The last ten days have been an exciting time in the movie world. We've seen the announcement of the BAFTA and Academy Awards and the presentation of the Director's, Producer's, and Actor's Guild Awards. What felt like a set of clear front-runners ten days ago, now seems to be changing.
Before we get into the standings for the Fantasy Film Studio League, a brief rant about the Academy Award nominations....
REALLY?!? No nomination for Christopher Nolan for Best Director? Really? We can agree that Inception is a masterfully made picture (as evidenced by its glut of technical nominations). We can agree that it was a genre picture done very well by a man in total control of his craft. We can even agree that it was one of the year's Best Pictures. But we cannot give the credit to the man who orchestrated the entire affair? Crazy.
REALLY?!? No Editing nomination for Inception? Really? The last thirty minutes of that movie are a master's class in editing and nesting story structure.
REALLY?!? Julianne Moore out, Annette Bening in? This one should not shock me as this was the way the wind was blowing for much of the season. But with the BAFTAs giving a shout to both ladies I was hoping that the Academy would see the light. If any of you end up sitting through this movie, I think you'll agree with me.
REALLY?!? Best Make Up for Barney's Version, The Way Back, and The Wolfman?!? Really? With all of the films this year pushing the boundaries in make up and special effects, this is the best the Make Up branch could come up with to nominate? Ouch.
REALLY?!? No Best Visual Effects for Tron: Legacy? I thought for sure that the extremely designed visuals and/or the three versions of Jeff Bridges would put this one squarely on the map. Perhaps one branch thought it was more of an impressive Make Up effect and the other thought it was a Visual Effect. Neither voted for it. Who knows.
REALLY?!? The Illusionist for Best Animated Film? I suppose this should not come as a surprise since the animators often pick smaller, less traditional fair in their nominees (last year's The Secret of Kells anyone?). Still, I find it hard to believe that anyone other than Mike Palovcsik would vote The Illusionist for Best Animated Feature.
Ok, with that out of the way, I can post the new results. As I mentioned, things are starting to turn. The King's Speech has won three critical awards since the last update. It won the Producer's Guild and Director's Guild awards as well as taking home the Screen Actor's Guild award for best ensemble. What seemed like a slow slog to The Social Network's in-the-bag Best Picture just got intersting.
Also, the British seem to be more in tune with me and a few other movie moguls who saw their stocks rise with the BAFTA nominations. For the record, I tied with Erin and Steve with 7 BAFTA nominations. I also take the prize for having the most nominations without a single win so far this season. While it stinks for me, it is awesome for some of you. Check out the udpated standings below.
Name / Nominations / Wins / Points
Erin & Steve / 33 / 8 / 90
The Dekkers / 34 / 4 / 80
Paul Hogseth / 32 / 5 / 79
Mike Palovcsik / 32 / 4 / 76
Danny Sarnowski / 29 / 0 / 58
Dave Sarnowski / 25 / 2 / 56
Jake & Rachel / 21 / 4 / 54
Kristie Palovcsik / 19 / 3 / 47
Monday, January 31, 2011
Movie Review - The King's Speech
The King's Speech is the most surprising, enjoyable, moving film in this year's crowded list of Best Picture nominees. I went into it expecting a stuffy, dry, Ivory-Merchant period piece about dusty aristocrats. I got an exciting, very funny, heart wrenching buddy picture.
The film tells the story of King George VI who, after his brother abdicates the throne of England, must lead his country into the second World War. He is thrust into a position of power and a quarter of the world's people look to him as their leader. The King, however, has a crippling speech impediment that makes every public address, every speech, a nerve-wracking affair. The audience looks away, ashamed and embarrassed for their monarch. Not the type of moving oratory the King would prefer to deliver. Enter Lionel Logue, a speech defect expert who, though highly unorthadox, helps the King prevail in his time of need.
The movie, while a period piece about British royalty before the second World War, is as contemporary as The Social Network. The film shows how our ability to communicate to "post our status" to others is essential to our ability to feel whole and to fulfill our ambitions. Firth's King is a fully-formed, decent leader who has the ability and the brains to lead his nation through a terrible period. But can he master the ability to communicate his ideas effectively? Can he help them see the monarch who will stop at nothing to protect and inspire them? The question of communication and the influence (both good and bad) of the media and technology are at the heart of this movie. The fact that the computer was decades away from being invented doesn't make this movie feel old fashioned or out of date. Quite the contrary.
