The 2017 National Film Registry Inductees

Today, the National Film Preservation Board announced its annual inductees for 2017.  The films, as usual, are a variety of important landmark films:

Ace in the Hole (aka Big Carnival) (1951)

Boulevard Nights (1979)

Die Hard (1988)

Dumbo (1941)

Field of Dreams (1989)

4 Little Girls (1997)

Fuentes Family Home Movies Collection (1920s and 1930s)

Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

The Goonies (1985)

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

He Who Gets Slapped (1924)

Interior New York Subway, 14th Street to 42nd Street (1905)

La Bamba (1987)

Lives of Performers (1972)

Memento (2000)

Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918)

Spartacus (1960)

Superman: The Movie (1978)

Thelonius Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)

Time and Dreams (1976)

Titanic (1997)

To Sleep with Anger (1990)

Wanda (1971)

With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain (1937-38)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser #2

We can't lie. This brought tears to our eyes.

X-Men: Days of Future Past - Publicity Photo

In 2014, the seventh X-Men film will be released in theaters: X-Men - Days of Future Past. In 2000, director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) helmed the original theatrical release of X-Men to financial and critical (especially in the comic book community) success. He followed it up with the even better X2: X-Men United in 2003. The films were cornerstones of the resurgence of the comic book film and were responsible of making Wolverine (and by extension, Hugh Jackman) a pop-culture icon. However in 2005 Singer left the series to make Superman Returns and 20th Century Fox decided not to wait for him to complete the project and hired Brett Ratner to make the third film in the franchise, X-Men: The Last Stand. While a box office hit, Last Stand, failed to reach the level of quality of its predecessors. This was followed by X-Men Origins: Wolverine which also fell short artistically.  Then, in 2011, the series got a much needed boost in the form of director Matthew Vaughn's (Stardust) excellent X-Men: First Class which retold the origin of the X-Men and Magneto. However, this film contradicted events that took place Last Stand and Origins. Fans were confused until Fox announced plans for X-Men: Days of Future Past, the next film in the X-Men franchise (following this summer's The Wolverine), will adapt a famous X-Men comic book story arc featuring the element of time travel. Bryan Singer is returning to the world of mutants to direct the film and the film is heavily rumored to "correct" the continuity and rewrite the events of Last Stand and Origins.  Below is a publicity photo released featuring Professor Xavier, Magneto, Colossus and new character Bishop.  Xavier and Magneto are portrayed by their original counterparts, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan, however the film will also feature James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as the younger versions of Xavier and Magneto that where established in First Class. Also returning: Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Hugh Jackman (in his 7th appearance as Wolverine), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Anna Paquin (Rogue), Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde), Halle Berry (Storm), Shawn Ashmore (Iceman) and Daniel Cudmore (Colossus).

American Film Institute's Best of 2012 Announced

The American Film Institute has chosen its Top 10 Films and Television shows of 2012. One of the biggest box office hits of the year, The Dark Knight Rises, makes the list, but the highest grossing film of the year, The Avengers does not.  Argo, Life of Pi, Lincoln and Moonrise Kingdom are well-deserving, though not surprising inclusions.  Rounding out the list is Beasts of the Southern Wild, Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty.  Notable exclusions include The Hunger Games, Skyfall, Looper and Prometheus.  You can see the official announcement here.

First Official Picture of Hugh Jackman in “The Wolverine”

Logan returns to the big screen next year in The Wolverine. Here’s the first official picture:

Star Wars Goes 3D!

February 12, 2012 marks the release of Star Wars in 3D.  To the dismay of some Star Wars diehards, Lucasfilm is releasing the films in storyline chronological order, meaning the first 3D release will be Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, arguably the least popular film in the series.  See the trailer HERE

A Rant on the Oscar In Memoriam Montage

I realize that the Academy makes mistakes.  After all, Inception NOT getting an Editing or Director nomination?

But one of the classier moments of the night is always the "In Memoriam" package that honor the people in the film industry.  Last night, the video packaged contained a noticeable number of omissions.

