Sunday, February 27, 2011

2011 Academy Award Winners

"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it" - Lena Horne..
[This a great quote that was shown at the Oscars, and it seems appropriate relative to The King's Speech as well]




I'm posting this early to get my predictions here online, and I'll come back later and post the winners.. winners are highlighted in gold, and with an [AA]

Best Motion Picture of the Year
127 Hours (2010): Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, John Smithson
Black Swan (2010): Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin
The Fighter (2010): David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Mark Wahlberg
Inception (2010): Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas
The Kids Are All Right (2010): Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray
The King's Speech (2010): Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin
The Social Network (2010): Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Ceán Chaffin
Toy Story 3 (2010): Darla K. Anderson
True Grit (2010): Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin
Winter's Bone (2010): Anne Rosellini, Alix Madigan
Prediction: THE KING’S SPEECH **
[due to the guilds voting for it; my favorite is Winter’s Bone]

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem for Biutiful (2010)
Jeff Bridges for True Grit (2010)
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network (2010)
Colin Firth for The King's Speech (2010) [AA]
James Franco for 127 Hours (2010)
Prediction: COLIN FIRTH, King's Speech **
[no Robert Duvall for Get Low? Wow.. Bardem is now 3rd alltime for acting awards with 66, one behind Nicholson; Streep has 84 to lead all actors]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole (2010)
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone (2010)
Natalie Portman for Black Swan (2010) [AA]
Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine (2010)
Prediction: NATALIE PORTMAN, Black Swan **
[she’s overdue since The Professional at age 12, but Annette Bening is way overdue and was great last year in Mother and Child as well.. could be the UPSET of the night!]

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale for The Fighter (2010) [AA]
John Hawkes for Winter's Bone (2010)
Jeremy Renner for The Town (2010)
Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech (2010)
Prediction: CHRISTIAN BALE, Fighter **
[but I’m a huge John Hawkes fan.. Mark Ruffalo?? lol..]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams for The Fighter (2010)
Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech (2010)
Melissa Leo for The Fighter (2010) [AA]
Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit (2010)
Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom (2010)
Prediction: MELISSA LEO, Fighter **
[but I wish Jacki Weaver would win]

Best Achievement in Directing
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan (2010)
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for True Grit (2010)
David Fincher for The Social Network (2010)
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech (2010) [AA]
David O. Russell for The Fighter (2010)
Prediction: DAVID FINCHER, Social Network -x
[Oscar may deviate from tradition, as Fincher is also overdue, as is Aronofsky - oh well, they just gave it to a first time nominee - argh!]

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Another Year (2010): Mike Leigh
The Fighter (2010): Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorrington
Inception (2010): Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right (2010): Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
The King's Speech (2010): David Seidler [AA]
Prediction: INCEPTION -x
[b..b..but King's Speech sounds so b..b..boring.. zzzz]

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
127 Hours (2010): Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
The Social Network (2010): Aaron Sorkin [AA]
Toy Story 3 (2010): Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
True Grit (2010): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Winter's Bone (2010): Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini
Prediction: The SOCIAL NETWORK (I'd pick Toy Story 3 here, it's terrific) **
[we're accidental billionaires after accidently stealing our original data and the idea.. too bad there's no accidental justice in the U.S. for the super-wealthy; once you get this rich, you can simply pay off all the right people and purchase the freedom they falsely promised all of us]

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
How to Train Your Dragon (2010): Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
The Illusionist (2010): Sylvain Chomet
Toy Story 3 (2010): Lee Unkrich [AA]
Prediction: TOY STORY 3 **
[I think if this had lost I wouldn't died of shock.. great story too]

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Biutiful (2010): Alejandro González Iñárritu(Mexico)
Dogtooth (2009): Giorgos Lanthimos(Greece)
In a Better World (2010): Susanne Bier(Denmark) [AA]
Incendies (2010): Denis Villeneuve(Canada)
Outside the Law (2010): Rachid Bouchareb(Algeria)
Prediction: IN A BETTER WORLD **
[love Susanne Bier! she's way overdue, and she has a big heart - Yippee!]

