Awards -- New York Film Critics Circle

The NY critics bumped up their awards this year, becoming the first ones out of the gate, cutting off the traditionally-first National Board of Review. Not sure why, as I've always known them to announce in mid-December or so, but maybe they just wanna be first? I see no other reason for the change. Regardless tho, there were strong showings by several films, with the top prize going to the silent darling of the year, The Artist. Here are the full winners...

Best Film
THE ARTIST

Best Director
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS -- "THE ARTIST"

Best Actor
BRAD PITT -- "MONEYBALL" & "THE TREE OF LIFE"

Best Actress
MERYL STREEP -- "THE IRON LADY"

Best Supporting Actor
ALBERT BROOKS -- "DRIVE"

Best Supporting Actress
JESSICA CHASTAIN -- "THE TREE OF LIFE", "THE HELP" & "TAKE SHELTER"

Best Screenplay
STEVEN ZAILLIAN & AARON SORKIN -- "MONEYBALL"

Best Cinematography
EMMANUEL LUBEZKI -- "THE TREE OF LIFE"

Best Foreign Film
A SEPARATION

Best Non-Fiction Film
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS

Best First Film
J.C. CHANDOR -- "MARGIN CALL"

Special Award
RAOUL RUIZ

Billy Crystal is your host

After the madness of the decision of Brett Ratner producing, and the potentially genius decision to have Eddie Murphy hosting, both men have bowed out of the Oscars due to Ratner's indescribably stupid comments as of late. To pick up the pieces are Oscar-winning producer Brian Grazer and the man who's hosted the awards second only to Bob Hope, the man himself, Billy Crystal. Should make for a great show, and I don't think Billy will have any rust on him, even though he hasn't hosted since 2003 when The Return of the King swept, and he hasn't even been in a film since 2001. Return of a classic, classy, and great host? Yes, please. I'm tired of the Chris Rock's and James Franco's, way to bring it back Academy.

18 Animated Features in the race this year

According to Academy rules, anytime there are more than 15 finalists in the submitted list, there will be 5 final nominees. This year, there were 18 films on the list, so there ya go. I personally love animated movies, one of my favorites genres. And in all honestly, I think almost every year, there are enough good films that there should be 5 finalists, but I digress.

Here are the 18 films submitted for this year's Animated Feature race...

• The Adventures of Tintin
• Alois Nebel
• Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
• Arthur Christmas
• Cars 2
• A Cat in Paris
• Chico & Rita
• Gnomeo & Juliet
• Happy Feet Two
• Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Mars Needs Mom
• Puss in Boots
• Rango
• Rio
• The Smurfs
• Winnie the Pooh
• Wrinkles

British Independent Film Awards

And now we have the nominees for the British Indy Film Awards for this year as well. Strong showings from several films, with the pack led by Shame, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Tyrannosaur, which all garnered 7 nominees. Strong showing by We Need to Talk about Kevin and Submarine as well. Here are the full nominees and winners.


BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tyrannosaur
We Need to Talk about Kevin

BEST DIRECTOR
Tomas Alfredson -- "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Paddy Considine -- "Tyrannosaur"
Steve McQueen -- "Shame"
Lynne Ramsay -- "We Need to Talk about Kevin"
Ben Wheatley -- "Kill List"

BEST ACTOR
Michael Fassbender -- "Shame"
Brendan Gleeson -- "The Guard"
Neil Maskell -- "Kill List"
Peter Mullan -- "Tyrannosaur"
Gary Oldman -- "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

BEST ACTRESS
MyAnna Buring -- "Kill List"
Olivia Colman -- "Tyrannosaur"
Rebecca Hall -- "The Awakening"
Tilda Swinton -- "We Need to Talk about Kevin"
Mia Wasikowska -- "Jane Eyre"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch -- "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Tom Hardy -- "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Eddie Marsan -- "Tyrannosaur"
Ezra Miller -- "We Need to Talk about Kevin"
Michael Smiley -- "Kill List"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kathy Burke - "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Sally Hawkins -- "Submarine"
Felicity Jones -- "Albatross"
Carey Mulligan -- "Shame"
Vanessa Redgrave -- "Coriolanus"

