Better Late than Never: My Top 10 Movies from 2010

I've wondered whether I should even bother doing this list since it's now March. Then again, if the Academy can honour movies so 'late', then why can't I?
One of the movies I've chosen is classed as a 2009 film, but it came out here in cinemas in May and I finally saw it in September last year. So that's why it is here. The rest are all 2010 releases in America, and some only came out here this year, but they still get a mention.

Here are some honourable mentions:
True Grit, Nowhere Boy, The King's Speech, Winter's Bone, Me and Orson Welles, The Losers, Iron Man 2, Boy, The Hurt Locker, How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled, The Runaways, Cemetery Junction, Despicable Me, Harry Brown, Unstoppable, Tomorrow When the War Began, Easy A.

10. City Island

This tenth spot has caused me a lot of trouble. But I believe I have picked the right one in City Island. Gosh, I loved City Island. Such an underrated gem which should have been nominated for a screenplay award at the Oscars. It was that good.

9. Black Swan

I don't really need to say anymore than I have over the course of the awards season. Black Swan is beautiful. Darren Aronofsky is a master. Natalie Portman is brilliant. Mila Kunis is so goddamn good looking I want to cry.

8. 127 Hours

James Franco may have failed in hosting the Oscars, but he didn't fail in lifting this whole film on his own. Without Franco in the lead and Danny Boyle doing his amazing directing 127 Hours would have just been some weird film with a guy chopping off his arm. But no, 127 Hours suceeded in making me feel sick, making me love my arm even more and feel instantly uplifted. Too few films do that.

7. Kick-Ass

I know I'm obsessed with a movie when I watch one every day for a whole week (I am not joking). By now, everyone has forgotten about the crazy shenanigans of that 12 year old killing-machine Hit-Girl. Which is a shame because Kick-Ass is damn awesome.

6. A Single Man

I feel like this film should be a little higher up in the list, but there are only so many spots and so many films. I loved A Single Man. It was so heartbreaking and beautifully made by Tom Ford, not to mention the scene stealing jersey that Nicholas Hoult wears (haha). Jeez, everytime I think of this film I feel like crying. It's just so gorgeous.

5. Animal Kingdom



Damn, those Australians done good this time. When I first saw Animal Kingdom, I wasn't overly impressed by it, but then I saw it again and I fell head over heels for it. It has such terrific structure and narrative which gives it this 'pizzazz' which stops it from feeling like another generic crime movie.

4. Toy Story 3

How could you not love Toy Story 3? I mean, there's that scene, at the end, when Andy...(excuse me while I cry into my laptop which will explode soon since it isn't water resistant...)

3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim vs the World is the bomb. The caffiene fuelled, eye popping, totally funny bomb. There are simply no more words I can use to describe my love for this film.

2. The Social Network

Yes, I would have rather seen this movie win Best Picture over The King's Speech. It really is the film of our generation. And I just got my 2 disc collector's edition of it! I'm so happy I could die! I finally have my eighth favourite film of all time in my hot little hands!

1. Inception

Yeah, I know how much you were expecting to see Sex and the City 2 here. Sorry to surprise you with this one being number one. I'm Stevee Taylor, I'm a Christopher Nolan-aholic, it's unhealthy, but I don't give a crap. Inception is one frickin' awesome movie, and I won't have anyone tell me otherwise.

AAN: Oscar predictions - Best Picture


Welcome to Part Five of my Oscar predictions - the big one that Annual Awards Nerdism for 2011 has come down to.


Jeez Louise, is it that time already? Tomorrow the Oscars will arrive, sadly while I'll be at school (but I'll be in my computing class which will keep me up to date with everything), and we'll have the answers to our many questions. I'm so excited my stomach has that funny butterfly feeling, but then again, once the Oscars are gone, there won't be much excitement in my life for a while.

Anyway, today I'll be predicting Best Picture. First I am going to rank my favourites from the Best Pic race in a similar style to the 'Top 10' lists I do every now and again. Then I shall give you my actual 'Zuck' prediction afterwards.

Anyway, let's begin!

