"Or you can come with me and learn the ways of the force, what it truly means to be a Jedi."
After The Clone Wars spectacularly ended with its bonus content (aka the mid-production-cancelled sixth season) and showed that this show actually was one, if not the, best thing to come after the OT in the saga, Rebels tries to claim its spot by igniting a 'Spark of Rebellion'.
But: did it catch fire?
SHORT REVIEW
Spoilers ahead. But you did already know that, so let's start with the elephant in the room: the animation. While it can in no imaginable way compare to the animation quality that was TCW's it is pretty neat. Remember, this is supposed to be a children-suitable family programme on Disney XD. Not a gritty, sometimes even dark TCW series on Cartoon Network. And once you get past that comparison (which you have to in order to actually be able to enjoy this ride), you'll fall in love with its visual style the moment you see a Star Destroyer or even a planet in space. This show is basing its visual look on the old McQuarrie concepts and let me tell you: they look good, real good. If you cannot like this style, then something must be wrong with you - or you just not that into Star Wars but who in the galaxy isn't?
The pilot is fast-paced, leaving not too much room for the usual 'get-to-know-your-characters'-stuff and delves right into the action which involves a Wookies rescue mission, and graffiti. While the Wookies were animated terribly (sorry), this pilot is one wild ride of enjoyment, blaster fire, some trooper bashing and a love story in the making.
The tension between the characters is set up just perfect (and cliché for that matter) and at the end of the 43-minute long premiere event you are left longing for more action with this crew. You want to see Ezra accepting his destiny, Kanan becoming the Jedi master he is destined to be and Hera, Zeb, Chopper and Sabine fighting the evil empire.
You want to be part of the rebellion that started with this ship, the Ghost, this crew and this story. The plot is easy constructed and yet is so highly enjoyable that you might just think 'woah, a new movie'.
Even the villains are introduced quite well with the viewer (me, in case you were wondering) easily accepting them as true villains and not some stupid joke.
In short: this show starts off on the right foot (or left foot, if you're left-fooded) and just keeps on delivering pure Star Wars fun for the whole family.
Remeber: this is a light, fun, family show with a gripping and almost hypnotizing visual style (minus the character animation) which is destined to become the next big thing now that TCW is over (yeah right, TCW never dies, duh - check out the newly released story reels, they're absolutely worth it).
So: check it out, if you like just the tiniest bit of good old Star Wars fun and action, there is a high chance you'll love 'Rebels'.
Strong pilot, 5/5.
(And if you've missed that: yep, this spark is catching fire rapidly.)
Two German guys review TV series, movies and video games.
We try to be funny but usually just fail miserably, but at least we have a good time. Enjoy!
Monday, September 29, 2014
Friday, June 27, 2014
FLASH PILOT - This review will be read in a FLASH.
THE CW’s „THE FLASH“ - PILOT REVIEW (Contains Spoilers!)
Premiere Date (Season
1): Oct., 07th
“My name isOliver QueenBarry Allen and I’ma hooded vigilantethe fastest man alive.Green ArrowA friend recently gave me the idea for a new name and something tells me it’s gonna catchfireon.”
Enter The
CW’s newest superhero to defend its city (which is located just some few miles
away from Starling City where his best mate, that green-hooded guy with bow and
arrow, lives): The Flash.
“The Flash”
was developed as a spin-off to that other popular The CW show “Arrow” starring
Stephen Amell.
After a few-episodes stint on “Arrow”, Barry Allen, a CSI guy on
Central City’s PD now has his own show. But because the pilot will not air
until Oct., 7th on The CW, I’ll give you the short premise.
“My name is
Barry Allen and I’m the fastest man alive. A friend recently gave me the idea
for a new name and something tells me it’s gonna catch on.” Enter the
Flash-logo. This is the show’s intro and pretty much summarizes the whole show.
Yeah, not quite.
As is the
case with Arrow, the lead character has big family issues (his father imprisoned
for his mother’s murder, falsely - Barry being struck by lightning and thus
becoming faster than light itself - a good girlfriend he has feelings for but
sadly she has some other shiny police dude as boyfriend, guess who I’d pick as
big end villain for season 1) and he is also a research object at S.T.A.R. Labs,
the very firm responsible for creating this madness by misusing a particle
accelerator. (Come on, how hard can that be?) And now, he’s a vigilante
hero who runs (quite literally) to save the day. Got everything? Good.