Colin Firth's performance is powerful and bold. He deserves the critical praise he is receiving. As the stuttering King George VI, he breaks our hearts with his speech impediment and the quiet, punished dignity in his eyes. His suffering is palpable and his every struggle to communicate a slap in the face for him and his royal family. Geoffrey Rush has a blast as the crazy, family-centric man who works to break the King free of his shell. This is a wonderful performance and, hopefully, the one he'll be remembered for. And this guy already WON the Best Actor award in 1996 for Shine. He's really great in the movie and his screen time with Firth is electric, moving, and often hilarious. Helena Bonham Carter is the best she's ever been as a wife, so devoted to her husband and family. A single look from her tells volumes.
In the field of depressing, dark, pessimistic, jaded movies this year The King's Speech is a bright spot. An intelligent, emotional picture that allows all of us to see the humanity of royalty. This is a must see and truly deserving of its nomination for Best Picture.
The film tells the story of King George VI who, after his brother abdicates the throne of England, must lead his country into the second World War. He is thrust into a position of power and a quarter of the world's people look to him as their leader. The King, however, has a crippling speech impediment that makes every public address, every speech, a nerve-wracking affair. The audience looks away, ashamed and embarrassed for their monarch. Not the type of moving oratory the King would prefer to deliver. Enter Lionel Logue, a speech defect expert who, though highly unorthadox, helps the King prevail in his time of need.
The movie, while a period piece about British royalty before the second World War, is as contemporary as The Social Network. The film shows how our ability to communicate to "post our status" to others is essential to our ability to feel whole and to fulfill our ambitions. Firth's King is a fully-formed, decent leader who has the ability and the brains to lead his nation through a terrible period. But can he master the ability to communicate his ideas effectively? Can he help them see the monarch who will stop at nothing to protect and inspire them? The question of communication and the influence (both good and bad) of the media and technology are at the heart of this movie. The fact that the computer was decades away from being invented doesn't make this movie feel old fashioned or out of date. Quite the contrary.
Colin Firth's performance is powerful and bold. He deserves the critical praise he is receiving. As the stuttering King George VI, he breaks our hearts with his speech impediment and the quiet, punished dignity in his eyes. His suffering is palpable and his every struggle to communicate a slap in the face for him and his royal family. Geoffrey Rush has a blast as the crazy, family-centric man who works to break the King free of his shell. This is a wonderful performance and, hopefully, the one he'll be remembered for. And this guy already WON the Best Actor award in 1996 for Shine. He's really great in the movie and his screen time with Firth is electric, moving, and often hilarious. Helena Bonham Carter is the best she's ever been as a wife, so devoted to her husband and family. A single look from her tells volumes.
In the field of depressing, dark, pessimistic, jaded movies this year The King's Speech is a bright spot. An intelligent, emotional picture that allows all of us to see the humanity of royalty. This is a must see and truly deserving of its nomination for Best Picture.
Movie Review - 127 Hours
127 Hours is a brave experiment in filmmaking. For Danny Boyle, hot off the Best Picture/Best Director double win of Slumdog Millionaire to choose to co-write, produce, and direct an adaptation of Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aaron Ralston was a ballsy move. This is a story which has an ending everyone is familiar with and with a climax that many people will not want to watch. That Boyle pulls it off and produces a hypnotic, enthralling, very human picture is something to be proud of and excited about.
127 Hours (for those not in the know) is about Aaron Ralston, a young, seemingly-invincible naturalist survival enthusiast who runs into trouble and gets stuck for days in the middle of nowhere. Ralston is trapped, crushed between two rocks for more than five days before he takes the drastic step of cutting his own arm off at the elbow and hiking out to find help. Boyle doesn't spend much time doing anything other than getting Ralston (played magnificently by James Franco) into his predicament and keeping him sealed there until the inevitable and gut-wrenching act that defines Ralston's will to live.
