I got this from the fabulous Bathroom Monologues, found here.
It is based on the Bernard Pivot/James Lipton list of ten questions.
1. What is your favorite word?
I'm partial to oubliette. I never get to use it, though. I also really like words with an x in them; vixen, moxie, Roxie (which somehow ended up being a nickname of mine for about a month in college).
2.What is your least favorite word?
Any sort of management buzzword/jargon. Red flags for incompetence, and they make the hairs on the back of my neck go up.
3.What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Possibility.
4.What turns you off?
Hmm... rejection?
5.What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck.
6.What sound or noise do you love?
This.
7.What sound or noise do you hate?
Babies.
8.What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Attempt? Something involving performing.
9.What profession would you not like to do?
Pediatrician. I can see that going very, very wrong.
10.If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Open bar.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Linkspam
Tori Amos is writing a musical. This is fabulous. (However, I like this performance here. And this one. And this one. Right. Stopping now.)
The Faces Behind Facebook.
If The King's Speech Gets Re-Edited to PG-13, It Doesn't Deserve the Oscar. Well, it doesn't deserve the Oscar anyway, but...
In honor of Sundance.... 10 Great Scenes from Sundance History. (Includes the fabulous note; "If film bloggers were dolphins, hype would be their echolocation.")
And Sundance actors to watch. And another crop.
What do the SAG awards have against Rooney Mara?
10 Reasons to Watch Archer instead of 30 Rock.
Truthful Best Picture Posters.
The history of hip hop.
This answers my questions about Inception's editing snub. Kinda.
Car chases, Whee!
The writer of An American Tail and Land Before Time died. Land Before Time was my second-favorite film growing up. "That's MY Hopper!" Excuse me, I've got something in my eye....
Here is my worry about the reality show about the Giants; (mostly, the more I can watch them, the happier I am. But...) Brian Wilson might start coming to practice dressed as Chuck Norris. And I really want the focus to stay on winning.
And speaking of the Giants.
Um, WHAT.
The Faces Behind Facebook.
If The King's Speech Gets Re-Edited to PG-13, It Doesn't Deserve the Oscar. Well, it doesn't deserve the Oscar anyway, but...
In honor of Sundance.... 10 Great Scenes from Sundance History. (Includes the fabulous note; "If film bloggers were dolphins, hype would be their echolocation.")
And Sundance actors to watch. And another crop.
What do the SAG awards have against Rooney Mara?
10 Reasons to Watch Archer instead of 30 Rock.
Truthful Best Picture Posters.
The history of hip hop.
This answers my questions about Inception's editing snub. Kinda.
Car chases, Whee!
The writer of An American Tail and Land Before Time died. Land Before Time was my second-favorite film growing up. "That's MY Hopper!" Excuse me, I've got something in my eye....
Here is my worry about the reality show about the Giants; (mostly, the more I can watch them, the happier I am. But...) Brian Wilson might start coming to practice dressed as Chuck Norris. And I really want the focus to stay on winning.
And speaking of the Giants.
Um, WHAT.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The SAG awards
I'm coming in late, but... my thoughts. Let me show them to you.
-I love that Helena Bonham Carter starts to clap for herself and then smacks her own hand away.
-Melissa Leo; get it together girl.
-How drunk is Alec Baldwin?
-There's a show starring Breckin Meyer and Zach Morris? I feel old.
-I do not understand the appeal of Betty White. I think all the actors in the room just want to pray they'll still have careers at that age.
-You know I think the King's Speech is starting to remind me of Crash. The film is mostly focused on the 3 leads, but at all these awards, they keep focusing on all the supporting actors. I feel like somewhere out there, there's a very straight-laced, polite British mobster team sternly suggesting voting for the King's Speech. I mean, he helped defeat the nazis. Righty-o. There's a good chap.
-And Natalie Portman waddles out. Mila Kunis looks fabulous, though.
-Mark-Paul Gosslear. That's Zach Morris' name.
-Man, the SAGs take their tribute award seriously.
-Wow. I thought Elijah Wood was presenting, but it's Jeremy Renner. He sounds like he's been partying hard.
-Oooh! Patrick Stewart! Patrick Stewart!
-Aw. Al Pacino. But he's not there, so at least we move along.
-The good looking crew arrives.
-God. Armie Hammer is huge.
-"And fashion."
-Andrew Garfield is apparently unimpressed with the clip reel.
-Does Josh Duhamel count as an actor?
-Oh, god. I thought Temple Grandin's streak was over.