If not, don’t worry, this ends my satirical
take at the show and you can start again to get it. Ready? Okay, let’s go.
Many years
ago, Barry Allen’s mother was murdered in front of his eyes by a
someone/something he could not identify back then. His father was then
imprisoned for her murder and still serves his term at Iron Heights, that same
prison where Moira Queen served some time on “Arrow”. Barry however always knew
that his father was innocent but who would believe him saying that a bolt of
lightning killed her? Right, no one. Not even his good friend’s dad who after
the incident raised him until now. Some years in the future, the show starts
off. Barry is now working as a Crime Scene Investigator for Central City’s
Police Department and -again- arrives late at a scene. Det. Joe West (the
surrogate father) covers for him by taking away his snack on the way and eating
it himself.
Barry is no
ordinary CSI guy (and physics lover) though as shall be demonstrated almost immediately
and one will not come around noticing a distinct Sherlock look the show uses.
Same as BBC’s Sherlock, Barry just looks at evidence and in his mind (on the
screen) appears what are the clues he gets out of just looking at -and
smelling- it. Spot on. But let’s skip that discussion.
Barry is until
now portrayed as a sloppy guy like any other and it is actually quite
refreshing to see a stereotypical non-stereotypical guy as a lead character. I
mean, he is like me, probably like you, he is a normal guy who is not perfect
in at least one category (Oliver Queen was rich, Bruce Wayne was rich, Clark
Kent lived happily with his family on a farm, and so on), Barry’s just an
ordinary guy who, admittedly, has come through a troubled and tragic past. But
he is in need for job, doesn’t currently have the courage to confess his
feelings to the girl he loves and is friends with and is a little bit disorganized.
And that’s a fresh change for now.
Back to the
story: In his lab, Barry discovers new evidence that will ultimately be proven
right and be the cause for the death of West’s partner. And he is psyched about
S.T.A.R. Labs new project, the particle accelerator that is envisioned to
change physics and the world when it goes online this very night. Of course,
the big start into a new and better future for all goes horribly wrong,
resulting in 17 deaths, lots of injuries and “madness”. This madness being unknown
energy released into our world, transforming completely normal people into
so-called “meta-humans” (it’s simple, it’s catchy, it’s meta-human!) who now
own never-before-seen powers, like controlling the weather or running faster
than light.
The first one actually is the pilot’s bad guy
and he is someone West thought died in a plane crash after shooting his partner
while charmingly-bad shouting “I’ve got a plane to catch”, this being his most memorable
quote for the duration of the entire episode. Well, the moral of the story: if
you witness a plane crash while a crazy super-storm is being caused by an
explosion of a particle accelerator, you cannot be sure he did not live. Which
leaves the question: where is his brother who also was in the plane,
assumingly? Meta-humans, assemble.
At the same
time, back at Barry’s lab, he is struck by lightning (as already shown in his
Arrow stint) and has to be rushed into the hospital where he in the consecutive
days and weeks seemed to die on a regular basis. The complex explanation: His
heart rate was actually way too fast for any known tech to register it thereby
indicating he was flat-lining. A fact discovered shortly after by Dr. Wells,
ex-CEO and founder of S.T.A.R. Labs, now being forced into a wheelchair. The
simple explanation: not dead.
After some treatment and tests at his lab, it has become clear that Barry’s cells are regenerating at an insane speed so that if he gets hurt it will heal within minutes to hours. And he can clock over 700mph. Which is a lot.
After some treatment and tests at his lab, it has become clear that Barry’s cells are regenerating at an insane speed so that if he gets hurt it will heal within minutes to hours. And he can clock over 700mph. Which is a lot.
So, the rest of the episode is short-told:
Barry faces off with the bad guy during a car accident/fog show that really had
some fun and action in it, if you count fog as action. Which in this
case, would not be wrong, let me tell you. He discovers that his girlfriend now
has a boyfriend (his surrogate father’s cop partner) who seems to be perfect in
every way which makes him highly likely to turn out to have sinister plans
under his blond hair after all, but let’s wait and see if I picked that one
right.
SPOILER! SPOILER!
