Enjoying the blizzard that just hit the East Coast, the Fam and I hit the Ice rinks.

I’m happy to report, no asses were busted.

The Best

1. Star Trek

I am not a fan of the old Star Trek. I’ve tried watching the old show a couple of times. But, this Star Trek was directed by J. J. Abrams. That would explain the complicated storyline, which is not common in many mainstream, big-budget movies. Another thing that Star Trek has that the Tranformers and GI Joes don’t have is character development. J. J. Abrams knows that it is important to be invested in the characters, because otherwise you won’t really care what happens to them. The only low point in the movie is the villan, but since the focus is more on introducing the character it doesn’t matter that much and it leaves room for improvement in the sequel. This movie was written by the writers of Lost, directed by the creator of Lost, and the music was even composed by Michael Giacchino, so of course it was awesome.

2. District 9

I feel that the marketing for this movie was well done. It was a viral campaign and not much was revealed about the plot in trailers. This gave the movie an unpredictable feel. I would not usually say something like this about a movie, but the guns were really cool and it had one of the best robot fights in any movie I saw this year. Director, Neill Blomkamp and actor, Sharlto Copley both did a great job in their first big movie.

3. Avatar

In “Avatar”, James Cameron has created a beautiful world with cool glowing, floating things, crazy hyena-like creatures, and glowing plants. This movie has themes of imperialism, and it involves a lot of action, a story of forbidden love, and its also funny sometimes. Read my full review of Avatar here.

4. Up

Pixar has not made a bad movie yet and Up is no exception. I admit that the first couple of minutes were quite sad I may have even teared up a little bit, maybe. I did not care for the dogs flying mini-planes or they squeaky voice collar, and the scene where the dogs are actually playing poker, usually Pixar would not pull cutesy tricks like that but I can look over that for this movie.

5. Inglorious Bastards

There were not a lot of gory parts in this movie, but the parts that are gory are quite gory. I was more disturbed by the way some of the members of the audience reacted during these gory scenes. I feel when you see someone get their head banged in with a baseball bat or when you see someone get scalped you should probably feel a bit uneasy and you probably would not cheer when something like this happens, but anyways… Quentin Tarantino does a good job at building up the tensions to a climax cyclically, throughout this movie. He does this mostly through scenes with intense dialogue and actually I feel that the music used is really helpful in that as well.

6. Adventureland

Adventureland looks like what some people would call “another teen movie” but it’s not. Its more of a fun love story. After watching this movie, I almost wanted to watch “Twilight” to see Kristen Stewart again. She and Jesse Eisenberg are pretty good in this movie. Even though Jesse’s character is very much like one Micheal Cera would play. Martin Star, Bill Hader , and Kristen Wiig are all quite funny as the other workers at Adventureland. The film does a good job at capturing the feeling of a dull summer in the 80’s (or so I’d assume) and it has a good 80’s soundtrack.

7. Fantastic Mr. Fox

After going with a couple of my friends to see this movie a second time, I noticed that many people did not catch the subtle and simple humor of “Fantastic Mr. Fox”. I feel this movie is probably enjoyed more by Wes Anderson fans then by children. But, I feel that this movie has a very simple and cheerful feel to it. And, the stop-animation is a feast for the eyes. Here is my full review of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” if your interested.

8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I felt that this was the first Harry Potter movie that was actually funny, mostly because of the awkward moments between the characters. I know a lot of people were complaining about the way they dealt with the death scene at the end, but I like the way that it was done. I usually make a big deal about the differences between the movie and the book, but I finally got over that with this one. The big difference in the movie was the attack on the Burrow that wasn’t in the book, which is kind of weird because Bill and Fleur’s wedding is there in the 7th book. But, I think this was the best adaptation of a Harry Potter book, yet.

9. Coraline

To borrow the word that my cousin used to describe Coraline, it is whimsical. Its also quite trippy and dark for what is considered a children’s movie. I mean, come on, she goes to a parallel universe where people have buttons for eyes and that spider-lady is pretty creepy, admit it. I saw this movie in the theaters and it had the best 3-D I have ever seen. And, you know it was one of those stop-motion movies, so it took a really long time to make and stuff, and it looks really cool.

10. Where the Wild Things Are

One of the things that I felt really made this movie stand out was the soundtrack by Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. It gave it a very tribal feel.This movie was so different from any other movie that I had ever seen that I did not know what to think about it at first. There were a lot of things that happened in this film that I found to be kind of strange. Like, when Carol pulled Douglas’ arm off and sand fell out of the wound.  But, I have learned to appreciated the absurdity of “Where the Wild Things Are”.

11. Funny People

Funny People is partially a life and death drama but its also very funny and kind of raunchy. There are a lot of jokes about a certain male body part. Leslie Mann is great in this movie, she just seems so sweet and vulnerable. And I have to mention that Aziz Ansari is hilarious, even though he has a small part.

12. Observe and Report

Observe and Report does well at doing the comedy-action thing. And the random and unpredictable feel of this movie makes it interesting to watch. Its kind of dark, kind of sick, but its also pretty funny.

13. Paranormal Activity

I liked that the way the director, Oren Peli, built up the tension in this movie. He seems to believe in the idea that less is more. This movie would not be any good if it had poor lead actors, but the fresh new faces, Katie Featherstone and Micah Sloat, did a great job at pulling through. If you are interested here is my full review on “Paranormal Activity”.

14. Watchmen

This is the part of my list where I began wondering if these movies should go at the end of my best list or my worst list. I felt that this movie was more gory then it had to be. (In one scene a man gets his arms chainsawed off, in another someone gets hit so hard that we see their bones come out of their arm.) The matrix style fighting did not seem to make sense. There is a sex scene that shows way more then they needed to. I also found it ridiculous that they played the song “Hallelujah” during this scene. I thought that one scene that was done well in this movie and that was when Dr. Manhattan and Sally are on Mars. However,  I feel that overall the movie was pretty faithful to the graphic novel.

15. Public Enemies

Not to my surprise, Johnny Depp did a great job performing in this movie. Cotillard is mesmerising. Christian Bale’s performance was less the brilliant though.  I have to mention that Emilie de Ravin (Claire Littleton from “Lost”) was in this movie for a very small part. Some parts seemed to drag on a bit in this movie, but it has good action scenes and a love story at the center.

16. Angels and Demons

I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. I liked it better than “The Davinci Code”, which I think may have been because I did not read “Angels and Demons” before watching it. This movie is pretty much a basic mystery/action movie, it doesn’t really do anything else very well, but the ending was surprising and it was a fairly entertaining film.

The Worst

1. The Soloist

This movie is probably the most boring movie I have ever seen, I don’t even wanna write about it. I don’t know if I like Robert Downey Jr. he recently said this about himself: “I’m f–king really good at what I do—and have been for a long time, so I don’t waver on that,”(Source: E online) and in an interview with moviehole.com he complains about the Dark Knight being “so high brow and so f–king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand [it]” and he goes on to say “F-ck DC comics.” He just seems kind of stuck-up and rude to me but, you know, he might be a good guy or something. Anywho, this movie is fraking boring, don’t watch it.

2. Terminator Salvation

I thought Terminator Salvation would be a good movie. I like movies involving timetravel…usually. I thought that there would be more focus on Marcus being half human and half robot and for the movie to hit on themes like Battlestar Galactica and the whole debate about what makes humans, humans. There wasn’t much of that though, there were a lot of giant robots and stuff instead. Yeah, sure, giant robot battles are kind of cool but I’m tired of them and I’m tired of them being meaningless.

3. Transformers 2

Speaking of meaningless robot battles. This is Robert Downey Jr.’s kind of movie, no thinking involved at all. There are bad robots and there are good robots and they fight, for two and a half longs hours. Yeah, the bad robots are back because…well…magic! and how else would there be a sequel? The last scene is so drawn out and the whole thing where the main character goes to robot heaven and comes back to life is ridiculous.

4. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

I didn’t have high expectations for this film and it lived up to my low expectations. Rachel McAdams is the only good thing about the sequel. Night at the Museum 2 just seems like another kids movie utilizing slapstick humor and other cutesy tricks.

That’s right, the wait is over: here’s my list of the best movies of 2009*,**.

