the E'scars, the year in review by Eric Carr

A week before the Oscars are given out , I am going to give out the E'scars.
A nod to my favorites of 2012.
Next Sunday see my picks for Oscar winners

Biggest Surprise --THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER.
I throw back to John Hughes high school angst with a darker side--a must see.

Best Comedy to talk to Larry with --tie for Project X and Ted

Best Date night movie--The 5 year engagement was this years Bridemaids--Judd Apatow films always deliver

Best movie to watch with your wife--This is 40 , gets right to the heart of what marriage is and should be. Ups and downs , Highs and lows another Apatow gem

Best Cop movie --End of Watch was fantastic rent it now!

Best Kids movie--Rise of the Guardians, Tooth Fairy, Easter bunny, Santa Claus, jack frost battle evil boogie man.

Best movie about a true story--Argo , not zero dark thirty. Argo was a really good film and much better than ZDT in my opionion. Very intense and Alan Arkin was one of the best acting jobs of the year.

Top 5 movies of the year
Lincoln
Life of PI in 3D only
End of Watch
Django
Perks of being Wallflower

The E'scar for my favorite film of the year....Django
Writing was the best of any film by far and acting was incredible. Too much graphic violence at the end, but the writing and acting are SOO superior.

Django a great western. Graphic violence too much

The first thing that grabbed me was the opening song. It sounded like Elvis. The whole sound track was quite retro sounding. It was fascinating to me how well the sound track fit the movie.

Pure Tarantino at its best, the dialogue of his movies are unmatched.The writing is among the best films of the year and that is why it is up for an Oscar in best Original Screenplay.
All the actors are great Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio get well deserved Golden Globe nominations.

 I really enjoyed this movie and it was a great western until the end. The graphic violence in the last scenes went REALLY overboard. It was just too over the top. But that is Tarantino. Because of this it dropped the overall rating
what would have been a 9 drops to 8 out of 10.

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This is 40!! is so true

Looking back on this film years from now, I think it will have helped me & my marriage.
I really felt as if there were several conflicts in the movie that I have had in my own life.
Judd Apatow has turned into so much more than a comedic talent, he is a life lessons guru.
Anyone who says they didn't lke the movie, must have the perfect life then.
I thought it hit on all adult subects...sex, kids, appearance,communications, money, debt, work, your parents, taking a shit, etc...
Paul Rudd & Leslie Mann have fantastic chemistry, they must be great freinds in real life because it comes thru on the screen.
I hope in years to come I can watch this movie, laugh and take away something positive about my marriage like I did the first time.
A must watch for all folks in their 40's and over
I give it a 7.8 out of 10

MUST SEE Life of PI in 3D

This is a 3d cinematic masterpiece by Ang Lee. The 3d effects were amazing well worth the extra $3 to see in 3d.
It was a very interesting story on top of the effects. To discuss the plot is to give too much away.
 It was one of the best movies of the year by far. JUST GO SEE IT IN 3D while in the theater.
I took my 10yr old and he loved the effects. There was a couple of times when the tiger scared him to the point he took off his glasses. But all in all he loved it.
Great time and well worth the $$ to see it.
I give it a 8.5 out of 10
Might be the best movie I have seen all year.

Red Dawn is like velvetta

CHEEEZZZEEE

only way I can explain this moive. Sometimes I like cheesey movies. the acting sucks, the action scenes are cool. There is a twist I didn't see coming , but it is what it is.
if  you saw the first one, this one has more explosions but its the same story.
I you dont want to think while watching a movie and just want to burn 1HR-1/2 go for it.
I have seen worse.
Like I said sometimes I like some velvetta on my chips--I give it a 4 out of 10

Lincoln is great story telling

This movie was 2-1/2 hrs.
It didn't seem that long, especially for a movie that has zero action.
It is all dialogue and telling a story.
It's been a awhile since a saw a movie that was just pure dialogue -- you know what is going to happen, you know the outcome before the movie starts. ( he is killed ;-)
And yet it still entertained me for almost 3hrs.
Some of the best acting you will ever watch.
I predict an Oscar nomination for both Daniel Day Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones, both were outstanding
Also, for some comic relief James Spader was great too.
It is a movie that also is relevant to today's politics and how things are done still to this day.
How far removed has the Republican and Democratic parties moved from their origins.
It's like they have flipped. Watch it and see how it can compare to dealing into today's world.
We have come far as a nation, but far enough in100yrs?
I think not.

I will predict it gets Oscar buzz, so see it for sure. But no need to see on the big screen
I will give it a 8.8 out of 10
( this was written 11/26)

Skyfall is setting the table for Bond

Skyfall was a very well done Bond movie. The past several Daniel Craig 007 flicks have been dark and making Bond kind of an outcast and unlikeable agent.
This movie sets the table to take the franchise to the next level.
I wont revel too much because you need to watch it, but the next Bond movie will be more "old school" like Connery and Moore Bond character.
I think the Craig version of a rogue unloved agent is done and now its moving towards likeable character, with his zingers and 1 liners etc...
Watch Skyfall and prepare yourself to be bombarded with one every 2 yrs for next 8 yrs
I give it a 7 out of 10