2010 Top 10 List and Awards

As is tradition, I release my top 10 films of the year (and my annual awards list) the day of the Oscars instead of at the end of the calendar year. This gives me maximum chance to see as many films from the year as possible.

Top 10 Films of 2010

Honorable Mention: 8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan), The Fighter (David O. Russell),  Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy), The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko), The King's Speech (Tom Hooper)

10. The Social Network (David Fincher) 

 Compelling story of internet phenomenon told with wit and style.

9. 9500 Liberty (Annabel Park, Eric Byler)

 Powerful doc about a bigoted anti-immigration bill that nearly tore a community apart.

8. 127 Hours (Danny Boyle)

 Uplifting, disturbing climbing disaster story carried by a captivating James Franco.

7. Winter's Bone (Debra Granik)

A girl tries to save her family in this suspenseful mystery set in the Ozarks.

6. Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich)

 

Pixar continues an amazing creative streak with another funny, heartbreaking gem.

5. Please Give (Nicole Holofcener)

Absorbing and funny film that shows Hollywood how female characters should be treated.

4. Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese)

Martin Scorsese's passionate thriller was the most ridiculously underrated film of the year.

3. True Grit (Joel and Ethan Coen)

 The Coens improve on the original by infusing their own wit and an amazing cast.

2. Inception (Christopher Nolan)

This zero gravity fight scene is one of many treasures of Nolan's imaginative film.

1. Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance)

 In a great year for movies, this painfully heartbreaking story of a failing marriage is the most memorable.

Awards (Winners noted by an asterisk)

Best Director

Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine

Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit

Nicole Holofcener, Please Give

*Christopher Nolan, Inception

Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island

Best Lead Actor

Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Leonardo Dicaprio, Shutter Island

Colin Firth, The King's Speech

James Franco, 127 Hours

*Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine

Best Lead Actress

Catherine Keener, Please Give

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

*Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Fighter

*Matt Damon, True Grit

John Hawkes, Winter's Bone

Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, The Fighter

*Rebecca Hall, Please Give

Mia Wasikowska, The Kids Are All Right

Michelle Williams, Shutter Island

Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer

Best Original Screenplay

Blue Valentine (Derej Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne, Joey Curtis)

The Fighter (Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy)

Greenberg (Noah Baumbach, Jennifer Jason Leigh)

*Inception (Christopher Nolan)

Please Give (Nicole Holofcener)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Shutter Island (Laeta Kalogridis)

*The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)

Toy Story 3 (Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich)

True Grit (Joel and Ethan COen)

Winter's Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini)

Best Animated Film

How to Train Your Dragon

Tangled

*Toy Story 3

Best Documentary Feature

8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan)

*9500 Liberty (Annabel Park, Eric Byler)

Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy)

Restrepo (Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger)

The Tillman Story (Amir Bar-Lev)

Best Editing

127 Hours

*Inception

Shutter Island

The Social Network

True Grit

Best Art Direction

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

*Inception

Shutter Island

True Grit

Best Cinematography

Black Swan

Inception

Shutter Island

The Social Network

*True Grit

Best Costume Design

Agora

*Alice in Wonderland

Black Swan

The King's Speech

True Grit

Best Original Score

Alice in Wonderland

How to Train Your Dragon

Inception

*The Social Network

True Grit

Best Original Song

"Better Days", Eat Pray Love

"Darkness Before the Dawn", Holy Rollers

*"I see the Light", Tangled

"If I Rise", 127 Hours

"We Belong Together", Toy Story 3

Sound Mixing

127 Hours

*Inception

Shutter Island

The Social Network

True Grit

Sound Editing

*Inception

Iron Man 2

Toy Story 3

Tron: Legacy

True Grit

Visual Effects

Alice in Wonderland

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

*Inception

Iron Man 2

Tron: Legacy

Best Live Action Short Film

*Ana's Playground (Eric D. Howell)

Cigarette Candy (Lauren Wolkstein)

The Confession (Tanel Toom)

God of Love (Luke Matheny)

Tell Me Who (David Lipson)

Best Animated Short Film

Day & Night (Teddy Newton)

The Gruffalo (Jakob Schuh and Max Lang)

*Prayers for Peace (Dustin Grella)

Ledo and Ix Go to Town (Emily Carmichael)

The Lighthouse (Yelislava Gospodinova)

Predictions for the 2011 Academy Awards

Here are my predictions for the 2011 Academy Awards. I've made comments in three categories. Will Win covers what I think the Academy will pick. Should Win is what I would pick among the nominees. Snubbed is who/what I think should've made the cut.


Best Picture

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
127 Hours
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Will Win: With wins in all three major guild awards (PGA, DGA, SAG), The King's Speech victory is all but assured. Only one film (Apollo 13) has previously won all three of those awards and lost Best Picture.

Should Win: Christopher Nolan's Inception completely rewrote the book on what a Hollywood blockbuster can and should be. No more need to turn off your brain to enjoy a kick ass, exciting action ride. Inception is a grand achievement in combining smart and enthralling cinema and is the most deserving of this year's group of nominees.

Snubbed: It's no surprise that it fell off the Academy's radar, but Derek Cianfrance's Blue Valentine was a brutally realistic depiction of a failing marriage. It's dark and depressing, but it stirred up stronger emotions than any other film in 2011 and contained the two best performances of the year.


Best Director

Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit)

Will Win: I've debated about this one for a long time. The safe bet is to say Hooper will win along with his film. He did win the DGA award and all of the awards momentum has gone to The King's Speech. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the Oscars will follow suit with the BAFTA's and give this award to David Fincher.

Should Win: I've long admired the work of Aronofsky, Russell, and Fincher, but it was the Coens who most distinguished themselves with their colorful remake of an overrated classic. They managed to deliver a beautiful old-fashioned western, while still infusing it with their own sly sensibilities.

Snubbed: There were a few snubs this year, including Derek Cianfrance for his wonderfully understated work on Blue Valentine and Martin Scorsese for his passionate thriller Shutter Island. However, the biggest snub was the omission of Christopher Nolan YET AGAIN. This is a man who now has three nominations from the Director's Guild, but nothing from the Oscars. His brilliant and imaginative work deserves recognition.


Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

Will Win: Uh, Colin Firth. He will win this. Easiest prediction of the night. Don't question me on this. I will empty my bank account out to wager on Firth against you. Bridges may have had a shot if he hadn't won last year.

Should Win: All very good performances here, but there's a reason Colin Firth is a lock to win. He was just that good.

Snubbed: Ryan Gosling's heartfelt, but admirably subtle work in Blue Valentine was the best performance by a male this year. I have no issues with any of the five nominees, but he was better than all of them.


Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening (The Kids are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)


Will Win: I'm going with the smart money, which is on Natalie Portman after she made a clean sweep of the pre-Oscar awards. The only thing that makes me nervous is if the Academy wants to give Bening a career Oscar.

Should Win: Just like her co-star Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams did an amazing job at portraying the awful emotional turmoil her character was going through without loud hysterics. Her nomination was a triumph for natural, understated acting, which often goes ignored come awards season.

Snubbed: It may seem like an odd choice since she actually was nominated, but Hailee Steinfeld's nomination in Supporting Actress is actually pretty insulting and not worthy of the great performance she gave. She was clearly the lead in True Grit and the only reason she got nominated in Supporting is because of her age. Her performance was one of the best of the year for anyone of any age.


Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Will Win: Melissa Leo is the clear frontrunner here and I think she'll take home the Oscar. I'm a little uncertain, because this is a category known for upsets (Binoche over Bacall, Harden over Hudson) and there has been some talk that Hailee Steinfeld could pull off an upset. I also wouldn't be surpsied to see a King's Speech wave carry Helena Bonham Carter.

Should Win: Hailee Steinfeld is nominated in the wrong category, but that's not her fault. She gave the best performance of anyone on this list. I love Leo as an actress, but even her co-star Amy Adams was better.

Snubbed: This is one category where my own personal list differs with the Academy the most, so it is hard to choose from the several people who I think were snubbed, but I will go with Rebecca Hall, who gave two great performances this year in The Town and Please Give. In these two wildly different films, she brought a winning, empathetic personality to the screen.


Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Will Win: Christian Bale has won pretty much every single award you can win at this point and is all but a certainty to win the Oscar. the only (very small) chance of an upset is if a King's Speech wave takes hold and carries Geoffrey Rush with it.

Should Win: Bale did an amazing job of transforming himself into a very different role, but if people had seen the previous work of John Hawkes, they'd be just as amazed at his transformation. He portrays a loose cannon from the Ozarks who can be intensely frightening, but Hawkes manages to throw multiple dimensions in his performance, creating a very memorable character.

Snubbed: Matt Damon! Matt Damon! Matt Damon! His hilariously offbeat performance in True Grit was one of the great cinematic treats of the year. It is an especially egregious snub when considering that he was nominated last year for an incredibly bland performance in Invictus.


Adapted Screenplay

127 Hours (Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle)
The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)
Toy Story 3 (Michael Arndt, story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
True Grit (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)
Winter's Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rossellini)


Will Win: The Social Network. Aaron Sorkin's victory here is almost as much a lock as Firth in Lead Actor.

Should Win: I didn't love The Social Network as much as most people, but there's no denying Sorkin's screenplay was amazing and deserving of its eventual victory.

Snubbed: Laeta Kalogridis' sharp adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel Shutter Island set up the perfect structure to allow Martin Scorsese to work his magic.


Original Screenplay

Another Year (Mike Leigh)
The Fighter (Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silverand Paul Tamasy)
Inception (Christopher Nolan)
The Kids are All Right (Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko)
The King's Speech (David Seidler)

Will Win: There's no reason to think The King's Speech won't take top honors here. It's certainly a much better choice than last year's The Hurt Locker.

Should Win: Um, Inception. If there's one major upset I'm rooting for on Oscar night the most, it is that Nolan gets recognized for his incredibly original and very complex screenplay.

Snubbed: Nicole Holofcener's Please Give was one of the best films of the year and completely overlooked during awards season. Her script (which made the cut at the WGA awards) should've been included here.



Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Will Win: Toy Story 3. No reason to think Pixar won't continue its dominance in this category.

Should Win: Toy Story 3. No reason to think Pixar doesn't deserve continue its dominance in this category.

Snubbed: Disney's Tangled was a nice surprise. Lovely animation and a winning story.


Achievement in Cinematography

Black Swan (Matthew Libatique)
Inception (Wally Pfister)
The King's Speech (Danny Cohen)
The Social Network (Jeff Cronenweth)
True Grit (Roger Deakins)

Will Win: True Grit
Should Win: True Grit
Snubbed: Shutter Island


Achievement in Art Direction

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

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Shutter Island


Achievement in Costume Design

Alice in Wonderland (Colleen Atwood)
I Am Love (Antonella Cannarozzi)
The King's Speech (Jenny Beaven)
The Tempest (Sandy Powell)
True Grit (Mary Zophres)

Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: Alice in Wonderland
Snubbed: Black Swan


Best Documentary Feature

Exit through the Gift Shop (Banksy)
Gasland (Josh Fox)
Inside Job (Charles Ferguson, director)
Restrepo (Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger)
Waste Land (Lucy Walker)

Will Win: Restrepo
Should Win: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Snubbed: 9500 Liberty


Achievement in Film Editing

Black Swan (Andrew Weisblum)
The Fighter (Pamela Martin)
The King's Speech (Tariq Anwar)
127 Hours (Jon Harris)
The Social Network (Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall)

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: 127 Hours
Snubbed: Inception (If it wasn't such a minor award, this would go down as one of the biggest snubs in Oscar history)


Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)

How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell)
Inception (Hans Zimmer)
The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat)
127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)
The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)

Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Tangled


Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)

"Coming Home" from Country Strong Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
"I See the Light" from Tangled Music and Lyric by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
"If I Rise" from 127 Hours Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
"We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3 Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Will Win: "I See the Light", Tangled
Should Win: "I See the Light", Tangled


Achievement in Sound Editing

Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Iron Man 2


Achievement in Sound Mixing

Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Shutter Island


Achievement in Visual Effects

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

Will Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception
Snubbed: Tron: Legacy (Still trying to figure this one out?)