COREY HAIM
No one will ever confuse him for the greatest actor of his generation.  But the fact remains that Haim was a big star in the 80s.  Starring in movies such as The Lost Boys, License to Drive and Lucas.  His career was pretty much non existent in the last 20 years, but that doesn't mean you forget about the man.



PETER GRAVES
While most people recognize him as the Captain from Airplane!, he was a veteran actor with many films under his belt including The Night of the Hunter, Stalag 17, Addams Family Values as well as the television show "Mission: Impossible."

BETTY GARRETT
Known mostly for her television work, she did plenty of work during the golden age of Hollywood musicals appearing in films such as On the Town, Take Me Out to the Ball Game and Neptune's Daughter.

 

LISA BLOUNT
An ACADEMY AWARD WINNER in 2001 for her short film The Accountant, Blount was also an actress that appeared in An Officer and a Gentleman and Prince of Darkness.

All I'm saying is, Academy, that you can't just pick and choose who was important and who wasn't.  These people all had careers that deserved to be recognized.  It's bad enough that you chose to "honor" the dead with Celine Dion, of all people, showing how completely out of touch you are.  What's more annoying is that there were two people in the montage that you DID include that don't deserve the honor.  One was an agent, the other a publicist.  I'm not saying that these people didn't have important jobs or didn't have families and friends that cared about them, but they do not belong on the same list.  This is supposed to be a dedication to the artists and creators and talents in the industry.  Actors, Writers, Directors, Cinematographers, etc.  You CAN'T make a film without them.  You can, however, make a film without an agent or a publicist.

The montage video is linked below:

And The Oscar Goes To...: The Essential Films Academy Awards Predictions

It's Hollywood's biggest night of the year.  The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony is a night full of stars, dresses, celebrities, gossip and of course, that little golden man that means so much to so many of the industry's professionals.

Here, at The Essential Films, we had our own awards ceremony with The Essential Film Awards.  And by ceremony I mean, of course, that I named all the winners and there was nobody actually in attendance to accept the "honor."

But since most people care more about The Oscars, this blog will devote an article to give you the official Essential Films predictions.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

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

And The Oscar SHOULD Go To:  Inception
But the Oscar WILL Go To:  The Social Network

Inception was by far the best film of the year.  However, this was an incredibly strong year.  Hollywood tends to not award the Best Picture Oscar to a "blockbuster" like Inception.  However, it's not unheard of.  After all, films like Titanic and The Lord of the Rings have won in the past.  But my gut says The Social Network, with a high probability of The King's Speech getting the win for a more traditional choice.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role


The Nominees Are:

Javier Bardem for Biutiful
Jeff Bridges for True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
Colin Firth for The King's Speech
James Franco for 127 Hours

And The Oscar Goes To:  Colin Firth, The King's Speech

This one is a no-brainer. Firth was amazing and was absolutely convincing as the speech impediment-ed King George.  Jesse Eisenberg was really good this year and finally broke out of his shell of continually playing the same character.  Jeff Bridges already has an Oscar for last year's Crazy Heart, which was good but not great, so I don't see the Oscar going to him.  If it weren't for Colin Firth my vote would however go to James Franco.  You're stuck in that canyon with him for two hours and you are still mesmerized by the end.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role


The Nominees Are:

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

And the Oscar Goes To:  Natalie Portman, Black Swan

This is Natalie Portman's year.  The other actresses don't really stand much of a chance of winning this win. Though if I may opine, the wrong actress was nominated for The Kids Are All Right.  Julianne Moore was the stronger of the two leads.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

The Nominees Are:

Christian Bale for The Fighter
John Hawkes for Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner for The Town
Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech

And the Oscar Goes To:  Christian Bale, The Fighter

Every performance on this list was great.  John Hawkes really proved himself as a versatile character actor in Winter's Bone.  Jeremy Renner is the only representative for The Town, which was criminally snubbed for a Best Picture, Director and Screenplay nomination.  Ruffalo was charming in Kids and Geoffrey Rush was awesome in Speech.  However, the Batman himself, Christian Bale, runs away with it.  He blows away the competition in an incredibly strong category this year.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

The Nominees Are:

Amy Adams for The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech
Melissa Leo for The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit
Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom

And The Oscar Goes To:  Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Steinfeld, by all rights should have been placed in the Leading Actress category.  She was after all, the main character of the film.  Bu the Academy has a history of placing unknown actors and actresses in the Supporting category, especially if they have a better shot at winning.  If not for this miscategorization, my pick would have gone for Amy Adams, who was brilliant in The Fighter.

