Excited about upcoming movies? You will be. Or, you’ll be frustrated by how much trailers give away. Either way, they’re all here for your enjoyment.

As ever, we recommend our WEEKLY RADIO SHOW to tell you the real deal about every weekend’s releases. Plus, we’re funnier.

THE BLING RING (opening 6/14/13)

THE CONJURING (opening 7/19/13)

ELYSIUM (opening 8/9/13)

GROWN-UPS 2 (opening 7/12/13)

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (opening 11/22/13)

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (opening 6/7/13)

NOW YOU SEE ME (opening 5/31/13)

ONLY GOD FORGIVES (opening 7/19/13)

R.I.P.D. (opening 7/19/13)

THOR: THE DARK WORLD (opening 11/8/13)

Excited about upcoming movies? You will be. Or, you’ll be frustrated by how much trailers give away. Either way, they’re all here for your enjoyment.

As ever, we recommend our WEEKLY MOVIE PREVIEW to tell you the real deal about every weekend’s releases. Plus, we’re funnier.

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (opening summer 2013)

THE CAMPAIGN (opening 8/10/12)

GANGSTER SQUAD (opening 12/16/12)

HIT AND RUN (opening 8/24/12)

HOPE SPRINGS (opening 8/10/12)

KILLER JOE (opening 7/27/12)

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED (opening 6/8/12)

SAVAGES (opening 7/6/12)

SKYFALL (opening 11/9/12)

OSCAR RANT 2012

(Honoring the films of 2011)

Rant by Paul Preston

“I think I can safely say that despite the quality of some of the year’s best movies, it was not a great year”.

This is the sentence I used to start last year’s Oscar Rant, referencing the films of 2010. So…it suitably starts this year’s rant as well. Things haven’t gotten better. I remember specifically, in the middle of the summer, I was awaiting all the great summer movies that were going to come out. Sad thing is, they already had, and I was moving into a latter-half of the summer with the only bright spot being “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”.

Same thing happened at Christmas. Usually, by year’s end I get excited to see all the award-worthy films as they expand to more theaters in January. This year, I had already seen everything by December 31st, and I was not impressed. I had not felt like I was in the throws of holiday movie-time. I suppose we can only take solace in the fact that the third installment of the “Alvin & The Chipmunks” franchise only made half of what the other films did…

Did I mention bright spots? Let’s talk about ‘em. My list of the Top 10 Films of 2011:

10. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS – This is the kind of year it’s been. The “prestige projects” on the whole were so underwhelming, they’ve left room in the Top 10 for a summer action movie. But “X-Men: First Class” is a very deftly-handled period actioner beefed up with great actors. This film could easily have been Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens-ed, but, wisely, the producers used the talents of Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult (“A Single Man”) as young mutants coming under the wing of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. This is another film in a phenomenal year for Michael Fassbender, who really shines as Erik, the young Magneto. Kevin Bacon also steps up for one of his best performances in years, showing what can happen when you throw him a substantial role. Politics, teen angst, and ambitious action sequences all get thrown into a mix held together well by director Matthew Vaughn.

9. PUSS IN BOOTS – Why shouldn’t the film I’d pick for Best Animated Film also be one of the best overall films of the year? Pixar, up till 2011, was batting .1000. All the while, DreamWorks Animation had been improving their game slowly and steadily. They’ve delivered a real winner the year Pixar stumbled with “Cars 2”. “Puss in Boots” is anchored by the best script yet of the “Shrek” universe films, and it certainly ranks among the funniest films of the year, if not the funniest, as we follow a pre-“Shrek” Puss as he attempts to clear his name over crimes he didn’t commit. Antonio Banderas’ hilarious gravitas-laden voice-over carries a light and nimble plot, happily devoid of a slew of modern references. The action scenes are well-imagined and the animation is very impressive, even (gulp) the 3D.
Click here for a full-length review.

8. MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – There’s an interesting story here about an A.D. working on the production of “The Prince and the Showgirl” who had a flirtatious affair with Marilyn Monroe. But once things get going on the set, that’s where my interest was really peaked. Pill-popping head case Monroe annoys the SHIT out of Laurence Olivier, and it is entertaining as HELL! Kenneth Branagh’s slow burn as Sir Larry is priceless, and Michelle Williams’ portrayal of Monroe is in every way deserving of its Oscar nomination.

7. RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Saw this one twice. Here’s a summer movie that proves that if you bring the brains, the audience will follow. I’m tired of origin films (we really need to see how Spider-Man was created AGAIN?), plus I get tired of overuse of CGI characters, so for this film to work on me was quite a surprise. WETA Digital proves they are some of the best in the business, creating ALL the apes in this movie, who grow weary of their mistreatment by humans and, thanks to drug experiments, gain the wherewithal to fight back. If you’re having Andy Serkis fatigue because he is used nearly EVERY time motion capture is required, keep watching him. They keep using him ‘cause he’s the best in the business. His portrayal of Caesar is so expressive, he’s the film’s best actor. And the end credits are a stroke of genius.
Click here for a full-length review.

6. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – There’s something on display here for every kind of Woody Allen fan. Do you love wacky Woody? It’s in there. Heady, literate Woody? It’s in there, along with his recent passion for Europe and the usual top-notch production team you’re used to seeing in a Woody Allen film. Owen Wilson is at his charming best as a Hollywood writer visiting Paris who magically is transported to the 1920s, where he meets his literary and artistic heroes. There are loads of laughs as Wilson is tempted with an affair and he can’t explain what’s happening to him when he’s dumped back in present day. No surprise this is Woody’s highest grossing movie in twenty-five years, it’s easily his most widely appealing in that amount of time, too.

5. MONEYBALL – As an L.A. Angels fan, I can get behind any movie about an MLB team owner who has to do everything he can to combat the N.Y. Yankee’s inflated budget. You can’t deny The Evil Empire their desire to win, the real problem is Major League Baseball’s desperate need of a salary cap. “Moneyball”’s brilliant writers Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian (two of the BEST out there) have expertly adapted Billy Beane’s book about putting a competitive team together in an unusual way. They, with director Bennett Miller, have made “Moneyball” very satisfying for the baseball enthusiast as well as understandable and exciting for someone who doesn’t follow the sport regularly. Anchored by a making-it-look-so-easy-he-can’t-possibly-be-acting lead performance by Brad Pitt, the film is adept at comedy and drama, but also gets very engrossing as a dramatic, suspenseful sports movie when Oakland starts playing well. And as an Angels fan, I loved the ending.

4. 50/50 – Yes, the cancer comedy is THAT GOOD. I think Seth Rogen’s been nothing but hilarious for six or seven years now, but he’s acquired this bad rap, probably due to overexposure. As a producer, he wisely never creates projects beyond his capabilities. Remember “The Green Hornet”? (Think hard) Rogen was a hero, but wasn’t a bad-ass bad-guy-whalloping machine. He left the heavy lifting to Kato and smartly did what he’s good at. Strange comparison to “50/50”, which is leagues better and nothing like “The Green Hornet”, but here’s another case where Rogen never tries to fool you into thinking that this film about a twenty-something journalist in Seattle faced with a harsh cancer is the drama to end all dramas. The script is still a stoner comedy, but there’s a convincing humanity at the heart here, delivered with style by director Jonathan Levine.

3. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Gotta admit I never read the book or saw the Swedish film adaptations before this, and I was blown away. Story carries the day here, and the timing couldn’t be better for Fincher to direct, because his keen eye and dazzling production value really build a tone, but he also seems to have moved past any show-off moves that littered a film like “Panic Room”, and he lets the story rise to the top. And what a story! A self-proclaimed insane goth-lesbian computer hacker teams with a journalist to investigate forty-year-old murder mystery in a story of rape, torture, fear and Nazis. Sign me up! The film wisely doesn’t update the Swedish story to All-American, and the cast is full of good actors. Rooney Mara’s daring portrait of Lisbeth Salander is one for the ages and I can’t wait to see what trouble she gets into in the next film. Christopher Plummer caps off a great year by delivering a captivating performance as the patriarch of the family that hires the journalist, and he ends up providing the film’s heart. Yes, this mad thriller can tear-jerk! There’s gripping suspense on display here coupled with things you’ve never seen before – a killer one-two punch for what I hope is a very successful franchise.

2. THE DESCENDANTS – In a year filled with bloated spectacle (‘Hugo”, “War Horse”), Alexander Payne’s strikingly truthful drama proves once again that less is more. George Clooney plays a land baron in Hawaii, and as if you can’t feel bad for that guy, his wife goes into a coma after a jet ski accident. This event leads to discoveries that complicate relationships, leaving things muddy, even at the end. The actors (and Payne) are obviously more interested in playing the TRUTH with this story, as opposed to doing anything “film-y”. As we’ve said before at The Movie Guys, anything George Clooney does is worth watching, and he’s FANTASTIC here. It may be time to put him on the list of the best actors in town, a list usually reserved for posh-er performers like Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hanks and Kevin Spacey. But Clooney’s certainly more consistent. After Pixar and Jason Reitman slipped up this year, Payne remains the only filmmaker whose every film I have enjoyed.
Click here for a full-length review.

1. THE ARTIST – This is a movie in love with movies. Here at The Movie Guys, WE LOVE MOVIES! So, liking “The Artist” was easy. Actually, I’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with a heart cold enough to dislike this film. If you don’t like it, you’re dead inside. At least dead to me. In a year wrought with pretentious offerings (“Melancholia”, “The Tree of Life”, anyone?), “The Artist” wins by being straight-up enjoyable. And wildly so. As the silent film star who has a tough transition into “talkies”, Jean Dujardin is mesmerizing with his seamless ability to channel Clark Gable swashbuckling to great heights one moment, and Gene Kelly whisking a girl across the dance floor the next. Paired with the radiant Berenice Bejo, they’re one of the best screen pairs in years. As technology advances, it’s amazing to see a film TAKE AWAY tech aspects and triumph.
Click here for a full-length review.

RUNNERS-UP:
Truth is there are only about six movies I’d really put on a year-end BEST list, so even expanding to ten was a chore. However, these films are good, too:
THE IDES OF MARCH – Is this better than “X-Men: First Class”? Probably. It’s pretty damn good, but it was fun to go super-hero movie for my top ten.
THE HELP – Solid drama with good actors top to bottom.
J. EDGAR – This movie got shit for being “Oscar-bait”, but the script is one of the best Eastwood’s worked with in years, and DiCaprio is as solid as ever.
THE MUPPETS – Back and hilarious.
BUCK – A documentary about a horse whisperer that truly uplifts and inspires.

THE WORST
PRIEST – Paul Bettany crapping away promise, determined to switch genres from dramas and comedy to action. Stay where you’re needed. Ask Eddie Murphy.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES – This franchise has totally lost its way, and its sense of fun. Another interminably LONG movie that’s one of the worst 3D offenders yet.
THE HANGOVER, PART II – It might be OK to repeat the exact same plot if the characters were likeable, but they’re NOT. At all.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN 3D – This film is hugely OVERDONE. More is not better (see “The Descendants”)
BAD TEACHER – Number of jokes that work in this film – zero.
ALBERT NOBBS – The biggest disappointment. Why was this story told? The lead character is creepy, the lead female unworthy of any affection, and the ending left the whole story feeling irrelevant.