Best Short Film (Live Action)

The Confession (Tanel Toom)
The Crush (Michael Creagh)
God of Love (Luke Matheny)
Na Wewe (Ivan Goldschmidt)
Wish 143 (Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite)


Will Win: The Confession
Should Win: God of Love
Snubbed: Ana's Playground (Eric D. Howell)


Best Short Film (Animated)

Day & Night (Teddy Newton)
The Gruffalo (Jakob Schuh and Max Lang)
Let's Pollute (Geefwee Boedoe)
The Lost Thing (Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann)
Madagascar, a Journey Diary (Bastien Duboi)

Will Win: Day & Night
Should Win: The Gruffalo
Snubbed: Prayers for Peace (Dustin Grella)


Note: I did not include selection for the Foreign Film (I've only seen one nominee) or Makeup (I've seen none) categories. I have not yet seen the Best Documentary Shorts, but will do so before the Oscars and add them to this post at that time.

Waiting for Superman (Davis Guggenheim, 2010) **1/2

No film this year created such strong mixed reactions for me as this one. Davis Guggenheim is clearly a filmmaker of consummate skill and at times Waiting For Superman reaches incredible heights of cinematic greatness. It is certainly a thought provoking film that asks tough questions and sheds an uncomfortable light on the failure of our education system. It also depicts the heartbreaking individual plight of several children (and their families) who are hoping for a better chance at the future. However, the film falters in the one dimensional manner in which it places blame and the misleading manner in which it seeks a solution. 

Waiting For Superman documents the problems with the education system in the United States. It does so by showing how test scores have become stagnant despite spending increases, how our rankings compared to the rest of the world are atrocious, and the roadblocks faced by several reformers trying to improve the system. Guggenheim highlights these issues by showing the personal stories of five students who are hoping to get accepted to a charter school and interweaving this by interviews with reformers such as DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and charter school CEO Geoffrey Canada.

So far, so good. The film is powerfully persuasive when examining the many ways in which our system isn't working. The personal stories are fascinating. It's hard not to root for a better future for these children. The film also contains one of the most unforgettable scenes I've ever seen in a documentary. We see several lotteries being run by school districts to determine which kids get a chance to attend the local charter school. The families are sitting there, living and dying as every name or number is called. A little girl keeps mentioning that they're not mentioning her name. This is amazing stuff and it is vividly depicted by Guggenheim.

The question becomes who is at fault and what do we do about it. And this is where things get problematic. The main problem that our education system has, Guggenheim tells us, is the imposing strength of teacher tenure and the inability of reformers to get rid of poor teachers. The teachers unions are depicted as this big selfish group that cares more about their own interests than those of their students. The film presents  us a hero in committed reformer Michelle Rhee butting heads with teachers unions over her proposal to weaken tenure in exchange for better pay. The film presents this as a one sided battle that Rhee loses, ending all hope in the district. But the film leaves out the fact that the union did accept Rhee's proposal in their most recent contract and the improved test scores that Rhee boasts about happened well before the tenure changes. There's no doubt that tenure is one problem in our education system and reforming that would be a good idea, but Waiting For Superman unfairly makes the unions scapegoats for the entire failure of our education system.

Guggenheim is also misleading about the proposed solutions. Geoffrey Canada makes compelling points and is a captivating presence on screen. The Harlem Children's Zone has done great work for inner city students and shows terrific results on standardized testing. I have no doubts that he is a great educator. What's wrong is that Guggeinheim spends a majority of the film mentioning how increased spending hasn't worked, yet successful schools like Canada's receive tons of money in private funding, something that would not be realistic or consistent on a nationwide scale. To realize the dream charter system that would supposedly reshape our entire education system, vast increases in spending would clearly be required. This is problematic given the current political climate. Acknowledging this problem and looking at some more specific areas of reform (i.e. why do some charters underperform, what methods are the good ones using) would have made for a far more substantive examination of the issue.

I do think Waiting for Superman is a worthwhile film. It brings an important issue to light and will certainly inspire strong discussions among viewers that need to take place. The lottery scene is one of the more astonishing pieces of filmmaking from 2010. It's just unfortunate that the film gets mired in a repetitive and one sided attack against teacher's unions, masking other issues and potential solutions to the problem. When the Oscar nominees were announced, Waiting for Superman's failure to be nominated for Best Documentary was constantly cited as one of the biggest snubs of the year. I can't help but think that despite Guggeinheim's good intentions, this is one time where the Academy got it right.

Oscar Roundup: Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance, 2010) ****

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams

Oscar Nominations: Best Lead Actress (Williams)

Story: A couple deals with the harsh realities of life that threaten the stability of their marriage. 

Review: No film from last year affected me more deeply than this heartbreakingly real depiction of a failing marriage. This magnificent film achieves so much through natural performances and a beautiful simplicity in the way it details their problems. This is not a film filled with shouting matches (though there are a few such moments), but in fact the most gutwrenching moments come from the quiet arguments, where one person is clearly upset at the other and you can feel the unpleasantness and anger boiling underneath. All of this is juxtaposed with flashbacks showing the happy and sweet beginnings of their relationship. The two performances are astonishing. Ryan Gosling has been one of the most consistently great indie actors ever since his revelatory performance in The Believer and this may be his greatest yet. Michelle Williams builds on the outstanding natural work she did in the magnificent low key drama Wendy and Lucy and turns in another quietly powerful performance. Cianfrance and his co-writers do a great job of building the structure to this story so that the painful implications of the failing marriage only become truly apparent until the end.

Oscar Outlook: Unfortunately, Williams has no chance in the Lead Actress race.

Trivia: To prepare for the film, Gosling and Williams rented a house together and lived on a budget based on their character's incomes. This is the 2nd nomination for Williams, after being nominated for Supporting Actress in Brokeback Mountain.

