Well, it’s October!  Doesn’t it feel like just yesterday I showed you all those trailers for October releases and the month was still an abstract concept?  (OK, it was basically three days ago.)  Well, you all voted on what looked like the best bet being released this month, and the consensus was on “The Ides of March.”  Here’s how I primed you all to like it:

“The best of the month may come in its first weekend with ‘The Ides of March,’ a political thriller written, produced, and directed by George Clooney, who also puts in some time in front of the camera.  The real star is Ryan Gosling as a campaign manager torn between opposing sides of a presidential race.  The movie will surely have important and relevant implications for the way that the modern campaign is run and will no doubt be a major player in the Oscar race this year.  Even if it’s just an early check on your best of 2011 laundry list, this has to be a must-see for every cinephile.”

And since I didn’t give September its fair shake (sorry, college called), here’s what the readership of “Marshall and the Movies” thought would be best to highlight, “50/50.”  (It was a tie with “Drive” and I didn’t like it as much.)  Here’s an excerpt from my review, in case you missed it on Thursday.

“’50/50′ is of that transcendant category of movies about the human experience.  It takes us through all the messiness that ensues when cancer interferes with our everyday lives with an incredibly even keel.  The movie can switch from heart-wrenching to hilarious to heartening on a dime, largely to due to Reiser’s very personal script but also thanks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s incredibly powerful performance.”

Here’s what you have to look forward to this month from “Marshall and the Movies!”

The return of the OSCAR MOMENT.  It’s that time of the year.  Get excited.  First predictions of the year out on Monday.  I don’t know how I’m going to do the individual columns this year, but they will come fast and furious.

Review after review after review.  I have two Post-It notes on my dashboard with the movies I have left to review.  My goal is to get them all in before the end of the year.  We’ll see if that’s possible.

Lists.  They are easy to do.  Expect them to pop up more frequently.

While there was one voter (COUGH Steven Flores) who said there was nothing they wanted to see in August, four voters seemed to have no problem finding something to look forward to.  Problem is, they were divided on what that movie is.

There was one vote for “Colombiana” and one for “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” neither of which look terribly good to me.  There was also one vote for “The Help” and one vote for “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” both of which look very interesting to me.  Since I get to break the tie, better make it…

“The Help!”  If for no other reason than I’d take Emma Stone over just about anyone right now.  Here’s what I wrote about the movie in the August preview post:

“Getting a head start on the weekend by opening on Wednesday is ‘The Help,’ which looks to be a late-summer sleeper, hoping to please the oft-neglected female crowd by adapting a best-selling book.  But with this one looking to be less geared towards one gender and even a potential awards play, this could outgross ‘Green Lantern’ or other summer flops.”

Word of mouth is good, so hopefully this will be a great late summer surprise hit.  Those are always nice.  Who knows, maybe there will even be an awards play.  But it will need the critical support to get it.

As for what you can expect from me…

Did you know I write reviews?  I’ll hopefully start closing the gap between how many movies I’ve seen and how many reviews I’ve written.  Three months of watching without writing makes for a pretty sizable list of reviews left to write.  Seeing more movies on top of that makes it worse.

The return of the Oscar Moment!  It’s time for talk about awards season to become slightly in vogue again, and I intend to get ahead of the curve again with analysis on last year and what it could mean for this year, along with some sizing up of the contenders for 2011.  Fingers crossed for a cagematch between “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tatttoo.”

F.I.L.M. tie-ins.  The “F.I.L.M. of the Week” column this month will largely be recommending alternate viewing for your favorite stars, leading you towards dependable and reliable movies from Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, and Paul Rudd.

Comedy in the spotlight.  Much discussion in Weekend Update and perhaps the “Classics Corner” column will center on the state of comedy in Hollywood in 2011.  Be prepared to think!

And that’s pretty much August!  I head off to college too so don’t be surprised if things dry up for days at a time, but I’ll do my best!

But what February release earns the shameless plug as voted on by my readers?  There was a horse race between “Sanctum” and “Cedar Rapids” with one vote each, and I’ll break the tie by ruling in favor of the Ed Helms comedy (which doesn’t open until MARCH where I live – grrrrr Fox Searchlight).  Here’s what I wrote about the movie in my February preview post:

“On the indie side of things, ‘Cedar Rapids’ sure looks promising.  A fish-out-of-water comedy involving Ed Helms’ small-town boy getting into trouble in the booming metropolis of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the movie seems like a perfect foil for Sandler’s comedy.  With John C. Reilly, Sigourney Weaver, and Rob Corddry on board, I’m really looking forward to this.”