And to
anyone who has read some of the earlier comics, he will not be unknown as he is
The Flash’s most agonizing adversary of the last century. And one of Professor
Zoom’s aliases is a guy named Thawne (along with Reverse-Flash).
SPOILER END!
Well, then,
the last act of the pilot: West, his partner (whose name I constantly tend to
forget, hehe, but he is named Thawne) travel out to the farm where West and his
old partner already cornered the same bad guy and can now again corner that
same bad guy. And behold, the bad guy has discovered he is “God”. To which,
West replies, “why does God need to rob banks?” Good question which motivates “BadGuy”
(sorry, I can’t remember his name, that one brother dude) to wreak harvoc on
Central City with his tornado skills. Enter Barry AKA The Flash who outruns his
tornado and stops him just for him to be shot by Det. West who now knows what Barry’s
capable of and that he is the red lightning that will at some point in the
series become known as The Flash. But his daughter may not know any of it, he
asks of Barry who did not appear to have ever had other plans concerning that.
SPOILER! SPOILER!
As known,
Isis was the name of The Flash’s first wife so we can assume it will eventually
work out, if they stick to that. But why not try something new, I’d be up for
that as well but the two of them do have great chemistry on screen, so, let’s
wait up and see.
SPOILER END!
But wait, there’s also a cliffhanger! Dr. Wells
is not truly handicapped to a wheelchair (or at least in this hidden room, he
isn’t) and he has access to newspapers from the future! The newspaper in
question refers to April 25, 2024 and declares “Flash Missing - Vanishes In
Crisis” while on a side-note on page 1 also reading that the Wayne Tech and
Queen Inc. merger is complete. Justice League, here we come.
Fade to black.
So, while
this pilot stayed true to what everyone expected: a light-hearted show that
packs some action and witty one-liners, it also features an intriguing
backstory and a great cast that from the first second on feels right where it
should be. While I could without any problem overcome a departure from Cisco
Ramon (the nerd guy who tries to be funny but is over-the-top comic relief and
who designs Barry’s sleeper costume), which is not happening, don’t get
the wrong impression here (as SPOILER!:
he might become another superhero called Vibe, if you -again- have read some of
the comics - SPOILER END!), the rest
of the cast I already love and they do a great job that actually works better
for me than the over-acting in Arrow’s first season (which has gotten way
better after that, thankfully). A big shoutout to the cast who in my opinion did
their job really well and convincingly!
Also, the
pilot was fun to watch and I didn’t realize that 45 minutes could be so short.
Which is an accomplishment, citing that “The Flash” did miss great storytelling
(standard stuff here), great surprises (I did not see the future newspaper
coming, I admit, but the rest was pretty obvious) and the CGI was not as good
as on “Arrow”.
Yet, I
truly had one hell of an enjoyable time watching the pilot and I cracked up
more than I could count (which is not solely the episode’s achievement but it
was laughter in good favour after all). And that is everything a good TV show
must do for me to work.
What I
really liked about this episode was that David Nutter, the director, really
knows how to direct an episode. I enjoyed every scene, every progression from
one to another and the flawless entertainment resulting out of this
presentation. The story however has its flaws which should have become clear by
now and the show is CW-like relying heavily on stereotypes both for its
characters and stories. But, due to the good plain fun it is to watch the show,
it doesn’t matter as greatly as it would otherwise. (And one should not forget
that the pilot has been shot months before the series went into production,
therefore it deserves some good-favour leeway here as well.)
If you
haven’t watched the episode yet, then do not worry, that I have spoiled
everything for you. I have not (despite this being a review)! If you stick with
episode you will be rewarded with a short appearance by none other than… Oliver
Queen AKA Arrow (as seen in one of the early trailers, I think)!
Therefore, “The
Flash” earns for its pilot a solid 3/5 rating, which I will boost up immensely
just because the viewing experience was so great that I enjoyed it to such
extent that I did not mind the mistakes made by the episode. The final score
reads as follow: 4/5. Congratulations.
So, if you
liked “Arrow” but disliked the realism fact or disliked the fact that the show
tried to sell “fake realism” as realism and you are into superhero stuff or
just like funny shows, try this one, I did not feel sorry later on and I
absolutely love the show now. Despite its flaws.
“My name is EagleLeaf and I’m the craziest reviewer alive. A trailer recently gave me the idea to check out a new TV show and something tells me it’s gonna catch on.” Enjoy the run!
