My Top 20 Lists: 2010

My TOP 20 FILMS OF 2010


HONORABLE MENTIONS: Shutter Island, The Kids are All Right, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, Get Him to the Greek


20- I Love You Phillip Morris
C: If you love Carey and McGregor and would like to see them act their hearts out, see this. It is also pretty funny, but like I said it is not for everyone, not because it is a homosexual movie, but because the comedy isn't like normal Jim Carrey comedy, it is smarter in my opinon. You be the judge.


19- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
C: The division of the story causes Part 1 to move much slower than we are use to a Harry Potter moving. However this is a chance for the Yates to develop character, emotion, and really make us feel for these characters who will be enduring the ultimate peril soon. One of my favorite of the series.

18- A Prophet (Une Prophete)
C: It truly is an excellent film, dramatic and intense throughout. See this movie if you can find it. Also a must see for any fan of the gangster genre in film, perhaps better than Godfather in some ways? Dare I say it?

17- Solitary Man
C: Solitary Man is a great view of the final "crisis" in life. Michael Douglas is solid in his performance as the anti-protagonist, and we grow to love his characters development throughout the film.

16- Buried
C: Originally scripted and well-crafted Buried is a great experience and its nice to see Reynolds can really act. However, it is not a fun experience and I will probably never see it again.

15- The Town
C: The Town is highly entertaining, and its story pushes forward with full interest. A lot is owed to Affleck's excellent direction.

14- 127 Hours
C: A movie based around this story could not have been done any better. Boyle for great directing, Rahman for score, Beaufoy for script, and most importantly Franco's incredible tour de force as Ralston. It may not be a classic, but it is definitely the most you will get out of inspiration in a film.

13- Cyrus
C: When Cyrus is funny...it is hilarious. When Cyrus is sad....it is heartbreaking. I felt weird in my stomach with the mix of emotions, but I loved it. Cyrus deals with raw emotion, and the dark comedy behind it in the best of manners. See this film but don't go expecting normal Reilly and Hill comedy.

12- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
C: Michael Cera is Scott Pilgrim, the supporting cast also shines its colors. Overall Scott Pilgrim shows us something we have never seen before, granted the film has a target audience (which includes me) but it does 100% exactly what it wants to do, and it is very inventive and entertaining.

11- Winter's Bone
C: Winter's Bone makes for a perfect adaptation by using forms of tone, mood and depth in methods that I have never seen before.

10- Greenberg
C: I won't suggest this film to everyone, those who appreciate art and independent film will love it along with those who like this kind of movie, Baumbach's dysfunctional style. This is an amazingly deep movie.

9- True Grit
C: 'True Grit' is a whole-hearted Western from it's gritty action to its witty dialogue. While it is not the Coens best, it is still highly enjoyable and may bring back memories from classic westerns.

8- The Fighter
C: The Fighter, at heart, is a character movie and each character has some sense of development through the duration. Wahlberg, Leo, and Adams deliver amazing performances, and Bale takes the cake for best supporting performance of the year.

7- Kick-Ass
C: Probably going to see it over and over again if I can. Remarkable, artistic comedy, this and How to Train Your Dragon should be Best Picture contenders this year. But the academy will defintley decide against this.

6- Enter the Void
C:  Enter the Void an amazing experience, an artistic, pornographic, supernatural view on the after life, that achieves great amazement from it's highly original use of lighting and cinematography.

5- How to Train Your Dragon
C: Kids, adults, whoever the hell you are, see this movie. Its worth the ticket price and the 3-D price, I wish I could see this in IMAX. This is a heart-warming tale, that will pull you in from beginning to end.

4- Toy Story 3
C: Very funny and Tearjerking, Toy Story 3 wraps up what is considerably one of the greatest trilogies of all time.

3- The Social Network
C: This movie is the most brilliant film of the year. Eisenberg gives an Oscar worthy performance along with directer and writer Fincher/ Sorkin. This goes beyond the simple website facebook to the emotional struggles of its invention. This is the movie of the year.

2- Inception
C: Inception is a very well-made and scripted film that challenges the audience, the question is: Are you up for the challenge?