-Julia Ormond is happy to be getting laid.
-Winona Ryder was not happy with her clip.
-God, is THAT Susan Sarandon's boy-toy?
-Is it just me, or are a LOT of people having trouble speaking tonight? What are they drinking?
-Awww.... Pete Postlethwaite.
-John Hawkes gets some shrieks. Whoo!
-Yay Christian Bale! I'm glad he's finally getting some well-deserved recognition. I do hope, though, that it doesn't go to his head. No one let him get script approval.
-And Dickie Ecklund gets up to steal the spotlight.
-Chrisitan's beard is taking on Brian Wilson proportions.
-Mark Wahlberg has some things to say, let me tell you.
-Wow. Colin Firth gives Anthony Andrews a shout out. Scarlet Pimpernel woot.
-David Sutherland has been hanging out with Grizzlies.
-Please Social Network. But I'm thinking Fighter.
-OH FUCK.
-I love that Helena Bonham Carter starts to clap for herself and then smacks her own hand away.
-Melissa Leo; get it together girl.
-How drunk is Alec Baldwin?
-There's a show starring Breckin Meyer and Zach Morris? I feel old.
-I do not understand the appeal of Betty White. I think all the actors in the room just want to pray they'll still have careers at that age.
-You know I think the King's Speech is starting to remind me of Crash. The film is mostly focused on the 3 leads, but at all these awards, they keep focusing on all the supporting actors. I feel like somewhere out there, there's a very straight-laced, polite British mobster team sternly suggesting voting for the King's Speech. I mean, he helped defeat the nazis. Righty-o. There's a good chap.
-And Natalie Portman waddles out. Mila Kunis looks fabulous, though.
-Mark-Paul Gosslear. That's Zach Morris' name.
-Man, the SAGs take their tribute award seriously.
-Wow. I thought Elijah Wood was presenting, but it's Jeremy Renner. He sounds like he's been partying hard.
-Oooh! Patrick Stewart! Patrick Stewart!
-Aw. Al Pacino. But he's not there, so at least we move along.
-The good looking crew arrives.
-God. Armie Hammer is huge.
-"And fashion."
-Andrew Garfield is apparently unimpressed with the clip reel.
-Does Josh Duhamel count as an actor?
-Oh, god. I thought Temple Grandin's streak was over.
-Julia Ormond is happy to be getting laid.
-Winona Ryder was not happy with her clip.
-God, is THAT Susan Sarandon's boy-toy?
-Is it just me, or are a LOT of people having trouble speaking tonight? What are they drinking?
-Awww.... Pete Postlethwaite.
-John Hawkes gets some shrieks. Whoo!
-Yay Christian Bale! I'm glad he's finally getting some well-deserved recognition. I do hope, though, that it doesn't go to his head. No one let him get script approval.
-And Dickie Ecklund gets up to steal the spotlight.
-Chrisitan's beard is taking on Brian Wilson proportions.
-Mark Wahlberg has some things to say, let me tell you.
-Wow. Colin Firth gives Anthony Andrews a shout out. Scarlet Pimpernel woot.
-David Sutherland has been hanging out with Grizzlies.
-Please Social Network. But I'm thinking Fighter.
-OH FUCK.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Quick reactions:
The Good:
-Winter's Bone is in for Best Picture! And 127 Hours swapped in for the Town, which is fine.
-And even better yet, JOHN HAWKES IS IN FOR SUPPORTING ACTOR!!! WHOOOOOO!!!!
-Dogtooth is in for foreign film! Way to go Academy!
-Jacki Weaver stays in for supporting actress. Yay!
-Restrepo is in for Documentary! More importantly, Waiting for Superman is out! YES! (Both Waste Land and Gasland are in... I should have thought about the fact that the academy looks kindly on environmental docs.)
-Yay! A travel story about Madagascar is up for animated short! Whoo!
-Barney's Version proves that if you put all of your marketing money into one category (makeup), you can get recognized.
The Bad:
-No Christopher Nolan for Best Director.
-Bardem. Ugh.
-No Ryan Gosling for best actor.
-I'm sorry. You put Hereafter in for Visual Effects and not Scott Pilgrim? Low blow. (And why does visual effects get 5 nominees this year?)
-Wait, no TRON for visual effects? WHAT? (No tron for score, either. It was a longshot wish, but oh well.)
-I really was hoping for Bound to You for best song.
-No Mila Kunis for supporting actress.
