Season 4 Round 3 Update

Home Again

Debuting writer Chad Taylor penned a small-town coming of age story that feels refreshing. Timothée Chalamet and Joaquin Phoenix are their usual self in this movie that doesn't reinvent the Wheel, but its charm and great casting makes for a good watch. I'm looking forward to see what Taylor will do with his next project. (4.2/5)  

Masters of the Universe

With a cast of mostly unknowns, Masters of the Universe gives us the foundation of an universe that I hope we'll see again, but only because I'm intrigued if the possible next installments in the franchise could be better than the first one. It was also the case with Six Billion Dollar Man last season, the film serves as a set-up for sequels and one can only wonder if the franchise will actually improve when the second movie hits our screens. (2.8/5)

Carbon

I was intrigued with Carbon when it came out, but I must admit that I didn't watch it immediately when it came, like I usually do. Then, I read that the ending is surprising and I watched it afterwards and all I could think about was that the ending would be surprising and it was, to be honest. Egerton and Gibson offer great performances in a film that will sadly be remembered for its ending rather than the film itself. I would definitely recommand this one. (3.6/5)

Upcoming Projects

No news on our new projects yet, but I assure you it's coming. Last round, I told you Ann would be leaving at the end of the season and I can now tell you that we've probably found a new writer to replace her. He came to us with a great idea and I can't wait to share it with you when it becomes official. On another subject, congratulations to everyone at Last Resort Films for reaching the 100 movies mark. Here's to 100 more! I'm looking forward to see what everyone has in store in the future. See you next round.

Mo Buck

Season 4 Round 2 Update

Delaware

The Christian Bale-led movie about George Washington's crossing the Delaware was on my watch-list for some time now, as I had really high expectations for the Scott Cooper film. Despite some aurguable casting decision (Ed Helms in a drama), I was surprised to see how great it turned out to be. Christian Bale carries each and everyone of his scenes with his undeniable charisma, truly an early front runner in the Best Actor race. (4.4/5)

The Fog

It's the second time this season that Last Resort Films greenlit a second remake of a movie, but unlike Cat People, I was saddened to see that no improvements were made from the original film. Our own writer, Ann Morrow, wrote two remakes and I urged her to stop doing so after Amelie, as remakes usually don't turn out how you want them to be in the first place, even more so when there's no real change in the movie. Just watch the original instead. (1.3/5)

Halo 2

It's always to hard to critic your own work, as you don't want to be overly positive, because of course you like the movie you wrote, but you also don't want to be rude in your critic. For the second installment of the Halo franchise, I decided to address what was severely lacking in the first movie : villains. While this part of the film was appreciated, there was a concern about character development. Rest assured, I'll do my best for Halo 3, which brings me to the huge announcement. 

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The Halo Universe

With the immense success of the Halo franchise, the Mo Buck's Writers Association members have decided to work together to create the Halo Universe. Starting with Season 5, the Halo Universe will introduce several new characters to help build a cinematic universe. The first installment of the Universe was Halo and the second is Halo 2. Scheduled to come out in Season 5, Halo: ODST will serve as a prequel to Halo. Don't expect Alexander Skaarsgard's John-117 to appear in these movies, but other characters could make an appearance here and there. Hope you're as excited as we are for the Halo Universe :)

Upcoming Projects

You'll sadly have to wait until Round 7 to see another movie by the Association. James Morgan, fresh off his Golden Reel win for Into Thin Air, penned an original story rumored to be a drama. In other news, Ann Morrow recently told me that The Price of Fame, her Season 4 movie, will be her last. We're working very hard to replace her. 

Mo Buck

3rd Golden Reel Awards and Season 4 Round 1 Update

3rd Golden Reel Awards

As you probably all know, the 3rd Golden Reel Awards were held a couple of days ago and the entire Association was at the event. It was a triumphal night for the Prisoner, who grabbed seven awards out of the twelve that were given during the evening.