1- Black Swan
C: Black Swan embraces the dark side of the ballet art. It demonstrates the pressure and anxiety of life in the theater, only through a schizophrenic eye. Portman gives the performance of the year. Black Swan is gorgeous!



FOR YOUR TREAT: The 5 WORST Films of the Year

5- Clash of the Titans
C:  Avoid seeing it in 3-D if you can, its a waste of money. Honestly i'd say the ticket price is a waste of money for this film unless you are seeking some sword play and mythological action, however even if that is what you are seeking you will still probably come out unsatisfied.

4- Jonah Hex
C: Jonah Hex suffers from dull acting, lack of emotion, choppy edits/ cinematography, and serious issue with ambition from the writers/ directors. As a revenge, anti-hero flick and as a movie in general. It fails....big time.

3- Cop Out
C: N/A

2- Alice in Wonderland
C: N/A

1- Vampire's Suck
C: Vampire's Suck is the worst of the worst. Seltzer and Friedberg make Ed Wood look like Steven Spielberg. I now feel the need to do everything in my power to stop people from seeing this movie. Stop your friends from seeing it, get the word out!

My Movie Review: True Grit

My Movie Review: True Grit
4/5

Opening Statement: The Coen Brothers are back this time with their adaptation of the novel of the same title "True Grit." Hailee Steinfeld plays Maddie Ross, a 14 year old girl who is out to catch Cheney the man who killed her father, along the way she hires a man with true grit named Rooster Cogburn played by Jeff Bridges, at the same time a Texas Ranger played by Matt Damon is also out for Cheney since he killed a Texas senator. They cross paths and help one another.


What's Good: This is as close to a classic western that a modern film will come. The characters are very well developed for start to finished. We have Maddie played by newcome Steinfeld who stands her ground well with the big names. She has a natural connection with the character and transforms for the role, a tour de force from her first performance. We also have Bridges who is expectedly good, practically better than John Wayne's Cogburn. Whereas John Wayne played John Wayne playing Rooster Cogburn, Bridges is Rooster Cogburn. We find it at times hard to understand the grumbles of Rooster but it's brutally realistic that we  forgive the dialogue we can't understand. Matt Damon gives a great performance as Leboef the Texas Ranger, who at first has antagonistic goals toward catching Cheney first and develops into a whole-hearted person who sympathizes with young Ross. Overall an excellent ensemble work. What's truly magnificent about this story, is not necessarily the story itself but the way the Coens have managed to re-structure it, and truly develop the vibe of the Western. 
                       A lot is owed to Roger Deakins, an excellent award-worthy eye for scenery and cinematography.  From the sun sets to the sun rises, Deakins manages his picture with grace. Overall True Grit is a combination of gurus in the film industry who believe in the realm of story-telling and properly handling adaptations. Truly excellent piece of work.




What's Bad: It isn't by far the Coens best. However it still maintains there touch of cinematic vision. Overall for me I was less impressed with the story, especially in the beginning where lengthy scenes of conversation dragged. It's not an action scene every second film, which I am grateful for, it takes time developing the plot in the beginning, some of that time was unnecessary. The second act is a piece of magic that helped me forgive every fault from the first act.


Oscar Possibilities: Picture, Director, Actor- Jeff Bridges, Supporting Actor- Matt Damon (some likely), and importantly Hailee Steinfeld for Supporting Actress. The film itself could also be a shoe in for Cinematography and other technical categories.


Consensus: 'True Grit' is a whole-hearted Western from it's gritty action to its witty dialogue. While it is not the Coens best, it is still highly enjoyable and may bring back memories from classic westerns.