Note: This episode is scheduled to air on Oct., 7th
on The CW. So, check it out after having read our review.
Fun Fact: My word counter tells me, I have written 2024
words for this review, maybe I know the future all too well like Dr. Wells? ;)
Saturday, April 12, 2014
SAO! THE MASTER ANIME SERIES IS HERE TO RULE!
SWORD ART ONLINE - SHORTENED SEASON REVIEW
Note: This review will
not center around the plot itself and mostly just serve as how SAO felt. You
will know what I mean when you have read this review. Enjoy.
Note 2: The real SOA pics for this review will be up shortly, until then enjoy the placeholder image of some famous sunglasses. Sorry for the delay.
Note 2: The real SOA pics for this review will be up shortly, until then enjoy the placeholder image of some famous sunglasses. Sorry for the delay.
Real image coming up soon. |
“If we make it back to the real world. I’ll
find you again. And fall in love with you again.”
Oh boy, how
true is this quote? Having binge-watched the famously hyped hit anime series “Sword
Art Online” (SAO) in its eternity; I cannot help myself to feel saddened by it
ending. The first couple of episodes were really good but even before the first
half was over, I had already fallen victim to this anime’s power. I fell in
love with this show. And now, that it’s over, I feel truly sad and experience
the imminent urge to re-binge-watch it again and again. This anime wraps itself
around your brain and will never let you go once you spoke word “Link Start”,
so to speak. Normally, I like animes a lot (which is where MarXus would appear
and shout at me how freaking dumb I sound when I fight for the honor of any
anime around - except for the prestigious Mononoke classic) but with SAO it is
a completely different story. I tried to find flaws (I found some), tried to
conclude that it was good but so damn-well over-hyped (it actually wasn’t or at least was done understandably so) and that well,
seeing it once was enough - it is not.
This anime
is quite possibly the best around and will forever stay in your thoughts as it
also changes the way you look at certain things. Beware, the following will
contain spoilers!
*****
Real image coming up soon. |
Aincrad.
Release Day. 10,000 players assemble at the starting point for an epic quest
that will cost many of them their lives, as well in the game (SAO is a virtual
MMORPG) as in real life. Thanks to some guy who was fed up with everything
else. And in the end, he will not even remember why he killed over 4,000
players. If that doesn’t make for a fun start, I don’t know what does.
But in all
seriousness, the series starts off strong, showing us what a great place SAO
actually can be, what the players can get out of it, how they bond to have fun
and, well, in some sort, play just so that at the end of episode 1 the game
changes and lives are at stake. Whoever dies in the game, dies in the real
world. The only way to survive the now deadly game is to finish it. And with
that, this means defeating one boss enemy per level of which SAO features 100
of.
Real image coming up soon. |
*****
STORY
The plot is
intriguingly simple and yet so tasty. The simpler the plot, the more people
have to concentrate on the characters, the rules and the environment. And SAO
depends on this as much as the viewer or reader (this review will deal with the
anime nevertheless) which will be rewarded over the course of the season.
Good job.
CHARACTERS
Real image coming up soon. |
The main
characters are while not openly presented complex creations. What gives this
series its advantage over other series is the development of bonds between the
characters and not so much the characters itself. This plays out so well that
in the end I routed for so many bonds that after it was over I had to wonder
what just happened because normally, I’m not one to cheer loudly for pairings
or even non-existing pairings normally - I like it when it works out or when
there’s a good reason why not then if not but I never become a fanboy about
much in any show. Yet, SAO manages to completely brainwash me here which is the
highest achievement a show can produce for me. What was particular a pleasure
to observe was of course the Kirito-Asuna story, and the Klein bond they
formed. And even when SAO took a short break from its main story to deliver a
side-plot, the new bonds were so pleasantly integrated into the show that you
never felt that any was actually forced. And when that girl died in the secret
trap in one of the labyrinths, you really felt that Kirito would not take that
one well. In fact, every aspect was good about this department and I could go
on forever, praising this show for what it accomplished but I’ll stop at the
great connection that was made for so many characters.
Congratulations!!
ARCs
The season
was divided into two main arcs, the first one centering on the virtual world of
SAO, the second one taking part in Alfheim Online (ALO), the successor of SAO.
