Review: "Sully" Loses Momentum When it Leaves the Plane

Scene from Sully

Director Clint Eastwood has been known for making miserable films for quite some time. He has won two Best Picture awards for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby: both of which resonate around death. Even his highly controversial American Sniper takes a solemn look at P.T.S.D. while suggesting the addiction that war brings. This is why it seems almost bizarre that he would choose to tackle something like Sully: a film where nobody dies, and the ending can be described as happy. It's a tale of America overcoming a major conflict, starring Tom Hanks in a role that he could play in his sleep: the stern yet emotionally wrought Sully Sullenberger. While the film centers around the "Miracle on the Hudson" incident from 2009, it is Eastwood's attempt to make a unifying message of hope in time of crisis. The results, which are thoroughly upbeat, are messy but effective.

The First Trailer For "Sully" Braces You For a Familiar Flight

Scene from Sully

With recent news regarding this upcoming Oscar season, it only seems right to start judging which films will be the most talked about in the year to come. Among those that is looking to have at least a faint mention is director Clint Eastwood's Sully. Considering that the director's previous film American Sniper lead to a great deal of controversy despite landing several Oscar nominations (including Best Picture), it's best not to count the veteran out of this race. The first trailer has dropped for the film based on the life of Captain Sully Sullenberger, and it looks to have a familiar template on its mind. The only hope is that it can take flight and produce something greater.

Check This Out: Watch Clips From This Year's Governors Awards Ceremony

Spike Lee

This past Saturday marked the 7th annual Governors Awards, which was created to highlight those receiving Honorary Oscars for their work in film and media. As with every year, the selections reflected a diverse yet creative mix of artists, including Gena Rowlands, Debbie Reynolds, and Spike Lee. Along with being a typical ceremony, each winner was presented with a tribute from his or her peers - all of whom provided lively and comical anecdotes about their friends. Thanks to the folks over at Oscars' YouTube page,  you can watch all of the videos from that event, including an introduction from President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. The following is a highlight of the evening, including the speeches in full.

Does "The Fifth Estate" Predict Cumberbatch's Best Actor Nomination?

Left to right: Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Bruhl

Hours after posting my piece on one of my most anticipated movies of the year, 12 Years a Slave, a trailer for director Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate is released. The irony lies in how insistent I was that this would be Benedict Cumberbatch's chance at an Oscar nomination. It doesn't seem that far fetched, considering that this almost seems to be similar to The Social Network in terms of relevancy to the modern era and the reliance on computers. What the trailer delivers is a glimpse into Cumberbatch's take on Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks. Is it a look into potentially one of the most celebrated performances of the year?