2011 HFPA Golden Globe Nominees Film Musical or Comedy.

             I'm sure you all have heard some sort of outrage toward the Golden Globes before. This year it is much more noticeable. They are a joke. Don't get me wrong, I have always found the Golden Globes intriguing, specifically for the Musical or Comedy category. A lot of people complain comedies don't get enough attention by the AMPAS, so we have this category. If you followed my GG predictions I only got 10% (1) of the films right predicted in the category (one that shouldn't've been there anyway.)
            So let's talk about these movies. Alice in FUCKING Wonderland. Mixed reviews by the general audience, however my review was extremely negative. I respect everyone's opinion by I stand by my statement that Alice in Wonderland is the WORST FILM OF THE YEAR (besides Vampire's Suck.) I gave it 1 courtesy star for mild creativity. I remember walking in a theater and seeing the poster for this movie, Johnny Depp's big face in makeup saying that he will be the Mad-Hatter. First of all how big was this character in the original story? Not big at all and Depp gets top billing. Why? Cause he's Johnny fucking Depp. Who cares about Mia Wasiwowska playing "Alice" in "Alice in Wonderland."
            I thought she did good with the role, she's a very talented actress, I thought Alice in Wonderland was all made with money in mind. Hot Topic- tweenies are saying while watching "Oh something out of the ordinary happened it's unique like me!" This is artificial creativity from Burton a very talented director who has sold out for remakes and reboots.
              I could talk for hours about how much I hate this film, and it scores a BEST PICTURE nomination. OF THE YEAR. Also giving Depp a nomination as LEAD actor for his portrayal as the Hatter. I wasn't too pissed about this though, the film received around a 53% rotten tomatoes, more than half the people who saw it actually liked it, I will never understand why but they did. Still a 53% getting a BEST PICTURE of the Year nod, for comedy, did we really have so many awful comedies this year?
           Let me escape to the next film nominated, Burlesque. I haven't seen this movie and have no desire to. It looks appealing to a specific audience, but that's about it. Of course I can't say anything personally critical until I have seen it myself. However, the tomato meter reads rotten again. This time lower than Alice. 39% brutal reviews. Only 39% of hundreds of certified critics who saw it didn't like it. Yet, it gets nominated as a BEST PICTURE OF THE WHOLE DAMN YEAR. I will explain why exactly it get nominated when I get to talking about 'The Tourist' toward the end. They share similar reasoning.
             'The Kids are All Right' this is actually a great film that I scored a 4/5 to. However I am mad at this film. I am not a professional critic (obvious by the blog address) but most professional critics have this in top 10 lists and it is looking at an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. I do a top 20 at the end of the year, and I still have a couple films to see. Unfortunately this one is at 21 right now. Still it is a great film, and it deserves to win this award. (Maybe give some faith back to the HFPA.)
              The next nominee I haven't seen either. I might someday though. It is called "Red" aka Retired Extremely Dangerous. An action film with Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich. This film scored high reviews from critics actually. More of a kind of summer blockbuster flick, but I am perfectly content with this getting a nod.
               The FUCKING Tourist. This is where I draw the line. No, I have not seen this film, but I already made up my mind a couple months ago that I wouldn't. Trailers made it look bland. Had some potential though. Finally it is released scoring around a 19% on RT. That is ridiculously low. No film that much hated should ever receive a BEST PICTURE nomination of any sort for any genre. Two reasons though the HFPA selected this film to be nominated. 1- We can nominated the film and Jolie/ Depp get some big starts there. More people will watch the Golden Globes if Jolie is there. Most nominees names aren't big enough. Eisenberg, Gosling, Bening, Moore, ect. They are big and we all know who each actor I mentioned is, but still. 2- It was just released. Last year 'It's Complicated' was nominated in this category, but had mixed reviews. My theory is this, "They didn't fucking watch it" they assumed with the big names it would get good reviews and it didn't. This is probably the biggest fail in awards history. 'Burlesque' is also a recent title so we remember it more.

                Let's talk about some films that should've got in. 'Get Him to the Greek' over 80% on RT. 'Cyrus' over 80% on RT, 'Greenberg' over 70% on RT, 'I Love You Phillip Morris' over 70% on RT. 'The Other Guys' over 70% on RT. We also have Please Give, Easy A, Kick-Ass, or even Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. A lot of these films I listed are either Independent (won't gain viewers for the GG ceremony.) or they didn't do well enough at the box office (Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim.) or they simply just came out to early in the year.
               When I did my predictions I had a though in my head that since people are voting for this, they will vote for the movies they liked. I doubt voters even saw half these films. Which the whole reason i'm typing this long article is because as a filmmaker and a storyteller, it pains me to see how Hollywood money is of greater importance than the art of storytelling. Tim Burton sits in a room given Alice in Wonderland over night draws up some weird things and have advertisers put Johnny Depp posters up everywhere, and this gets a nomination for Best Picture over Greenberg, a story Noah Baumbach wrote and worked hard on about a man overcoming arrogance. Or Kick-Ass which squeezed what they could out of a small budget and created what could've been an over-the-top teen comedy but was presented with sincere human drama, and pure adventure.
                  HFPA really screwed up on this one, Really. It is a pointless award show, and I encourage everyone to flip the channel when it comes award day.