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Black Swan (2010): Matthew Libatique
Inception (2010): Wally Pfister [AA]
The King's Speech (2010): Danny Cohen
The Social Network (2010): Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit (2010): Roger Deakins
Prediction: TRUE GRIT -x

Best Achievement in Editing
127 Hours (2010): Jon Harris
Black Swan (2010): Andrew Weisblum
The Fighter (2010): Pamela Martin
The King's Speech (2010): Tariq Anwar
The Social Network (2010): Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall [AA]
Prediction: THE FIGHTER (just a guess, haven't seen it) -x

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland (2010): Robert Stromberg, Karen O'Hara [AA]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010): Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
Inception (2010): Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Douglas A. Mowat
The King's Speech (2010): Eve Stewart, Judy Farr
True Grit (2010): Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh
Prediction: ALICE IN WONDERLAND **

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland (2010): Colleen Atwood [AA]
I Am Love (2009): Antonella Cannarozzi
The King's Speech (2010): Jenny Beavan
The Tempest (2010/II): Sandy Powell
True Grit (2010): Mary Zophres
Prediction: ALICE IN WONDERLAND **

Best Achievement in Makeup
Barney's Version (2010): Adrien Morot
The Way Back (2010): Edouard F. Henriques, Greg Funk, Yolanda Toussieng
The Wolfman (2010): Rick Baker, Dave Elsey
Prediction: THE WOLFMAN **
[Rick Baker just won his 7th Oscar in 12 nominations]

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
127 Hours (2010): A.R. Rahman
How to Train Your Dragon (2010): John Powell
Inception (2010): Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech (2010): Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network (2010): Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross [AA]
Prediction: SOCIAL NETWORK **

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
127 Hours (2010): A.R. Rahman, Dido ("If I Rise")
Country Strong (2010): Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges ("Coming Home")
Tangled (2010/I): Alan Menken, Glenn Slater ("I See the Light")
Toy Story 3 (2010): Randy Newman ("We Belong Together")
Prediction: TOY STORY 3 (We Belong Together) **
[This was Randy's 20th nomination, and I believe his 2nd win]

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Inception (2010): Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick [AA]
The King's Speech (2010): Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen, John Midgley
Salt (2010): Jeffrey J. Haboush, William Sarokin, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell
The Social Network (2010): Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Mark Weingarten
True Grit (2010): Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, Peter F. Kurland
Prediction: INCEPTION **

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Inception (2010): Richard King [AA]
Toy Story 3 (2010): Tom Myers, Michael Silvers
TRON: Legacy (2010): Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Addison Teague
True Grit (2010): Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey
Unstoppable (2010): Mark P. Stoeckinger
Prediction: INCEPTION **

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland (2010): Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas, Sean Phillips
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010): Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz, Nicolas Aithadi
Hereafter (2010): Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojansky, Joe Farrell
Inception (2010): Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb, Paul J. Franklin [AA]
[Iron Man 2 (2010): Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright, Daniel Sudick
Prediction: INCEPTION (mind blowing!) **

Best Documentary, Features
Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010): Banksy, Jaimie D'Cruz
GasLand (2010): Josh Fox, Trish Adlesic
Inside Job (2010): Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs
Restrepo (2010): Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger
Waste Land (2010): Lucy Walker, Angus Aynsley
Prediction: INSIDE JOB ** [this is about the robbing of the world by corporate America]
(but Restrepo is awfully good and Gift Shop is getting late buzz)

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Killing in the Name (2010): Jed Rothstein
Poster Girl (2010): Sara Nesson, Mitchell Block
Strangers No More (2010): Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon [AA]
Sun Come Up (2010): Jennifer Redfearn, Tim Metzger
The Warriors of Qiugang (2010): Ruby Yang, Thomas Lennon
[no prediction]

Best Short Film, Animated
Day & Night (2010): Teddy Newton
The Gruffalo (2009) (TV): Jakob Schuh, Max Lang
Let's Pollute (2011): Geefwee Boedoe
The Lost Thing (2010): Shaun Tan, Andrew Ruhemann [AA]
Madagascar, a Journey Diary (2010): Bastien Dubois
[no prediction]

Best Short Film, Live Action
The Confession (2010/IV): Tanel Toom
The Crush (2010): Michael Creagh
God of Love (2010): Luke Matheny
Na Wewe (2010): Ivan Goldschmidt
Wish 143 (2009): Ian Barnes, Samantha Waite
[no prediction]
[Winner Luke sported an Afro and his first comment was "I guess I should've gotten a haircut"]

I picked 17 of 21 winners overall.. (I never predict the short films)

Total Oscar count: King's Speech (4), Inception (4), Social Network (3), The Fighter (2), Toy Story 3 (2), Alice in Wonderland (2), Black Swan (1)

Predicted Total Count: Inception (4), The Fighter (3), King's Speech (2), Alice in Wonderland (2), Toy Story 3 (2), Black Swan (1) - if this happens, King's Speech would set a record for low total by a best picture post 1935 (in the early days, they really spread em around; sometimes a film would only win best picture)