The Ugly (or particularly shocking):
-WHERE IS MY CHER?! HOW DARE YOU NOT INVITE HER? You're still pissed about the whole Bob Mackie thing, aren't you?
-NO!!! JOHN HAWKES WAS SUPPOSED TO SUPPLANT MARK RUFFALO! NOT ANDREW GARFIELD!! NOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo
-No Black Swan for Art Design? Are you kidding me? (That's actually the first of several shocking snubs for Black Swan in the tech categories. Here it was looking like it might come away with as many nominations as the King's Speech. (SERIOUSLY? NO BEST COSTUME? THE TUTUS WERE SO PRETTY!!!)
-No Inception for editing. Say what now?!
So the King's Speech, which did not get weirdly skunked in the tech categories, got 12 noms, which is going to make people think it has an edge. Psh. True Grit got 10 (yay!), Social Network and Inception got 8, The Fighter got 7, Winter's Bone got 4.
Black Swan got 5. 127 Hours got 6. Who saw that coming?
The Good:
-Winter's Bone is in for Best Picture! And 127 Hours swapped in for the Town, which is fine.
-And even better yet, JOHN HAWKES IS IN FOR SUPPORTING ACTOR!!! WHOOOOOO!!!!
-Dogtooth is in for foreign film! Way to go Academy!
-Jacki Weaver stays in for supporting actress. Yay!
-Restrepo is in for Documentary! More importantly, Waiting for Superman is out! YES! (Both Waste Land and Gasland are in... I should have thought about the fact that the academy looks kindly on environmental docs.)
-Yay! A travel story about Madagascar is up for animated short! Whoo!
-Barney's Version proves that if you put all of your marketing money into one category (makeup), you can get recognized.
The Bad:
-No Christopher Nolan for Best Director.
-Bardem. Ugh.
-No Ryan Gosling for best actor.
-I'm sorry. You put Hereafter in for Visual Effects and not Scott Pilgrim? Low blow. (And why does visual effects get 5 nominees this year?)
-Wait, no TRON for visual effects? WHAT? (No tron for score, either. It was a longshot wish, but oh well.)
-I really was hoping for Bound to You for best song.
-No Mila Kunis for supporting actress.
The Ugly (or particularly shocking):
-WHERE IS MY CHER?! HOW DARE YOU NOT INVITE HER? You're still pissed about the whole Bob Mackie thing, aren't you?
-NO!!! JOHN HAWKES WAS SUPPOSED TO SUPPLANT MARK RUFFALO! NOT ANDREW GARFIELD!! NOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo
-No Black Swan for Art Design? Are you kidding me? (That's actually the first of several shocking snubs for Black Swan in the tech categories. Here it was looking like it might come away with as many nominations as the King's Speech. (SERIOUSLY? NO BEST COSTUME? THE TUTUS WERE SO PRETTY!!!)
-No Inception for editing. Say what now?!
So the King's Speech, which did not get weirdly skunked in the tech categories, got 12 noms, which is going to make people think it has an edge. Psh. True Grit got 10 (yay!), Social Network and Inception got 8, The Fighter got 7, Winter's Bone got 4.
Black Swan got 5. 127 Hours got 6. Who saw that coming?
AND THE NOMINEES ARE...
I'll have actual thoughts in a minute. But the important thing?
I predicted 89/120 nominees. 94/120, if you add in my alternates that made it.
40/45 for Picture, Director, Actors, and Screenplays. (43/45 if you count my alternates). Mwa ha ha....
I predicted 89/120 nominees. 94/120, if you add in my alternates that made it.
40/45 for Picture, Director, Actors, and Screenplays. (43/45 if you count my alternates). Mwa ha ha....
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Oscar predictions
Let's guess the nominees:
Best Picture
1. Black Swan
2. Fighter
3. Inception
4. Kids are All Right
5. King's Speech
6. Social Network
7. True Grit
8. Winter's Bone
9. Toy Story 3
10. The Town
127 Hours could replace Winter's Bone. But let's hope not. Please Winter's Bone over Kids Are All Right. I won't hope against TS3, despite the fact that I think its inclusion is awful. Potential surprises: Ghost Writer, Another Year, Shutter Island (God, I hope not).
At this point, I'd love to point out this fabulous tally at indieWire. While the PGA win for King's Speech gives some semblance of an actual race (and I'd never count out Harvey Weinstein), that's 29 wins for The Social Network vs. The King's Speech's 3. Inception and Winter's Bone follow with 2 each, which is what leads me to hold out hope for Winter's Bone.
