Showing posts with label best of 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best of 2010. Show all posts

Friday, December 31, 2010

Movie Star of the Year

last year this title belonged to sandra bullock pulling in a gizzilion dollars with both 'the blind side' and 'the proposal'

this year the honor goes to the ever growing talent of leonardo decaprio with two of his films and two of my favorite 2010 films, 'inception' and 'shutter island', pulling in big bucks. he deserves the title. he just keeps growing as an actor and is the best of his generation.

'inception'







'shutter island'







both films are currently available on dvd and blu ray



Thursday, December 30, 2010

'Black Swan': ****stars


first let me state that i've never been a fan of natalie portman. then i shall say that every once in awhile an actor gets a role of a lifetime like charlize theron in 'monster' and adrien brody in 'the pianist'. this is natalie's role of a lifetime. she is nothing less than extraordinary as a ballerina rehearsing the role of the swan queen in 'swan lake'. as she tries to enhance the role of the evil twin, the black swan, her descent into madness is slow but asured as she becomes more the black queen than the white queen twin. yes ms. portman is extraordinary and gives one of the greatest performances on screen ever.

'black swan' is in and of itself an extraordinary film. as it is one of the best of 2010 it will indeed be one of the best of this young decade. brilliantly directed by darren aronofsky it is so much more than a dance film. it is a 'horror' film in the best sense that madness is horrific.  if this film does not send shivers down your spine you may be dead.

the supporting cast truly supports the lead and unselfishly enhances her portrayal especially mila kunis and vincent cassell. barbara hershey shines as the mommie dearest of ballerina nina sayers.

run to see this film. i was shocked at how damn good it is. more shocked that natalie portman won me over. she's going to be hard to beat come oscar time.



Thursday, December 16, 2010

The SAG Nominations in Film


The nominees in film are:
 
Best Ensemble
”Black Swan”
“The Fighter”
“The Kids Are All Right”
“The King’s Speech”
“The Social Network”

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”
Robert Duvall, “Get Low”
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”
Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
James Franco, “127 Hours”

Best Actress
Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”
Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Hilary Swank, “Conviction”

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”
Jeremy Renner, “The Town”
Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham-Carter, “The King’s Speech”
Mila Kunis, “Black Swan”
Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”
Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”

Best Stunt Ensemble
“Green Zone”
“Inception”
“Robin Hood”

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Golden Globe Nominations 2010



The King’s Speech leads with 7.  The Fighter and The Social Network tie for second with 6.


BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KING’S SPEECH
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Halle Berry, FRANKIE AND ALICE
Nicole Kidman, RABBIT HOLE
Jennifer Lawrence, WINTER’S BONE
Natalie Portman, BLACK SWAN
Michelle Williams, BLUE VALENTINE
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Jesse Eisenberg, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Colin Firth, THE KING’S SPEECH
James Franco, 127 HOURS
Ryan Gosling, BLUE VALENTINE
Mark Wahlberg, THE FIGHTER
BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
BURLESQUE
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
RED
THE TOURIST
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Annette Bening, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Anne Hathaway, LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS
Angelina Jolie, THE TOURIST
Julianne Moore, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Emma Stone, EASY A
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE -MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Johnny Depp, ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Johnny Depp, THE TOURIST
Paul Giamatti, BARNEY’S VERSION
Jake Gyllenhaal, LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS
Kevin Spacey, CASINO JACK
BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, BLACK SWAN
David Fincher, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Tom Hooper, THE KING’S SPEECH
Christopher Nolan, INCEPTION
David O. Russell, THE FIGHTER