10. The Kids Are All Right

While I praised The Kids Are All Right for it's believable characters and funny portrait of a modern family, the end just felt like it was lacking something. In fact, the movie felt like it was lacking something, which was a shame because it had such a great concept. I don't fully understand why it got the nomination, as I wouldn't think that this was the type of film the Academy would go for, but I'm glad to see they went for at least one intentionally funny piece in the lineup. It has a Golden Globe win to its name which gives it a bit more height, but seriously, did the film have any competition in that category? Oh, that's right, The Tourist was supposed to be going for gold this year. And The Kids Are All Right took its shot at glory. *gasp* What has this world come to?!

9. The Fighter

Let's face it: The Fighter is probably concerned with it's stars winning acting awards than it is about winning Best Pic. Christian Bale will almost definitely win Best Supporting Actor and either Melissa Leo or Amy Adams both have really good chances of winning Best Supporting Actress. But the sad thing about that is the fact that Mark Wahlberg missed out on an acting nom and will miss out again on winning Best Pic...as he is the producer of this film. Poor Marky Mark. Despite early reviews hailing The Fighter as a masterpiece and whatnot, a lot of people have come out saying this movie is quite 'pedestrian' and not actually that great. I think this is a common happening in awards season: they say a film is great at first, but once they get nominated they turn on it, as they've probably found new things. So basically, they should have just nominated Drive Angry early so it didn't lose any fans come Oscar night.
 
8. Winter's Bone
 

 
I actually thought that this would be my least favourite out of the lot of them. But no, Winter's Bone struck a chord with me, even if it wasn't a hit with everyone. I do admit, it's inclusion in the Best Picture race is strange considering the size of the production and the fact that people would have rather seen movies like The Town in it's place, but I am glad it got a look in. Even if it won't win, it is here, and that's all that matters. Yeah, it doesn't have a chance. I imagine the only reason that it is here is because of the fact that the critics really, really stuck behind it and it has that Sundance seal of approval. It has better chances in the acting categories it is going for. Winter's Bone will probably become like A Serious Man last year: the little, forgotten nominee.
 
7. The King's Speech
 

Don't get me wrong, I like The King's Speech. It's a nice movie which made me feel uplifted and whatnot. I just don't want it to win Best Picture. As everyone says, it's too 'safe'.

Anyway, if the movie does win, I shall be reciting a special quote from this film:

"Fuck. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck and fuck! Fuck, fuck and bugger! Bugger, bugger, buggerty buggerty buggerty, fuck, fuck, arse! Balls, balls...fuckity, shit, shit, fuck and willy. Willy, shit and fuck and... tits."

See, I love this movie so much.

6. True Grit

Being a 'Western virgin', as it would seem, I surprisingly really enjoyed The Coens rendition of True Grit. The character work was the particular highlight, along with the brilliant acting from one awesome cast. I can still see Hailee Steinfeld winning for her work in the film, and if everyone were to forget The King's Speech and The Social Network for a second, this movie might actually win Best Picture. But that is a prediction that is a little far from reality. The film has had the same momentum right throughout the awards season: it just turned up with a lot of critical applause but hasn't really been overhyped or blown out of proportion like The King's Speech has been. That reason could again work in its favour, but I can't see this movie getting much return on it's ten nominations.
 
5. Black Swan
 

 
It's been a month since I saw Black Swan and not a day goes by when I am not haunted by at least one image from the movie. I've had just about enough of people here bad mouthing it, too. Sure, the only chance it has at winning anything is Natalie Portman, but Black Swan is a much better film than a lot of people are giving it credit for. It's definitely not the type of film that would win Best Pic, but there could be a first time for everything right? Especially if the voters like some Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.
 
4. 127 Hours
 

 
While everyone thought The King's Speech was uplifting, I thought 127 Hours was the most uplifting out there. Definitely the most uplifting. Sure, King George had his stammer and he had to save his country by saving himself, but Aron Ralston had to chop off his own arm in order to survive. And the moments we see that on film are the most harrowing and deeply disturbing that I may have ever seen. 127 Hours is the posterchild for brilliant editing and being a film which makes you feel every ounce of pain. Why wasn't Danny Boyle nominated for Best Director? Geez. And why were lots of people doubting that this film would even get into the nominations? Beyond me. 127 Hours totally owns. It's so bloody awesome. (no pun intended)
 
3. Toy Story 3
 

 
Ah, I only have fond memories of Toy Story 3. People may say it's overrated and all, but I love it to bits. I mean, this movie made me cry more than any movie I've ever seen apart from Requiem for a Dream. It just gets me every time. Of course, this film doesn't really need to win here as it will win in the Best Animated section. And it doesn't have much chance considering it's an animated and it came out such a long time ago that it has lost its momentum. But considering that it's the highest grossing animated film of all time, how long will it take for an animated flick to win Best Pic? Coz, in my opinion, you really don't get much better than this.
 
