National Board of Review announces

And to no surprise they do not like 'Precious' - they don't often go for gritty.

Best Film:
Up In The Air

Ten Best Films
(in alphabetical order)
AN EDUCATION
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
INVICTUS
THE MESSENGER
A SERIOUS MAN
STAR TREK
UP
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Best Director:
Clint Eastwood, Invictus

Best Actor:
Morgan Freeman, Invictus and George Clooney, Up In The Air (tie)

Best Actress:
Carey Mulligan, An Education

Best Supporting Actor:
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger

Best Supporting Actress:
Anna Kendrick, Up In The Air

Best Foreign Film:
A Prophet

Best Documentary:
The Cove

Best Animated Feature:
Up

Best Ensemble Cast:
It’s Complicated

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor:
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress:
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut:
Duncan Jones, Moon, Oren Moverman, The Messenger and Marc Webb, 500 Days of Summer (tie)

Best Original Screenplay:
Joel & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up In The Air

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award:
WES ANDERSON, The Fantastic Mr. Fox

William K. Everson Film History Award:
JEAN PICKER FIRSTENBERG

NBR Freedom of Expression:
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
INVICTUS
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSEBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

Five Best Foreign-Language Films
(in alphabetical order)
THE MAID
REVANCHE
SONG OF SPARROWS
THREE MONKEYS
THE WHITE RIBBON

Five Best Documentaries
(in alphabetical order)
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
CRUDE
FOOD, INC.
GOOD HAIR
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

Top Ten Independent Films:
(in alphabetical order)
AMREEKA
DISTRICT 9
GOODBYE SOLO
HUMPDAY
IN THE LOOP
JULIA
ME AND ORSON WELLES
MOON
SUGAR
TWO LOVERS

Mini reviews - guns and ammo

'Zombieland'

This was an enjoyable little romp, although nothing earth shattering and it still did not rise to the heights of 'Shaun of the Dead'.
There seemed to be a funnier film in there somewhere, that never really materialised.
Woody Harrelson gave an oddly moving performance (he kind of broke my heart) for a film advertised as a comedy.
I guess tragedy and comedy do go hand in hand.
Other than that it didn't offend me, nor did it rock my world, but it was a solid effort in the zombie/comedy genre and better that 90% of the films that get released today.

Grade - B-


'Inglourious Basterds'

Wow. Not what I was expecting. Sure it had its' definite Tarantino signature, but it totally blew me away in the way he held back with the scenes he needed to let build (The horror educing opening, the brilliant tavern scene, the strudel).
There has been some complaints about the finger in the face of historical accuracy, but this is a fantasy film, and oh what a fantasy it would have been. I mean every person who has read in disgust the horrors faced by the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis have wished they could go back in time and do something, and the 'Inglourious Basterds' do the next best thing. A revenge fantasy where the viewer cannot wait for the revenge to be acted out.
This is one of the best directed films of the year, and offers two fantastic supporting performances. Christopher Waltz was brilliant as the politely evil Col. Hans Landa and Mélanie Laurent played Soshanna brilliantly. Just watch her during the strudel scene and try not to be mesmerised by her complex and heart breaking performance.
A brilliant film (should also mention Diane Kruger who was also extremely good)

Grade - A-


'Public Enemies'

The film is beautiful to look at, the attention to period detail is magnificent.
Johnny Depp was reliably good as Dillinger and Marion Cotillard was wonderful as Billie Frechette (although the role was written with a definite lack of meat and juice).
Billy Crudup was very convincing as J. Edgar Hoover, but my word, when did Christian Bale get so boring as an actor? He put me to sleep (in all fairness so did the film).
Michael Man directed the film with a total lack of electricity. The tommy gun battles were dull, they lacked any excitement.
The only thing keeping me awake was playing spot the bit player.
LOOK - Carey Mulligan. LOOK - Leelee Sobieski. LOOK - Lili Taylor. LOOK - Diana Krall. LOOK - Giovanni Ribisi, LOOK - Emilie de Ravin. LOOK - David Wenham.
All in all a bit of a zzzzzzzzzzzz

Grade - C

Spirit Award nominations!!

