This year the Academy is nominating 10 films for best picture. The nominations are announced in two months. These are my predictions two months ahead of time. I'll be surprised if I miss one.
It will be a very exciting year for the Oscars. This list could either prove the Academy's ignorance or show a new and fresh side to the ceremony. I've posted my honorable mentions below the trailers. The list is alphabetical and not ranked.
If Bright Star gets nominated I'm going to punch someone in the face. If Up doesn't get nominated I'm going to put my foot UP someones ass.
Let's see how many I get right...
A Serious Man
An Education
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Goodbye Solo
In The Loop
Inglorious Basterds
Precious
The Damned United
The Hurt Locker
The Lovely Bones
Up
Honorable Mentions: Avatar, Adventureland, District 9, Coraline, Invictus, Julie and Julia, Moon, Nine, Star Trek, The Messenger, The Road, Where the Wild Things Are and Up in the Air.
These are my "favorite" films (Not Best or Greatest). I kept the descriptions and reasoning short. It was an amazing decade for film and I hope you check out these films if you haven't seen them yet.
Feel free to leave a comment or your own list. Enjoy.
10. 28 Days Later...(2002): Directed by Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle + post-apocalyptic London= Cult Favorite.
9. High Fidelity (2000): Directed by Stephen Frears
I relate to the whiny bitch that John Cusack plays and the music rocks my socks.
8. The Lives of Others (2006), Directed by Florian Donnersmarck
Taught me about the transformative power of art. I may or may not have a fantasy about being a playwright during the Cold War.
7. Monsters, Inc. (2001): Directed by Pete Docter
My personal favorite Pixar film. Gets at the heart of childhood fear and the corruption of corporate America.
"Wazowski! You didn't file your paperwork last night."
6. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004): Directed by Walter Salles
Have you ever wondered who that crazy Argentinine communist you keep seeing on t-shirts and posters is? This is a controversial adventure of adolescence that shaped a legend.
5. The Dark Knight (2008): Directed by Chris Nolan
This time will be known as the decade of superhero movies. So the best superhero movie has to make my list.
4. Catch Me If You Can (2002): Directed by Steven Speilberg
My two favorite actors of the decade come together in a con flick set in the 60's that gets to the heart of divorce, teen angst and redemption.
3. City of God
Journalism in the slums of Brazil. A true examination of gangs, drugs, and death.
2. Crash (2004): Paul Haggis
Thought provoking crime drama that tackles racism in the greatest melting plot on Earth.
Drumroll please...
1. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Directed by Guillermo del Toro
I could write a book on this film. It has everything from fairy tales to fascism.Beautiful in technique and execution.
This is all the crap that didn't make it in the review. Since there was a lot to say it's completely understandable why some of this didn't make it in. Since people love reading about this stuff I just wanted to make sure to get all my thoughts out in the open.
Alternative Titles for the Article (Which I prefer to the actual title)
Bad Moon Rising
Dark Side of the New Moon (Rachel Scanlon's kickass title)
New Moon; Same Shit (Rachel Scanlon's other kickass title)
Rachel: I did suggest these titles, sadly none of them were chosen.
1. The dumping of Bella/Her being a weak protagonist: Because of the length of the article I couldn't state the full argument. Obviously loosing your soul mate is a big deal. It's devastating. However, Bella never gets over. She never stand up on her own feet. She simply remains a corpse until the next man/monster comes along to save her. Since these books are so influential to young girls, I don't know why she is portrayed as such a weak character. Maybe she's stronger in the books.
2. Lautner's Performance: While I enjoyed his performance I did not state that it was the most charismatic performance of the year. I stated that it was "one of the best" and then gave credit to Chris Pine for his Star Trek performance. However, how I explained all this was done so poorly that it's easy to see why the editor made the change. Just wanted to make sure everyone knew; Lautner won't be getting nominated for anything besides an MTV award.