The All Name Team: Geefwee Boedoe (animated short), Tanel Toom (live short), Banksy (documentary feature) - presenter Justin Timberlake came out and said, with a chagrin, "I am Banksy" - I would've said "I am Geefwee"

2011 Best Film Awards Summary


Best Film Awards 2011
Presented in 2011 for 2010 Movies
updated 2.28.11 (thru Indie Spirit and Academy Awards)


Current award count: The Social Network (17), King’s Speech (6), Winter’s Bone (2), Inception (2), The Black Swan (2), Somewhere (1), The Hedgehog (1), The Kids Are All Right (1), The Ghost Writer (1)

Academy Awards (U.S.): THE KING'S SPEECH, d. Tom Hooper
BAFTA (British Assoc. Film Television Arts): The King's Speech, d. Tom Hooper
European Film Awards: The Ghost Writer, d. Roman Polanski
Golden Globe, Best Drama Film: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
Golden Globe, Best Musical or Comedy Film: The Kids Are All Right, d. Lisa Cholodenko
Independent Spirit Awards: The Black Swan, d. Darren Aronofsky
Sundance Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize: Winter’s Bone, d. Debra Granik
Cannes, Palm D’or: will be held in May
Venice, Golden Lion: Somewhere, d. Sofia Coppola

Director’s Guild Award, Best Directed Feature: The King’s Speech, d. Tom Hooper
Screen Actor’s Guild Award, Best Ensemble Cast, Feature Film: The King’s Speech
Producers Guild: The King’s Speech
Writer’s Guild: Inception

Austin Film Critics: Black Swan, d. Darren Aronofsky
Boston Film Critics: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
Broadcast Film Critics:
Central Ohio Film Critics: Inception, d. Christopher Nolan
Chicago Film Critics: The Social Network
Critics Choice Awards: The Social Network
Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
Florida Film Critics: The Social Network
Indiana Film Journalists: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
Kansas City Film Critics: The Social Network
L.A. Film Critics: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
Las Vegas Film Critics: The Social Network
National Board of Review: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
National Society of Film Critics:
NY Film Critics Circle: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
NY Film Critics Online: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
Online Film Critics: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
Phoenix Film Critics: The King’s Speech, d. Tom Hooper
San Diego Film Critics: Winter’s Bone, d. Debra Granik
San Francisco Film Critics:
Satellite Awards:
Seattle Film Festival: The Hedgehog, d. Mona Achache
Southeastern Film Critics: The Social Network, d. David Fincher
Toronto Film Critics: The Social Network
Washington DC Film Critics: The Social Network, d. David Fincher

2011 Independent Spirit Award Winners


This was the first award this year for The Black Swan, which won all four of its nominations. Winter's Bone, a best film nominee here, has won two, Sundance Grand Jury and San Diego Film Critics. The King's Speech has won five so far, primarily the guild awards (director's, producer's, actor's guild).

Best Feature: Black Swan
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan [photo top]
Best Screenplay: Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right
Best Male Lead: James Franco, 127 Hours
Best Supporting Male: John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Best Female Lead: Natalie Portman, Black Swan [photo top]
Best Supporting Female: Dale Dickey, Winter’s Bone
Best Cinematography: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Robert Altman Award: Please Give (given to director Nicole Holofcener, casting director Jeanne McCarthy and the ensemble cast)
Best First Screenplay: Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture
Best First Feature: Get Low (award given to the director, Aaron Schneider, and producers David Gundlach and Dean Zanuck)

Best Documentary: Exit Through The Gift Shop (the award goes to the director, but reclusive street artist Banksy reportedly sent “Mr. Brainwash” to accept the honor in his stead)

Best Foreign Film: The King’s Speech (award given to the director, Tom Hooper)
John Cassavetes Award (best feature made for under $500,000): Daddy Longlegs (written and directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie and produced by Casey Neistat and Tom Scott)

Piaget Producers Award: Anish Savjani, Meek’s Cutoff
Someone To Watch Award: Mike Ott, Littlerock
Truer Than Fiction Award: Jeff Maimberg, Marwencol

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Top Award Winning Films of the Decade



Major award winning films of the 2000's (2000-2010)
[Updated after the 2011 Academy Awards]

The rank shown is the IMDB top 250 (n/r = not ranked)