BEST SCREENPLAY
Danny Boyle, 127 HOURS
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Hart, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Christopher Nolan, INCEPTION
David Seidler, THE KING’S SPEECH
Aaron Sorkin, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexander Desplat, THE KING’S SPEECH
Danny Elfman, ALICE IN WONDERLAND
A.R. Robin, 127 HOURS
Trent Reznor, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Hans Zimmer, INCEPTION
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BIUTIFUL
THE CONCERT
THE EDGE
I AM LOVE
IN A BETTER WORLD
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Amy Adams, THE FIGHTER
Helena Bonham Carter, THE KING’S SPEECH
Mila Kunis, BLACK SWAN
Melissa Leo, THE FIGHTER
Jacki Weaver, ANIMAL KINGDOM
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Christian Bale, THE FIGHTER
Michael Douglas, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
Andrew Garfield, THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Jeremy Renner, THE TOWN
Geoffrey Rush, THE KING’S SPEECH
BEST ANIMATED FILM
DESPICABLE ME
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
THE ILLUSIONIST
TANGLED
TOY STORY
BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“Bound to You” – BURLESQUE
“Coming Home” – COUNTRY STRONG
“I See the Light” – TANGLED
“There’s a Place for Us” – THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE DAWN TREADER
“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” – BURLESQUE




Monday, December 13, 2010

AFI AWARDS 2010: Announcing The Honorees


AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THE TOWN
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
WINTER'S BONE

AFI TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
THE BIG C
BOARDWALK EMPIRE
BREAKING BAD
GLEE
MAD MEN
MODERN FAMILY
THE PACIFIC
TEMPLE GRANDIN
30 ROCK
THE WALKING DEAD

AFI SPECIAL AWARDS
THE KING'S SPEECH
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN


 and if you are interested these was their 2009 picks



The New York Film Critics 2010 Have Their Say

Best Film
“The Social Network”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Director
David Fincher, “The Social Network”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Actor
Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Actress
Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Supporting Actor
Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Screenplay
“The Kids Are All Right”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Cinematography
“Black Swan”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Animated Film
“The Illusionist”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Non-Fiction Film
“Inside Job”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best Foreign Language Film
“Carlos”
(Runner-up: TBA)
Best First Feature
“Animal Kingdom”
(Runner-up: TBA)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

'Inception' on Blu Ray and DVD Today

not a single film that i've seen has come out so far this year that has moved 'inception' from my favorite film of the year slot. nor from my best film of 2010 thus far. granted i have a few more to see but....

leo, marion, joseph gordon-levitt and the rest of the wonderful cast bring life to an amazing original screenplay brilliantly crafted and directed by christopher nolan.

now we can own it...rewind it, slow-mo it or just watch in over again and again. this has never been a see it once film. it is chock full of moments, sequences, shots that need to be seen again, studied and pondered over. this is one helluva film...an amazing fete really.

it deserves oscar noms for film, directing, editing, screenplay, best actor, supporting actress, music. sound editing, special effects and cinematography.  did i leave any out?


i guess you know how i feel about 'inception'. i gave it my highest rating when i first saw it. the next three times did not change my mind. this is film making at it's best.













Thursday, December 2, 2010

'The Social Network' Sweeps National Board of Review

for the record: last year the board was 0 for 5 when the oscars were announced so i don't think they are much of a barometer





Best Film: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress: Lesley Manville, Another Year
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Best Foreign Language Film: Of Gods and Men
Best Documentary: Waiting for “Superman”
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Ensemble Cast: The Town

Ten Best Films
(in alphabetical order)
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

'127 Hours': ***1/2 stars

james franco gives the performance of his career and possibly one of the best performance by an actor this year. it certainly is one of the best performances of all time.



danny boyle (slumdog millionaire) directs a minor masterpiece. the grand canyon costars with mr. franco as the alps did with julie andrews in 'the sound of music'. the terrain sets the man vs nature scenario. james franco shows the passage of these 127 hours all over his face. he is really quite remarkable.

if you don't know the story here it is in a nutshell: adrenalin junkie aaron ralston literally gets stuck between a rock and a hard place. to survive he must amputate his arm. he does. and he survives to live another day.

there is an amazing scene of a storm as the hero is caught in the canyon. it is beautifully directed and photographed. it sent shivers thru me.

this is not an easy film to watch in it's second half. however, you should not miss it. and to miss james franco's performance would be criminal for any film lover.













 james franco and director danny boyle