THE OSCARS:

Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir in “A Better Life”
George Clooney in “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”

Glaring Omission: This was a year brimming with great lead performances, so any number of actors could have been included – Leonardo DiCaprio for his bombast in “J. Edgar” or Ryan Gosling for his understatement in “The Ides of March” (like Christian Bale, his Oscar’s coming). I’m a little surprised to see the raw emotion Michael Fassbender brought to “Shame” didn’t net him a nomination. Perhaps the film itself was a little off-putting.
Runners-up: Joseph Gordon-Levitt in “50/50”, but the BALLS would have come out if The Academy took a risk on nominating Andy Serkis for “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. Sadly, it doesn’t look like he’ll win an Oscar if the film wins for Visual Effects, either. They’ll thank him like they did for “King Kong”. Maybe a special Oscar is due somewhere down the line?
Great Inclusion: Brad Pitt. I called his performance making-it-look-so-easy-he-can’t-possibly-be-acting. That beats the showy roles he was nominated for previously (“Benjamin Button”, “Twelve Monkeys”). Good to see him here.
Will Win: Dujardin. It used to be a bigger race with Clooney, but Dujardin has pulled ahead with wins at the BAFTA and SAG awards.
Should Win: Both deserve it, but Clooney broke my heart. I’d go with him.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Glaring Omission: Albert Brooks in “Drive”. Now, I’m the world’s biggest Brooks fan, but I don’t think he’s totally right for this role. I dug the expansion beyond the type he normally plays, and he did a solid job, but not quite award-worthy, if you’re gonna compare (and that’s what we’re doing here, right?). However, with the pre-Oscar film critics awards he picked up, I thought he’d be nominated.
Runners-up: I’d slide von Sydow to the side and make room for Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Moneyball”, who underplays to perfection. Also, John C. Reilly out-acted all the Oscar winners in “Carnage”, don’t know if that makes him better than these nominees, but it accounts for something. I’d also throw some love to Corey Stoll in “Midnight in Paris”, whose indelible Ernest Hemingway was SO much fun. And wasn’t Paul Giamatti in a movie? Yes, he was (“The Ides of March”). So he should be nominated. Bam.
Great Inclusion: Kenneth Branagh. Many dismissed Branagh’s witty performance as Laurence Olivier as another shallow piece of a trite movie. They’re wrong! He doesn’t get lost in an impersonation, and finds so much room to PLAY in this part as a legendary actor who must come face to face with an industry that values movie STARS instead.
Will win: Christopher Plummer. Hard to believe this is only his second Oscar nomination, but he’s been a lock in quality projects for years (“The Insider”). And his role in “Beginners” is one of two great roles he had this year (the other being “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”). It’s his year, and thank god it’s for a good performance in “Beginners”, not the standard career award.
Should win: That being said, I’d go with Branagh

Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis in “The Help”
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”

Glaring Omission: Tilda Swinton. With Golden Globe and SAG awards, I thought she was on track. But The Globes have two categories, and the drama category is nearly identical to these nominees, but when someone had to make room at the Oscars for Michelle Williams, it was Swinton who got the boot. But I’m sure she’s crying all over her other Oscar. I thought Charlize Theron had a shot because she and Reitman are Oscar darlings.
Runners-up: Kristen Wiig? As ever, comedy is subjugated. Glenn Close is just creepy in “Albert Nobbs”. Maybe you slide her out of the way for Wiig.
Great Inclusion: Rooney Mara! This is the best nomination in any category this year. There’s a lot of subtlety going around, focusing on restraint and simplicity (see Oldman, for example). But Mara’s brash, risky performance in “Dragon Tattoo” is an all-out-there tour de force, and if you’re giving awards to the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis for “There Will Be Blood”, then Mara’s got just as much of a shot.
Will Win: Davis. This race has become the most interesting as time’s gone on. It used to be between Williams and Streep, right on through their split of awards at The Golden Globes. But with SAG and BAFTA wins, Viola Davis is making a run, and you can’t discount the actor’s vote, ‘cause it’s actors who vote in The Academy, too. Streep and Williams’ performances are at the core impersonations (excellent ones), and they’ll probably award the more original performance on Oscar Night.
Should Win: Mara, beating out Wiliams, who’s a close second.

Actress in a Leading RoleActress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer in “The Help”

Glaring Omission: Shailene Woodley. The acting across the board is so good in “The Descendants”, I’m surprised Clooney is the only acting nominee in the mix. The next best shot, I thought was Woodley’s complex performance as a complicated (perhaps spoiled?) teenager.
Runners-up: Shout out to Bryce Dallas Howard, who is great in “The Help” AND “50/50”. What I like about her roles this year is that they were very unlikeable. I guy like me gets bitter and wants to reject nepotism, but she’s really good and Howard could float through romantic comedies easily, but she played more challenging roles. Good on her.
Great Inclusion: Berenice Bejo, but there’s certainly an argument to make that she could be in the Best Actress category.
Will Win: Octavia Spencer, who is on a roll. Her character in “The Help” says everything you want to say in stick-up-your-ass 1960s America.
Should Win: Bejo, the heart of “The Artist”. But I love that fact that I didn’t know Bejo, Spencer or Chastain before the year started.

Animated Feature Film
“A Cat in Paris” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
“Chico & Rita” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2″ Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” Chris Miller
“Rango” Gore Verbinski

Glaring Omission: “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”. It won The Golden Globe and had huge names attached. Oscar-winning names. But let’s be honest, it’s not a story that hooked America. And it’s a creepy animation style that I have no desire to see awarded. Three words sunk this nomination: Mars Needs Moms.
Runners-up: “Arthur Christmas”. I also had no desire to see Aardman Animation work with computers, having loved their stop-action animation for years. But “Arthur Christmas” is a delightful and very entertaining animated film with loads of heart and impressive animation.
Great Inclusion: Those two movies nobody’s heard of. And don’t try and fool me, you haven’t heard of ‘em either. Just be glad they’re here instead of the underwhelming “Cars 2”
Will Win: “Rango”. It’s got the momentum, plus a ton of Annie Awards. The dark horse could be “Kung Fu Panda 2”, which also won a handful of Annies.
Should Win: “Puss in Boots”, the only animated film in my Top 10.

Art Direction
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“War Horse”

Glaring Omission: Nothing “glaring” here, although there is sometimes more love given to action movies in this category, with their big set pieces. Outside of “Potter”, maybe “Transformers 3” or “Thor” might’ve snuck in here, but these are good nominees.
Runners-up: It’s not unlike Roland Emmerich to bring quality production design to a film, but in “Anonymous”, they went to good use, as opposed to destroying the world AGAIN. Seamless use of effects and sets brought Elizabethan England splendidly to life. “J. Edgar” proved again the Clint Eastwood films are always solid re-creation of place and time.
Great Inclusion: “Midnight in Paris”. With an opening that rivals “Manhattan”, Paris looks lovely, and when it’s re-created for the 1920s, it looks equally lush and inviting.
Will Win: “Hugo”. But I thought the locations reeked more of effects than locations.
Should Win: “The Artist”, which did just as much as “Hugo” to show time period without it looking so cheesy.

Cinematography
“The Artist” Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Jeff Cronenweth
“Hugo” Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” Janusz Kaminski

Glaring Omission: “Midnight in Paris”. It had been nominated for pre-Oscar awards and damn, how gorgeous did Paris look as shot by Darius Khondji? A wonderful compliment to the art direction, which did receive a nomination.
Runners-up: “The Adventures of Tintin” didn’t make much of an overall impression on me, but there was shot composition in it that was on par with the best that Spielberg has done. Unfortunately, I was busy mostly focusing on how creepy the characters looked. Has animation ever been nominated in this category? Oh, yes, I see “Hugo” has been nominated. Never mind. There’s also something to be said for the great IMAX photography of “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”, especially the cameras-and-actors-hanging-on-the-side-of-the-building, vertigo-inducing brilliance of the action scenes at Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Great Inclusion: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”. I loved this movie, and it was mostly snubbed in major categories, so I’ll take nominations where I can get ‘em.
Will Win: “The Tree of Life”
Should Win: This is a really tough category, because when you look at the photography of “The Tree of Life”, it’s unreal. Even just the collection alone of shots is impressive, let alone the execution of capturing them so vividly. Now, what exactly do all these images bring to the story? That’s the problem. There ISN’T A STORY. So then we have a bunch of sound and fury signifying nothing. But man, the sound and fury looked fantastic. You probably gotta give it to Lubezki, even though I’m partial to “The Artist”, who even went out of the way to shoot in an 1920s aspect ratio!

Costume Design
“Anonymous” Lisy Christl
“The Artist” Mark Bridges
“Hugo” Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” Michael O’Connor
“W.E.” Arianne Phillips

Glaring Omission: What a surprise. All period pieces. I rant on this every year, but I suppose opulence will always win out in this category. Well, if you’re gonna go all period, where was “J. Edgar” and the awesome parade of G-Men outfits? Little back story here, too: All of DiCaprio’s outfits were built from scratch for him. Can’t get that watching the film, but to know there were no rentals for his eighty or so costumes is impressive. I’m sure something like “Water for Elephants” was great, costume-wise, but who wants to see that to find out.
Runners-up: There’s also no fantasy here. No “Harry Potter”? Perhaps they were wearing clothes designed for the previous movies. If I had my way, I’d nominate “Thor” for the outlandish costumes that didn’t give in to the pressure to tone down the “comic book-i-ness” of the characters. They still wear bright colors and capes where other comic book adaptations like to make everything black.
Great Inclusion: “Anonymous”, only because Roland Emmerich THOUGHT for two seconds and actually made a substantial movie, and he pulled it off, partially because of an authentic-looking 1590s London.
Will Win: “The Artist”
Should Win: “The Artist”. This movie looked like “Citizen Kane” at times.

Directing
“The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Alexander Payne
“Hugo” Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick

Glaring Omission: With the new stupid desire to increase excitement over The Oscars by having more than five nominees, that just means more directors who have apparently made a film worthy of year’s best, who can’t get an Oscar themselves. This leaves Stephen Daldry, Tate Taylor, Bennett Miller and Steven Spielberg in the lurch. Sorry guys, you’ve made a best-of-the-year-worthy film but you’re not one of the best-of-the-year directors. That’s just dumb, and The Academy’s decision to keep doing that is as lame as Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game meaning something.
Runners-up: David Fincher! From the tone to the direction of the actors to the look, feel, location and vibe, he nailed it. Terrence Malick did something great with “The Tree of Life”, but without him sitting next to me as I watch the film, explaining what exactly that is, I’m lost. So step aside, please and make room for a Fincher nomination here. Also, if Bennett miller keeps up the good work, he could be another no-miss director. He’s made two films (“Capote” and “Moneyball”) and they’re both good. I would’ve nominated him here. Also, I thought Martin Scorsese’s pacing was all over the place in “Hugo”, plus the whole piece was just way overdone. This might be mostly the script’s fault, but a movie like “50/50” connected more with me. Nominate Jonathan Levine here instead.
Great Inclusion: Alexander Payne, Mr. Doesn’t Make a Bad Film.
Will Win: Michel Hazanavicius. He won the DGA award. He’s the evening’s lock.
Should Win: Michel Hazanavicius. If you’re thinking, “Who?”, you’re not alone. What a breakthrough movie! To skillfully pull together an international cast, black & white, period piece, animal actors and SILENT FILM to such perfection was quite a task. Give him the Oscar.

Documentary (Feature)
“Hell and Back Again”
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
“Pina”
“Undefeated”

Glaring Omission: “Buck”. This movie had a lot of press leading up to the nominations and I thought it had a chance.
Runners-up: “The Tree of Life”. Wait, that wasn’t a NOVA PBS special?
Great Inclusion: “Pina” and “Undefeated”. “Paradise Lost” is about a murder trial, “Hell and Back Again” is about the Afghan War and “If a Tree Falls” is about environmental terrorists. So, I’m happy to see some uplifting stories in the mix. The only thing that scared the shit out of me was that I thought “Undefeated” was that Sarah Palin documentary (which is hilariously called “THE Undefeated”). If that got nominated, I was going to kill somebody.
Will Win: “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”. The Academy loves to reward bodies of work (see “The Lord of the Rings”) and this film could win essentially for all three “Paradise Lost” docs.
Should Win: You’ll notice there were not documentaries in my Top 10. This is different than past years where I’ve had movies like “Sicko”, “Inside Job” and “Waiting for Superman” in the mix. This year, I didn’t see any of the nominees. I am a dick.

Documentary (Short Subject)
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement”
“God Is the Bigger Elvis”
“Incident in New Baghdad”
“Saving Face”
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”

But you know what? I didn’t see any of these, either. Neither did you. Let’s move on.

Film Editing
“The Artist” Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Kevin Tent
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball” Christopher Tellefsen

Glaring Omission: Nothing glaring, but The Academy does love Spielberg’s production team. Always has. So I thought Michael Kahn might’ve had a shot here for “War Horse”, even a long shot for “The Adventures of Tintin”.
Runners-up: Hey, there are no show-off nominees here! So let’s throw “Limitless” in there just for fun.
Great Inclusion: All the dramas. This category, practically re-birthed by “The French Connection”, loves action, but there’s none here this year. I appreciate the shout-outs from The Academy to modest piecing together of “The Descendants” and “Moneyball”.
Will Win: “The Artist”, part of a big night for the film. The pre-Oscar awards went to this and “The Descendants”, but I think The Academy will go for the showier piece.
Should Win: I’m gonna stick with “The Artist” here, too. But it brings up the question. Is it tougher to edit an original piece or a book adaptation? I imagine most of the editing of the adaptation was done in the script. But the challenge for an adapted movie is keeping the core intact, and not cutting too much? Don’t have an answer here, just riffin’.

Foreign Language Film
“Bullhead” Belgium
“Footnote” Israel
“In Darkness” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada
“A Separation” Iran

….sigh. I’m horribly underversed in this category. When I’m done writing this rant, I’ll just go back and delete these categories so you don’t know I didn’t see enough of these films to make an informed decision.