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy won 266 awards overall

  1. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (03, 118 awards, #12) New Zealand
  2. Slumdog Millionaire (08, 108 awards, #121)
  3. No Country for Old Men (07, 98 awards, #120)
  4. Sideways (04, 95 awards, n/r)
  5. Dark Knight (08, 81 awards, #10)
  6. Brokeback Mountain (05, 81 awards, n/r)
  7. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (01, 80 awards, #19) New Zealand
  8. The Hurt Locker (09, 79 awards, n/r)
  9. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (00, 77 awards, n/r) China
  10. Precious (09, 73 awards, n/r)
  11. Lost in Translation (03, 71 awards, n/r)
  12. Pan's Labyrinth (06, 71 awards, #75) Spain
  13. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (02, 68 awards, #31) New Zealand
  14. Traffic (00, 64 awards, n/r)
  15. The Lives of Others (06, 62 awards, #57) Germany
  16. There Will Be Blood (07, 60 awards, #146)
  17. City of God (02, 59 awards, #18) Brazil
  18. The Queen (06, 59 awards, n/r)
  19. Inglourious Basterds (09, 59 awds, #90)
  20. The Social Network (10, 54 awards, #168)
  21. Juno (07, 54 awds, n/r)
  22. The Departed (06, 53 awds, #60)
  23. Amelie (01, 51 awds, #45) France
  24. Gladiator (00, 50 awds,#97)
  25. Million Dollar Baby (04, 49 awards, #150)
  26. The Pianist (02, 48 awards, #53)
  27. Wall-E (08, 46 awards, #47)
  28. Crash (05, 44 awards, #247)
  29. Volver (06, 44 awards, n/r) Spain
  30. Devdas (02, 44 awards, n/r) India
  31. Almost Famous (00, 44 awards, n/r)
  32. Mystic River (03, 43 awards, #224)
  33. Adaptation (02, 43 awards, n/r)
  34. Little Miss Sunshine (06, 43 awards, n/r)
  35. Avatar (09, 42 awards, #148)
  36. Memento (00, 42 awards, #30)
  37. Up (09, 42 awards, #94)
  38. The Incredibles (04, 41 awards, #195)
  39. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (07, 41 awards, #200)
  40. Chicago (02, 40 awards, n/r)
  41. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (04, 39 awards, #62)
  42. The Barbarian Invasions (04, 38 awards, n/r) Canada
  43. Milk (08, 36 awards, n/r)
  44. Inception (10, 36 awards, #6)
  45. The Secret in Their Eyes (09, 35 awards, #174)
  46. Finding Nemo (03, 35 awards, #166)
  47. The Last King of Scotland (06, 35 awards, n/r)
  48. Vera Drake (04, 33 awards, n/r)
  49. Gangs of New York (02, 33 awards, n/r)
  50. A Beautiful Mind (01, 31 awards, n/r)
  51. La Vie En Rose (07, 31 awards, n/r) France
  52. Goodbye Lenin! (03, 31 awards, n/r) Germany
  53. In the Mood For Love (00, 31 awards, n/r) Hong Kong
  54. The Wrestler (08, 30 awards, #159)
  55. Pirates: Dead Man's Chest (06, 30 awards, n/r)
  56. Whale Rider (03, 29 awards, n/r) New Zealand
  57. A Prophet (09, 29 awards, n/r) France
  58. Babel (06, 28 awards, n/r) Mexico
  59. American Splendor (06, 28 awards, n/r)
  60. The Motorcycle Diaries (04, 27 awards, n/r) Brazil
  61. No Man's Land (01, 27 awards, n/r) France-Bosnia
  62. In the Bedroom (01, 27 awards, n/r)
  63. Pirates: Curse of the Black Pearl (03, 26 awards, #238)
  64. Fahrenheit 911 (04, 26 awards, n/r)
  65. The King's Speech (10, 25 awards, #94)
  66. Atonement (07, 24 awards, n/r)
  67. Winter's Bone (10, 23 awards, n/r)
  68. Frozen River (08, 23 awards, n/r)
  69. Black Swan (10, 23 awards, n/r)
  70. United 93 (06, 21 awards, n/r)
  71. Rabbit-Proof Fence (02, 21 awards, n/r) Australia
  72. The Constant Gardener (02, 21 awards, n/r)
  73. Requiem for a Dream (00, 20 awards, #63)
  74. Toy Story 3 (10, 20 awards, #27)
  75. Vicky Christina Barcelona (08, 20 awards, n/r)
  76. An Education (09, 18 awards, n/r)
  77. Me and You and Everyone We Know (05, 18 awards, n/r)
  78. The Triplets of Belleville (03, 18 awards, n/r) Canada-France-UK-Belgium
  79. Nowhere in Africa (01, 18 awards, n/r) Germany
  80. Rachel Getting Married (09, 18 awards, n/r)
  81. Oldboy (03, 17 awards, #102) So. Korea
  82. The Inheritance (03, 17 awards, n/r) Sweden
  83. Monster (03, 17 awards, n/r)
  84. Sin City (05, 16 awards, #105)
  85. Junebug (05, 16 awards, n/r)
  86. Pirates: At Worlds End (07, 16 awards, n/r)
  87. A Very Long Engagement (04, 16 awards, n/r) France
  88. Turtles Can Fly (04, 15 awards, n/r) Iran-Iraq
  89. The Road Home (00, 15 awards, n/r) China
  90. Downfall (04, 15 awards, #93) Germany
  91. I'm Not There (07, 14 awards, n/r)
  92. Into the Wild (07, 13 awards, #145)
  93. Brothers (04, 13 awards, n/r) Denmark
  94. Gran Torino (08, 13 awards, #95)
  95. In Bruges (08, 13 awards, #201)
  96. Hotel Rwanda (05, 12 awards, #116)
  97. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (07, 12 awards, n/r)
  98. Donnie Darko (01, 11 awards, #135)
  99. Jodhaa Akbar (08, 11 awards, n/r)
  100. The Chorus (04, 11 awards, n/r) France
  101. Spring Summer Fall Winter.. and Spring (03, 11 awards, n/r) So. Korea
  102. Water (05, 10 awards, n/r) India
  103. Alice in Wonderland (10, 10 awards, n/r)
  104. Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (02, 9 awards, n/r) India
  105. Together (02, 9 awards, n/r) China
  106. Thank You For Smoking (05, 9 awards, n/r)
  107. After the Wedding (06, 8 awards, n/r) Denmark



