2015 Best Picture Nominees, Part 3 [Potpourri]

Before the Oscars delight and frustrate us this Sunday, it's time to look at the last two movies up for Best Picture. Since these movies don't have anything in common (besides generic crap like 'growing up', 'falling in love', and 'becoming a man'), let's just call this the Potpourri category. Before you read these, be sure to check out the reviews of the other six nominees HERE and HERE.

Now, on to Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel:

Film Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Everyone wants you to lead the revolution but you're a big dummy...
What's a beautiful archer to do!?

Oof. I really went into the newest Hunger Games movie with the best attitude I could muster. Sure, the third book is the weakest in the series, and splitting it into two movies seems like a cash grab with no other reason behind it, but I really wanted to like the movie. It's got actors I really love, including newcomer-to-the-series Julianne Moore, and the movie promised some new locales, a meatier role for Liam Hemsworth, and some interesting thoughts about the perils and pitfalls of war. But... oof (2X), this movie is a dreary mess. Its plodding narrative is matched only by its overuse of exposition.  But there are some silver linings on these noxious, money-grubbing clouds. Let's look it over.

Jack Donaghy's Many Lady Loves [30 Rock]

Jack Donaghy Loves You, Wants to Marry You.

On 30 Rock Thursday Rock, we have looked at the many loves in Liz Lemon’s life. It’s only fair that we now focus on the women in the life of Liz’s friend/mentor, Jack Donaghy. For a man who boasts many an accomplishment in the bedroom (in an episode a few weeks ago he was a little too proud to be called a slut), Jack is actually the character who tries the hardest to find love and marriage. He gets engaged as often as Liz eats mediocre turkey subs, which is to say that he gets engaged a lot. 

To fully understand Jack and his many engagements, we’re going to examine the women with whom he has had  his most serious relationships on a few criteria: Their chemistry with Jack (1-10), their level of crazy (1-10), and the level of jealousy they felt towards Liz (1-10):

[Spoiler Alert] Best Picture Nominees #4: The Kids Are All Right

The Wicked Web We Weave

Probably the quietest movie of the Best Picture nominees, The Kids Are All Right is a delightful film with a wicked kicker.  The casting director was clearly given the note "sullen" when picking out a cast. Even in the happier moments of the film, the characters