Daniel Pemberton and Once Upon a Studio was ROBBED! Ok now I’m glad to get that out of my system. Now that the Oscars are in one week it’s time for my annual Oscar predictions. My choices are in bold and based on personal preference.

Best picture:

“American Fiction”

“Anatomy of a Fall”

“Barbie”

“The Holdovers”

“Killers of the Flower Moon”

“Maestro”

“Oppenheimer”

“Past Lives”

“Poor Things”

“The Zone of Interest”

Best actor:

Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”

Colman Domingo, “Rustin”

Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”

Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”

Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”

Best actress:

Annette Bening, “Nyad”

Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall”

Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”

Emma Stone, “Poor Things”

Best supporting actor:

Sterling K. Brown, “American Fiction”

Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”

Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”

Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”

Best supporting actress:

Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”

Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”

America Ferrera, “Barbie”

Jodie Foster, “Nyad”

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”

Best director:

Jonathan Glazer, “The Zone of Interest”

Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor Things”

Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”

Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Justine Triet, “Anatomy of a Fall”

Animated feature film:

“The Boy and the Heron”

“Elemental”

“Nimona”

“Robot Dreams”

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

Adapted screenplay:

“American Fiction”

“Barbie”

“Oppenheimer”

“Poor Things”

“The Zone of Interest”

Original screenplay:

“Anatomy of a Fall”

“The Holdovers”

“Maestro”

“May December”

“Past Lives”

Visual effects:

“The Creator”

“Godzilla Minus One”

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”

“Napoleon”

Original score:

“American Fiction”

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”

“Killers of the Flower Moon”

“Oppenheimer”

“Poor Things”

Original song:

“It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony”

“I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie”

“What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”

“The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot”

“Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Cinematography:

“El Conde”

“Killers of the Flower Moon”

“Maestro”

“Oppenheimer”

“Poor Things”

Costume design:

“Barbie”

“Killers of the Flower Moon”

“Napoleon”

“Oppenheimer”

“Poor Things”

Animated short film:

“Letter to a Pig”

“Ninety-Five Senses”

“Our Uniform”

“Pachyderme”

“War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”

Film editing:

“Anatomy of a Fall”

“The Holdovers”

“Killers of the Flower Moon”

“Oppenheimer”

“Poor Things”

Sound:

“The Creator”

“Maestro”

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”

“Oppenheimer”

“The Zone of Interest”

Production design:

“Barbie”

“Killers of the Flower Moon”

“Napoleon”

“Oppenheimer”

“Poor Things”

Makeup and hairstyling:

“Golda”

“Maestro”

“Oppenheimer”

“Poor Things”

“Society of the Snow”

The Super Mario Brother Movie releases today and I wanted to talk about a video game crossover that I discovered last year in the form of a webcomic called Everyone Is Home by WoodenPlankStudios. The Everyone is Home webcomic is an affectionate parody of the Super Smash Brothers franchise where the Smash fighters do day-to-day stuff. Sure, it’s neat to see these characters fight each other in the games but this webcomic really took it to a new level. This webcomic is chuck full of easter eggs, well written comedy, well drawn art in each panel, and everyone feels completely in character. The main attraction of this webcomic however is the “Reviving the Smash Characters” arc.

This arc begins at an E3 party introducing the next Smash fighter. Sephiroth proposes a toast but it turns out that he poisoned everyone’s drink. So it’s up to Incineroar and Kazuya to try to revive the other fighters and stop Sephiroth. This story arc is where this webcomic is at it’s most creative and fun. It’s really fun to see characters from different franchises interact with each other and a lot of them have great dynamics especially Incineroar and Kazuya. There are even other non-Smash characters are show up like Halo, Doom, and Celeste. The ways they revive the fighters are both creative and funny.

I have a soft spot for webcomics but Everyone Is Home might is one of if not my favorite webcomic of all time. It’s creative, funny and faithful to the source material. This really feels like a love letter not just to Super Smash but to video games in general.

You can check out this webcomic here: https://www.woodenplankstudios.com/

The Oscars are one week from today which means it’s time I share my predictions. Like before my choices to win are in bold. Feel free to share your predictions in the comments below and good luck to all the nominations next Sunday.