Here they are people.
In all their perplexing, cheerable and tantrum starting glory.

This is (for me) the official season kick off (it is so important it is capitalised)
I love the beginning of Awards season!!!!
It keeps me going through the winter months after Christmas.

Heeeeeeeeeeeee


BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer)
(500) Days of Summer
Amreeka
Precious
Sin Nombre
The Last Station

BEST DIRECTOR
Joel & Ethan Coen - 'A Serious Man'
Lee Daniels - 'Precious'
Cary Fukanaga - 'Sin Nombre'
James Grey - 'Two Lovers'
Michael Hoffman - 'The Last Station'

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
A Single Man
Crazy Heart
Easier With Practice
The Messenger
Paranormal Activity

BEST SCREENPLAY
The Messenger
The Last Station
The Vicious Kind
Adventureland
(500) Days of Summer

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Cold Souls
Crazy Heart
Amreeka
Precious
A Single Man

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Maria Bello - 'Downloading Nancy'
Helen Mirren - 'The Last Station'
Gwentyth Paltrow - 'Two Lovers'
Gabby Sidibe - 'Precious'
Nisreen Faour - 'Amreeka'

BEST MALE LEAD
Jeff Bridges - 'Crazy Heart'
Colin Firth - 'A Single Man'
Joseph Gordon Levitt - '(500) Days of Summer'
Souleymane Sy Savane - 'Goodbye Solo'
Adam Scott - 'The Vicious Kind'

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Monique - 'Precious'
Samantha Morton - 'The Messenger'
Natahlie Press - 'Fifty Dean Men Walking'
Mia Wasikowska - 'That Evening Sun'
Dina Korzun - 'Cold Souls'

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Jemaine Clements - 'Gentlemen Broncos'
Woody Harrelson - 'The Messenger'
Cristian McKay - 'Me and Orson Welles'
Ramon McKinnon - 'The Evening Sun'
Christopher Plummer - 'The Last Station'

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
A Serious Man
Sin Nombre
Treeless Mountain
Cold Souls
Bad Lieutenant

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)
Anvil!
Food Inc
More Than a Game
October Country
Which Way Home

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)
A Prophet
An Education
Everlasting Moments
Mother
The Maid

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
A Serious Man

PRODUCERS AWARD
Karen Chien
Larry Fessenden
Dia Sokol

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Natalia Almada
Bill Ross and Turner Ross
Jessica Oreck


Some interesting inclusions here. What is surprising is who they have left off. Two acting nominations for 'That Evening Sun' and not one for Hal Holbrook. That was odd. Also considering the love for 'Two Lovers' they left out crazy ole Joaquin same for Ben Foster in 'The Messenger'. Seems the male lead category is a bit suspect.

I hate reviewing

I was looking at my grades for the films I have seen and I want to change them all. You should never write a review immediately after seeing a movie. Wait a week and then think back on it. I have seen 'Zombieland' 'Inglourious Basterds' and 'Public Enemies' but need some time to absorb.

Some need to come down, and some really need to go up. 'Precious will stay with an A+ as I am still thinking about that movie. For once I hyped myself up for a good one! Usually I am horribly disappointed ('Australia', 'Across the Universe' ect) so thanks Lee Daniels.

The week

This week is a big week.

Firstly, the Gotham Awards announced their winners. There was a bit of an uproar that 'Precious' was not in the nix, but the few negative reviews of the film come out of New York so that could explain it.

Anyway the big winner was 'The Hurt Locker' which is a very deserving film in any awards ceremony. This makes the film a near lock for a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Also Katherine Bigelow was awarded as well as the films ensemble. Catalina Saavedra was awarded for 'The Maid'. Great for her, but unlikely to translate to Oscar which is a shame.