Oscar Roundup: Live Action Shorts Nominees

The Confession (Tanel Toom) ***1/2

 

A young Catholic schoolboy worries that he can't be a true Catholic because he doesn't have anything to confess. He sets off with his friend to do something he can confess for, but their actions lead to disastrous results. Toom does a good job of creating a vivid, dark atmosphere and there are a few haunting moments in the film. The final scene is incredibly well acted.

Wish 143 (Ian Barnes) ***1/2

This is definitely the most affecting of the nominated shorts. A teenager with a terminal illness is visited by a "Make a Wish" style charity and his wish is to have sex. What seems like a vulgar, juvenile setup is actually handled with maturity and deep, absorbing emotions. It's a bit manipulative and an ex-girlfriend character that comes in late as a plot device doesn't work very well, but Barnes and his actors do a superb job creating several three dimensional characters with such a short running time.

Na Wewe (Ivan Goldschmidt) **

What a bizarre film we have here. A tour bus is pulled over in a small African village by a group of Hutu soldiers, looking to find and execute people they suspect of being Tutsi. Most of the film does a good job giving us a window into a tense and hostile atmosphere of a bitter civil war, but all of that is thrown out the window with a jarring ending that does not work at all. I appreciate the message that music can help diffuse tensions, but the way it is displayed here lacks credibility and turns a tense drama into silly fluff.

The Crush (Michael Creagh) *

Care to explain this one, Academy voters? A ridiculously stupid story about a young boy who has a crush on his teacher and disapproves of the man he's going to marry. The filmmaker attempts to fuse both silliness and suspense, but never captures either tone correctly and we're left with a really stupid film and a moronic climax that lacks any subtlety.  

God of Love (Luke Matheny) ***1/2

This is probably the film that benefited the most from its placement in the Live Action Shorts program. After four mixed, mostly serious films, this was a breathe of fresh air. It follows a lovestruck lounge singer who comes across a love dart that can make any woman fall in love with him. The film follows his elaborate attempts to make this work on the woman of his dreams. Writer-director-star Luke Matheny does a great job of capturing that Woody Allen spirit, with excellent use of music and black & white cinematography that perfectly sets the mood. Matheny himself gives an ingratiatingly offbeat lead performance and the film ends on the perfect note.



Oscar Outlook: This being the first time I've seen all five nominees, it's hard to predict what the Oscars will do. My guess is they will go for the more serious Confession, but Wish 143 might pull the right heartstrings to get enough votes. I'll be happy with anything other than Na Wewe or The Crush

Oscar Roundup: The King's Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010) ***1/2

Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Gambon, Timothy Spall

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actor (Firth), Best Supporting Actor (Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Carter), Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound

Story: Historical drama about the early days of King George VI's (Firth) ascencion to the throne and his friendship with the speech therapist (Rush) that helped him overcome a stuttering problem.

Review: It's certainly no surprise that The King's Speech has garnered so much attention by both the public and the Academy. It is an uplifting, feel good story without any attempt to dumb it down for mass audiences. It's also exquisitely made, with top notch production values and careful craftsmanship from director Tom Hooper. It tells a great historical story and is headlined by a dream cast (Firth, Rush, Carter can always be counted on). A film containing such qualities will always be heavily praised and be a strong contender during awards season. But what I really love about this film is the great sense of humor running through it. This is no dry British history lesson. Hooper and screenwriter David Seidler do a great job of humanizing the characters and making this a pretty lively story . Geoffrey Rush has never been more likeable. Colin Firth is able to show both tremendous charisma and vulnerability in a delicate balancing act of a performance. The film may have truncated history or outrighted distorted it in many parts, but on its own merits remains a solidly entertaining drama made with superb precision.

Oscar Outlook: It is going to be a royal night at the Oscars as The King's Speech is going to win very many awards. The most likely is Colin Firth for Lead Actor. It is the biggest, most assured lock since Heath Ledger's 2007 win for The Dark Knight. Best Picture and Best Director wins also seems like sure bets since the film has swept the major guild awards (PGA, DGA, SAG) and I also expect it to compete strongly in many of the technical categories, although losing a few of them to Inception.

Trivia: Firth joins Jeff Bridges as repeat Lead Actor nominees from 2009. This is Rush's 4th nomination. Jennifer Ehle, who plays Geoffrey Rush's wife in the film, previously co-starred with Colin Firth in the popular BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

Oscar Roundup: The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, 2010) ***1/2

Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Cast: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Lead Actress (Bening), Best Supporting Actor (Ruffalo), Best Original Screenplay

Story: A married lesbian couple (Bening, Moore) worry when their teenage children seek out their sperm donor father (Ruffalo).

Review: The Kids Are All Right is reminiscent of another Lisa Cholodenko film I saw called High Art. That film was a well-intentioned indie with a strong central performance by Ally Sheedy, but had sloppy editing and a screenplay that felt like it needed a few more rewrites. I have not seen anything by Cholodenko since, but judging by this latest effort, she has come a long way as a screenwriter and filmmaker, although she has not completely shed some of the problems that doomed High Art. Yes, the Kids Are All right does have sloppy editing and the pacing is very awkward during the first act. However, this time she is not only aided by a strong central performance from Bening, but also the usually outstanding work of Moore and Ruffalo. Furthermore, Wasikowska and Hutcherson provide solid support as the children. And after the film gets through the first act hiccups, it starts to come together as a vivid portrait of a complex family dynamic and how the powerful bonds of family can persevere despite not fitting into traditional stereotypical norms. It may not be a perfect film, but it is memorable and not one to be missed.

Oscar Outlook: There is a small chance Bening could pull off an upset in the Lead Actress category if the Academy decides to honor her entire body of work. It would certainly be better than many other "Career Oscar" decisions made by the Academy. The film has zero chance in any other category.

Trivia: This is Bening's 4th nomination. She has lost twice to the same actress, Hilary Swank. In 1999, both Bening and Moore were nominated for Lead Actress.

Oscar Roundup: Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) ****

Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing

Story: With the promise of having his life restored and murder charges dropped, Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) leads a team of spies in a corporate espionage plot that attempts to plant an idea into their target's subconscious mind.