Best Picture

“All Quiet on the Western Front,”

“Avatar: The Way of Water,” 

“The Banshees of Inisherin,”

“Elvis,”

“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” 

“The Fabelmans,” 

“Tár,” 

“Top Gun: Maverick,” 

“Triangle of Sadness,” 

“Women Talking,” 

Best Director 

Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) 

Todd Field (“Tár”) 

Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness”)

Best Lead Actor

Austin Butler (“Elvis”) 

Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) 

Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) 

Bill Nighy (“Living”) 

Best Lead Actress

Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) 

Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) 

Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”)

Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”) 

Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Best Supporting Actor

Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”) 

Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)

Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Best Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) 

Hong Chau (“The Whale”) 

Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 

Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Best Adapted Screenplay

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” 

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” 

“Living,” 

“Top Gun: Maverick,” 

“Women Talking,” Screenplay by Sarah Polley

Best Original Screenplay

“The Banshees of Inisherin,” 

“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” 

“The Fabelmans,” 

“Tár,” 

“Triangle of Sadness,” 

Best Cinematography 

“All Quiet on the Western Front”

“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” 

“Elvis,” 

“Empire of Light,” 

“Tár,” 

Best Film Editing

“The Banshees of Inisherin,” 

“Elvis,” 

“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” 

“Tár,” 

“Top Gun: Maverick,” 

Best Original Song 

“Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman,”

“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” 

“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,”

“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR,” 

“This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,”

Best Production Design 

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” 

“Avatar: The Way of Water,” 

“Babylon,” 

“Elvis,” 

“The Fabelmans,” 

Best Visual Effects

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” 

“Avatar: The Way of Water,” 

“The Batman,” 

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” 

“Top Gun: Maverick,” 

Best Animated Feature Film 

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” 

“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” 

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” (close 2^nd)

“The Sea Beast,” 

“Turning Red,” 

Best Costume Design 

“Babylon,” 

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” 

“Elvis,” 

“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” 

“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling 

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” 

“The Batman,” 

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” 

“Elvis,” 

“The Whale,” 

Best Original Score 

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” 

“Babylon,” 

“The Banshees of Inisherin,” 

“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” 

“The Fabelmans,” 

Best Sound

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” 

“Avatar: The Way of Water,” 

“The Batman,” 

“Elvis,” 

“Top Gun: Maverick,” 

Today we lost our last cat and a valued member of our family, Garfield. He was a very old cat but lately, he’d hadn’t been acting like himself. He started not walking and eating much. Today he started twitching and we knew it was time bring him in to put him to sleep. Death of a pet is not something anyone enjoys going through but it is something that will happen.

Garfield was responsible for many wacky moments in our lives. One involved getting trapped under the bathroom and another hiding in one of the drawers in our camping trailer. One time he went missing for two days until one night Brady spotted him in the backyard. Whenever we got a new Christmas tree, he’d rub his body on the floor and acted like a cat on catnip, it was so cute and hilarious. In an ironic way, Garfield from the comics was almost exactly like our Garfield. Both are huge compared to an average cat. Both wake up there owners up for breakfast. Both liked to eat a lot, chicken for our cat was basically like lasagna for Jon’s cat, he just couldn’t get enough of it. Both cats also like to sleep a lot. our Garfield would sleep on our parent’s bed with all the pillows fenced around him and he also had a stuffed moose that kept him company.

We were lucky to Garfield for as long as we have. While me and family are sad that he’s gone now, we are happy that he has finally reunited with his sister Nermal in Heaven. Garfield and Nermal brought so much joy to our lives. Me and my family will never stop missing both of them and will always keep them in our hearts forever. Thank you, Garfield, and Nermal for all the memories, warmth and comfort you gave our lives. You two will always be a part of our family. We will miss both of you.

In loving memory of Garfield

2004-2022

Today marks the 20^th anniversary of the Sly Cooper series. I’ve said a few months ago that Kingdom Hearts was me and my brother’s favorite video game series but Sly is a close second place. Sly Cooper is one of the most unique game series (especially the later entries) because it perfectly recreates the heist genre. Every mission you complete in an episode plays a huge part in the operation at the end of the episode. I love the characters, the comic book art style, the music, and the missions. It all started when Dad bought the 2^nd game after a trip he took and we were hooked immediately. The franchise brought a lot of happiness to different parts of our lives, like how we got the 3^rd game as a reward for a stay in the hospital. Sly 4 was practically our most anticipated game next to Kingdom Hearts 3. My brother and I would constantly think up new ideas for villains and levels for future entries. Hopefully one day we’ll see a return to this wonderful series.

