My Top 15 of 2011 (So Far)

-As a kick start to my new year's resolution of being a more active blogger, I figured I would start by summarizing my adventures at the movies this last year. Here are my top 15 movies that I have seen so far this year.

1. The Artist: Who would have thought that a black and white, silent movie could feel so fresh and exciting in a world dominated by special effects and technology. Perfectly walks the line between classic presentation and modern themes of fame and obscurity. My favorite of the year.

2. Drive: Easily the coolest movie of the year. Ryan Gosling oozes quiet, cool confidence as a wheel man who lives by his own rules.

3. J. Edgar: A dramatic historical ride through middle and late 20th century America, seen from the eyes of arguably the most powerful man behind the scenes. DiCaprio gives an award worthy performance as the insecure, power hungry man who was probably the most despised yet feared man in Washington.

4. Midnight in Paris: A nostalgic ride through the streets of 1920's Paris, a place where some of the most revered artists, authors and musicians called home. Woody Allen proves he still has it.

5. 50/50: How do you make a dramatic comedy about cancer? This movie has the answer. You will laugh and cry through a young man's struggle for survival and meaning.

6. War Horse: Classic Spielberg. This movie is breathtaking to experience through its dazzling cinematography, epic score and innocent love story between boy and horse. However at the end of the day it falls short of Spielberg's best for being overly sentimental and predictable.

7. The Descendants: George Clooney proves once again he has the mid-life crisis character down pat. An honest look at a life in paradise that is not always everything the surroundings suggest.

8. Like Crazy: Probably one of the best romantic dramas in recent years. The roller coaster ride of love complicated by the realities of life. Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones are two of the best young actors in the business.

9. Tree of Life: It is hard to put this movie into words. You will either love it for its grandeur and genius or despise it for being incomprehensible and foolishness. Terrence Malick attempts to explore the meaning of life, creation, nature vs. nuture, and man's relation to each other and to God, all encapsulated within a 1950's family in Waco, Texas.

10. Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: A fitting end to a great series. The last two movies showed the maturation of the story along with the actors. What started out as an entertainment over substance series became moviemaking magic, effectively incorporating a coming of age theme within an exciting fantasy world.

11. Trust: A little seen movie that explored the dangers of social interactions online especially for young girls. A young teen is lulled into a sense of familiarity with a stranger online only to learn he may not be who he seems. Clive Owen's portrayal of a distraught father failing to protect his daughter coupled with his realization that he is guilty of playing into the marketing strategy that "sex sells", was one of the best performances of the year.

12. X-Men: First Class: A summer blockbuster that delivered on substance and style. A winning formula of talented young actors and an exciting script that didn't sacrifice character development for cheap thrills. Hopefully there will be a few more of these coming down the pike.

13. Crazy Stupid Love: If all romantic comedies were this good it wouldn't be as hard to get guys to go to one. A great cast coupled with an original story that provided strong characters and fun twists.

14. Moneyball: More of a character study than a baseball movie, Brad Pitt's portrayal of Billy Beane was one of the more entertaining performances of the year. An interesting and sometimes comical look at what happens when you decided to turn an industry on its head, buck tradition and defy the odds to try something original. Extra points for making the numbers of baseball entertaining for the casual viewer.

15. The Help: One of the most loved movies of the year didn't impress me as much as some. A poignant look at the 1960's deep south where racial tensions still soared, and focused on the black maids who managed the households of the white aristocracy. I enjoyed the great performances that carried the film, but felt it had an inconsistent tone along with lazy writing that produced stereotyped characters instead of real depth.

- I still have several films to catch before the list will be finalized but this is where it stands as of the first of year. Check back in for updates as Oscar season rolls in.

2011 So Far

Well we are half way through the year so I felt it was time to revisit the blog and see where the year stands at this point. There have been several early year surprises as well as the usual, here today, forgotten tomorrow fare that is the norm for this time of year. I have seen 21 movies up to this point and as you can see by my updated favorites of the year it is an interesting list, but don't expect most of those to make the final list. There have been some very good films (Super 8 and The Adjustment Bureau), surprises (X-Men: First Class), hard to find gems (Midnight in Paris and Atlas Shrugged), well done and artistic but somewhat bland (The Conspirator and Jane Eyre), fun and engaging entertainment (Lincoln Lawyer and Source Code) and then there is the enigmatic Tree of Life which will needs its own post to discuss after I saw it yesterday. All in all not a bad year for where we stand right now with a lot of interesting projects starting to make their way to theaters in the near future. What will be coming in the near future are my reviews of the top 5 up to this point, with a special feature on The Tree of Life. Stay tuned.