SAO ARC
Real image coming up soon. |
From the
start, the story unfolded and never stopped to take my breath away with its
amazing visuals and character telling (combined with constant story
development) but hit a little slow burner with episodes 11-12 which introduced
us to Yui, the AI that would later become a life saver for Kirito and Asuna. At
first, I didn’t like that short side-plot very much but after ALO, I’m somewhat
glad it happened.
Real image coming up soon. |
What I liked
about SAO was that Kirito thought he had to fight alone and then found help and
comfort in Asuna and his friends Egil and Klein. And yet, he always was
somewhat distanced to everyone so that he would be able to leave them,
sacrificing himself for them if necessary. Until he fell so madly in love for
Asuna, that is. Also, the bonds that were forged in the form of groups, gilds
and the Knights of the Blood. Also, the twist of the end boss being the creator
of this game and him already being revealed to them as their very leader was a
nice touch. In the end, the ultimate sacrifice saved them all. And tears
flooded the room more than just once during the course of the series which
rarely a show or a movie achieves.
The
monsters were also eye-candy if so not beautiful ones. But they delivered their
part. And so did Kirito with his quest to level-up and save the day. Which in
the end, thanks to Asuna, he did.
ALO ARC
Real image coming up soon. |
Now, being
transformed into elves, ALO is a more friendly game and a more magical one at
that. But there’s a catch: 300 players have not woken up yet and are still
captured in the virtual space that ALO inhabited from SAO, including Asuna who
is forced (she’s still in a coma, after all) to marry the guy who even beats out
the cruelty and horror Akihiko Kayaba was in SAO who happens to help Kirito at
the very last moment to end this game and later restart it as a normal game
without the dying catch et cetera. In ALO, you could fly and you would not die
in real life when you’re killed, but your brain would constantly be observed by
scientists and their research led by some crazy guy who makes the first baddie
look nice.
What makes ALO so like-able is the new bond between brother and sister
that emerges and the new world which is as beautiful as SAO ever was. Even so only
Kirito, Yui and Asuna are left from SAO, the new characters help the viewer get
over it by just being as awesome as the first batch of supporting characters
was.
Alongside
the new skills and the new world were welcome new starts for Kirito whose elfish
character took a whole episode to compute, hehe.
FLAWS
Real image coming up soon. |
Minor things as the long pause that Kirito’s and Asuna’s after-wedding vacation posed
and the from time to time nearly unbelievable power of Kirito do count as
little flaws this show has but this not nearly enough to really kill any
existing vibe. Apart from that, the animation itself looks breath-taking as
well! The animation of the game that is, the anime animation however is also very good, and definitely in the higher ranks but not the best around, I admit.
Real image coming up soon. |
Also, from time to time, especially in the second half (the ALO arc), some of the drama and suspense of the death game or Asuna's fate in the ALO arc more precisely felt too undramatic for my taste. This could have gone a bit better. But apart from that this anime will make you suffer after you are through will all episodes for being through with them.
*****
Real image coming up soon. |
In the end,
the simple plot paid off so many times that it would be a miss if it had been
not so simple. During every episode it encouraged the viewer to doubt the
ulterior motives, to dive into an unknown world to silently discuss moral and
modern society questions while delivering entertainment. And SAO pulled that
one off brilliantly.
SAO is a great
anime that may never be missed for any excuse. This one wraps itself around
your brain and your emotions while entertaining at the highest possible level
for any fantasy genre out there. Here’s to round two, Gun Gale Online, which
will arrive this year.
SAO is a
slick, adventurous, entertaining and emotional gripping anime with stunning
visuals that without doubt is one the best ever, if not the best current anime series
around. Yet, little flaws irritate the overall picture but do not kill the vibe. A
must-see! 4/5 swords.
I apologize for any
part that might read a little confusing. I’m still sad about SAO ending after
all. ;)
Monday, March 3, 2014
2014 Oscar Picks [And They're Not Pretty...] - WON!
2014 OSCARS - The bloody race for our picks - and a golden dude named Oscar.
UPDATE: The night is gone, a drunk Jared Leto along with an over-dosed Jim Carrey and a still on-pizza-chewing Ellen DeGeneres are somehow still in my bed. The winners have been decided, some as expected, some surprising our esteemed 'The Krautics'-critics along with some other experts, as they try to tell me. Hoping that everyone as everyone from us had a blast during the ceremony which was again hosted by the funny Ellen DeGeneres (maybe again soon as third time's the charm around, eh?) and that fed us with some delicious pizza so we wouldn't starve in what some considered the prestigious Hunger Games under President Oscar.
