2016 OSCAR PREDICTIONS

2016 OSCAR PREDICTIONS

They're here, the Oscar nominees, and of course I introduce you the list of the possible winners. Who do you think will win?

BEST PICTURE

The nominees:

·         "The Big Short"

·         "Bridge Of Spies"

·         "Brooklyn"

·         "Mad Max: Fury Road"

·         "The Martian"

·         "The Revenant"

·         "Room"

·         "Spotlight"

ü  Will Win: "The Revenant"

ü  Could Win: "Spotlight"

ü  Should Win: "Brooklyn"

BEST DIRECTOR

The nominees:

·         Adam McKay, "The Big Short"

·         George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road"

·         Alejandro G. Iñárritu, "The Revenant"

·         Lenny Abrahamson, "Room"

·         Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight"

ü  Alejandro G. Iñárritu, "The Revenant"

ü  Could Win: Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight"

ü  Should Win: Lenny Abrahamson, "Room"

BEST ACTOR

The nominees:

·         Bryan Cranston, "Trumbo"

·         Matt Damon, "The Martian"

·         Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant"

·         Michael Fassbender, "Steve Jobs"

·         Eddie Redmayne, "The Danish Girl"

ü  Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant"

ü  Could Win: DiCaprio, "The Revenant"

ü  Should Win: Matt Damon, "The Martian"

BEST ACTRESS

The nominees:

·         Cate Blanchett, "Carol"

·         Brie Larson, "Room"

·         Jennifer Lawrence, "Joy"

·         Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years"

·         Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn"

ü Will Win: Brie Larson, "Room"

ü  Could Win: Brie Larson, "Room"

ü  Should Win: Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

The nominees:

·         Christian Bale ("The Big Short")

·         Tom Hardy ("The Revenant")

·         Mark Ruffalo ("Spotlight")

·         Mark Rylance ("Bridge of Spies")

·         Sylvester Stallone ("Creed")

ü  Will Win: Sylvester Stallone ("Creed")

ü  Could Win: Tom Hardy ("The Revenant")

ü  Should Win: Mark Ruffalo ("Spotlight")

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

The nominees:

·         Jennifer Jason Leigh ("The Hateful Eight")

·         Rooney Mara ("Carol")

·         Rachel McAdams ("Spotlight")

·         Alicia Vikander ("The Danish Girl")

·         Kate Winslet ("Steve Jobs")

ü  Alicia Vikander ("The Danish Girl")

ü  Could Win: Rooney Mara ("Carol")
ü  Should Win: Rooney Mara ("Carol")

¿Cómo aprender eficientemente un nuevo idioma?

Algunas personas pueden hablar fluidamente un sin número de lenguas. ¿Cómo lo hacen y qué podemos aprender de ellos?

Cuando se consideran los desafíos que debe enfrentar el cerebro, no es sorpresa porque aprender un nuevo idioma es tan exigente. Tenemos muchos sistemas de memoria diferentes y dominar una nueva lengua requiere usarlos todos. Encontramos la memoria procesal, el fino procedimiento de mover los músculos perfectamente para equilibrar un acento. Y la memoria declarativa, la cual tiene la habilidad de recordar hechos (por lo menos 10.000 nuevas palabras si se quiere acercar a un nivel de fluencia nativa, sin mencionar la gramática). Más aun, a menos que usted quiera sonar como un robot, esas palabras y estructuras tienen que hacer salir de la punta de su lengua en solo segundos, combinando y programando ambas memorias de forma sincronizada.

Pero la pregunta es, ¿cómo los hiperglotas dominan un sin número de idiomas y como el resto de nosotros solo tratamos de emularlos? La verdad, ellos deben tener mucha más motivación que el resto, a muchos se les conoce como trotamundos y se han movido de país en país aprendiendo idiomas a su paso. Acá algunas recomendaciones de estos para tener en cuenta:

1. Conviértase en un camaleón cultural: psicólogos han identificado que el habla se encuentra ligada a nuestra identidad cultural. No es un cliché que los franceses se expresen de forma más romántica, o que los italianos sean más apasionados al hablar. Cada lengua se asocia con normas culturales que afectan el comportamiento y reflejan confianza o timidez.