My Movie Review: Black Swan

My Movie Review: Black Swan
4.5/5

Opening Statement: From the mind of Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler) comes a story about a woman named Nina Sayres (Natalie Portman) who is a die hard ballet dancer. She is a perfectionist, and when she is given the role as Swan Queen in the upcoming production of Swan Lake she begins getting nervous and psychologically messed up as she can't perfect her black swan routine. She begins getting distracted by a woman named Lily (Mila Kunis) who is an up-and-coming ballet dancer.


What's Good: The film borderlines perfection. Which the film slightly strays away from (makes some symbolic sense actually.) Right from the beginning we open to a malevolent, but insanely beautiful score from Clint Mansell the embodies the same chords of Swan Lake. We are introduced to Nina (played at a career high by Portman) who is an obsessive ballet dancer and a perfectionist. She lives with her mother (played by Barbra Hershey) who really has high hopes for her daughters success. The pressure is on, and we feel it as an audience to, when she almost loses the role of the lead in Swan Lake, but she starts developing a relationship with the director (played by Vincent Cassel) who finally assigns her a role.
                         Now that she has the big role, pressure starts to boil, especially when the director is displeased with her performance as the black swan. Very strange things start happening to Nina, she becomes a psychological mess. This film keeps us guessing, but not in a way that we are strapped in for an ultra-twist, in fact the ending borderlines predictable. It's more haunting than ever though. All in all I have to say with a handful of great performances from the ensemble (Portman in particular) and a nitemare-ish psychological plot, we are intrigued from the beginning. Aronofsky has one hell of a gift. Black Swan is the most artistically beautiful horror film ever made.


What's Bad: Not Much to say for this section. For what it is, it is perfect. Once again I have to say it's probably not a masterpiece though.


Oscar Possibilities: Portman should win Actress, Bening being her only competition. The film will get a BP nod, along with a possible director nod for Aronofsky (he is long overdue.) As far as the supporting cast i'd say the most likely is Kunis who recently received a Golden Globe nomination. We are also looking at Screenplay, Art Direction, Cinematography, and I have my fingers crossed for Mansell's score.


Consensus: Black Swan embraces the dark side of the ballet art. It demonstrates the pressure and anxiety of life in the theater, only through a schizophrenic eye. Portman gives the performance of the year. Black Swan is gorgeous!

My Predictions: Screen Actors Guild Nominations

Nominees will be announced 9am (EST)
I also went ahead and bolded who I think to be the strongest contender (if they don't get nominated I look pretty dumb)

ENSEMBLE

Black Swan 

The Fighter 

The King’s Speech 

The Social Network 

The Town 

ACTOR

Robert Duvall, Get Low

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

James Franco, 127 Hours

Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine

ACTRESS

Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right

Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

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

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, The Fighter

Helena Boham Carter, The King’s Speech

Mila Kunis, Black Swan

Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

ENSEMBLE IN DRAMA SERIES

Boardwalk Empire

Dexter

The Good Wife

Mad Men

The Walking Dead

ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES

30 Rock

The Big C

Community

Glee

Modern Family

MALE ACTOR IN DRAMA SERIES

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Michael C. Hall, Dexter

John Hamm, Mad Men

Hugh Laurie, House

FEMALE ACTRESS IN DRAMA SERIES

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs

Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy

Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

MALE ACTOR IN COMEDY SERIES

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Steve Carell, The Office

Joel McHale, Community

Matthew Morrison, Glee

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

FEMALE ACTRESS IN COMEDY SERIES

Toni Collette, The United States of Tara

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Laura Linney, The Big C

Lea Michele, Glee

MALE ACTOR IN TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES

Idris Elba, Luther

Ian McShane, Pillars of the Earth

Al Pacino, You Don’t Know Jack

Dennis Quaid, The Special Relationship

Edgar Ramirez, Carlos

FEMALE ACTRESS IN TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES

Hayley Atwell, Pillars of the Earth

Claire Danes, Temple Grandin

Judi Dench, Return to Cranford

Romola Garai, Emma

Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Client List

Golden Globe Nominations (and how my predictions did.)