2010 Predictions

With Oscar night upon us I figured it was time to jot down my official predictions for tomorrow night as well as a couple opinions.

Best Picture:

Prediction- The King Speech (As much as it hurts me to admit)

My Vote- The Social Network

-A few months ago it looked like The Social Network was the hands down favorite, but The King's Speech seems to have surged ahead. As much as I liked The King's Speech I really feel that it pales in comparison to The Social Network especially in terms of a defining movie of the year. There is a good British royalty movie every 3-5 years, but The Social Network would be a unique and deserving representative for the current year/generation. Not to mention that I think it was by far the best movie of the year regardless.

Best Director:

Prediction- David Fincher (The Social Network)

My Vote- David Fincher (The Social Network)

- This is the big category that I think The Social Network has in the bag. Simply put Hooper (The King's Speech) doesn't have the success and track record to win this award just yet, while Fincher has the respect, goodwill and career to back him up (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) . This will be his night.

Best Actor:

Prediction- Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

My Vote- Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Note- Did not see Javier Bardem (Biutiful)

- This category is not close. Firth deserves it for his performance and his track record. Sorry James Franco (127 Hours) you will have to live with the nomination and hosting the awards.

Best Actress:

Prediction- Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

My Vote- Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

- The only thing standing in the way for Ms. Portman might be the sympathy vote for Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right) who has 3 previous nominations without a win. Simply put Portman had the more difficult role and provided he better performance.

Best Supporting Actor:

Prediction- Christian Bale (The Fighter)

My Vote- Christian Bale (The Fighter)

- There seems to be a trend with the acting awards this year in that there is not much debate on who should win. Just when you were starting to doubt whether Bale could still act (lets face it his turn as Batman and his role in Terminator were starting to cast some doubts), he delivers one of the best supporting turns in years.

Best Supporting Actress:

Prediction- Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

My Vote- Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

- Finally a category that is not set in stone. To be completely honest any of the 5 nominees could win this award. I think it is ridiculous that Steinfeld is nominated in this category, but the fact that she is, could mean she will win it. Helena Bohnam Carter was easily the weak link in the King's Speech but the sheer popularity of the movie could pull her in, especially if Leo and Amy Adams split votes since they are in the same movie. Weaver (Animal Kingdom) gave one of the better performances, but that fact that most people have not heard of let alone seen her movie will hurt. All that to say that all bets are off in this category, but my vote would be for Leo and my gut is telling me that whose name will be called.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Prediction- Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

My Vote- Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

- No brainer, the quick, witty dialogue is the life blood of the movie and the credit for that lies mostly on the brilliant screenplay by Sorkin.

Best Original Screenplay:

Prediction- David Seidler (The King's Speech)

My Vote- Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Note- Did not see Mike Leigh (Another Year)

- A nice coincidence that the two heavyweights were in different writing categories so both of them get to notch a big win before the big announcement for Best Picture. I think it is a foregone conclusion that The King's Speech will win this one, but in my opinion the movie was carried on its acting and technical brilliance, not writing. If you want to find the most brilliant piece of original writing this year you should look no further than Nolan's mind bending masterpiece Inception.

Best Art Direction:

Prediction- The King's Speech

My Vote-Black Swan (not nominated)

-Period pieces always lend themselves well to this category as well as Costume. With that being it is ridiculous that Black Swan was not even nominated, especially over Harry Potter and one of the worst movies I saw all year Alice in Wonderland. Black Swan was a technical masterpiece and by far the most artistic movie I saw this year.

Best Cinematography:

Prediction-True Grit

My Vote- Black Swan

- True Grit had 10 nominations and this will probably be its lone representative win. I have no beef with it winning here as the cinematography was probably its most notable feature (It was also shot about 30 min. from where I live). Like I said in the category before Black Swan was the best technical movie I saw this year, and its great use of shadow and colors were enough for it to get my vote.

Best Costume Design:

Prediction- The King's Speech

My Vote- The King's Speech

Note- Did not see The Tempest or I Am Love

- Not my area of expertise but when in doubt always go for the period British royalty film in this category.

Best Film Editing:

Prediction- The Social Network

My Vote- The Social Network

- If Best Picture is the war, then Best Editing is the keynote battle. With The King's Speech winning Actor and Original Screenplay, and The Social Network winning Director and Adapted Screenplay (hypothetically), the battle line for the odds on favorite will be decided right here. The King's Speech could lose this category and still pull out a win (especially if it steals a win in Supporting Actor or Supporting Actress), but in order for The Social Network to win Best Picture it must prevail in this category (The winner of Best Editing has gone on to win Best Picture 6 of the last 8 years).