But let's cut to the chase: How well did I fare with my picks? Well, I assume, surprisingly. Following is an updated version of my original post with a conclusion at the very end. See you there, pizza lovers!
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Original Post:
So, it's that time of the year again when millions of people gather together to watch some dudes and girls break out some crocodile tears and keep thanking people we never ever heard of for hours for something they weren't even nominated for in the first place. Attention: It's the OSCARS again.
All jokes aside: We're thrilled for this night as the nominees and nominated motion pictures make this year's race one of the closest in the history of this ceremony. And who is not sharing the tears of joy when, ah sorry, if, say, J-Law would win again (was that a calculated guess or do we actually know who's going to win what - think about that) or if Barkhad Abdi will indeed take home that little golden man we all came to know as Oscar (though he never gave us his surname apparently, mysterious)? Anyone except Meryl Streep, we'd say. No, don't get us wrong - we love Meryl and we love simply everyone but you gotta admit: it fit.
Have a blast watching the OSCARS tonight (hosted by the funny Ellen DeGeneres!) and may luck (not) strike you, while trying to beat our picks for this year's race.
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EagleLeaf's picks:
BEST PICTURE - 12 Years A Slave
(I would literally have guessed a tie for the first time (I think, at least) but since this is highly unlikely I give '12 Years A Slave' the slight advantage over 'American Hustle' just because, well, the movie was about slavery. Do you need another reason if you're part of the academy?)
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE - Matthew McCounaghey
(Beating out on Leonardo DiCaprio by mere chance.)
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -Barkhad Abdi Jared Leto
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE - Cate Blanchett
(Blanchett has always been a favorite for the academy but a recent political controversy surrounding Woody Allen gives a slight chance to Amy Adams to snoop that one away just from under her nose. Still, I'm going for Blanchett as the Golden Globes backed me up on this already.)
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -Jennifer Lawrence Lupita Nyong'o
(This is one of the toughest choices of the night as Lupita Nyong'o has the same 50%-chance to get honoured tonight for her tremendous work in '12 Years A Slave' - but even though, admittedly, Jennifer Lawrence already received an oscar last year, I'm going for her over Lupita Nyong'o out of pure feeling. If I get this one wrong I would most certainly not be upset. (Update: I wasn't.) )
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM - Frozen
CINEMATOGRAPHY - Gravity
COSTUME DESIGN -American Hustle The Great Gatsby
DIRECTING -American Hustle Gravity
(Since I've gone with 'American Hustle' now, I'm extremely sure that 'Gravity will win but if I'd go with that, 'Hustle' then would surely win just to upset me of not picking the right one. Academy, I know you're behind this conspiracy! ;) - UPDATE: There is a conspiracy under way! I knew it.)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE -The Act of Killing 20 Feet from Stardom
UPDATE: This is without doubt the most irritating choice of the night and I don't think anyone understood how this could have happened. I'm going with a technical error or bad printing in the envelope. Though, I still want to congratulate the winner as of course even being nominated notes that one is worthy of an award. Therefore, enjoy it. :)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT - The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
(or "Facing Fear", I actually cannot decide here, but it will probably be 'The Lady in Number 6', so let's see)
FILM EDITING - Gravity
(This is actually a pretty close call and with my heart tearing apart because this would not be my choice, I will have to take 'Gravity' over 'Captain Phillips' here.)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - The Great Beauty (Italy)
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING - Dallas Buyers Club
ORIGINAL SCORE - Gravity
ORIGINAL SONG - Let It Go (Frozen)
PRODUCTION DESIGN -American Hustle The Great Gatsby
(Slight edge over 'The Great Gatsby' here as 'Gatsby' is not nominated for best picture like the rest. - UPDATE: Oh, well...)