Best Achievement in Directing

The Nominees Are:

Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for True Grit
David Fincher for The Social Network
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech
David O. Russell for The Fighter

And The Oscar SHOULD Go To:  Darren Aronofsky
But the Oscar WILL Go To:  David Fincher

Christopher Nolan was infamously snubbed for a directing nomination.  As it is, though, Fincher will win this category.  I love Fincher's work on Seven, Fight Club and Benjamin Button, and he's an incredible director who deserves an Oscar.  However, Aronofsky should get the award this year.  He took more risks and directed a more complex picture than Social Network.  Network is ultimately a better film, but Aronofosky did a lot more on screen than Fincher.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen


The Nominees Are:

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

And The Oscar Goes To:  Christopher Nolan, Inception

A strong writing year for original screenplays.  I think Nolan will rightfully get win if for no other reason than to reward him politically for not getting a nomination for Director.


Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

The Nominees Are:

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 Coen, Ethan Coen
Winter's Bone: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini

And The Oscar Goes To:  Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

I don't see how this DOESN'T win.  It's clearly the best written of all the nominees.  I could see, however, True Grit possibly winning and even Toy Story 3 as a dark horse.  But my gut tells me Social Network.

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year


The Nominees Are:

How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

And The Oscar Goes To:  Toy Story 3

There's a reason this Award is sometimes called the Pixar Award.  They're masters of animation.  Don't get me wrong, because How To Train Your Dragon was EXCELLENT.  But the Academy loves Pixar, and I don't see them not rewarding the beloved franchise.

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

The Nominees Are:

Biutiful (Mexico)
Dogtooth (Greece)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Outside the Law (Algeria)

And The Oscar SHOULD Go To:  Dogtooth
But the Oscar WILL Go To:  Biutiful

Admittedly, to date, I've only seen Dogtooth, but it was an incredibly original and hauntingly disturbing film.  However, Biutiful is getting all the buzz...

Best Achievement in Cinematography


The Nominees Are:

Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

And The Oscar Goes To:  Black Swan

Black Swan is just gorgeous to look at.  It is a beautifully photographed film.  Inception is a close second.

Best Achievement in Editing

The Nominees Are:

127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King's Speech
The Social Network

And The Oscar Goes To:  Black Swan

Another category for which Inception should have been nominated.  127 Hours and The Social Network are both very strong contenders in this category, but Black Swan was ultimately more complex and as such, presumably much more difficult to edit into a coherent film.

Best Achievement in Art Direction

The Nominees Are:

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

And The Oscar Goes To:  Alice in Wonderland

TRON: Legacy should have had a nomination. Its visuals were incredible.  However, given the nominees, Potter and Inception  have really strong shots at winning, but I think it has to go to Alice.  The production values on that film were incredible (the story on the other hand...)

Best Achievement in Costume Design

The Nominees Are:

Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

And The Oscar Goes To:  Alice in Wonderland

Much for the same reasons listed above in the Art Direction category, Alice has to win here.

Best Achievement in Make-Up Effects

The Nominees Are:

Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

And The Oscar Goes To:  The Wolfman

Honestly, I've not seen any of these films, but based purely on on trailers, my pick goes to Wolfman.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score


The Nominees Are:

127 Hours: A.R. Rahman
How to Train Your Dragon: John Powell
Inception: Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech: Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

And The Oscar SHOULD Go To:  Inception, Hans Zimmer
But the Oscar WILL Go To:  The Social Network, Trent Reznor

I really loved Trent Reznor's score for Network, and it's always a good thing when a non-traditional choice wins.  But my favorite score is Inception.  Not since Danny Elfman's Batman has a score been so iconic.  You hear and you immediately know what film its from.

