October is Coming

October is almost here and y'all know what that means. New baits! Here are the plots for my October submissions.

"The Dead President" (Drama)
Directed by Mike Nichols, Written by David E. Kelley, Stars John Travolta, Jeff Bridges, Jeremy Piven, James Spader, and Frank Whaley. The President is brought to trial after learning he has a terminal disease and some politicians want him removed from office, while others take dramatic actions to undermine is credibility.

"The Road We Traveled" (Comedy/Drama)
Written and Directed by Danny Boyle, Stars Matthew Macfayden, Charlie Hunnam, Jamie Bell, Joe Anderson, Emily Blunt, and Cillian Murphy. Four friends set off on a journey across Great Britain to find a Scottish castle where a chemist claims he has created the greatest drug. Along the way, they encounter numerous quirky and life-altering individuals.

Awards Profile: Across the Universe

This film has no shot at getting any Oscar nominations. It is terrible. It takes everything bad about love stories and puts it all together with some Beatles' music. Jim Sturgess failed to live up to expectations and Evan Rachel Wood was laughable. The cinematography was some of the worst I've ever seen and the direction is muddled, at best. About 30 minutes into the film, it switches gears completely from being a classic musical to a symbolic/music video with acting. Eddie Izzard, while extremely funny, appears in a scene that should have been cut completely. "Across the Universe" is also predictable and cliche in every way.

But I wouldn't be writing this if I believed it had some shot at getting an award. If there was an Oscar for Best Cameo Performance, this year's winner would probably be Bono in this film. He plays a hippie philosopher who sings "I Am The Walrus" while on acid in a scene, which looking back at, makes absolutely no sense. Joe Anderson might also appear on some people's Best Supporting Actor lists for playing the brother of Wood's character who is reluctantly sent off to Vietnam. He is given the best songs and has a fantastic voice and his acting is very well-honed to.

Awards Possibilities:

Best Supporting Actor-Joe Anderson

Best Cameo Performance-Bono (I wish this was real)

Awards Profile: Eastern Promises

David Cronenberg delivers another cinematic jewel in "Eastern Promises", the story about a midwife (Naomi Watts) who stumbles upon the Russian mafia in London. While "A History of Violence" bases most of its story on violence, this new film focuses on the dialogue and the characters. The script is phenomenal and should show up in the final five.

Viggo Mortensen could be looking at his first nod as the driver for a powerful mafioso. He is very sedated throughout but comes out in full force towards the end of the film. He really has some balls (anybody who's seen it will get that joke). Mortensen's accent is so good that, sometimes, you can't understand what he is saying. Other than him, Armin Mueller-Stahl is the only other actor with a great performance. He is the bad guy and sadly they don't get honored very often (i.e. Jack Nicholson in "The Departed")

Awards Possibilities:

Best Director-David Cronenberg

Best Original Screenplay

Best Actor-Viggo Mortensen

Best Supporting Actor-Armin Mueller-Stahl

Best Cinematography

Next: "In The Valley of Elah" or "Across the Universe"

September Big 8 Awards

Best Picture
The Blue Max
**Gone Since November**
The Jersey Widows
St. James' Academy
To Dwell In Evil

Best Director
Noah Baumbach-Daniel The Informer
James Mangold-Gone Since November
**Michael Mann-The Blue Max**
Quentin Tarantino-Bandito Express
Robert Zemeckis-Mrs. King

Best Actor
**Jack Black-Daniel The Informer**
Matt Damon-St. James' Academy
Paul Giamatti-Isaac's Storm
Ryan Gosling-The Blue Max
Jake Gyllenhaal-One Life Two Live

Best Actress
Jacinda Barrett-Exposed
**Angela Bassett-Mrs. King**
Helena Bonham Carter-The Red Menace
Holly Hunter-The Jersey Widows
Jeanne Tripplehorn-Gone Since November

Best Supporting Actor
Jude Law-Shamus
**Alfred Molina-Gone Since November**
Nick Nolte-Bandito Express
Geoffrey Rush-The Blue Max
Jake Thomas-Daniel The Informer