ANIMATED SHORT FILM -Get A Horse! Mr. Hublot
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM -The Voorman Problem Helium
SOUND EDITING -Captain Phillips Gravity
(Actually, this reads 'Gravity' on my personal Oscars sheet but somehow I have a weird feeling about this category and therefore will go for 'Captain Phillips', exclusively for 'The Krautics'. - UPDATE: A weird feeling that cost 'The Krautics' a category. Well, personally I had it right, take that, weird feeling.)
SOUND MIXING - Gravity
VISUAL EFFECTS - Gravity
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - 12 Years A Slave
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - Her
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FAVORITE MOMENT ON STAGE - Jennifer Lawrence
If there would be an award, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet she would win this. (UPDATE: The moment was backstage, I admit, but it was her moment when she tried to steal Lupita's Oscar from her, almost getting away with it. ;) )
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So, these are my picks for the night.
MarXus, however, has not (yet) felt the importance this holds for the world (remember, some say a butterfly can cause a tsnuami, we say, one good post by 'The Krautics' can change the wolrd forever) and has therefore not made his picks public. If he still does, we shall see who wins this year's challenge to get the most wins right. If not, well, I won. Duh.
Update: I won. But let's see how I do later.
Again, have a blast watching and see you here later on for a game-changing analysis of this year's picks. Or maybe just someone crying in the shadow of the room next to you.
'And the award goes to...'
EagleLeaf & MarXus
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UPDATE:
So, the scores are in and let's see how I did.
RIGHT - 15
WRONG - 6
50/50 - 3
This translates to the following: As last year, there is 1 credit awarded for a right choice, 0 credits for a wrong pick, and 0,5 credits for a 50/50-shot.
The 50/50-shot only counts as such when I stated that this was an even as or more likely choice and if I picked another one than stated here. Same as last year, basically.
Therefore, out of 24 possible credits I get... 16,5 credits.
Which is a cool 68,75%-quote!
Adding the fun category with 1,25% (= 0,3 credits) to it since that was a correct guess after all, and for mathematical reasons as I did the same thing last year and only that way a fair comparison can be drawn, this adds up to a very very cool 70%-quote for the night! 'Alright, alright, alright.'
Another challenge won. Thank you for your support, I hope you had blast as well and got some picks right as well, see you soon for more content coming up - after this pizza break.
EagleLeaf & MarXus
(Image Credit Unknown)
Best Review Website - The Krautics (Win) |
UPDATE: The night is gone, a drunk Jared Leto along with an over-dosed Jim Carrey and a still on-pizza-chewing Ellen DeGeneres are somehow still in my bed. The winners have been decided, some as expected, some surprising our esteemed 'The Krautics'-critics along with some other experts, as they try to tell me. Hoping that everyone as everyone from us had a blast during the ceremony which was again hosted by the funny Ellen DeGeneres (maybe again soon as third time's the charm around, eh?) and that fed us with some delicious pizza so we wouldn't starve in what some considered the prestigious Hunger Games under President Oscar.
But let's cut to the chase: How well did I fare with my picks? Well, I assume, surprisingly. Following is an updated version of my original post with a conclusion at the very end. See you there, pizza lovers!
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Original Post:
So, it's that time of the year again when millions of people gather together to watch some dudes and girls break out some crocodile tears and keep thanking people we never ever heard of for hours for something they weren't even nominated for in the first place. Attention: It's the OSCARS again.
All jokes aside: We're thrilled for this night as the nominees and nominated motion pictures make this year's race one of the closest in the history of this ceremony. And who is not sharing the tears of joy when, ah sorry, if, say, J-Law would win again (was that a calculated guess or do we actually know who's going to win what - think about that) or if Barkhad Abdi will indeed take home that little golden man we all came to know as Oscar (though he never gave us his surname apparently, mysterious)? Anyone except Meryl Streep, we'd say. No, don't get us wrong - we love Meryl and we love simply everyone but you gotta admit: it fit.
Have a blast watching the OSCARS tonight (hosted by the funny Ellen DeGeneres!) and may luck (not) strike you, while trying to beat our picks for this year's race.
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EagleLeaf's picks:
BEST PICTURE - 12 Years A Slave
(I would literally have guessed a tie for the first time (I think, at least) but since this is highly unlikely I give '12 Years A Slave' the slight advantage over 'American Hustle' just because, well, the movie was about slavery. Do you need another reason if you're part of the academy?)
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE - Matthew McCounaghey
(Beating out on Leonardo DiCaprio by mere chance.)