So that’s that.  Enjoy “Cedar Rapids” when it comes to a theater near you!

As for other things you can expect on “Marshall and the Movies” in this incredibly abbreviated month, here’s a quick rundown.

The Oscars. Well, duh.  Live blog?  For sure!  More “Know Your Nominees?!”  You bet – every three days!  Editorial pieces about the race itself?  If all goes well, then yes!  I hope to provide fun and enlightenment on this exciting season for all my readers!

F.I.L.M. features Oscar nominees. The Friday column “F.I.L.M. (First-Class, Independent Little-Known Movie) of the Week” will continue through February with past underrated or under-seen gems from the Oscar class of 2010.  See these stars before they could affix “Oscar nominee” before their names (or maybe after for certain overachievers).

Rom-Com to Oscar Gold, Part 2! It’s actually coming … nearly three months later.  I promise.

Reviews, reviews, reviews. Nothing changes.

I’m looking forward to a great February with you all!

In a heated four-way tie for the most anticipated movie of January 2011, I chose “No Strings Attached” over “Country Strong,” “The Green Hornet,” and “The Way Back.”  Why?  Because it has Natalie Portman but, more importantly, Natalie Portman.

This is the first movie since “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” that has been shamelessly advertised without having been soaked in Oscar Moment champagne, so here goes just what I wrote about it in the January preview post:

“No Strings Attached” looks like a suitable romantic comedy.  Starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, the movie tells the story of two lovers who only want a physical connection – in other words, the flip side of the coin of “When Harry Met Sally.”  It’s directed by Ivan Reitman, who helmed old classics like “Stripes” and “Ghostbusters” but also new stinkers like “Evolution” and “My Super-Ex Girlfriend.”  All I can say is that this had better not be for Natalie Portman what “Norbit” was for Eddie Murphy.

And I made a few New Year’s resolutions that I thought were worth advertising on this post:

1. Revitalize the Facebook page

One of my goals for 2011 is to enhance the community that reads and supports “Marshall and the Movies.”  And since certain people are a little skittish about commenting (or just forget to visit the site), I know it might be easier to connect with people by bringing my site to them on the site they are most likely to check everyday.

So, to start off the New Year strong, I’m going to try to breath some life into the discussion boards!  There will be a contest to reward the most active participant, and the winner will receive a DVD or digital download of “The Social Network!” The contest will run until Sunday, January 16, and points will be distributed as follows: 1 point for replying to a topic, and 2 points for starting your own topic!

What are you waiting on? GET TO THE FACEBOOK PAGE NOW AND START DISCUSSING! (please)

Fun fact: did you know that Mark Zuckerberg made the primary color of Facebook blue because he is red-green colorblind?  Now you know.

2. Absorb the classics

Can you believe I’ve NEVER seen an Alfred Hitchcock movie?  It’s actually been an act of defiance as I have been waiting for a new year to start so I can devote a whole twelve months to study the director’s work.  I plan on watching a manageable one movie per month in a series I’m calling “Hallowed Hitchcock;” here’s my tentative schedule.  I’ll gladly take any suggestions!

Also in January…

F.I.L.M. tie-in with Oscar nominees. Prepare for the next two months of the “F.I.L.M.” column to feature an unheralded or unknown performance from one of 2010′s Oscar-nominated performers.  Expect Natalie Portman at least once …

Extensive Oscar coverage. I’m debating whether or not to live blog the Critic’s Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and/or SAG Awards.  Sound off below!

Reviews, reviews, reviews. Expect some 2011 mixed in with some 2010.

I’m looking forward to a great month!  Remember to participate, and you can help me make “Marshall and the movies” an even greater community for movie lovers on the web!

For the first time in the history of “Marshall and the Movies,” I can give my readers a pat on the back for choosing an excellent movie as their most anticipated movie of the month.  Thanks to the Houston Cinematic Arts Festival, I got a chance to see “Black Swan,” December’s top pick, about four weeks ago.  In case you didn’t read my overwhelmingly positive review, let me pick out a few quotables:

“At 18, I’m probably a little young to be using the phrase ‘they don’t make ‘em like this anymore,’ but I can’t help but have it come to mind when talking about ‘Black Swan.’  Simply put, Darren Aronofsky’s brilliant directorial artistry has culminated in a stunning masterpiece that is unmatched in vision or ambition by anything that cinema has churned out in a long time.

It’s so bold and daring that to call it wowing simply doesn’t do the experience justice.  Aronofsky weaves together the beauty of ballet with the terror of psychological meltdown with such nimble grace that it leaves you reeling long after leaving the theater.”