*that I have seen
**that have received at least 500 votes on IMDB b/c that’s how I look up what was released on 2009

1. Star Trek. Call me a nerd, but this was top-notch entertainment and everything about it worked. Here’s my review.
2. Inglourious Basterds. A return to form for Tarantino, but also something else entirely, original and bizarre and primal and moving. I found it hard to write about, so here’s my non-review.
3. Knowing. Nicolas Cage is one of the more bizarre, ugly yet appealing leading actors there have ever been, and somehow I enjoy him in anything he does in spite of myself. The closest thing I’ve seen to a thinking person’s disaster movie.
4. Adventureland. Another one of these teen comedies that unfairly gets automatic bonus points for being somehow associated with “Judd Apatow” even though as far as I can tell it had nothing to do with him (was directed by Greg Mottola, who also directed Superbad, which was produced by Judd Apatow). So I came into it with a lot of skepticism – the same skepticism I have for anything related to “J.J. Abrams” – but it’s charming and funny enough and avoids many potential cliches.
5. The International. Decent paranoid-banking thriller. My review is here.
6. Coraline. Beautiful to look at, a bit creepy (not for young kids!), fantastic score. The only knock against it is that the theme of the sensitive, artistic loner girl is well-trod by this point. See any Miyazaki movie. See any Winona Ryder movie from the late 1980s. Certain authors and writers are still in love with the Winona Ryder image, apparently, and can’t stop writing about her. Me, I’m ready to move on.
7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. There is nothing bad and a lot that’s oddly interesting about this Harry Potter movie. I guess the only problem at this point is that it’s yet another Harry Potter movie. The Harry Potter movies have long since all started blending into each other for me and I feel like they could have cut out a lot of the fat and the quidditch and the inevitable movie-concluding confrontations with big dragons and things (right? cuz each movie has to have at least one?) and just crammed the good parts of the story arc into about 2-3 movies. I do try to keep up with them, I dutifully watch them when they come out, but I have never grown attached to any of the characters and I can never remember which of the movies I’ve seen, what happened in them, or who the long-gone characters they keep mentioning were (Sirius Black – he was someone important right..? I think?). The one interesting turn this film takes is that Harry Potter has become more and more a straightforward British superhero. The earlier entries in this series were essentially a revival of thinly-disguised ‘boarding school’ stories a la Tom Brown’s Schooldays. But the whole thing seems to have morphed into Peter Parker/Spiderman, or perhaps Neo/The Matrix (with a British accent) before our eyes. Which is fine, but becomes less and less memorable or striking. I’ve already seen those movies.
8. Wanted. Silly, crazy action movie with an ancient secret caste of people who can make bullets curve, and Angelina Jolie in the all-knowing Amazonian assassin role she’s perfected recently. Nothing terrible here, but in the end it’s impossible to take seriously. I think the best that can be said about this film is that director Timur Bekmambetov’s earlier stuff like Day Watch is actually a hell of a lot crazier.

Not seen yet, but I will, and fully expect to like:

Taken, The Hangover, Moon

THE RUNAWAYS

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This column was originally published in the Central Western Daily on Tuesday 29th September 2009.

Way back in 1983, my father came home from work and proudly presented me with an unlabelled VHS tape. To my delight, as I placed it into our original top loading video cassette player, the words “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” appeared. Yes, dad had obtained a pirate copy of Return Of The Jedi. I was amazed. As a huge Star Wars fan as a child, I wasn’t expecting to see this movie for another six months or so. OK, so it wasn’t a great copy (probably a copy of a copy), and was obviously recorded inside a cinema (someone in the row in front gets up and comes back with popcorn) but to an eight year old kid, seeing (what should have been) the exciting final film in the Star Wars trilogy before all of my school friends was pretty cool.

That was way back when all movies enjoyed a delayed worldwide release schedule. Starting in the film’s country of origin (most often the USA or UK), movies would slowly be released to cinemas country by country. This was generally to allow the film’s stars to travel with it for publicity but also to minimise the cost of producing the thousands of celluloid copies of the movie. As a cinema finished with a particular film’s reels, it could be sent along to the next country.

Nowadays, technology and the ease of spreading a pirated film via the internet has forced the major movie distributors to release blockbusters simultaneously worldwide on the same date. However, smaller and less mainstream films are still following the traditional release pattern for cinema and now DVDs.

Without resorting to illegal downloads, how can you enjoy a movie at home that may be still running in your local cinema and save a few bucks in the process? Here are some ideas.

With a strong Aussie exchange rate against the US dollar, purchasing your dvds and blu-ray discs from Amazon.com, America’s biggest online retailer of books, music and movies, is very appealing. Amazon stock thousands of DVD titles, many of which are yet to be released in Australian cinemas or video stores. For instance, the stop-motion movie Coraline has just finished in Australian cinemas. At US$16.50 (A$19.00) plus postage from Amazon, you can avoid those morons that text in the cinema and watch Coraline (in 2D or 3D) in the comfort of your own home for much less than the cost of a family of four plus popcorn, drinks and sweets at the movies.

Note that US DVDs are not compatible with Australian Region 4 coded DVD players so make sure that your player is multi-region capable.

If you are a blu-ray enthusiast like me, blu-raymoviescheap.com is an Australian website that lists the latest US and UK blu-ray titles which are not region encoded and will work here. Clicking through the website to purchase via Amazon or Ebay gives Alex, the site’s webmaster and blu-ray fanatic, a few cents in commission to continue his good work.

Also worth checking out is cd-wow.com.au, an online retailer based in Hong Kong which sells hundreds of CD, DVD, blu-ray and video game titles. All products from cd-wow include free worldwide shipping and their CD prices are especially competitive compared to local department and music stores.

Whilst the cinema is still the best place to see the biggest blockbusters, buying DVDs and blu-ray discs from overseas retailers ahead of their Australian rental, retail or even cinema release is worth considering, especially for those with a decent home theatre set-up and a few bob to save.

www.amazon.com

www.blu-raymoviescheap.com

www.cd-wow.com.au

It’s my favorite time of the year. Not just because of the holidays — but because it’s Oscar season. I’ll admit my nerdiness: I get giddy predicting who’ll be nominated. I visit awards blogs. I see all the movies I think could score nods. And my favorite night of the year is the Oscar telecast. I make bets. I order take-in. I watch the winners unfold with awe.

And this week, the Golden Globe noms were announced. It’s often the first big step to Oscar night — even if these nominations don’t always match the Academy’s picks. But it’s always a good indication of what’s to come.

Hence, here are my comments on this year’s Globe slate:

BEST PICTURE — DRAMA

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire
Up In The Air

NOTES: This is actually a more interesting Globe category than usual.

Because this year, the Oscars increased its Best Picture slate to 10 nominees — a ridiculous move, especially because this is a down year for motion pictures. Hence, this year’s Globe Best Picture race is a good indication what the actual best five dramas of the year are.

Which makes Avatar and Precious a surprise when the melodramatic, more-Academy-like epic Invictus was left off the list. And what happened to Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones?

But it’s good to see Inglourious Basterds here. I was curious to see whether the major awards would welcome Tarantino back since he hasn’t been nominated since 1994 with Pulp Fiction. And Basterds deserves the attention.

Still, my pick for the winner: Up In The Air. It’s arty and subtle enough to be a safe selection. It’s got the likable-as-ever George Clooney. And its subject matter — about a man who travels around the country firing people — is timely.

SNUBS: Invictus; A Single Man; The Lovely Bones; An Education; Star Trek (Remember: These could make an appearance since the Oscars are going for 10 noms this year.)

BEST ACTRESS — DRAMA

Emily Blunt– The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious

NOTES: This makes it seem more likely that Sandra Bullock may actually be on her way to becoming an Oscar nominee. And this gives momentum to Emily Blunt, who has been considered a dark horse. I’m just glad to see Carey Mulligan here. Her performance is touching and tough.

SNUBS: Abbie Cornish — Bright Star; Saoirse Ronan, The Lovely Bones

BEST ACTOR — DRAMA

Jeff Bridges– Crazy Heart
George Clooney – Up In The Air
Colin Firth – A Single Man
Morgan Freeman –Invictus
Tobey Maguire – Brothers

NOTES: Tobey Maguire? Really? Jeremy Renner should be here for another war movie:The Hurt Locker. Spider-Man’s nomination is the biggest surprise of this year’s Globes.

This one should be a race between Jeff Bridges (who has never won) in a shambled, Kris Kristofferson-like performance as a country singer, and George Clooney (a two-timer winner) for his measured portrayal of a hatchet man.

SNUBS: Jeremy Renner — The Hurt Locker; Viggo Mortensen — The Road

BEST PICTURE — MUSICAL OR COMEDY

(500) Days Of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine

NOTES: Hooray for The Hangover — easily the best comedy of the year, if not the last few years. But I call it: (500) Days Of Summer will upset Nine in this race.

SNUBS:A Serious Man (Really? Julie & Julia instead of the Coen Brothers?)

BEST ACTRESS — MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Sandra Bullock – The Proposal
Marion Cotillard – Nine
Julia Roberts – Duplicity
Meryl Streep – It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

NOTES: Streep will get an Oscar nod for Julie & Julia. But something tells me Sandra Bullock will upset here, as a consolation prize for having a big year and for not winning Best Actress in a Drama.

SNUBS: None

BEST ACTOR — MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Matt Damon – The Informant!
Daniel Day-Lewis – Nine
Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – (500) Days Of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg – A Serious Man

NOTES: Expect Damon to nab an Oscar nod. Hence, he should win here. The only surprise nom: Downey Jr. Maybe people really are starting to like him.

SNUBS: None [Editorial Note: Zach Galifianakis could've easily gotten a nom for The Hangover]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penélope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up In The Air
Anna Kendrick – Up In The Air
Mo’nique – Precious
Julianne Moore – A Single Man

NOTES: Good to see Vera Farmiga in this race — a fine actress, from Clifton, N.J., who has never been nominated. This one category that could be duplicated, nominee by nominee, in the Oscars.