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

The Nominees Are:

127 Hours: A.R. Rahman, , Dido("If I Rise")
Country Strong: Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges("Coming Home")
Tangled: Alan Menken, Glenn Slater("I See the Light")
Toy Story 3: Randy Newman("We Belong Together")

And The Oscar Goes To:  Toy Story 3, Randy Newman

If for no other reason, the song fits perfectly to the film.

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

The Nominees Are:

Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

And The Oscar Goes To:  Inception

The sound mix in Inception is incredible.  No other film even comes close.

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

The Nominees Are:

Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

And The Oscar SHOULD Go To:  TRON: Legacy
But The Oscar WILL Go To:  Inception

I have no issue with Inception picking up another award, but the sound effects editing were just a tad more impressive in TRON.

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

The Nominees Are:

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

And The Oscar Goes To:  Inception

But, it's a close race.  Inception just beats out Alice by a nose, with Harry Potter pulling into a close third.  I really don't see either Iron Man nor Hereafter having much of a shot at all.

Best Documentary, Features

The Nominees Are:

Exit Through the Gift Shop
GasLand
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land

And The Oscar Goes To:  Exit Through The Gift Shop

Again, I have not had the good fortune to see any of the nominated films.  Making an educated guess as to what has all the buzz behind it though, Gift Shop seems a likely choice.

Tune in tomorrow to see how many we got right (and wrong!)

First Full Costume Picture from The Amazing Spider-Man

The new re-booted Spider-Man film starring Andrew Garfield is now officially called The Amazing Spider-Man.

The first full costume picture of Spidey is below. Notice the web-shooters!

The New Superman Has Been Cast!

Apparently, the new Superman has been cast. No Brandon Routh will NOT be returning as the Man of Steel, and “Smallville’s” Tom Welling did not get the part either.

Instead, relatively unknown Henry Cavill has reportedly been cast to play the dual role of Clark Kent and Superman in the upcoming film, Superman: The Man of Steel. Cahill was a cast member of the Showtime series “The Tudors,” and has had smaller roles in the films Stardust and Whatever Works. He can also be seen in the upcoming film Immortals.

An interesting choice to go with an actor who’s not generally known to the mainstream audience. But it’s production team has incredible pedigree. Superman: The Man of Steel will be produced by Christopher Nolan, who we all know SAVED the Batman franchise with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and responsible for other great films like Inception, Memento and The Prestige. Zach Snyder who has an impressive resume including Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen and the upcoming Sucker Punch is attached as director. While no word yet on the story, the film is being written by David S. Goyer who gave us classics like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Blade II and Dark City.

Bane and Catwoman Announced as Next Batman Villains

It looks like the rumors were true. Catwoman is the villain for The Dark Knight Rises, the third installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise. Who will play Selina Kyle? None other than Anne Hathaway, mostly known for fillms such as The Devil Wears Prada, Alice in Wonderland and Get Smart.

Joining her in the cast will be Tom Hardy as Bane. Tom Hardy has played a muscular criminal before in the prison movie Bronson and was also last seen in this past summer’s blockbuster Inception.

Interesting casting choices as well as character choices from Nolan. It will be interesting to see what he does with these two characters.

Marvel Releases First Look of Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man

This pic of Andrew Garfield as the new heir to the Spidey throne has been released. Looks like they’ve slightly altered the costume. Not sold on this yet as Tobey Maguire was the PERFECT Peter Parker, but here you go.

Garfield gained a lot of attention with this years The Social Network, with his performance earning him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

The as of yet untitled Spidey reboot will also star Easy A’s Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. She was sporting some blonde hair on Sunday Night’s Golden Globes Awards, so it looks like she dyed her instead of wearing a wig.

Acting heavyweights Martin Sheen and Sally Field will play Pete’s Uncle Ben and Aunt May respectively. Sheen of course is an icon having starred in films such as Apocalypse Now, The Departed and he played the President on the long-running series “The West Wing.” Field is a two-time Academy Award Winner best known for her work in Forrest Gump and Smokey and the Bandit.

