital" and leading the crusade is now becoming unraveled with what happened, and Eric talks about how things are getting worse. Mia then walks out, cracking her neck and bringing the shotgun with her. She shoots David in the arm and we get some demon stuff going on, followed by her saying "You're all going to die tonight" and she collapses. We then get a bloody deadite vomit bath on Olivia who throws Mia into the open cellar, and they close it on her. So slowly, the movie starts to pay homage to the original, and things begin to pick up steam. Eric then throws down the "It's witchcraft" gauntlet and Olivia then starts to show signs of getting possessed: we are off to the races. Olivia goes after Eric, and afterward Eric reveals to David that he read from the book and it's "something evil." David's girlfriend Natalie (who is finally given a name forty-five minutes into the movie) goes to find things to help treat Eric's wounds, and she finds that the cellar is now open and Mia is calling for her. And of course, she goes into the cellar.

I will give the movie some credit, they do come up with some pretty decent demonic one-liners such as "Your sister is being raped in hell." They also look to homage "Evil Dead 2" as Natalie's hand becomes possessed (much like Ash's in the original) and she decides to hack it off, but this time not with a chainsaw but an electric knife. They also use the old Professor Knoby reading from the first "Evil Dead" in the closing credits, which is a nice touch as well. I always loved that reading, it sets a great tone. And of course, the post-credits sequence is, well... "groovy."

The Evil Dead (1981)

Now of course one of the biggest critiques of the new "Evil Dead" is that it's simply not the original. The original, for those who are uninitiated, was the 1981 Sam Raimi classic that had a wonderful quote promoting the movie from Stephen King on the poster. Starring the greatest chin in the business, Bruce Campbell, the original followed series protagonist Ash Williams, his sister Cheryl, his girlfriend Linda, and their friendly romantic couple Scotty and Shelly as they ventured into the woods and were beset by demons after a tape recording of some of the readings from the same Book of the Dead that the remake brings in. One thing to remember about the original 1981 film, that some fans seemed to forget when the remake was announced, was that it played as a straight horror film. There was no possessed hand into chainsaw hand into wisecracking one-liner hero, Ash just happened to be the last one standing after a demonic nightmare that his friends succumb to. Here, the remake and original both stand together: this isn't necessarily a "splatstick" horror comedy. Is there humor at times? Maybe, but it's a horror movie, you're supposed to be squeamish as the trees rape the young women they do, and while the gore and blood is over the top, it's still meant to be a trippy nightmare.

Within the Woods (1978)

The entirety of the "Evil Dead" universe comes from a short film that Raimi and Campbell had done together as a precursor to all this entitled "Within the Woods." This doesn't have the Book of the Dead but deals with a possibly possessed dagger that is taken from its place in an Indian burial ground. The interesting twist here is that it's Bruce Campbell's character who takes it and is possessed, and it's his girlfriend (played by Ellen Sandweiss who plays his sister in "Evil Dead") who's the main heroine. Running around a half hour but having many bits of both "Evil Dead" and "Evil Dead 2" that would come later, the film was used as a way for Raimi to make money for a full-length feature. Found on the bootleg market (or Youtube) the film isn't horrible and if you can get past its low budget from 1978, it's definitely wonderful as a curiosity piece.

___

Overall, I can say that I enjoyed the newer version of "Evil Dead" and there are some good moments that make the viewer squirm. This was not a remake that fell flat to the viewer or the informed public of the original, but it doesn't set itself apart like, say, the "Dawn of the Dead" remake that has gone on to break from the constraints of being just a remake and be an excellent stand-alone. Now of course, if pressed, I would say that the newer version isn't as great as the original, but that is part because of the aura the original (and its lead actor) have built for themselves over thirty years. It is possible, given a few years and the potential sequels being talked about, that this new saga of "Evil Dead" could pave its own blood-soaked path through the woods of horror history.

Until next time...

The Silver Screen Surprises of Cuba Gooding Jr.

Silver Screen Surprises Shows You the Money with These Hidden Gems

By Chris Sabga

With the Oscars now behind us, it's easy to wonder where the most recent crop of Academy Award winners – such as Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett – will be a decade from now. What roles will they play? What will their careers look like? Will they still be on top of the Hollywood food chain?

