Songs from Soundtracks That Don't Suck: #1 Nightcall by Kavinsky from the motion picture "Drive."

Drive was probably one of the most talked about films of 2011. The stylish noir film was a style of pure badass cinema that had not been seen in quite sometime. It made a star of Ryan Gosling and featured a great performance from Albert Brooks that was snubbed by the Academy that year. And the driving sequences of course were well done.

But one of the other big reasons that Drive worked is the soundtrack. Although the songs in the film were mostly from the new century, they had a feel from the 80's that fit the film like a glove. The best example of this was the song that played in the opening credits, Nightcall by French electronic house artist Kavinsky.

This song is so right for the beginning of the film. As we watch Gosling drive around nighttime Los Angeles in a 1973 Chevy Malibu, Director Nicolas Winding Refn gets the film going on just the right note. It's a dark brooding song that let's us know that this is not a run of the mill car chase film.

This post is going to be the start of something new. I want to look at great songs on the soundtrack of films and see why they work and why they fit so perfect with the films in which they belong. I would love to take suggestions from people. What songs do you love and would like to have featured here on the blog.

Post your comments below. I'll even give you a shout out if I like the song!

A Quick Opinion of the 2014 Oscar Nominations.

2013 was a kick ass year in film. I can't think of a better late end of year run series of films than the ones we just had. It is now that time of year to kick off Oscar season.

The nominations were announced Thursday morning. I want to take a look at some of the big categories and share some quick thoughts on who has the best chance of going home with an Oscar and who got robbed of a nomination.

So let's go ahead and take a look:

BEST PICTURE

AMERICAN HUSTLE 

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

GRAVITY 

HER

NEBRASKA

PHILOMENA

12 YEARS A SLAVE

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Captain Phillips sadly lost it's chance of winning when both Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass did not get nominated in either of their respective categories. Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, and Philomena are probably going to get most of it's awards in the acting categories, while Her will have a better chance of getting Best Screenplay.  The Wolf of Wall Street is in the same position Django Unchained was in last year. It is a cool and hip film to nominate for best picture but one that the older members of the branch don't have the stomach to vote for the win. So that leaves American Hustle, Gravity, and American Hustle. Gravity, my personal favorite film of the year, is going to sweep the technical categories. But the lack of a Best Original Screenplay nomination I think is a sign that it won't win here. American Hustle is a fun film. Audiences and critics both love it. If it were any other year, I would pick it to win. But 12 Years a Slave is one of those movies that comes along every once in awhile that is so powerful that I think the members of the academy will probably go ahead and pick it. It doesn't pull any punches and the way Steve McQueen guided the movie is an achievement in of itself. I expect the academy to honor it with it's highest award.

BEST ACTOR

CHRISTIAN BALE - AMERICAN HUSTLE

BRUCE DERN - NEBRASKA

LEONARDO DiCAPRIO  - THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR - 12 YEARS A SLAVE

MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY - DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Tom Hanks not getting nominated here is a stunner. Walking out of Captain Phillips, I thought he was a shoo-in for a acting nod. But DiCaprio and Bale's films became really popular as of late and Hanks had the misfortune of having his movie open all the way back in October. Bruce Dern gives the performance of his career in Nebraska and it is really good to see him nominated here. But I think it is a two man race here between Ejiofor and McConaughey. Ejiofor would win it if I was picking the winner. 12 Years a Slave is very much dependent on us caring for the lead character and Ejiofor more than succeeds in making us see the struggles that his Soloman Northup went through. McConaughey though is having a Tom Hanks-like comeback. To think of where he was a few years ago being stuck in Kate Hudson films to now working on the next Christopher Nolan film is truly remarkable. He too gave one of the best performances of the year. And considering that he lost an insane amount of weight in order to play the part, it pretty much seems to be a given that he will win. Let's just hope he can fit in a Dazed and Confused quote in his acceptance speech somewhere.