An interesting casting choice of Denis Leary as Gwen’s father, police Captain Stacy. Leary, of course, blew up huge in the 90s with his foul-mouthed stand-up comedy routine and went to star in movies like The Ref, The Thomas Crown Affair, and is the lead in the AWESOME FX TV series “Rescue Me.”

The film will be directed by Marc Webb, who has thus far only had one major theatrical release, last year’s 500 Days of Summer. An interesting choice by the studio to hand their biggest property over to someone without much of a track record. But then again, Tim Burton was in pretty much the same position when he was handed Batman in 1989, and we all know how that turned out.

I love the original two Spideys (we’ll forget about that last one), so it’ll be interesting to see how this movie will follow up.

2010 Year in Review

INCEPTION

The Quick & Dirty:  The film of the year.  Christopher Nolan gets better and better as a filmmaker, and this deliberately confusing labyrinth of a film is almost on par with the excellence of The Dark Knight

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

The Quick & Dirty:  Excellent acting, masterful direction and well-structured story-telling make this a top contender for film of the year.  Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake espcially shine.

TRUE GRIT

The Quick & Dirty:  The Coens do it, yet again.  Another example in a long list of films that prove that they are modern-day masters.  The cast is top notch, the camerawork beautiful.  Overall an excellent piece of filmmaking. 

BLACK SWAN

The Quick & Dirty:  Darren Aronofsky is one of the modern-day masters.  Incredible direction, slick-and-disturbing camera work and fine acting makes this one of the year's best films.

TOY STORY 3

The Quick & Dirty:  Pixar does it again.  A surprisingly existential kid's film, TS3 has some legitimately moving and terrifying scenes.  Perhaps the best of the trilogy.

SHUTTER ISLAND

The Quick & Dirty:  Billed as "Scorsese Does Horror" it should have really been billed as "Scorsese Does Psychological Thriller."  Both Scorsese and DiCaprio are at the top of their games in this well-done thriller.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

The Quick & Dirty:  While Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter turn in great performances, the film relies too heavily on its visuals (which are often distracting) and paid zero attention to its story or pacing.

IRON MAN 2

The Quick & Dirty:  On its own, a fun, popcorn, superhero action movie.  As a sequel to the amazing first film, a disappointment.

TRON LEGACY

The Quick & Dirty:   A fun amusement park-style ride.  The story is weak and Jeff Bridges is channeling "The Dude" and not Kevin Flynn, but the incredible visuals, breath-taking action sequences and awesome music make up for it.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 1

The Quick & Dirty:  While paced a little slow at times, Hallows Part 1 succeeds as the incredibly dark penultimate chapter to this legendary franchise.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD

The Quick & Dirty:  An amusing script, cool fight scenes and its video game-style format make this a fun popcorn flick.

KICK-ASS

The Quick & Dirty:  Crude, violent... awesome.  Not your typical super-hero movie and not for anyone without a sick sense of humor.

THE A-TEAM

The Quick & Dirty:  Mindless, stupid and illogical... in a good way.  A-Team is simple "turn-your-brain-off" fun... just like the television show that inspired it.

SALT

The Quick & Dirty:  A fun, if not ridiculous, action movie that delivers.  Fun action sequences make up for a less-than-believable and all too predictable plot.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER

The Quick & Dirty:  This feels like it's the last movie in the franchise.  And it should be.  To be fair, there were some laughs, but few and far between.  A far cry from the legitimately first two installments.

CLASH OF THE TITANS

The Quick & Dirty:  While nice to look at (especially on Blu-ray), this remake is missing much of what makes the original so much fun.

THE LOSERS

The Quick & Dirty:  Predicable, but fun action movie.

DATE NIGHT

The Quick & Dirty:  Much funnier than expected, this film works mainly because of its two stars: Carrell and Fey.

LEGION

The Quick & Dirty:  Dull, boring and predictable.  This film takes a great premise and ultimately does nothing original.

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS:  THE LIGHTNING THIEF

The Quick & Dirty:  While it provides some amusement, fun cameos and decent action sequences, Clash of the Titans Jr. will not take the crown from Harry Potter as king of children's fantasy films.  