[This may not be complete, I may have some more to add yet.. Technically, 2010 should not be included, it's the first year of the next decade - I just wanted some of the current awards winners shown here for comparison with other recent years. ]

Monday, February 14, 2011

2011 BAFTA Award Winners


BAFTA Awards – 2011 (for 2010 films)

British Association of Film and Television Arts



The King's Speech was the big winner, winning seven awards overall. Ironically it's director, Tom Hooper, lost the direction award to David Fincher for The Social Network, which was second in awards with three, along with Inception, while Alice in Wonderland got two. Now that King's Speech has won all the guild awards, such as screen actor's and director's, while Social Network has won only the critic's awards, the Oscar® favorite has to be King's Speech.


Best Film: The King’s Speech
Outstanding British Film: The King’s Speech
Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, The Black Swan
Supporting Actor:Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Achievement in Direction: David Fincher, The Social Network
Screenplay (Original): David Seidler, The King’s Speech
Screenplay (Adapted): Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Cinematography: Roger Deakins, True Grit
Editing: Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter, The Social Network
Production Design: Dyas, Dias, & Mowat, Inception
Costume Design: Colleen Atwood, Alice in Wonderland
Film Music: Alexandre Desplat, The King’s Speech
Make Up – Hair: Alice in Wonderland
Sound: Inception
Special Visual Effects: Inception
Best Film Not in English: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Denmark)
Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3
Rising Star Award: Tom Hardy
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer:
Christopher Morris (Dir.-Writer), Four Lions
Short Animation: The Eagleman Stag
Short Film: Until the River Runs Red

Saturday, February 12, 2011

World's Best Foreign Language Films

This is a subset of the non-English language films from all the other lists (my preferences, these are not from the Top Ranked on the Net survey we did - that post is listed seperately, as over 400 foreign language films made that list), with a few more worthy films added
(* = new additions)
Updated: 3.10.11


The films listed together (ie, Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring; Chunking Express/Fallen Angels) are parts of the same story, intended by the director to be one long film but were split up due to length.

