Review: The Hunger Games (2012)

In a world torn apart by war, drought and famine, there lies Panem, a society split into a Capitol and twelve separate districts. To compensate for past rebellions, each district must annually offer up two “tributes” to take part in the Capitol’s “Hunger Games”: a televised fight to the death. When her sister is chosen as one of the “tributes”, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a strong-willed teenage girl, volunteers herself to take her sister’s place. Alongside her male counterpart Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a lowly baker’s boy, Katniss enters The Hunger Games, only for them to find themselves in a situation like no Continue reading “Review: The Hunger Games (2012)”

83rd Academy Awards: Winners

Best Picture

  • The Social Network
  • Winter’s Bone
  • The King’s Speech – WINNER
  • Black Swan
  • The Fighter
  • True Grit
  • Toy Story 3
  • The Kids Are All Right
  • 127 Hours
  • Inception

Best Director

  • Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
  • Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) – WINNER
  • David Fincher (The Social Network)
  • Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)
  • David O. Russell (The Fighter)

Best Actor

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

Best Actress

  • Natalie Portman (Black Swan) – WINNER
  • Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
  • Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone)
  • Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)
  • Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)

Best Supporting Actor

  • John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone)
  • Christian Bale (The Fighter) – WINNER
  • Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
  • Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)
  • Jeremy Renner (The Town)

Best Supporting Actress

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

Best Original Screenplay

  • Mike Leigh (Another Year)
  • Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg (The Kids Are All Right)
  • David Seidler (The King’s Speech) – WINNER
  • Christopher Nolan (Inception)
  • Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson & Keith Dorrington (The Fighter)

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) – WINNER
  • Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours)
  • Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3)
  • Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (True Grit)
  • Debra Granik & Anne Rosellin (Winter’s Bone)

Best Animated Film

  • The Illusionist
  • Toy Story 3 – WINNER
  • How To Train Your Dragon

Best Foreign Language Film

  • Dogtooth
  • In A Better World – WINNER
  • Biutiful
  • Incendies
  • Outside The Law

Best Documentary

  • Inside Job – WINNER
  • Exit Through The Gift Shop
  • GasLand
  • Restrepo
  • Waste Land

Best Art Direction

  • Inception
  • Alice In Wonderland – WINNER
  • The King’s Speech
  • Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  • True Grit

Best Cinematography

  • Black Swan
  • The Social Network
  • Inception – WINNER
  • True Grit
  • The King’s Speech

Best Visual Effects

  • Hereafter
  • Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  • Iron Man 2
  • Inception – WINNER
  • Alice In Wonderland

Best Costume Design

  • I Am Love
  • Alice In Wonderland – WINNER
  • The King’s Speech
  • True Grit
  • The Tempest

Best Editing

  • The Fighter
  • Black Swan
  • The Social Network – WINNER
  • 127 Hours
  • The King’s Speech

Best Makeup

  • The Wolfman – WINNER
  • Barney’s Version
  • The Way Back

Best Short Film (Live Action)

  • Na Wewe
  • The Confession
  • Wish 143
  • The Crush
  • God Of Love – WINNER

Best Short Film (Animated)

  • Let’s Pollute
  • The Gruffalo
  • Day & Night
  • The Lost Thing – WINNER
  • Madagascar, A Journey Diary

Best Short Film (Documentary)

  • Killing In The Name
  • Poster Girl
  • Strangers No More – WINNER
  • Sun Come Up
  • The Warriors Of Quigang

Best Original Score

  • How To Train Your Dragon (John Powell)
  • Inception (Hans Zimmer)
  • The King’s Speech (Alexandre Desplat)
  • 127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)
  • The Social Network (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) – WINNER

Best Original Song

  • Coming Home (Country Strong)
  • I See The Light (Tangled)
  • If I Rise (127 Hours)
  • We Belong Together (Toy Story 3) – WINNER

Best Sound Mixing

  • Inception – WINNER
  • Salt
  • The Social Network
  • True Grit
  • The King’s Speech

