TRAVIS BYRAM'S MOVIE REVIEWS

10. CLOUD ATLAS This may be where I lose some of you. Goodness knows the Wachowski sisters and Tom Tykwer lost a lot of the audience for their 2012 sci-fi time zooming epic. This might be the most ambitious film of the decade (Linklater's 12 years has nothing on filming Tom Hanks as a Russian gangster, Halle Berry as an old Asian man, and a Jim Broadbent subplot about escaping a nursing home?!) They all tie in to form one of the most bizarre mosaics of cinema ever assembled. I lapped up every second, all 10,320 of them. Perhaps I'm fascinated by the ripple effect of time, how maybe nothing we do is original because we've been humans for so long, but I plan on rewatching Cloud Atlas for the years to come, fruitlessly and lovingly trying to decipher its message. 9. FRUITVALE STATION We've been blessed by a decade of Michael B. Jordan, and before franchises started deciding to put him in all their properties, he gave us the greatest tragic performance of the 2010's...

This year's Academy Award nominations, which took place yesterday at- NO LEG MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE NO LEGO MOVIE. I had to get it out, I have to vent, because shouting at my television as it went from How to Train Your Dragon 2 to Song of the Sea . And I'm sure the latter film is very respectable, but at least until Oscar time people will be hating it, because it STOLE the coveted fifth spot from, I think it's safe to say, everyone's favorite animated movie of 2014. Enraged fans swept to Twitter, prompting the directors to make characteristically clever tweets, including co-director Phillip Lord showing a Lego Oscar. I'd rather win that than an actual one, though a regular Academy Award wouldn't hurt that much if I stepped on it. There were other snubs and surprises that occurred the other morning. They are not as important as The Lego Movie 's absence, but I will proceed regardless. A full list can be found HERE. ...

Well, take my predictions with a grain of salt, because I will be the first to admit that I had a hard time with Sunday's Golden Globes. Though it was called a night full of upsets, it was still depressing to read my scorecard of 10 out of 25 right, and I got four wrong alone in the movie category! Grand Budapest Hotel beating Birdman ?!? How to Train Your Dragon 2 defeating The Lego Movie ?!? It was a weird, weird night, but all that matters to me is that Boyhood came out on top, winning three awards for Patricia Arquette, director Richard Linklater and best picture!!! This leads me to believe exactly what I thought back in July... Boyhood will sweep the Oscars! Though I'm predicting Birdman will lead in nominations due to its innovative nature, probably at least 10. Theory and Imitation will do well technically since they're period pieces, then expect to see Boyhood with a respectable six or seven. Below I have my full listing of the nine major nominees, and little note...

What a wonderful, marvelous year it was for the movies. Emphasis on the Marvel: the studio produced three movies this year, and honestly all three could've been added to this list in a weaker year. I think what bonds this list of five films together is uniqueness: each put a spin on either a tired formula or predictable pattern and exceeded everyone's expectations, and brandished interesting and complex faces into the ever-growing, endlessly fascinating world of the movies. For a couple hours at a time I was able to fly with Michael Keaton, investigate with Ben Affleck and drive with Tom Hardy. Movies have such a way of whisking you away for a while, and I think that's why everyone got so up in arms when The Interview was cancelled because of the Sony hackers. Though it's a low-brow bro-humor movie, everyone should be able to have free artistic license with their film, and we ultimately did not bow down. As usual, here are a list of films I either need to see or reg...

As of the publication of this post, no one has gotten more Oscar buzz for acting this year than J.K. Simmons as Fletcher in Damien Chazelle's Whiplash . Based on his short film that Simmons also starred in, billed only as "Band Teacher," Chazelle expanded his work into a full length feature, and let me say the results paid off handsomely. Whiplash is not only one of 2014's best offerings, but seeing it assured me that Simmons will indeed be walking up to that podium come February. The movie shows Andrew (Miles Teller) practicing on his drum kit quite well, only to be interrupted by Terrence Fletcher, who passively aggressively lets Andrew know he's interested in him. Fletcher is the (in)famous music conductor of Shaffer Conservatory, a prestigious college Andrew's been accepted into, what he calls the best music school in America. Initially showing kindness and even warmth toward Andrew, auditioning him and nurturing him into his band, Andrew is excited to p...