3.*Spoiler Alert* If any Twilight fans can explain to me...the only way a vampire can commit suicide is by having his head ripped off by a secret society...yet in the next scene we see a vampire get torn to shreds by werewolves. Why didn't Edward skip the whole process of consulting the secret vampire society and just offer himself up to the werewolves?
4. I feel sorry for Bella's father for having to put up with this sad excuse for a daughter. However, that sounded a bit too mean for the review and I'd already felt too much like an elitist snob.
5. This is an excerpt that I just didn't have room for in the review. It's a bit cruel and overall unnecessary however it's kinda funny. "For those of you who don't like Robert Pattison it's fun to picture his career after the Twilight Saga. He will star in a few crappy action movies that will succeed because of the money they can make off his name. After that he will either become washed up, get into porn, or make a glorious comeback on Dancing with the stars."
Finally a look at my amazing photography skills to prove that I actually had to go to the midnight premiere of this thing...
Finally watched this film that everybody has been raving about (For the last 13 years...). In the film, a group of disaffected Scottish youths turn to heroin to escape the banalities of modern-day existence. Then, they begin to suffer the consequences and discover that there are no easy solutions to the inherent loneliness and pain of life.
This is a master piece, and I don’t use that term lightly. It deserves an award, but not just an Academy award because it’s better than that. It needs a shrine made out of cigarette buds and chocolate milkshakes.
I miss 90’s indie filmmaking. Back in the good ole’ day’s people made movies that were good from the first line of dialogue to the last. There is just so much entertainment in watching Obi-Won shoot up. His wise Jedi ways are long gone but this Kenobi is more fun to party with.
Can we talk about drugs for a second? That’s what this movie is about. Or is it? The film starts out with a pretty solid philosophy: who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin. It seems a little naive, but we like the characters so we go along with it. After a few fun sequences and witty dialogue you’re just addicted to these characters as they are to the drug. We’ve been served a big plate of Scottish Pulp Fiction (minus assassins but extra on the heroin) and we love it.
The problem with drug addicts and dealers portrayed in a lot films is that they are often two-dimensional or even worse, dehumanized. Boyle doesn’t present us to them as cookie cutter “drug addicts”. They’re pleasure seekers. There are more noble ways of pursuing pleasure but these people are looking for quantity not quality, and they’re better at finding it then us. Diving into a pile of shit isn’t so bad as long as you’re ignoring reality. You’re taking a nice dive in the ocean for all you care. They don’t glorify or support the lifestyle but they’re also not scared of it.
Then, the incident happens. I won’t go into what the incident is for the reader’s sake but it changes the game. These incidents aren’t accidents by the way. They all happen sooner or later because a life of chaos has tendencies to swing from bad to worse fairly quickly. All of a sudden you feel the greatest pain and it cuts deeper than the pleasure can fill. Now it’s becomes a search to feel something. Anything. They search for any form of emotion because warm beer and bingo night just don’t cut it anymore. They’re sinking, they accept it and you’re wondering how anyone can find happiness even if they were able to cure the addiction
If you haven’t figured it out yet this film is worth seeing. Buy the soundtrack while you’re at it because in this film the music isn’t heard, it’s felt. All the big names from the 90’s like Van Sant, Aronofsky, and Thomas Anderson have all tackled drug addiction. It’s almost a requirement to have a drug related film in your resume to be compared with these guys. Boyle stands toe to toe with the all of them.
Top 10 Things I Learned from Trainspotting.
1. Drug addiction isn’t a hobby. It’s a relationship.
2. You can’t chase happiness. When you work for it, it’ll come to you.
3. Heroin is evil and the people who do it might as well be dead. However, hard liquor, cigarettes, gambling and prescription drugs are fine and dandy.