Makeup
“Albert Nobbs”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“The Iron Lady”

Glaring Omission: “J. Edgar”. Tough call here ‘cause Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts’ makeup was OK, but DiCaprio’s was GREAT! So, I guess for overall work, it’s tough to nominate the film, but for the one individual character, the work was outstanding.
Runners-up: I would say “Contagion”, but I think instead of putting makeup on the Hollywood actors to make them look diseased, they were simply filmed with no makeup at all. Ba-doom!
Great Inclusion: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
Will Win: “The Iron Lady”
Should Win: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”. So the question is, will the movie benefit from a Body-of-Work Award or suffer from they-did-this-in-an-earlier-film-already-itis? If it’s the latter, that opens the door for the better of the two old age makeup jobs to beat the fantasy film.

Music (Original Score)
“The Adventures of Tintin” John Williams
“The Artist” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” John Williams

Glaring Omission: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, two names that are SO much fun to say. More fantastic scoring of a David Fincher film (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”). Perhaps their win last year kept them out of the running this year, but their work, two films in, seems to be setting up what will be a gloriously edgy, non-traditional film scoring career.
Runners-up: “Hanna” – The Chemical Brothers deliver a fantastic score to this action movie that is on par with the brilliant Daft Punk score for last year’s “Tron: Legacy”. I hope these techno-based scores get love from The Academy soon. Also, Cliff Martinez delivered a first-rate, Tangerine Dream-esque soundtrack for “Drive” that propelled the opening scene and many subsequent segments of the movie. I wish the songs were as good as the score. Martinez is a frequent collaborator with Steven Soderbergh, and had a good year, also providing a quality score for “Contagion”. I also loved the dream-like, guitar-notes-and-chords-dropped-lovingly-in-a-puddle music from “Moneyball”, great also for the choice to use unconventional movie like that for a sports film. Perhaps that sets you up for the fact that this is not a traditional sports film at all.
Great inclusion: “The Adventures of Tintin”. Williams proving he’s still the master.
Will Win: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist”
Should Win: Ludovic Bource. The score of this film is basically a character in it, equal parts playful storyteller and observer along for the ride as the plot unfolds. Bource had to nail it or the whole film could fail. He nailed it.

Music (Original Song)
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from “Rio” Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Glaring Omission: Three other nominees. We are not exactly in The Golden Age of Movie Music. The Disney animated movie musicals don’t dominate as they used to, most stage musical adaptations either don’t include original songs, or force one into the credits that is inferior to the other songs in the film. Only every once in a while do we get a “My Heart Will Go On” or “Lose Yourself”. So, I’m not too surprised that this category isn’t packed with winners, but I’m a little surprised it isn’t packed at all! No love for that Madonna song that won the Golden Globe? “Gnomeo & Juliet”? No?
Runners-Up: “Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”, clearly the only movie that was excited to cram it’s movie with original songs this year.
Will Win: “Man or Muppet”
Should Win: “Man or Muppet”. “Real in Rio” is a rousing song that introduces the film’s characters to the lively city in the film’s title, but it’s just not as clever as Bret McKenzie’s ode to self-reflective movie montages.

Best Picture
“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer
“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Glaring Omission: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”. Well, glaring to me, at least. Glaring to the rest of the world is probably “Bridesmaids”, which people thought might be the upset card. I gotta admit, “Bridesmaids” is at least better than “Extremley Loud & Incredibly Close”
Runners-up: Referring to my Top 10, you know I would’ve found room for “50/50”, and I would stopped it at FIVE nominees. Even this year, just nominate “The Artist”, “The Descendants”, “The Help”, “Moneyball” and “Midnight in Paris” and be done. This whole ten nominees thing was done in the wake of “The Dark Knight”’s Best Picture snub to make sure that movies like “District 9”, “Inglorious Basterds” and “Up”, which were popular movies, could get in on the Best Picture nods and bring hype and eyeballs to the Oscar telecast. Do you really think “War Horse” did that this year? “The Tree of Life”? There are way too many nominees here. Just ‘cause they’ve made the list available for ten nominees doesn’t mean there NEEDS to be more than five.
Great Inclusion: “Moneyball”, which probably benefited from the thing I’m railing against above. If there were only five nominees, The Academy would’ve showered “Hugo” as they did ‘cause they saw Martin Scorsese’s name on it, and “Moneyball” would’ve stayed home.
Will Win: “The Artist”. It’s pulled away from “The Descendants” since The Golden Globes.
Should Win: “The Artist”. It’s strange to compare “The Artist” to “Inception”, my pick for Best Picture of 2010, but they’re both the year’s most ambitious films, and to make something so ambitious so successful deserves the award.

Short Film (Animated)
“Dimanche/Sunday”
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
“La Luna”
“A Morning Stroll”
“Wild Life”

Glaring Omission & Runner-up: Maybe Pixar’s “Toy Story Hawaiian Vacation”? Another laugh and heart-heavy short from the masters. But their entry “La Luna” here is more of what wins this category.
Great Inclusion: “A Morning Stroll”, a short with a demented sense of humor, and it’s good to see them rewarded for that.
Will Win: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”, which looks great and has a whimsical feel throughout.
Should Win: However, I thought “Lessmore” was a bit disjointed. I think a simpler story could’ve been told. So I’d go with “La Luna”, just beating out “A Morning Stroll”

Short Film (Live Action)
“Pentecost”
“Raju”
“The Shore”
“Time Freak”
“Tuba Atlantic”

Great Inclusion: “Time Freak”. Year in and year out I watch the shorts and there’s routinely “important” films being celebrated. “Time Freak” is a comedy, and a goofy one at that. Coupled with good production, it’s a great nominee.
Will Win: “Raju”. But sadly, The Academy may still reward the “important” tale of child adoption in India. I swear there’s an India-based short nominated every year.
Should Win: “Time Freak”. Last year a comedy beat the important films, I hope that continues.

Sound Editing
“Drive” Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Ren Klyce
“Hugo” Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse” Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Glaring Omission: Animation. Usually there is some animated movie represented here because the creation of original sounds to be attributed to completely fabricated characters that do not exist in any plane of reality is TOUGH TO DO! I thought I might see “Rango” here or “The Adventures of Tintin”.
Runners-up: More animation like “Arthur Christmas” and “Puss in Boots”
Great Inclusion: “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”. I know, there really isn’t much good about this film (except for the 3D), but sound effect creation has to be 80% of this damn movie with all the twisting gears, explosions, falling metal and that “Buuuaaaooooonnng” noise that’s all over the trailers. Seems like a lot of work.
Great Inclusion: “Drive”. The sound in that film was hypnotic.
Will Win: “Hugo”
Should Win: Probably…sigh…”Transformers”…I feel gross SUGGESTING that this should be an Oscar-winning film…

Sound Mixing
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“War Horse”

Glaring Omission: Here’s another place where I expected more action and fantasy movies, because the challenge is so great to mix the real and unreal effects with the dialogue and music. Perhaps “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” or “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Runners-up: “X-Men: First Class”
Great Inclusion: “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, for reasons mentioned above.
Will Win: “Hugo”, ‘cause it’s an effects movie The Academy can get behind.
Should Win: “Transformers”…I’m gonna be sick…

Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Real Steel”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

Glaring Omission: Here’s a word you won’t otherwise hear at The Oscars: “Sucker Punch”
Runners-up: “X-Men: First Class”, and I liked the fast-paced, effects-filled chase scenes of “The Adjustment Bureau”
Great inclusion: “Real Steel”. It’s still hard to make organic objects like people and animals look real. But we can ACE making anything metallic look realistic, and the best thing about “Real Steel” is that you take for granted after a while just how seamless they are blended into the real world.
Will Win: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Should Win: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, for the best organic character creation yet. As opposed to fill-in-the-blank-with-whatever-Star-Wars-character-you-like, these CGI characters ACT.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“The Descendants” – Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Hugo” – John Logan
“The Ides of March” – George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” – Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” – Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

Glaring Omission: “The Help”. This seemed like a no-brainer in August, but somehow this nomination got snubbed. There are two films here not nominated for Best Picture that weaseled their way in.
Runners-up: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”. As you can tell by now, I love this movie, and the script is the movie’s greatest asset.
Great Inclusion: “The Ides of March”. Wonderful liberal claptrap that’s right up my alley!
Will Win: “The Descendants”, winning the “Goodfellas”/”Pulp Fiction”/”Fargo” Award for great movie that won’t win Best Picture
Should Win: “The Descendants”

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“The Artist” Written by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” Written by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” Written by Woody Allen
“A Separation” Written by Asghar Farhadi

Glaring Omission: “50/50”. If I haven’t made my case for how much I love this movie yet, just watch The Independent Spirit Awards Saturday on IFC. They got the nominations for this movie right.
Runners-up: I got nothing, except maybe “The Adjustment Bureau”.
Great Inclusion: “The Artist”. Yes, silent films need a screenplay, too!
Will Win: “Midnight in Paris”
Should Win: “Midnight in Paris”, a very creative and enjoyable effort from Woody Allen.

That’s it! Tune in Sunday, Feb. 26th for the awards. And hopefully the Coen Brothers make another movie next year.

-PP

Self-congratulation is still the rage in TinselTown. Who are we to not report on it? Agree? Disagree? It doesn’t matter, the awards will go out week after week until the Oscars, February 26th, 2012.

(In Nominee lists, the winners are in BOLD)

1/24/12
THE ACADEMY AWARDS

Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir in “A Better Life”
George Clooney in “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”

Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis in “The Help”
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”

Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer in “The Help”

Animated Feature Film
“A Cat in Paris” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
“Chico & Rita” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2″ Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” Chris Miller
“Rango” Gore Verbinski

Art Direction
“The Artist”
Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo”
Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris”
Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse”
Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography
“The Artist” Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Jeff Cronenweth
“Hugo” Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design
“Anonymous” Lisy Christl
“The Artist” Mark Bridges
“Hugo” Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” Michael O’Connor
“W.E.” Arianne Phillips

Directing
“The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Alexander Payne
“Hugo” Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick

Documentary (Feature)
“Hell and Back Again”
Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
“Pina”
Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
“Undefeated”
TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement”
Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis”
Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad”
James Spione
“Saving Face”
Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”
Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing
“The Artist” Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Kevin Tent
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball” Christopher Tellefsen

Foreign Language Film
“Bullhead” Belgium
“Footnote” Israel
“In Darkness” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada
“A Separation” Iran

Makeup
“Albert Nobbs”
Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
“The Iron Lady”
Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)
“The Adventures of Tintin” John Williams
“The Artist” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” John Williams

Music (Original Song)
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from “Rio” Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Picture
“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer
“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Short Film (Animated)
“Dimanche/Sunday” Patrick Doyon
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
“La Luna” Enrico Casarosa
“A Morning Stroll” Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
“Wild Life” Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)
“Pentecost” Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
“Raju” Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
“The Shore” Terry George and Oorlagh George
“Time Freak” Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
“Tuba Atlantic” Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing
“Drive” Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Ren Klyce
“Hugo” Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse” Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
“Hugo”
Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
“Moneyball”
Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
“War Horse”
Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
“Hugo”
Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
“Real Steel”
Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“The Descendants” Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Hugo” Screenplay by John Logan
“The Ides of March” Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“The Artist” Written by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” Written by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” Written by Woody Allen
“A Separation” Written by Asghar Farhadi

1/20/12
MOTION PICTURE SOUND EDITOR’S GOLDEN REEL AWARDS

BEST SOUND EDITING: SOUND EFFECTS, FOLEY, DIALOGUE, AND ADR IN AN ANIMATION FEATURE FILM
The Adventures of Tintin
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango
Rio
The Smurfs

BEST SOUND EDITING: SOUND EFFECTS, FOLEY, DIALOGUE, ADR AND MUSIC IN A FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Cave of the Forgotten Dreams
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Lemmy
Pearl Jam Twenty

BEST SOUND EDITING: SOUND EFFECTS, FOLEY, DIALOGUE AND ADR IN A FEATURE FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
1920. The World’s Most Important Battle
Circumstance
Tropa de Elite 2 (Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within)
The Flowers of War
In the Land of Blood and Honey
Sarah’s Key
The Skin I Live In

BEST SOUND EDITING: MUSIC IN A FEATURE FILM
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hop
Hugo
Priest
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Tree of Life
STORY: Oscar Contenders Sound Off on Sound Mixing, Sound Editing

BEST SOUND EDITING: MUSIC IN A MUSICAL FEATURE FILM
Footloose
The Muppets
Perfect Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Pina

BEST SOUND EDITING: DIALOGUE AND ADR IN A FEATURE FILM
Abduction
The Help
Moneyball
Quarantine II: Terminal
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
War Horse
The Way