Review: Nolan follows up his triumphant The Dark Knight with another masterpiece. Inception is a premiere achievement in thoughtful, exciting, visually stunning filmmaking. It's rare for Hollywood to give us a film that has one of the most exciting action sequences of the year (the zero gravity fight scene) and also contain one of the most complex stories. Yet this is a trademark of Nolan since his career started, and his great success should be seen as a wake up call to the rest of Hollywood that your big budget blockbusters need not be dumbed down for the audience. Inception also contains (despite no acting nominations) one of my favorite ensemble casts of the year. Those that hated DiCaprio just because he was in Titanic (although he was great before that blockbuster in films like What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and This Boy's Life) now should be convinced that he is one of the most talented leading men in the business. The rest of the ensemble is filled with a variety of superbly skilled supporting players (including Levitt, who has also gone a long way to changing audience's perceptions about him). The ending of Inception has led to much debate. It's pretty clear what actually happened, but the genius of Nolan is that he doesn't hammer it home, nor does he cop out by not providing a true ending. The ending is open enough for the audience to question what happened, but the visual cues are there for you to figure it out. That's the kind of thought you don't see in other Hollywood blockbusters.

Oscar Outlook: Inception is a major contender in many of the technical categories. I expect it to take home 3 or 4 tech awards, but it actually could completely sweep them. It deservedly won the WGA award for original screenplay, but I expect it to lose out to King's Speech on Oscar night. It has no chance at Best Picture, despite being a better choice than either of the top two contenders (Social Network, King's Speech).

Trivia: Christopher Nolan has received three Director's Guild Award nominations (Inception, The Dark Knight, Memento), one of the best predictors for an Oscar nomination, but has mysteriously been snubbed each time by the Academy.

Oscar Roundup: The Fighter (David O. Russell, 2010) ***1/2

Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Leo), Best Supporting Actress (Adams), Best Supporting Actor (Bale), Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing

Story: Follows the true story of up and coming boxer Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and the struggle he faces trying to make the best decisions for his career and balancing that with staying loyal to his brother Dicky Eklund (Bale), a former boxer who has become a crack addict.

Review: If you want to see what great acting is all about, The Fighter is a shining example. This is one of the best ensemble performances by a cast in a long time. Much has been writ of Bale's stunning transformation and his performance is deserving of every bit of praise it has received, and so are the much praised turns from Amy Adams (as Ward's feisty girlfriend) and Melissa Leo (as his melodramatic mother). However, I think Wahlberg's own central performance has been sadly overlooked. It's a quiet, nuanced performance that provides a strong emotional foundation at the center of the film. With all these parts in place, David O. Russell (director of previouos greats Flirting With Disaster and Three Kings) creates an authentic depiction of lower class urban life and a moving depiction of the battle between family loyalty and personal fulfillment. If there are any flaws, it's that everything gets tied up a little too neatly in the end. It's the one part of the film that feels more "written" than real.

Oscar Outlook: Christian Bale is an absolute lock to win his first Oscar. Melissa Leo is the frontrunner in the Supporting Actress category (although I think her costar Adams was better), but there has been some talk of a possible Hailee Steinfeld upset. The Fighter has no chance in any of the other categories.

Trivia: Wahlberg had been trying to get this movie made since 2005. He previously tried to get Martin Scorsese to direct and later had Darren Aronofsky on board, who left to work on fellow Best Picture nominee Black Swan. Matt Damon and Brad Pitt were previously attached to play the role of Dicky Eklund.  

Oscar Roundup: Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010) ***

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actress, Best Editing, Best Cinematography

Story: A ballet dancer gets the coveted lead role in Swan Lake, but in her drive to perfect the role, she slowly loses her mind obsessively trying to be more like the evil "Black Swan".

Review: I've been a big fan of Aronofsky's previous work. Two of his films (The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream) have previously made my top 10 lists. However, I couldn't help but be disappointed by this latest feature. There's no doubting that Natalie Portman gives a stunning performance in the lead role. It's a bold, forceful portrayal that you knew she'd always be capable of if given the right material. Unfortunately, the film doesn't capture either the  persistent craziness of Requiem for a Dream, not does it have the strong emotional pull that was there in The Wrestler. It seems to be aiming for both, failing to fully achieve either. Now my review seems a little negative, but I definitely recommend the film. It's a visually impressive movie that ultimately does capture the obsessive drive of an artist, just not a powerfully as I had hoped or expected.

Oscar Outlook: Natalie Portman is the frontrunner for Lead Actress and I expect her to win on Oscar night, although there is a small possibility that Annette Bening could pull off an upset. Black Swan has no chance in any of the other categories.

Trivia: Darren Aronofsky was previously slated to direct The Fighter. He eventually dropped out due to other commitments (including Black Swan). The Fighter went on to be a fellow Best Picture nominee and also nabbed a nomination for the director who replaced Aronofsky, David O Russell.

Oscar Roundup: 127 Hours (Danny Boyle, 2010) ****

(This is the first in a series. As part of my goal to watch every Oscar nominee from every category excluding Foreign films that won't be available this year, I will also be doing a write up on each film, with my own review of the film and detailing it's chances for winning on Oscar night.)

Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Treat Williams

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Lead Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Original Song, Best Original Score

Story: Based on the ordeal experienced by climber Aron Ralston (James Franco), whose arm got trapped by a boulder, leaving him stuck for several days and causing him to resort to extreme measures to free himself.

Review: A movie about a guy whose arm was stuck in a rock for 5 days doesn't sound very exciting. It would seem difficult to stretch such a story to make a feature length film. But never count out the artistry of Danny Boyle, who comes up with a film that is actually better than his good (but ultimately overrated) Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire. He's aided by a stellar performance in the lead role by James Franco, who has come a long way as a dramatic actor in recent years. In the past, he had reverted to a mumble mouthed line delivery in many of his early dramatic roles that was off putting, but here he gives an incredibly ingratiating performance and does a terrific job of carrying the film as the only person on screen for most of the story. I've sometimes felt that Boyle goes over the top with flashy and self conscious directing techniques, but here the style works perfectly to capture what was going through the mind of his main character. It's a shocking, but ultimately triumphant story of a man who does whatever he can to stay alive, thematically similar (if stylistically very different) to Robert Zemeckis' outstanding Cast Away.