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE - Cate Blanchett
(Blanchett has always been a favorite for the academy but a recent political controversy surrounding Woody Allen gives a slight chance to Amy Adams to snoop that one away just from under her nose. Still, I'm going for Blanchett as the Golden Globes backed me up on this already.)
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE -
(This is one of the toughest choices of the night as Lupita Nyong'o has the same 50%-chance to get honoured tonight for her tremendous work in '12 Years A Slave' - but even though, admittedly, Jennifer Lawrence already received an oscar last year, I'm going for her over Lupita Nyong'o out of pure feeling. If I get this one wrong I would most certainly not be upset. (Update: I wasn't.) )
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM - Frozen
CINEMATOGRAPHY - Gravity
COSTUME DESIGN -
DIRECTING -
(Since I've gone with 'American Hustle' now, I'm extremely sure that 'Gravity will win but if I'd go with that, 'Hustle' then would surely win just to upset me of not picking the right one. Academy, I know you're behind this conspiracy! ;) - UPDATE: There is a conspiracy under way! I knew it.)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE -
UPDATE: This is without doubt the most irritating choice of the night and I don't think anyone understood how this could have happened. I'm going with a technical error or bad printing in the envelope. Though, I still want to congratulate the winner as of course even being nominated notes that one is worthy of an award. Therefore, enjoy it. :)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT - The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
(or "Facing Fear", I actually cannot decide here, but it will probably be 'The Lady in Number 6', so let's see)
FILM EDITING - Gravity
(This is actually a pretty close call and with my heart tearing apart because this would not be my choice, I will have to take 'Gravity' over 'Captain Phillips' here.)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - The Great Beauty (Italy)
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING - Dallas Buyers Club
ORIGINAL SCORE - Gravity
ORIGINAL SONG - Let It Go (Frozen)
PRODUCTION DESIGN -
(Slight edge over 'The Great Gatsby' here as 'Gatsby' is not nominated for best picture like the rest. - UPDATE: Oh, well...)
ANIMATED SHORT FILM -
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM -
SOUND EDITING -
(Actually, this reads 'Gravity' on my personal Oscars sheet but somehow I have a weird feeling about this category and therefore will go for 'Captain Phillips', exclusively for 'The Krautics'. - UPDATE: A weird feeling that cost 'The Krautics' a category. Well, personally I had it right, take that, weird feeling.)
SOUND MIXING - Gravity
VISUAL EFFECTS - Gravity
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - 12 Years A Slave
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - Her
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FAVORITE MOMENT ON STAGE - Jennifer Lawrence
If there would be an award, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet she would win this. (UPDATE: The moment was backstage, I admit, but it was her moment when she tried to steal Lupita's Oscar from her, almost getting away with it. ;) )
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So, these are my picks for the night.
MarXus, however, has not (yet) felt the importance this holds for the world (remember, some say a butterfly can cause a tsnuami, we say, one good post by 'The Krautics' can change the wolrd forever) and has therefore not made his picks public. If he still does, we shall see who wins this year's challenge to get the most wins right. If not, well, I won. Duh.
Update: I won. But let's see how I do later.
Again, have a blast watching and see you here later on for a game-changing analysis of this year's picks. Or maybe just someone crying in the shadow of the room next to you.
'And the award goes to...'
EagleLeaf & MarXus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE:
So, the scores are in and let's see how I did.
RIGHT - 15
WRONG - 6
50/50 - 3
This translates to the following: As last year, there is 1 credit awarded for a right choice, 0 credits for a wrong pick, and 0,5 credits for a 50/50-shot.
The 50/50-shot only counts as such when I stated that this was an even as or more likely choice and if I picked another one than stated here. Same as last year, basically.
Therefore, out of 24 possible credits I get... 16,5 credits.
Which is a cool 68,75%-quote!
Adding the fun category with 1,25% (= 0,3 credits) to it since that was a correct guess after all, and for mathematical reasons as I did the same thing last year and only that way a fair comparison can be drawn, this adds up to a very very cool 70%-quote for the night! 'Alright, alright, alright.'
Another challenge won. Thank you for your support, I hope you had blast as well and got some picks right as well, see you soon for more content coming up - after this pizza break.
EagleLeaf & MarXus
(Image Credit Unknown)
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