Stanko's Stance

We are back to the normal drafts after visiting the 90s Oscar Winners draft last time out.

So here we go, this is going to be the reflection on The Big Picture‘s 2012 Oscar Winners movie draft.

Overview

Drama

• I will duck my head and dodge the tomatoes. I have not seen The Master, nor have I seen Anna Karenina. So that means I have to go with Django Unchained for drama…and I am not too upset about it. Very good movie with a couple absolute dynamite scenes.

Comedy/Horror

• I have seen all three of these movies, so that is a better start than the drama category. Sinister was a movie going experience with my friends in college and I will never forget our collective horror at the lawnmower scene. V/H/S I watched with Steve in our dorm room and we were super scared. 21 Jump Street…I was not the biggest fan. The scene I watch most is from the sequel when Jonah Hell sleeps with Ice Cube’s daughter.
• OKAY, long ramble there. I am going to go with Sinister in this category, so Sean and Chris are tied 1-1 and Amanda is still looking for the first.

Blockbuster

• I STAND MAGIC MIKE. YES CHRIS RYAN, YES! I get into an argument with my girlfriend all the time about which Magic Mike film is better…and if you choose Magic Mike XXL (2015)…then you are wrong. Magic Mike is a legit good movie and it deserves to be looked at as such.
• Chris Ryan is ahead, 2-1-0. Nothing for Amanda Dobbins yet.

Animated/Foreign Language

• VOID
• I have not seen any of these movies. I have seen plenty of animated movies from this year…but no foreign films.

Wild Card

• This one is between Looper and Argo. I remember being upset that Argo won the Best Picture at the Oscars because I did not think it rose up to that level. It was also a weird one to win because Ben Affleck was not nominated for Best Director. Looper I liked a lot because it was a very original science fiction movie that had a very bleak ending. It may sound like. I am leaning toward’s Chris’s Looper…but I am going to throw you for a loop and pick Argo. I think Argo is more rewatchable and I admit my movie snobbishness got in my way of rating it at the time.
• Amanda Dobbins is on the board. Chris with 2, Sean with 1 and Amanda with 1. There is only one category left.

Sequel

• Here we go Amanda Dobbins, this one is all yours! Skyfall is arguably the best bond film ever, and it is the franchise’s biggest success since Goldfinger (1964)? Like, nobody disliked this movie. It is a blockbuster masterpiece that manages to be insightfully therapeutic about the character while also being hugely entertaining.

We have a tie….Amanda and Chris Ryan each with two categories. Sean Fennessey only with one…

Chris Ryan gets his second straight win in my books. He takes the tie over Amanda Dobbins because I have seen five out of the six movies, while I have not seen two of Dobbins’. Dobbins did win the twitter poll, and it is hard to really argue with that. I was surprised that Sean was so close to Chris, and that Chris was so far behind Amanda.

MY DRAFT

Drama

• Perks Of Being A Wallflower is not an Oscar nominated movie, but movies don’t need to win awards to have an impact on you. This movie maybe, and arguably the most impactful teenage high school discovery movie I have ever seen. I was a puddle of emotion at the end. It handles the awkwardness of that age with tender and care. Is it bad that this is the quintessential Paul Rudd performance for me? Perks is plastered with impactful moments. It will leave an impact on you, no matter your age or disposition.

Comedy/Horror

• Prometheus gets way too much hate. I have seen this movie at least twice and now that I am typing this, I am going to watch it again soon. Sure, you can get really deep in the weeds about the creation of man and the origins of mans downfall. But before you start saying you get getting confused, I ask you to not think of the story and look at what makes up Prometheus. The performances are all good, and Michael Fassbender is amazing. Also the look of this movie is remarkable. And that scene with Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and her birthing….that is terrifying.
• Honestly, a little surprised that Sean, Chris nor Amanda picked Pitch Perfect in the draft. The movie got good reviews when it came out, and it is still constantly referred to by the high school and college generation from that time. It is fairly quotable, but the main traction of Pitch Perfect is that it is a feel-good movie without straying into the teenage movie. By that I mean everyone can watch it and enjoy it. Also…the ending scene…the hand up in the air…the final performance by The Bellas in Pitch Perfect is excellent.