MACGRUBER

The Quick & Dirty:  Really quite silly and stupid... but what did you expect?  While not consistently funny, it is the best SNL-inspired film in years.  Plus, Val Kilmer as the villain is brilliant casting.

KNIGHT AND DAY

The Quick & Dirty:  It has its moments, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz do have great on-screen chemistry, but ultimately a mediocre effort.

Haven't Seen Yet But Hope To Soon:

THE FIGHTER

THE TOURIST

THE TOWN

EASY A

THE EXPENDABLES

THE KING'S SPEECH

RED

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

DESPICABLE ME

WINTER'S BONE

FASTER

BIUTIFUL

2010 Golden Globe Nominations

The Hollywood Foreign Press released the list of nominees for this year's Golden Globes, with some interesting choices...


BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KING’S SPEECH
THE SOCIAL NETWORK

As of yet, I've only seen Inception and The Social Network, which to me are the best films of the year so far. Black Swan and The Fighter look like strong films, though.

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

I think I'm really going to need to check out Winter's Bone.

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

Eisenberg was very strong in the Social Network, but looks like Dicaprio got snubbed.  He put in great performances in both Inception and Shutter Island.  The buzz seems to be centering around James Franco, however.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
BURLESQUE
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
RED
THE TOURIST

Alice in Wonderland was pretty, but ulitmately failed to deliver laughs or a good story.  I'm amused at Red's nomination.

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
JULIANNE MOORE - THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
EMMA STONE - EASY A

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JOHNNY DEPP - ALICE IN WONDERLAND
JOHNNY DEPP - THE TOURIST
PAUL GIAMATTI - BARNEY’S VERSION
JAKE GYLLENHAAL - LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS
KEVIN SPACEY - CASINO JACK

Though I wasn't enchanted with the film, Depp's performance in Wonderland was phenomenal.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
DESPICABLE ME
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
THE ILLUSIONIST
TANGLED
TOY STORY 3

I think this will be another Pixar year...

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
AMY ADAMS - THE FIGHTER
HELENA BONHAM CARTER - THE KING’S SPEECH
MILA KUNIS - BLACK SWAN
MELISSA LEO - THE FIGHTER
JACKI WEAVER - ANIMAL KINGDOM

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 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

BEST DIRECTOR – 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

Again, I really need to see Swan and Fighter, but my gut reaction is Nolan SHOULD win this.

As awards season for 2010/2011 heats up, it looks like the big movers and shakers are Black Swan, Inception, The Fighter, The Social Network, Alice in Wonderland, and The King's Speech.  The Town, The Tourist, Blue Valentine, Love and Other Drugs and 127 Hours are also getting buzz.  Should be an interesting next several months.

Leslie Nielsen Passes Away

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Leslie Nielsen yesterday.  Nielsen was one of the great comic actors of all time, and don't let anyone tell you differently.

Nielsen started off his career as a television actor and made his motion picture debut in 1956's Ransom.  He went to star in films as varied as Forbidden Planet, Beau Geste and The Poseidon Adventure, but he spent most of his early career in television and supporting roles.  

Then came Airplane! in 1980 and everything changed.  His performance was so brilliant that from that point forward he became known primarily as a comedic actor... and not just that, but a comedic leading man.  He took his newfound comedic success to a strange little television show called "Police Squad!"  While that show didn't last more than 6 episodes, it somehow managed to spawn an incredibly successful and equally hilarious film series in The Naked Gun.  From that point on, he cemented himself as a comedy legend and delivered memorable performances in movies like Repossessed, Spy Hard and the Scary Movie series.

What made his performances so incredibly funny was that he wasn't trying to be funny.  His best comedic work, if you really study it, he's completely dead pan.  He doesn't mug.  He doesn't say the lines in a "funny way."  He just delivers the dialog in a very straight-forward, very serious way.  You don't know why it's funny, it just is.  There in lies the man's genius.  Rest in peace, sir.

...and don't call me Shirley. 

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