So needless to say, YOU NEED TO SEE “BLACK SWAN!”  Every minute until you do is wasted.  As for the other movies people wanted to see in December, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” took second place with two votes.  ”True  Grit,” “Rabbit Hole,” and “Another Year” each garnered one vote as well.

We are looking at a great month for movies, so enjoy all the options – there are plenty of movies that didn’t receive a vote that still look fantastic!

As for what you can expect from “Marshall and the Movies” this month, let me lay it all out for you:

Awards, awards, AWARDS!!! I’ve been building up to Oscar Season since March … and now it’s finally here!  To keep you updated on the trends, I will begin a weekly round-up of major trends involving critics groups, guilds, and everything else that plays a part in influencing the Oscar every Friday – starting December 3.  The “Oscar Moment” column focusing on individual movies will die down a little bit now that most movies have been covered, only popping up here and there to cover those that I have missed.

Reviews, reviews, REVIEWS!!! If you thought there were a lot of reviews in November, just brace yourself for December.  In addition to covering the multitude of December release, I’m also going to try to include my reviews of all the other 2010 releases I’ve seen this year.  The “Classics Corner” column will cover an old movie pertinent to December releases, and the “F.I.L.M. of the Week” column will tie into many things, including Christmas and the DVD release of “Inception.”  Also exciting – “Save Yourself!” returns with a warning against a movie you may be tempted to watch this month.

Year-end wrap-up. Just like any critic, I’ll wrap up what I’ve learned about the movies in 2010, culminating in my year-end top 10 list (and most likely an honorable mention list as well).

So look forward to a great month to cap off a great year?  (P.S. – Because I can’t find anyplace else to put this video, you should check this great YouTube video out.)

The readers have spoken.  The most anticipated movie of November is Danny Boyle’s latest feature, “127 Hours,” based on Aron Ralston’s best-selling book of perseverence “Between a Rock and a Hard Place.”  The movie looks to be quite the Oscar contender, particularly for James Franco in the Best Actor category.  I didn’t write much about it in my November preview post, but I did write quite a bit in my Oscar Moment.  Here’s an excerpt:

“’127 Hours’ isn’t a conventional movie.  Its success will be mainly because of Boyle’s directorial skills as the movie requires a firm hand behind the camera.  The movie tells the story of Aron Ralston (James Franco), a camper who winds up stuck in a canyon for over five days, ultimately leading to … well, you know.  It gets rough, and Boyle said he wants the movie to be a challenge to moviegoers.  The premise doesn’t seem very translatable to the big screen, and making it work is surely a directorial triumph.

The movie is also highly dependent on Franco’s performance, since he’s the only person we will get to watch for most of the movie.  Early reviews from Telluride and Toronto say he pulls it off marvelously, and a Best Actor nomination seems all but inevitable.  Franco nearly got one in 2008 for ‘Milk,’ but he’s been doing quality work for quite some time now that a nomination seems like it’s a long time coming.”

It’s worth nothing that “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1″ came in a close second with three votes, and “For Colored Girls,” “Love & Other Drugs,” and “The King’s Speech” each received a vote.  All good picks!

And here’s what I’m planning on writing for you all in November!

Lots and lots of Oscar Moments.  I plan on wrapping up my takes on all this year’s contenders for major categories in November, mainly to beat the National Board of Review’s picks to officially kick-off the Oscar season.  What’s left?  Unseen candidates “True Grit” and “The Fighter,” darker movies like “Blue Valentine” and “The Way Back,” and lighter fare like “Love & Other Drugs” and “How Do You Know.”  Expect a couple of surprising posts too.

From Rom-Com to Oscar Gold.  What does this mean?  Find out in a two-week feature starting next week.

Lots and lots of reviews.  Where were all my reviews in October?  Not written, that’s where!  I’ve been watching a lot and writing very little, but I’m going to try to make November’s trend to watching a lot and write a lot.  I’ve seen “Hereafter” and “The Town,” so both of those reviews will be coming up.  Expect plenty of reviews of November’s releases and some reviews of this summer’s release sprinkled in the midst of those.

Who knows what else is coming?  There’s Classics Corner, the weekly F.I.L.M. column, and random factoids galore!

The buzz started with the release of some tantalizing teaser trailers and an intriguingly mysterious poster.  When we saw the full trailer playing before “Inception,” it was a wowing experience (that would still pale in comparison to the two and a half hours afterwards).  The trailer’s opening minute is very unique as it has nothing to do with the movie at all.  Rather, we watch people interacting on Facebook, a reminder of how much it has enhanced our connections to our friends.  Then we pixelate to Mark Zuckerberg, and the history begins.