BEST SOUND EDITING: SOUND EFFECTS AND FOLEY IN A FEATURE FILM
Drive
Fast Five
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

1/16/12
BAFTA AWARDS

BEST FILM
THE ARTIST – Thomas Langmann
THE DESCENDANTS – Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
DRIVE – Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
THE HELP – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges
SENNA – Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey
SHAME – Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo, Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno, Rory Stewart Kinnear

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
ATTACK THE BLOCK – Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
BLACK POND – Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
CORIOLANUS – Ralph Fiennes (Director)
SUBMARINE – Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)
TYRANNOSAUR – Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
INCENDIES – Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McGraw
PINA – Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel
POTICHE – François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
A SEPARATION – Asghar Farhadi
THE SKIN I LIVE IN – Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar

DOCUMENTARY
GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – Martin Scorsese
PROJECT NIM – James Marsh, Simon Chinn
SENNA – Asif Kapadia

ANIMATED FILM
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Steven Spielberg
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS – Sarah Smith
RANGO – Gore Verbinski

DIRECTOR
THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE – Nicolas Winding Refn
HUGO – Martin Scorsese
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tomas Alfredson
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsay

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
BRIDESMAIDS – Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
THE GUARD – John Michael McDonagh
THE IRON LADY – Abi Morgan
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – Woody Allen

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE DESCENDANTS – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
THE HELP – Tate Taylor
THE IDES OF MARCH – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
MONEYBALL – Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

LEADING ACTOR
BRAD PITT – Moneyball
GARY OLDMAN – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
GEORGE CLOONEY – The Descendants
JEAN DUJARDIN – The Artist
MICHAEL FASSBENDER – Shame

LEADING ACTRESS
BÉRÉNICE BEJO – The Artist
MERYL STREEP – The Iron Lady
MICHELLE WILLIAMS – My Week with Marilyn
TILDA SWINTON – We Need to Talk About Kevin
VIOLA DAVIS – The Help

SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER – Beginners
JIM BROADBENT – The Iron Lady
JONAH HILL – Moneyball
KENNETH BRANAGH – My Week with Marilyn
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – The Ides of March

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CAREY MULLIGAN – Drive
JESSICA CHASTAIN – The Help
JUDI DENCH – My Week with Marilyn
MELISSA MCCARTHY – Bridesmaids
OCTAVIA SPENCER – The Help

ORIGINAL MUSIC
THE ARTIST – Ludovic Bource
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
HUGO – Howard Shore
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Alberto Iglesias
WAR HORSE – John Williams

CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE ARTIST – Guillaume Schiffman
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Jeff Cronenweth
HUGO – Robert Richardson
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Hoyte van Hoytema
WAR HORSE – Janusz Kaminski

EDITING
THE ARTIST – Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE – Mat Newman
HUGO – Thelma Schoonmaker
SENNA – Gregers Sall, Chris King
TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY – Dino Jonsater

PRODUCTION DESIGN
THE ARTIST – Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
HUGO – Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
WAR HORSE – Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

COSTUME DESIGN
THE ARTIST – Mark Bridges
HUGO – Sandy Powell
JANE EYRE – Michael O’Connor
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jill Taylor
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Jacqueline Durran

MAKE UP & HAIR
THE ARTIST – Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
HUGO – Morag Ross, Jan Archibald
THE IRON LADY – Marese Langan
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jenny Shircore

SOUND
THE ARTIST – Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener
HUGO – Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley
WAR HORSE – Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Joe Letteri
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery
HUGO – Rob Legato, Ben Grossman, Joss Williams
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White
WAR HORSE – Ben Morris, Neil Corbould

1/16/12
AMERICAN CINEMA EDITOR’S EDDIE AWARDS

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):
The Descendants – Kevin Tent, A.C.E.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Angus Wall, A.C.E. & Kirk Baxter, A.C.E.
Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker, A.C.E.
Moneyball – Christopher Tellefsen, A.C.E.
War Horse – Michael Kahn, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):
The Artist – Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids – William Kerr & Michael L. Sale
Midnight in Paris – Alisa Lepselter
My Week with Marilyn – Adam Recht
Young Adult – Dana E. Glauberman, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
The Adventures of Tintin – Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Puss in Boots – Eric Dapkewicz
Rango – Craig Wood, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY:

Cave of Forgotten Dreams
 – Joe Bini & Maya Hawke
Freedom Riders – Lewis Erskine & Aljernon Tunsil
George Harrison: Living in the Material World – David Tedeschi

1/12/12
DIRECTOR’S GUILD OF AMERICA

FEATURE FILM:
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
David Fincher, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

DOCUMENTARY FILM:
Joe Berlinger and Joe Sinofsky, “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
Steve James, “The Interrupters”
James Marsh, “Project Nim”
Richard Press, “Bill Cunningham New York”
Martin Scorsese, “George Harrison: Living in the Material World”

1/12/12
CRITIC’S CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

Best Picture: “The Artist”
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius — “The Artist”
Best Actor: George Clooney — “The Descendants”
Best Actress: Viola Davis — “The Help”
Best Suppporting Actor: Christopher Plummer — “Beginners”
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer — “The Help”
Best Young Actor/Actress: Thomas Horn — “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
Best Acting Ensemble: The cast of “The Help”
Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen — “Midnight in Paris”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian and Stan Chervin — “Moneyball”
Best Cinematography: (tie) “War Horse” and “The Tree of Life”
Best Animated Feature: “Rango”
Best Action Movie: “Drive”
Best Comedy: “Bridesmaids”
Best Foreign-Language Film: “A Separation”
Best Documentary Feature: “George Harrison: Living in the Material World”
Best Song: “Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”
Best Art Direction: “Hugo”
Best Editing: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Best Costume Design: “The Artist”
Best Makeup: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
Best Visual Effects: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Best Sound: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″
Best Score: “The Artist”
Joel Siegel Award: Sean Penn
Critics’ Choice Music + Film Award: Martin Scorsese

1/7/12
THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS

BEST ACTOR: Brad Pitt (Moneyball, The Tree of Life)
BEST ACTRESS: Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Albert Brooks (Drive)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Help)
BEST PICTURE: Melancholia (Lars von Trier)
BEST DIRECTOR: Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
BEST NONFICTION: Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Werner Herzog)
BEST SCREENPLAY: A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Tree of Life (Emanuel Lubezki)

1/3/12
ART DIRECTOR’S GUILD OF AMERICA AWARDS

Period Film
THE ARTIST, Production Designer: Laurence Bennett
HUGO, Production Designer: Dante Ferretti
THE HELP, Production Designer: Mark Ricker
ANONYMOUS, Production Designer: Sebastian Krawinkel
TINKER TAYLOR SOLDIER SPY, Production Designer: Maria Djurkovic

Fantasy Film
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 2, Production Designer: Stuart Craig
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, Production Designer: Rick Heinrichs
THE ADVENTURES OF TIN TIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN, Production Designer: TBD
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, Production Designer: John Myhre
COWBOYS & ALIENS, Production Designer: Scott Chambliss

Contemporary Film
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt
THE DESCENDANTS, Production Designer: Jane Anne Stewart
EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE, Production Designer: K.K. Barrett
DRIVE, Production Designer: Beth Mickle
BRIDESMAIDS, Production Designer: Jefferson Sage

1/3/12
PRODUCER’S GUILD OF AMERICA AWARDS

Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures:

‘THE ARTIST’
Producer: Thomas Langmann
‘BRIDESMAIDS’
Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend
‘THE DESCENDANTS’
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
‘THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO’
Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin
‘THE HELP’
Producers: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green
‘HUGO’
Producers: Graham King, Martin Scorsese
‘THE IDES OF MARCH’
Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver
‘MIDNIGHT IN PARIS’
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
‘MONEYBALL’
Producers: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt
‘WAR HORSE’
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:
‘THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN’
Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
‘CARS 2′
Producer: Denise Ream
‘KUNG FU PANDA 2′
Producer: Melissa Cobb
‘PUSS IN BOOTS’
Producers: Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou
‘RANGO’
Producers: John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:
‘BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST’
Producers: Michael Rapaport, Edward Parks (*additional producers eligibility pending arbitration completion)
‘BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK’
Producer: Philip Gefter
‘PROJECT NIM’
Producer: Simon Chinn
‘SENNA’
Producer: James Gay-Rees
‘THE UNION’
Producers: Cameron Crowe, Michelle Panek

1/2/12
ONLINE FILM CRITICS AWARDS

Best Picture:
 “The Tree of Life”


Best Director:
 Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Best Lead Actor:
 Michael Fassbender, “Shame”
Best Lead Actress:
 Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Best Supporting Actor:
 Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Best Supporting Actress:
 Jessica Chastain, “The Tree of Life”
Best Original Screenplay:
 “Midnight in Paris”
Best Adapted Screenplay:
 “Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy”
Best Editing:
 “The Tree of Life”
Best Cinematography:
 “The Tree of Life”
Best Animated Feature:
 “Rango”
Best Film Not in the English Language: 
”A Separation”
Best Documentary:
 “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”

12/18/11
SATELLITE AWARDS

Motion Picture: “The Descendants”
Actress in a Motion Picture: Viola Davis, “The Help”
Actor in a Motion Picture: Ryan Gosling, “Drive”
Actress in a Supporting Role: Jessica Chastain, “The Tree of Life”
Actor in a Supporting Role: Albert Brooks, “Drive”
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”
Screenplay, Original: “The Tree of Life,” Terrence Malick
Screenplay, Adapted: “The Descendants,” Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, Nax Faxon
Foreign Film: “Mysteries of Lisbon”
Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media: “The Adventures of Tintin”
Motion Picture, Documentary: “Senna”
Original Score: “Soul Surfer,” Marco Beltrani
Original Song: “Lay Down Your Head” from “Albert Nobbs,” Brian Byrne and Glenn Close
Cinematography: “War Horse,” Janusz Kaminski
Visual Effects: “Hugo,” Robert Legato
Film Editing: “The Guard,” Chris Gill
Sound (Editing and Mixing): “Drive,” Dave Patterson, Lon Bender, Robert Fernandez, Victor Ray Ennis
Art Direction & Production Design: “The Artist,” Gregory S. Hooper, Laurence Bennett
Costume Design: “Water for Elephants,” Jacqueline West

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Best First Feature: Paddy Considine, “Tyrannosaur”
Best Ensemble: “The Help”
Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment Industry: Mitzi Gaynor
Nikola Tesla Award in Recognition of Visionary Achivement in Filmmaking Technology: Douglas Trumbull
Auteur Award: Peter Bogdanovich
Humanitarian Award: Tim Hetherington (1970-2011)

12/14/11
SAG AWARDS

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
DEMIÁN BICHIR / Carlos Galindo – “A BETTER LIFE”
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King – “THE DESCENDANTS”
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / J. Edgar Hoover – “J. EDGAR”
JEAN DUJARDIN / George – “THE ARTIST”
BRAD PITT / Billy Beane – “MONEYBALL”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
GLENN CLOSE / Albert Nobbs – “ALBERT NOBBS”
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark – “THE HELP”
MERYL STREEP / Margaret Thatcher – “THE IRON LADY”
TILDA SWINTON / Eva – “WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN”
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Marilyn Monroe – “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
KENNETH BRANAGH / Sir Laurence Olivier – “MY WEEK WITH MARILYN”
ARMIE HAMMER / Clyde Tolson – “J. EDGAR”
JONAH HILL / Peter Brand – “MONEYBALL”
NICK NOLTE / Paddy Conlon – “WARRIOR”
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal – “BEGINNERS”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy – “THE ARTIST”
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote – “THE HELP”
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan – “BRIDESMAIDS”
JANET McTEER / Hubert Page – “ALBERT NOBBS”
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson – “THE HELP”

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE ARTIST
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy
JAMES CROMWELL / Clifton
JEAN DUJARDIN / George
JOHN GOODMAN / Al Zimmer
PENELOPE ANN MILLER / Doris

BRIDESMAIDS
ROSE BYRNE / Helen
JILL CLAYBURGH / Annie’s Mom
ELLIE KEMPER / Becca
MATT LUCAS / Gil
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan
WENDI McLENDON-COVEY / Rita
CHRIS O’DOWD / Rhodes
MAYA RUDOLPH / Lillian
KRISTEN WIIG / Annie

THE DESCENDANTS
BEAU BRIDGES / Cousin Hugh
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King
ROBERT FORSTER / Scott Thorson
JUDY GREER / Julie Speer
MATTHEW LILLARD / Brian Speer
SHAILENE WOODLEY / Alexandra King