2. Asocie el aprendizaje de la nueva lengua con gratos recuerdos o vivencias: diferentes idiomas pueden también evocar diferentes memorias de su vida. El escritor ruso Vladimir Nabokov así lo expreso cuando escribió su autobiografía. El nativo de lengua rusa escribió sus vivencias en su segunda lengua, Ingles, con agónica dificultad, encontrando que su memoria se encontraba estancada más en reglas gramaticales que en sus vivencias. Tan pronto su trabajo fue publicado decidió traducir sus memorias a su lengua materna, y fue así como las palabras y la memoria fluyeron de forma automática incluyendo nuevos detalles y perspectivas.

3. No se trata solo de la cantidad de tiempo aprendiendo y  practicando la lengua: es bien conocido que si usted se siente identificado con alguien, tiende a imitarlo sin ningún esfuerzo, lo que hace que mejore su lenguaje. Pero la identidad adoptada solo se asocia con memorias y usted puede empezar a confundir su segunda lengua con la materna creando nuevas barreras en el lenguaje. No se trata de la cantidad de tiempo que se gaste aprendiendo y usando la nueva lengua, la calidad del tiempo en términos de experiencias prácticas es crítica.

4. Finalmente, se debe superar las barreras asociadas con vergüenza en producir nuevos sonidos  guturales, entonaciones o ritmos. Los nuevos sonidos pueden escucharse tontos, pero el punto es que le deben ayudar a superar sus inhibiciones. Se trata de apropiarse del lenguaje, tomando esos nuevos sonidos como propios. Así se lograra comunicar con más confianza, lo que le permitirá conectarse con la nueva lengua y quienes le escuchan.

http://latinosmag.com/como-aprender-eficientemente-un-nuevo-idioma/

LATINOAMERICA, EN VIVO DESDE HOLLYWOOD

LATINOAMERICA, EN VIVO DESDE HOLLYWOOD

'Birdman', la primera comedia del director mexicano Alejandro González Iñárritu, fue la gran vencedora al ser nombrada como Mejor película y recibir otros tres galardones en los pasados premios de la Academia, incluyendo mejor guión original que compartió con Alexander Dinelaris y los argentinos Armando Bo y Nicolás Giacobone. Un verdadero triunfo que confirma por segundo año consecutivo el talento de un cineasta azteca y consolida a una exitosa generación de realizadores latinoamericanos.

Seguramente González Iñárritu, no imaginaba recibir este tipo de reconocimiento hace poco menos de 25 años, cuando aún se encontraba en su natal México. Y es que hubo una época en que él, junto con un ahora famoso grupo de talentosos latinoamericanos, se abrían paso en el mundo cinematográfico y se ganaban la vida a su manera. Guillermo del Toro maquillaba actores, Alfonso Cuarón (Oscar a mejor Director por Gravity en 2014) sostenía el micrófono en filmaciones y Martín Hernández era la voz en un programa matutino radial, en el que González Iñárritu era creativo y productor.

Eran los años ochenta y de ese grupo de jóvenes y otros que estudiaban en el Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos (CUEC) y el Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC) en México D.F., comenzó a manifestarse lo que se vendría después. Alfonso Cuarón desarrolló Solo con tu pareja (1991) con la fotografía de Emmanuel Lubezki (nominado siete veces al Óscar y ganador en dos oportunidades), Guillermo del Toro se convertiría en el realizador de Cronos (1992) una película de terror, y González Iñárritu era compositor de películas y director de cortos, hasta que en 2000 presentó la película que lo pondría en la lupa del mundo, Amores Perros. Desde esos días y cada uno en su campo, ninguno ha parado de producir.

Por eso para nadie es un secreto que desde aquella época se haya forjado una amistad inquebrantable que va más allá de la misma producción de sus trabajos. Para muchos nunca un grupo de cineastas de habla hispana tuvo tanta influencia en la industria cinematográfica, un conjunto de realizadores con edades, orígenes similares y visiones críticas del cine, que sobre todo no reniegan sus raíces y por el contrario se sienten orgullosos de su tierra y la exhiben en público convirtiéndose en un fenómeno global.