Oscar Outlook: 127 Hours will most likely walk home empty handed, although the song category is unpredictable. It certainly has no shot for Picture, Lead Actor, or Screenplay, as all three of those categories are essentially locks at this point.

Trivia: James Franco is an Oscar nominee in the same year that he is hosting. This has happened 5 times previously, with hosts Frank Capra (You Can't Take it With You) and David Niven (Separate Tables) winning, while hosts Michael Caine (Sleuth), Walter Matthau (Sunshine Boys), and Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee screenplay) watched someone else take home the trophy. Franco will undoubtedly join that latter group as Colin Firth is a certainty in the lead actor race.

The 2011 Academy Awards: Nomination Predictions

The Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday morning. I have made it an annual ritual (although I didn't post my picks last year) to predict the nominees. In recent years, it has become easier and easier to guess the nominees. More and more pre-awards shows, critics panels, and general coverage of the contenders has taken much of the mystery away from the nominees. This year appears to be one of the easiest to predict in a long time, as there has been very little disagreement from experts and other awards shows. Even the winners of all 6 major categories are all but assured at this point (Lead Actress is perhaps the only category with some mystery left). Of course I could be setting myself up to look like an idiot. After saying it's such a predictable year, watch me get several of these wrong. Nevertheless, here are my picks and commentary on the various categories:

Best Picture

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Alternate Possibilities: Winter's Bone, Blue Valentine

Wish List: Winter's Bone, Shutter Island, Blue Valentine

Thoughts: It's amazing that even with the expanded list of 10 nominees, this list is insanely predictable to the point where there's really only one likely battle left. Does the Academy go for indie fave Winter's Bone or Ben Affleck's The Town? I think they will go for the latter, but I really can't see of another very likely possibility, except for maybe the highly regarded Blue Valentine, although that one has lost all momentum after a poor performance during the pre-Oscar awards circuit. I'm rooting for Winter's Bone, an excellent film I saw at the Atlanta Film Festival. In a just world, Martin Scorsese's wildly underrated Shutter island would also be a lock. However, I will say that if this is the list of 10, it is a much, much better list than last year. Of the 9 I have seen (The Town is the only one I haven't yet), all of them are very good or great. 


Best Director

Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
Christopher Nolan (Inception)
David O Russell (The Fighter)

Alternate Possibilities: Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit), Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer)

Wish List: Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit), Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island), Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine)

Thoughts: My picks match the DGA nominees, which don't always match the Oscar choices, but these seem pretty likely. If there is an upset, it will be for Oscar favorites Joel and Ethan Coen. With 10 Best Picture nominees it is unlikely that we will have a Director nominee whose film didn't also get nominated, but I suppose if it ever happens, this year could be the time if the Academy wants to make a statement on behalf of Polanski. Coens, Scorsese, and Cianfrance would be my personal top three picks in this category.


Best Lead Actor

Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Robert Duvall (Get Low)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)

Alternate Possibilities: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter)

Wish List: Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island)

Thoughts: Colin Firth will be taking home the Oscar for Best Actor this year. His eventual win is one of the most certain locks there has been in all the years that I've been covering and predicting the Oscars. If Bridges hadn't won last year (for a performance that's not nearly as good as this year), it would be more of a race. The final spot comes down to SAG nominee Robert Duvall or Golden Globe nominee Ryan Gosling. I have yet to see Duvall's film, but I'm rooting for 2007 nominee Gosling, who was fantastic this year. DiCaprio had a fantastic year with two excellent performances in Shutter Island and Inception, but has no realistic shot at a nomination.


Best Lead Actress

Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

Alternate Possibilities: Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), Lesley Manville (Another Year), Hilary Swank (Conviction)

Wish List: Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Thoughts: The eventual Oscar race will come down to Bening vs. Portman, with Portman probably having the edge unless Bening can squeeze out enough sympathy votes to put her over the top. The nomination list is a little more complex simply because of the Hailee Steinfeld factor. With the Oscars, voters are allowed to nominate someone in any category they wish, despite what the studio promotes their actors for in trade ads. In the past, both Kate Winslet (The Reader) and Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) were nominated for Lead Actress, despite being promoted in the supporting category. Steinfeld is a good bet to do it again as she is in every single scene of True Grit. If instead they go for her in Supporting, then that opens up the final spot for Williams or Manville. Williams is deserving, but has been mostly overlooked during awards season. Hilary Swank got a surprise SAG noination, but I highly doubt her name will be called on Tuesday.


Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Alternate Possibilities: John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Matt Damon (True Grit)

Wish List: John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Matt Damon (True Grit)

Thoughts: Bale is almost as sure a bet as Firth, though there is a minor conceivable possibility that Rush (who would be winning in almost any other year) could upset him. There isn't as much certainty with the other nominees as there has been much disagreement with the pre-Oscar awards. I went with the safe bets in Ruffalo and Garfield, both of whom can count on a wave of enthusiasm in other categories for their films. That leaves Renner, a highly regarded actor that voters will remember from last year when they nominated him for Lead Actor. I would actually prefer my two alternates to get in. Hawkes was splendid in a multidimensional role that is much different from anything he's done before. It will be really annoying if Damon will be ignored for his brilliant, colorful performance this year when he was awarded for his bland turn in last year's Invictus, but it looks like that's exactly what will happen.


Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Alternate Possibilities: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Barbara Hershey (Black Swan)

Wish List: Rebecca Hall (Please Give), Michelle Williams (Shutter Island)

Thoughts: Of course, I could be eating it here if I'm wrong on my suspicion that Hailee Steinfeld will be bumped up to Lead Actress. If so, she will probably take the spot of Jacki Weaver. I was skeptical of Kunis's chances until she scored a SAG nomination and now see no reason why she won't ride the coattails of co-star Natalie Portman. Leo appears to the runaway winner here, although I thought Amy Adams was better in the same film. Deserving performances that have no shot include Rebecca Hall's winning performance in unjustly overlooked Please Give and Michelle Williams but stunningly heartbreaking performance in Shutter Island.