SNUBS: No one major. These really are the five that stand out.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon – Invictus
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
Christopher Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

NOTES: This is the most crowded, open race of the year. So there are plenty of snubs I’ll list below. But it’s good to see Waltz, who gave the most memorable performance of the year in any film. And it’s good to see Tucci and Plummer — veteran actors who have never gotten much awards attention.

SNUBS:Alfred Molina — An Education (subtle and funny as an overprotective father — and never nominated); Alec Baldwin — It’s Complicated< (taking his brilliant comedy work on TV and translating it to film); Christian McKay — Me And Orson Welles (celebrity impersonations often do well at the Oscars) Expect one of these three men to slip into the Oscar race, because Damon will likely not get nominated.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess And The Frog
Up

NOTES: This was actually a great year for animated films. But, as much as I loved Coraline, expect Up to have a slight advantage over Fox. And don’t be surprised if one of these films slips into the Oscar Top 10.

SNUBS: None.

BEST DIRECTOR

Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
James Cameron – Avatar
Clint Eastwood – Invictus
Jason Reitman – Up In The Air
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

NOTES: A cool category for a few reasons: Reitman is becoming quite the young auteur; Q.T. is back; and Bigelow and Cameron used to be married. Eastwood’s nomination also shows Invictus could still be a major Oscar contender.

SNUBS: Lee Daniels — Precious; Rob Marshall — Nine; Tom Ford — A Single Man; Joel & Ethan Coen — A Serious Man

BEST SCREENPLAY
District 9– Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
The Hurt Locker — Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds — Quentin Tarantino
It’s Complicated– Nancy Meyers
Up In The Air –Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

NOTES: District 9 is the surprise here. It’s Complicated is unexpected, too. Especially since this category is exclusive because unlike the Oscars, the Globes don’t have a screenwriting category for adapted scripts.

SNUBS: A Serious Man — Joel & Ethan Coen; (500) Days of Summer — Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; An Education — Nick Hornby; Fantastic Mr. Fox — Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Up — Michael Giacchino
The Informant! — Marvin Hamlisch
Avatar – James Horner
A Single Man — Abel Korzeniowski
Where The Wild Things Are — Karen O and Carter Burwell

NOTES: This may be the only love Wild Things gets this awards season — but it’s neat to see Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O here.

SNUBS: The Lovely Bones — Brian Eno (one of my favorite musicians — the former Roxy Music keyboardist and ambient music pioneer); The Princess And The Frog — Randy Newman; Up In The Air — Rolfe Kent

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Cinema Italiano” – Nine
Music & Lyrics by Maury Yeston

“I See You” – Avatar
Music by James Horner and Simon Franglen
Lyrics by James Horner, Simon Franglen and Kuk Harrell

“I Want To Come Home” – Everybody’s Fine
Music & Lyrics by Paul McCartney

Sir Paul's work for Everybody's Fine is quite possibly the best thing about that movie

“Winter” – Brothers
Music by U2
Lyrics by Bono

NOTES: The Globes often do a much better job picking the best song from a movie than the Oscars. They gave Bruce Springsteen a statuette last year for the great title song from The Wrestler when the Academy didn’t even nominate him. And because the Hollywood Foreign Press gives out the Globes, they tend to favor Europeans like McCartney and U2. Which is good, because they’re incredible musicians who write indelible music. I’d like to see Sir Paul win here, because he’s had a great
late-period career. And I definitely will not be happy if they give it to James Horner for another sappy song from a James Cameron movie (Horner is the guy who wrote the horrible ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from
that iceberg movie).

SNUBS: “All Is Love” from Where The Wild Things Are – Karen O, Nick Zinner; “Almost There” from The Princess And The Frog — Randy Newman

TWO FINAL NOTES:

1. Another reason I’m pissed the Academy Awards will have a whopping 10 Best Picture nominees? It makes the Golden Globe Best Picture races less exciting. Part of the fun used to be seeing which of the Globe
nominees end up as Oscar noms. Now, with 10 slots, it’s almost as if all of them will be there when the Academy unveils its slate.

And I Want My Globes: Will the Foreign Press recognize QT's latest work?

Another fertile year for filmmaking, 2009 closed out the decade strongly with a plethora of wonderful films. Narrowing it down to 10 was tough, but somehow, we accomplished it. Let us know your picks in the comments below.

10. The Box

The victim of a poor marketing push, Hollywood’s unfathomable belief that Cameron Diaz is still a box office draw, and Richard Kelly’s general zaniness, The Box has already faded away from the public memory. Which is a pity because Kelly’s third film is a fascinating, terrifying, engrossing look at greed, conformity, and selling-out. Its also a stylistic achievement that shows Kelly as a fantastic craftsman while paying homage to science fiction, b-cinema classics. Boasting the year’s finest score (sorry Up) and a creeptastic performance from Frank Langella, The Box deserves to find the same afterlife Donnie Darko did.

9. Where the Wild Things Are

There were a lot of detractors of Spike Jonez’ film adaptation of the classic children’s novel, but Where the Wild Things Are is a truly magnificent film. The film, much like the book, is about imagination and how it’s as much a way to understand things as it is to escape them. The film isn’t about escaping into a dream world, it’s about the inherent loneliness and confusion that, though often attributed to teenagers, is often overlooked in kids, and the Wild Things personify the major emotions felt by Max. A film that will probably remain controversial, Where the Wild Things Are is a joy to watch, whether you’re a kid or an adult.
8. Humpday

What stays with you about Humpday isn’t the Apatow-esque premise but how real it feels. Director Lynn Shelton’s handheld, DIY style and freewheeling, improvisational set-up gives the film a genuine realism that is missing from most movies. Anchored by great performances from Joshua Leonard and Mark Duplass, Humpday crafts a tender, realistic portrayal of male anxiety and friendship, with plenty of awkward laughs and great moments.

7. The Brothers Bloom

Heist films and films about con men all tend to run along the same narrative: one guy or a team gets together for one last, big score that will set them up for life. The Brothers Bloom starts that way, but the further it goes, the more it separates itself from the rest as being the most fun heist/con man movie since Oceans 11. The cast is absolutely perfect, not missing a single beat in the whole film as Rian Johnson continues to establish himself as an up and coming auteur. The Brothers Bloom is the kind of movie you can watch over and over again and still find something new to love.
6. Up

Pixar took the moving opening to Wall-E and raised the ante in the first ten minutes of Up, creating a sequence so honest and wrenching that it’s a miracle anyone still had the energy to watch the movie that followed. Up is a thrilling, old-fashioned action-adventure film, a hilarious buddy comedy, and an unbelievably moving tearjerker that earns all of its emotional beats without naked manipulation. And all of that is without even mentioning one of the year’s funniest characters (that would be Dug), Michael Giacchino’s thrilling score, Pete Docter’s fascinating visual palatte, and the film’s brilliant repeated use of simple geometric shapes.

5. Inglorious Basterds

Quintin Tarantino loves to take old cinema conventions and turn them into his own, twisted creations, and with Inglorious Basterds, he regains his stride. Taking the World War II/Nazi Germany film and throwing it in a blender, Tarantino’s film is more fun than anything since Kill Bill Vol. 1. Not for the weak at heart, Inglorious Basterds is a film that lived up to all its hype.

4. In the Loop

The obvious touchstone for starting any conversation about In the Loop is Dr. Strangelove. But whereas Stanley Kubrick’s film took the terrifying reality of nuclear war and blew it up to hysterical proportions, In the Loop succeeds because of how frighteningly plausible it is. Words become bombs and, in the hands of people like Peter Capaldi’s inspired Malcolm Tucker, are contorted and twisted until they lose all their meaning. Like the best satire, In the Loop isn’t just hilarious but it reflects the way that, deep down, we all worry the government actually runs.

3. Coraline

An absolutely stunning film, Coraline is a be careful what you wish for tale that dazzles from start to finish. Coraline takes animation to new heights and defies the expectations of a children’s movie. For every moment of wonder and imagination, Coraline has one of equal creepiness and dread. Henry Selick outdoes his prior masterpiece, The Nightmare Before Christmas, in creating a instant classic that’s unlike anything else you’ve ever seen.

2. The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson’s films have always filtered complex, adult emotions through a childlike lens, so its kind of appropriate that his best film in eight years is a children’s movie. The dream pairing of Anderson and author Roald Dahl led to a film of charming wonder, one that’s feels so hand-crafted and personal that you can almost see the fingermarks on the clay characters. Brought to life with the detail and whimsy of a fourth-grade literary diorama, but with Anderson’s trademark melancholy and sophistication, no film left you feeling quite as happy as Fantastic Mr. Fox did this year.
1. The Hurt Locker
In most war movies, the horror of war is depicted through extreme violence, alienation from those at home, and even a lack of both of those. In The Hurt Lockera story about however, it comes out as suspense, the terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach that something awful is just a second away from happening, and obsession. In the end, The Hurt Locker is ultimately not a film that wants you to understand the Iraq War or even war in general, but rather give it’s viewer the nerve racking sense of dread of war that few war movies can convey.