El resultado, guste a muchos y disguste a otros, no es otro que el de producciones originales, inexplicablemente ilógicas y brutalmente desafiantes a la realidad. Ahí están para demostrarlo las aclamadas: El Laberinto del Fauno (2007) de Guillermo del Toro, Y tu Mama También (2001) de Alfonso Cuaron y Amores Perros (2000), 21 gramos (2003), Babel (2006), Biutiful (2010) y Birdman (2014), todas nacidas de la mente brillante de González Iñárritu.

En estas dos últimas le ha acompañado Lubezki, su gran amigo, al que en la noche de los Oscar llamó “el verdadero artista”. Un genio visual que ganó en 2014 la estatuilla a la mejor fotografía con Gravity y que ahora repite con Birdman, la vibrante historia de un veterano actor que intenta recuperar su fama haciendo una obra de teatro en Broadway. Una metáfora sobre cómo el ser humano debe enfrentarse a su ego y a sus frustraciones. Sueño de muchos, realidad de pocos, y al final, la desnuda historia de Hollywood vista a través del lente de increíbles artistas latinoamericanos, que sin pretenderlo están haciendo historia.

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2015

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2015

They're here, the Oscar nominees, and of course I introduce you the list of my possible winners. Don't miss the show on February 22th.

BEST PICTURE

The Nominees:

·         "American Sniper" (Clint Eastwood)

·         "Boyhood" (Richard Linklater)

·         "Birdman" (Alejandro González Iñárritu)

·         "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Wes Anderson)

·         "The Imitation Game" (Morten Tyldum)

·         "Selma" (Ava DuVernay)

·         "The Theory of Everything" (James Marsh)

·         "Whiplash" (Damien Chazelle)

ü  Will Win: "Boyhood"

ü  Could Win: "The Imitation Game"

ü  Should Win: ""Boyhood"

BEST DIRECTOR

The nominees:

·         Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"

·         Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

·         Bennett Miller, "Foxcatcher"

·         Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

·         Morten Tydlum, "The Imitation Game"

ü  Will Win: Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

ü  Could Win: Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"

ü  Should Win: Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

BEST ACTOR

The Nominees:

·         Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"

·         Bradley Cooper, "American Sniper"

·         Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"

·         Michael Keaton, "Birdman"

·         Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

ü  Will Win: Michael Keaton, "Birdman"

ü  Could Win: Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

ü  Should Win: Michael Keaton, "Birdman"

BEST ACTRESS

The nominees:

·         Marion Cotillard, "Two Days, One Night"

·         Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"

·         Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

·         Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"

·         Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

ü  Will Win: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

ü  Could Win: Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

ü  Should Win: Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

The nominees:

·         Robert Duvall, "The Judge"

·         Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"

·         Edward Norton, "Birdman"

·         Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"

·         J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

ü  Will Win: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

ü  Could Win: Edward Norton, "Birdman"

ü  Should Win: J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

The nominees:

·         Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

·         Laura Dern, "Wild"

·         Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"

·         Emma Stone, "Birdman"

·         Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

ü  Will Win: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

ü  Could Win: Emma Stone, "Birdman"

ü  Should Win: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW PART II

HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW PART II

EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS (opens December 12)

Ridley Scott makes visually dazzling movies, and the 76 year old director says this is the biggest film he’s ever made. The well-worn Old Testament tale stars Christian Bale as Moses, who’s chosen by God to free the Israelites from their bondage under Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton). We can’t wait to see Scott’s interpretation of the 10 Biblical plagues, including the locust infestation and turning eater into blood.

·         THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (opens December 17)

The plate-tossing dwarves and uptight Bilbo (Martin Freeman) introduced in the first Hobbit film are long gone. This third and final film in the series is all about war and greed. At the end of The Desolation of Smaug we saw the giant dragon set his sights on Lake-Town, meaning the dwarves are in control of Erebor’s vast treasure. But men, elves, orcs and goblins all want their share, and Smaug is still out there. We’re about to find out who’ll control that mountain of gold.