When Cuba Gooding Jr. won the Best Supporting Actor statuette for 1996's "Jerry Maguire," the actor – who famously uttered the line "show me the money!" in his award-winning role – seemed poised to have a big money career.

He probably didn't imagine his post-Oscar trajectory going quite the way it has. Instead of reigning atop the box office, he ended up toiling away in mostly obscure direct-to-DVD movies that gathered dust in video stores, rental kiosks, and bargain bins.

But Cuba Gooding Jr. is an Academy Award winner for a reason: He is an enormously gifted performer with a staggering level of range – no two characters of his are ever the same – and he remains, without exaggeration, one of the best actors in the world.

Here are five "silver screen surprises" from his career, both before and after the Oscar. Some of these went straight-to-video but deserve to be seen by a far wider audience.

Life of a King (2013): Based on the life of Eugene Brown, an ex-con who developed a chess program for inner city high school students, Cuba Gooding Jr. shares the screen with Dennis Haysbert ("24"), LisaGay Hamilton ("The Practice"), and several promising young actors. This particular story is nothing new for Hollywood – you've seen it all before in films such as "Dangerous Minds," "Lean on Me," "Freedom Writers," and "The Ron Clark Story," to name a few – but it never gets old. Cuba, especially, is fantastic. His portrayal of Brown – beaten down and humbled by hardship and past mistakes, but still willing to fight for the right to make a difference – is such a far cry from the arrogant buffoon he played in "Jerry Maguire." This film may not cover any new territory, but it's still incredibly entertaining and inspirational. You'll feel great after watching it. The best part: The real-life Eugene Brown is still teaching kids how to play chess.

Shadowboxer (2005): Before director Lee Daniels became famous for "Precious" and "The Butler," he worked with Cuba Gooding Jr. in what has to be the strangest film of either man's career. How strange? Gooding and Helen Mirren play lovers. Yes, the same Helen Mirren who played the elderly Elizabeth II in "The Queen." If that wasn't enough, Mo'nique and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are also romantically involved. What else can really be said? If that doesn't pique your interest, nothing will. I can't guarantee that you'll actually like this oddity, but you certainly won't forget it.

Dirty (2005): This movie seems to take a few cues from the far more famous "Training Day" – both are about corrupt cops – but Cuba may have actually out-Denzeled Denzel here with a completely a wild, balls-to-the-wall, anything-goes performance that immediately grabs your attention and never lets go. Even though it's been years since I've seen "Dirty," Cuba's crazed character continues to be indelibly etched in my memory.

Judgment Night (1993): Led by Emilio Estevez and also featuring Stephen Dorff, Cuba Gooding Jr. appeared with two other future stars, Denis Leary and Jeremy Piven. The premise: a group of friends take a wrong turn, witness a murder, and then all hell breaks loose. It's a wild ride and one of the most enjoyable and underrated action movies of the '90s.

Coming to America (1988): Everyone has seen "Coming to America." But what most people may not realize is that Cuba Gooding Jr. is in it. He's the boy in the barber shop. Okay, it's hardly a large or important role – his presence certainly doesn't make or break the film. But it's definitely a cool early career highlight for him – not to mention a fun Easter Egg for sharp-eyed viewers to spot and say, "Hey, wait a minute, isn't that...?"

The 86th Annual Academy Awards: Results and Reactions

Oscar Winners and Surprises

By Chris Sabga

The 86th Annual Academy Awards have now come and gone!

My thoughts throughout the evening:

Before the Show

I thought Seth MacFarlane – the previous Oscar host – was the best in years, but he received a controversial mixed reaction for his bawdy jokes and inappropriate skits during the 2013 ceremony. Personally, I much prefer someone who will take chances and get people talking. Even though we all love the Oscars, let's face it, the whole thing can often be dull and overlong. A wild card like MacFarlane made the never-ending evening much more memorable. But the Academy apparently disagrees. This year, they're playing it safe with Ellen DeGeneres. Then again, the fact that an openly gay entertainer like Ellen is now considered "playing it safe" shows how far we've come. That's a good thing. Besides, who doesn't love Ellen? I am happily hoping she will exceed my expectations and surprise me.