Most people usually see the Golden Globes as the pre-cursors and foreshadowers of the Academy Awards, but there’s one big difference: Best Picture is divided into Drama and Musical/Comedy. This allows for a lot of variety, plus two winners in each of the biggest categories: Picture, Actor, and Actress. The Director, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor/Actress awards are lumped together, so it becomes a bit more prophetic of the Oscar race than the others (for example, the winners of Best Actor were Sean Penn (the eventual winner) and..ahem…Colin Farrell). This year’s three front-runners for Best Picture-Drama (and the coveted Best Picture Oscar) are Up in the Air (likely for Screenplay), The Hurt Locker (likely for Director, unless the “King of the World” has any say about it) and Precious (which is more actor-driven than production), with blockbusters Avatar and Inglourious Basterds weak competition. The Best Picture-Musical or Comedy section has the same variety: indie darling (see my piece on the Spirit Awards) vs. big-budget musical (the most viable candidate) vs. silly comedies (The Hangover? way to defy expectations, you snooty critics). Here’s the full list: http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/

We're Best Picture nominees...who'da thunk it?!

This year’s Golden Globes race has three, count ‘em three, actors with two nominations: Matt Damon, Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock. Last year Kate Winslet was in the same boat and went home with both statuettes, so I’m apt to think the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the governing body over the Globes) will want to reward each of the two-timers with at least one award apiece. Matt Damon is a good bet for the Best Actor-Musical or Comedy prize as the delusional whistle-blower in The Informant!, partly because he has no chance in the Supporting Actor contest against Christoph Waltz as the villain of the year in Inglourious Basterds (then again, neither do the other guys), and partly because his only real competition is Daniel Day-Lewis in Nine (although I’ll be cheering for Joseph Gordon-Levitt as usual), and that’s only because Day-Lewis is Day-Lewis. Streep is against herself in the Best Actress-Musical or Comedy category, and her chameleonic performance in Julie & Julia has better odds than the lead in Nancy Meyers’s latest middle-age madcap It’s Complicated. Bullock has the tough sell: the nomination for The Proposal is a gift pure and simple (Meryl Streep overshadows all other actresses), and her career-best part as a Southern charity-case in The Blind Side has a tough job against favorite Carey Mulligan in An Education and “Precious” herself, but I still think she’ll come away with the trophy. The Best Actor-Drama category is neck-and-neck; everyone but Tobey Maguire has a chance, but since Invictus and A Single Man are both missing from the Best Picture roster, I’m guessing Clooney will ride the high praise for both him, his film and his co-stars to the top. The choices for Supporting Actress  may also yield a win for Up in the Air, but if Precious falls short in the Picture and Actress categories, the judges may make up for it with a win for Mo’Nique. Let me know what you think!

Best Motion Picture-Drama

• Pick: The Hurt Locker
• Predict: Up in the Air

Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy

• Pick: (500) Days of Summer
• Predict: Nine

Best Performances-Drama

• Pick: George Clooney, Up in the Air
• Carey Mulligan, An Education
• Predict: George Clooney, Up in the Air
• Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Best Performances-Musical 0r Comedy

• Pick: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
• Predict: Matt Damon, The Informant!
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Performances

• Pick: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
• Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
• Predict: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
• Mo’Nique, Precious

Best Director

• Pick: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
• Predict: James Cameron, Avatar

Best Screenplay

• Pick: Up in the Air
• Predict: Up in the Air

Best Animated Feature Film

• Pick: Coraline
• Predict: Up

Best Foreign Language Film

• Pick: Broken Embraces
• Predict: The White Ribbon

I have to start this list with an apology. There are 21 films on it. Sorry. Here are must-see movies of 2009 numbers 1 through 5.

The thing is this; I haven’t seen most of these films, either because I was too broke when they were in the theater (earlier in the year when I was unemployed), because they haven’t come out yet, or have just been released.

First, how my list is formed. It’s not rocket science, you don’t need a calculator or anything. I do use Excel, though, tee hee.

Steph’s Scheme For Oscar Movie Prep

1) Make list of all movies nominated for (in no particular order) the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Critic’s Choice, Independent Spirit, Gotham Awards, and any other awards season list I can get my grubby hands on.

2) Score them. It’s not that there’s any specific mathematical formula, but Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice nominees get extra weight, as do SAG awards. Check which movies have been nominated for the Annies (sort of like the animated movies Oscars) and mush together nods for Independent Spirit and Gotham.

3) National Board of Review is useful as sort of a tiebreaker.

4) See which movies have the most nominations/awards/recognitions. I don’t count song/score awards as a rule (yes, I know, music is important, but there are a lot of BAD movies with good music. If the movie is good, and the song is nominated, yay – it’ll be on my list somewhere else), or most “breakthrough” or “young actor” awards, unless the film is already on my list for something else. Visual effects awards sort of fall into that category too, though with the expanded Best Picture category that might require some rethinking.

5) Visit Rotten Tomatoes to get an idea of how really GOOD the movies are that only reviewers have seen yet, since sometimes movies (cough cough, Nine) have a lot of buzz for no really good reason. That doesn’t necessarily exclude them (cough cough, Nine) from my list, though

6) I usually try to prioritize them by which ones I want to see most, not necessarily who I think will win, since I haven’t seen most of them yet. Funny how that works So at this point it’s purely preference. For example, I tend to not enjoy animated movies all THAT much, as a rule. So you won’t find Up on my list. Or Coraline, though I might go rent it anyway because I love Neil Gaiman.

So, with no further jibber-jabber:

1) The Hurt Locker – This movie, about an American bomb disposal team in 2004 Iraq, has gotten nothing but praise since its release earlier this year (98% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). I had planned to go see it when it was in theaters, but something came up and I never made it. It’s nominated for 8 Critic’s Choice awards (the categories pretty closely parallel Oscar) 3 Golden Globes, and 2 SAG awards (ensemble and lead actor). It comes out on DVD January 12th.

2) Crazy Heart – This one isn’t top of my list in number of nominations, but pretty much every awarding body has Jeff Bridges on its list for his portrayal of Bad Blake, a “broken down, hard-living country music singer” according to the official Fox Searchlight plot synopsis (how can I get THAT job?). Music people will be happy to note that it has a Golden Globe-nominated song, “The Weary Kind”, which you can hear on the movie’s website or download from iTunes See, I don’t discriminate! Anyway, Bridges has been nominated for 4 Oscars but has never won. His last nomination was in 2000 for The Contender. I think it very likely he’ll be on the list again this year. 96% fresh on RT. Limited release began December 16th, coming Christmas Day to the Angelika Dallas.

3) An Education – With nominations for Carey Mulligan from SAG, the Golden Globes, Independent Spirit and Critic’s Choice, along with a nod from the National Board of Review, she’s pretty much a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of 16-year old Jenny Mellor, a London teen who becomes involved with a man twice her age (Peter Sarsgaard). The ensemble is also nominated for a SAG, which is the highest honor that body bestows. 94% fresh on RT. Released October 8th, still playing at the Angelika in Dallas… hopefully it will stick around after Christmas so I can get to see it! Maybe I’ll drag Mom, if it’s playing in San Antonio… hmmm, Huebner Oaks! Looks like a win.

4) Precious – So I’ve gotten over the fact that Oprah is involved (she’s one of the producers, in case you’ve been living under a rock), and in the face of the excellent reviews, I’ve decided I must see this. It’s nominated for… everything, pretty much. Hooray for fellow fat chick Gabourey Sidibe, and I bet she will look fabulous on the Oscar red carpet Also look for honors for Mo’Nique, playing Precious’s abusive mother. 91% fresh on RT, limited release began November 6th, now in wide release.

5) The Messenger – Another Iraq movie, sort of. This one stars Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson (many supporting actor nominations already for this role, and he won the NBR award) as Army officers assigned to the Casualty Notification service. Complications ensue when Foster’s Will Montgomery becomes involved with Samantha Morton’s recently widowed Olivia. Harrelson’s only previous Oscar nomination was in 1996 for The People vs. Larry Flynt, though he did snag an MTV ”Best Kiss” (with Wesley Snipes) award for White Men Can’t Jump in 1993 90% fresh on RT, limited release began November 13th. No word yet on when (if?) it will come to Dallas >.<

My eyes are crossing. 6-10 to come on Saturday!

por Diego Taborda

Los Golden Globes tienen algo divertido y es que son capaces de calificar tanto cine como televisión en un sólo evento. Lo malo es que las categorías no son muy elocuentes, por así decirlo, y terminan estando musicales y comedias en un sólo lado de la balanza.

Muchas pelis no las he visto, la mayoría son pelis que no van a traer y dependiendo de los corrillos en las salas de cine, habrá que ver si se hace el esfuerzo de buscarlas por Amazon, pedirlas prestadas o inducir a los vecinos o a algún amigo descarriado a que la compre pirata (ooops).

Siguiendo con el juego, espero se hayan tomado un tiempo prudencial para meditar el listado de ayer. Hoy voy a subrayar en negrilla las pelis que considero ganadoras y en itálica las que no he visto.