BEST SCREENPLAY
The Guard -- John Michael McDonagh
Kill List -- Ben Wheatley & Amy Jump
Shame -- Abi Morgan & Steve McQueen
Submarine -- Richard Ayoade
We Need to Talk about Kevin -- Lynne Ramsay & Rory Kinnear

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Hell and Back Again
Life in a Day
Project Nim
Senna
TT3D: Closer to the Edge

BEST FOREIGN INDEPENDENT FILM
Animal Kingdom
Drive
Pina
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR (DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD)
Richard Ayoade -- "Submarine"
Paddy Considine -- "Tyrannosaur"
Joe Cornish -- "Attack the Block"
Ralph Fiennes -- "Coriolanus"
John Michael McDonagh -- "The Guard"

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
John Boyega -- "Attack the Block"
Tom Cullen -- "Weekend"
Jessica Brown Findlay -- "Albatross"
Yasmin Paige -- "Submarine"
Craig Roberts -- "Submarine"

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
Kill List
Tyrannosaur
Weekend
Wild Bill
You Instead

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Sean Bobbitt -- Cinematography -- Shame
Maria Djurkovic -- Production Design -- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Chris King & Gregers Sall -- Film Editing -- Senna
Seamus McGarvey -- Cinematography -- We Need to Talk about Kevin
Joe Walker -- Film Editing -- Shame

BEST BRITISH SHORT
0507
Chalk
Love at First Sight
Rite
Rough Skin

THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Acts of Godfrey
Black Pond
Hollow
Leaving Baghdad
A Thousand Kisses Deep

2011 Gotham Awards

The nominees for this year's Gotham Awards have been announced. For those who do not know, the Gotham Awards are based in, voted on, and celebrate the independent film hub of New York. The group started giving out their awards in 1991, and in their past, have honored films such as Sideways, Half Nelson, Into the Wild, The Hurt Locker, and Winter's Bone, and bestowed honors upon filmmakers such as Darren Aronofsky, John Cameron Mitchell, and Ryan Fleck, among many others.

Here are this year's nominees...and now updated with winners!

BEST FEATURE
Beginners (tie)
The Descendants
Meek's Cutoff
Take Shelter
The Tree of Life (tie)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Better This World
Bill Cummingham New York
Hell and Back Again
The Interrupters
The Woodmans

BEST BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR
Mike Cahill -- "Another Earth"
Sean Durkin -- "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Vera Farmiga -- "Higher Ground"
Evan Glodell -- "Bellflower"
Dee Rees -- "Pariah"

BEST BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR
Felicity Jones -- "Like Crazy"
Elizabeth Olsen -- "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Harmony Santana -- "Gun Hill Road"
Shailene Woodley -- "The Descendents"
Jacob Wysocki -- "Terri"

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Beginners
The Descendents
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Take Shelter

BEST FILM NOT PLAYING AT A THEATER NEAR YOU
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same
Green
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
Scenes of a Crime
Without

Review - Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)

It's somewhat difficult to be be completely objective when it comes to Ben Hur: A Tale Of The Christ (1925), mostly due to the fact that the updated version made almost 45 years later is so well known to the movie-viewing public. Comparisons are doing to be made, but this original film version definitely stands up to the test.

This version of the Judah Ben-Hur story, directed by Fred Niblo, and starring Ramon Novarro in the title role, is a wonderful silent film that to this day still holds up very well. The film remains wonderfully epic and shamelessly entertaining, albeit a bit drawn-out and lengthy in times, particularly in the first twenty minutes or so. But you can't deny the grandeur of it all, especially in the large action set pieces. The chariot race here is just as intense and enthralling as in the 1959 William Wyler version. The time spent down in the galleys of the Roman ship and sea battle afterwards is just as suffocating, and the heart-tugging moments of loss and reunion of family are just as touching. The crowd scenes are massive, the sets are impressive, and the scope of the entire project is huge for a film that was made over 85 years ago.

The orchestral score composed by Carl Davis for the restored version of the film is a wonderful companion to the images, hitting just the right emotions at just the right times.

The film is mostly in black and white, but does feature some color sequences as well. I have only a slight issue with that, as sometimes the color doesn't really add anything, and on rare occassions looks a little splotchy, but what can you expect for such an old film.