The Prisoner, by John Malone and Christopher Nolan, was practically flawless and deserves all of its awards. James was obviously disappointed to have won only one award, but still, he took home the Best Original Screenplay award, which is not bad! I personally picked up the Golden Reel for Most Wanted Sequel, which was a pleasant surprise, I was nominated twice! I personally thought I would win for Death and All His Friends, but I'm still incredibly happy to have won for Inferno. Thanks again to all the voters who voted for our films and congratulations to John Malone for the Prisoner!

Round 1 Update

Nation's Pride

Harry Wright was particularly nervous to present his latest effort, after taking a break in Season 3, he hoped that his next project wouldn't fail and I think it's safe to say that he succeeded. While not making too much noise, Nation's Pride benefited from the talent of veteran Martin Campbell who crafted a great film with Harry's screenplay, but sadly, what most people will remember from the film was the curious casting decision, with both Hemsworth brothers playing the same character during different periods. The decision backfired and critics had a negative response to the casting, but he still wants to defend his decision. He said he wanted the viewers how much Charles Upham changed during the war and he hoped changing actors would achieve that effect, but obviously people weren't impressed, but we, at Mo Buck's Writers Association are still proud of the film written by our very own Harry Wright.

Green Arrow and Cat People

Two films were released after Nation's Pride. A surprisingly dark superhero film starring Armie Hammer as Green Arrow and Nicolas Winding Refn's second movie for Last Resort Films, Cat People, starring Hungarian model Barbara Palvin. APJ continues to deliver great superheroes movies and his casting was on point. Hammer is an excellent Green Arrow and Clive Owen is a superb villain. The constant shifting from past to present bothered me a little bit, but still a good movie by APJ. However, I wasn't convinced by Cat People. I have never seen the two previous films, but I must say that it's a bizarre experience. I'm not really sure what to think, it was good, but not as much as I thought it would, after Winding Refn's previous entry for the studio.

Upcoming Projects

It's pretty quiet at the moment for the Association, with Halo 2 coming out soon and our other films to be released later in the Season. I'm particularly proud of what I did with Gareth Edwards on Halo 2, introducing various villains that were severely lacking in the previous film. Our other projects are kept under wraps for the moment, but expect more news as Last Resort Films officially announces them.

Golden Reels Nominations Reaction

Last Resort Films released the list of nominees for the 3rd Golden Reel Awards yesterday and after an in-deep look at the nominees, there's a couple of things I have to get out of my mind.

The Snubs

No award shows can escape this phenomenon and the Golden Reels are no exception. Here are the people and films I feel were snubbed out of a nomination.

Best Production Design : Gorky Park

The Brian de Palma film didn't manage to secure a nomination, but I think it's production design was worthy of consideration, the movie perfectly capturing the monotone of the USSR.

Most Wanted Sequel : The Wolfman

I simply loved Javier Bardem as the Wolfman and all I could think after seeing the movie was if there were going to be another one. The most recent sequels of the Monster Universe films were highly successful, so I thought that The Wolfman would be a shoe-in in this category.

Best Ensemble Cast : 3-Way Tie : Gorky Park - Red Planet - Heart of Stone

It's always a tough category to judge, and with only three nominations by category, some deserving films were left out and I was disappointed to see that these three were not included in the final list of nominees.

Best Villain : Tim Roth (Into Thin Air)

With all the love this film received from voters, I'm surprised to see that Tim Roth wasn't nominated in this category, after playing an original villain that truly stole the show in James Morgan's Into Thin Air.

Best Adaptation : Pudd'nhead Wilson (Jack Ryder)

With all the details and extreme attention to detail Jack Ryder put in his Mark Twain adaptation, I'm surprised that he hasn't received a nomination for his work. It was a big category this year, but I feel this one has been left out.

Best Original Story : American Playboy (Dwight Gallo)

Correctly adapting the life of a famous person on the screen is always a difficult task and I honestly think Dwight Gallo captured the integrality of Hugh Hefner's persona in American Playboy. In such an open category this season, I'm surprised to see that his name isn't on the ballot.