To conclude this anniversary, I have decided to rank the games from worst to best and say what my favorite episode from each game is. My brother’s order is pretty much the same as mine.

4. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

Favorite Episode: Sunset Snake Eyes

3. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

Favorite Episode: Go West Young Raccoon

2. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

Favorite Episode: Flight of Fancy

1. Sly 2: Band of Thieves

Favorite Episode: He Who Tames the Iron Horse

What’s your favorite Sly Cooper game/episode? Feel free to comment your thoughts and be on the look out for new two lists, one celebrating Cartoon Network’s 30th anniversary and one one another game series I love coming soon.

Happy 20^th birthday to our favorite ringtale thief.

It’s ironic that in Forest Gump Tom Hanks played a character who inspired Elvis and now he’s playing Elvis’s manager. Elvis is directed by Baz Luhrmann who also did Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby. The best way to describe Baz Luhrmann is that he’s an eye candy director meaning his movies are visually amazing to watch no matter how bad the story is. This movie is extremely colorful and uniquely shot and edited. It was kind of like a drug trip but without the drugs.

The two biggest standouts in terms of the cast were Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks as Elvis’s manage Colonel Tom Parker. I wasn’t sure if Austin Butler was actually singing or if the film just used audio from the real Elvis but he really was singing he did an excellent job recapturing the charm of Elvis. Seeing Elvis deteriorate is really heartbreaking and unlike other musician biographies like Bohemian Rhapsody or Rocketman, this film ends more on a depressing note. The Colonel is such a vile despicable lonesome monster and one of those villains that you love to hate. He felt like an animated villain put in a live action film but Tom Hanks managed to give such a terrific performance.

Honestly the one problem I do have is the long runtime which I kind of felt near the end but’s really a nitpick. I also would’ve liked it if the film ended with Elvis dying the toilet but that’s just the inner “black comedy loving” me speaking. Elvis is probably my favorite musician biography and anyone who loves Elvis and his songs will love it. This is a film that will definitely not leave the building anytime soon.

Verdict:

+Austin Butler as Elvis

+Baz Luhrmann’s directing

+The editing

+Tom Hanks as the Colonel 

-Long runtime

Score: A

It’s nice to be doing this again. This follows as the same rules before. My choices are in bold and these predictions are based on my opinion. Feel free to comment your predictions.

Best Picture

Belfast

CODA

Don’t Look Up

Drive My Car

Dune

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

West Side Story

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem Being the Ricardos

Benedict Cumberbatch The Power of the Dog

Andrew Garfield tick, tick…Boom!

Will Smith King Richard

Denzel Washington The Tragedy of Macbeth

Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Olivia Colman The Lost Daughter

Penélope Cruz Parallel Mothers

Nicole Kidman Being the Ricardos

Kristen Stewart Spencer

Actor in a Supporting Role

Ciarán Hinds Belfast

Troy Kotsur CODA

Jesse Plemons The Power of the Dog

J.K. Simmons Being the Ricardos

Kodi Smit-McPhee The Power of the Dog

Actress in a Supporting Role

Jessie Buckley The Lost Daughter

Ariana DeBose West Side Story

Judi Dench Belfast

Kirsten Dunst The Power of the Dog

Aunjanue Ellis King Richard

Directing

Belfast Kenneth Branagh

Drive My Car Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Licorice Pizza Paul Thomas Anderson

The Power of the Dog Jane Campion

West Side Story Steven Spielberg

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

CODA

Drive My Car

Dune

The Lost Daughter

The Power of the Dog

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Belfast

Don’t Look Up

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

The Worst Person in the World

Animated Feature Film

Encanto

Flee

Luca

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Raya and the Last Dragon

Cinematography

Dune

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

The Tragedy of Macbeth

West Side Story

Film Editing

Don’t Look Up

Dune

King Richard

The Power of the Dog

Tick, Tick…Boom!