All in all, I would still put Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ on any shortlist of the best silent films of all time. The sheer scope alone makes it worth a viewing, even with the somewhat lengthy running time of 143 minutes. There's a reason why this film has a rating of 100% on rottentomatoes.com Because it's epic, it's moving, and it's an example of great filmmaking.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) = A-

63 entries for Foreign Language Film

The official list of submissions for Best Foreign Language Film has been released. I still think this category needs some major overhauling. Too many wonderful foreign films are released every year but not submitted by their respective countries, and therefore are deemed ineligible. However, this year 63 total countries, including first-time entrant New Zealand, have submitted their films for consideration. Here's a list of all the entries.

• Albania - "Amnesty"


• Argentina - "Aballay"


• Austria - "Breathing"


• Belgium - "Bullhead"


• Bosnia and Herzegovina - "Belvedere"


• Brazil - "Elite Squad: The Enemy Within"


• Bulgaria - "Tilt"


• Canada - "Monsieur Lazhar"


• Chile - "Violeta Went to Heaven"


• China - "The Flower of War"


• Colombia - "The Colors of the Mountain"


• Croatia - "72 Days"


• Cuba - "Havanastation"


• Czech Republic - "Alois Nebel"


• Denmark - "Superclasico"


• Dominican Republic - "Love Child"


• Egypt - "Lust"


• Estonia - "Letters to Angel"


• Finland - "Le Havre"


• France - "Declaration of War"


• Georgia - "Chantrapas"


• Germany - "Pina"


• Greece - "Attenberg"


• Hong Kong - "A Simple Life"


• Hungary - "The Turin Horse"


• Iceland - "Volcano"


• India - "Abu, Son of Adam"


• Indonesia - "Under the Protection of Ka'Bah"


• Iran - "A Separation"


• Ireland - "As If I Am Not There"


• Israel - "Footnote"


• Italy - "Terraferma"


• Japan - "Postcard"


• Kazakhstan - "Returning to the 'A'"


• Lebanon - "Where Do We Go Now?"


• Lithuania - "Back to Your Arms"


• Macedonia - "Punk Is Not Dead"


• Mexico - "Miss Bala"


• Morocco - "Omar Killed Me"


• Netherlands - "Sonny Boy"


• New Zealand - "The Orator"


• Norway - "Happy, Happy"


• Peru - "October"


• Philippines - "The Woman in the Septic Tank"


• Poland - "In Darkness"


• Portugal - "Jose and Pilar"


• Romania - "Morgen"


• Russia - "Burnt by the Sun 2: The Citadel"


• Serbia - "Montevideo: Taste of a Dream"


• Singapore - "Tatsumi"


• Slovak Republic - "Gypsy"


• South Africa - "Beauty"


• South Korea - "The Front Line"


• Spain - "Black Bread"


• Sweden - "Beyond"


• Switzerland - "Summer Games"


• Taiwan - "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale"


• Thailand - "Kon Khon"


• Turkey - "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia"


• United Kingdom - "Patagonia"


• Uruguay - "The Silent House"


• Venezuela - "Rumble of the Stones"


• Vietnam - "The Prince and the Pagoda Boy"

R.I.P. Cliff Robertson

Cliff Robertson, who won an Oscar for his performance in "Charly" in 1968, passed away this afternoon, the age of 88. In fact, yesterday was his 88th birthday. He passed away of natural causes.

Even though he was an Oscar winner, his most well-known roles were John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film "PT-109", the first film to portray a sitting president, and the role of Uncle Ben in the "Spider-Man" franchise.

Thoughts and prayers go out to his family. RIP Cliff.

Top Films of 2010

For some reason, when I was going thru some of the older blog posts, I could've find my post for the top films of last year. Maybe somehow it got deleted, I'm not sure, but if only for continuity sake, here were my choices for the best films of 2010.

Films 11-30 (Honorable Mentions and close calls)

127 Hours
Animal Kingdom
Another Year
Blue Valentine
Easy A
Exit Through the Gift Shop
The Fighter
Get Low
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
Let Me In
Never Let Me Go
Rabbit Hole
Shutter Island
Tangled
Toy Story 3
The Way Back
Winter's Bone

And my choices for the top ten films of 2010 are...