Best Motion Picture- Drama
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network

MY PREDICTIONS
127 Hours (X)
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit (X)

3/5 60%


Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids are All Right
Red
The Tourist (Yuck)

MY PREDICTIONS
Alice in Wonderland
Cyrus (X) (SNUB)
Greenberg (X) (SNUB)
How Do You Know (X)
The Kids are All Right

2/5 40%


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture- Drama
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

MY PREDICTIONS
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

5/5 100%


Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp, The Tourist (YUCK)
Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version
Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack

MY PREDICTIONS
Jim Carrey, I Love You Phillip Morris (X) (SNUB)
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
John C. Reilly, Cyrus (X) (SNUB)
Paul Rudd, How Do You Know (X)
Ben Stiller, Greenberg (X) (SNUB)

1/5 20%


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

MY PREDICTIONS
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Lesley Manville, Another Year (X) (SNUB)
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

4/5 80%


Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical
Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie, The Tourist (YUCK)
Julianne Moore, The Kids are All Right
Emma Stone, Easy A

MY PREDICTIONS
Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Sally Hawkins, Made in Dagenham (X)
Julianne Moore, The Kids are All Right
Emma Stone, Easy A

4/5 80%


Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

MY PREDICTIONS
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids are all Right (X)
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Justin Timberlake, The Social Network (X)

3/5 60%


Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Boham Carter, The King's Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

MY PREDICTIONS
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Boham Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit (X) (SNUB)
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

4/5 80%


Best Directing for a Motion Picture
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter

MY PREDICTIONS
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours (X)
Joel/Ethan Coen, True Grit (X)
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception

3/5 60%


Best Screenplay for a Motion Picture
127 Hours
Inception
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network

MY PREDICTIONS
Inception
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3 (X) (SNUB)

4/5 80%


Best Animated Motion Picture
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

MY PREDICTIONS
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

5/5 100%


Best Original Score in a Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech
Danny Elfman, Alice in Wonderland
A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours
Trent Reznor/ Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Hans Zimmer, Inception

MY PREDICTIONS
Carter Burwell, True Grit (X)
Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech
Clint Mansell, Black Swan (X)
Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Hans Zimmer, Inception

3/5 60%


TV CATEGORIES


Best Television Series- Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
The Good Wife
Mad Men
The Walking Dead

MY PREDICTIONS
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
The Good Wife
Mad Men
True Blood (X)

4/5 80%


Best Television Series- Musical or Comedy
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
The Big C
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie

MY PREDICTIONS
30 Rock
The Big C
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
*didnt know it have 6 noms*
5/5 100%


Best Actor in a Television Series- Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
John Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House

MY PREDICTIONS
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment (X)
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
John Hamm, Mad Men

4/5 80%


Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series- Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matthew Morrison, Glee
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

MY PREDICTIONS
Alex Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Joel McHale, Community (X) (SNUB)
Matthew Morrison, Glee
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

4/5 80%


Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series- Drama
Julianne Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs
Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

MY PREDICTIONS
Glenn Close, Damages (X)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Anna Paquin, True Blood (X)
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

3/5 60%


Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series- Musical or Comedy
Toni Collette, The United States of Tara
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Lea Michele, Glee

MY PREDICTIONS
Toni Collette, The United States of Tara
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Lea Michele, Glee

5/5 100%


Best TV Movie or Mini-Series
Carlos
The Pacific
Pillars of the Earth
Temple Grandin
You Don't Know Jack

MY PREDICTIONS
Carlos
The Pacific
The Special Relationship (X)
Temple Grandin
You Don't Know Jack

4/5  80%


Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Movie or Mini-Series
Idris Elba, Luther
Ian McShane, Pillars of the Earth
Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack
Dennis Quaid, The Special Relationship
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos

MY PREDICTIONS
James Badge Dale, The Pacific (X)
Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack
Dennis Quaid, The Special Relationship
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
Michael Sheen, The Special Relationship (X)