From just the trailer alone, “The Social Network” looked like a movie for our time, more clearly zeitgeist-tapping than any movie in recent memory.  It takes a dramatic look the founding of Facebook, one of the defining inventions of our time, but also seems to tackle the subject of how the social networking site has affected the way humans communicate with each other.

I won’t post the poll itself because it will take up too much room for just one vote.

As for what you can expect from “Marshall and the Movies” this month, I don’t really have any big plans.  I’m hoping to get work on the much-delayed podcast going at the end of the month, perhaps with a launch around Thanksgiving.

Oscar Moments are now bi-weekly. I usually post them on Tuesdays, but now, they will also run each Friday.  Much of the rest of 2010′s offerings will be discussed this month, including “Love and Other Drugs,” “Made in Dagenham,” and “Rabbit Hole.”  A new set of predictions should be up soon as well.

A Classics Corner post to tie into “The Social Network.” If you’ve been reading reviews, surely you know what I’m referring to.  Post should be up in the next week.

Halloween of horror! I’m not sure how I’ll bring Halloween into the blog, but expect some of it in the back half of the month, either through examining more current movies in the “F.I.L.M. of the Week” column or by seeing some classics and reporting my experience in the “Classics Corner” column.

This month is pretty loosely structured, but I think it should provide good reading and good fun nonetheless!  Enjoy your month at the movies!

This might not be a terrible September.  The poll indicated that there are a variety of movies of interest scattered throughout the month.  This weekend’s “The American” and “Machete” each received a vote, as did the September 24th opener “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.”  I’m not sure if the two votes for “Legend of the Guardians” were in jest as I ripped the movie apart, but nonetheless, I still have to mention its popularity.  It tied for first place with ”The Town,” which I will declare the winner because that’s the kind of authority that I have as the author.  Here’s what I wrote in the September preview post:

I have absolutely no idea what to make of the trailer for “The Town.”  But with a cast including the likes of Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, and Ben Affleck for the former, which opens in wide release this weekend, I’m definitely in.

I was intentionally vague because I featured the movie in an Oscar Moment only three days later.  Here’s what I had to say there:

…the trailer is a muddled mess and just watching it did not sell me on this being one of the ten best movies of the year.  We are resting on the laurels of the people involved to call it an awards prospect.  Would I be writing this if the movie were directed by Antoine Fuqua and starred Matthew Morrison from “Glee?”

Here are my reservations about calling this a contender for the big prize.  We’ve seen studios roll out Oscar hopefuls in September, seeing if they gain enough footing in the awards race.  They reserve the big guns for November and December, and any movie that disappoints in those release slots dooms the studio.  So these mixed-bag candidates often find a home in early fall.  Usually, the movies are either action or drama with the starpower on (and perhaps off) the screen to generate buzz provided that the movie is any good.

I’m definitely excited for this just as an attraction for a pretty slow month.  Here’s the trailer another time because that’s the territory that comes along with the shameless advertisement.

And onward to what you can expect from “Marshall and the Movies” in September!

Fincherfest! What better way to celebrate the week leading up to the hotly anticipated release of “The Social Network” than by revisiting director David Fincher’s previous films?  I’ll cover each and every one of the versatile filmmaker’s movies the last week of September.

Oscar Moment Week! After the dust settles from the Toronto and Venice Film Festivals, I am dedicating the entire week of September 20-24 (at the very least) to covering the hottest products emerging from the festivals.  I’ll for sure cover the big names premiering at the festivals like “Black Swan” and “127 Hours,” but hopefully there will be some discoveries worth writing about as well.

Classics Corner!  Seriously! Things got pretty hectic at the end of the month, so I didn’t get to write my monthly column in the timely fashion that I had laid out.  But I promise it will be back once, if not twice, in September.  Boo yeah!

Podcast!  Maybe? I make no promises here as I don’t have any sort of definite recording schedule set up for the podcast.  But if not this month, then at least by October.  If they do happen, look for it at the end of the month.

Save Yourself! I’m back with a Best Picture nominee you absolutely need to avoid – and it’s going to stir up some intense conversation.  Prepare yourself because that post is headed your way in the next few days.

And all this is just on top of the weekly “F.I.L.M. of the Week” column, reviews and Oscar Moments that pop every so often, and, of course, the random factoids.  All features are subject to change, and I may wind up adding some features later too.  But I’m sure going to try hard to stay on my schedule here.

