Jeff Goldblum is an exceedingly unlikely movie star. The man looks like a human goose and speaks in a cadence that suggests that he could be, at any time, doing slam poetry. I have a fascination with Goldblum’s vocal stylings. My grand movie idea (and we all have one) is to put him, Christopher Walken, and William Shatner in a car and simply film whatever happens. It would be human jazz. Goldblum first appeared as “Unnamed Freak #1” in 1972’s Death Wish. As his career incredibly nears half a century you have to seriously admire what sheer nebbishness has accomplished onscreen. Goldblum has to be paired with the right role because, let’s be honest, we’re pretty much always watching JEFF GOLDBLUM IN (insert name of movie). But…if you have a quirky character who needs an actor who brings that in bushels, Jeff Goldblum can be the paprika in your casting stew. Continue reading Jeff Goldblum’s 10 Best Movies
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Tilda Swinton’s 10 Best Movies
Tilda Swinton is a true chameleon. In her three decades of acting she’s played white witches, greedy corporate shills, eccentric women of every variety, androgynous ancient wizards, archangels, and decrepit old men. Her best known films: Michael Clayton, Narnia, and Doctor Strange, all featured her, but she usually pops in out of the blue made up in a completely different way than you’ve ever seen her before in a small role that always adds something to the film. Her crowning achievements, though, are her Oscar-winning role as the desperate corporate lawyer in Michael Clayton and, they may reboot the Narnia series, but they’ll never get a White Witch as dangerous and cunning as Swinton’s. I always enjoy seeing her name in a cast list, because half the challenge will typically be recognizing which role she played; odds are, it’ll be a standout performance.
Continue reading Tilda Swinton’s 10 Best Movies
2015 Renaissance Film Awards (Killing Time’s Oscars)
Welcome to the tenth annual KT Renaissance Film Awards! Created by myself years ago to ward off the amply demonstrated madness that claws at my soul each year when the Oscars get things so very wrong in their awarding. The categories (with the exception of an added ensemble award that I cribbed from the SAG awards) are the same, and unlike the Oscars these awards are fluid. I may well change my mind. I might see something that I haven’t, and the awards will be updated to reflect my mercurial mood swings. (And just for the record, I did these on paper before Sunday’s awards, so if I happen to agree with the Academy, be assured it is a freak occurrence.) Continue reading 2015 Renaissance Film Awards (Killing Time’s Oscars)
Complete List of Winners from the 2015 Oscars
The annual Hollywood Mutual Admiration Society Extravaganza known as the Oscars was typical of the year it was rewarding: nothing dominated. In a year with no clear cut Best Picture, the wealth was spread with Birdman winning Best Picture – overtaking early favorite Boyhood which won just one award- and leading the way with five Oscars (including three for Best Director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu) and Whiplash and The Grand Budapest Hotel each taking three awards. In fact, each of the eight pictures nominated for Best Picture each one at least one Oscar. In the absence of The Lego Movie, Big Hero 6 (which any other year would be a fantastic choice) took Best Animated Feature. JK Simmons and Patricia Arquette finished their year-long awards sweep in the supporting categories for Whiplash and Boyhood, respectively. In the top acting categories Eddie Redmayne won for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything and Julianne Moore for playing an Alzheimer’s victim in Still Alice.
And the Oscar went to…
“Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, “Birdman”
“Ida” (Poland)
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Milena Canonero
“Whiplash,” Tom Cross
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Alexandre Desplat
“Glory” from “Selma,” music and lyrics by Common and John Legend
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Adam Stockhausen (production design), Anna Pinnock (set decoration)
“American Sniper,” Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
“Whiplash,” Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley
“Interstellar,” Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
“Feast”
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
“The Phone Call”
POLL: What Was the Best Film of 2014?
IT IS TIME! The Killing Time Community must now perform its most solemn duty of the year: choosing what film they will endorse as Movie of the Year. This is the 3rd Annual award, with The Dark Knight Rises and Gravity taking honors in 2013 and 2014, respectively. What movie will receive the coveted golden stabbed watch statue (commonly known as “the Stabby”) this year and all the prestige and fanfare that comes with the honor? You will choose. I’ll vote once just like any other member, but the readers decide this award. I do my own personal awards in a different forum, but that’s just one man’s opinion. This is the endorsement of the readers.
You’ll note there are 20 films to choose from, and I know that’s a lot, but this is the formula I used to select the nominees:
1. All eight Academy Award Best Picture nominees
2. My personal top eight films
3. Top 4 highest grossing films that didn’t make it on to the first two lists (so that’s why Transformers is there; that’s OUR bad).
I hope this gives you the variety you need to make your decision. VOTE! Please, if you read this site, voice your opinion on this one. The poll will run until the Friday before Oscar Sunday, when we’ll unveil the 2015 Killing Time Movie of the Year!