Best Sound Editing

  • Toy Story 3
  • Inception – WINNER
  • True Grit
  • Unstoppable
  • Tron: Legacy

2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards: Winners

Best Feature

  • Black Swan

Best Male

  • James Franco (127 Hours)

Best Female

  • Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Best Supporting Male

  • John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone)

Best Supporting Female

  • Dale Dickey (Winter’s Bone)

Best Director

  • Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)

Best Cinematography

  • Black Swan

Best First Feature

  • Get Low

Best Documentary

  • Exit Through The Gift Shop

Best Foreign Film

  • The King’s Speech

Robert Altman Award

  • Please Give

John Cassavetes Award

  • Daddy Longlegs

Best First Screenplay

  • Tiny Furniture

Best Screenplay

  • The Kids Are All Right

DVD Releases: January 31, 2011

The Town

Director – Ben Affleck

Starring – Jeremy Renner, Ben Affleck and Rebecca Hall

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Director – Oliver Stone

Starring – Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf and Carey Mulligan

Going The Distance

Director – Nanette Burstein

Starring – Drew Barrymore, Justin Long and Ron Livingston

Winter’s Bone

Director – Debra Granik

Starring – Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes and Garret Dillahunt

Mr. Nice

Director – Bernard Rose

Starring – Rhys Ifans, Chloë Sevigny and David Thewlis

22 Bullets

Director – Richard Berry

Starring – Jean Reno, Marina Foïs and Gabriella Wright

Dare

Director – David Brind

Starring – Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford ad Ashley Springer

83rd Academy Awards: Nominations

Best Picture

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

Best Director

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

Best Actor

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

Best Actress

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

Best Supporting Actor

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

Best Supporting Actress

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

Best Original Screenplay

  • Another Year (Mike Leigh)
  • The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg)
  • The King’s Speech (David Seidler)
  • Inception (Christopher Nolan)
  • The Fighter (Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson & Keith Dorrington)

Best Adapted Screenplay

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

Best Animated Film

  • Toy Story 3
  • How To Train Your Dragon
  • The Illusionist

Best Foreign Language Film

  • Biutiful
  • Dogtooth
  • In A Better World
  • Incendies
  • Outside The Law

Best Documentary

  • GasLand
  • Inside Job
  • Exit Through The Gift Shop
  • Restrepo
  • Waste Land

Best Art Direction

  • Inception
  • Alice In Wonderland
  • Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  • The King’s Speech
  • True Grit

Best Cinematography

  • Black Swan
  • Inception
  • The King’s Speech
  • True Grit
  • The Social Network

Best Costume Design

  • The Tempest
  • I Am Love
  • Alice In Wonderland
  • The King’s Speech
  • True Grit

Best Editing

  • The King’s Speech
  • Black Swan
  • The Fighter
  • 127 Hours
  • The Social Network

Best Short Film (Live Action)

  • The Crush
  • Wish 143
  • Na Wewe
  • The Confession
  • God Of Love

Best Short Film (Animated)

  • The Gruffalo
  • Day & Night
  • Let’s Pollute
  • The Lost Thing
  • Madagascar, A Journey Diary

Best Makeup

  • The Wolfman
  • Barney’s Version
  • The Way Back

Best Original Score

  • Inception (Hanz Zimmer)
  • How To Train Your Dragon (John Powell)
  • The King’s Speech (Alexandre Desplat)
  • 127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)
  • The Social Network (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

Best Original Song

  • Coming Home (Country Strong)
  • I See The Light (Tangled)
  • If I Rise (127 Hours)
  • We Belong Together (Toy Story 3)

Best Sound Mixing

  • Salt
  • Inception
  • The King’s Speech
  • True Grit
  • The Social Network

Best Sound Editing

  • Toy Story 3
  • Inception
  • Unstoppable
  • True Grit
  • Tron: Legacy

Best Visual Effects

  • Hereafter
  • Alice In Wonderland
  • Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  • Iron Man 2
  • Inception

Review: Winter’s Bone (2010)

Winter’s Bone is a vivid adaptation Daniel Woodrell’s crime novel set in the heart of the Ozark Mountains, Missouri.

