Movies of a Petite Aspie

Even though I have cut the cord -- which I don't regret in the slightest, as commercials are often annoying, to say the least -- I will make it a point to watch the 90th  Academy Awards ceremony this Sunday, March 4, 2018, at 8 p.m. (with red carpet coverage commencing at 6:30) on ABC, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the second year in a row. Free trials are available for YouTube TV, DirecTV now, and Hulu Live, but you have to remember to cancel the subscription once the trial period is over and, knowing me, I might  will probably forget.  This does prevent me from hosting an Oscar party, although my last one was three years ago.  So I'll most likely be crashing at my parents' house, which is usually where I spending my Sunday evenings.   I did manage to see many of this year's Oscar-nominated films -- and those that were snubbed, like Wonder Woman -- whether streaming, on my Roku, or in the theatre.  Below I have ranked every single one of these movies, ...

As I've done for the past I'm-not-sure-how-many years, I intend to watch every single Oscar-nominated film, even the shorts and song nominees (yes, that means 50 Shades).  I'm going to rank every single nominated performance based on my letter grade of that film.  I still have many more to see, which I will put under TBS (for To Be Seen), and will update the list as I see each film.  (Reviews to come later , if I have time) Ranking/Grades A -- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score, Visual Effects, Film Editing) A -- Inside Out (Animated Feature, Original Screenplay) A -- Room (Actress, Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay) A -- Brooklyn (Picture, Actress, ADapted Screenplay)   A -- Amy (Documentary Feature) A -- The Big Short (Director, Picture, Supporting Actor, Film Editing, Adapted Screenplay) A -- Shaun the Sheep Movie (Animated Feature)  A -- World of Tomorrow (Animated Short) A -- Shok (Live Action Short)...

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see every single Oscar-nominated movie, but I did my best.  Here, I rank all the ones I saw, including the live action shorts.  1. Whiplash - A 2. The Lego Movie - A 3. Boyhood - A 4. The Imitation Game - A 5. Feast - A 6. Gone Girl - A 7. Virunga - A 8. The Phone Call - A 9. Birdman - A- 10. The Grand Budapest Hotel - A- 11. Interstellar - A- 12. Guardians of the Galaxy - A- 13. Selma - A- 14. The Theory of Everything - A- 15. Still Alice - A- 16. Boogaloo and Graham - A- 17. Captain America: The Winter Soldier - A- 18. Nightcrawler - A- 19. Last Days in Vietnam - A- 20. American Sniper - B+ 21. X-Men: Days of Future Past - B+ 22. Big Hero 6 - B+ 23. Into the Woods - B+ 24. Two Days, One Night - B+ 25. Ida - B+ 26. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - B+ 27. Begin Again - B+ 28. Aya - B+ 29. The Boxtrolls - B+ 30. Citizenfour - B+ 31. Parvaneh - B+ 32. Finding Vivian Maier - B+ 33. Mr. Turner - B+ 34. Unbroken - B...

Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, and Chiwetel Ejiofor Director: Steve McQueen Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt Genre(s): Biography; Drama; History Release Date: November 8, 2013 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% 12 Years a Slave is one of those rare movies that is magnificent yet not one that can be viewed multiple times; it is so masterfully executed, but equally terrifyingly difficult to watch.  It more than lives up to the hype, and is currently the top contender for Best Picture at the 2014 Oscars (airing March 2).  But, with its scenes of torture, rape, and the like, the film is not exactly cheerful; merely, it presents slavery as it happened, as realistically as can be done, without making it seem less severe or terrible than it was. 12 Years a Slave tells the true story of Solomon Northup, Chiwetel Ejiofor ( American Gangster ), a free man who had made a great life for himself and his children and...

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper Director : David O'Russell Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, J acki Weaver Genre(s): Comedy; Drama; Romance   Release Date: December 25 , 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score : 92 % Silver Linings Playbook is one of those rare romantic dramedies that sidesteps ha ck neyed plots and been-there-done-that subplots, and instead opts for a story that focuses on real, relatable characters and avoids using characters that are too perfect or not flawed enough to be believable.  Af ter all, humans are flawed, and audiences often gravitate towards films with characters with whom they can empathize ; although the two leads in Silver Linings are perhaps more flawed than are most people, these flaws draws them together and make us root for them from the very beginning.  David O' Russell ( The Fi ghter ) is one of those gifted flmmakers that takes challenging sourc e material -- it is the adaptation of M...

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland Director: Lars von Trier Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgaard, Skellan Skarsgaard Genre(s): Drama, Science Fiction Theatrical Release Date: May 26, 2011 DVD Release Date: March 13, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77% Pleasant surprises, when in comes to movies, are often the best.  Although, I suppose you could not say outright that I was surprised that I loved Lars von Trier's fantasy/drama, Melancholia , after I had read Entertainment Weekly 's Lisa Schwartzbaum's raving review of the film.  But I had also heard those negative reviews, which are likely for just about every movie.  However, like Tree of Life , a similarly philosophical and innovative look and life and death, I found Melancholia to be utterly gorgeous.  However, unlike Tree of Life , Melancholia contains a discernible plot and is much easier to follow, though that is not primarily why I found it so f...

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Lenny Kravitz           Director: Gary Ross Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Wes Bentley, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson Genre(s): Action, Science-Fiction/Fantasy Release Date: March 23, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87% Adapting a beloved, best-selling novel for the big screen is no easy task.  Many have failed, and when this occurs, legions of fans are upset.  Sub-plots and minor, fairly insignificant details are destined to be eliminated from the script, but fans expect the book's original themes, plot(s), and characters are intact.  Many who have loved Suzanne Collins' wonderful post-apocalyptic trilogy -- The Hunger Games , Catching Fire , and Mockingjay -- were anxious (myself included) to see if director Gary Ross' film adaption could live up to its hefty, meaningful source material.  Luckily, we can all breathe a sigh of a relief. Ross has become as successful as the...

Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer Director: Tate Taylor Writer(s): Tate Taylor (screenplay), Kathryn Stockett (novel) Stars: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney Rated: PG-13   Genres: Drama, Comedy Release Date: August 10, 2011  Tagline: Change begins with a whisper  Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%   "The Help", based on the novel of the same name by Kathryn Stockett, is one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, and not merely by fans of the novel. Moviegoers have been wondering how Tate Taylor, a virtually unknown director, would handle adapting such an adored - and controversial - book. It turns out, he delivers a humorous and heart-rending film.  The film takes place in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone, never better), an ambitious and intelligent young college graduate, embarks on an unusual assignment: to write a book from the point of view of "the he...