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky
David Fincher
David O. Russell
Christopher Nolan
Tom Hooper
Going with the DGAs and counting the Coens out.
Best Actress
Natalie Portman
Jennifer Lawrence
Annette Benning
Nicole Kidman
Michelle Williams
A possible Hailee Steinfeld upset here? It would be easier to predict if she and Lesley Manfield were more set in supporting versus lead. Much as I would love a Noomi Rapace upset, I don't see that happening.
Best Actor
Colin Firth
Jesse Eisenberg
James Franco
Jeff Bridges
Robert Duvall
Ugh. I'd take Ryan Gosling or Mark Wahlberg over Duvall. But god know best actor tends to skew old. Better Duvall than Javier Bardem, though?
Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo
Amy Adams
Helena Bonham Carter
Jacki Weaver
Hailee Steinfeld
Mila Kunis in here if voters get confused about which category to place Steinfeld in.
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale
Geoffrey Rush
Mark Ruffalo
Andrew Garfield
Jeremy Renner
I'd give a limb for John Hawkes to supplant Mark Ruffalo.
Best Original Screenplay
Inception
King's Speech
Fighter
Kids are All Right
Black Swan
I suppose Another Year could get in after a nomination from the Critics Choice and DC awards. (It was ineligible for the WGAs)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Social Network
127 Hours
True Grit
Toy Story 3
Winter's Bone
The Town for an upset.
Best Foreign Film
At this point, it's a choice between these nine; Biutiful, Outside the Law, Dogtooth, In a Better World, Incendies, Confessions, Life Above All, Even the Rain, Simple Simon
Biutiful and In A Better World are safe bets. Incendies, probably, too. Outside the Law has proven controversial, so I bet it is out. I want to say Dogtooth and Confessions, since those are the two I most want to see, which leads me to believe the academy will snub them.
Well, here's hoping:
Biutiful
Dogtooth
Confessions
In A Better World
Incendies
Best Animated
Toy Story 3
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Waiting for Superman
Inside Job
Last Train Home
Client 9: the Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer
The Tillman story could switch in for Last Train Home. I don't see Restrepo getting in.
Best Visual Effects
The current pool is Alice in Wonderland, Inception, Iron Man 2, Harry Potter 7, Hereafter, Scott Pilgrim, and Tron. I'm going with:
Alice in Wonderland
Inception
Tron
Harry Potter as my outlier. Why can't Scott Pilgrim have nice things?
Best Live Short
I only know what BAFTA has picked in this category, so I go with those:
Connect
Lin
Rite
Turning
Until the River Runs Red
[ED UPDATE 1/24/11: The pool for this category is; Ana's Playground, The Confession, the Crush, God of Love, Na Wewe, Seeds of the Fall, Shoe, Six Dollar Fifty Man, Sma Barn Stora Ord, Wish 143. I'll go with Confession, Wish 143, Shoe, God of Love, the Six Dollar Fifty Man.]
Best Animated Short
(Going with the Annie noms here:)
Coyote Falls
Day & Night
The Renter
Enrique Wrecks the World
Cow who wanted to be a Hamburger (how much do I want to see this when the shorts come out?)
[ED UPDATE 1/24/11: The pool for ani short is: The Cow who Wanted to Be a Hamburger, Coyote Falls, Day & Night, the Gruffalo, Let's Pollute, the Lost Thing, Madagascar Carnet de Voyage, Sensology, Urs, the Silence Beneath the Park. Therefore I am updating my picks to; Coyote Falls, Day & Night, the Cow who, and.... the Gruffalo and Madagascar. Since we can't see them until after the noms are announced....]
[ED UPDATE 1/24/11 CONT.: It occurs to me I have completely omitted Documentary Short. Whoops. The pool for this one is: Born Sweet, Killing in the Name, Living for 32, One Thousand Pictures - RFK's Last Journey, Poster Girl, Strangers No More, Sun Come Up, Warriors of Qiugang. I'm picking: Born Sweet, Killing in the Name, Living for 32, Strangers No More, Warriors of Qiugang.]
Best Costumes
Black Swan
King's Speech
Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
Burlesque
Tron and Inception for upsets here. (Upsets. Psh. Like there's much to go on once you reach this level of category)
Best Art/Production design
Alice in Wonderland
Inception
Black Swan
King's Speech
True Grit
Best Makeup
Pool: Alice in Wonderland, True Grit, Barney's Version, Fighter, Jonah Hex, Way Back, Wolfman. I go with:
Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
Wolfman (it would feel wrong if this didn't get in, no?)