• Best Motion Picture – Drama

Sólo me he visto una, por descarte selecciono mi ganadora

Avatar (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Up in the Air (2009/I)

• Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Igual pero no creo que ninguna supere a The Hangover, sobretodo porque son demasiado romanticonas para mi gusto. De Nancy Meyers me he visto lo último que ha hecho y no me convence, Rob Marshall definitivamente no es mi director favorito y Nora Ephron lo mismo de Meyers

(500) Days of Summer (2009)
The Hangover (2009)
It’s Complicated (2009)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Nine (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Desierto por ahora

Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)
George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009)
Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009)
Tobey Maguire for Brothers (2009/I)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Desierto por ahora pero me llama la atención a la Bullock con su nominación

Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria (2009)
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)
Helen Mirren for The Last Station (2009)
Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009)
Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Qué linda competencia. Damon dirigido por Soderbergh debe ser muy bueno, Day-Lewis nunca defrauda aunque insisto ni los musicales ni Marshall son mi fuerte, Downey Jr. es de los que pintan mejor pero quién sabe si se arriesguen a darle premios debido a su consabida arrogancia y humor negro en los podios, Gordon-Levitt me cae muy bien desde Third Rock from The Sun pero quién sabe si logre premio, lo último que le vi fue The Juror y fue normalito, el otro nominado ni idea.

Matt Damon for The Informant! (2009)
Daniel Day-Lewis for Nine (2009)
Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt for (500) Days of Summer (2009)
Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Esta fijo se la gana Meryl Streep pero me gustó Roberts en Duplicity. Segunda nominación de Bullock?

Sandra Bullock for The Proposal (2009/I)
Marion Cotillard for Nine (2009)
Julia Roberts for Duplicity (2009)
Meryl Streep for It’s Complicated (2009)
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Nadie le gana a Waltz en esta categoría.

Matt Damon for Invictus (2009)
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I)
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (2009)
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Desierto por ahora

Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009)
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Mo’Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Julianne Moore for A Single Man (2009)

• Best Director – Motion Picture

Yo creo que con tanta muerte de nazis Tarantino gana de lejos aunque Clint Eastwood siempre es un competidor fuerte y es uno de mis directores favoritos y Reitman después de Juno y Thank You for Smoking puede sorprender

Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
James Cameron for Avatar (2009)
Clint Eastwood for Invictus (2009)
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

• Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Yo esperaría que ganara Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell por District 9 por sus logros con la reinvención de una buena historia de ciencia ficción pero fijo aquí también gana Tarantino

District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino
It’s Complicated (2009): Nancy Meyers
Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

• Best Original Song – Motion Picture

Desierto por ahora

Avatar (2009): James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell(“I Will See You”)
Brothers (2009/I): U2, Bono(“Winter”)
Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham(“The Weary Kind”)
Everybody’s Fine (2009): Paul McCartney(“(I Want To) Come Home”)
Nine (2009): Maury Yeston(“Cinema Italiano”)

• Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Aún no he visto la peli pero gracias a un amigo ya escuché la banda sonora completa de Where the Wild Things Are y es ganadora

Avatar (2009): James Horner
The Informant! (2009): Marvin Hamlisch
A Single Man (2009): Abel Korzeniowski
Up (2009): Michael Giacchino
Where the Wild Things Are (2009): Carter Burwell, Karen Orzolek

• Best Animated Film

Obviamente, incluso sin verla, debería ser ganadora Fantastic Mr. Fox

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Coraline (2009)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Up (2009)

• Best Foreign Language Film

Desierto por ahora pero que no la se la gane Almodóvar, estoy cansado de la rutina

Los abrazos rotos (2009)
Baarìa (2009)
Das weisse Band – Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)
La nana (2009)
Un prophète (2009)

• Best Television Series – Drama

Hay buenas opciones, estuve viendo Mad Men en HBO y creo que es bastante ganador pero el resto es muy bueno igual, no se cuál pueda lograrlo

“Big Love” (2006)
“Dexter” (2006)
“House M.D.” (2004)
“Mad Men” (2007)
“True Blood” (2008)

• Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

“Entourage” (2004)
“Glee” (2009)
“The Office” (2005)
“Modern Family” (2009)
“30 Rock” (2006)

• Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Desierto por ahora

Georgia O’Keeffe (2009) (TV)
Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Into the Storm (2009) (TV)
Little Dorrit (2008)
Taking Chance (2009) (TV)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Desierto por ahora

Kevin Bacon for Taking Chance (2009) (TV)
Kenneth Branagh for Wallander (2008)
Chiwetel Ejiofor for Endgame (2009)
Brendan Gleeson for Into the Storm (2009) (TV)
Jeremy Irons for Georgia O’Keeffe (2009) (TV)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

Desierto por ahora

Joan Allen for Georgia O’Keeffe (2009) (TV)
Drew Barrymore for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Jessica Lange for Grey Gardens (2009) (TV)
Anna Paquin for The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009) (TV)
Sigourney Weaver for Prayers for Bobby (2009) (TV)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

En esta categoría también se pone buena la competencia, Baldwin por experiencia y excelencia, Carell porque no defrauda, Duchovny porque lo hace bien aunque no es que me mate la serie ni su actuación y Jane se está reivindicando después de todo ese pasado tenebroso en Hollywood

Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock (2006)
Steve Carell for The Office (2005)
David Duchovny for Californication (2007)
Thomas Jane for Hung (2009)
Matthew Morrison for Glee (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Creo que aunque Tina Fey puede ser clara ganadora, Toni Collette tiene un logro muy bueno y puede llegar a sorprender

Toni Collette for United States of Tara (2009)
Courteney Cox for Cougar Town (2009)
Edie Falco for Nurse Jackie (2009)
Tina Fey for 30 Rock (2006)
Lea Michele for Glee (2009)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Me voy por Ham entre Jon Hamm y Bill Paxton pero fijo gana Simon Baker

Simon Baker for The Mentalist (2008)
Michael C. Hall for Dexter (2006)
Jon Hamm for Mad Men (2007)
Hugh Laurie for House M.D. (2004)
Bill Paxton for Big Love (2006)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

Menos mal me quitan el servicio de televisión forzosamente durante tres meses, creo que estoy viendo demasiada. Aquí la ganadora es Glenn Close y su papel de antagónica en Damages

Glenn Close for Damages (2007)
January Jones for Mad Men (2007)
Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife (2009)
Anna Paquin for True Blood (2008)
Kyra Sedgwick for The Closer (2005)

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Voy a repetirlo tal cual: Menos mal me quitan el servicio de televisión forzosamente durante tres meses, creo que estoy viendo demasiada. Soy súper fanático de Lost y no hay nadie tan malo como Emerson, ojalá se lleve el galardón

Michael Emerson for Lost (2004)
Neil Patrick Harris for How I Met Your Mother (2005)
William Hurt for Damages (2007)
John Lithgow for Dexter (2006)
Jeremy Piven for Entourage (2004)

• Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Tengo un cariño especial por Jane Adams desde Happiness ojalá sea ganadora este año se lo merece pero le va a tocar duro con Byrne

Jane Adams for Hung (2009)
Rose Byrne for Damages (2007)
Jane Lynch for Glee (2009)
Janet McTeer for Into the Storm (2009) (TV)
Chloë Sevigny for Big Love (2006)

Hay todavía muchas pelis por ver, ojalá tengamos suerte y la distribucion en Colombia sea más diligente que en tiempos pasados para poder mucho más material ineteresante.

Okay so let us begin this years best of by talking about the films that did not make it onto my top ten.

The runner-up category is always hard for me because these films were still great, and I think should still be seen, but I feel couldn’t quite edge their way into my top ten.

These are in no particular order or ranking.

Next Day Air: This movie was smart and funny. Like an inner-city Oceans 11 only a little more violent. Drugs, guns, gangs, and Mos Def all come together for a smooth running, well-directed piece of gangland comedy.

Drag Me To Hell: God damn this movie. This movie should not work as well as it does. However, that could be said about pretty much every Sam Raimi movie that doesn’t involve a super-powered teenager. With Drag Me to Hell Raimi is back in full on Evil Dead mode, comedy, frights, and violence blend perfectly into one of the best times I had in a theater this year.

Public Enemies: While Next Day Air was a comedic look at the crime world Public Enemies was all seriousness. Johnny Depp gives yet another performance that proves he is not just the guy who plays the wacky pirate. Christian Bale was also great as the man charged with hunting the great bank robber. I don’t know much about the historical facts behind this tale, but Micheal Mann kept me interested the entire time, which rarely happens for me with Mann films.

Funny People: Judd Apatow’s best directorial effort as well as the best film bearing Apatow’s name in any capacity. It isn’t nearly as funny as 40-year-old Virgin but anyone who holds that against Funny People totally missed the point. It is about people, and what the actual work that goes into making people laugh. This movie took the poorly mixed drama and comedy elements of Knocked Up and blended them more succinctly, maybe not perfectly but the best mix of Comedy and Drama since Punch Drunk Love.

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans: This one and Precious (which is coming up later in the broadcast) were the two hardest choices I had to make when coming up with my top ten list. Having seen the original Bad Lieutenant earlier this year, and immediately loving it, I had high hopes for this one. Nic Cage, who I will go to my grave defending, and Werner Herzog, one of the best directors who ever touched a camera, working together to tell the story of a fucked up cop WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE? It isn’t nearly as bleak as the Kietel/Ferrera Bad Lieutenant but, honestly, who needs two movies that bleak. I say get some friends together, pop some corn, get out your lucky crack pipe and enjoy the best Mega Acting you will see this century.