4. Cosmopolitan’s the biggest cock blocker out there.
5. Six weeks without sex with your girlfriend equals balls the size of watermelons.
6. Just because a films in Enlgish doesn’t mean you won’t need subtitles.
7. If you think wetting the bed is bad, wait till you’ve shit the bed. Oh and one more thing; it’s not your bed…
8. Danny Boyle has more range than any director working today.
9. (The best orgasm you've ever had) x (1,000)= heroin
[after Ray spills a box of toothpicks on the floor]
Raymond: 82, 82, 82.
Charlie: 82 what?
Raymond: Toothpicks.
Charlie: There's a lot more than 82 toothpicks, Ray.
Raymond: 246 total.
Charlie: How many?
Sally Dibbs: 250.
Charlie: Pretty close.
Sally Dibbs: There's four left in the box.
You got to have toothpicks with you pancakes, it’s not even an option. This scene was the first glimpse at the hidden talents of Raymond Babbit. Without it, we wouldn’t get the classic Las Vegas montage that follows.
4. There Will Be Blood
Plainview: Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching?. And my straw reaches across the room, and starts to drink your milkshake... I... drink... your... milkshake!
[sucking sound]
Plainview: I drink it up!
Eli Sunday: Don't bully me, Daniel!
Day-Lewis is an unstoppable force. The line is ridiculous yet we can’t challenge his authority. He’ll drink your milkshake and you can’t do shit.
3. Pulp Fiction
Mia: Don't you hate that?
Vincent: What?
Mia: Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable?
Vincent: I don't know. That's a good question.
Mia: That's when you know you've found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.
Jack Rabbits Slim’s, the place actors go to die. The best $5 milkshake you’ll ever taste. A diner any Elvis fan could appreciate. Buddy Holly serves you your burger and Marilyn is right behind him with the fries. Tarantino is the master of conversation and when you get two of his characters to sit down in such a unique environment you expect nothing short of perfection and he delivers. The dance of dialogue at the red rocket leather booth is followed by a little dance competition and John Travolta’s comeback becomes full circle.
2. The Godfather
Capt. McCluskey: How's the Italian food in this restaurant?
Sollozzo: Good. Try the veal, it's the best in the city.
Capt. McCluskey: I'll have it.
The ability to raise the tension in a scene is a gift few directors have. The scene starts with a basic conversation. Soon they switch languages and were left without subtitles. Next a trip to the bathroom is requested and almost denied. Later in the bathroom our protagonist reaches in the back tank of a toilet for the hidden murder weapon. For a split second he can’t find it and we sink into our chairs in complete despair. Luckily, a second later, his hand finds the cold metal. He takes the gun, walks outside and pulls the trigger on the climax of the greatest film in cinematic history. When he’s done he drops the gun and walks away. The audience doesn’t breath. We just committed the murder and walked away with Michael. It takes use a few minutes to get our head together but eventually we return to our own reality. Words can’t do the scene justice. Just go watch it
1.When Harry Met Sally:
[after Sally fakes orgasm in a deli]
Older Woman Customer: [to waiter] I'll have what she's having.
This might as well be the Harry Met Sally tribute list because no other scene comes close. It’s the scene that made America fall in love with Meg Ryan. It comments on the bleak subject of suburban sexual depression and makes laugh at the same time.
I always thought the best way to honor a horror film was through parody. Turns out I was wrong. Most horror tributes go one of two ways these days.
1. They are remakes...and they suck.
2. They make fun of the genre they parody. It can work (Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland), but usually sucks.
I never thought a third option would be the best. The film combines elements of a certain time period into a slow building, haunting masterpiece that honors what it mocks without winking at the camera too often. I love everything about this film and geek out thinking about the fact that if this was made thirty years ago it would be among the greatest horror films every made.
If you want to watch the trailer I've posted it below. I recommend going into the film cold without knowing anything, but it's up to you. My recent post suggests that horror is personal, yet this movie covers almost every genre making it horrifying to almost any viewer. It's a movie for people with patience, so if you can invest in the whole movie you'll be satisfied at the end.
The movie might not be released near you for awhile so don't forget to keep an eye out for it!