Jonah Hex as the spoiler (Josh Brolin is in both). (And what is the makeup in the Way Back? Fake teeth? tattoos?)
Best Cinematography
True Grit
Inception
Black Swan
King's Speech
Social Network
Best Editing
Inception
Social Network
Black Swan
127 Hours
King's Speech
Best Song
You Haven't Seen the Last of Me (Burlesque)
If I Rise (127 Hours)
I See the Lights (Tangled)
There's a Place for Us (Narnia)
Coming Home (Country Strong)
Bound to You (Burlesque) as a spoiler. Possibly Shine (Waiting for Superman). Please god, don't nominate We Belong Together (TS3).
Didn't we just have the Beyonce/Jennifer Hudson sing-off a couple years back? It seems criminal not to get Christina Aguilera up there to belt at everyone.
Best Score
Important to remember here: the Fighter, the Kids are All Right, True Grit, and Black Swan are all disqualified in this category.
Social Network
127 Hours
Inception
King's Speech
Alice in Wonderland
How to Train Your Dragon as a spoiler. I would like TRON here, please. But I'm not seeing it happening.
Best Sound
Inception
Black Swan
Social Network
True Grit
King's Speech
Tron, Harry Potter 7, Shutter Island as spoilers.
Best Sound effects editing
Inception
Iron Man 2
Unstoppable
Black Swan
127 Hours
True Grit, Salt, Tron for upsets.
Best Picture
1. Black Swan
2. Fighter
3. Inception
4. Kids are All Right
5. King's Speech
6. Social Network
7. True Grit
8. Winter's Bone
9. Toy Story 3
10. The Town
127 Hours could replace Winter's Bone. But let's hope not. Please Winter's Bone over Kids Are All Right. I won't hope against TS3, despite the fact that I think its inclusion is awful. Potential surprises: Ghost Writer, Another Year, Shutter Island (God, I hope not).
At this point, I'd love to point out this fabulous tally at indieWire. While the PGA win for King's Speech gives some semblance of an actual race (and I'd never count out Harvey Weinstein), that's 29 wins for The Social Network vs. The King's Speech's 3. Inception and Winter's Bone follow with 2 each, which is what leads me to hold out hope for Winter's Bone.
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky
David Fincher
David O. Russell
Christopher Nolan
Tom Hooper
Going with the DGAs and counting the Coens out.
Best Actress
Natalie Portman
Jennifer Lawrence
Annette Benning
Nicole Kidman
Michelle Williams
A possible Hailee Steinfeld upset here? It would be easier to predict if she and Lesley Manfield were more set in supporting versus lead. Much as I would love a Noomi Rapace upset, I don't see that happening.
Best Actor
Colin Firth
Jesse Eisenberg
James Franco
Jeff Bridges
Robert Duvall
Ugh. I'd take Ryan Gosling or Mark Wahlberg over Duvall. But god know best actor tends to skew old. Better Duvall than Javier Bardem, though?
Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo
Amy Adams
Helena Bonham Carter
Jacki Weaver
Hailee Steinfeld
Mila Kunis in here if voters get confused about which category to place Steinfeld in.
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale
Geoffrey Rush
Mark Ruffalo
Andrew Garfield
Jeremy Renner
I'd give a limb for John Hawkes to supplant Mark Ruffalo.
Best Original Screenplay
Inception
King's Speech
Fighter
Kids are All Right
Black Swan
I suppose Another Year could get in after a nomination from the Critics Choice and DC awards. (It was ineligible for the WGAs)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Social Network
127 Hours
True Grit
Toy Story 3
Winter's Bone
The Town for an upset.
Best Foreign Film
At this point, it's a choice between these nine; Biutiful, Outside the Law, Dogtooth, In a Better World, Incendies, Confessions, Life Above All, Even the Rain, Simple Simon
Biutiful and In A Better World are safe bets. Incendies, probably, too. Outside the Law has proven controversial, so I bet it is out. I want to say Dogtooth and Confessions, since those are the two I most want to see, which leads me to believe the academy will snub them.
Well, here's hoping:
Biutiful
Dogtooth
Confessions
In A Better World
Incendies
Best Animated
Toy Story 3
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
Best Documentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Waiting for Superman
Inside Job
Last Train Home
Client 9: the Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer
The Tillman story could switch in for Last Train Home. I don't see Restrepo getting in.