Coraline: 2009 was an amazing year for children’s fare, and Coraline started that trend off right. A horror film for kids that works at both empowerment for the imagination, and a cautious fable about letting imagination get the best of you. So much has been said this year of Henry Selick’s masterful work with stop-motion but it is all warranted. Not once does the veil of artifice break. You are never reminded that these are 12 inch high clay figures, you always believe these are living breathing characters, even when they turn into giant monster spiders. Saw it in 3-D and was absolutely astounded.

Precious: After I finished watching this disturbing film I thought it was a shoo-in for my top 10 list, but in a little while since then I have thought about it. Yes Gabourey Sibide gives a touching and brutal performance, and Mo’Nique did such a good performance that I totally forgot that she was Mo’Nique, Precious still delves into the cliché a little too often to be included with the top ten. Still see this movie if you like great melodrama.

So those are my runner-ups. They are all great films worthy of seeing.

Happygerbaloon

I just read the American Film Institute’s picks for the best 10 movies of 2010, and I wanted to deliver a eulogy, just to be the first speaker at the funeral for American cinema, since cinema played an important role in my life.

Check out the WFMU sticker in Clarissa Darling's locker; image courtesy of msn.com

Tonight’s post focuses on an oldie but a goodie TV theme song from my youth. Remember this chestnut?

Clarissa Explains It All was a Nickelodeon sitcom that ran between 1991 and 1994. It also catapulted Melissa Joan Hart to teen TV stardom and movies like Can’t Hardly Wait and Drive Me Crazy. Hart played Clarissa Darling, a teenage girl with a typical family, an annoying little brother we all called Fergface, a dude best friend named Sam, and a quirky wardrobe that would make Blossom Russo envious.

Clarissa is also one of the few TV girl protagonists to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience. In fact, she’s a smart, pro-active girl that some scholars, notably Sarah Banet-Weiser, argue is a third-wave feminist character. I’d have to revisit the show to gauge its cultural relevance and feminist politics. But let’s talk about the opening credits.

First of all, what an outfit. I wouldn’t let my daughter wear it out of the house without a more modest pair of shorts and a sweater, but I wouldn’t begrudge her burgeoning fashion sense. And I’d definitely be proud of her inheriting her mother’s love of colored tights.

I also like the theme song. Sure, it’s dated, but it’s really spunky and contains female vocals, thus potentially connecting the protagonist to the theme song and perhaps to a considerable portion of the show’s intended audience. It also may have been influential to subsequent teen television programming from the decade. Having the melody sung as a series of “nah”s brings to mind the intro to Daria’s theme. And the nudge to “just do it!” at the end reminds me of Rayanne Graff saying ”go now, go” in the theme to My So-Called Life.

Oh, and fun fact. Apparently Clarissa’s theme was co-written by Rachel Sweet, who had a minor country hit in 1978 called “B-A-B-Y.”

But the thing I’m struck by is that the opening credit sequence hinges on Clarissa trying to write her first name, which the audience sees being formed backwards. Pointedly, all of the other principal characters keep interrupting her, though never keep her from completing her task. I especially love that Clarissa performs a quick series of stunts to ward off her brother before snapping her fingers to make him disappear. I also like her happy little shrug when she’s finally left by herself to finish writing her name before flipping it so that we, the audience, can read it.

Girl studies scholars like Carol Gilligan have written about the importance of names to the development of pre- and pubescent female identity. This theorization also applies to the movie Coraline, wherein the main character is constantly having to assert that her name is not Caroline.

Coraline, not Caroline; image courtesy of mentalfloss.com

I feel like Clarissa is staking a similar claim of selfhood here. Let’s do her the kindness by giving her the space to form the words.

from Eonline.com:

Up in the Air scored a leading six nominations for the 57th Annual Golden Globes. Nine was next with five, followed by Avatar and Inglourious Basterds with four.

On the TV side, newcomer Glee led all contenders with four nominations, followed by 30 Rock,Damages, Dexter and Big Love, with three apiece.

The awards will be handed out on Jan. 17. Here’s the complete list of contenders:

BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA

• Avatar
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Precious
• Up in the Air

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA

• Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
• Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren, The Last Station
• Carey Mulligan, An Education
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA

• Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
• George Clooney, Up in the Air
• Colin Firth, A Single Man
• Morgan Freeman, Invictus
• Tobey Maguire, Brothers

BEST MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• (500) Days of Summer
• The Hangover
• It’s Complicated
• Julie & Julia
• Nine

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
• Marion Cotillard, Nine
• Julia Roberts, Duplicity
• Meryl Streep, It’s Complicated
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• Matt Damon, The Informant!
• Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine
• Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
• Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
• Coraline
• Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Princess and the Frog
• Up

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

• Baaria (Italy)
• Broken Embraces (Spain)
• The Maid (Chile)
• A Prophet (France)
• The White Ribbon (Germany)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

• Penélope Cruz, Nine
• Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
• Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
• Mo’Nique, Precious
• Julianne Moore, A Single Man

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

• Matt Damon, Invictus
• Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
• Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
• Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
• Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

BEST DIRECTOR

• Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
• James Cameron, Avatar
• Clint Eastwood, Invictus
• Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
• Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST SCREENPLAY

• Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, District 9
• Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
• Nancy Meyers, It’s Complicated
• Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
• Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• Michael Giacchino, Up
• Marvin Hamlisch, The Informant!
• James Horner, Avatar
• Abel Korzeniowski, A Single Man
• Karen O and Carter Burwell, Where the Wild Things Are

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• “Cinema Italiano,” Music & Lyrics by Maury Yeston (Nine)
• “I Want to Come Home,” Music & Lyrics by Paul McCartney (Everybody’s Fine)
• “I Will See You,” Music by James Horner, Simon Franglen; Lyrics by James Horner, Simon Franglen and Kuk Harrell (Avatar)
• “The Weary Kind,” Music & Lyrics by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart)
• “Winter,” Music by U2; Lyrics by Bono (Brothers)

BEST TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

• Big Love
• Dexter
• House
• Mad Men
• True Blood

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

• Glenn Close, Damages
• January Jones, Mad Men
• Julianna Marguiles, The Good Wife
• Anna Paquin, True Blood
• Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

• Simon Baker, The Mentalist
• Michael C. Hall, Dexter
• Jon Hamm, Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie, House
• Bill Paxton, Big Love

BEST TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• 30 Rock
• Entourage
• Glee
• Modern Family
• The Office

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• Toni Collette, United States of Tara
• Courteney Cox, Cougar Town
• Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
• Tina Fey, 30 Rock
• Lea Michele, Glee

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

• Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
• Steve Carell, The Office
• David Duchovny, Californication
• Thomas Jane, Hung
• Matthew Morrison, Glee

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• Georgia O’Keefe
• Grey Gardens
• Into the Storm
• Little Dorrit
• Taking Chance

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• Joan Allen, Georgia O’Keefe
• Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
• Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens
• Anna Paquin, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
• Sigourney Weaver, Prayers for Bobby

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
• Kenneth Branagh, Wallander: One Step Behind
• Chiewetel Ejiofor, Endgame
• Brendan Gleeson, Into the Storm
• Jeremy Irons, Georgia O’Keefe

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• Jane Adams, Hung
• Rose Byrne, Damages
• Jane Lynch, Glee
• Janet McTeer, Into the Storm
• Chloe Sevigny, Big Love

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• Michael Emerson, Lost
• Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
• William Hurt, Damages
• John Lithgow, Dexter
• Jeremy Piven, Entourage

'The Hurt Locker' headlines the must-see films you might have missed in '09

December is well upon us, and a few major films that have not released but there are many more you might have missed that are either generating a ton of awards buzz as a film or have must-see performances. Below is a list of a few of those key films and when to expect some to hit DVD, theaters, or those already there.

Out Of Theaters:

“The Hurt Locker”- was getting Oscar buzz well before the film released, and remains in my top 5 films of the year. This is the current awards season juggernaut, grabbing almost every prize it is up for with best picture, best screenplay and a well-deserved best director nod for Kathryn Bigelow from many film societies. An excellent, gritty war film without a political agenda that examines the people who defuse bombs and what makes them tick. Grabbed a 98% fresh rating with over 160 reviews. The film played in limited release early in the year and will hit video on January 12th. Don’t be surprised to see the film gain a limited re-release when the Oscars get closer.

Eye-talian!

“Inglourious Basterds”- Christoph Waltz plays the “Jew hunter” in Tarantino’s latest film and is likely to win a best supporting actor for the role. Fantastic film from start to finish with flourishes of out right hilarity. Scored an 88% fresh rating on RT with over 250 reviews. Hit theaters earlier this year and will release on video Dec. 15th.

“District 9″- Neil Blomkamp’s feature film début was shaking up the science fiction world and exposing people to how effective an alternate world can be in the parallels to our own. Based in South Africa in which aliens have inhabited a reservation that has deteriorated into slums, the film has powerful themes of racism, greed and power and stands as one of the best science fiction films in years. Look for first-time actor (untrained in the profession) Sharlto Copley to likely pick up a nomination while the film also generates buzz. Scored 90% on RT with over 230 reviews. Hit theaters in August and will release on video Dec. 22nd.