10. NOWHERE BOY -- dir. Sam Taylor-Wood
9. THE TOWN -- dir. Ben Affleck
8. KICK-ASS -- dir. Matthew Vaughn
7. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON -- dir. Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders

6. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD -- dir. Edgar Wright

5. TRUE GRIT -- dir. Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

4. THE GHOST WRITER -- dir. Roman Polanski

3. BLACK SWAN -- dir. Darren Aronofsky

2. INCEPTION -- dir. Christopher Nolan

1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK -- dir. David Fincher

What I'm looking forward to...

It's officially September, which means that most of the big guns in the Oscar race will show themselves in the next 4 months. Plenty of possibilities, and with the new rule about a random # of Best Picture nominees, who knows how it'll play out. But regardless, with a slight look ahead, here are the films that I'm looking forward to for the rest of the year.

This year has had a very good films so far, and more than a few surprises, good or bad. But as far as Oscar bait, only a few films emerged with even a possible chance.

**Midnight in Paris -- Woody Allen's best film since Match Point in 2005.

**The Tree of Life -- Terrence Malick's new film. Amazing, and as divinding as a film can be.

**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 -- One of the best films of the year so far (yes...it is), and one of the best reviewed films of the year so far (yes...it is), combined with the $$$$ making prowess and the fact that it's the final films (nomination for the whole series). Could be? People would definitely watch!

**The Help -- Unexpected help from the public (#1 Box Office 2 weeks in a row), and a possible nominated performance from Viola Davis.

**Super 8 -- the longest of longshots, but one of the best films of the year so far.

I'm sure some of these will bomb, and some films aren't on my radar yet, but regardless, here they are. The films listed in BOLD are films that I can see figuring into this year's Oscar race in one way or another, be it for technical, performance, or Picture.

September

50/50 -- dir. Jonathan Levine -- Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston


Contagion -- dir. Steven Soderbergh -- Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne


Dream House -- dir. Jim Sheridan -- Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts


Drive -- dir. Nicolas Winding Refn -- Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks


Moneyball -- dir. Bennett Miller -- Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman


Straw Dogs -- dir. Rod Lurie -- James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Sarsgard


Warrior -- dir. Gavin O'Connor -- Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte




October


Anonymous -- dir. Roland Emmerich -- Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis


The Big Year -- dir. David Frankel -- Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Steve Martin


Footloose -- dir. Craig Brewer -- Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell


The Ides of March -- dir. George Clooney -- Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti


In Time -- dir. Andrew Niccol -- Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfriend, Olivia Wilde


Martha Marcy May Marlene -- dir. Sean Durkin -- Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson


Real Steel -- dir. Shawn Levy -- Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo


The Rum Diary -- dir. Bruce Robinson -- Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart


The Skin I Live In -- dir. Pedro Almodovar -- Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya


November

The Artist -- dir. Michael Hazanavicius -- Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman

The Descendants -- dir. Alexander Payne -- George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Matthew Lillard

Hugo -- dir. Martin Scorsese -- Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen

Immortals -- dir. Tarsem Singh -- Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Luke Evans, Stephen Dorff

J. Edgar -- dir. Clint Eastwood -- Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Jeffrey Donovan

Jack and Jill -- dir. Dennis Dugan -- Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, Al Pacino

Melancholia -- dir. Lars von Trier -- Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Sarsgard

The Muppets -- dir. James Bobin -- Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, MUPPETS!!!

My Week With Marilyn -- dir. Simon Curtis -- Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh

Puss in Boots -- dir. Chris Miller -- (voices) Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy -- dir. Tomas Alfredson -- Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Ciaran Hinds

Tower Heist -- dir. Brett Ratner -- Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick


December

The Adventures of Tintin -- dir. Steven Spielberg -- (voices) Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis

Albert Nobbs -- dir. Rodrigo Garcia -- Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson, Brendan Gleeson

Carnage -- dir. Roman Polanski -- Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, John. C Reilly

Coriolanus -- dir. Ralph Fiennes -- Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Jessica Chastain, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave

A Dangerous Method -- dir. David Cronenberg -- Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- dir. Stephen Daldry -- Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo -- dir. David Fincher -- Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer

In the Land of Blood and Honey -- dir. Angelina Jolie -- Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic, Rade Serbedzija

The Iron Lady -- dir. Phyllida Lloyd -- Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent

Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol -- dir. Brad Bird -- Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows -- dir. Guy Ritchie -- Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace

War Horse -- dir. Steven Spielberg -- Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson

We Bought a Zoo -- dir. Cameron Crowe -- Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church

We Need to Talk About Kevin -- dir. Lynne Ramsay -- Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller

Young Adult -- dir. Jason Reitman -- Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, Patton Oswalt

2 quests....