Best Makeup:

Prediction- The Wolf Man

My Vote- The Way Back

Note- Did not see The Wolf Man or Barney's Version

-This is a strange category this year in that The Wolf Man was widely regarded as one of the worst movies of the year but seems to be the favorite for this award in large part due to it going up against two movies that most people have not seen (Barney's Version has still not been wide released, and The Way Back, one of my top 10, was pulled before its wide release .)

Best Original Score:

Prediction- The King's Speech

My Vote- Inception

Note- Did not see How to Train Your Dragon

-Another category that I am not that adept at, but I tend to favor the more epic and/or fast paced score as opposed to the more mellow and emotional. The King's Speech definitely had a very nice score, but Inception's really got your blood flowing.

Best Song:

Prediction- "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)

My Vote- "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)

Note- Did not see Tangled or Country Strong

-This category will be the perfect way to give Toy Story 3 an extra award.

Best Sound Mixing:

Prediction- Inception

My Vote- Inception

Note- Did not see Salt

- These next three categories will be the victory for Inception. The movie was more than an action movie but it will have to live with a sweep of the action movie categories.

Best Sound Editing:

Prediction- Inception

My Vote- Inception

-Ditto

Best Visual Effects:

Prediction- Inception

My Vote- Inception

Note- Did not see Hereafter

-This is the category that most represented the brilliance of Inception as far as technical work is concerned.

Best Animated Feature:

Prediction- Toy Story 3

My Vote- Toy Story 3

Note- Did not see The Illusionist or How to Train Your Dragon

-Notch another award for Pixar.

Best Foreign Language Film:

Prediction- Biutiful (Mexico)

My Vote- Have not gotten to see any of them yet.

Best Documentary:

Prediction- Exit Through the Gift Shop

My Vote- Have not seen any of these either yet.

Best Live Action, Animated and Documentary Short:

Prediction- God of Love, Day and Night, Poster Girl

My Vote- Don't know/Don't Care

- I did see Day and Night (it was the short before Toy Story 3) and it was kinda cool so i'll stick with that one, the other two are complete guesses based on reading their synopses.

Final Tally:

The King's Speech- 6 wins

The Social Network- 3 wins

Inception- 3 wins

Toy Story 3 - 2 wins

The Fighter- 2 wins

Black Swan- 1 win

True Grit- 1 win

The Wolf Man- 1 win

Biutiful- 1 win

Exit Through the Gift Shop- 1 win

The Nominees

Since the Oscar nominees for 2010 were announced last Tuesday, I thought I would run throught the list and give some brief thoughts on the selections.


Best Picture:

127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winters Bone

Thoughts: 7 of my top 10 movies, and 9 of my top 12 were nominated for best picture, so obviously I think the academy got this category spot on. The one film that was nominated that I felt was nothing special was Winter's Bone. Even with the move to 10 nominees, this is a two horse race. The Social Network is the overwhelming favorite and The King's Speech is mounting a strong surge behinds its 12 nominations. I think that The Social Network will and should win, but I can't say that The King's Speech would not be a deserving winner as well.


Best Actor:

Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)

Who I would have nominated:
1. Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
2. James Franco (127 Hours)
3. Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
4. Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter)
5. Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island)

- I have not seen Biutiful

- James Franco was my vote for best actor until I saw The King's Speech at which point it was obvious that a win by anyone other than Firth would be shameful.





Best Actress:


Annett Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)


Who I would have nominated:
1. Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
2. Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs)
3. Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
4. Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right)
5. Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)


- A couple of differences here. I loved Hathaway in Love and Other Drugs and feel she is being criminally overlooked. I was very happy to see Kidman recognized for the extremely well done and little seen story of grief, Rabbit Hole. Like I said before I was just not a fan of Winter's Bone and the same goes for Lawrence. I recognize the quality acting in Blue Valentine but found the movie itself appalling. This is another two horse race between Portman and Bening but frankly it is race brought on by politics not quality of work. Bening is very good in The Kids Are All Right, but her performance is predicated on the other quality acting performances in the movie, whereas Portman absolutely carries her movie in by far the more difficult role. People point to the fact that Bening has been a great actress for years and has never won an Oscar while Portman is still young and will have other opportunties, but those people seem to have forgotten this is not the most deserved/overdue actress, it the best actress, and that is far and away Portman this year.