“500 Days of Summer”- a quirky and humorous yarn that digs into the dreaded non-committal girlfriend/boyfriend. Not just marriage, no, this is about even having the simple title of boyfriend/girlfriend. Loved this film from start to finish and it breaks the mold of the typical romantic comedy and is refreshingly genuine and unique. Holds an 86% fresh rating with over 180 reviews. Hits video on Dec. 22nd.

“The Cove”- the documentary of the dolphin massacres in Japan that has garnered an outcry of supporters and has actually made waves towards change. Look for this film in the running for best documentary. Nabbed a 95% fresh rating with over 100 reviews on RT. Hit theaters earlier this year in limited release and is already out on video.

“Sugar”- the inspiring story of an immigrant with dreams of big league baseball. Already an early favorite for one of the best independent films of the year. Grabbed an impressive 93% rating on RT with 99 reviews. Already hit theaters and is on video shelves now.

It's CORALINE! Not Caroline!

“Coraline”- based on critically acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman’s fantastic children’s book of the same name, this stop-motion animated film wowed audiences (myself included) with its impressive 3-D and rich story. Directed by Henry Selick (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”), Coraline impresses with a tale of danger in the most unlikely of places. Scored 89% with over 200 reviews. Released in February nationwide and is out on video now.

In Theaters:

“A Single Man”- Tom Ford makes his directorial début in this examination of what a man, having lost his partner, is to do from there on. Fashion and cinematography take center stage while Colin Firth delivers an Oscar buzzed performance. Has an 84% fresh rating with over 50 reviews. In limited release across the country.

He told you over text?

“Up in the Air”- a best pic nominee from the outset, this tale of a cut-off man traveling cross-country focuses on why we tie ourselves down and challenges the audience to give a reason being free of commitments isn’t the way to live. Jason Reitman directs his finest work yet while Anna Kendrick is getting buzz for her supporting role. My favorite film of 2009 so far, this not only has great drama and provides meaningful discussion, but also provides a great sense of humor in a tightly wound package. Don’t miss this film. Holds an 89% fresh rating with over 120 reviews. In limited release with a wide released planned on Christmas.

“An Education”- a coming-of-age tale that has already grabbed buzz for the youthful Carey Mulligan. Has grabbed a 94% fresh rating with over 150 reviews. In limited release around the nation.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox”- the darling of critics across the nation, this film might actually upend the Pixar powerhouse “UP”. Wes Anderson delves into his first animated film in addition to his first PG-13 rating. Powered by Anderson’s unique humor and an impressive voice cast, Fox has an 92% rating on RT with over 170 reviews. Playing in over 1,000 theaters nationwide.

“The Messenger”- Ben Foster leaves behind his typical secondary villain roles to team with Woody Harrelson as a group of soldiers that deliver the worst of news to next of kin. Noted as a touching portrait of how to move on after war for those affected by it physically and emotionally. Harrelson, Foster and Samantha Morton reportedly shine bright in Messenger. Stands tall with an 89% fresh rating with 75 reviews. In limited release with only 50 theaters nationwide.

On The Way:

“Crazy Heart”- Jeff Bridges brings one of his best performances to date in this buzzed pic following a downtrodden country music singer named Bad Blake. While it may feel like last year’s “The Wrestler”, considering how great that film was I see no shame in finding a common thread. Rotten Tomatoes has only gathered 16 reviews, but the film still holds a 94% fresh rating and will likely stay above 90%. Hits four theaters nation wide in extremely limited release on Dec. 16th. Look for a gradual expansion through the winter, hopefully.

“A Town Called Panic”- one of those rare films which can confuse and amuse at the same time, this Fantastic Fest darling and one of the few animated Cannes official selections will finally get a proper release. Look for the continued adventures of Horse, Cowboy, and Indian in this stop-motion animated film adapted from the hit Belgian TV series of the same name. With only three reviews counted so far, Panic holds a 100% fresh rating. Look for that to dip, but not too far as the film is above all just whimsical fun. Releases this weekend in extremely limited fashion, with random dates popping up across the country. Keep an eye on the website to stay informed. Panic appears to be full of zany fun and provides a must-see experience.

“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”-Terry Gilliam had the unenviable task of recasting the role of the late Heath Ledger or completely scrapping his film. Enter Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell would helped play alternate versions of Tony (played by Ledger in his last film role). Gilliam brings his typical wild visuals and outlandish story in a somewhat flawed but altogether unique package. Imaginarium currently has a 65% rating with over 60 reviews counted. Set to release in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 25th, look for the film to have a slow and steady expansion until its nationwide release on Jan. 8th.

“The White Ribbon”- The likely front-runner for best foreign film, this visually arresting black and white feature focuses on suspense before World War I in a small village in Germany. Called “spooky” and “thought-provoking”, Ribbon maintains a 90% fresh rating at RT with 39 reviews. Look  for a Dec. 30th limited release with a gradual expansion.

This film list won’t cover every base possible, but I feel it gives a great outline for small films that either didn’t get enough press or are in serious awards contention. Notables like “Precious” or “Avatar” are already widely buzzed about among any casual movie fan. This is for those looking to go beyond. Hope you enjoy it.

American Film Institute unveiled their list of the top 10 films and TV shows of 2009.

AFI’s Top 10 Films of 2009

* “Coraline”
* “The Hangover”
* “The Hurt Locker”
* “The Messenger”
* “Precious: Based On The Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire”
* “A Serious Man”
* “A Single Man”
* “Sugar”
* “Up”
* “Up In The Air”

Of these films, I’ve seen Coraline, The Hangover, Precious, and Up and I agree that the deserve to be on this list. I’ve heard good things about the rest of the films listed especially Up In The Air, The Hurt Locker and A Serious Man.

AFI’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2009

* “The Big Bang Theory
* “Big Love
* “Friday Night Lights
* “Glee
* “Mad Men
* “Modern Family
* “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
* “Nurse Jackie
* “Party Down
* “True Blood”

For the TV shows, I watch all these shows except for Friday Night Lights, The Big bang Theory, Big Love, and The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective. I’ve heard good things about all but the last show and plan on watching The Bang Theory over the Christmas holidays.

I’m so glad that AFI included new shows Glee, Modern Family, Party Down, and Nurse Jackie. These are amazingly funny comedies and I think that they represent the best comedies on TV. True Blood is finally getting the recognition that they deserve. Mad Men is just in a league of its own. Not including it would just be plain wrong. Also, I think it’s speaks to her amazing talent that two of the shows that made the top 10 star Jane Lynch. She is a true talent and it’s about time she’s received some mainstream success.

Yes, it’s that time of year, when everyone makes lists of their favorite <fill in the blank>.  To boot, the end of this year marks the end of the ’00s so we’ll be seeing some longer lists as well.  I’m working on my 2009 list, and I’ll have that ready later this month, but in the meantime I put together my list of the top 50 films of the ’00s, and I’m going to share them 10 at a time over the next several days.  Please keep in mind that this is all subjective.  Some of my picks are no doubt more personal than others, and of course many films had to be left off–perhaps I’ll do an alternates or honorable mentions post.  Chime in with a comment if you are so inclined!  While I would almost certainly drive myself mad if I tried to rank the films 1 – 50, it felt right to group them in sets of 10, creating five tiers.  We’ll start from the bottom tier and work our way to the top.

I feel a bit guilty calling this group of films the bottom tier.  They are all excellent, and if I had to pick one thing that stands out to me about this group, it’s that it contains the largest number of genre films of any of my five groupings.  Many of these films reinvigorated and/or tested the limits of the genres they represent.  In order of (United States) release date, these films make up the bottom tier.

41 – 50

• Requiem for a Dream (2000) – Darren Aronofsky’s hyperstylized portrait of addiction interweaves the dreams and downfalls of richly drawn characters.  The film creates a perfect union between a familiar story made fresh thanks to Aronofsky, top notch performances (we all know Ms. Burstyn was robbed at the Oscars), killer cinematography (and sound design) and one of the greatest film scores of the ’00s.

• Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) – No less instrumental (ha!) to heralding in the return of the movie musical than better known titles, John Cameron Mitchell’s adaptation of his own off-Broadway production is a refreshingly original narrative, with an unmistakable punk rock spirit, that touches the heart with emotional universalities.  You will be singing the songs long after the credits have rolled.  The rock musical may not be a new form, but there has never been one like Hedwig.

• A Matter of Taste (2001) – I admit I have a soft spot for contemporary French thrillers, and Bernard Rapp’s A Matter of Taste is my pick for the best of the ’00s.  The film pulls from the crime procedural genre to frame a tale of obsession and control, rife with homoeroticism and uncomfortable food symbolism.  In the most Hitchcockian way, the film builds suspense not by keeping its conclusion a surprise, but by taking us on a harrowing journey en route to the place we know we are going.

• 28 Days Later (2002) – Danny Boyle may have found Oscar glory with Slumdog Millionaire, but it’s his bleak, apocalyptic zombie pic that secures him a place on this list.  With its realist look and fresh perspective on a tired genre, Boyle’s film ushered in a new era of zombie films, three years before Romero reentered the scene with Land of the Dead and two years before Zack Snyder’s well received remake of Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) – The Harry Potter franchise as a whole could be credited with reinvigorating the family-friendly fantasy genre in the ’00s, but Alfonso Cuarón’s entry in the series remains the best to date.  Cuarón advanced the tale to the next stage, employing brilliantly dark imagery and bringing an oddly everyday feeling to the fantastic settings.  Pulling back from Chris Columbus’ bouncing crescendo style, Cuarón’s film gives the characters–and the magic–room to breathe.

