Best Picture: Who Do You Want to See Win?

As promised, here is my rundown of each of the films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year. Just like last year, I have (so far) seen 7 out of the total 10 films, and have quite a bit to say about each, as to what their positive and negative aspects are.

I know a lot of the time people just try to predict who will win, without really thinking about which film deserves it once the Academy gets in there and starts meddling with our heads regarding what is "good" and what is not... so I'm not going to do that. But I mean, come on, we all know it's going to be a tight (not really) competition between The King's Speech and The Social Network.

Oh, and if I'm just throwing it out there, one of my favorite films of 2010 was Kick-Ass... though I guess I can understand why that wasn't nominated.

And so, here is my rundown of what I thought of each of the nominees (and eventually, who I would like to see win, regardless of who I think will receive the honor).

127 Hours

It seems a little ambitious to take on a film that focuses on a man stuck in a cavern alone for 5 days straight, doesn't it? Well, if anyone would be able to make that interesting, it would be Danny Boyle. I have a big respect for Boyle as a director, and he definitely brought 127 Hours to life in a beautiful way. His landscape shots are stunning, and he has a great visual sensitivity, albeit, sometimes he kind of overdoes it with the effects. Regardless of this, there is never any attention draw away from the most incredible aspect of this movie, which is the story of Aaron Ralston itself. When Aaron was liberated in the film, there were just so many feelings flooding to me, I didn't know what to think. The only thing I could think was, "Wow." I can't even imagine what that experience must have been like.

James Franco puts on a splendid performance, though when it comes down to it, it wasn't the most demanding of roles. The gore involved in the film that many people were nervous about witnessing is very real, and definitely adds to an understanding of how grueling Ralston's experience must have been. Overall, this is an interesting film, and it was good to take in the incredible story of Aaron Ralston's experience, though I certainly don't believe it's for everyone.

Black Swan

The one word I would use to describe this film is "interesting". I know I've made posts about the whole plot of "maybe I'm the one that's been crazy all along" that is typically used in film, and this film somewhat used it. It was just presented in a different way, once again. Darren Aronofsky's filming style is quite unusual and innovative, though I can't quite get a handle on all that shaky-cam he uses. Arguably, it adds to the overall confusing, chaotic sense of the film, but to me it almost makes me feel a little nauseous when watching that on a big screen.

On of the most positive aspects of this film comes in the form of Natalie Portman's portrayal of Nina, which is probably one of her most dramatic film roles to date, as well as the character of Nina's mother played by Barbara Hershey. That woman seriously made my skin crawl, and I know a lot of people really wanted Mila Kunis to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress in her role as Lily, but I would have like to see Hershey nominated for her chilling work in Black Swan. As well, the filming of the ballet scenes, especially during the end performance of the movie were phenomenally done. One specifically that also involved some stunning visual effects was when Nina was performing and slowly grew wings during the course of the dance.

Overall, this movie was a lot more disturbing that I thought it was going to be, and it was very different from anything I have ever seen, and in that way unique. I just can't help but feel like the overall idea behind the film was a tad pretentious. Maybe it was profound in some respects, but I almost feel like Aronofsky bit off a bit more than he could chew with this one, as some of the most interesting ideas that the film brought up were overshadowed by the overall "obsession of the artist trying to be perfect, driving them to insanity" theme. I can't help but roll my eyes a little bit at that idea, though I don't know why it turns me off so much.

The Fighter

I'm not going to lie, I actually really enjoyed this film, but when I think about it, despite being based on a true story, it never really breaks itself out of the sports-movie cliches, does it? You know, the has-been trying to make a comeback? The almost too old for the sport up-and-comer, winning it big? And, you know, other cliches among those lines.

The filming in The Fighter was nothing spectacular, but the one aspect that I found incredibly good was the acting of the supporting cast. Sure, Mark Walhberg had one of the most believable Boston accents in the film, but his role was very downplayed and subtle amongst the strong work of the rest of the cast. Not only the intensely adept performances by Christian Bale and Melissa Leo stood out, but also the supporting cast of women that played Micky Ward's sisters. They were almost created as a caricature, but despite this were still a both a very humorous and influential presence in the film.