THE HELP
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Hilly Holbrook
ALLISON JANNEY / Charlotte Phelan
CHRIS LOWELL / Stuart Whitworth
AHNA O’REILLY / Elizabeth Leefolt
SISSY SPACEK / Missus Walters
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson
MARY STEENBURGEN / Elaine Stein
EMMA STONE / Skeeter Phelan
CICELY TYSON / Constantine Jefferson
MIKE VOGEL / Johnny Foote

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
KATHY BATES / Gertrude Stein
ADRIEN BRODY / Salvador Dali
CARLA BRUNI / Museum Guide
MARION COTILLARD / Adriana
RACHEL McADAMS / Inez
MICHAEL SHEEN / Paul
OWEN WILSON / Gil

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
The Adjustment Bureau
Cowboys & Aliens
Harry Potter and the Deahtly Hallows: Part II
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
X-Men: First Class

Screen Actors Guild Awards 46th Annual Life Achievement Award
Mary Tyler Moore

12/15/11
THE GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE: DRAMA
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

BEST PICTURE: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week With Marilyn

BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

BEST ACTOR: DRAMA
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J.Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS: DRAMA
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin

BEST ACTRESS: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristin Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

BEST ACTOR: COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“A Separation” (Iran)
“The Flowers Of War” (China)
“The Kid With The Bike” (Belgium)
“In The Land Of Blood and Honey” (USA)
“The Skin I Live In” (Spain)

BEST SCREENPLAY
The Artist
The Descendants
The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Ludovic Bource – “The Artist”
Abel Korzeniowski – “W.E.”
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”
Howard Shore – “Hugo”
John Williams – “War Horse”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss In Boots
Rango

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Hello Hello” – “Gnomeo & Juliet – Elton John
“Lay Your Head Down” – “Albert Nobbs” – Sinead O’Connor
“The Living Proof” – “The Help” – Mary J. Blige
“The Keeper” – “Machine Gun Preacher” – Gerard Butler
“Masterpiece” – “W.E.” – Madonna

12/11/11
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS (WINNERS)

FILM – The Artist
DIRECTOR – Michael Hazanavicius, The Artist
ACTOR – Michael Shannon, Take Shelter
ACTRESS – Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
SUPPORTING ACTOR – Albert Brooks, Drive
SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
CINEMATOGRAPHY – Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
SCREENPLAY – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants
FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE – A Separation
DOCUMENTARY – Cave of Forgotten Dreams
ANIMATED FEATURE – The Adventures of Tintin
USE OF MUSIC – Ludovic Bource, The Artist
BREAKOUT PERFORMER – Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life, The Help,The Debt, Take Shelter
DEBUT AS DIRECTOR – Joe Cornish, Attack the Block
ENSEMBLE CAST – Bridesmaids

TOP PICTURES OF 2011 (alphabetical)
The Artist (The Weinstein Co.)
The Descendants (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Drive (Film District)
The Help (DreamWorksPictures)
Hugo (Paramount Pictures)
Melancholia (Magnolia Pictures)
Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)
Take Shelter (Sony Pictures Classics)
The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
War Horse (Dreamworks Pictures)

12/11/11
BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS AWARDS (WINNERS)

BEST PICTURE: “The Artist”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE: “Incendies”
BEST ANIMATED FILM: “Rango”
BEST DOCUMENTARY: “Project Nim”
BEST DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
BEST NEW FILMMAKER:Sean Durkin for “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
BEST SCREENPLAY: Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stann Chervin, and Michael Lewis for “Moneyball”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Emmanuel Lubezki for “Tree of Life”
BEST EDITING: Christian Marclay for “The Clock”
BEST USE OF MUSIC IN A FILM: “Drive” and “The Artist” (tie)
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: “Carnage”
BEST ACTOR: Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”
BEST ACTRESS: Michelle Williams in “My Week With Marilyn”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Albert Brooks in “Drive”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”

12/11/11
LA FILM CRITICS AWARDS (WINNERS)

BEST PICTURE
Winner: The Descendants
Runner-Up: The Tree of Life

BEST ANIMATION
Winner: Rango
Runner-Up: The Adventures of Tintin

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Runner-Up: Martin Scorsese, Hugo

BEST ACTOR
Winner: Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class
Runner-Up: Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Yun Jung-Hee, Poetry
Runner-Up: Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia

BEST INDEPENDENT/EXPERIMENTAL
Winner: Spark of Being

BEST DOCUMENTARY/NONFICTION
Winner: Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Runner- Up: The Arbor

BEST SCREENPLAY
Winner: Asghar Farhadi, A Separation
Runner-Up: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Runner-Up: Patton Oswalt, Young Adult

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Jessica Chastain, Coriolanus, The Debt, The Help, Take Shelter, Texas Killing Fields, The Tree of Life
Runner-Up: Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
Runner-Up: Cao Yu, City of Life and Death

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Winner: Dante Ferretti, Hugo
Runner-Up: Maria Djurkovic, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

BEST MUSIC/SCORE
Winner: The Chemical Brothers, Hanna
Runner-Up: Cliff Martinez, Drive

12/1/11
NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW (WINNERS)

Best Film: Hugo
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy
Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Best Ensemble: The Help
Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class)
NBR Freedom of Expression: Crime After Crime
NBR Freedom of Expression: Pariah
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise – A Distinguished Translation from Book to Film

12/5/11
THE ANNIE AWARDS

Best Animated Feature
A Cat in Paris – Folimage
Arrugas (Wrinkles) – Perro Verde Films, S.L.
Arthur Christmas – Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Cars 2 – Pixar Animation Studios
Chico & Rita – Chico & Rita Distribution Limited
Kung Fu Panda 2 – DreamWorks Animation
Puss In Boots – DreamWorks Animation
Rango – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Production
Rio – Blue Sky Studios
Tintin – Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall

Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Can Yuksel “Puss In Boots” – DreamWorks Animation
Chase Cooper “Rango” – Industrial Light & Magic
Dan Lund “Winnie The Pooh” – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Dave Tidgwell “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation
Eric Froemling “Cars 2” – Pixar Animation Studios
Jason Mayer “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation
Joel Aron “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” – Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.
Jon Reisch “Cars 2” – Pixar Animation Studios
Kevin Romond “Tintin” – Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall
Willi Geiger “Rango” – Industrial Light & Magic

Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Branko Grujcic “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”– Industrial Light & Magic
Florent Andorra “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” – Industrial Light & Magic
Gary Wu “Cowboys & Aliens”– Industrial Light & Magic
Lee Uren “Cowboys & Aliens” – Industrial Light & Magic

Character Animation in a Feature Production
Andreas Deja “Winnie The Pooh” – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Dan Wagner “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation
Jeff Gabor “Rio” – Blue Sky Studios
Mark Henn “Winnie The Pooh” – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Olivier Staphylas “Puss In Boots” – DreamWorks Animation
Patrik Puhala “Rio” – Blue Sky Studios
Pierre Perifel “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Andy Arnett “HOP” – Rhythm & Hues, Illumination Entertainment
David Lowry “Paul” – Double Negative Visual Effects for Universal Productions/ Relativity Media/Working Title Films/Big Talk Productions
Eric Reynolds “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” – 20th Century Fox
Mike Hull “Paul” – Double Negative Visual Effects for Universal Productions/Relativity Media/Working Title Films/Big Talk Productions

Character Design in a Feature Production
Jay Shuster “Cars 2” – Pixar Animation Studios
Mark “Crash” McCreery “Rango” – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Productions
Patrick Mate “Puss In Boots” – DreamWorks Animation
Peter de Seve “Arthur Christmas” – Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Sergio Pablos “Rio” – Blue Sky Studios

Directing in a Feature Production
Carlos Saldahna “Rio” – Blue Sky Studios
Chris Miller “Puss In Boots” – DreamWorks Animation
Don Hall & Stephen Anderson “Winnie The Pooh” – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Gore Verbinski “Rango” – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present a Blind Wink/GK Films Productions
Jennifer Yuh Nelson “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation
Kelly Asbury “Gnomeo & Juliet” – Touchstone Pictures

Music in a Feature Production
Henry Jackman “Puss In Boots” – DreamWorks Animation
John Williams “Tintin” – Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall
Mikael Mutti, Siedah Garrett, Carlinhos Brown, Sergio Mendes, John Powell, “Rio” – Blue Sky Studios
Zooey Deschanel, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Henry Jackman, Robert Lopez “Winnie The Pooh” – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Production Design in a Feature Production
Harley Jessup “Cars 2” – Pixar Animation Studios
Paul Felix “Winnie The Pooh” – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Raymond Zilbach “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation
Tom Cardone, Kyle MacNaughton & Peter Chan “Rio” – Blue Sky Studios

Storyboarding in a Feature Production
Bob Logan “Puss In Boots” – DreamWorks Animation
Delia Gosman “Rango” – Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Production
Gary Graham “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation
Jeremy Spears “Winnie The Pooh” – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Josh Hayes “Rango” – Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Production
Kris Pearn “Arthur Christmas” – Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Nelson Yokota “Gnomeo & Juliet” – Touchstone Pictures
Philip Craven “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation
Scott Morse “Cars 2” – Pixar Animation Studios

Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Ashley Jensen as Bryony “Arthur Christmas” – Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Bill Nighy as Grandsanta “Arthur Christmas” – Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Gary Oldman as Shen “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation
James Hong as Mr. Ping “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation
Jemaine Clement as Nigel “Rio” – Blue Sky Studios
Jim Cummings as Featherstone “Gnomeo & Juliet” – Touchstone Pictures
Zach Galifianakis as Humpty Alexander Dumpty “Puss In Boots” – DreamWorks Animation

Writing in a Feature Production
Andy Riley, Kevin Cecil, Mark Burton, Kathy Greenburg, Emily Cook, Rob Sprackling, John R. Smith, Kelly Asbury, Steve Hamilton Shaw “Gnomeo & Juliet” – Touchstone Pictures
Brian Kesinger, Kendelle Hoyer, Don Dougherty, Clio Chiang, Don Hall, Stephen Anderson, Nicole Mitchell, Jeremy Spears “Winnie The Pooh” – Walt Disney Animation Studios
John Logan, Gore Verbinski and James Byrkit “Rango” – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Productions
Sarah Smith, Peter Baynham “Arthur Christmas” – Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Steve Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cronish “Tintin”– Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall

Editing in a Feature Production
Clare Knight, A.C.E. “Kung Fu Panda 2” – DreamWorks Animation
Craig Wood, A.C.E. “Rango” – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Productions
Eric Dapkewicz “Puss In Boots” – DreamWorks Animation
Michael Kahn “Tintin”– Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall
Stephen Schaffer, A.C.E. “Cars 2” – Pixar Animation Studios

11/29/11
THE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

Best Feature (Award given to the Producer)
50/50 – Ben Karlin, Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Beginners – Miranda de Pencier, Lars Knudsen, Jan Van Hoy, Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech
Drive – Michel Litvak, John Palermo, Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker, Adam Siegel
Take Shelter – Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin
The Artist – Thomas Langmann, Emmanuel Montamat
The Descendants – Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Mike Mills, Beginners
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

Best First Feature (Award given to the director and producer)
Another Earth – Director: Mike Cahill; Producers: Mike Cahill, Hunter Gray, Brit Marling, Nicholas Shumaker
In The Family – Director: Patrick Wang; Producers: Robert Tonino, Andrew van den Houten, Patrick Wang
Margin Call – Director: J.C. Chandor; Producers: Robert Ogden Barnum, Michael Benaroya, Neal Dodson, Joe Jenckes, Corey Moosa, Zachary Quinto
Martha Marcy May Marlene – Director: Sean Durkin; Producers: Antonio Campos, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach, Josh Mond
Natural Selection – Director: Robbie Pickering; Producers: Brion, Hambel, Paul Jensen

John Cassavetes Award
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
Bellflower – Writer/Director: Evan Glodell; Producers: Evan Glodell, Vincent Grashaw
Circumstance – Writer/Director: Maryam Kesahavarz; Producers: Karin Chien, Maryan Keshavarz, Melissa M. Lee
Hello Lonesome – Writer/Director/Producer: Adam Reid
Pariah – Writer/Director: Dee Rees; Producer: Nekisa Cooper
The Dynamiter – Writers: Matthew Gordon, Brad Ingelsby; Director: Matthew Gordon; Producers: Kevin Abrams, Matthew Gordon, Merilee Holt, Nate Tuck, Amile Wilson

Best Screenplay
Mike Mills, Beginners
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants
Joseph Cedar, Footnote
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Tom McCarthy, Win Win

Best First Screenplay
Mike Cahill & Brit Marling, Another Earth
Patrick deWitt, Terri
Phil Johnston, Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser, 50/50
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call

Best Female Lead
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Rachael Harris, Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye, Pariah
Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me

Best Male Lead
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter
Woody Harrelson, Rampart
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Demian Bichir, A Better Life