I think The Bicycle Thief is a great film, but it's very tough to recommend, as it's pretty depressing. Meanwhile, Under the Sun (a romance) is a true rarity: a non-depressing film from Sweden; so is My Life As a Dog (a comedy)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

UNSTOPPABLE


Dated released : NOVEMBER 12, 2010
Quality : DVDRip XviD-AC 3
Info : IMDbPro
Genre : ACTION / DRAMA / THRILLER
Cast : Denzel Washington as Frank Barnes a veteran railroad engineer , Chris Pine as Will Colson a young train conductor , Rosario Dawson as Connie Hooper a train yardmaster , Ethan Suplee as Dewey an engineer who accidentally instigates the disaster , Kevin Dunn as Oscar Galvin Connie's boss , Lew Temple as Ned Oldham a railroad welder ,
T.J. Miller as Gilleece Dewey's friend , Kevin Corrigan as Inspector Werner, an FRA inspector who helps Connie , Jeff Wincott as Jesse Colson Will's older brother , Michael Shatzer as Tony one of the railroad workers , Jessy Schram as Darcy Colson Will's estranged wife , Meagan Tandy and Elizabeth Mathis as Maya and Nicole Barnes Frank's daughters who work as waitresses at Hooters .

X-MEN FIRST CLASS


Dated released : JUNE 3, 2011
Quality : DVDRip
Info : IMDbPro
Genre : ACTION / DRAMA / Sci-Fi
Cast : James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier Leader and founder of the X-Men and one of Magneto's best friends until conflicts of opinion create a rivalry between them and their teams , Laurence Belcher as a young Charles Xavier , Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr Magneto Leader and founder of the Brotherhood of Mutants and one of Professor X's best friends until conflicts of opinion create a rivalry between them and their teams , Bill Milner as a young Erik Lehnsherr , Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw Leader of a secret society bent on taking over the world called the Hellfire Club , January Jones as Emma Frost White Queen A mutant telepath who can also change her body into diamond form and member of the Hellfire Club Alice Eve was originally announced to play Emma Frost , Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert A scientist and an authority on genetic mutation and love interest of Charles Xavier Rosamund Pike was previously up for the role , Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy Beast Beast is a former scientist who transformed into a frightening looking mutant but is kind at heart In the film X-Men The Last Stand he is shown to turn out to be a political activist. Broadway actor Benjamin Walker was previously cast as Beast, however he dropped out of the role to star in the Broadway musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson , Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholme Mystique A dangerous shapeshifting mutant , Morgan Lily as a young Raven Darkholme , Oliver Platt as The Man in Black A character who is not a mutant , Ray Wise as the United States Secretary of State , Zoe Kravitz as Angel Salvadore A mutant with insectoid physiology , Caleb Landry Jones as Sean Cassidy Banshee An Irish mutant with the ability of sonic screaming , Lucas Till as Alex Summers Havok Cyclops brother who has the ability to absorb cosmic energy and discharge blasts from the energy , Edi Gathegi as Armando Munoz Darwin A mutant with the power of reactive evolution , Jason Flemyng as Azazel Nightcrawler's father who has the ability to teleport , Alex Gonzalez as Janos Quested Riptide A mutant with the ability to spin his body at an incredibly fast rate , Andy Callaghan as a member of the Hellfire Club , Tony Rich as Thomas A mutant with the ability to duplicate other mutant powers within a specific range .

PARIS EXPRESS


Dated released : FEBRUARY 24, 2010
Quality : DVD
Info :IMDbPro
Genre : COMEDY / FICTION
Cast : Michael Youn, Geraldine Nakache, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Didier Flamand, Catalina Denis, Natalia Dontcheva, Lord Kossity .

DRIVE ANGRY 3D


Dated released:
FEBRUARY 25, 2011
Quality : DVD/ Divx/Ipod
Info : IMDbPro
Genre : ACTION / THRILLER
Cast : Nicolas Cage as Milton , Amber Heard as Piper , Katy Mixon as Norma Jean , David Morse , Billy Burke as Jonah King , William Fichtner as The Accountant , Christa Campbell as Mona Elkins , Charlotte Ross as Candy , Tom Atkins , Bryan Massey , James Hébert , Brent Henry as Teen , Kendrick Hudson as Burly , Simone Williams as Leopard Lady , Kenneth Wayne Bradley as Man In Wig .

Monday, February 7, 2011

100 Great Film Romances



100 Great Film Romances

I think I'm thinking about the romance story in the film, not the greatness of the film itself. If the romance is pretty flawed (Darling, Double Indemnity, Streetcar Named Desire, Unbearable Lightness of Being) then I may have moved it out of the top 100, or left it off altogether (Sunset Boulevard, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). Though in some cases, these romances can be psychotic (50 First Dates, Crazed Fruit, Dangerous Liaisons, Eternal Sunshine, Morgan!, Ugetsu), and still be powerful.