For a picture to keep it's main character alone and in one place for much of the movie is a great feat. That it remains interesting and watchable, with a sense of energy and character development, is even more impressive. Boyle has given us a second main character this year (after Mark Zuckerberg from The Social Network) who is difficult to root for. Selfish, self-absorbed, and fully in love with himself and his abilities, Ralston is tough to love. He's cocky and abrasive. He screens his family's calls and ignores any safety precautions that he would consider basic for people taking the action he takes. He brags about how far and quickly he covers terrain, and draws other hikers into a dangerous situation out of bravado.
Yet, while Franco stands there, stuck by a rock we see him change. We see the reality of his situation sink in. We watch his best efforts to free himself fail. We agonize along with him at his low stores of food and water. We see the elements that Ralston feels so comfortable in and in command of, fully consume him. And, as Boyle tells the story, this affects him. Aaron uses his video camera to film testimonials (the result of watching too many reality TV shows) and messages to his family. He realizes his faults and apologizes for his many errors. Boyle also uses the situation to revel in his stylistic predispositions. Boyle is like Tony Scott with more edge and a little more reason to indulge himself. Ralston hallucinates, dreams, remembers, and has nightmares - all of which aid us in our understanding of his terrible predicament and his essential flaws.
Franco's acting is really pretty amazing. In a less crowded year, and honestly in a year in which he was NOT hosting the Academy Awards, he'd receive a lot more love. This is a bravura turn amplified like a live wire. When Franco turns to the last possible salvation available to him, when he decides to do the unthinkable, it is becuase he really has no options left. Boyle and Franco have put us in that unbelievable position and dared us to ask ourselves "what would I do?"
I went into the film knowing the beginning, middle, and end. I went in knowing how everything will resolve itself. I was still surprised, pleased, shocked, and moved. While 127 Hours is not my pick for Best Picture this year, it is pretty powerful filmmaking and certainly a film to see.
127 Hours (for those not in the know) is about Aaron Ralston, a young, seemingly-invincible naturalist survival enthusiast who runs into trouble and gets stuck for days in the middle of nowhere. Ralston is trapped, crushed between two rocks for more than five days before he takes the drastic step of cutting his own arm off at the elbow and hiking out to find help. Boyle doesn't spend much time doing anything other than getting Ralston (played magnificently by James Franco) into his predicament and keeping him sealed there until the inevitable and gut-wrenching act that defines Ralston's will to live.
For a picture to keep it's main character alone and in one place for much of the movie is a great feat. That it remains interesting and watchable, with a sense of energy and character development, is even more impressive. Boyle has given us a second main character this year (after Mark Zuckerberg from The Social Network) who is difficult to root for. Selfish, self-absorbed, and fully in love with himself and his abilities, Ralston is tough to love. He's cocky and abrasive. He screens his family's calls and ignores any safety precautions that he would consider basic for people taking the action he takes. He brags about how far and quickly he covers terrain, and draws other hikers into a dangerous situation out of bravado.
Yet, while Franco stands there, stuck by a rock we see him change. We see the reality of his situation sink in. We watch his best efforts to free himself fail. We agonize along with him at his low stores of food and water. We see the elements that Ralston feels so comfortable in and in command of, fully consume him. And, as Boyle tells the story, this affects him. Aaron uses his video camera to film testimonials (the result of watching too many reality TV shows) and messages to his family. He realizes his faults and apologizes for his many errors. Boyle also uses the situation to revel in his stylistic predispositions. Boyle is like Tony Scott with more edge and a little more reason to indulge himself. Ralston hallucinates, dreams, remembers, and has nightmares - all of which aid us in our understanding of his terrible predicament and his essential flaws.
Franco's acting is really pretty amazing. In a less crowded year, and honestly in a year in which he was NOT hosting the Academy Awards, he'd receive a lot more love. This is a bravura turn amplified like a live wire. When Franco turns to the last possible salvation available to him, when he decides to do the unthinkable, it is becuase he really has no options left. Boyle and Franco have put us in that unbelievable position and dared us to ask ourselves "what would I do?"
I went into the film knowing the beginning, middle, and end. I went in knowing how everything will resolve itself. I was still surprised, pleased, shocked, and moved. While 127 Hours is not my pick for Best Picture this year, it is pretty powerful filmmaking and certainly a film to see.
Movie Review - The Kids Are All Right
First of all, "The Kids" are JUST all right. If that.