Best Supporting Female
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston, 50/50
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
Shailenne Woodley, The Descendants

Best Supporting Male
Albert Brooks, Drive
John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
John C. Reilly, Cedar Rapids

Best Cinematography
Joel Hodge, Bellflower
Darius Khondji, Midnight in Paris
Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist
Benjamin Kasulke, The Off-Hours
Jeffrey Waldron, The Dynamiter

Best Documentary (Award given to the director)
Jarreth Merz, An African Election
Richard Press, Bill Cunningham New York
Steve James, The Interrupters
David Weissman, We Were Here
Eric Strauss and Daniele Anastasion, The Redemption of General Butt Naked

Best Foreign Film (Award given to the director)
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation
Lars Von Trier, Melancholia
Steve McQueen, Shame
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, The Kid With a Bike
Paddy Considine, Tyrannosaur

Robert Altman Award
(Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Margin Call – Director: J.C. Chandor; Casting Directors: Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey; Cast: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Aasif Mandvi, Ashley Williams

Piaget Producers Award
Chad Burris (Mosquito y Mari)
Sophia Lynn (Take Shelter)
Josh Bond (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

Someone to Watch Award
Simon Arthur (Silver Tongues)
Mark Jackson (Without)
Nicholas Ozeki (Mamitas)

Truer Than Fiction Award
Where Soldiers Come From
Hell and Back Again
Bombay Beach

11/28/11
GOTHAM AWARDS (WINNERS)

Best Feature (tie)
Beginners (Focus Features) – Mike Mills, director; Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Miranda de Pencier, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, producers
The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight Pictures) – Terrence Malick, director; Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill, producers

Second Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Award – Girlfriend; Justin Lerner, director-producer;Jerad Anderson, Kristina Lauren Anderson, Shaun O’Banion, producers

LATALKRADIO.COM – BROAD TOPICS
SEPTEMBER 27, 2011
Movie Guys Paul Preston and Karen Volpe stopped in on LA TALK RADIO’s “Broad Topics” again, reviewing “Moneyball”, “50/50″ and “Drive”. (14 min., 57 sec.)

THE MOVIE GUYS’ OCTOBER MOVIE PREVIEW – “THE BIG MONTH”

Movie Guys Paul Preston, Karen Volpe, Adam Witt and Steve Walker give you the lowdown and their thoughts on what’s happening movie-wise in October. “The Big Month” covers the major releases of October 7 – 21, 2011, including REAL STEEL, THE IDES OF MARCH, FOOTLOOSE, THE THING, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 and THE THREE MUSKETEERS.

WHO’S GONNA DRIVE YOU HOME TONIGHT?

Drive

***

Review by Paul Preston

Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive” feels like a throwback to the 1980s. But don’t expect Romy and Michelle to pop up, rather a mood and tone is created here that longs for “Manhunter”’s Will Graham to make an appearance, as Refn piles on gobs of visual style that would make Michael Mann proud.

Ryan Gosling, always a good choice to cast as whoever, plays, simply, “Driver”. He says little, is little affected, and is capable of bouts of violence that should earn him the word “Taxi” in front of his name. He’s a motion picture stunt driver by day, getaway car driver-for-hire by night. He seems to lack the ability to have successful human contact with anyone until he gets to know his neighbor Irene, played by Carey Mulligan. Irene’s husband draws Gosling into a driving job that goes very, very wrong, putting everyone in danger, which is just how you want things in a movie like this.

Refn directs with the confidence of someone who’s directed twice as many movies as he has. This is his first American story, and from the “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” font that graces the poster to the Tangerine Dream-esque score by Cliff Martinez to the excellent nighttime driving photography, Refn must have watched a lot of Crockett and Tubbs in his youth.

But unlike an ‘80s TV show, “Drive” is prone to outrageous violence that stops the viewer in his tracks. I went with it. I thought the film worked very methodically to draw me in, using long takes and slow, deliberate acting. So when things sped up, I was, no pun intended, along for the ride.

Many people in the audience I saw “Drive” with were visibly and audibly shocked by the violence in this movie, but don’t let any stories about that kind of reaction deter you. These wimps are the same people who will tell you that “Goodfellas”, a wildly violent film, is one of the greatest movies of all time. So don’t come to “Drive” all uptight, just saying.

Mulligan is very good as Irene, continuing to pull a nice run of quality performances out of nowhere. Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman deliver in stock delinquent roles, but Albert Brooks really impresses as a brazen crime boss whose motive is never surprising, but his delivery (and Brooks’ playing against type) always is.

The score is much better than the song collection here. Unfortunately, my least favorite song on the soundtrack is used multiple times. Also, I wasn’t completely satisfied at the end, ending up as coolly detached as these characters who exude mood more than emotion. But there is genuine tension in this film, and the assertiveness in which Refn delivers this style piece is hypnotic.

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Release Date: September 16, 2011
Run Time: 100 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: R
Company: Bold Films

OFFICIAL TRAILER

OSCAR RANT 2011

(Honoring the films of 2010)

Rant by Paul Preston

I think I can safely say that despite the quality of some of the year’s best movies, it was not a great year. The strangest trait all the major Hollywood releases share is that the worst movies of the year were some of the biggest blockbusters. This is not a good sign because it sends a signal to filmmakers that they can keep shooting low and underwhelming and we’ll keep going. Sadly, I don’t think it’s in the best interest of my personal health to hold my breath for the day the biggest money-makers are also the year’s best.

Some kudos to the ticket-buying public, however, because in the middle of the wreckage, “Inception” and “Toy Story 3” were blockbusters, and even “The Social Network” made a bundle.

Now that I’m talking good films, let’s begin there, shall we? My list of the Top 10 Films of 2010:

10. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD – If you’ve read my rants before, you know I always include the funniest movie of the year in my Top 10. The jokes, gags, and references flew fast and furious out of the screen creating a cacophony of freakitude unlike anything I’ve ever seen. In the capable hands of Edgar Wright, this was a wonderfully modern hipster-fest that never slowed down for you to catch up. You either stayed with it or fell behind and for those who stayed, it was quite a trip.
Click here for a full-length review.

9. INSIDE JOB – Charles Ferguson’s dynamic look at the cause of the current recession angered the shit out of me. But please don’t say, “I have no desire to go to a movie and leave angry”. The truth is, you leave smarter, because Ferguson, as he did in the also-great “No End in Sight”, delivers the facts without pretension in an easy-to-digest manner, singling out the culprits whose greed has run the country’s economy into the crapper. But I should say the facts will make you angry…

8. GET LOW – Forgotten by most year-end lists, this wonderful comic fable has an extraordinary heart and smooth direction by Aaron Schneider that keeps it floating above cheese. Always helping to keep any project from slipping into cheesedom is the presence of the great Bill Murray, who manages to walk the fine line of being authentically period and authentically hilarious. Robert Duvall only gets a lead role once in a while anymore (it’s been seven years since “Secondhand Lions” and “Open Range”), but it’s always worth taking notice, as he underplays his character of the town hermit to perfection, delivering a finale that is soaked in history and emotion.

7. WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN” – Davis Guggenheim looks at the failing American school system, and not only delivers the goods any doc should exposing the foibles of incompetence in the government, but he stumbles upon very effective subjects to follow. The young girl who wants to be a doctor, the boy in a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood, the student caught in the tracking system, they all can upgrade their educations to charter and private schools if the public lottery chooses them. This provides more drama than “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” ever could, which made a hundred bazillion more dollars than “Waiting for ‘Superman’”.

6. THE KING’S SPEECH – A solid effort from all involved, “The King’s Speech” is anchored by a fantastic script from David Seidler, that not only chronicles a large expanse of British history, but effectively personalizes it and litters it with whip-smart, crackling dialogue. Just like they told me in acting class, whether the country needs uniting or the monarchy is in chaos, it all comes down to relationships, and it doesn’t hurt to have a very-well seasoned and accomplished cast, led by Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter.

5. THE FIGHTER – This movie wins for straight-up most entertaining flick of the year. ‘Cause I thought, “What’s the guy who made ‘Spanking the Monkey’ going to do to make me care about the very well-trod realm of the boxing picture?” By the end, I was totally invested and really rooting for Mickey Ward, even though I disagreed with some of the dumb decisions he made on his path to success! I also know the people portrayed in Lowell. Even though I grew up five hours west of there, in Upstate NY, the power that a group of people like Mickey’s family can wield, the power to stunt growth, to pull you down, to keep you at their level of mediocrity was familiar. It’s refreshing to see it portrayed so authentically.

4. SHUTTER ISLAND – Lest you forget, MARTIN SCORSESE released a film in 2010, and lest you forget, HE’S COMPLETELY AWESOME. Marty doesn’t disappoint with this hyper-kinetic asylum story. More controlled than any commercial thriller he’s ever made (“Cape Fear” was a little much, no?), the final half hour packs a huge punch. Always up for exploring the dark side, Leonardo DiCaprio once again steps it up and exceeds what’s asked of him as the tone shifts from out and out thriller to heartbreaking mystery, with a final scene that kicked my ass.

3. TOY STORY 3 – Well, surprise, surprise, Pixar made my Top 10 again (he said sarcastically). It’s getting ri-goddamm-diculous how successfully Pixar is maintaining their winning streak, but they prove their greatness again by not coasting for a second with what seemed like a easy return to a popular franchise, after challenging audiences with the likes of “WALL-E” and “Up”. Instead, “Toy Story 3” feels as fresh as the original film, with a storytelling skill that allows the introduction of a whole bunch of new characters that never seems as crowded as a “Shrek” movie. I know more sequels are in the works (“Cars 2” isn’t surprising, since the first film has not made EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS worldwide in sales and merchandising), but I hope the high standards for the studio stay intact.
Click here for the full-length review.

2. THE SOCIAL NETWORK – The script for “The Social Network” by Aaron Sorkin is a thing of beauty. The film moves with lightning speed through moments of procedure, audacity and humor, driving the film to the point where if you can’t hang on, it’s best to just get out of the way. Up to the task of jumping through time and place at ludicrous speed is director David Fincher, who has crafted an of-the-moment masterpiece exceeding other films that will define the last ten years like “Crash” and “The Hurt Locker”. Every element of filmmaking here is of the highest quality. It’s full of drama, suspense, backstabbing and wit, just like Facebook.

1. INCEPTION – My choice for number one in a tough year to choose, but if cons against some of the other options included “Toy Story 3”’s revisiting of familiar themes or “The King’s Speech”’s material not being too edgy or challenging, “Inception” triumphs with a story that’s so insane to think up, that the only thing more insane is conjuring up the balls to pull it off. “Inception” is wildly original, challenging, bold, and emotionally galvanizing. You know a review is serious when it uses “galvanizing”, but seriously, many people dismissed “Inception” as impressive, but not involving. I disagree. The Cobb/Mal relationship is at the core of everything, and it runs the gamut of deep emotion – lovely one moment, painful the next, with an ending that calls out the complexities of Cobb’s character that any lesser film wouldn’t even have written. Plus, “Inception” is ground-breakingly cinematic, imagining and PULLING OFF scenes that will make your head spin with exceptional visual effects that serve the story and amaze at the same time. An action movie, a drama, a sci-fi mindbender, it’s everything for everybody in glorious 2D.

RUNNERS-UP:
THE COMPANY MEN – A criminally underappreciated human drama from John Wells that expertly conveys the effects of the 2008 economic downturn.
BLUE VALENTINE – The fireworks in the end credits of this film are the last of two hours worth of acting pyrotechnics from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams
GREEN ZONE – Probably number eleven on my list, Paul Greengrass makes another crazy-exciting action movie that made me frustrated as hell over the misuse of our troops in the Middle East.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – DreamWorks Animation’s best story and best movie yet!

THE WORST
THE LAST AIRBENDER – M. Night Shyamalan’s filmmaking skills have gotten so bad, it’s time to forget, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”-style, that he ever made “The Sixth Sense”
PREDATORS – Adrien Brody is a man-whore.
THE EXPENDABLES – Never has a man done so little with so little.
LITTLE FOCKERS – This movie is absolutely wretched. Poop, vomit, erections, it’s all here, except humor.
SOMEWHERE – Dull self-indulgence of the highest order.
JONAH HEX – The Megan Fox era is over. Rejoice.
CLASH OF THE TITANS – Sound and fury signifying nothing.

THE ABSOLUTE WORST
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME – This movie is completely ridiculous, and I know you’re not expecting serious and sensible from a “Prince of Persia” movie, but this movie makes NO SENSE, in our world, in their world, in the world of filmmaking and storytelling, it’s baffling. This film, from the usually great Mike Newell, is bad in every facet of filmmaking.