Best Supporting Actor:


Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)


Who I would have nominated:
1. Christian Bale (The Fighter)
2. Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)
3. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
4. Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
5. Jeremy Renner (The Town)


- If there was one category that declared The Social Network was not the automatic winner for Best Picture it was Best Supporting Actor. The snub of Andrew Garfield proved that there are some skeptics on the movie. Otherwise all you need to know about this category is that Bale wins in a landslide for his great performance in The Fighter.






Best Supporting Actress:


Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)


Who I would have nominated:
1. Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
2. Marrion Cottilard (Inception)
3. Michelle Williams (Shutter Island)
4. Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
5. Amy Adams (The Fighter)


-I have not seen Animal Kingdom

- This is historically the hardest category to make predictions on. I have a couple of complaints about the nominees. The fact that Hailee Steinfeld was nominated for best SUPPORTING actress is completely absurd considering she has the most screen time of anyone else in True Grit and the movie is ABOUT her. I also think that Helena Bonham Carter getting nominated for The King's Speech says a lot more about the overall love for that movie than for her performance which was not that special of a role if you ask me. If I was voting I would go with Leo for The Fighter but I have heard good things about Weaver in Animal Kingdom which I have not seen.





Best Director:


Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
David Russell (The Fighter)


Who I would have nominated:
1. David Fincher (The Social Network)
2. Christopher Nolan (Inception)
3. Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
4. Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
5. Danny Boyle (127 Hours)


- The glaring omission here is the unexplainable absence of Nolan for Inception. He was nominated for his writing in the original screenplay category but that is no excuse for his absence here. I am not sure what he did to make people mad at him but it is obvious there are people holding grudges for something. I have nothing against Russell but I would have preferred to see Boyle for 127 hours because I think his directing had a bigger hand in making that movie enjoyable than Russell did in The Fighter. All of that said this is a pretty safe category to assume Fincher will win for his brilliant directing of The Social Network on top of being well overdue for a trophy.

Next post I will tackle the writing nominees and some of the tech categories (Stay Tuned)

The Cinematic Courier Awards 2010

Well another year is in the books. 2010 was a great year for movies, and provided us with several films that will be great for years to come. In anticipation of the Oscar nominee announcements tomorrow, I figured it was time to revisit the blog and post my favorites of the year. As of today I have seen 51 movies for the year, and I still have a few I will want to catch before Oscar night, but I feel I have seen a high percentage of the films that will be represented. With that being said here is the list of the movies I would vote for if I had an Oscar vote. These are not necessarily the movies I am predicting will be nominated (although I think there will be a significant overlap), but they are simply my favorite movies of the year.

The Cinematic Courier Top Ten Movies of the Year:

#10- The Town- (Dir- Ben Affleck: Starring Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, John Hamm and Rebecca Hall)- The Town breathed some fresh life into the heist movie genre. Not only did it succeed in being thoroughly entertaining and fast paced, it dug past the typical action movie and examined the mindset and legacy that is tough to escape growing up in a life and family of crime. Beautifully shot in the tough neighborhoods of Boston along with some other key landmarks, Ben Affleck proves in his sophomore attempt that he can be outstanding behind the camera.

#9- Shutter Island-(Dir- Martin Scorsese: Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley and Michelle Williams)- Being released at the beginning of the year is going to really hurt this film in terms of Oscar nominations and that is a shame because this was a great psychological thriller and a rare gem of a movie that did its book justice. Set in the 1950's on a secluded island "prison" that is home to damaged and dangerous psych patients. As a massive storm is rolling in, two US marshals are tasked with locating a missing patient that seems to have disappeared, only to discover that they may uncover more than they are supposed to. DiCaprio and Ruffalo are both at the top of their games as the US marshalls and Scorsese adds yet another feather to his cap.

#8- The Way Back- (Dir- Peter Weir: Starring Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan). I hope the production company in charge of promoting and marketing this movie is out of business. This movie will end up being the best movie of the year that no one heard about. Based on the incredible true story (supposedly) of a group of men sentenced to a Siberian labor camp during WWII for being anything from political dissidents, criminals to simply foreigners. They perform what is possibly the most lengthy prison escape in history. Escaping the prison compound is the easy part, as the group must then traverse across the wilds of Siberia, the shores of lake Baikal, the sands of the Gobi desert, the steppes of Mongolia and finally over the Himalayas of Tibet to India in order to escape the reaches of Communism. The cinematography alone is worth the price of admission to this movie and a solid cast of actors makes the trek both entertaining and awe inspiring.