Also this week we have the Independent Spirit Awards announce their nominations. 'The Hurt' locker was eligible last year so will not be in the mix. Expect showings from 'Precious', 'A Serious Man', 'A Single Man', 'Amreeka', 'Tucker' and '(500) Days of Summer' as well as some smaller, but no less well received films. It would be great to see films like 'That Evening Sun, 'The Messenger' and 'Me and Orson Wells' make an appearance as well.

Then lastly we have the National Board of Review give out their awards. For what they are worth (not much) here are my predictions:

Best Film: 'Up in the Air'

Rest of the top ten:

'The Hurt Locker'
'A Single Man'
'Up in the Air'
'The Last Station'
'Invictus'
'Nine'
'Where the Wild Things Are'
'An Education'
'Inglouroius Basterds'

Best Director: Katherine Bigelow - 'The Hurt Locker'
Alt: Jason Reitman - 'Up in the Air'

Best Actor: George Clooney - 'Up in the Air'
Alt: Jeff Bridges - 'Crazy Heart'

Best Actress: Meryl Streep - 'It's Complicated' and 'Julie & Julia'
Alt: Gabourey Sidibe - 'Precious'

Best Supporting Actor: Stanley Tucci - 'The Lovely Bones' and 'Julie & Julia'
Alt: Christopher Waltz - 'Inglourious Basterds'

Best Supporting Actress: Julianne Moore - 'The Private Lives of Pippa Lee', 'Chloe' and 'A Single Man'
Alt: Mo'Nique - 'Precious'

Golden Satellite Nominations

For what they are worth (nothing in terms of Oscar, but I kind of like these anyway - I will put stars by my happy ones)

Motion Picture, Drama
The Hurt Locker, Summit Entertainment **
Bright Star, Apparition
An Education, Sony Pictures Classics
The Messenger, Oscilloscope Laboratories **
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, Lionsgate **
The Stoning of Soraya M., Roadside Attractions

Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Julie & Julia, Columbia Pictures
The Informant! Warner Bros.
A Serious Man, Focus Features **
It’s Complicated, Universal Pictures
Up in the Air, Paramount Pictures
Nine, The Weinstein Company

10 BEST FILMS OF 2009 – [ listed alphabetically ]
- (500) Days of Summer **
- A Serious Man
- An Education
- Bright Star
- Inglourious Basterds
- Nine
- Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire **
- The Hurt Locker
- The Stoning of Soraya M.
- Up in the Air

Best Actress, Drama
Emily Blunt - The Young Victoria
Abbie Cornish - Bright Star
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Shohreh Aghdashloo - The Stoning of Soraya M.
Catalina Saavedra - The Maid **
Penélope Cruz - Broken Embraces

Actor In A Motion Picture, Drama
Johnny Depp - Public Enemies
Hugh Dancy - Adam **
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker **
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
Michael Sheen - The Damned United
Colin Firth - A Single Man

Actress In A Motion Picture, Comedy Or Musical
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
Zooey Deschanel - (500) Days of Summer
Katherine Heigl - The Ugly Truth
Sandra Bullock - The Proposal
Marion Cotillard - Nine **

Actor In A Motion Picture, Comedy Or Musical
Daniel Day-Lewis- Nine
Bradley Cooper - The Hangover
Matt Damon - The Informant!
Michael Stuhlbarg - A Serious Man **
George Clooney - Up in the Air

Actress In A Supporting Role
Emily Blunt - Sunshine Cleaning
Mozhan Marnò - The Stoning of Soraya M.
Mo’nique - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire e **
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Penélope Cruz - Nine

Actor In A Supporting Role
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Alfred Molina - An Education
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
James McAvoy - The Last Station
Timothy Spall - The Damned United