BEST ACTRESS

AMY ADAMS - AMERICAN HUSTLE

CATE BLANCHETT - BLUE JASMINE

SANDRA BULLOCK - GRAVITY

JUDI DENCH - PHILOMENA

MERYL STREEP - AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

I said this to people in August when I saw the film and I am going to say it again: Cate Blanchett is going to win Best Actress. Woody Allen wrote her an excellent character to play in Jeanette "Jasmine" Francis. Blanchett handled the part like a pro and she should be awarded here. Amy Adams could win for American Hustle since she is on the hot streak she continues to be on. Bullock was also good in Gravity but I think the acting branch will probably see that film as more a technical film than an acting one. Judi Dench is well respected but she has not won any awards to suggest a win here. As for Miss Streep, I think she got this nomination by the skin of her teeth. Osage County has not been a hit with critics and reviews from audiences have been mixed. In fact I could have sworn I heard groans in the press room when the academy announced her name. Meryl has three trophies already, time for Cate to get one of her own. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

BARKHAD ABDI - CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

BRADLEY COOPER - AMERICAN HUSTLE

MICHAEL FASSBENDER - 12 YEARS A SLAVE

JONAH HILL - THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

JARED LETO - DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

It is awesome to see Barkhad Abdi get nominated for Captain Phillips. To go toe to toe with Tom Hanks and look like a seasoned pro is a major accomplishment for the first time actor. But he hasn't won any acting awards yet, so the nomination may end up being his award. Bradley Cooper did well in American Hustle but his hair probably is getting more press than his acting did in the film. Jonah Hill continues to impress as a dramatic actor but I just don't see the academy giving him the trophy. Michael Fassbender continues to be one of the best actors around these days. His character was evil and the interactions he had with Ejiofor were some of the best scenes in 12 Years a Slave. But I think Jared Leto is going home with the award. Leto has over the last decade played mostly psychopaths and characters with a dark side. But he showed a surprising amount of heart in Dallas Buyers Club. Him and McConaughey were great together and Leto's transgender character I thought really gave the film a good dose of humor and heart amongst all the talk of AIDS and medical procedures. If he wins, I expect many a mention of his role on the brilliant TV show My So-Called Life to be mentioned on Twitter.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

SALLY HAWKINS - BLUE JASMINE

JENNIFER LAWRENCE - AMERICAN HUSTLE

LUPITA NYONG'O - 12 YEARS A SLAVE

JULIA ROBERTS - AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

JUNE SQUIBB - NEBRASKA

Great surprise seeing Sally Hawkins getting a nod for Blue Jasmine. She really provided a great counter point to the madness of Blanchett in the film. But she has not been nominated for anything else so far so I don't think she gets the win here. Unlike Streep, Julia Roberts earned her acting nomination for Osage County. But like Streep, the lack of buzz for the film hurt her chances. June Squibb was a hoot to watch in Nebraska. Voters though I think will probably think of the film more for Bruce Dern's role that for Squibb's. Jennifer Lawrence has kicked ass and taken names in 2013. She won Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook, had a mega hit with Catching Fire, and continued her great acting work in American Hustle. But to be honest, I don't think her work in Hustle is one of her best. Sure she is great and all and I would not be shocked in the least if she wins again. But Lupita Nyong'o was amazing in 12 Years a Slave. She could have overacted or gone over the top with her role but she didn't. It made her character "Patsey" all the more better for it. The academy, in this case, I think will stray from the popular choice of Lawrence and give it to the right choice, which would be Nyong'o.

BEST DIRECTOR

DAVID O'RUSSELL - AMERICAN HUSTLE

 ALFONSO CURON - GRAVITY

ALEXANDER PAYNE - NEBRASKA

STEVE MCQUEEN - 12 YEARS A SLAVE

MARTIN SCORSESE - THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

This category has become a two man race. Martin Scorsese is a great director and will always be one, but The Wolf of Wall Street has just as many haters as it does admirers, so he will not get the win here.  Alexander Payne continues to make great small dramas. Nebraska is a great film but one that will get more support in the acting category than the directing branch, so no luck for Payne here. This is the third time in a row that David O'Russell has been nominated for best director. Any other year I imagine a groundswell of support for O'Russell getting the directing nod, but for the same reasons that Payne has with Nebraska, I think people are probably going to see Hustle as more an acting achievement than a directing one. So that leaves, Steve McQueen and Alfonso Curon. McQueen winning this would not be a surprise at all. He took a story that he could have dumb down and shied away from the harsher more violent parts of Soloman Northup's story but he didn't. Because of this, he made an amazing film and got great performances out of everyone in the cast. But Alfonso Curon did something even more impressive. In a day and age where CGI and special effects have made movies less personal, Curon made a film that was both a character driven story and a special effects treat. Gravity is a film that did not let the special effects take over the story. You felt like you were in space. You were into Sandra Bullock and George Clooney's struggle in trying to not float away into the dead of space. This is an excellent acheivement over all and while McQueen would not be a bad choice for winner in the category, I expect Curon to win here.