Best Visual Effects
The current pool is Alice in Wonderland, Inception, Iron Man 2, Harry Potter 7, Hereafter, Scott Pilgrim, and Tron. I'm going with:
Alice in Wonderland
Inception
Tron
Harry Potter as my outlier. Why can't Scott Pilgrim have nice things?
Best Live Short
I only know what BAFTA has picked in this category, so I go with those:
Connect
Lin
Rite
Turning
Until the River Runs Red
[ED UPDATE 1/24/11: The pool for this category is; Ana's Playground, The Confession, the Crush, God of Love, Na Wewe, Seeds of the Fall, Shoe, Six Dollar Fifty Man, Sma Barn Stora Ord, Wish 143. I'll go with Confession, Wish 143, Shoe, God of Love, the Six Dollar Fifty Man.]
Best Animated Short
(Going with the Annie noms here:)
Coyote Falls
Day & Night
The Renter
Enrique Wrecks the World
Cow who wanted to be a Hamburger (how much do I want to see this when the shorts come out?)
[ED UPDATE 1/24/11: The pool for ani short is: The Cow who Wanted to Be a Hamburger, Coyote Falls, Day & Night, the Gruffalo, Let's Pollute, the Lost Thing, Madagascar Carnet de Voyage, Sensology, Urs, the Silence Beneath the Park. Therefore I am updating my picks to; Coyote Falls, Day & Night, the Cow who, and.... the Gruffalo and Madagascar. Since we can't see them until after the noms are announced....]
[ED UPDATE 1/24/11 CONT.: It occurs to me I have completely omitted Documentary Short. Whoops. The pool for this one is: Born Sweet, Killing in the Name, Living for 32, One Thousand Pictures - RFK's Last Journey, Poster Girl, Strangers No More, Sun Come Up, Warriors of Qiugang. I'm picking: Born Sweet, Killing in the Name, Living for 32, Strangers No More, Warriors of Qiugang.]
Best Costumes
Black Swan
King's Speech
Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
Burlesque
Tron and Inception for upsets here. (Upsets. Psh. Like there's much to go on once you reach this level of category)
Best Art/Production design
Alice in Wonderland
Inception
Black Swan
King's Speech
True Grit
Best Makeup
Pool: Alice in Wonderland, True Grit, Barney's Version, Fighter, Jonah Hex, Way Back, Wolfman. I go with:
Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
Wolfman (it would feel wrong if this didn't get in, no?)
Jonah Hex as the spoiler (Josh Brolin is in both). (And what is the makeup in the Way Back? Fake teeth? tattoos?)
Best Cinematography
True Grit
Inception
Black Swan
King's Speech
Social Network
Best Editing
Inception
Social Network
Black Swan
127 Hours
King's Speech
Best Song
You Haven't Seen the Last of Me (Burlesque)
If I Rise (127 Hours)
I See the Lights (Tangled)
There's a Place for Us (Narnia)
Coming Home (Country Strong)
Bound to You (Burlesque) as a spoiler. Possibly Shine (Waiting for Superman). Please god, don't nominate We Belong Together (TS3).
Didn't we just have the Beyonce/Jennifer Hudson sing-off a couple years back? It seems criminal not to get Christina Aguilera up there to belt at everyone.
Best Score
Important to remember here: the Fighter, the Kids are All Right, True Grit, and Black Swan are all disqualified in this category.
Social Network
127 Hours
Inception
King's Speech
Alice in Wonderland
How to Train Your Dragon as a spoiler. I would like TRON here, please. But I'm not seeing it happening.
Best Sound
Inception
Black Swan
Social Network
True Grit
King's Speech
Tron, Harry Potter 7, Shutter Island as spoilers.
Best Sound effects editing
Inception
Iron Man 2
Unstoppable
Black Swan
127 Hours
True Grit, Salt, Tron for upsets.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Top 20 of 2010
Right, I usually try to get this up the first week in January, but... I was busy, dammit!
Notable Omissions that I have yet to see: The Town, Red Riding 1983 (I... don't ask), I Am Love, A Prophet, 127 Hours, Get Low, Ghost Writer, Buried, Red, the American, Monsters, Machete, Rabbit Hole, Another Year, The Way Back. I can't see everything. At some point I have to go watch Metropolis. There are only so many hours in a week!
So, with that in mind, here are my top 20 of 2010 (with links to earlier references/reviews on the blog included, and if you can see it now):
1. Winter's Bone. (On DVD) Just hands down the most brilliant film I've seen this year. An Ozarks-set noir with fantastic performances all around.