Inception

Oh Inception. What do we say about you? To be honest, I saw this movie quite a while after it came out, and so many of my friends saw it before I did, hyping it up to the extremes. When I finally saw it, because of all that buildup, I was slightly disappointed. To be fair, it was definitely an ingenious twist that most of the action took place in the mind, but all in all wasn't it just an over-elaborate heist? Granted, they were placing something in the mind rather than taking it out, but regardless, it was largely based on the heist-film premise. I do, however, agree with many people saying that the acting in the film was incredibly well done. Oscar worthy? Mmm, maybe not. I've definitely seen better work from both Leonardo DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard, who many people feel were snubbed for Academy Award nominations.

The one thing that makes this film stand apart from all the others is it's technical aspects in art direction, cinematography, and visual effects. The pure precision it took to create some of those layered dream-sequences was just astounding, and the entire movie looked incredibly pristine and put-together. Do I think Inception was the best film of 2010? No, but it was up there, and definitely deserves any award it wins related to sound and visual elements.

The Kid's Are All Right

I was intrigued by this film as it looked like it would be pretty quirky and fun, though sadly I have yet to see it. I am a fan of Annette Bening, so her performance was likely strong in this film, and it's always interesting to see a not-so conventional dynamic of relationships and family on screen. I also find Mark Ruffalo very good in most of the roles he performs, so that was likely another strong aspect of this film, though I have heard from some people that a lot of aspects in this film are somewhat cheesy or overstated. I suppose I will just have to see this film before I can really know if I like it or not.

The King's Speech

Although I'm only 19, I really wanted to see this movie, and when I went, the average age of the rest of the filmgoing audience was about... 50? Regardless, I enjoyed this movie, but recognize that it isn't really for everyone. I think there has to be a certain amount of interest in the subject for a veiwer to really appreciate the story and difficulty it would take to bring a story based on the ability to speak well to life.

To me, one of the strongest aspects of The King's Speech was in the acting abilities of the main cast, including Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, and Guy Pierce. They really did well in their parts, suiting the timeframe in which the film is set. As well, they were able to bring a certain humor to the film, all the while maintaining the serious overall mood. As well, in terms of filming the scenes were shot very crisp and clean, though lacking a certain ingenuity behind them. There were a few pacing issues within the film, that made certain parts seem to drag on unnecessarily long, though if you are really interested in the story and the history of it, you will stick out these slower-paced sections. As I mentioned before, a film like this is definitely not for everyone, but I certainly liked seeing it.

The Social Network

A lot of people I know had mixed reviews about this one, but I personally thought The Social Network was a well-done film. Sure, some might argue that I'm just jumping on the critic's bandwagon with this one, but in all honesty, the story presented in the film is just so relevant to society today. And let's get one thing straight, the movie is not about Facebook itself. It is a story about the implications of business and relationships surrounding a genius invention, as well as the power of influence in the corporate world, greed, loyalty, and the sacrifices we make to get ahead. The fact that the story surrounded the creation of Facebook is just another aspect that allows the film to be relevant today, due to Facebook's large impact on relationships in modern society.

In addition to the impact of the story line, the writing of this film, done by Aaron Sorkin, was fresh, quick, and hyper-literate (if not a tad pretentious). The acting used to pull off these lines was equally impressive, as Jesse Eisenberg just nailed the snarky, quick wit of Zuckerberg, and Andrew Garfield brought the most subtle hints of pain and emotion to a film built mostly on cold-as-ice relationships. Furthermore, the filming style used was primarily dark and golden-coloured, adding a deep warmth to the dark, dorm-room setting wherein this invention took place. In great contrast, the trial scenes with bright, white and blue lighting gave almost a surgical, disconnected feeling to the conflict between Saverin and Zuckerberg, showing that the friendship wass entirely lost, and their new focus was entirely on business.

The downfalls I might see in this film are that the ending was trying to bring in the "lost love" connection that was totally unnecessary, as well as the dialogue being slightly high-and-mighty on a few occasions.

Toy Story 3

To me, this was an incredibly enjoyable film, both for children and adults. Those toys really captured our hearts all those years ago, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that wondered what would happen to them once Andy grew up. Not only was the story fun and unique, but when you look at the animation quality of the first Toy Story film compared to this one, the progression is just incredible. The animation of the human characters has especially become better over the past ten years.

Although I really enjoyed Toy Story 3, I wouldn't say it is the best film Pixar has ever made, and if there has ever been an animated film that I would have liked to have seen win Best Picture, it would have been Up, which was nominated last year.