THE OSCARS:

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”
James Franco in “127 Hours”

Glaring Omission: Ryan Gosling, for a brazenly authentic performance in “Blue Valentine”. Bridges, although creating an indelible character, doesn’t deal with a character arc as impressive and excitable as Gosling’s. Actually, Gosling’s complicated performance is better than everyone in this category.
Runners-up: Robert Duvall in ‘Get Low”. He brings his decades of experience as an actor to the pathos and mystery of this character to great effect. Leonardo DiCaprio was outstanding in both “Inception” and “Shutter Island”, mining tragic and sad corners of his personality and was grossly overlooked. Kevin Spacey was funny in “Casino Jack”, but the film lacked gravitas. If they had a comedy award, like the Globes, he could be considered.
Great Inclusion: Eisenberg. A lot of people are writing this off as “playing himself”. I doubt Eisenberg is anything like the way he played Mark Zuckerberg. And he’s built a memorable performance the way Hannibal Lecter and Anton Chigurh can be imitated. That counts for something in the world of character development.
Will Win: Colin Firth, front-running in most every pre-Oscar award.
Should Win: Firth, it’s a great leading-man performance that has all the class and style of the Oscar-winning greats.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone”
Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

Glaring Omission: Ben Mendelsohn in “Animal Kingdom”. Our site’s review by Mary Gent summed up Mendelsohn’s performance well, saying that after the movie, you have to read an article, find a video, SOMETHING to prove to yourself that Mendelsohn’s stay-in-your-bones creepy performance was, in fact, just acting. If the Academy went so far as to recognize the little-seen “Animal Kingdom” for Jacki Weaver’s performance, than Mendelsohn deserved a nod, too. It’s more memorable than Ruffalo, who was solid, but Mendelsohn’s part was career-peaking.
Runners-up: Tommy Lee Jones in “The Company Men”. For an actor who built a career as a tough guy, he now embodies sadness better than any actor his age. I think Matt Damon is one of our finest actors, always delivering solid performances. But he does it without the Day-Lewisy transformations, so notice is not always given. But take notice of his great role in “True Grit”. He’s a true western original, even in a remake. And how do you not nominate Armie Hammer as the Winklevai? In “The Social Network”, Hammer nailed the pomposity of the privileged brothers and somehow found a way to make them empathetic, not to mention his skill at pulling off playing twins. Sam Rockwell will get an Oscar someday, if there’s any justice in the world, but “Conviction” was such a modest film, his GREAT performance in the middle of it somehow sidestepped awards contention. And I have to shout out to Richard Jenkins in “Eat Pray Love”, who broke my heart with one monologue. Perhaps not worthy of a nomination, but certainly worthy of a shout out.
Great Inclusion: Geoffrey Rush. He commands the screen just as much as Firth and lobs the tennis ball back with great skill. I’m just happy to see him come out from under the shadow of those horrible pirate sequels to appear in another prestige project.
Will Win: Christian Bale
Should Win: Bale. And the timing’s perfect. He’ll put that embarrassing on-set tirade behing him, he’ll get the Oscar now, while he’s young instead of waiting for some career-achievement award (‘cause he’s always good), and he DESERVES it. Every time he was on screen, he did something surprising, and so nailed the final scene, he brought a real humanism back to what was otherwise a standard boxing movie finale.

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Glaring Omission: Hilary Swank in “Conviction”. I thought maybe there’d be a nod here ‘cause The Academy loves her (as they love Nicole Kidman) and she had some pre-Oscar nominations. Wisely, they went with Michelle Williams.
Runners-up: Swank, plus Julianne Moore, equally as good as Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”.
Great Inclusion: Kidman. If you can stop looking at her jacked-up botox face for two seconds, there’s a very impassioned, complicated performance there.
Will Win: Natalie Portman. Oscar wants to anoint here.
Should Win: Williams. Portman was certainly game for a complex series of whatever-that-was that happened in “Black Swan”, but Williams broke my heart with a painfully truthful performance as a wife and mother in a downward spiral of a relationship.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Glaring Omission: Mila Kunis, quite good in “Black Swan”, was a FRONTRUNNER! Now, she’ll be staying home on Sunday. I was a little shocked by that.
Runners-up: Marion Cotillard provides the emotional core of “Inception”, and her character’s gamut-running of feeling is superbly portrayed. I’d probably pull Adams out here (despite my crush) and give Cotillard the nod. Just ‘cause it’s action and special-effects-packed, don’t discount the high level of acting in “Inception”!
Great Inclusion: I thought I’d mention Jacki Weaver here, for being noticed for such a small film. But awards tracking shows that she’s been recognized quite a bit in pre-Oscar awards. So, I’m happy Hailee Steinfeld is nominated here. It’s an odd category for a story that was ABOUT HER, but even in the wrong category, she was a force to be reckoned with at the front of “True Grit”.
Will Win: Melissa Leo, who was brilliant.
Should Win: This is the year’s toughest category, with a ton of great performances. I think I have to give it Steinfeld.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Glaring Omission: Two more nominees. Last year broke a trend and gave us five nominees in this category. I thought this year was exceptional in terms of animation: “Despicable Me”, although copying Pixar directly (and perhaps because of copying Pixar directly), was thoroughly enjoyable; “Tangled”’s animation was not as spectacular as some of the other nominees, but many of the great Disney animation elements were present and the overall project was a success; And even “Shrek Forever After” was a better “Shrek” film than the previous sequels. I could’ve easily found room for five nominees.
Runners-up: See above, plus the hilarious and imaginatively good-looking “Megamind”
Great Inclusion: “How to Train Your Dragon” is DreamWorks best film to date. It’s a shame it’s nominated in the same year as “Toy Story 3”.
Will Win: “Toy Story 3”
Should Win: “Toy Story 3”

ART DIRECTION
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King’s Speech
True Grit

Glaring Omission: “Black Swan”. I think Harry Potter put a spell of stolen nomination on Production Designer Therese DePrez.
Runners-Up: Here’s another slew on nominees who’ve achieved greatness in the field of either fantasy or a period piece. Someone should be recognized for crafting modern-day locations in a film, and for that achievement, I’d nominate “Winter’s Bone” for capturing a Missouri locale that feeds to the desperation and depression surrounding the lead character. I also liked the creepy look of “Shutter Island”, too. The jails, the lighthouse, the barracks, all had a hopelessness to them that doesn’t help the inmates. But if we’re talking period pieces, “Get Low” had a genuine look to it.
Great Inclusion: “Inception”, ‘cause it should win.
Will Win: Did somebody say “Inception”?
Should Win: “Inception”. The look design of the film blended seamlessly with the visual effects in creating a very demanding list of places required by the complex script.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

Glaring Omission: “127 Hours”. Recent winner for “Slumdog Millionaire” Anthony Dod Mantle did a great job of helping director Danny Boyle keep “127 Hours” as dyamic as possible, serving up great visual treats with little in the way of multiple locations and large casts to help.
Runners-Up: “Rabbit Hole”. The preview for this film made it look like the artsy-est of art house art films, but the experience of watching the film was more the result of a cinematographer working creatively than a DP showing off. The film, for not having a garish story, had a gorgeous look. Combined with the art direction, I thought “Get Low” told a simple story simply to the story’s benefit. Also, when does Robert Richardson do bad work? He doesn’t. And “Shutter Island” is another example of that. I also liked the
Great Inclusion: “Black Swan”. First of all, I don’t know how you design the photography of a film where the majority of the scenes take place in a rehearsal hall full of mirrors?!! When Matthew Libatique’s camera spins around and around the dancers in “Black Swan”, the result is as dizzying as the day is for Nina Sayers.
Will Win: “True Grit”’s Roger Deakins desperately needs an Oscar. His body of work is among the finest cinematography ever shot. Even the American Society of Cinematographers gave him a career achievement award this year. But he was beat out for this year’s ASC award by Wally Pfister, and that will happen at the Oscars, too. Perhaps as gorgeous as it was, the world of “True Grit” was a landscape previously covered by “No Country for Old Men”.
Should Win: “Inception”. The world of “Inception” was all new to me, and Pfister’s capturing of it helped make it palatable for everyone. Creative work that was just what the script needed.

COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King’s Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

Glaring Omission: “Black Swan”! I’ve never seen “Swan Lake”, so I’m not sure if the costumes in “Black Swan” are just the costumes you’d normally get in any “Swan Lake” show, but I thought they were amazing. I guess there’s some controversy over some of the ballet outfits being designed by a label that’s not part of the Costume Designer’s Guild, and that may have contributed to the lack of a nomination. These type of particulars kill some of the best work year after year (more of this bullshit to come in the music categories), and it killed the best costume design of the year in 2010 from getting a nod as far as I’m concerned. Should I also mention “Sex and the City 2”?
Runners-Up: “The Company Men”. The blanditude, if I may coin a phrase, of the working stiff in this movie was well exemplified by their dress-code-inspired outfits.
Great Inclusion: “True Grit”. Mary Zophres is a Coen Brothers favorite, and if there’s one thing the Coens nail every time, it’s tone, and that tone is often set visually by Zophres’ great clothes.
Will Win: “The King’s Speech”, I think they’ll choose the pretty and pristine over…
Should Win: …”True Grit”, which revels in the dusty and worn.

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
David O. Russell, “The Fighter”
Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”
David Fincher, “The Social Network”
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, “True Grit”

Glaring Omission: CHRISTOPHER NOLAN!!! “Inception” is a towering achievement in direction, in that it:
- juggles a very challenging story exceptionally well
- makes a heady, formidable concept palatable for mainstream audiences (to the tune of $300 million domestically)
- with equal skill handles direction of actors, visual effects and continuity
Sure, maybe, just MAYBE he doesn’t win. But he doesn’t get NOMINATED? A travesty!!
Runners-Up: Lee Unkrich, for “Toy Story 3”. Not only is Unkrich’s helming of a Pixar feature a new thing (directing up till now had been left to only four major Pixar players, so a newer name built the studios biggest film), but it’d be nice to animated film direction get recognized. Martin Scorsese deftly handled the demands of a sprawling, emotional story, so if I had my way, I’d nominate Nolan, Unkrich, Scorsese, Fincher and Russell.
Great Inclusion: Fincher, because “The Social Network” is a true Fincher film, worthy of a nomination, as opposed to “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, which was a too-eager awards ploy.
Will Win: David Fincher. If he does win, however, it still won’t be known if “The Social Network” is making a run, or if he’s splitting the awards with “The King’s Speech”, which could go on to win Best Picture.
Should Win: With Nolan out of the race, Fincher takes it.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Exit through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land

Glaring Omission: “Waiting for ‘Superman’”. If you scour the internet, you’ll find some stories exploring some inauthentic moments from this movie, that director Davis Guggenheim re-created some scenes for dramatic effect. If that’s true, that really, really sucks and is a black mark on an otherwise great documentary. But I can only take the film at its word for now, and it’s excellent.
Runners-Up: I’m a little under-educated in the docs this year.
Great Inclusion: Most of the nominees, because they’re socially-minded. I like when a film sticks in your gut for a long time, and these films about the recession, the Afghan War, pollution and natural gas drilling do that.
Great Inclusion: “Inside Job”. Great movie.
Will Win: “Inside Job”
Should Win: “Inside Job”. Charles Ferguson SHOULD HAVE won for “No End in Sight”. He’ll win here for a film of equal quality.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

Every year The Motion Picture Academy has a screening of the live action and animated short film nominees…they should do the same with the documentary shorts…

FILM EDITING
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network

Glaring Omission: “Inception”! “The Social Network” duly impresses for its time-and-place-jumping, but even that very good film doesn’t approach the time-and-innerspace-jumping of “Inception”, managing a crazy-complicated story.
Runner-Up: “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World”. The fast pace of this comedy is pushed along by the editing.
Great Inclusion: “127 Hours”. The aggressive style of Danny Boyle is displayed by his editor’s work.
Will Win: This is a tough one with no clear front-runner. All the work in this category is exceptional, but I’ll go with “The Social Network” as the American Cinema Editor’s Guild did.
Should Win: “The Social Network”, just beating out “Black Swan”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Biutiful”, Mexico
“Dogtooth”, Greece
“In a Better World”, Denmark
“Incendies”, Canada
“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)”, Algeria

Despite my running around, watching movies like a madman, I only saw “Biutiful” in this category, so I’ll just say good luck nominees!