Firstly, to celebrate the most profitable film series in history, this week is Harry Potter week!!! Watching 2 to 3 of the films, in order, per day, until seeing Deathly Hallows Part 2 on Friday. This will be my first non-midnight showing since Azkaban, but with my schedule how it is, I just don't see it happening.

Secondly, chronologically, I will be going thru my film collection, and watching all the films that were nominated for one of the major awards, in this particular order (nominated for 4 acting awards, then Picture, Director, and the writing/screenplay awards). This will take several months, as I own several hundred films that fall into this category. But as I watch each one, I will be making a short post here on the blog about it. Thoughts, rating, top 10 ranking, Oscar nods, etc....) Going to aim for at least 1 film if not more per day (starting after Potter week), but we'll see how it goes.

Let the mayhem begin. First up, the 1920/30s, starting with Sunrise (1927), and eventually getting thru The Wizard of Oz (1939). Other films in this time period will include, among others...... All Quiet on the Western Front, The Public Enemy, It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Stage Door, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Grand Ilusion, Gone With the Wind, and Stagecoach.

The Academy shakes up the Best Picture race again!

Here is the official press release from the Academy.

http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2011/20110614a.html

It essentially says that the Best Picture race will now be a bit of a mystery, and that we will have anywhere from 5 to 10 films nominated in that category now. The voting process will determine how many films are nominated, and each nominated film must receive at least 5% of the total #1 votes for Best Picture. Apparently, if this had been in place from 2001-2008, we would've had years with 6, 7, 8, and 9 nominees. So you never know just how many films will get it now. It all depends on the amount of passion for those chosen films. Kinda cool thought, but we'll see how it plays out come nomination morning.

Also a few tweaks in the Animated Feature category. Now there is no need for the Board to "activate" the category every year (which was unnecessary to start with), and as long as there are at least 8 films released in a given year, the category will stay. But, now the amount of films determines the amount of nominees as well. It breaks down like this...

8-12 films released = 2-3 nominees possible
13-15 films released = 4 nominees possible
16+ films released = 5 nominees possible

While I think the number should just always be 5 anyway, I do like the change in the voting. If in place last year, then 1 more film would've had a chance to be nominated, most likely either Despicable Me or Tangled?

And one more change in the Visual Effects category, which makes sense. Since the nominees were bumped up from 3 to 5 last year, now the "bakeoff" of 7 has been increased to 10. Whether they still release the initial "long list" of 15 semi-finalists is unknown at this point.

2 months???

Wow. Where has the time gone? I just looked at the blog and realized it's been OVER 2 MONTHS since I last posted anything. It seems like last week! That is insane.

RESTREPO director killed, among others...

http//www.awardsdaily.com/2011/04/restrepo-director-killed-others-wounded-in-libya/

Only a few months after the last Academy Awards ceremony, we find this information. Tim Hetherington, the director of Restrepo was killed while filming the ongoing conflict happening in Libya. Restrepo was nominated for Best Documentary Feature last year. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, and the families of all the others killed as well. RIP.

Sidney Lumet, 1924-2011

Sidney Lumet, one of the great directors of all time, passed away this morning at his home in Manhattan due to lymphoma. He was 86. One of the classic filmmakers, he was nominated four times for Best Director, and has also given an honorary Oscar back in 2005.

"While the goal of all movies is to entertain, the kind of film in which I believe goes one step further. It compels the spectator to examine one fact or another of his own conscience. It stimulates thought and sets the mental juices flowing." -- Sidney Lumet

Sidney's career began in television, before he made his way to film. In a career that spands over 50 years, he helmed such classic films as:

12 Angry Men (1957) (nomination)

The Pawnbroker (1964)

Serpico (1973)

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) (nomination)

Network (1976) (nomination)

Equus (1977)

The Verdict (1982) (nomination)

Q & A (1990)

Before the Devil Knows Your Dead (2007)

That's quite the legacy to leave behind. When asked once why he chose to make movies, his response was simple... "It's a wonderful way to spend your life." RIP Sidney.

Black Swan...

Watching it for the 4th time in the last week, with my friend Tom. It's his first time seeing it. This should be fun.

FINALLY...I'm back online!!!!