AA = best picture Oscar®
In alphabetical order

50 First Dates (2004)
A Good Year (2007)
A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
A Room With a View (1985)
A Very Long Engagement (2004) France
Adam's Rib (1949) bw
Alice (1990)
Amadeus (1984) (AA)
An Education (2009)
An Ideal Husband (1995)
Annie Hall (1977) (AA) [photo rt]
As Good As It Gets (1997)
Atonement (2007)
Beautiful Girls (1996)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Big (1988)
Body Heat (1981)
Brideshead Revisited (1981) tv
Brothers (2004) Denmark
Carmen (1983) Spain
Casablanca (1942) bw (AA)
Chocolat (2000) France
Closer (2004)
Crazed Fruit (1956) Japan, bw
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) China
The Cuckoo (2002) Russia
Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Defending Your Life (1991)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Dreamland (2006)
The Earrings of Madame De.. (1953) France, bw
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Fire (1995) India
The Fountain (2006)
Gadjo Dilo (1998) Romania
The Gay Divorcee (1934) bw
The Girl in the Cafe (2005)
Gone With the Wind (1939) (AA)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
The Graduate (1968) [photo rt]
The Grey Fox (1983)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Heat and Dust (1983)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
His Girl Friday (1940) bw
Il Postino (1995), Italy
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
In a Lonely Place (1950) bw
In the Mood for Love (2001) Hong Kong [photo rt]
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) bw
Kinamind (2005) Denmark
The Lady Eve (1941) bw
The Last Station (2009)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Love and Pain and the Whole Damned Thing (1972) - bittersweet story with Maggie Smith and Timothy Bottoms is sadly not available on dvd but TCM recently aired it so maybe one day; an older woman with a terminal illness living her last days traveling in Europe meets a young student drifting around Spain
Manhattan (1979) bw [photo rt]
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971)
The More the Merrier (1943) bw
Morgan! (1966) bw
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
My Brilliant Career (1979) Australia
My Fair Lady (1964) (AA)
My Favorite Wife (1938) bw
The Namesake (2006)
Now, Voyager (1942) bw
On Golden Pond (1981)
Out of Africa (1985) (AA)
Parenthood (1989)
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
The Philadelphia Story (1940) bw
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Raising Arizona (1987)
The Road Home (1999) China
Say Anything (1989)
Shakespeare in Love (1998) (AA)
Shall We Dance? (1995) Japan
The Shop Around the Corner (1940) bw
Sideways (2004)
Sunrise (1927), bw-silent
The Thin Man (1934) bw
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
To Have and Have Not (1944) bw
To Live (1994) China
Ugetsu (1953) Japan, bw [photo rt]
Under the Sun (1998), Sweden
Vatel (2000) France
Wall-E (2008)
Water (2005) India-Canada
We of the Never Never (1982) Australia
West Side Story (1961)
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
The Wings of the Dove (1997) Helena Bonham Carter's best performance, and Oscar® nominated, winner of 13 other awards
Witness (1985)
Women in Love (1970)
Zelary (2003) Czech Republic [photo right]
Zhou Yu's Train (2004) China


Here's 55 more 'honorable mentions'

A Beautiful Mind (2001)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) bw
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1975)
After the Wedding (2006) Denmark
American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 1999) (AA)
An American in Paris (1951) (AA)
Atlantic City (1980)
Australia (2008)
Baby Boom (1987)
Back to the Future (1985) "You are my density"
Baran (2001) Iran
Blast From the Past (1999)
Born Yesterday (1950) bw
Brazil (1985)
Breaking Away (1979)
Broadcast News (1986)
The Buccaneers (1996)
Bull Durham (1988)
Clueless (1995)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Darling (1965) bw
Diva (1981) France
Double Indemnity (1944) bw
Down With Love (2003)
Election (1999)
Elevator to the Gallows (1958) bw
Emma (1996)
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Heavenly Creatures (1994) New Zealand
House of Games (1987)
It's Complicated (2009)
Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring (1986) France
Jezebel (1938) bw
Jodhaa Akbar (2007) India
The King and I (1956)
The Last Picture Show (1971) bw
Like Water for Chocolate (Alfonso Arau, 1992, Spain)
Malena (2000) Italy
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002) India
Mrs. Miniver (1942) bw (AA)
My Blueberry Nights (2007)
Nelly and Mr. Arnaud (1995), France
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Out of the Past (1947) bw
The Player (1992)
Reds (1981) [photo rt]
Return of Martin Guerre (1982) France
Revolutionary Road (2008)
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) Argentina
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)
Singles (1992)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) (AA)
Terms of Endearment (1983) (AA)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
Veer-Zaara (2004) India
Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)
Walkabout (1971)

All I can say about Harold and Maude is "euwwwwww!!!! As if!!"