Motion Picture, Foreign Language Film
Red Cliff - China
The Maid - Chile
The White Ribbon - Germany
Broken Embraces - Spain
I Killed My Mother - Canada
Winter in Wartime - Netherlands

Motion Picture, Animated Or Mixed Media
Up, Disney – Pixar
Where the Wild Things Are, Warner Bros. Pictures
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Warner Bros. Pictures
The Princess and the Frog, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Fantastic Mr. Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Columbia Pictures

Motion Picture, Documentary
Every Little Step, Sony Pictures Classics
The Cove, Lionsgate
It Might Get Loud, Sony Pictures Classics
The September Issue, Roadside Attractions **
The Beaches of Agnès, Cinema Guild
Valentino: The Last Emperor, Truly Indie / Vitagraph Films

Director
Neill Blomkamp - District 9 **
Rob Marshall - Nine
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
Lee Daniels - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire **
Jane Campion - Bright Star
Lone Scherfig - An Education

Screenplay, Original
Jane Campion - Bright Star
Mark Boal - The Hurt Locker
Bob Peterson, Pete Docter - Up
Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber - (500) Days of Summer
Joel & Ethan Coen A Serious Man

Screenplay, Adapted
Nora Ephron- Julie & Julia
Nick Hornby - An Education
Geoffrey Fletcher - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell - District 9
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner - Up in the Air

Original Score
Elliot Goldenthal - Public Enemies
Rolfe Kent - Up in the Air
Michael Giacchino - Up
Carter Burwell, Karen O - Where the Wild Things Are
Marvin Hamlisch - The Informant!
Gabriel Yared - Amelia

ORIGINAL SONG
”Almost There”
Randy Newman - The Princess and the Frog
“I Can See in Color”
Mary J. Blige - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
“Down in New Orleans”
Randy Newman - The Princess and the Frog
“Cinema Italiano”
Maury Yeston - Nine
“The Weary Kind”
Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett - Crazy Heart
“We are the Children of the World”
Terry Gilliam - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Cinematography
Dion Beebe - Nine
Dante Spinotti - Public Enemies
Guillermo Navarro, Erich Roland - It Might Get Loud
Lu Yue, Zhang Li - Red Cliff
Roger Deakins - A Serious Man
Robert Richardson - Inglourious Basterds

Visual Effects
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Wayne Billheimer, John Frazier - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Craig Hayes - Red Cliff
John Paul Docherty, Richard Bain - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Tim Ledbury - Fantastic Mr. Fox
Robert Habros, Charlie Bradbury, Stephen Pepper, Winston Helgason - District 9 **
Volker Engel, Marc Weigert, Mike Vezina 2012

Film Editing
Greg Finton - It Might Get Loud
Angie Lam, Yang Hongyu, Robert A. Ferretti - Red Cliff
Julian Clarke - District 9
David Brenner, Peter S. Elliot - 2012
Chris Innis, Bob Murawski - The Hurt Locker
Claire Simpson, Wyatt Smith - Nine

Sound (Mixing & Editing)
Cameron Frankley, Mark Ulano, Richard Van Dyke, Ron Bartlett - Terminator Salvation
Ethan Van Der Ryn, Erik Aadahl, Geoffrey Patterson, Gary Summers, Greg P. Russell - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Joel Dougherty, Chuck Fitzpatrick - It Might Get Loud
Steve Burgess - Red Cliff
Paul N.J. Ottosson, Michael Mcgee, Rick Kline, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Michael Keller - 2012
Margit Pfeiffer, Jim Greenhorn - Nine

Art Direction & Production Design
Terry Gilliam, Dave Warren, Anastasia Masaro - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nathan Crowley, Patrick Lumb, William Ladd Skinner - Public Enemies
Eddy Wong - Red Cliff
Chris Kennedy - The Road
Barry Chusid, Elizabeth Wilcox - 2012
Ian Phillips, Dan Bishop - A Single Man