Blockbuster

• I have already talked about how Magic Mike is disrespected as an actual movie. Yes it has all the incredibly attractive half naked men, but it also has a well crafted story and a very realistic romance. Every time I revisit this movie I am taken aback by the character of Brook and Cody Horn’s performance. She hasn’t been in anything big since 2012…but in that year she had Magic Mike and End Of Watch.
• Lincoln made over 100 million dollars at the box office? I’ll be damned! I guess that is the power of Steven Spielberg and old people attending the movies. What I remember most about this movie is one man and one man only, the instrumental Daniel Day-Lewis. Playing the titular Mr. Abraham Lincoln, you can still hear the voice and cadence of his performance. This is not a sexy,

Animated/Foreign

• If you have not seen Paranorman, then you are missing out. This was one of the biggest surprises of this year of movies for me. This is maybe my version of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Paranorman follows a small boy who must save his town from an old curse while nobody tends to believe in him or his stories. Nominated for Best Animated Feature, the movie also boasts a voice cast with numerous names you’ll recognize: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Casey Affleck, Leslie Mann, and more.

Wildcard

• The Expendables 2 is even better than the original. Stallone brings back the entire Expendables crew, and adds in more star power for good measure. Just look at this cast: Sylvester Stallone, Liam Hemsworth, Randy Couture, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jason Statham, Jet Lie, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, and some others. This is macho steroids to the extreme, and I have overdosed.
• End Of Watch had an ending that no one saw coming. It also had a realism that nobody saw coming either. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña have fantastic chemistry together and the brotherly bond they share is infectious. Be prepared with tissues because you will need them even though you don’t expect it.

Sequel

• Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes combined to create magic with Skyfall. It is one of my favorite James Bond movies, as is Casino Royale which came out in 2006 and I feel old now. With Skyfall, the microscope they put on Bond as a person, and not just a secret agent, is something this franchise had not done effectively before. Also, no Bond movie is made without a thrilling bad guy, and Javier Bardem as Silva is a knockout. How many times can we rewatch his entrance and rat talk? The limit does not exist.
• ACTION! SHOOTING! ONE-LINERS! I do not care if The Expendables 2 is forgotten to society. I know I loved it, and I know I had a great time. I am pulling an Amanda Dobbins here. I don’t care about the poll vote. I know what I like and enjoy!

Reflection On “The Big Picture” 1990s Oscar Winners Movie Draft – Chris Ryan Victory
Reflection On “The Big Picture” 2003 Movie Draft – Joanna Robinson Victory
Reflection On “The Big Picture” 2010 Movie Draft – Sean Fennessey Victory
Reflection On “The Big Picture” 2011 Movie Draft – Sean Fennessey Victory
Reflection On “The Big Picture” 2012 Movie Draft – Chris Ryan Victory
Reflection On “The Big Picture” 2018 Movie Draft – Sean Fennessey Victory

“Stanko’s Stance” Podcast Feed (Apple)
“Stanko’s Stance” Podcast Feed (Spotify)

Stanko Excel Lists | Movies, Books, Podcasts. TV Shows
Stanko Letterdbox Account

The Mandalorian Chapter 22 (S3E6) Reaction | Guns For Hire

I am really sorry to say that The Mandalorian has turned into Halo for me. Season three has been a slog for me and I am sad to report that it has been over a month since I have watched an episode of Din DJarin and Grogu traversing the universe. And the saddest part? I…

by jstanko99 May 31, 2023

A Taylor Swift Concert, Or 1 Million Dollars? Easy Answer.

Call me crazy. Call me an idiot. Call me moronic. You can call me whatever you want, but most importantly, call me a Swiftie. Last week John Rich put out this hypothetical tweet out there talking about the price of reselling Taylor Swift tickets. I immediately replied saying that the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert…

by jstanko99 May 30, 2023

Ranking The “Scream” Movies

No. 6Scream 3 (2000) Horror movie franchises tend to jump the shark at some point. Scream 3 (2000) pokes fun at this nature…but also falls into the same trap itself. The setting for Scream 3 is right up my alley. It is set on the set of a horror movie. It is on the set…

by jstanko99 May 30, 2023May 29, 2023