·         UNBROKEN (opens December 25)

Louis Zamperini’s unbelievable life story was destined for the big screen. Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) was an American World War II pilot who not only survived 47 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean after crashing his plane, but then two years of torture in a Japanese prison camp. Angelina Jolie, directing only her second film, is tasted with bringing the epic saga to life, but the job is undoubtedly made easier then you consider four top- notch writers- Joel and Ethan Coen, William Nicholson and Richard LaGravenese-joined forces to pen the script.

·         INHERENT VICE (opens December 25)

Word is we’re in for a crazy ride in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel. Set in 1970 L.A., the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a pothead private eye who gets tangled up with a cast of crazy characters while investigation the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend. Phoenix’s co-star Josh Brolin called the shoot “crazy, chaotic but really gratifying.” The large cast also includes Reese Whiterspoon, Owen Wilson, Benicio del Toro and Martin Short.   

Source: Cineplex

HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW PART I

HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW

PART I

·         INTERSTELLAR (opens November 7)

Director Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy) makes blockbusters that feel important, and this film feels really important. Earth is running out of food and humanity´s demise is inevitable. However scientists have discovered a wormhole that may lead to habitable planets. Widowed father Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and his team, including Anne Hathaway are sent into space to investigate. Nolan and his co-writer brother, Jonathan, based the film on the writings of renowned theoretical physicist Kip Thorne.

·         THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (opens November 7)

While Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and wife Jane (Felicity Jones) eventually divorced after 30 years of marriage, their love story remains inspirational. This bio-pic of the world’s foremost physicist is framed around his relationship with Jane, who marries the brilliant PhD student after he’s diagnosed with ALS and given just two years to live. Her steadfast belief in him helps him cope with his worsening physical condition and carries him to great intellectual heights.

·         THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY- PART 1 (opens November 21)

We all love the funny, self-deprecating media star J Law, but it’s Jennifer Lawrence the actor who really makes us take notice. Her portrayal of The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen is both brazen and vulnerable. Presenting a young woman, dealing with the moral complexities of being a hero. Here, in the penultimate Hunger Games film (Part 2 hits theatres November 2015) Katniss joins with rebel forces to rescue Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and other captured tributes from the highly fortified Capitol City.

·         HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (opens November 26)

The holiday can be stressful, so what better way to release some pent-up energy then by laughing at the antics of pals Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis). After surviving and ill-conceived plot to murder their bosses in the first movie, the sequel sees the trio hatching another ill-conceived plan to kidnap the son of an investor (Christoph Waltz) who scammed the guys out of the money from their business. An A-list cast of hilarious supporting characters, played by Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Jamie Foxx, return for the fun.

·         FOXCATCHER (opens November 28)

Funnyman Carell has played dramatic roles before, but he’s never tested himself the way he does here in director Bennett Miller’s tale of psychologically damaged multi-millionaire John du Pont (Carell), who becomes obsessed with wrestling brothers Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave Shultz (Mark Ruffalo).

Source: Cineplex Magazine.

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

2014

Welcome to the city´s most prestigious cultural event! It´s that time of year again, the time when the beautiful Toronto buzzes with excitement and love for film, and we open up Toronto´s doors to the world to share the best in Canadian and international cinema.

Torontonians, this is your Festival, and would not be a success without the contribution of the incredible audience. With more than 300 films, I picked 20 films that take part on the gala presentations. Enjoy!

WILD

A self-destructive woman (Reese Witherspoon) attempts to leave behind her years of drug abuse and reckless sex with a solo, 1,000-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, in this adaptation of Cheryl Strayed´s best selling memoir from director Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club).

THE EQUALIZER

An ex-CIA agent (Denzel Washington) uses his lethal skills to protect and imperiled young woman (Chlöe Grace Moretz) from the Russian mob, in this hard-edged big screen adaptation of the cult´80s TV show from director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day).