Best Original Screenplay

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

Alternate Possibilities: Blue Valentine, Please Give

Wish List: Please Give. Blue Valentine

Thoughts: Yet again, the two nominees I'm rooting for are the two alternates, but neither of them have a shot. These five screenplays will certainly be nominated and I can't imagine any of them being skipped. I added Please Give, which was a WGA nominee, but I know it has zero chance here.


Best Adapted Screenplay

127 Hours
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Alternate Possibilities: Winter's Bone, The Ghost Writer

Wish List: Shutter Island, Winter's Bone

Thoughts: And here we have another category where the Oscar has already been decided. Aaron Sorkin will be taking home the trophy for his deservedly praised script for The Social Network. The other nominations are pretty set except for a similar battle to the Best Picture race between The Town and Winter's Bone. Since I think The Town will win that, then I'll pick it here, but I hope I'm wrong. Once again, I'll be rooting for Shutter Island knowing it has no shot.

And that will be it for this year. I could go through all the tech categories, but I've never been good at predicting those. It'd mostly be guessing or copying the guild nominees.

It's been a while since I've written much for this blog, but expect that to change soon as I'll try to switch to a bi-weekly schedule writing about both current and classic films.

Films Seen - 2011

Here are all the films I've seen that were officially released in 2011. If I've written a review of the film, a link has been provided.

50/50 (Jonathan Levine) ***1/2

The Adventures of Tintin (Steven Spielberg) **1/2

Albert Nobbs (Rodrigo Garcia) **

The Artist (Michael Hazanavicus) ****

Bad Teacher (Jake Kasdan) ***

Beginners (Mike Mills) ***1/2

A Better Life (Chris Weitz) ***

Bridesmaids (Paul Feig) ****

Cedar Rapids (Miguel Arteta) *** The Change-Up (David Dobkin) **1/2 Circumstance (Maryam Keshavarz) ***

Cold Weather (Aaron Katz) ****  Crazy, Stupid, Love (Glenn Ficarra, John Requa) *** A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg) ***1/2 Dear Lemon Lima (Suzi Yoonessi) **** The Descendants (Alexander Payne) **** Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn) **** Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Stephen Daldry) **1/2 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher) **

Goethe! (Philipp Stolzl) *1/2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (David Yates) **** The Help (Tate Taylor) **1/2 Hugo (Martin Scorsese) ***1/2

Horrible Bosses (Seth Gordon) **1/2 The Ides of March (George Clooney) **1/2 If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (Marshall Curry) *** The Iron Lady (Phyllida Lloyd) ** J. Edgar (Clint Eastwood) ** Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) **1/2 Margin Call (J.C. Chandor) ***1/2 Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin) **** Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird) ****

Moneyball (Bennett Miller) ***1/2 The Muppets (James Bobin) ***1/2 My Week With Marilyn (Simon Curtis) ***1/2 Old Goats (Taylor Guterson) **1/2  Our Idiot Brother (Jesse Peretz) **

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Rob Marshall) **1/2 Pleasant People (David Bonawits) ***

Putty Hill (Matthew Porterfield) ****  Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt) ***

Sahkanaga (John Henry Sumerour) ***1/2

Scream 4 (Wes Craven) ** A Separation (Asgar Farhadi) ***1/2 Shame (Steve McQueen) ***1/2

Silver Tongues (Simon Arthur) *

Source Code (Duncan Jones) ***1/2

Super 8 (JJ Abrams) ***1/2

Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols) ***1/2 Terri (Azazel Jacobs) ***1/2 Things Fall Apart (Mario Van Peebles) ** Thor (Kenneth Branagh) *** Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson) *** The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick) *** Warrior (Gavin O'Connor) *** We Are the Hartmans (Laura Newman) *** War Horse (Steven Spielberg) **1/2 Warrior (Gavin O' Connor) *** We Bought a Zoo (Cameron Crowe) **** Win Win (Thomas McCarthy) *** X-Men: First Class (Matthew Vaughn) *** Yellowbrickroad (Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton) ***1/2 Young Adult (Jason Reitman) ***

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (David Yates, 2010) ***

Dir. David Yates
Starring  Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes

I have had an odd relationship with the Harry Potter franchise. I saw the first five films without reading the books beforehand, but then read all the books right after that fifth film. I've always been a big proponent of judging film adaptations on their own merits apart from the original books. However, that's easier said than done, a realization I've come to with these last two films, both of which I've liked but couldn't completely get past some crucial changes that were made that somewhat water down the emotional impact of a fascinating story.

The latest entry covers events in the first half of the 7th and final book. The familiar trappings of Hogwarts are now gone, Dumbledore is dead, and anyone who is not a pureblood wizard is in grave danger. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his faithful friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are now on the run, while attempting to locate the final four Horcruxes that contain fragments of Lord Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) soul. Locating and figuring out how to destroy them takes them on a dark and frightening journey that seriously tests the strength of their friendship.

There is no doubt that the film is well made. Director David Yates helmed the last two entries (Half-Blood Prince, Order of the Phoenix), which were remarkably consistent with their tight pacing and confident visuals.  For the most part, that is the case for this one as well. One notable exception is the Seven Potters sequence, which relies too heavily on quick jump cuts and doesn't get really exciting until it starts to focus solely on Harry and Hagrid. Other than that, Yates does a solid job with the several suspense sequences, including a harrowing visit to the Ministry of Magic featuring a return from one of the series' best villains, Dolores Umbridge.

There are three major omissions and/or changes from the book. The first happens very early into the film, when the exit of the Dursley's is chopped up into two lines of dialogue. The second is when Kreacher's tale is pretty much completely excised from the film. The third, and most egregious, change is the final fate of Wormtail, which makes his reappearance in this film almost completely pointless. Dispensing with Kreacher's story is an acceptable omission in light of the time it would've taken. However, the other two sequences, both notable emotional high points in the story, could've been properly done with adding at most 5 total minutes to the running time.