2. The Social Network
 

 
I literally think that The Social Network is one of the best movies ever made. And even though it's not my number one, I still think that it should win Best Pic. Because this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime kinds of movies. There simply isn't a way in which I can clearly describe it. All I know is that it has come so far and it just can't turn back empty handed. It won all the top honours from the critics societies. Sure, it lost out on all the Guild awards. But at the end of the day, which movie will last longer: The King's Speech or The Social Network?
 
1. Inception
 

 
Didn't see that one coming, did you? There is still a little inkling of hope that my second favourite movie of all time will be a surprise and win. Like, I can actually picture it happening. But it probably won't, since it's a sci-fi, since it requires a brain and probably since Christopher Nolan has something to do with it. Inception doesn't need a fancy Oscar to prove its the best. It just is the best.
 
Who do I think will actually win?
The Social Network. Well, I'm 75% expecting The King's Speech to win, but the more I think about The Social Network, the more I like its chances, so I will go with that prediction. It better bloody win, that's for sure.
Longshot?
Everything that isn't The King's Speech or The Social Network. Well, the biggest longshot is probably The Kids Are All Right.
 
So, they're all my predictions wrapped up. What are you thinking will win?
See you back here tomorrow for my thoughts on the winners!

AAN: Oscar predictions - Soundies and Design

Welcome to Part One of my Oscar predictions - the big one that this series of Annual Awards Nerdism for 2011 has come down to. Each day from now, leading up to the Oscars, I will tackle the categories in which I have put in to categories, and give you my predictions on the winners. Let's see how many I get right: I might get paid in the end.

For you people not in the know:

Leo = who I want to win.

Zuck = who I predict to win.

Steve = the longshot.

Todays categories are:
-Soundies: Best Achievement in Sound Editing, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures - Original Song, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures - Original Score.
- Design: Best Achievement in Art Direction, Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Makeup.

Soundies awards.

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

I wouldn't say that 'sound editing' is my greatest field of knowledge, but I think I know enough. It's all about how good the sound quality is, and how it all came together, right? Well, if that is how it is, then I'll base my picks on that alone.
Inception will win. Just because Inception sounds frickin amazing. Yeah, you may think that sounds presumptuous of me, but it has the sound editing downpat, right? But its good to see TRON: Legacy (no matter how much it sucked, it deserved nods in the score and visual effects categories) and Unstoppable in there. They could sneak the upset. As for Toy Story 3 and True Grit...well, they have other categories to worry about.
My Leo: Inception
My Zuck: Inception
My Steve: Toy Story 3

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

So Sound Mixing is basically just how awesome the film sounds, right? Well, they all sounded pretty awesome. Except for maybe The King's Speech. But I get why it was nominated: it had lots of microphones so the sound geeks went gaga for it. Again, I'm looking for Inception to win, since its a technical award and the Academy like giving Christopher Nolan flicks the ol' techie awards. Its a little random seeing Salt get nominated, but it did have some pretty nice sound (though, who am I to judge, this was the only film of the lot I didn't see in cinemas). The Social Network has some nice sound, as does True Grit. I'm no expert, but I'm really liking Inception's chances here.
My Leo: Inception
My Zuck: Inception
My Steve: The King's Speech

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Man, this is a toughie. Lets look at the options:

If I Rise - 127 Hours

This song plays during a pretty pivotal part in this awesome movie, and seems to add some gentleness to an otherwise gritty film. The choir at the end is a little strange, in my opinion, but A. R. Rahman and Dido are awesome, so all is forgiven.

Coming Home - Country Strong

Though its a little hard to see Country Strong as an 'Academy Award nominated film', this song is nice. Especially with Gwyneth Paltrow behing the mic. Good, nice country song that almost made me shed a tear. I like it, a lot.