PAWN SACRIFICE

American chess phenomenon Bobby Fisher (Tobey Maguire) squares off against his Russian rival Boris Spassky (Live Schreiber) in the 1972 Match of the Century in Reykjavik, in this gripping docudrama from director Ed Zwick (Glory) and screenwriter Steven Knight (Eastern Promises).

A LITTLE CHAOS

Commissioned to construct King Louis XIV´s garden at Versailles, a landscape designer (Academy Award winner Kate Winslet) battles professionally and romantically with the king´s chief architect (Matthias Schoenaerts, Rush and Bone), in this sumptuous historical drama from actor-director Alan Rickman.

ESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST

An American surfer (Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games) meets the girl of his dreams, but gets a brutal (sur) reality check when he meets her uncle, Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar (Benicio del Toro).

MAPS TO THE STARS

Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska and Robert Pattinson star in this acidulous vision of Tinseltown from Canadian master David Cronenberg.

THE FACE OF AND ANGEL

Kate Beckinsale and Daniel Brühl (Rush, Inglourious Basterds) star in this fictionalized version of the notorious Amanda Knox murder case from ever-adventurous director Michael Winterbottom.

THE JUDGE

A big-city lawyer (Robert Downey, Jr.) returns home when his stranged father, a small-town judge (Robert Duvall), is accused of murder.

BOYCHOIR

A troubled eleven-year-old boy at a prestigious East Coast music school clashes with the school´s demanding choir master (Dustin Hoffman), in this inspiring drama co-starring Kathy Bates, Josh Lucas, Debra Winger and Glee´s Kevin McHale.

RUTH AND ALEX

Morgan Freeman and Diana Keaton star as Alex and Ruth, a long-married couple forced to contemplate selling their beloved Brooklyn apartment on the same day that a potential terrorist threatens the city.

BLACK AND WHITE

An attorney (Kevin Costner) struggling to raise his biracial granddaughter after the deaths of his wife and daughter becomes embroiled in a custody battle with the child´s paternal grandmother (Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer).

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU

An all-star cast- including Jane Fonda, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Rose Byrne, Adam Driver and many more-headlines this adaptation of the novel by Jonathan Tropper, about a death in the family that brings together an expansive, far-flung clan for a weekend of mourning, bounding and healing. 

THE FORGER

Released from prison so that he can spend time with his dying son (Thy Sheridan, Mud), an expert art forger (John Travolta) is coerced into participating in a major museum heist, in this dramatic thriller co-starring Christopher Plummer, Abigail Spencer and Jennifer Ehle.

CAKE

While struggling with her own trauma, a woman in a chronic-pain support group (Jennifer Aniston) begins to investigate the suicide of a fellow group member (Anna Kendrick) and develops an unexpected relationship with the woman´s husband (Sam Worthington), in this highly anticipated drama also starring William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman.

THE REACH

A high-rolling corporate shark (Michael Douglas) and his impoverished young guide (Jeremy Irvine, War Horse) play the most dangerous game furing a hunting trip in the Mojave desert, in this lean, mean cat-and-mouse thriller.

AMERICAN HEIST

Two brothers (Adrien Brody and Hayden Christensen) with troubled pasts become embroiled in a high-stakes bank robbery, in this indie action thriller also starring Jordana Brewster and Akon.

LAGGIES

Following a dismal high school reunion and a disastrous proposal of marriage, a going-nowhere twentysomething (Keira Knightley) falls in with a carefree teenager (Chlöe Grace Moretz) and takes a week off to reassess her life.

FOXCATCHER

Two brothers, both former Olympic wrestling champions (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo) become involved in a fateful and fatal friendship with a neurotic millionaire (Steve Carell), in this true-life drama from director Bennett Miller (Moneyball).

THE CONNECTION

Academy Award winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) stars as French police magistrate Pierre Michel, who waged an obsessive six-year battle to bring down Marseilles´infamous “French Connection” drug ring. 

INFINITIVE POLAR BEAR

A loving husband and father struggling with manic depression (Mark Ruffalo) is forced to raise his two young daughters on his own, in this moving and inspirational drama based on writer-director Maya Forbes´own  childhood experiences.

Source: TIFF Official Film Schedule.