MINI REVIEWS: The Wolfman & Unstoppable

THE WOLFMAN Number of Nominations: 1 Categories: Best Makeup Availability in US: DVD, Blu-ray Trailer: Click for Trailer

The Wolfman is a remake of the classic 1941 film starring Claude Raines and Lon Chaney, Jr. It follows an American man (Benicio Del Toro) who returns to his homeland and is bitten by a werewolf, thus becoming one. The film itself is almost unwatchably bad, and the nominated makeup fails to impress me. The werewolf makeup looks no more realistic that it did in 1941, which is saying something considering how far effects have come in that time. Although creature features are Oscar-bait in the makeup category (and really ONLY in that category) this one doesn't quite measure up. To see an impressive werewolf, get Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on DVD instead.

Grade: D

UNSTOPPABLE Number of Nominations: 1 Categories: Best Sound Editing Availability in US: DVD, Blu-ray Trailer: Click for Trailer

From the description, this film didn't seem that exciting, but I should not have judged a book by its cover. Unstoppable follows a veteran railroad employee (Denzel Washington) and a rookie on his first day (Chris Pine) trying to catch up to and stop a runaway train before it can reach a major city and cause possible catastrophe. The realistic sounds of both the train and the attempts to stop it add to the suspense and excitement of the film. Since most people can't tell the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing (embarassingly, myself included) it is usually safe to pick the same film for both, and not only is Unstoppable not nominated for Best Sound Mixing, but it is up against the much more likely to win Inception.

Grade: A-