Animated Short Film

Affairs of the Art

Bestia

Boxballet

Robin Robin

The Windshield Wiper

Music (Original Score)

Don’t Look Up Nicholas Britell

Dune Hans Zimmer

Encanto Germaine Franco

Parallel Mothers Alberto Iglesias

The Power of the Dog Jonny Greenwood

Music (Original Song)

“Be Alive” from King Richard

“Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto

“Down To Joy” from Belfast

“No Time To Die” from No Time to Die

“Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days

Production Design

Dune

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

The Tragedy of Macbeth

West Side Story

Costume Design

Cruella

Cyrano

Dune

Nightmare Alley

West Side Story

Makeup and Hairstyling

Coming 2 America

Cruella

Dune

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

House of Gucci

Sound

Belfast

Dune

No Time to Die

The Power of the Dog

West Side Story

Visual Effects

Dune

Free Guy

No Time to Die

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Spider-Man: No Way Home

1996-2022

Before we begin, I wanted to tell a funny and personal story involving Arthur and me. I used to be afraid of the intro because of the moment at the end where DW shouts HEY! It scared me so much that I either waited in the other room or closed my eyes until it was over. I never even conquered this fear until years later. LOL

Today, marks the end of an era. Arthur one of the longest running kids shows and one of the most popular PBS shows has finally aired its final episode. This was a show that’s been around for nearly my whole life since I was one when it first premiered. The characters were so memorable and I love how we got to see some episodes that focused not just on Arthur’s friends but also their families too. It gave Elwood City so much life. This show also taught really good morals. Probably the most famous episode was April 9^th which was a response to the September 11^th attacks. This episode dealt with many things we felt during the tragedy such as lost, fear, trauma and even not knowing how to feel. Anyone can relate to these feeling even me since I went through due to recent history.

Spoiler Warning: The final episode is about Arthur and his friends playing a game that tells your future but aren’t thrilled with there results especially Arthur who didn’t get one. After a very sweet cameo of the original author Marc Brown the episode time skips 20 years into the future where the characters are actually happy with there futures. The episode then ends with Arthur (cleverly played by his original actor) showing his friends his published graphic novel of his childhood (specifically the story of when he got his glasses) and wow seeing his book got me right in the feels. I can’t think of a more beautiful way to end this series.

PBS would’ve never been the same or ever will be the same without our favorite aardvark and we will miss him and everyone in Elwood City. Thank You Marc Brown and everyone who worked on the show for making every day a wonderful kind of day, where we can learn to work and play, and get along with each other.

Hey! What a wonderful kind of day, Hey! What a wonderful kind of day, Hey!

50 years ago today, Walt Disney World opened its doors to the Magic Kingdom for the first time. It was a place where families can be together and ironically Disney World wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Walt Disney’s family. Walt Disney sadly died without seeing his Florida Project fulfilled but Walt’s brother Roy Disney helped carry out his legacy. It wasn’t just a carbon copy of Disneyland; it was something incredibly different and unique. Soon after more parks opened and this Disney World became more huger than anything Disney has ever done.

My introduction to Disney World was odd. I was familiar with Disneyland but when I was young, I came across maps of Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and MGM Studios. The weirdest thing to me was seeing Big Thunder Mountain next door to Splash Mountain. Later I was a commercial for Mickey’s PhilharMagic and while I thought it looked neat, I knew it would be impossible to see it. That is, on Christmas day of 2003 my biggest gift that we received was our first trip to Disney World. Our trips got better each time.

Thank You Walt Disney and  the imaginers for the memories, thrills, excitement, and magic you have filled the hearts of my and me family for over 50 years and many more to come.

Happy 50^th anniversary Walt Disney World!

Today we’ve lost one of the best actors of all time Ed Asner. His most famous role in my opinion was Carl Fredricksen from Pixar’s Up. For those who still don’t know me Pixar’s Up isn’t just my favorite Pixar or animated movie, it’s my favorite movie of all time. It’s a film that means so much to me and my family and friends. Ed gave so much life and heart to this grumpy old man and now Carl can finally reunite with his true love Ellie. Thank You so much Ed for giving us one of the great Disney characters of all time in one of the greatest movies of all time.

RIP Ed Asner