THE OPTIMIST - MOVIE REVIEWS

     So, the Oscars have arrived! Less than 24 hours from now people all over America, maybe even the whole world, will gather around their televisions and watch as Hollywood's finest gather on the red carpet and celebrate each other's achievments over the past year. In other words, they wanna know just as bad as we do who wins, and more importantly, who loses!    My goal this year was to have watched all of the Best Picture nominated films prior to the awards show. As life would have it, The Optimist came just slightly short of that goal. At any rate, this will be a brief outline of six of the eight nominated films. Of those six I can say that all were truly amazing in their own right. I highly recommend each and every one. Seriously, they're awesome. Of the two I missed...they'll be out soon on DVD and Netflix, I'm sure. Anywho, with out further adieu, here's The Optimist's Oscar Run!    " Whiplash " is the intriguing tale of young, asp...

    Okey dokey folks, here it is. The Optimist's official predictions for this year's Oscar winners!! *(There were a couple of categories I didn't vote for such as the short films and documentaries.) ** My correct predictions are highlighted! Didn't do too bad! BEST PICTURE                       Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) BESTS ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE           Michael Keaton , Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE           Julianne Moore , Still Alice BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE           J.K. Simmons , Whiplash BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE           Patricia Arquette , Boyhood BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM           How To Train Your Dragon 2 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY         ...

   I'll start off by saying that if you haven't seen " American Sniper " yet, repent and go. The film illustrates quite masterfully the affects of war on those who serve. This story hits home in many ways, the most poignant being that its fairly recent. This Clint Eastwood directed docudrama follows Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and his spot-on accuracy during the events of his four tours. On the battlefield he's known as a legend; his unmatched accuracy has given him the title of America's most deadly sniper. The legend however is contrasted by the flip side of miltary service, that being the homelife the soldiers leave behind. Dealing with the affects of his many tours of service, Chris copes with keeping his family together. It's a powerful story, and visually stunning.     Bradley Cooper donns the beard and rifle of Chris Kyle and brings a level of believabilty to the film that really pulls you into the story. With films like these that strike so ...