True Grit

This is another of the best picture nominees that I have not seen, though it did intrigue me. It looks like it will be a pretty clean looking western, but still pretty hard-hitting. At the same time, however, I find the Coen Brothers very hit and miss with their films... I mean, I loved Fargo, but ever since then they haven't really been able to rise to the same level again (in my own personal opinion). I do however think that Jeff Bridges is a fine actor and so his performance is likely worth seeing, though in all honesty I don't want him to win Best Actor this year, as I was also rooting for Colin Firth last year, and Bridges took the honor. In essence, I can't really say as I want to see this film win, as it looks like it has potential to be intriguing, but at the same time, would anyone have even paid that much attention to it had it not been directed by the Coen Brothers? Or would they have just thought of it as another modern Western?

Winter's Bone

This is the last of the three nominated films that I have yet to see. I have read about it and seen the trailer, and it looks relatively gritty and intense, so I think it is probably pretty promising. Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes are both nominated for this movie as well, which must mean that the acting is pretty decent in the movie, but as it is now, I can't make a very good analysis of the film, due to not having seen it.

So at the end of all that, the movie I would most like to see win Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards Ceremony is: The Social Network.

I know, I know, I'm probably getting a few eye-rolls right now, but compared to everything else that I have seen (and also considering my age/generation), I found that film one of the most enjoyable and well-made.

And now I leave it up to everyone else: What would you like to see win the Oscar for Best Picture on February 27th?

Who Do you WANT to Win the Oscars? Not who you THINK Will Win

People keep making predictions as to who is going to win the Oscars, and placing bets and all that jazz... but is anyone really saying who they would like to win? Or just jumping on the bandwagons of who everyone says is going to win or what everyone says is good?

I've decided to lay out who I would like to see win the more recognized Oscars (as I have not seen any short films, and know little about certain production aspects). And of course, you can read countless other postings from other people about who they think will win on the big night-- whether they are right or not.

And it looks like I spread them out over various films, not giving all the awards to one movie out of pure love of it.

I really feel like all of the best picture nominees this year have different aspects about them that are worth commending, but none of them are deserving of everything.

Best Achievement in Sound Editing:

Inception

Toy Story 3

Tron: Legacy

True Grit

Unstoppable

* Alright so I've only seen two of these, but I think the most impressive in terms of it's technical aspects was Inception, so I would like to see that one win. Also for Sound mixing, which has similar other nominees in that category, with a few exchanged.

Best Achievement in Visual Effects:

Alice in Wonderland

Hereafter

Inception

IronMan 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

* As much as I love Harry Potter, Inception's strongest aspect was definitely it's visual effects, and the precision of them in time with other layered effects occurring simultaneously, so I would like to see that one win (and it most likely will).

Best Achievement in Editing:

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

The King's Speech

The Social Network

* Mmmm... I actually really liked all of these films, but the ones with the most crafting to their editing appeared to be 127 Hours and Black Swan... I'm a big Danny Boyle fan though, so it makes me a little biased (I mean did you SEE those gorgeous landscape shots?), though I also really liked how they did the dance sequences, especially using transformation in Black Swan, so I think I'd like to see either of those win.

Best Achievement in Cinematography:

Black Swan

Inception

The King's Speech

The Social Network

True Grit

* Inception wins for me on this one, though The Social Network is a close second. Inception was so crisp and engaging, and deserves most of the visual awards. I said The Social Network is my second choice, because it was also presented very clean in it's lighting and lines.

Best Foreign Language Film:

Biutiful

Dogtooth

Civilization

Incendies

Outside the Law

* I'll be honest and say that I haven't seen any of these films... but looking at the trailers, I think Dogtooth looks absolutely hilarious and quirky, despite hearing that the Academy really doesn't like it (yet was nominated anyways?) Biutiful also appears to be pretty powerful, but I have to go with the really different, intriguing Dogtooth for my want on this one.

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:

How to Train Your Dragon

Le Illusionist

Toy Story 3

* I loved Sylvain Chomet's work with Les Triplettes de Belleville years ago, so I'm sure Le Illusionist is enjoyable. I also found Toy Story 3 very heartwarming, and the progress in animation from the first of the series to this installment is absolutely astounding. But then again, How to Train your Dragon was very original and also very crisply animated... so this one is hard for me to choose. Really, I'd be happy with any of them winning, but since I haven't seen Le Illusionist yet, I'll have to say either of the other two are my favorites for winning.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published:

127 Hours

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter's Bone

* I might seem like one of those people jumping on the "Yay, Aaron Sorkin" bandwagon, but I seriously thought The Social Network was very snappy. All of the dialogue was very snarky and fresh, but still left room for some emotion and heart within the ice cold exterior. And of course, who didn't enjoy all of Mark and Eduardo's touchy retorts?