2. Red Riding: 1974. (On DVD) Part of a trilogy of films loosely based around the Yorkshire Ripper and police corruption in the area. This first film deals with a young reporter and one of the victim's mothers. Andrew Garfield was excellent in the Social Network and Never Let Me Go, but he is at his absolute best here.
3. Inception. (On DVD) I think you may have heard of this one.
4. Black Swan. (In theaters) I can't believe I never got around to writing this one up, but I really loved it. It's high art horror. And ballet lends itself particularly well to horror.
5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. (On DVD) Like any fan of the books, I could point out one or two niggling details that I would have done differently, but the fact of the matter is that they took a massive, widely-adored book and did it justice. Noomi Rapace knocks it out of the park as Lisbeth.
6. Fish Tank. (2009/2010 release, but I saw it in January, so I'm adding it here. Not yet on DVD.) I haven't been able to get this film out of my head all year. It is so striking, so original that it seared itself onto my brain. Katie Jarvis gives an incendiary performance as a teen that tries to live beyond her projects housing and Michael Fassbender is riveting as her mother's new boyfriend who begins to befriend her.
7. The Social Network. (On DVD) I think I'd like to see this one again. I feel like it may grow on me. I didn't quite fall in love with it, I won't re-watch it the way I will Inception, but it's so excellent on so many levels and I have found myself thinking about it a lot. Yes, even apart from the awards race.
8. The Fighter. (In theaters) What could have been a rote underdog sports tale is elevated by terrific characterization and filming style. This and True Grit were the two most pleasant surprises for me at the movies this year.
9. True Grit. (In theaters) If No Country for Old Men was the Coens' serious western, this one puts the genre squarely in their sly, darkly-comic oeuvre.
10. Red Riding: 1980. (On DVD) This one hasn't stuck with me the way 1974 did, but it is also incredibly well done and anchored with a remarkable performance by Paddy Considine.
11. Perrier's Bounty. (On DVD) Is this a great film? No. Did I find it wildly entertaining and enjoyable? Yes. Crazy Irish mob film with a great cast.
12. Cell 211. (Not yet on DVD) A fantastic Spanish prison drama. Does not go anywhere you expect it to.
13. Red, White and Blue. (Not yet on DVD) As I wrote before; "Really good, and really disturbing. I suppose it would be called a horror film, but it isn't supernatural in any way. It's flawed people in bad situations doing nasty things to each other. It's far more character-driven than most horror films and it's really well done."
14. Predators. (On DVD) The best summer action flick of 2010. Did everything it set out to do and was a lot of fun.
15. The Killer Inside Me. (On DVD) Casey Affleck as a murderous small town southern sheriff. Much in the same vein as American Psycho or Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
16. Never Let Me Go. (Not yet on DVD) An achingly beautiful portrait of three friends who grow up at a strange boarding school for special children and the paths they take.
17. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. (On DVD 1/25/11) The trilogy wraps up with Lisbeth and Mikael fighting to keep Lisbeth out of jail and trying to return her rights to her. Incredibly satisfying.
18. Blue Valentine. (In theaters) Well done, if depressing look at the dissolution of a marriage.
19. The King's Speech. (In theaters) A sports film about a speech impediment, or Masterpiece theater for the awards race. Also, it turns out that Nazis are bad.
20. The Crazies. (On DVD) A surprisingly effective horror film about a zombie-esque plague in a small town. Also a good argument for why remakes are not always a bad idea.
The best of the rest: Ondine (On DVD - Irish fairytale), Red Hill (On DVD 1/25/11 - Aussie Western/Revenge thriller), Kick Ass (On DVD - what it says), Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (Not yet on DVD - horror comedy), Animal Kingdom (On DVD 1/18/11 - Aussie crime drama), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (On DVD - ode to video games, hipster love, and amazing visuals), I Love You Phillip Morris (Not yet on DVD - gay prison dramedy), Marwencol (Not yet on DVD - fascinating documentary about the artist Mark Hogancamp), Salt (On DVD 1/18/11 - spy thriller), Bunny and the Bull (Not yet on DVD - surreal British road trip), Let Me In (On DVD 2/1/11 - vampire tale/coming of age film. But scary>sparkly.)
Notable Omissions that I have yet to see: The Town, Red Riding 1983 (I... don't ask), I Am Love, A Prophet, 127 Hours, Get Low, Ghost Writer, Buried, Red, the American, Monsters, Machete, Rabbit Hole, Another Year, The Way Back. I can't see everything. At some point I have to go watch Metropolis. There are only so many hours in a week!