This is one of those movies that came out of Sundance and seemed to have nothing but positive momentum behind it. Everyone was talking about it. How charming it is. How funny it is. How human and "real" it is. No one said a word about how completely average and disappointing it really is. No one told me that it would be an utter let down. So, let me be the first to tell all of you. This is not a great movie.
This movie does not deserve a third of the hype and praise it has received. The film does not deserve an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. If there is one picture in the field this year that highlights how far the ten Best Picture nominees stretches things, it is this movie. What is it doing there?! Also, Annette Bening does not deserve a nomination for Best Actress. I'm sorry, she doesn't. She's completely fine in the picture. She plays the highly-strung and tightly-wound Annette Bening-type. As she does in most pictures. Julianne Moore has the more profound experience on screen in this picture and, in my opinion, deserves the credit (if any) for carrying the film. For the record, Mark Ruffalo is fairly charming and does a nice job. I am not just saying that because he is from Wisconsin.
The film, as I'm sure most of you have heard, centers around a family and their pursuit of roots. Moore and Bening play a lesbian couple who have been happily married for more than twenty years. They play the couple sweetly as two people who have spent a long time together and who have, for the most part, accepted the other's faults. The film is quick to point out, however, that maybe Bening is getting a little annoyed by Moore's quirkiness and impulsiveness. Moore's character cannot seem to hold a job and is really searching for where she'll fit, especially with one of their two lovely children moving on to college soon.
The film starts wonderfully enough. It paints a portrait of this family as completely normal. There is no big deal made of the fact that these two intelligent, centered, perfectly normal kids were raised by two women. The couple is portrayed as healthy and happy. When the kids decide to reach out to their sperm donor dad (Ruffalo), he is portrayed as happy, successful, and normal. The first half hour of the movie is really pretty fun. I actually turned to my wife at the thirty minute mark and said "this is sort of cool. To see this type of family and their unique needs and situation played so straight is interesting. I hope they don't have some of the characters sleep together or one of the women develop a complex about whether they truly are a lesbian or something." No kidding. I said that OUT LOUD. You can guess where the rest of the movie goes from here.
For as many people that are heralding this movie as a triumph of gay-family values, I wonder how many have actually seen it. Yes this movie is about two lesbians who raised beautiful children. But it is also about one of those women having an affair with a man, for no real reason. It portrays her sexuality as a choice or something, that after twenty years in a happy, monogamous relationship, she suddenly questions. And plays that for "laughs," I suppose.
This movie just goes right off the rails and I wish it had stayed there. Buried deep in the "independent film" section of Netflix, languishing in anonymity. Instead, it has had fanfare heaped upon it. I recommend that you leave this one be and focus on one of the more deserving Best Picture nominees this year.
This is one of those movies that came out of Sundance and seemed to have nothing but positive momentum behind it. Everyone was talking about it. How charming it is. How funny it is. How human and "real" it is. No one said a word about how completely average and disappointing it really is. No one told me that it would be an utter let down. So, let me be the first to tell all of you. This is not a great movie.
This movie does not deserve a third of the hype and praise it has received. The film does not deserve an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. If there is one picture in the field this year that highlights how far the ten Best Picture nominees stretches things, it is this movie. What is it doing there?! Also, Annette Bening does not deserve a nomination for Best Actress. I'm sorry, she doesn't. She's completely fine in the picture. She plays the highly-strung and tightly-wound Annette Bening-type. As she does in most pictures. Julianne Moore has the more profound experience on screen in this picture and, in my opinion, deserves the credit (if any) for carrying the film. For the record, Mark Ruffalo is fairly charming and does a nice job. I am not just saying that because he is from Wisconsin.
The film, as I'm sure most of you have heard, centers around a family and their pursuit of roots. Moore and Bening play a lesbian couple who have been happily married for more than twenty years. They play the couple sweetly as two people who have spent a long time together and who have, for the most part, accepted the other's faults. The film is quick to point out, however, that maybe Bening is getting a little annoyed by Moore's quirkiness and impulsiveness. Moore's character cannot seem to hold a job and is really searching for where she'll fit, especially with one of their two lovely children moving on to college soon.