3/5  60%


Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series
Hayley Atwell, Pillars of the Earth
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Judi Dench, Return to Cranford
Romola Garai, Emma
Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Client List

MY PREDICTIONS
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Hope Davis, The Special Relationship (X)
Judi Dench, Return to Cranford
Romola Garai, Emma
Winona Ryder, When Love is Not Enough (X)

3/5  60%


Best Supporting Actor in a Tv Series, Tv Movie, or Mini-Series
Scott Caan, Hawaii Five-O
Chris Colfer, Glee
Chris Noth, The Good Wife
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
David Strathairn, Temple Grandin

MY PREDICTIONS
Chris Colfer, Glee
John Goodman, You Don't Know Jack (X)
Olive Platt, The Big C (X)
Marin Short, Damages (X)
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

2/5  40%


Best Supporting Actress in a Tv Series, Tv Movie, or Mini-Series
Hope Davis, The Special Relationship
Jane Lynch, Glee
Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire
Julia Stiles, Decter
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

MY PREDICTIONS
January Jones, Mad Men (X) (SNUB)
Jane Lynch, Glee
Archie Panajabi, The Good Wife (X)
Susan Sarandon, You Don't Know Jack (X)
Debra Winger, In Treatment (X)

1/5   20%


OVERALL
84/120   70%

My Movie Review: The Fighter

My Movie Review: The Fighter
4/5

Opening Statement: Mark Wahlberg stars as Micky Ward, a boxer who has some family complications when he realizes the fights his family puts him through could be hurting him more than helping him. After this realization he has to prioritize his life and career, to help do what's right for himself. Through this he starts separating himself from his troubled crack-addicted brother, played by Christian Bale, and his mother played by Melissa Leo.


What's Good: This film, in the end, turns about to be a film around family values, and it is totally character driven. Every character has realistic intentions, without the realization of their actions. It's real easy to cross examine the characteristics of each of them, what's really complex is the character of Micky played humbly by Wahlberg who at first focuses on what's good for him, the separation from his dysfunctional family only to realize that it is his family afterall. The conflict is developed ever so subtly by screenwriters Silver, Tamasy, and Johnson who create a film around the 3-act structure, and create dialogue and characters that are interesting to watch. The comedy in the film comes from, not what is written in the script, but what's written in the character personality.
                         Most characterization is owed to an All-Star cast, some of the best ensemble work in a film in a while. While Wahlberg succeeds with his Micky Ward, he is upstaged by his supporting cast. Leo is marvelous as his mother who wants what's best for everyone deep down but her actions say otherwise. Leo hits her spot on, Bale plays Dicky in a more realistic fashion than a character like that could've been portrayed. Bale, all skinny and mentally unintact deserves the Oscar and it will be disgraceful if he doesn't receive it for this portrayal. Bale is an artist with his performance, and he really transforms into this character. Amy Adams also hits home playing Charlene, Ward's girlfriend that helps him realize his family is leading him down a wrong path.
                           Something needs to be said about the direction from David O. Russell, infamous for his outbursts on the set of "I Heart Huckabees" he helps drive his actors, and takes all advantage of his artistic medium. Also with some help from cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema who develops an interesting, and natural look to Massachusetts and together they form realistically choreographed boxing fight sequences, that sometime develop the effect of an actual match being watched on television.




What's Bad: A lot of criticism for the film revolves around its heartwarming cliche'd nature. Yes it is heartwarming, and a sports film being heartwarming is usually considered a cliche' however that is not a criticism you will hear from me. This all actually happened and when something that involves overcoming drug abuse, family disconnect, and ultimately developing as a boxer with good intentions, it is miraculous and one amazing thing. 
                     As far as my criticism goes, it simply lies in length. It was two hours, but it felt a little longer. The last match probably went on to long, but honestly when you truly think about it, this is the best way this story could be told through film. Just don't expect a new "Rocky" or "Raging Bull" but deep down "The Fighter" probably makes the top 5 greatest boxing movies of all time. It's simply just not a  masterpiece. 


Oscar Possibilities: It just received a bunch of Globe recognition. Hear it from me now, Bale is for sure nominated, no doubt, the win is right there as well. Wahlberg is the least likely to gain a nomination from the ensemble, however Leo and Adams have good chances in the Supporting category. Leo will be nominated for sure. It will also more than likely squeeze in as one of the 10 nominees for Best Picture.


