TRAVIS BYRAM'S MOVIE REVIEWS

With the snow that's currently pummeling Virginia, it's a relief to say I was able to sleep in and miss a day of school, giving me an additional day to reflect on last night's Oscars! First and foremost: my predictions were correct! Happy to say that all my major predictions were correct, but on the technical side, I underestimated the power of Gravity ! I'm not sure if I've written this anecdote before on this blog, but when I saw the very first sneak preview trailer of it in theaters, I rolled my eyes at Bullock's constant panting and was sure it'd be ridiculous. Pass the salt because I'm eating my words...$700 million and seven Oscars later,  Gravity has turned into a true phenomenon, and had 12 Years a Slave  been released this year it surely would've taken home it's eighth prize for Picture. Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey, both sporting an unorthodox white, took the trophies for Dallas Buyers Club , deserved entirely, which also picked...

With the Oscars being tomorrow, there's no better time than to choose and decide which films will take home the gold, and which were unjustly snubbed! I choose the films that SHOULD win a miniature statue, and the ones that WILL, for better or worst, take the trophy. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: (Blue Jasmine, Nebraska, Dallas Buyers Club, Her, American Hustle)   Should Win: Nebraska. Her has the flashiest concept, and very well written, quirky dialogue coming out of a mousy Amy Adams and a mustachioed Joaquin Phoenix. But everything in Payne's Nebraska felt real to me, and his filmography deserves a third writing Oscar for Bob Nelson's genuinely rural sounding work. Will Win: Her. Spike Jonze is up for three awards; producing this film, writing "The Moon Song" and penning this script. This'll be the one he gets the Academy Award for. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: (12 Years a Slave, Philomena, The Wolf of Wall Street, Before Midnight, Captain Phillips) Should/W...

Oscar season has kicked off with the arrival of "Gravity," so what better time to reflect on the buzzed around movies that have already been released this year? "Lee Daniels' The Butler" (directed by Lee Daniels, who would've known) and Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" both saw a lot of potential, while being vastly different in subject matter. I give my abbreviated reviews of both in this double Oscar bait movie review! LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER: Carey in the mute performance of a lifetime "The Butler" features a "Where's Waldo?" cast of celebrity cameos that range from John Cusack (Nixon) to Alan Rickman (as Reagan no less) that greatly distract from the emotional impact Lee Daniels' "Lee Daniels' The Butler" attempts to portray. The first mistake "The Butler" makes is having Mariah Carey as our protagonist's slave mother in the opening sequence. I think Daniels has a suppressed cra...