The film starts wonderfully enough. It paints a portrait of this family as completely normal. There is no big deal made of the fact that these two intelligent, centered, perfectly normal kids were raised by two women. The couple is portrayed as healthy and happy. When the kids decide to reach out to their sperm donor dad (Ruffalo), he is portrayed as happy, successful, and normal. The first half hour of the movie is really pretty fun. I actually turned to my wife at the thirty minute mark and said "this is sort of cool. To see this type of family and their unique needs and situation played so straight is interesting. I hope they don't have some of the characters sleep together or one of the women develop a complex about whether they truly are a lesbian or something." No kidding. I said that OUT LOUD. You can guess where the rest of the movie goes from here.
For as many people that are heralding this movie as a triumph of gay-family values, I wonder how many have actually seen it. Yes this movie is about two lesbians who raised beautiful children. But it is also about one of those women having an affair with a man, for no real reason. It portrays her sexuality as a choice or something, that after twenty years in a happy, monogamous relationship, she suddenly questions. And plays that for "laughs," I suppose.
This movie just goes right off the rails and I wish it had stayed there. Buried deep in the "independent film" section of Netflix, languishing in anonymity. Instead, it has had fanfare heaped upon it. I recommend that you leave this one be and focus on one of the more deserving Best Picture nominees this year.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Field Narrows
Well, in the last two weeks we've seen a lot of movement. The Writer's, Producer's, and Director's Guilds all announced their nominees. The only real surprise was the absence of Toy Story 3 from the Writer's Guild awards and the presence of I Love You Phillip Morris. Without that change, the field continues to look as it did in late 2010 - dominated by The Social Network, The King's Speech, The Kids Are All Right, Black Swan, and Inception.
We also had the Broadcast Critic's Choice Awards and last night's 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards. With those, we saw that familiar list of nominees narrowed down to the short list of winners and front-runners for the season. Christian Bale, Colin Firth, Melissa Leo, and Natalie Portman are the actors to beat at this point. I'm not sure if any director other than David Fincher has picked up a statue of any kind this season. The Social Network continues to dominate in both Best Picture and Best Screenplay awards as well. Interestingly, these several awards are mixed throughout the studios in our league. No one studio has a lock on all of them.
Mike Palovcsik owns The Social Network for Best Picture. Jake Sarnowski and Rachel Stuhler own The Social Network for Director and Screenplay. Steve Hackbarth and Erin Dischler own Colin Firth and Melissa Leo. Natalie Portman belongs in Kritie Palovcsik's studio. This mix has kept the race close and lively. See below for the current standings. This week we'll see the BAFTA nominees and next week the Academy Award nominees will be announced. Look for another post that evening.
Name / Nominations / Wins / Total Points
Jen & Nate Dekker / 24 / 3 / 57
Erin D. & Steve H. / 19 / 6 / 56
Paul Hogseth / 20 / 5 / 55
Mike Palovcsik / 19 / 3 / 47
Danny & Ann Sarnowski / 16 / 0 / 32
Jake S. & Rachel S. / 10 / 4 / 32
Kristie Palovcsik / 12 / 2 / 30
Dave Sarnowski / 12 / 0 / 24
As you can see, it's pretty close at the top. Kristie, Jake & Rachel, and Mike could all expect to see some movement in the next few weeks as more winners are announced. Good luck to everyone!
Cheers,
Danny.
We also had the Broadcast Critic's Choice Awards and last night's 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards. With those, we saw that familiar list of nominees narrowed down to the short list of winners and front-runners for the season. Christian Bale, Colin Firth, Melissa Leo, and Natalie Portman are the actors to beat at this point. I'm not sure if any director other than David Fincher has picked up a statue of any kind this season. The Social Network continues to dominate in both Best Picture and Best Screenplay awards as well. Interestingly, these several awards are mixed throughout the studios in our league. No one studio has a lock on all of them.
Mike Palovcsik owns The Social Network for Best Picture. Jake Sarnowski and Rachel Stuhler own The Social Network for Director and Screenplay. Steve Hackbarth and Erin Dischler own Colin Firth and Melissa Leo. Natalie Portman belongs in Kritie Palovcsik's studio. This mix has kept the race close and lively. See below for the current standings. This week we'll see the BAFTA nominees and next week the Academy Award nominees will be announced. Look for another post that evening.