Best Supporting Actress : Felicity Jones (American Playboy)

After seeing American Playboy, my original feedback was that Andrew Garfield was excellent and nothing else, but after watching the film a second time, I found myself stunned by the performance delivered by Felicity Jones. 

Best Supporting Actor : Tim Roth ( Into Thin Air)

I already said what there was to be said about Roth's performance in the Best Villain category, and I still think Roth was robbed of a nomination twice.

Best Actress : Alicia Vikander (Gorky Park)

Vikander did the best she could to try to elevate the film and in such an open category, it's shocking for me to find out Vikander was snubbed of a well deserving nomination for her hard work. 

Best Actor : Willem Dafoe (Heart of Stone)

This has to be the biggest snub of the 3rd Golden Reel Awards. Dafoe was perfectly casted and gave a truly great performance in an otherwise polarizing film, with every critics agreeing that his performance was flawless. Truly shocking.

Best Director : Damien Chazelle (American Playboy)

With his great work on this, in my opinion, criminally underrated biopic, and his stellar previous work, I'm surprised to see that Chazelle, one of the most exciting filmmakers of the 21st century missed out a nomination American Playboy.

Best Picture : American Playboy

At this point, my love for American Playboy is, I think, pretty clear, so it's not of a surprise for you to see that I think that it was also snubbed of a Best Picture nomination.

The Surprises

Every award show also has its surprise nominations that are always great to see and here are the nominations that surprised me at the 3rd Golden Reel Awards.

Best Production Design : Into Thin Air

Garland kept things simple in his sci-fi thriller and I'm surprised to see it land a nomination. It would be a shock for me if it wins really, but it still is a great film.

Best Villain : Christoph Waltz (Death and All His Friends)

Waltz is a great actor, that's a fact, but I'm definitely shocked to see him getting a nomination for such a polarizing film, while there was more deserving roles out there (Tim Roth)

Best Adaptation : Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (D.R. Cobb)

The film itself was great, but it's still a surprise to see an action blockbuster getting a nomination in such a prestigious category that is usually synonymous with a Best Picture nomination.

Best Actress : Saoirse Ronan (Amelie)

This film itself wasn't well received and some were even rude about her performance in Amelie, so it's a complete surprise for me to see her getting a nomination.

Best Actor : Martin Freeman (Pudd'nhead Wilson)

Playing the quirky titular character, Martin Freeman is an underrated actor that brang his best game in Pudd'nhead Wilson, but I thought his lack of previous recognition would prevent him to get a nomination, but to my pleasant surprise, he did.

I'll have the pleasure to attend the Golden Reels in the next days, I'll give you my reactions to the magical night after I celebrate my possible wins. I want to thank all the voters who chose to vote for our films. Thanks to newcomer Chad Taylor who was surprisingly supportive of Heart of Stone's lack of nominations, I truly didn't expect that. So, in the name of James Morgan, Harry Wright, Ann Morrow and myself, I want to thank each and everyone of you for your support and the President of Last Resort Films Phil Dolan for allowing us to do what we want to do each season.

Mo's Critic #42 : Metal Gear Solid

Mo's Critic #42 : Metal Gear Solid

Joseph Kosinski and Mark Newton jammed pack the long awaited adaptation of Metal Gear Solid and the Chris Evans-led film won't disappoint fans of the genre. Some more actions scènes would have been better, but no movie is perfect. A solid effort from those involved.

Mo's Critic #41 : Amelie

Mo's Critic #41 : Amelie

Shots for shots remake are often hit or miss and Wes Anderson latest effort falls in the miss category. All the flashy and colorful visuals cannot salvage the rest of the movie, full of inconsistent performances, a disgrace for Saoirse Ronan almost salvags the movie with her charisma and charm.

Mo's Critic #40 : The Informers

Mo's Critic #40 : The Informers

Bret Easton Ellis's novel was a satire of the selfish American society, but the Informers, still better than the previous adaptation lacks that in depth look the novel and it gives surfaced characters with no real explorations in their struggle and it is a shame, given the great performances given by the little known cast.