17 year-old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) is responsible for keeping her family together in a dirt poor rural area. When the local Sheriff (Garret Dillahunt) tells her that her father put up their house as collateral for his bail, Ree sets off to find her errant father, digging up some very dangerous secrets in the process.

Debra Granik brings this bleak environment to life through her flawless attention-to-detail, her keen eye capturing the landscape’s undertones beautifully. Granik tells the story as naturalistic drama, punctuating thrills throughout to keep them authentic and unexpected.

The most obvious example of this is through the character of Teardrop, Ree’s uncle, whom she asks for help. John Hawkes’ performance as Teardrop is haunting, verging on sadistic as it’s never made clear to Ree, or to the audience, whether he will help Ree, assault her, or kill her.

Lawrence’s performance as Ree is a truly stand-out piece of acting, transposing her apparent emotional intelligence and warmth with the incredible pressure she’s under to keep her family alive.

Winter’s Bone is a realistic, engaging and fearless film about transgression and the consequences of digging into the past, showcasing a truly magnificent, afflicting performance from Jennifer Lawrence.

Feature: Top Ten Films Of 2010

In total I’ve seen a lot of films in 2010, but here are the ten I consider my favourite:

1. The King’s Speech

The King’s Speech is an altogether clever, humorous and emotional film, supported by tremendous performances from it’s central cast. A must see, by all accounts.

2. The Kids Are All Right

The Kids Are All Right a fantastic film, exuding charm, wit, love, insecurity and anguish at every appropriate corner. In essence, it’s a film about the struggles of human relationships, and shows a family’s love has the potential to overcome any obstacle.

3. The Social Network

The Social Network is a film that deserves your attention. It’s not only a film about Mark Zuckerberg and the creation of Facebook, but also one of morality. One that requires your full attention and questions your beliefs and values;  but also one that rewards you with its passion, attention-to-detail and humourous nature.

4. Another Year

Mike Leigh’s measured, and scarily realistic human nature drama is impossible to dismiss. Leigh’s laid-back approach let’s the characters and on-screen drama speak for itself. The central leads invite you into their lives and take you on a emotionally and wholly real journey through old-age. Lesley Manville, in particular, is breathtaking.

5. Winter’s Bone

Winter’s Bone is a film of true craftsmanship. Haunting, gritty, yet oddly inspiring, featuring a nuanced and captivating performance from newcomer Jennifer Lawrence.

6. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Edgar Wright stepped up his game with this genre-crossing comedy film. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a zany, mis-construed film that explores deep, poignant ideas, inter-cut with lots of crazy, heart-pounding action scenes, hundred of popular culture nods and hilariously odd performances from its central cast.

7. Toy Story 3

Defying expectations, Toy Story 3 proved sequels can be successful. Directed by the incredibly talented Lee Unkrich, the film manages to be a fitting, touching and honest conclusion to one of the most beloved, and inspiring, franchises of all time.

8. Inception

Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending science fiction, Inception is a singular accomplishment from an extraordinarily talented and game-changing director. It’s a visually stunning, intellectually challenging and emotionally engaging triumph, one that truly exemplifies modern filmmaking.

9. Monsters

Monsters is an incredible achievement in more ways than one, showcasing fine performances, an afflicting narrative, wholly real character interactions and special effects that rival those used on Blockbusters

10. I Am Love

Possibly one of the most overlooked films of the year, I Am Love is an incredibly well shot, acted, portrayed and directed. Tilda Swinton provided a flawless, and incredibly raw performance. One to seek out.

Honourable Mentions:

Easy A, How To Train Your Dragon, Four Lions, Kick-Ass, Piranha, Lebanon, Despicable Me, Bad Lieutenant – Port Of Call: New Orleans, The Runaways, Please Give, Cyrus, Splice, Mary & Max, The Hole, Exit Through The Gift Shop, The Killer Inside Me, The Illusionist, Whip It, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, Somewhere, Dogtooth and Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1.