However, it should also be noted that there were a few changes that actually worked very well. There's a train sequence early in the film that gives a nice little moment for Neville, my favorite character in the series, setting him up for events in the final film. Amidst all the darkness, there are a few moments of levity cleverly sprinkled in that keeps the story from being unbearably dark. And one of the biggest weaknesses in the book was actually improved on, as Yates does a terrific job pacing us through the endless forest sequences, even adding some amusing touches like a little dance number between Harry and Hermione.

The main three cast members have now improved well beyond their limited range in the first few films. Rupert Grint has made the most remarkable transition, as this film finally gives him something other to do than be a clown, and he superbly handles his powerful emotional scenes. Still, there are a few moments where the emotional moments seem to be oddly restrained. A notable example is a scene in the forest where Hermione's anger seems oddly restrained compared to the ferocity she was described with in the book. There’s also a slight change in the Malfoy Manor sequence that robs Rupert Grint of a very powerful moment.

Despite my gripes, this remains a solid piece of filmmaking. The movie does capture the book's major themes of friendship and equality very well. In the Harry Potter universe, staying true to your friends to the very end and treating others with respect despite their differences are personal qualities of the highest order. And in an era fraught with so much divisiveness and where not everyone can marry or join the military, it remains a poignant tale whether you're watching the movie or reading the book.

10 Great Movie Scenes

There is no rhyme or reason to this list. These are not necessarily the greatest in movie history (although some would probably make that list), but just ten that I thought of and found on Youtube. It is a mixture of newer films and classics. They are ordered alphabetically.


Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe's films are always filled with these wonderfully original moments and this scene, where the protagonists forget about all of their recent squabbles and bond once again over their love of music, is probably his finest moment as a director.




American Madness - One of the pleasures of my Top 10 Movie Project is finding lesser known Capra films like this one that are just as good as some of his beloved classics. In this scene, Walter Huston makes a compelling case for honesty and trust as business virtues that are more important than profit.






The Apartment - Billy Wilder's Some Like it Hot is deservedly well known for having one of the best closing movie quotes in history, but this final scene to The Apartment also has a wonderful closing line. Yes, this is a spoiler so if you haven't seen the movie, then skip this scene (and add it to your Netflix queue immediately).





Back to the Future - What? You thought Back to the Future wouldn't make this list. Lots to choose from, but I picked the fun chase scene in town square punctuated by Alan Silvestri's terrific score.




The Circus - Here we have Chaplin's most underrated film and the funniest of the ones I've seen so far (and that includes City Lights and The Gold Rush). In this scene, Chaplin brilliantly uses a carnival funhouse for much hilarity.




Miracle Woman - Another lesser known Capra classic, this film features Barbara Stanwyck in one of the best individual performances I've ever seen in a film. Here is her amazing opening monologue.




The Player - The 80s were not kind to Robert Altman, but he returned with a bang in the 90s with The Player, a wonderful Hollywood satire/murder mystery. This is the opening scene to the film and is one of the best tracking shots in film history.




Rocky - Another film with lots of memorable moments to choose from, but I picked the most dramatic moment of the final fight, where a brutalized Rocky wills himself up off the mat with Bill Conti's brilliant score. Look at Apollo's reaction.




Safety Last! - When it comes to silent comedy, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton get all of the attention, but recently people have been paying attention to the great Harold Lloyd. Safety Last! is his best remembered classic and this daring climbing scene is one of the best sequences in silent film history.




Up - Pixar is amazing. We all know that. Here they are at their finest in a heartbreaking montage that should make even the most hardened cynics weep uncontrollably.

Let Me In (Matt Reeves) ***

Dir. Matt Reeves
Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas

I have to admit to being incredibly skeptical of this film from the moment I heard about it. After all, this is an English language remake of 2008's Let The Right One In, a masterpiece made by Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson. I was certain that they would screw this up based not only on Hollywood's reputation for adapting foreign films, but also because director Matt Reeves really dropped the ball in his directorial debut Cloverfield and the lead female role went to cutesy preteen star Chloe Moretz. I was mostly relieved that this turned out to be an honest attempt to match the spirit of the original without dumbing it down for American audiences.

The story is completely faithful to the original. Bullied teen Oscar (Kode Smit-McPhee) notices a mysterious girl named Abby (Chloe Moretz) move into a nearby apartment with her father (Richard Jenkins). He's quickly smitten with Abby, who helps convince him to fight back against the school bully, only to soon find out that she is a vampire. Meanwhile, a detective (Elias Koteas) investigating mysterious deaths in the town seems to be zeroing in on the culprit.

There are some really disturbing aspects to the first film and I'm impressed that the filmmakers and especially the studio did not water this down one bit, particularly a really uncomfortable moment between Moretz and Jenkins. It's just as creepy and upsetting as the original story. This is essential to creating the exceedingly dark atmosphere for the central characters to operate in. It's not at all what you think when you hear "vampire movie". There are no sparkly vampires to be found here. Nor are there any over the top action sequences. This is serious business.

Reeves' Cloverfield was derailed because the characters were incessantly annoying  It was really hard to care about any of them. On top of that, the dialogue was putrid and insulting to the audience's intelligence. Therefore, this adaptation was perhaps a perfect vehicle for Reeves to tackle. The film is less dialogue heavy than Cloverfield and Reeves seems to have a much easier time exploring characters visually. The source material gave him a fascinating set of characters to work with and he understands each of them very well. Also, the casting proved to be much less problematic than I had feared (Moretz is very good, even if she doesn't approach the brilliance of the original's Lina Leandersson).

However, the fact that Reeves has done such a good job capturing the tone and spirit of the original actually makes this remake feel even more pointless. Who is this film aimed at? It's doubtful that audiences who scoff at reading subtitles in the first place would enjoy such a dark and uncomfortable story. People that loved the original already know what happens, diminishing the impact of the story's wonderful surprises. This is perhaps a bit unfair. Certainly, I'd also be complaining if he had heavily altered the film to make it more marketable for a wider audience. So it's pretty much a no win situation, which is usually the case when you remake a great foreign film that is only two years old.