Red Carpet

I don't care who wore what. Find a fashion blog – they'll have you covered. I'm all about the movies.

But in case you care: Silver Screen Sister said Cate Blanchett was the best-dressed because she had on a beautiful diamond outfit. Cate: a winner on the red carpet and – maybe – at the Oscars!

The Oscars are about to begin… I have my bag of popcorn ready.

The Academy Awards are Here!

Full results are listed at the end.

Ellen is off to a good start with several great one-liners and zingers. I laughed constantly at the beginning.

Very touching speech by Jared Leto.

Funny forced smile by the Somali actor from "Captain Phillips," Barkhad Abdi. But I can't blame him for being disappointed. Who wouldn't be?

I hate the filler on these Oscar shows, particularly the various highlight reels and live songs. Aren't the Academy Awards already long enough as it is? But this is hardly a new objection – it's the same ol' same ol' every year.

So glad "Dallas Buyers Club" won for makeup. It was an incredible what they did with a $250 budget. Yes, you read that right!

Poor Bradley Cooper. The joke with Ellen giving him a scratch lotto ticket so he'd win something tonight seemed to hit him a little too close to home.

It was very cool to see Kim Novak of "Vertigo" fame up on stage.

Kudos to the "Frozen" team for letting everyone who won for Best Animated Feature actually speak. I hated the recent trend of only one person in a group of winners speaking for all. I don't know if the rule changed or if the "Frozen" crew emboldened others to follow their lead. Either way, I'm glad.

Classy speech by Lupita Nyong'o from "12 Years a Slave."

Ellen's gags – such as the pizza delivery bit – were all incredibly hokey, yet also quite endearing.

Nice shout-out to the late Harold Ramis by Bill Murray during the Cinematography Award.

With "Gravity" winning so many awards, Silver Screen Sister feels like she can go to sleep and not miss anything. We'll see.

I love Whoopi. That's all.

Despite my feeling that there are too many filler segments during the Oscars, a tribute to the incredible "Wizard of Oz" is something I can get behind – and I like Pink too. (She performed a song celebrating the all-time classic film.) 

Did Bette Midler get cut off at the end by a commercial? If so, that's a shame. The "In Memorium" video tribute was once again very classy, and Midler's beautiful rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings" was the perfect way to honor them.

Jamie Foxx was awkwardly hilarious in a seemingly unplanned moment, pausing inconveniently at the word "blow" before concluding with "your mind."

"12 Years a Slave" writer John Ridley delivered what might be my favorite Oscar speech this year – and Robert De Niro's introduction about the craft and pain of writing was pitch perfect.

I couldn't quite bring myself to love "Her" but I'm glad to see originality get rewarded. Awarding Spike Jonze the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay was the right move.

Silver Screen Sister about Cate Blanchett's acceptance speech: "Sandra was crying, either because she lost or because that speech bored her to tears." Ouch! But, hey, at least Cate looks great in a dress (according to Silver Screen Sis) and commands the screen no matter what she's wearing.

Matthew McConaughey's speech was certainly a bit strange, but it was also very memorable and heartfelt. His win was a given but completely well-deserved. I was rooting for him.

There were really no huge surprises at tonight's ceremony, but that's okay.

Overall, Ellen was a fun, lively, and entertaining host – but the ceremony itself felt too long, too dull, and too self-congratulatory. It seemed that every other speech was dedicated to the victims of AIDS/slavery/fill in a cause here. I'm sure everyone was very sincere in their sentiments, but it became too much after a while.