• Kontroll (2005) – Nimrod Antal’s debut feature takes us underground into the Budapest subway system, and there we stay for the duration of this postmodern fable.  Dark comedy and action give way to unconventional fairytale horror and romance, all in an assured visual style.  None of it would matter if the characters were poorly written, and Kontroll owes much of its success to the motley crew that populates it.  One of a kind, and so far Antal’s best.

• The Descent (2006) – While the horror genre in the ’00s was mostly represented by a slew of disappointing remakes, Neill Marshall’s original film, The Descent, brought the scares better than any movie has in a long while.  Terrifyingly claustrophobic in its first half, The Descent boxes you in and then goes for the kill with a bloody final half that pays homage to its monster movie predecessors while remaining fresh.

• Man Push Cart (2006) – Neorealism was alive and well in the ’00s, and Ramin Bahrani’s film is a good place to start if you need a primer.  Completed in only three weeks, Man Push Cart depicts, in almost documentary style, the plight of working class immigrants in New York City.  The film is compassionate, but also unfussy and untouched by Hollywoodisms.  See also: Bahrani’s Chop Shop.

• Coraline (2009) – Pairing Henry Selick’s stop-motion wizardry with the stories of Tim Burton and Roald Dahl worked beautifully in the ’90s so one can only wonder why it took so long for him to adapt a Neil Gaiman story.  Luckily it was worth the wait.  Coraline brings a strong female protagonist to the screen (when’s the last time a children’s movie did that?) in a creepy, imaginative tale.  Seeing it in 3-D was a treat, but it’s a keeper even in 2-D.

• District 9 (2009) – Neill Blomkamp’s sociopolitically charged sci-fi pic was the surprise of the summer.  On a modest budget, Blomkamp tells a riveting story with a great cast of characters, the most relatable of whom are the computer generated aliens.  Paying homage to everyone from David Cronenberg to Ridley Scott, the film is a visceral and emotional thrill ride that is already being hailed as a classic.  Blomkamp shows a lot of promise and is definitely on FFFF’s radar as a filmmaker to watch.

]]> http://goremasternews.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/15-films-among-oscar-visual-effects-contenders/ Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:21:22 +0000 goremasterfx http://goremasternews.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/15-films-among-oscar-visual-effects-contenders/

The Academy has released its list of 15 hopefuls for the Visual Effects Oscar:

“Angels & Demons”

 ”Avatar”

 ”Coraline”

 ”Disney’s A Christmas Carol”

 ”District 9″;

“G-Force”

 ”G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”

 ”Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”

 ”Sherlock Holmes”

 ”Star Trek”

 ”Terminator Salvation”

 ”Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

 ”2012″

 ”Watchmen”

 ”Where the Wild Things Are”

Friends, we’ve got ourselves another update. Press release has just announced the feature films eligible for VYX. Notice a few odd points? “Coraline” — so much for it being an entirely Stop-Animation animated feature. That’s what makes “Fantastic Mr. Fox” so awesome: it’s the only film in the running to classify authentically. Another point of interest? There are only 3 spots in the nomination list available. When the list is this short (i.e: 15 films), the category cannot merit 5 nomoination slots. So, there you go.

Our best feature films here are: “Avatar,” “Harry Potter,” “Watchmen” and “Where the Wild Things Are.” Of course, I’m leaving out the absolute-action features … because they usually call the shots early. In the past five years, action features dominate the category, but generally don’t win the big O. Last year, “Benjamin Button.” Year before? “The Golden Compass.” Before that? “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Sure — there’s some action in those films, “Button” excluded. But, you’ll notice that action-smeared-everywhere  is not exactly as astonishing as the intriguing effects of the computer/human interaction. This goes back to “Kong,” even. That’s why films like “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Avatar” are our best bet. Even Harry — think of the scenes with flying creatures that really don’t even exist. Well … then you could argue that the same goes for “Watchmen” — those … flying devices … also don’t exist. Yet they hover over a burning building. Even better — Dr. Manhattan … the blue guy. Incredible VYX right there. See what I mean?

I’ll stop there … “Terminator Salvation” could everyone a run for their money. It’s one of those films that have half-cover-in-flesh-half-covered-in-computer-whatever human filled films. That kind of technique takes the nomination podium by storm. And it’s the only one of its kind listed below. But, remember: its box office numbers were a wee bit of a disappointment. For producers, at least. Possible Oscar snub here?

Beverly Hills, CA (December 11, 2009) — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films have been selected as semifinalists for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 82nd Academy Awards®.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

• “Angels & Demons”
• “Avatar”
• “Coraline”
• “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
• “District 9”
• “G-Force”
• “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”
• “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
• “Sherlock Holmes”
• “Star Trek”
• “Terminator Salvation”
• “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
• “2012”
• “Watchmen”
• “Where the Wild Things Are”

In early January, the members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, who selected the semifinalists, will narrow the list to seven.

All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films on Thursday, January 21. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.

2009 was a very good year for me professionally.

I was fortunate to get to cut several Coraline mini-documentaries for the web and IFC, as well as the HBO First Look on Coraline.

I also edited a Tiger Woods golf spot, several episodes of Aaron Rose’s Don’t Move Here for WKE, and a grip of sales videos I can’t brag about.

Behind the camera, Briana and I created a short art film for Kristan Kennedy. Kristan debuted the film along with other video art at the Ace Hotel in New York as part of a PICA event.

We also competed in the National Film Challenge with several friends (Gretchen Treser, Matt Holmes, Chris and Debra Hornbecker, Elisa Silva) and made a piece called “Unlocked” which is currently a finalist.

In the new year I’d like to direct more stuff, and get behind the camera more. Hopefully I’ll have new stuff to show soon.

-J.Lowe

At Uni radio we are trying to create a top 5 over the best films in 2009. I’ve picked

Coraline.

I really, really enjoyed Coraline. Incredible smart, sweet and kinda scary. The English version has Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman. It’s directed by Henrik Selick, who also directed “Nightmare Before Christmas”. Read my review here (it’s in Danish tho)

UP.

I loved UP. I talked to a friend of mine who thought it was such a sad film, she cried most of the film. And yes, it is sad, but only in the beginning. The film shows that even tho you’ve lived a long life, and perhaps lost the one you loved, you are never too old to go on another adventure. It’s was just such an uplifting (gettit?) film, and funny. OMG I laughed so much that little scout was hilarious!!!

Slumdog Millionaire (even tho it’s from 2008, it didn’t reach Denmark until 2009, so it counts, oh yes it does precious). AMAZING. I already had a thing for Danny Boyle, who in my opinion has made some of the best film ever (28 Days Later). This was another masterpiece, very well casted and high production value. Plus a happy ending, what more can a girl ask for?

I think it’s pretty obvious that for me the best films of 2009 have been the feel-good ones….other films I thought of: Sunshine Cleaning, The Dark Knight, Waltz with Bashir. Im sure this list will continue, but I’m tired so for now: Which ones would you pick? Go on leave a comment and tell me your fav films from 2009

Akhir-akhir ini saya kesulitan menamatkan buku yang sedang saya baca *dadah-dadah ke Proses Penulisan Kreatif Jilid 1&2, Maya, setumpuk ebook jarahan*. Entah karena kesibukan *tsaaahh* atau memang daya baca saya saja yang menurun. Tapi saya tak mau putus asa dong. Bosan lihat tulisan mari beralih ke graphic novel dan komik-komik lucu di luar sana. Ada Conan 54, Miiko 21, Komik Peradaban-nya Larry Gonick (yang sebenarnya agak sulit saya pahami juga ), dan… Coraline!

Coraline adalah salah satu novel Neil Gaiman yang sudah diangkat menjadi film dan diadaptasi menjadi graphic novel. Beberapa bulan lalu saya sudah menonton filmnya, jatuh cinta pada music scoringnya, dan mengincar novelnya. Antara film (termasuk ost-nya) dengan graphic novel ini saling melengkapi. Jadi penasaran dengan novelnya karena rasa yang ditawarkan tiap produk pasti beda. Ada yang punya? Minta doms

.

.

Nah, satu lagi yang baru selesai saya baca adalah sebuah Komik Rada Lucu (KRL) berjudul Guru Berdiri Murid Berlari, karya dari Eko S. Bimantara. Komentar saya satu: sinting.

Pembuat komiknya sih mengaku karyanya terinspirasi pengalaman pribadi, bermuatan humor satir, dan meminta maaf jika terjadi kesamaan nama, dllsb. Tapi kok saya kesepet ya? Masalahnya ada beberapa adegan yang pernah saya alami. Tertidur di kelas, ngerumpiin guru, kabur dari kelas, err… segitu saja kok Yah, ternyata saya tidak sendiri. Alhamdulillah.

Oya, satu-satunya kekurangan buku ini adalah… saya bingung bagaimana harus menyampulnya..