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen:

Another Year

The Fighter

Inception

The Kid's Are All Right

The King's Speech

* It must have been a bit of a challenge to make a history essentially entirely based on the power of spoken word engaging, which makes The King's Speech my choice for this one. Some scenes in the film lacked a bit of pace, it's true, but overall the dialogue suited the characters and mood of the film very well, keeping it serious with room for a light heart at the same time.

Best Achievement in Directing:

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

Ethan and Joel Coen, True Grit

David Fincher, The Social Network

Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

David O. Russel, The Fighter

* As far as I'm concerned, the Coen brothers haven't produced anything as enjoyable as Fargo in years. I also found Tom Hooper's work to be lacking in a bit of creativity, despite how crisp and clean the whole movie came together. As well, I like that Darren Aronofsky took some risks, and while some aspects of Black Swan were incredibly well-done, others were not so effective (such as overuse of shaky-cam that made me want to have a seizure). Actually I would have like to see Danny Boyle nominated for 127 Hours in this one, as it must have been hard to develop something interesting enough to sustain our attention when it was based on a man stuck in a hole for 5 days. Nonetheless, I'm going to have to go with David Fincher on this one, because his film was not only enjoyable, looked clean, and sped along at a good pace, but there is the one scene within The Social Network known as "The Henley Sequence" that is just phenomenal. (It's the one that doesn't have anything to do with the plot, but nonetheless features the Winklevoss twins in their boat race, using fabulous tilt-shift photography techniques).

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Amy Adams, The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech

Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

* I would have liked to have seen Barbara Hershey nominated for her chilling performance in Black Swan (no, not Mila Kunis), but since that didn't happen, I think I'm going to have to go with Melissa Leo on this one. As much as I love Helena Bonham Carter, I've definitely seen stronger performances from her, and Melissa really stood out to me in The Fighter, in her family full of feisty girls. Amy Adams' best moment in the movie was when she got into a bitch-fight with one of the sisters, but other than that I felt like it was a good performance, but not great, hence why I liked Melissa Leo more than her, as it seemed like she understood her character a little bit better.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Christian Bale, The Fighter

John Hawkes, Winter's Bone

Jeremy Renner, The Town

Mark Ruffalo, The Kid's Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

* I'm not going to lie, I really like Mark Ruffalo, but I've seen a lot of great performances of his in the past that seem to be a little better than his role in The Kid's Are All Right. John Hawkes, however looks like he did really well with his role, however I sadly have not yet seen Winter's Bone. I did, however, think that Christian Bale gave one heck of a performance that really outshone the lead actor of Mark Walhberg in The Figher, and so I think I'm going to have to go with him. My second choice would be Geoffrey Rush, because I not only admire him as an actor, but also felt like he was a real source of heart in The King's Speech.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Annette Bening, The Kid's Are All Right

Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

* I am a fan of Michelle Williams, but she seems far too serious about this whole thing for me to really feel comfortable with going to see her in Blue Valentine, even though I really like Ryan Gosling... I can't really explain it. I also find Natalie Portman to often be kind of wooden in her performances (not all, but quite a selection), but in Black Swan she blew me away. The beginning was all innocent and nothing I hadn't seen from her before, but the second half she really let loose (like her character?) and I found her very adept in playing the role of Nina.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Javier Bardem, Biutiful

Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Colin Firth, The King's Speech

James Franco, 127 Hours

* I actually really like all of the performers within this category, so I wouldn't mind seeing any of them win. I do however, have a special place in my heart for Colin Firth, and he really brought The King's Speech to life with his performance. Sure, it might sound like I'm once again jumping on a bandwagon saying that, but I actually wanted Colin Firth to win best actor at last year's awards for his performance in A Single Man (but Jeff Bridges took that one, so it's only fair that they swap roles this year, right?). I think Colin Firth receiving one of these awards is long overdue, so it would be nice to see him win, especially since his performance in this film was so strong.

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kid's Are All Right

The King's Speech

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter's Bone

* I've seen 7 out of the 10 films nominated (just like last year's list), and could write a lot about each of them, so I think I'm going to save my preference for the winner for Best picture for another post in a day or two. Is that cool with you guys? Hopefully, because I'd rather address this big award fully.