Consensus: The Fighter, at heart, is a character movie and each character has some sense of development through the duration. Wahlberg, Leo, and Adams deliver amazing performances, and Bale takes the cake for best supporting performance of the year.

FINAL: 2011 Golden Globe Nominee Predictions

Best Motion Picture (Drama)
127 Hours
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
Alice in Wonderland
Cyrus
Greenberg
How Do You Know
The Kids are All Right

Best Performance by an Actor (Drama)
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actor (Musical or Comedy)
Jim Carrey, I Love You Phillip Morris
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
John C. Reilly, Cyrus
Paul Rudd, How Do You Know
Ben Stiller, Greenberg

Best Performance by an Actress (Drama)
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Lesley Manville, Another Year
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Performance by an Actress (Comedy or Musical)
Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Sally Hawkins, Made in Dagenham
Julianne Moore, The Kids are All Right
Emma Stone, Easy A

Best Performance by a Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Justin Timberlake, The Social Network

Best Performance by a Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Boham Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Directing for a Motion Picture
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Joel/Ethan Coen, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception

Best Screenplay for a Motion Picture
Inception
The Kids are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3

Best Animated Film
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

Original Score in a Motion Picture
Carter Burwell, True Grit
Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech
Clint Mansell, Black Swan
Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Hans Zimmer, Inception

Best Television (Drama)
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
The Good Wife
Mad Men
True Blood

Best Television (Comedy/Musical)
30 Rock
The Big C
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie

Best Television Actor (Drama)
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
John Hamm, Mad Men

Best Television Actor (Comedy/Musical)
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Joel McHale, Community
Matthew Morrison, Glee
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Best Television Actress (Drama)
Glenn Close, Damages
Julianna Marglies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Anna Pawuin, True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best Television Actress (Comedy/Musical)
Toni Collette, The United States of Tara
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Lea Michele, Glee

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series
Carlos
The Pacific
The Special Relationship
Temple Grandin
You Don't Know Jack

Best Actor in a TV Movie or MiniSeries
James Badge Dale, The Pacific
Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack
Dennis Quaid, The Special Relationship
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
Michael Sheen, The Special Relationship

Best Actress in a TV Movie or MiniSeries
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Hope Davis, The Special Relationship
Judi Dench, Return to Cranford
Romola Garai, Emma
Winona Ryder, When Love is Not Enough

Supporting Actor in a Tv Series, Tv Movie, or MiniSeries
Chris Colfer, Glee
John Goodman, You Don't Know Jack
Oliver Platt, The Big C
Martin Short, Damages
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Supporting Actress in a Tv Series, Tv Movie, or MiniSeries
January Jones, Mad Men
Janes Lynch, Glee
Archie Panajabi, The Good Wife
Susan Sarandon, You Don't Know Jack
Debra Winger, In Treatment

DECEMBER MADNESS, The ANNUAL OSCAR PREDICTION CONTEST.

Throughout this month I will be hosting a GAME, predicting the Oscars. Below are the rules and the for you need to fill out. You can also get this for in a WORD DOCUMENT  by e-mailing me at thewade6162@yahoo.com

Winner's will be listed on my website http://matthewwdurham.com Other prizes will be announced later on this month depending on number of contestants.

RULES FOR PLAYING.

You can select one of the seeds below, each seed is worth the number of points the number states.

For Instance if I select ‘The Social Network’ for Best Picture and it gets nominated I get 1 point, since it is more likely it will get nominated.

You can also add one that’s not on the list, which can be worth one more than the final side. For instance if I select ‘Kick-Ass’ for Best Picture and it gets nominated I get 31 points.

Remember, the more risks taken, the more possible points, but don’t forget the easy points, like with the early seeds.