Full Results

Best Motion Picture of the Year: 12 Years a Slave 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave

Best Achievement in Directing: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: Her: Spike Jonze

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: 12 Years a Slave: John Ridley

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: The Great Beauty: Paolo Sorrentino (Italy)

Best Achievement in Cinematography: Gravity: Emmanuel Lubezki

Best Achievement in Editing: Gravity: Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger

Best Achievement in Production Design: The Great Gatsby: Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn

Best Achievement in Costume Design: The Great Gatsby: Catherine Martin

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: Dallas Buyers Club: Adruitha Lee, Robin Mathews

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score: Gravity: Steven Price

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song: Frozen: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez ("Let It Go")

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing: Gravity: Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, Chris Munro

Best Achievement in Sound Editing: Gravity: Glenn Freemantle

Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Gravity: Timothy Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould

Best Documentary, Feature: 20 Feet from Stardom: Morgan Neville

Best Documentary, Short Subject: The Lady In Number 6: Malcolm Clarke, Carl Freed

Best Short Film, Animated: Mr Hublot: Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares

Best Short Film, Live Action: Helium: Anders Walter, Kim Magnusson

Review: Her

Man Meets Machine. Man Loves Machine. Any Questions?

By Chris Sabga

Release Date: January 10, 2014 – U.S.

Rating: R

Genre: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi

Running Time: 126 minutes

Director: Spike Jonze

Writer: Spike Jonze

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, 

Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Matt Letscher, 

Olivia Wilde

What do you picture when you hear a name like Theodore Twombly? Probably a lonely, socially awkward man with round glasses, just a mustache, and pants pulled up too high. Then again, in the near future, it appears that mustaches are fashionable again and so are trousers that go up to one's nipples.

Such a brave new world demands brave new technology. Windows and other operating systems have apparently fallen by the wayside – replaced by the elegantly-titled OS1. "It’s not just an OS. It’s a consciousness." Indeed, this operating system can name itself, form independent thoughts, develop feelings, and tailor itself intimately to each individual user. This version of the program sounds like a female and introduces itself as Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is instantly smitten.

Things are a bit more complicated with the real women in his life. Flashbacks are shown of his wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara), who he constantly thinks about. And while he's very comfortable conversing with his friend and neighbor, Amy (Amy Adams), she's already married. He also attempts to go on a blind date (with a woman played by Olivia Wilde), but no one can understand him the way his computer companion can – the way Samantha does.

Joaquin Phoenix is tremendous as Theodore. It's a transcendental performance. He was unfairly overlooked for an Oscar nomination. The futuristic world of "Her" really comes alive, thanks to the film's spectacular visual style. Great care has obviously gone into every aesthetic aspect of the production – from the sets to the costumes to the gadgets – right down to the little details.

It's a shame, then, that I found myself unable to truly believe the movie's central premise. I wanted to. I tried to. But I couldn't.

"I'm dating my OS!"

When Theodore gleefully shares that information with others, they barely react (with one exception).

Come on!

Case-in-point: If I declared that I was in love with Siri, the iPhone's voice feature, I'd be locked up for life! Even if my family and friends were as "understanding" as Theodore's, I suppose I'd get strange reactions anyway because I've set mine to sound like an Englishman. Don't judge! "He" has a pleasing lilt – very refined. Unfortunately, I have to speak like a Brit myself to get "him" to understand me.

The limits of technology!

Theodore and Samantha, however, have no such issues. The movie, on the other hand, has quite a few.

For one thing, it drags on and on. I felt every single second of "Her's" 126-minute running time. Then again, I'm not sure what could have possibly been cut out to tighten the flow – everything that was included seemed important to the story in some way.

Also, as good as Phoenix is here, his character can come across as a bit creepy at times. I suspect that's partly by design, though. After all, normal, well-adjusted people don't date their computers.

Regardless, that "relationship" is one of the major problems I have with the movie. It's not realistic. It rings false.

Yes, I realize "Her" is likely meant to be an allegory about our current over-reliance on technology. Parallels can certainly be made between events of this film and the way we interact with websites, virtual pen pals, and everything else the world wide web has to offer. Still, even the most outlandish fantasy has to work at least somewhat on a credible, real-world, literal level; the core "romance" between man and machine in this movie never quite does. I was unable to completely suspend my disbelief.

Even though the film didn't entirely work for me, I can still see myself revisiting it in the future. Writer and director Spike Jonze deserves credit for crafting a grand, bold vision. Instead of playing it safe, he took big chances and dared to be original and artistic.

I didn't love "Her," but I do admire it.