And now, I leave it to what you guy's think:

Who does everyone else want to see win some of these awards?

Sometimes it's hard not to jump on with what everyone else says is good or who everyone thinks is going to win, but it's still interesting to think about who you predict vs. who you actually want, you know?

"Old People" Romances are Very Nice, Wouldn't You Agree?

Now, of course the term "old" can be defined differently by different people, and seeing that I am but only 19 years old (almost 20) the word "old" can really be anyone that is "older". But for the purpose of conversation, I guess I'm saying "old" is... over 50? Or possibly over 60?

Regardless, I've realized lately how much I enjoy Romantic films featuring more mature couples, sometimes even more-so than those with young, sprightly couples in who fall in love too quickly. I don't know, it just seems like romantic story lines are becoming increasingly generic, especially when they follow younger generations that fall in love so fast, you kind of wonder if it's not just a childish infatuation that will soon pass.

Although, I do notice that in some older romances the people fall for each other just as quickly, they are just more receptive to the implications that those kinds of feelings might represent.

Kind of like in Last Chance Harvey, wherein Emma Thompson really likes Dustin Hoffman's character, but is wary that eventually it won't work out because of the fact that they just met each other and don't really know what the future holds. Her unease with the situation is also hinged on the fact that she has been hurt in the past and doesn't want to be naive in thinking that this time it will be perfect.

Maybe I just like the fact that with their maturity and experience, older characters aren't typically as full of callow whimsy when it comes to the subject of love, yet are still receptive to their feelings and can be just as cute and fun as younger characters.

Sort of like Meryl Streep and Steve Martin in It's Complicated; Steve Martin's character pulled at my heartstrings by being cutesy, just as much as other, younger actors have in the past. It could be that I'm just receptive to any kind, fun gent, no matter how much older than me he might be, but I really did feel my heart pitter-pattering whenever our beloved Meryl Streep was interacting with the always enjoyable Steve Martin.

Really, I just started thinking about the whole "old people romance" thing when I saw advertisements for the new movie Another Year with Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen.

I couldn't help but be intrigued by it, despite it being focused on a married couple decades older than myself. They seem just as reachable to an audience as young, attractive people, and it makes you realize that love will always be around, possible, and also have complications, no matter how late in your life it might be.

So how about you? Does anyone else (especially young folk) like dabbling in Romances featuring older couples, or is that just me?

Random Things I'd Like to See Happen (In Film and Television)

Does anyone have some random thing that they just want to see in a movie or in television one day? Possibly a specific type of role played by a certain actor? Or maybe a certain story line to develop in a series? Or is there something you want to see occur more frequently in film and television?

Well, I was thinking about it, and seem to have a couple of ideas around those lines that I wold like to see. And why not share your thoughts with the entirety of the "interweb", right?

More Neo-Noir

What exactly is definitive of a "noir" style film is sometimes up for dispute, but regardless of this fact, I absolutely love modern noir films-- or "Neo-Noir". Remember how awesome The Silence of the Lambs was? Or how about Murder by Numbers? Or The Black Dahlia? I found all of these films incredibly enjoyable, and when looking hard at what I would consider Neo-Noir, there have actually been many made in the past decades. It's just that most of the time these films aren't really as mainstream or appreciated as much as others. Kind of like the 2006 film, Brick, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, which was incredibly interesting, but incredibly indie, so not seen by many people. It has now, however, become a sort of underground cult phenomenon. Is this due to the fact that not-so generic Noir-style films are actually very enjoyable, despite the general public's insistence to pay more attention to big-budget, static story-lines? Perhaps. Either way, I would like to view a few more films in this genre, whether they be modern or not (though most people nowadays want to see something new, rather than something classic and "old". How crass!).

Andrew Garfield to Break Out a Homosexual Element

I'm going to say it straight off the bat, I'm not one of those girls that finds homosexual relationships a turn on. I don't, however, see anything wrong with it. Well okay, the odd time I actually find it endearing to see, but it's not like it's an obsession. Regardless, seeing Andrew Garfield play a role that involves a homosexual experience has entered into my mind (whether that be simply a kiss or something more).