Costume Design
Tim Yip - Red Cliff
Consolata Boyle - Chéri
Monique Prudhomme - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Sandy Powell - The Young Victoria
Colleen Atwood - Nine

Tesla Award In Recognition Of Visionary Achievement In Filmmaking Technology
Roger Deakins
Auteur Award
Roger Corman

BEST ENSEMBLE, MOTION PICTURE
Nine

BEST ENSEMBLE, TELEVISION
True Blood

OUTSTANDING GUEST STAR
Kristin Chenoweth for Glee

OUTSTANDING NEW TALENT
Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire

LOVE the girl power in the Director category!

The 'Precious' debate

If you scroll through any of the posts about 'Precious' over at 'Awards Daily' you will see some very serious debates, some of these come in the form of attacks. - and man can they be vicious.
I do not think there is a film so far this year to inspire such feeling. What people love about the film, others resent:The sucker punch the film delivers

The representation of people on welfare
The representation of the black community
Having an over average weight woman as the lead
The representation of the welfare system
The representation of the education system
The movie

Sadly what people are forgetting is that this is just one story. No single story can ever represent a community, a class or a people, but take every story ever told and you will find a fairly accurate representation of mankind.
Still some of the attacks on the film are extremely vicious and rampant (I swear the people froth at the mouth while writing the pieces they write). That is something that saddens me, that so much hate, confusion, anger and bitterness as stemmed from this film.
I left the cinema thankful for seeing film about a girl with no prospects, decide that she was worth fighting for a future. I guess growing up being exposed to domestic and other abuse allows for seeing a film like this in a different light.
I know Precious. Many of my friends do. Sadly, many of the people I have spoken to also know Mary. It does exist, this abuse, and I for one am happy there is a film getting a lot of attention and inspiring a lot of debate for shining a light on it.

Best Original Song

Sometimes, when you stop to think about it, the Oscars can be really bloody cool.

Nothing Really Matter but MOI

Mini Reviews

'Monsters vs Aliens'

I get it, I get it. Animated films are largely aimed at kids. But do they have to be so dumb and dull?
I mean really, I did not crack a smile watching this.
Not a one.
Am I asking too much for these studios to make a film that makes me feel something other than "when does this end?".
Last night I re-watched 'The Iron Giant'. Now that is how you do it.

Grade - D+

'Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen'

Someone please make Michael Bay watch all his films in a row, then sit him in front of 'Star Trek', 'District 9', 'The Dark Knight' and many other films that involve heros, CGI, explosions until he sees the difference with what he makes (a loud, ugly mess for people with ADD).
I actually think that man suffers with ADD and needs to get some serious help.
Here is what was wrong with the film:The plot. How can you follow it? Make it simple. Deceptions need a new home and do not want to share it. See Michael Bay - EASY! Please cut out a explosion that would only take up 5 minutes and pay a screenwriter.
Shia LaBeouf. He acts like he has ADD too. When you find yourself wish to see more of Megan Fox you know you lead is not very good.
What I love about the cartoon and the toys is seeing how they transform, and it making sense. Here they make no sense in terms of scale and transformability. And do not get me started on Devastator. He was the toy I always wanted and never got. Here they turned him into a giant hoover. The only reason this film does not get an 'F' grade is because of Soundwave. He was cool.

On second thought. Just retire Michael Bay, he is not worth keeping around. I only watched this because the child in me demanded it.

Grade - D-

'Invictus' reviewed

David Ansen over at Newsweek has chimed in:

"We witness a politician at the top of his game: Freeman's wily Mandela is a master of charm and soft-spoken gravitas. Anthony Peckham's sturdy, functional screenplay, based on John Carlin's book Playing the Enemy, can be a bit on the nose (and the message songs Eastwood adds are overkill). Yet the lapses fade in the face of such a soul-stirring story—one that would be hard to believe if it were fiction."