My favorite 10? (for the romance, not the film overall)
1. Hannah and Her Sisters
2. My Fair Lady - though I prefer the original cast recording with Julie Andrews in the role of Eliza Doolittle
3. When Harry Met Sally
4. Shakespeare in Love
5. A Room With a View
6. Beautiful Girls
7. An Education
8. Dangerous Liaisons
9. In a Lonely Place
10. Groundhog Day; Zelary; The Namesake

Sunday, February 6, 2011

TRANSFORMERS DARK OF THE MOON

Dated released : JULY 1, 2011
Quality : DVDRip XviD
Info : IMDbPro
Genre : ACTION / ADVENTURE / Sci-fi
Cast : HUMAN" Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky The leading human character who is friends with the Autobots , Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as Carly Sam's new love Interest who was in the original 1984 animated series. Huntington-Whiteley had worked with director Michael Bay before in various Victoria's Secret commercials.Other actresses considered for the role included Gemma Arterton, Bar Refaeli, Miranda Kerr and Brooklyn Decker , Josh Duhamel as Major William Lennox. The leader of NEST, an international taskforce battling Decepticons with the Autobots , Tyrese Gibson as Chief Robert Epps. A combat controller and a member of NEST , John Turturro as Agent Seymour Simmons. A former agent of the terminated Sector 7 unit , Patrick Dempsey as Dylan Carly's boss, who is a race-car driver with a huge collection of cars.Dempsey described his role as "darker" than others and "significant to the plot". Initially cast to play Mikaela's boss, Dempsey's role was reassigned when Mikaela was written out of the film , Kevin Dunn and Julie White as Ron and Judy Witwicky Sam's parents , Glenn Morshower as General Morshower, A NEST member who communicates with the squad in the Pentagon , Lester Speight as Hardcore Eddie. The new NEST Member He is an experienced soldier who has fought in war along with Epps' father many years ago , Alan Tudyk as Dutch, Agent Simmons' assistant , John Malkovich as Bruce, Sam's first boss , Frances McDormand plays Marissa Faireborn Director of National Intelligence .

Autobots" Peter Cullen voices Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader. While he retains his vehicle mode of a blue Peterbilt 379 truck with red flame decals, he has been added a trailer similar to his G1 counterpart and has been redesigned to look more heroic , Bumblebee, Sam's guardian that turns into a fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro. Bumblebee has also gone through some changes, his vehicle mode featuring a new body kit and paint job and designers modifying him to look more mature , Ironhide, the Autobot weapons specialist who transforms into a GMC Topkick , Ratchet, the Autobot medic who transforms into a search and rescue Hummer H2. Ratchet also had some changes done to his vehicle form, as he has been painted green and white , Sideswipe, the Autobot whose vehicle mode is a silver Chevrolet Corvette Centennial now upgraded into a convertible , An Autobot who will debut as a Ferrari 458 Italia , An Autobot will debut as a Rosenbauer Panther fire truck , James Avery will provide the voice of Silverbolt , The Wreckers, an Autobot sub-team that transform into heavily armed NASCAR Chevrolet Impala stock cars equipped with machine guns They function as a Commando Unit. One of them will be voiced by Bill Fagerbakke The Wreckers are , A Juan Pablo MontoyabTarget car , A Dale Earnhardt, Jr. AMP Energy/National Guard car , A Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/Kobalt car , Skids and Mudflap, the twins who now both transform into Chevrolet Sparks despite Michael Bay's original denial of their return The Spark is based on the Chevrolet Beat concept, which was Skids' alternate mode in the second film , A blue Mercedes-Benz E550 will debut as an Autobot whose design resembles Albert Einstein , Wheelie, a blue radio-controlled toy monster truck returns from his debut in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen .

Decepticons" Megatron, the Decepticon Leader that has changed his vehicle mode to an armored rusty Mack Titan 10-wheeler tank truck equipped with heavy weaponry , Starscream the air commander who transforms into an F-22 Raptor , Soundwave Megatron's communication officer , Shockwave who transforms into a purple Cybertronian tank and will act as one of the film's main villains Corey Burton who performed Shockwave's voice in all of Shockwave's major animated appearances was offered the role but he declined it so David Warner is being considered to voice him , A Decepticon has been revealed to turn into an armored security truck , A group of Decepticon clones that turn into Chevrolet Suburban emergency vehicles .