Why? Well, I can't stop thinking about that one scene in Brokeback Mountain. Not the one where they engage in sexual intercourse for the first time, but the first time they see each other after leaving Brokeback Mountain and having been apart for a couple of years. You know the one? And Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger kiss each other and it's more beautiful than most straight kisses you see nowadays? Yeah... That one gets me every time, so I wouldn't mind seeing some other attractive young males take on such a role, like Garfield. Also, I'm not saying it's necessarily hard to portray a homosexual character when you are heterosexual, because I really don't know, but stories involving that always seem to be very interesting and dynamic, just like the kind of roles I love seeing Garfield in. Plus, you know, he has great chemistry with all of this male-costars it seems, both in interviews and on-screen (such as with Justin Timberlake in The Social Network).

But then there is the question of, to whom should Garfield engage in this homosexual experience with? Well, another young actor preferably. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has entered my mind on this one, mostly because I just mentioned his film Brick, and he also has a photo on the side of my posts next to one of Mr. Garfield... Plus he isn't so bad on the eyes either, if I say so myself.

Carey Mulligan to Get Goofy (Or Kick Ass. Whichever)

Arguably, Carey Mulligan was pretty giggly and goofy in her role as Kitty in Pride and Prejudice, but was it really a central role? No, not really. She was one of the sisters that barely got any screen-time, and to be honest it was a far more serious interpretation of Jane Austen's novel than any prior adaptations I have ever seen. Basically, I wouldn't count this as a real "goofy" role for her to play. As well, Jenny was pretty giggly and fun in An Education, but the overall feel of the character was of a serious nature.

What can I say? The girl has an incredible knack for dramas. Really, I enjoy her in every role she portrays, as I love dramatic work, but I just once want to see her do something wherein she gets to play an overall fun or silly character. That, or a character that gets to kick some major ass, as when most people see Mulligan, the word they use to describe her is "precious". And who is to say that showing off a strong, dominating, feisty side couldn't be in a dramatic film? You know, maybe like a Lisbeth Salander type of role? I don't know, I guess I just like seeing people do whole ranges of different things, just to surprise people. Even if she doesn't break out of these dramas, though, I will still absolutely love Carey Mulligan and her adept abilities as an actress. (Plus, she is the closest thing to a doppelganger I have).

Chris Colfer to Work Outside of "Glee"... Possibly in Something Gritty

I'm not going to lie, I'm one of those girls that really enjoys watching "Glee", due to the amazing vocal abilities of the cast, and its unrelenting, over-the-top spunk. I do recognize, however, that it has become slightly more irritating as of late, and seems to be riding a little too heavily its own success, thereby overdoing the cheesy aspects a little bit.

Regardless of this, I have always had a special place in my heart for Chris Colfer. The boy seems so sincere whenever he is speaking in public, and is just so precious. Also, he is one of the characters that has really had a chance to show his emotional acting abilities, which are often stifled by other characters within the boisterous cast of "Glee". What's the remedy for this? Well, breaking into something new, of course! Arguably, Colfer will always be recognized as "that Gay Kid from Glee"-- kind of like how Daniel Radcliffe will always be "Harry Potter" to most people-- but I can't help but want to see more of him in another acting environment. You know, see the boy really flex his acting range. Obviously this would mean doing something totally different from the mood of "Glee", which is why I said he could possibly venture into something more gritty, so that he could definitely show off his emotional range without having to be too overstated like most of the emotional aspects in his current television series. Maybe this one is just me, but I would really like to see Colfer have a chance to work outside of his character of Kurt, lest he become unnecessarily pigeon-holed in similar roles in the future.

Robert Downey Jr. to Step Out of Franchises For a Bit

Remember when Robert Downey Jr. came back from his stints in rehab and played some sometimes fun, sometimes dramatic, but always interesting characters? I'm talking in movies like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, or Zodiac. Maybe those weren't huge, mainstream successes, but that --to me at least-- was some of Downey's prime acting work. At the moment, however, he seems to be tied-down to big-budget actions and franchises, such as Iron Man/The Avengers, and Sherlock Holmes. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love his turns as wily Sherlock Holmes, and snarky Tony Stark! In fact, he has the ability to make seemingly typical action-adventures into something incredibly interesting and fun. I just think that in being so focused on this type of work, he doesn't really tap into some aspects of his formidable acting ability. Plus, as franchises and series drag on and on, we know that they can become increasingly generic, cheesy, or gimmicky, no matter how fabulous the lead actors might be (such as what happened with Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean series that people started to turn on).

And now, of course, what do you think? Is there anything that you would like to see happen in film or television as of late?