Name / Nominations / Wins / Total Points
Jen & Nate Dekker / 24 / 3 / 57
Erin D. & Steve H. / 19 / 6 / 56
Paul Hogseth / 20 / 5 / 55
Mike Palovcsik / 19 / 3 / 47
Danny & Ann Sarnowski / 16 / 0 / 32
Jake S. & Rachel S. / 10 / 4 / 32
Kristie Palovcsik / 12 / 2 / 30
Dave Sarnowski / 12 / 0 / 24
As you can see, it's pretty close at the top. Kristie, Jake & Rachel, and Mike could all expect to see some movement in the next few weeks as more winners are announced. Good luck to everyone!
Cheers,
Danny.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Film Review: Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan is his best picture yet.
A visionary, anarchistic director best known for his most muted film, The Wrestler, Aronofsky provides a thrilling, moving experience with Black Swan. The film, set in the world of ballet dancing, is dark, paranoid, and visually arresting. Almost all of the performances are sharp, with a lead role played vibrantly by Natalie Portman. This picture, which could have been doomed to the horror/thriller graveyard in less capable hands, seems like a lock for Best Actress and Best Director nominations this award season. And rightfully so.
This movie was one of the most enjoyable film-going experiences for me in a long time. I was surprised, moved, frightened, confused, and at all times interested in the story being laid out before me. Aronofsky has full command of his technical and artistic faculties with this movie. By contrast, his picture The Fountain is a beautiful failure - artistically interesting, but inert from story-telling standpoint. The Wrestler provided more fertile story-telling ground, but was dull and laboring to look at. With Black Swan, the director brings all of his considerable talents to bear and the product is engaging and daring. The paranoia mounts for Natalie Portman and for the audience leaving us all wondering what is going on and what will happen next.
Portman's performance is truly impressive. The ballet work and physical effort that the role required should put her in the league of other method heavyweights who have slaved to prepare for a role. Daniel Day-Lewis' efforts to prep for Gangs of New York come to mind as we marvel at the effort that Portman put into the performance. Beyond being technically competent and athletically pure, the acting by Natalie Portman is terrific. Her character changes throughout the film from a wilting flower of maternally-abused, frozen adolescence into a dangerous live wire ready to lash out to preserve her fantasy. She earns her several "Academy-ready" scenes and steals the show. Her supporting actors help anchor the piece, notably Mila Kunis and Barbara Hershey. They do a terrific job and keep the audience guessing about who the real crazy person must be. Vincent Cassel does little but sleaze around the screen, but that's what his part demands. He does it well and leaves the audience feeling dirty.
The movie takes the audience places. Not all of them are places we want to be. But with Aronofsky's guiding hand, the expert use of music, lighting, costumes, set design, and special effects, all supporting a terrific performance by Portman, Black Swan is a must-see picture. I'd strongly urge you to see it in a theater and enjoy a serious, intelligent movie for adults who enjoy movies.
A visionary, anarchistic director best known for his most muted film, The Wrestler, Aronofsky provides a thrilling, moving experience with Black Swan. The film, set in the world of ballet dancing, is dark, paranoid, and visually arresting. Almost all of the performances are sharp, with a lead role played vibrantly by Natalie Portman. This picture, which could have been doomed to the horror/thriller graveyard in less capable hands, seems like a lock for Best Actress and Best Director nominations this award season. And rightfully so.
This movie was one of the most enjoyable film-going experiences for me in a long time. I was surprised, moved, frightened, confused, and at all times interested in the story being laid out before me. Aronofsky has full command of his technical and artistic faculties with this movie. By contrast, his picture The Fountain is a beautiful failure - artistically interesting, but inert from story-telling standpoint. The Wrestler provided more fertile story-telling ground, but was dull and laboring to look at. With Black Swan, the director brings all of his considerable talents to bear and the product is engaging and daring. The paranoia mounts for Natalie Portman and for the audience leaving us all wondering what is going on and what will happen next.