After filling out the information below attach the file and e-mail me at thewade6162@yahoo.com

Any other questions, I can be contacted at the e-mail or through TWITTER @wadeiscompton

BEST PICTURE

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8______________________________

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SEEDS

1-    The Social Network

2-    The King’s Speech

3-    True Grit

4-    Inception

5-    Toy Story 3

6-    127 Hours

7-    The Kids are All Right

8-    Black Swan

9-    The Fighter

10-Winter’s Bone

11-The Town

12-The Way Back

13-Rabbit Hole

14-Blue Valentine

15-Another Year

16-Shutter Island

17-Get Low

18- Made in Dagenham

19-Somewhere

20-Secretariat

21-Love and Other Drugs

22-Waiting for Superman

23-Inside Job

24-How Do You Know

25-Hereafter

26-Alice in Wonderland

27-How to Train Your Dragon

28-Country Strong

29-Greenberg

30-I Love You Phillip Morris

BEST DIRECTOR

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SEEDS

1-    David Fincher, The Social Network

2-    Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

3-    Joel/Ethan Coen, True Grit

4-    Christopher Nolan, Inception

5-    Danny Boyle, 127 Hours

6-    Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

7-    David O. Russell, The Fighter

8-    Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids are All Right

9-    Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone

10-Mike Leigh, Another Year

11-Peter Weir, The Way Back

12-Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island

13-Lee Unkrich, Toy Story 3

14-Ben Affleck, The Town

15-Clint Eastwood, Hereafter

BEST ACTOR

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3______________________________

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SEEDS

1-    Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

2-    James Franco, 127 Hours

3-    Robert Duvall, Get Low

4-    Jeff Bridges, True Grit

5-    Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

6-    Javier Bardem, Biutiful

7-    Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

8-    Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine

9-    Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception

10-Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island

11-Michael Douglas, Solitary Man

12-Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole

13-Ben Affleck, The Town

14-Jim Carrey, I Love You Phillip Morris

15-Paul Rudd, How Do You Know

BEST ACTRESS

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3______________________________

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5______________________________

SEEDS

1-    Natalie Portman, Black Swan

2-    Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right

3-    Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

4-    Julianne Moore, The Kids are All Right

5-    Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

6-    Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

7-    Lesley Manville, Another Year

8-    Tilda Swinton, I Am Love

9-    Sally Hawkins, Made in Dagenham

10-Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs

11-Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice

12-Gwyneth Paltrow, Country Strong

13-Naomi Watts, Fair Game

14-Reese Witherspoon, How Do You Know

15-Diane Lane, Secretariat

SUPPORTING ACTOR

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SEEDS

1-    Christian Bale, The Fighter

2-    Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

3-    Mark Ruffalo, The Kids are All Right

4-    Andrew Garfield, The Social Network

5-    Matt Damon, True Grit

6-    Justin Timberlake, The Social Network

7-    Sam Rockwell, Conviction

8-    Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

9-    Armie Hammer, The Social Network

10-Vincent Cassel, Black Swan

11-Ed Harris, The Way Back

12-Jim Broadbent, Another Year

13-John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone

14-Jeremy Renner, The Town

15-Bill Murray, Get Low

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

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2______________________________

3______________________________

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SEEDS

1-    Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

2-    Helena Boham Carter, The King’s Speech

3-    Melissa Leo, The Fighter

4-    Amy Adams, The Fighter

5-    Dianne Wiest, Rabbit Hole

6-    Sissy Spacek, Get Low

7-    Mila Kunis, Black Swan

8-    Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

9-    Miranda Richardson, Made in Dagenham

10-Barbra Hershey, Black Swan

11-Marion Cotillard, Inception

12-Saoirse Ronan, The Way Back

13-Elle Fanning, Somewhere

14-Rooney Mara, The Social Network

15-Rebecca Hall, The Town

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

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SEEDS

1-    The Social Network

2-    True Grit

3-    Toy Story 3

4-    Winter’s Bone

5-    127 Hours

6-    Rabbit Hole

7-    The Way Back

8-    The Town

9-    The Ghost Writer

10-How to Train Your Dragon

11-Shutter Island

12-I Love You Phillip Morris

13-Fair Game

14-Love and Other Drugs

15-Alice in Wonderland

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

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3______________________________

4______________________________

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SEEDS

1-    The King’s Speech

2-    Inception

3-    The Kids are All Right

4-    Black Swan

5-    The Fighter

6-    Another Year

7-    Blue Valentine

8-    Get Low

9-    How Do You Know

10-Greenberg

11-Hereafter

12-Made in Dagenham

13-The Company Men

14-Biutiful

15-Somewhere