Before I go, I wanna give a quick shout out to a fellow friend and blog writer. If you wanna read another take on the Academy Awards, go to kentuckygeekgirl.com and get your fix there. She is also a great writer and has a cool logo to boot!

Justified: Finding and Trying to Forget Your Hometown Roots

It's funny to think back to 2009. I had heard that the FX network was working on a new show about a federal lawman in Kentucky. "Oh great," I thought. "Another chance to make people in Kentucky look like back wood hicks again." 

But color me surprised. When "Justified" premiered in early 2010, I immediately feel in love with the show. I shouldn't have been surprised since it was from an Elmore Leonard short story. I love Leonard as a writer. He writes great crime stories that rely heavily on atmosphere and the complexity of characters usually trying to prove their worth in one way or another.

"Justified" is no different. The main character, Raylan Givens, is one of the coolest cats on television. The criminals he usually comes up against are of the typical Leonard variety. Dumb or inept people who try to live up to the mythic legend in their own minds.

But besides the often great and funny and often dramatic stories that happen on the show, one thing about "Justified" has always stuck with me the most. It's a theme that I have noticed go on with many of the characters.

I noticed it in the first episode, "Fire in the Hole." After Raylan, who is working in Miami, has shot a big time mobster in broad daylight, he is told by his boss that he is being reassigned to Kentucky in order to lay low. The look on Raylan's face is almost one of sheer terror. Raylan is from Kentucky. Harlan, KY we eventually learn. Raylan tries his best to convince his boss to not transfer him, but Raylan has no choice.

As the series as progressed, Raylan is a man who always tells people that he wants to get out Kentucky and move on up the law enforcement ladder. But his actions say otherwise. Relationships, friendships, even his new baby that was spotted for the first time in the season five premiere Tuesday night, have all fallen by the wayside of Raylan's sense of duty to his job and to honoring his deep ties to the people he knows in Kentucky.

Examples of this have included the tenuous relationship Raylan has had with Boyd Crowder, a man he grew up around in Harlan. Boyd is unique in that although he is a criminal, Boyd is a self-taught intelligent man. He has had desires, much like Raylan has, to find peace in himself and to always move beyond his present situation. But also like Raylan, his sense of loyalty to his roots has more often than not hurt him.

Another character on the show that was face with the dilemma of loyalty to ones past was Mags Bennett. The season two villain was the marijuana growing matriarch of the Bennett family. In the middle of season two, Mags realizes that an opportunity has come to her in the form of the Black Pike Coal Company. The company wants a very sizable portion of land that just happens to belong to Mags. Mags realizes the money that she gets from the company can set her and her children up for a very long time.

Even then, when she sells the land, she regrets it immediately. She is secure financially, but to her, the thought of living anywhere else is unthinkable.

Raylan, Boyd, and Mags dilemmas in trying and failing to escape their roots is what I think makes "Justified" unique among the many crime shows on television.  It is something that we can all relate to. No matter who you are, we have all wished we can get away from wherever we came from. Whether it be our family, the city we grew up in, the friends we grew up knowing, or even a trauma that happens to us early in life. As much as we can wish it may not be there with us, it is always there.

Mags eventually came to this realization. Raylan and Boyd are slowly getting there, but from what we can tell, they just keep on denying it to themselves. I always think it is fitting that most of the seasons of "Justified" have ended on a Brad Paisley song titled, "You'll Never Leave Harlin Alive." It's a beautiful song but one that has a lot of meaning for the characters. They trace their bloodlines to that area of Kentucky, but that no matter what, they just can't get rid of their roots no matter how hard they try.

A New Beginning

As some of you may remember, I used to have another blog. Well, due to password issues and other things, I have decided to do something different.

I am starting over.

It's fitting. It's a new year. 2014.I wanted to change things up.

I am still going to be covering film and other pop culture stuff. I am going to handle it in a more talk radio kind of way. I wanna take a big issue going on in film, music, books, or any pop culture and discuss it in length. I have no intention of doing a tabloid site at all. But I want to cover the major things that matter in entertainment. The actors who mean something and are actually trying to do something memorable other than a reality show!

Along the way, I will put some personal stories on here sometimes. Not all the time but some.

But most of all, I want this to be fun. I am after all opinionated and stubborn as some of my detractors have mentioned.

So let's start off 2014 in a new way.

I present.... Steve Hash: Film Buff and Opinionated Nerd!