Have a great September at the movies!  (P.S. – It’s weird to think that the second shameless advertisement ever was September 2009.  A year … woah.)

So with that being said, here’s what the readers want to see in August: “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.”  With six votes, it dominated the field, only receiving competition from “Step Up 3” (one vote).  Here’s what I wrote about the comic-book adaptation of a different color in my August preview post and the trailer:

And then aiming somewhere in between [men and women] is “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” a different kind of comic book movie. The usual hero is someone awesome; here, the hero is pathetic Michael Cera fending off seven evil ex-boyfriends of his new girlfriend. Anna Kendrick makes an appearance in the movie in some aspect, so that’s probably enough to get me to see it. Don’t be surprised if this is an out-of-nowhere smash hit. The style looks pretty irresistible.

As for “Marshall and the Movies,” here’s what you can expect in August:

• The launch of my podcast! It’s been a long time coming, and I’ve been looking for the right time to get it up and going.  No permanent rhythm (or even temporary rhythm) has been established for the podcast yet, nor has a name been selected either.  But I can tell you this: I will be hosting guests from some of my favorite podcasts to debate the Oscar nominees from the 2000s.  Look for it in the back half of the month.
• The return of the “Save Yourself” series! It always managed to get pushed to the bottom of my “TO WRITE” list, but after three months away, it’s time for “Save Yourself” to make its triumphant return.  The first will be … brace yourselves … a MAJOR Oscar nominee.  What could it be?  Find out … August 8.
• Comedy week! Leading up to the last big release of the summer season, the Drew Barrymore/Justin Long comedy “Going the Distance,” I’m going to be doing a big week of reviews covering the comedic releases of 2010 so far, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.  There will be some surprises, as some I have found great and others just miserable.  This marathon week of comedy begins August 21.
• More Marshall and Julie! The series that really serves as my 13-day response to “The Origins Project” that I created continues into August.  It will wrap up on August 9 with an afterword to come at a date to be announced.
• More Oscar Moments! With the field getting set for film festivals in Venice, Toronto, and New York, it’s time to get serious about the Oscar season!  I’m looking now to sort out the frivolous from the contenders.  Is “The Social Network” the real deal?  Is “Eat Pray Love” meant to be taken seriously?  What’s going on with “The Town?”  That and more in this month’s Oscar Moments.
• No more “Inception” talk … just kidding! The “Classics Corner” series will take a look at some movies that influenced Christopher Nolan’s tale of the subconscious.  Look for that coming up in a week or so.

But we can’t quite leave July behind either!  Here are the results of the commenting contest from July.  With a whopping 324 comments, it was a banner month for “Marshall and the Movies,” doubling the amount from April when I ran my last contest.  So thanks to everyone who helped make July so great!

Rather than make the contest random like April, July’s contest was just based on the numbers.  First, second, and third prizes are as followed.

3rd place goes to … Aiden R of “Cut the Crap Movie Reviews” with 18 comments!  I didn’t think I would have a third place, but I just won a giant “Salt” poster (or should I say, Angelina Jolie poster) at an advanced screening that I’m looking to dump.  And while I’m at it, I’ll throw in another poster from my closet at no additional charge.  Of course, if this doesn’t appeal to him, I can gladly call up the fourth place finisher.

2nd place goes to … Red of “Anomalous Material” with 19 comments!  He wins a $10 Amazon.com gift card, which I sure hope he enjoys to use on whatever he desires.

1st place goes to … Simon/Ripley of “Four of Them” with 29 comments!  A repeat winner … unbelievable.  She wins a poster from a Christopher Nolan movie of her choice.

So congratulations to all the winners, thanks to everyone who commented, and have a great August both at the movies and here at “Marshall and the Movies.”

What exactly is THE OTHER PREMIERE?  And why is it important enough to get all caps?  Well, the movie “The Other Guys” is holding a second premiere on August 3.  That city is selected by a Facebook contest where the cities with the highest votes move on.  Houston has made it to the top 5 with Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia, and St. Louis!

And now it’s crunch time.  I would seriously love to have this great event in Houston, mainly because Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg will be in attendance.  So do me a favor, all Houstonians and fans of this blog – get on your Facebook account and vote for Houston!

So click on either the link in the picture, the links all over this post, or the link below, if you are the kind of person that likes to see the URL:

http://www.facebook.com/otherguysmovie

You can vote once per day, so remember to go back and vote!  Thanks for your time … and GO HOUSTON!