#7- Toy Story 3- (Dir- Lee Unkrich: Starring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack). Pixar just never seems to miss. Each year it seems they can't do any better and then they do. It is fitting to because the original Toy Story was Pixar's first film as an independent company and now the story has come full circle with this endearing and sentimental coming of age story. As Andy prepares to leave for college what is to become of the toys that defined his childhood? Get ready for one last wild ride with Woody and the gang as they desperately cling to their sense of belonging and loyalty, only to realize that childhood is fleeting, kids grow up, but memories last a life time.

#6- 127 Hours- (Dir- Danny Boyle: Starring James Franco) How do you make a movie about a man trapped in a crevasse by a rock? Well Danny Boyle and James Franco have the answer. Based on the true story of adventure seeker Aron Ralston who became hopelessly trapped during one of his weekend getaways into the wilds of Utah. The movie traces the events of that day as Ralston ultimately becomes trapped when a boulder crushes his arm, he is forced to reflect on his life as he prepares himself to deal with what is rapidly becoming his only chance of escape. Franco is riveting as Ralston as he embodies the sense of adventure, excitement and passion for life in a man who felt invincible in his element. Franco provides both comical relief and an intense sense of survival as he contemplates both the options of his present predicament along with events of his life that have led to this moment.

#5- The Fighter- (Dir- David Russell: Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo). Due to its focus on the individual and the struggles that most of its greats have overcome, boxing more than any other sport has provided more than its share of great sports movies. Count The Fighter in the list that also includes Raging Bull, Rocky, Ali and Million Dollar Baby. This movie achieves greatness in large part due to its great cast. Everybody is at the top of their game here and it results in an entertaining and interesting movie that dives into the family politics of boxing. Mark Wahlberg shines as the local boy turned boxing legend Micky Ward, but it is Christian Bale who steals the show as his trainer/brother and former one hit wonder boxer whose life has been derailed and consumed by drugs.

#4- Black Swan- (Dir- Darren Aronofsky: Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassell and Barbara Hershey). By far the most accomplished artistic movie of the year. Natalie Portman is outstanding as the newly crowned prima ballerina for her New York City company and her first test is the season opening production of Swan Lake. The role necessitates that she be able to dance with the grace and innocense of the white swan as well as express the sensuality of the black swan. As the pressure and stress builds for her to more adequately express her dark side, the lines between reality and psychotic break begin to blur as well as the delineation between good and evil.

#3- Inception- (Dir- Christopher Nolan: Starring Leonardi DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Marrion Cottilard and Michael Caine). Nolan has done it again. He continues to prove that action movies do not have to be merely entertainment devices surviving on absurd plot lines and cheesy one liners mixed in between gunfights and stuff being blown up. He has shown that action movies can be both extremely intelligent and entertaining at the same time, and in so doing has solidified his name on the short list of directors that studios will be willing to write blank checks to in order to make their movies. Inception takes the simple construst of a heist movie but deviates from the brick and mortar objects such as banks and money and instead lands in the surreal landscape of dreams and ideas. What ensues is edge of your seat cinema and brain melting plot devices that will have you thinking and talking about this movie for days after you have seen it. Surrounded by an all star cast this was easily the most entertaining and talked about movie of the year and for good reason.

#2- The King's Speech- (Dir- Tom Hooper: Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bohnam Carter). This is the type of classic moviemaking that defined Hollywood for decades. A piece of little known history centered around a prominent historical figure with a disability he has to overcome. This is probably the movie that surprised me the most this year as I went in with somewhat low expectations and was astounded by the entertainment value of what you would think would be a boring movie. The movie survives on its two great performances by King George VI (Colin Firth) and his speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Set in the time leading up to WWII, with the royal family in dissaray the heir to the throne is unfortunately a man who can not utter two words without stumbling all over himself and he needs to be the voice to instill bravery and confidence into a nation on the brink of war. Ultimately about an unlikely friendship and the changing face of leadership in the beginning of the technolgical age, this would have been a worthy best picture of the year if not for my #1.

#1- The Social Network- (Dir- David Fincher: Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara and Armie Hammer). Where to begin. Not only was The Social Network the best movie of the past 5 years, it will ultimately become one of if not the defining movie for the current generation. A movie on its surface about the eccentrically brilliant individual who invented facebook and for forever changed the face of social interactions in the modern technolgical world, but ultimately about friendship, greed and the obsession of power. The movie's foundation is its great script written by Alan Sorkin whose quick, witty dialogue is fired at a mile a minute and strikes the perfect chord between an instant gratification society and the mind of an intelectual genius but social inept. As the movie moves seamlessly between Harvard, the courtroom and California it becomes apparent that despite all the money and power in the world sometimes that can be the most lonely place of all.