So, with that in mind, here are my top 20 of 2010 (with links to earlier references/reviews on the blog included, and if you can see it now):
1. Winter's Bone. (On DVD) Just hands down the most brilliant film I've seen this year. An Ozarks-set noir with fantastic performances all around.
2. Red Riding: 1974. (On DVD) Part of a trilogy of films loosely based around the Yorkshire Ripper and police corruption in the area. This first film deals with a young reporter and one of the victim's mothers. Andrew Garfield was excellent in the Social Network and Never Let Me Go, but he is at his absolute best here.
3. Inception. (On DVD) I think you may have heard of this one.
4. Black Swan. (In theaters) I can't believe I never got around to writing this one up, but I really loved it. It's high art horror. And ballet lends itself particularly well to horror.
5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. (On DVD) Like any fan of the books, I could point out one or two niggling details that I would have done differently, but the fact of the matter is that they took a massive, widely-adored book and did it justice. Noomi Rapace knocks it out of the park as Lisbeth.
6. Fish Tank. (2009/2010 release, but I saw it in January, so I'm adding it here. Not yet on DVD.) I haven't been able to get this film out of my head all year. It is so striking, so original that it seared itself onto my brain. Katie Jarvis gives an incendiary performance as a teen that tries to live beyond her projects housing and Michael Fassbender is riveting as her mother's new boyfriend who begins to befriend her.
7. The Social Network. (On DVD) I think I'd like to see this one again. I feel like it may grow on me. I didn't quite fall in love with it, I won't re-watch it the way I will Inception, but it's so excellent on so many levels and I have found myself thinking about it a lot. Yes, even apart from the awards race.
8. The Fighter. (In theaters) What could have been a rote underdog sports tale is elevated by terrific characterization and filming style. This and True Grit were the two most pleasant surprises for me at the movies this year.
9. True Grit. (In theaters) If No Country for Old Men was the Coens' serious western, this one puts the genre squarely in their sly, darkly-comic oeuvre.
10. Red Riding: 1980. (On DVD) This one hasn't stuck with me the way 1974 did, but it is also incredibly well done and anchored with a remarkable performance by Paddy Considine.
11. Perrier's Bounty. (On DVD) Is this a great film? No. Did I find it wildly entertaining and enjoyable? Yes. Crazy Irish mob film with a great cast.
12. Cell 211. (Not yet on DVD) A fantastic Spanish prison drama. Does not go anywhere you expect it to.
13. Red, White and Blue. (Not yet on DVD) As I wrote before; "Really good, and really disturbing. I suppose it would be called a horror film, but it isn't supernatural in any way. It's flawed people in bad situations doing nasty things to each other. It's far more character-driven than most horror films and it's really well done."
14. Predators. (On DVD) The best summer action flick of 2010. Did everything it set out to do and was a lot of fun.
15. The Killer Inside Me. (On DVD) Casey Affleck as a murderous small town southern sheriff. Much in the same vein as American Psycho or Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
16. Never Let Me Go. (Not yet on DVD) An achingly beautiful portrait of three friends who grow up at a strange boarding school for special children and the paths they take.
17. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. (On DVD 1/25/11) The trilogy wraps up with Lisbeth and Mikael fighting to keep Lisbeth out of jail and trying to return her rights to her. Incredibly satisfying.
18. Blue Valentine. (In theaters) Well done, if depressing look at the dissolution of a marriage.
19. The King's Speech. (In theaters) A sports film about a speech impediment, or Masterpiece theater for the awards race. Also, it turns out that Nazis are bad.
20. The Crazies. (On DVD) A surprisingly effective horror film about a zombie-esque plague in a small town. Also a good argument for why remakes are not always a bad idea.
The best of the rest: Ondine (On DVD - Irish fairytale), Red Hill (On DVD 1/25/11 - Aussie Western/Revenge thriller), Kick Ass (On DVD - what it says), Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (Not yet on DVD - horror comedy), Animal Kingdom (On DVD 1/18/11 - Aussie crime drama), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (On DVD - ode to video games, hipster love, and amazing visuals), I Love You Phillip Morris (Not yet on DVD - gay prison dramedy), Marwencol (Not yet on DVD - fascinating documentary about the artist Mark Hogancamp), Salt (On DVD 1/18/11 - spy thriller), Bunny and the Bull (Not yet on DVD - surreal British road trip), Let Me In (On DVD 2/1/11 - vampire tale/coming of age film. But scary>sparkly.)
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