MAKEUP
Barney’s Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

Glaring Omission: I thought I’d see “Alice in Wonderland” here, but maybe even the makeup was computer-generated. They plan to computer generate The Green Lantern’s outfit on top of Ryan Reynolds in the upcoming film, so, apparently, anything’s possible.
Runners-Up: “Black Swan”. Nutty ballerinas dressed up all nutty needed nutty makeup to boot, and I thought the “Black Swan” team delivered the goods.
Great Inclusion: Can this category even exist without Rick Baker?
Will Win: “The Wolfman”
Should Win: “The Wolfman”. Horrible, horrible movie, but, as ever, Baker cuts a mean monster.

ORIGINAL SCORE
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network

Glaring Omission: “True Grit”. One of my favorite parts of that film was the old-school western feel of the production design, coupled with the great music. Well, I guess there was another one of those dopey technicalities where composer Carter Burwell employed some themes from old hymns, so then they declared him ineligible for not creating EVERY piece of the score. Bullshit. That music was a first-responder for putting the audience in the correct place and time.
Runners-Up: This isn’t such a GLARING omission because NO ONE is talking about this score, but the “Tron: Legacy” score is one of the best of the last few years. How this gets passed over is beyond me. Daft Punk fashioned a real grinding, hi-tech score that seems like it would be something we not only hear as filmgoers, but I think the music just continually plays in the world of the film, providing ongoing soundtrack to the people living in “the grid”.
Great Inclusion: “The Social Network”. Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor find the perfect score that conveys sadness & loneliness when necessary, a Harvard party the next minute, and the driving beat of an impending corporate breakdown the next.
Will win: “The Social Network”
Should win: I gotta admit a “The Social Network” win here would be great, but I can’t get the “Inception” score out of my head, and it’s been parodied a thousand times online, a sign that something’s a classic, no? The pounding, Hans Zimmer musical droning punches the drama in Nolan’s masterpiece.

ORIGINAL SONG
Coming Home, “Country Strong”
I See the Light, “Tangled”
If I Rise, “127 Hours”
We Belong Together, “Toy Story 3″

Glaring Omission: This category is very confounding this year. These are just not great nominees. For example, the memorable, anthemic song from “Country Strong” is the title track. That’s what I would have nominated. It says a lot about the story and characters in the film, whereas Coming Home in the film is a routine country track, and feels like one in this category, too.
Runners-Up: The Disney run on Best Original Songs is long over and is not threatening to get back on track this year, as the “Tangled” and “Toy Story 3” offerings aren’t nearly as strong as something like “You’ll Be in My Heart” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”. So why not nominate Shine, the original John Legend tune from “Waiting for ‘Superman’”?
Great Inclusion: I really can’t think of one. And is it wrong to be happy that no songs from “Burlesque” were nominated even though I didn’t see it?
Will win: A.R. Rahman gets another Oscar for “If I Rise”
Should Win: “If I Rise”

BEST PICTURE
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Glaring Omission: With ten nominees now, they nominate everything, don’t they? I suppose the film that probably ended up on the most Top 10s that isn’t nominated is “The Town”, Ben Affleck’s superb crime drama. Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer” was also critically hailed and might’ve found it’s way into a nomination, but seemed to have been squeezed out by “Winter’s Bone”.
Runners-Up: If you’ve seen my Top 10, you know what I’d love to see here – a little “Shutter Island”, a little “Get Low” and some “Scott Pilgrim”.
Great Inclusion: “Toy Story 3”. Another masterpiece from Pixar. If any company is going to break through and actually WIN the Best Picture Oscar for an animated film, it’s Pixar, so I always like to see them in the mix.
Will Win: “The Social Network”. I know “The King’s Speech” is making a run, but it may not be enough.
Should Win: “Inception”. Shooting higher, hitting higher.

ANIMATED SHORT
Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let’s Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)

Glaring Omission: It may not be GLARING, but the new Wile E. Coyote short, “Coyote Falls” that played in front of “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”, captured well the mayhem of the original Road Runner shorts. I enjoyed it more than the travelogue short that showcased a lot of cool animation, but never told a story or had any moments of real importance.
Runners-Up: See above.
Great inclusion: Need I go on with the Pixar lovefest?
Will Win: I think “The Gruffalo” has a shot to upset Pixar.
Should Win: “Let’s Pollute”, for being FUNNY! Could FUNNY win, for the love of god?

LIVE ACTION SHORT
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143

Glaring Omission: Can’t come up with one.
Runners-Up: Nope, nothing’s coming to me.
Great Inclusion: “God of Love”, again in support of the comedy
Will Win: I’m probably going against tradition which would make one think that The Academy will go with the politically-charged short, in this case “Na Wewe”, and pick “Wish 143”, which I also think…
Should Win: “Wish 143”

SOUND EDITING
Inception
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

Glaring Omission: Maybe another animated film? In a year with many good animated films, I thought maybe “Megamind” or “Despicable Me” might get on the board here, but it would be tough to eliminate any of the current crop of nominees.
Runners-Up: Like David Fincher, Ridley Scott always delivers films that have the highest quality tech elements, and the sound of “Robin Hood”, with the air-cutting arrows and rumbling armies was impressive.
Great Inclusion: “Toy Story 3”. Again, there’s NOTHING at the beginning of the filmmaking process with a CGI film, then the sound effects bring the majority of it to life.
Will Win: “Inception”. A sprawling epic with numerous special effects that have to meld with real-world sound F/X.
Should Win: “Inception”

SOUND MIXING
Inception
The King’s Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

Glaring Omission: Another blockbuster? It seems like there’d be more room here for a project that has to smooth out and mix sound coming from a hundred different sources instead of, say, “The King’s Speech”. Maybe “Iron Man 2”?
Runners-Up: “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World”, an off-the-rails visual fest needs audio mixing to keep up with it. “Tron: Legacy”, for all it lacked in story, certainly had all its tech fundamentals in place.
Great Inclusion: The Coen Bros. team from their best films are still gettin’ it done to great results, and “True Grit” is no exception.
Will Win: “Inception”
Should Win: “Inception”, in the ongoing tech awards sweep that makes up for being shortchanged on the big awards.

VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

Glaring Omission: “Tron: Legacy”. I thought it would get a nomination, but I’m glad it didn’t. I never bought the computer-generated young Jeff Bridges, despite their best efforts. And if I NEVER buy him, I’m OUT on half the film. And I was. But I figured if the shitty F/X from “The Golden Compass” and its rubbery animal characters can win, anything’s possible.
Runners-Up: “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World”, the only film, if it was nominated, that would’ve had real FUN with special effects. Instead, we ONLY get the F/X that deliver serious action, disaster or darkness.
Great Inclusion: “Iron Man 2”, a better than the love it got from critics action film.
Will Win: “Inception”
Should Win: “Inception”. The effects here caused wonder-filled stares in the theater in even the most jaded moviegoers.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Glaring Omission: Nothing exactly glaring, but maybe “The Town” gets a nod here?
Runners-Up: “Rabbit Hole”. Although mired in sadness, the dialogue and arguments in this script were authentic and crackling. After I saw “Fair Game”, I was paraphrasing the Joe Wilson speeches in that film for weeks. It’s a smart story with a script that’s equally adept at developing relationships. I’m also a fan, obviously, of “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World”. There’s something to be said for VOLUME of jokes. Also, the “Shutter Island” script left my head screwed up for a month.
Great inclusion: “True Grit”. One of the Coen Brothers’ best assets as writers is that they can hit a tone right on the head, but still find the space for their signature humor and dialogue, and never sacrifice time and place. “True Grit” had loads of humor, but it never winked at the audience, to the betterment of the production.
Will Win: “The Social Network”
Should Win: “The Social Network”. Aaron Sorkin’s script is a phenomenon, truly the main character of the film, with every other aspect dancing around it.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech

Glaring Omission: “Black Swan”. For a film so lauded with nominations in other categories, you’d think the script would get a nod. A brazenly original film.
Runners-Up: There was a LOT of good work that would fall in this category in 2010 – “The Company Men”, “Get Low”, “Blue Valentine”
Great Inclusion: “The King’s Speech”. Writer David Seidler whips up dialogue that’s as fun to watch as any crazy visuals a summer blockbuster could drum up.
Will Win: “Inception”. More often than not, what really is the year’s BEST film (in my opinion), if it’s due to get overlooked for Best Picture, will get an Oscar for writing – “Fargo”, clearly the best film of 1996. Lost to “The English Patient”, won Best Original Screenplay. “Pulp Fiction”, one of the best films of the last twenty years. Lost to “Forrest Gump”, won Best Original Screenplay. “Sideways”, “L.A. Confidential”, etc. “Inception” will lose Best Picture, and win here.
Should Win: “Inception”

So, let’s go to the board. Award numbers, by film.

MY PREDICTIONS:
INCEPTION – 6
THE SOCIAL NETWORK – 4
THE KING’S SPEECH – 2
THE FIGHTER – 2
BLACK SWAN – 1
TOY STORY 3 – 1
INSIDE JOB – 1
THE WOLFMAN – 1
127 HOURS – 1

IF I HAD MY WAY:
INCEPTION – 8
THE SOCIAL NETWORK – 3
TRUE GRIT – 2
THE KING’S SPEECH – 1
THE FIGHTER – 1
BLUE VALENTINE – 1
TOY STORY 3 – 1
INSIDE JOB – 1
THE WOLFMAN – 1
127 HOURS – 1

-PP

RATED R

Blue Valentine

***1/2

Review by Paul Preston

You know the couple that Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play in Derek Cianfrance’s new drama “Blue Valentine”. Most likely, they’re the people you didn’t hang out with (and still don’t), but you know them. As soon as Gosling’s Dean and Williams’ Cindy get together, you know they probably shouldn’t. And if this was real life and not a movie, you probably would say something as their relationship developed. Unfortunately for the fate of these main characters, this is a movie, and your yelling at the screen and urging them to stop their self-destruction won’t change their fate. In fact, please don’t yell at the screen at all, it’s annoying.

I can’t imagine what it was that delayed the making of this film for seven years, but it was worth the wait to hire the extraordinary talents of Gosling and Williams, who bring impressive authenticity to the roles. Gosling expertly shows his character change from romantic, moody stranger to unstable, moody familiar asshole. Williams gives her best performance yet as the meek Cindy who you feel bad for…to a point.

The movies have long been a place for escape, for elaborate love stories that will sweep you away to a passionate otherworld of love and fantasy. “Blue Valentine” isn’t that. Cianfrance has captured the other take on love. The one that’s unfortunately the story of 70% of couples in small town America. Take a close look at how real the love story of “Blue Valentine” is and you’ll see why people need to watch soap operas.

The way the story is told is ingenious, as it cross-cuts time, between a youthful looking Dean and Cindy and a more desperate Cindy and unfortunately-receeding-hair-lined Dean. The two time periods advance at a similar pace, with the early timeline ending with a picture of happiness, and the later ending with the couple’s ultimate decline. The emotional fireworks don’t let up until the end credits, where they’re replaced by actual fireworks.

I want to talk for a second about the joke that is the MPAA, who originally gave “Blue Valentine” a deadly NC-17 rating. NC-17 is supposed to be for adults only, shielding young people from graphic sex (rarely does the NC-17 get slapped on excessive violence. With death, blood and gore – bring it on! Show a celebrity’s crotch – HOW DARE YOU!). I saw the NC-17 version, and there was nothing in there that was shocking, nothing that an R rating hadn’t delivered before. In fact, one point of contention was supposedly graphic cunnilingus, something I’d seen twice this year in the critically fawned-over R RATED “Black Swan” and “The Kids Are All Right”.

After much appeal from the public and distributor Harvey Weinstein (his quote: “I think we can all agree that we are living with an outdated ratings system that gives torture porn, horror and ultraviolet films the same rating as films with so-called inappropriate language”), the MPAA appeals board granted the film an R rating. The NC-17 is a kiss of death for box office, now relegated to films that appear on soft-core pay cable. So it seems that when the MPAA lays the smack down on a film with an NC-17, they’re really bullying the filmmakers to change their film – make cuts. “Blue Valentine” made no such cuts and was still granted the R.

I love this, because that move is basically rendering the Motion Picture Association of America a bigger JOKE than ever.

Apparently, it’s NOT the content that will get you a certain rating, apparently it’s just up to the whim of the MPAA. You do realize that doesn’t set a standard that filmmakers and studios can meet? I know what’s really happening here. Hey MPAA, stop shitting on women! Guys get oral sex in the movies all the time, it’s about time a woman got to feel the same pleasure! ….actually, shitting on a woman would definitely get you an NC-17.

One of the best things that can be said about “Blue Valentine” is that the sex scene isn’t the only reason to see the movie, as is often the case with controversial films. “Blue Valentine” is a unique telling of an achingly familiar love story with towering lead performances.

Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
Release Date: December 29, 2010
Run Time: 112 minutes
Country: USA
Rated: R!
Distributor: The Weinstein Co.

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