I could not really tell if the review was great or good.
I am very curious about this film. I normally find Clints films rather dull or lacking in something to make them great, but sometimes spotted with wonderful performances (Meryl Streep, Marcia Gay Harden to name a few) that lift the material up. I mean Meryl in 'Bridges' makes that film ten times better that it was.

Also on TMRzoo I read this review by Bruce Owens (no idea who the guy is or about the site, just came up in a Google search and I went to it):
In it he says the following (which made me smile a little):

"Invictus is a poem by British poet William Ernest Henley. The title is Latin for “unconquered”. This movie title has been chosen for the new Clint Eastwood film about South Africa’s triumph in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He should have titled the movie “Somni” which is Latin for sleep. Clint’s 34th outing as a Director looks like he has gone down the Changeling and Bridges of Madison County road again. No one can bore an audience like Clint can."

Ouch. But obviously this review does not matter, what matters is that if one person feels it, then others will as well, just how many is beyond me.

The film will no doubt 'stir the soul' for some, but it will definitely have it's cracks. Will it make the final 10? More than likely. The question we have to ask, will the movie be a big enough hit to get nominations for its director and actors? I say this because the field is tightening up and you have to ask who you can drop to make room.

More 'The Wolfman' goodness

Wow. 'The Wolfman' poster are pretty things to behold. They evoke that old fashioned gothic horror that has sadly been replaced by puppets with saws.

The first new poster:

Showing the gigantic Wolfman and the small Emily Blunt is effective in conveying how she is completely overwhelmed by the man/beast. However it does make me laugh a little. The Wolfmans breath blends into the light which illuminates Blunt. However the effect looks more like he coughing his raw meat breath all over the poor woman.

The second new poster:

Much better.
Bloodied, ripped and howling (how sex should be ;). I am loving the use of perspective and angles in these posters. Job well done!

'The Last Station' trailer

Well after seeing it I seriously think Helen is in the race big time, and so is Christopher Plummer.

The person I am most excited to see though is Anne-Marie Duff who I think is a wonderful actress.

'The Princess and the Frog' screens

Well it seems the fate of the Best Animated Film category at the Oscars is going to be pretty much sewn up soonish.

With 'Up' as a lock, and 'Coraline' looking really good we can now most likely add 'The Princess and the Frog' to the lock/likely list.

Although Justin Change of Variety was not blown away:

"Disney goes back to the drawing board with results more diverting than captivating in "The Princess and the Frog." Conspicuously outfitted with an African-American heroine and a vibrant 1920s New Orleans setting, this cheeky update of a classic fairy tale boasts almost as many talking points as merchandising opportunities, and should enjoy jazzy holiday biz starting with its Thanksgiving weekend bicoastal engagement and extending well past its Dec. 11 wide release. But whatever it accomplishes for Disney's reputation or bottom line, this long-anticipated throwback to a venerable house style never comes within kissing distance of the studio's former glory."

This would usually usher in a whole bunch of people immediately dismissing the film (me included - for some reason I think of Variety as holy) but Kirk Honeycutt at The Hollywood Reporter loved the film saying:

"This is the best Disney animated film in years. Audiences -- who don't care whether it's cel animation, CGI, stop motion, claymation or motion capture as long as it's a good story -- will respond in large numbers. A joyous holiday season is about to begin for Disney."

And over at Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Schwarzbaum echos that statement in her grade 'A' review saying

"Young viewers of The Princess and the Frogwon't give a croak that the marvelous new 
 adventure from Walt Disney Animation Studios has been created using the same hand-drawn, 2-D techniques that entertained those viewers'Bambi-loving grandparents more than 65 years ago. But adults should: This old-fashioned charmer holds its own beside the motion-capture elegance of Disney's A Christmas Carol, the engrossing stop-motion universes ofCoraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox, the CG-enhanced genius of Up, the wonder of 3-D technology, and, indeed, the unique, hand-drawn Japanese artistry of Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo as the year's deepest, most affecting, and most inventive movies"

Glad to see they are back. I for one cannot wait to see if it lives up for the gloriousness of its hey day. My childhood demands it.