Best Supporting Actress
Anna Faris-Daniel The Informer
Jill Hennessey-Blood and Oil
**Keira Knightley-One Life Two Live**
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio-The Jersey Widows
Uma Thurman-Bandito Express

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Blue Max
**Gone Since November**
Gross Pointe
Knights of the Old Republic
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Best Original Screenplay
Bandito Express
Daniel The Informer
**The Jersey Widows**
Mrs. King
St. James' Academy

September Bait Reviews

Bandito Express- B

Blood and Oil- C

The Blue Max- B+

The Business of Pain- C

Cherry Blossom- B-

Cinematheque- C+

Complete Cycles of One Day- C-

Daniel the Informer- B+

The Death King- C+

Down In Heaven- C

Exposed- B

Forged By Fire- C

Gone Since November- A-

Grosse Pointe- B

The Heiress- D

Isaac's Storm- B

The Jersey Widows- B

Knights of the Old Republic- B

Mrs. King- B

Newport- C

One Life to Live- B-

The Partner- C

Project Sin- C+

The Red Menace- B-

Scout's Honor- C-

Shadows in the Sun- D+

Shamus- B-

Shamus II: The Mystery of the Gypsy's Gardenia- C+

Shattered City- B

Sticks and Stones- C-

St. James' Academy- B

Stunt Man- C

Tapestry- C

That Girl Was Sweaty!- F

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?- D+

Three Uncles and a Bride- C-

To Dwell In Evil- B+

The Vulture- C-

Awards Profile: 3:10 To Yuma

I'm not really going to write that much for these anymore unless I really feel strongly about them. The only things that really stood out for this movie were the performances, especially Russell Crowe and Ben Foster. Christian Bale was as good as usual but didn't get a whole lot of chances to really shine. Crowe was by far the standout. Peter Fonda was also good but is basically a cameo (along with Luke Wilson).

Contender:
Best Picture
Best Dirctor- James Mangold
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actor-Christian Bale
Best Actor-Russell Crowe
Best Supporting Actor-Ben Foster
Best Costume Design
Best Makeup
Best Sound Mixing
Best Sound Editing
Best Film Editing

Wow, Britney, wow.

Bad highlights.

Bad dancing.

Bad lip-synching.

Bad song.

Bad Britney.

Douglas Reese's "Daniel the Informer"

After much buzz about his assumed departure from the contest, Douglas Reese returns with "Daniel the Informer", a heartwarming comedy about a young boy who connects with his estranged father and his family for the first time and realizes they're not what he pictured.

Written and Directed by Noah Baumbach ("The Squid and the Whale"), "Daniel the Informer" stars Jake Thomas as the title character along with Jack Black and Anna Faris, playing his father and step-mother, respectively. Mary-Louise Parker co-stars as his mother and Corbin Bleu plays Daniel's boyfriend.

The bait is definitely quirky, which gives the bait a Baumbach feel, and also gets a very strong message across. It is about family and accepting who you are and where you come from. That sort of idea will get this bait recognition because it has a point. It's not just a story about a family coming together for the first time. The "gay son" factor makes the bait so much more interesting, although I fear many people will frown upon it because of the stigma against baits involving homosexuality.

Jack Black, while campaigned in the supporting category, could garner a Best Actor nomination as a wannabe rocker dad. His racist/homophobic character with a heart is the perfect setup for a comic actor to breakthough into drama. Jake Thomas might get some support at the SAGs but I think he will suffer from category confusion because Jack Black is more well-known. Anna Faris plays her usual dumb-blonde crossed with Southern Belle and will surely grab some attention because she would nail the role.

Overall, "Daniel the Informer" is a nice, worthy dramedy that will probably give Douglas the attention he has been missing.

Grade: B+

Awards Contender:

Best Picture

Best Director-Noah Baumbach

Best Original Screenplay

Best Actor-Jack Black

Best Supporting Actor-Jake Thomas

Best Supporting Actress-Anna Faris

Best Plot/Synopsis

Best Awards Campaign

Best Cast

Best Casting Choice

Most Original Bait