Portman's performance is truly impressive. The ballet work and physical effort that the role required should put her in the league of other method heavyweights who have slaved to prepare for a role. Daniel Day-Lewis' efforts to prep for Gangs of New York come to mind as we marvel at the effort that Portman put into the performance. Beyond being technically competent and athletically pure, the acting by Natalie Portman is terrific. Her character changes throughout the film from a wilting flower of maternally-abused, frozen adolescence into a dangerous live wire ready to lash out to preserve her fantasy. She earns her several "Academy-ready" scenes and steals the show. Her supporting actors help anchor the piece, notably Mila Kunis and Barbara Hershey. They do a terrific job and keep the audience guessing about who the real crazy person must be. Vincent Cassel does little but sleaze around the screen, but that's what his part demands. He does it well and leaves the audience feeling dirty.
The movie takes the audience places. Not all of them are places we want to be. But with Aronofsky's guiding hand, the expert use of music, lighting, costumes, set design, and special effects, all supporting a terrific performance by Portman, Black Swan is a must-see picture. I'd strongly urge you to see it in a theater and enjoy a serious, intelligent movie for adults who enjoy movies.
It's About Time!
I cannot believe how poorly I have been at updating this so far this season! I apologize for being a terrible Commish this year. However, I have updated the standings and I think you'll all agree that this is an exciting year with lots of moving parts.
With the SAG nominations, Golden Globe Nominations, Critic's Choice nominations, and the Independent Spirit nominations in, the race is really shaping up. There are some clear front runners (The Social Network, The King's Speech) and some up and comers (The Fighter, Black Swan). As we saw in the draft, many of these pictures are spread over multiple studios. This makes the race this year pretty interesting so far.
Just because it has been interesting, doesn't mean that there isn't a clear first place. The Dekkers and their "Absent from Draft" studio have been cleaning up. With 22 nominations so far, they have a comfortable lead. Paul Hogseth's "Pants Weather Pictures," Steve Hackbarth and Erin Dischler's "Pants Sweater Pictures," and Mike Palovcsik's "Pants Wetter Pictures" are all pretty close with 19, 18, and 17 nominations respectively.
Some of the long shots in the draft have paid off well. Some of the "easy money" choices are proving to look dubious. Every studio has received points from each set of nominations so far. ZERO shut outs. That is exciting to see and is proof positive of the hard work and research each studio head did before this year's draft.
The Producer's Guild and Writer's Guild both release their nominations this week and we should see a few more points added to the scoreboard. Then we have a week or so dry spell before things heat up. January will bring us more nominations from: The BAFTAs (Paul's favorite), The Director's Guild, the Razzies, and the Academy Award Nominations. We will also see the awards presented for The Director's Guild and Screen Actor's Guild, the Critic's Choice and Golden Globes, and the Producer's Guild. Lots of opportunities for studios to gain or lose ground and to keep this year's race interesting.
Good luck to everyone!
Cheers,
The Commish
With the SAG nominations, Golden Globe Nominations, Critic's Choice nominations, and the Independent Spirit nominations in, the race is really shaping up. There are some clear front runners (The Social Network, The King's Speech) and some up and comers (The Fighter, Black Swan). As we saw in the draft, many of these pictures are spread over multiple studios. This makes the race this year pretty interesting so far.
Just because it has been interesting, doesn't mean that there isn't a clear first place. The Dekkers and their "Absent from Draft" studio have been cleaning up. With 22 nominations so far, they have a comfortable lead. Paul Hogseth's "Pants Weather Pictures," Steve Hackbarth and Erin Dischler's "Pants Sweater Pictures," and Mike Palovcsik's "Pants Wetter Pictures" are all pretty close with 19, 18, and 17 nominations respectively.
Some of the long shots in the draft have paid off well. Some of the "easy money" choices are proving to look dubious. Every studio has received points from each set of nominations so far. ZERO shut outs. That is exciting to see and is proof positive of the hard work and research each studio head did before this year's draft.
The Producer's Guild and Writer's Guild both release their nominations this week and we should see a few more points added to the scoreboard. Then we have a week or so dry spell before things heat up. January will bring us more nominations from: The BAFTAs (Paul's favorite), The Director's Guild, the Razzies, and the Academy Award Nominations. We will also see the awards presented for The Director's Guild and Screen Actor's Guild, the Critic's Choice and Golden Globes, and the Producer's Guild. Lots of opportunities for studios to gain or lose ground and to keep this year's race interesting.
Good luck to everyone!
Cheers,
The Commish
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)