New 'Nine' poster

Is it just me, or is this poster campaign all over the place?


First we had this poster:

I did like it even if the sun light soaked back drop does look a little bit like the Batman symbol. Plus the obsessive compulsive in me got really worried about shoes on a white sofa. I also was not overly happy with the red font. It looked tacked on and not thought out. However it worked very well in setting the mood for the central character.


Then this poster gets released:

I get it, a movie within a movie - poster within a poster.
Still it just does not work for me.
Penélope is caught at an awkward angle (she looks in the throws of ecstasy of arm pit shaving), Kate looks like she is practising her red carpet pose, Marion looks annoyed and bored, like she has been waiting at the Dr's office for a really long time. As for Nicole, well she looks like she need some allergy eye drops and an emergency room visit. She must be having an allergic reaction 'cause her head look HUGE!.


Then we get this photoshopped and jumbled mess:

Daniel must have something in his ear, Marion is fascinated. Penélope is celebrating her newly shaved arm pits. I can almost hear her - "Touch them...they are smmmmoooth"


And now this:

Let me break this down for you.

Daniel Day Lewis - 1 Oscars, 2 other nominations
Nicole Kidman - 1 Oscar, 1 other nomination
Sophia Loren - 1 Oscar, 1 honorary Oscar, 1 other nomination
Judi Dench - 1 Oscar, 5 other nominations
Marion Cotillard - 1 Oscar

None of them make the poster. Let's market this to the American Idol generation.
Fergie is on a potential Oscar Best Picture nominee poster people!!!

'The Lovely Bones' hits (misses)

So I take a much needed mental health break (drinking all weekend) and now I am back to bore you to death with my incessant droning.

So 'The Lovely Bones' has been seen and the over all opinion is the film is good, but not great.
Todd McCarthy of Variety says:

"Peter Jackson's infatuation with fancy visual effects mortally wounds "The Lovely Bones." Alice Sebold's cheerily melancholy bestseller, centered upon a 14-year-old girl who narrates the story from heaven after having been brutally murdered, provides almost ready-made bigscreen material. But Jackson undermines solid work from a good cast with show-offy celestial evocations that severely disrupt the emotional connections with the characters."

but he does have some good things to say about the film, especially for Saoirse Ronan performance:

"With reddish hair, brilliantly alive eyes and a seemingly irrepressible impulse for movement and activity, Ronan represents a heavenly creature indeed, a figure of surging, eager, anticipatory life cut off just as it is budding."

Surprisingly Tucci, who most have thought would be a front runner, did not get a rave from McCarthy.

Time magazine was less harsh, but still pointed to a few problems within the film:

"The plot has a few pitfalls. Jack, who fingers dozens of men as Susie's potential abductor, takes ages to notice the strange guy across the street. And Abigail departs and reappears with little organic reason. But the movie is packed with privileged moments..."

This seems to be a recurring theme. from reading the reviews at Variety and Time, then going over to AICN I read Harry Knowels swooning review, but you take him with a pinch of salt, he is always going to love Jackson. However his review seemed to lack his usual passion.
Screen Daily felt it was "exquisitely realised, sometimes frustratingly uneven."
Even Total Film doesn't sound overly excited, but does give the biggest thumbs up.

I think The Hollywood Reporter says what I feel will be what many others feel:

"This was never going to be an easy story to film. Using the same characters and many events, Jackson and his team tell a fundamentally different story. It's one that is not without its tension, humor and compelling details. But it's also a simpler, more button-pushing tale that misses the joy and heartbreak of the original."

With ten nominees the film could very well make it into the cut, but as it stands now, this is very very shaky. Perhaps Ronan and Tucci will make it, but its Oscar prospects have somewhat dipped.