After over two months of being without a computer a home, I finally have a new laptop, and all I can say is THANK GOD. It's been brutal without one! Now that I'm back, expect a lot more updates, including as many reviews as I can stand, top ten lists for years past, trivia, movie news, and all that jazz. LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!

Elizabeth Taylor has passed away.

CNN has reported that Elizabeth Taylor passed away at the age of 79, from congestive heart failure. A five-time nominee, and three-time Oscar recipient, twice for performing (for Butterfield 8 in 1960, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1966), and once for her humanitarian work. Off-screen, she was as notorious as on, racking up eight total marriages, to seven different men. Her affair with Richard Burton is the stuff of legend. In the 50s and 60s, she and Marilyn Monroe WERE the epitome of the Hollywood sex symbol.

When she accepted her honorary Oscar, she said "I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being -- to prove that we are a human race, to prove that our love outweighs our need to hate, that our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame." But I think this statement, made by her around the time she turned 50, sums her up the best.....

"I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows, I'm me."

She will be remembered as one of the greatest names in Hollywood history, and one of the most beautiful women to ever grace us with her prescence. RIP Liz.

http://http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=636902&GT1=28101

Notable filmography includes:

National Velvet (1944)
Father of the Bride (1950)
A Place in the Sun (1951)
Ivanhoe (1952)
Giant (1956)
Raintree County (1957)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Butterfield 8 (1960)
Cleopatra (1963)

Steven Soderbergh is retiring???

Just found this online and thought it was interesting. One of the few men to ever be nominated for Best Director for 2 different films in the same year.

http://http://omg.yahoo.com/news/steven-soderbergh-plans-to-retire-from-filmmaking/58382

Interesting. I wonder if this one is actually for real, or if we have another case of Amanda Bynes "I'm not gonna do it anymore" syndrome going around. Time will tell.

2010 BEACHHOUSE AWARDS WINNERS

In all the craziness of the Oscars, as well as my computer situation, I just realized that I never announced my winners for my own personal awards of the year, the Beachhouse Awards.
So, here are my choices.

BEST SCENE/SEQUENCE
Black Swan -- Nina's Final Transformation

BEST BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER
David Michod "Animal Kingdom"

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"

BEST COMEDY FILM
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Carlos

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Black Sheep" -- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
How To Train Your Dragon

BEST MAKEUP
The Wolfman

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Inception

BEST SOUND EDITING
How To Train Your Dragon

BEST SOUND MIXING
Inception

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice In Wonderland

BEST ART DIRECTION
Inception

BEST FILM EDITING
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Inception

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
How To Train Your Dragon

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Social Network

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Inception

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
The Social Network

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Olivia Williams "The Ghost Writer"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale "The Fighter"

BEST ACTRESS
Natalie Portman "Black Swan"

BEST ACTOR
Colin Firth "The King's Speech"

BEST DIRECTOR
Christopher Nolan "Inception"

BEST PICTURE
The Social Network


Winners by #'s

INCEPTION -- 6 Wins
--Best Director (Christopher Nolan)
--Best Original Screenplay
--Best Cinematography
--Best Art Direction
--Best Sound Mixing
--Best Visual Effects

THE SOCIAL NETWORK -- 3 Wins
--Best Picture
--Best Ensemble Cast
--Best Adapted Screenplay

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON -- 3 Wins
--Best Animated Feature
--Best Sound Editing
--Best Original Score

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD -- 3 Wins
--Best Film Editing
--Best Original Song "Black Sheep"
--Best Comedy Film

BLACK SWAN -- 2 Wins
--Best Actress (Natalie Portman)
--Best Scene/Sequence -- Nina's Final Transformation

THE KING'S SPEECH -- 1 Win
--Best Actor (Colin Firth)

THE FIGHTER -- 1 Win
--Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale)

THE GHOST WRITER -- 1 Win
--Best Supporting Actress (Olivia Williams)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND -- 1 Win
--Best Costume Design

THE WOLFMAN -- 1 Win
--Best Makeup

CARLOS -- 1 Win
--Best Foreign Language Film

WINTER'S BONE -- 1 Win
--Best Breakthrough Performance (Jennifer Lawrence)

ANIMAL KINGDOM -- 1 Win
--Best Breakthrough Filmmaker (David Michod)