I See the Light - Tangled

Probably my favourite. Only one bone to pick: Why the hell wasn't Tangled nominated for Best Animated Feature?! It was such an awesome film. And this song is so good that I hope it wins.

We Belong Together - Toy Story 3

...but, this one is cool too! Really upbeat and fun...you can't go wrong with Randy Newman! I can definitely see this one winning.

My Leo: Tangled
My Zuck: Toy Story 3
My Steve: Country Strong

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

We've had this conversation. I like both Inception and The Social Network's score, and even though I favour the former, the latter will definitely win. Unless The King's Speech fairly 'Oscar-seasoned' BAFTA winning score comes through. 127 Hours has a nice score by A. R. Rahman. How to Train Your Dragon, stealing some thunder off Toy Story 3, is also nice enough, but I can't see it winning. In fact, I can't see anything winning other than The Social Network.
My Leo: Inception
My Zuck: The Social Network
My Steve: How to Train Your Dragon
 

Design awards.

 
Best Achievement in Art Direction

Wow, I guess Helena Bonham Carter is a good asset to have if you wanna get nominated in the Best Art Direction category! She has Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter 7 and The King's Speech nominated, and even though they all stand good chance, for me its between Inception and True Grit. The former because it has one a lot of awards in this category and the latter because the art direction was something that really struck me while I was watching True Grit. Either or, I don't mind.
My Leo: True Grit
My Zuck: Inception
My Steve: Alice in Wonderland
 
Best Achievement in Costume Design

Even though I generally dislike I Am Love, I loved the costume design. It was literally a feast for the eyes. The costumes in that would probably be my favourite here. Alice in Wonderland is perhaps a little too 'fantastical', The King's Speech has some nice fitted costumes but aren't we a little tired of the period stuff? The Tempest...I have not seen but the costumes look interesting, and, well, True Grit has some really nice ones. I could see that winning.
My Leo: I Am Love
My Zuck: True Grit
My Steve: Alice in Wonderland
 
Best Achievement in Makeup

Gee, sorry to disappoint you after all this time and that rather large picture, but I haven't actually seen any of these movies, and don't have much of an opinion on their makeup. From what I hear: Barney's Version is all about aging, The Way Back is all about making people look...less than hygenic, and The Wolfman is al about making people look wolfy. Eh, all right. Here are my guesses...

My Leo: The Way Back, since I thought it would be nominated for more but no such luck.

My Zuck: The Wolfman

My Steve: Barney's Version

See you back here tomorrow, same place, maybe not same time just in case I have that lovely thing called homework. Tomorrow I shall take a look at the 'Bests' (foreign, animated and docos)  and the 'Visuals' (editing, cinematography and visual effects). 

Cinema - 127 Hours

or: The movie without a right arm.

One word to sum it up: Eye-popping

127 Hours had a lot riding on it to get my approval. Firstly, I've been waiting FOREVER to finally see this movie, considering it came out 14 weeks ago in America and we have just got it. Then there's the fact that Danny Boyle never fails to impress me, so I wasn't willing to admit defeat here, especially because the trailer made it look jam-packed full of great visuals and colour. And there's the little bit of hype surrounding the now famous amputation scene...more on that later. To those who doubted that this would get its place among this years Oscar nominees, you were very wrong. This is one of my favourite films to get nominated this year.

The story is pretty well known. Based on Aron Ralston's autobiography 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place', this tells the story of Aron's (James Franco) plight to survive. On a hiking trip, Aron finds himself with his arm crushed and trapped by a boulder in an isolated canyon in Utah. With limited food and water, Aron starts to think of possible ways he could get himself out, all the while recalling past experiences which have shaped him as a person: mainly including his regrets. As Aron slowly deteriorates, he begins an unthinkable task to ensure his survival.

A whole movie based on a guy stuck in a canyon could have been a tedious journey. However, from the get go, when we see Aron getting ready for his big trip, Danny Boyle uses multiple split screens not only to add more visual goodness, but to give us a small reminder of what we are in for: a hyper adrenaline junkie type film. From there on this movie moves quickly, but surprisingly, the memories don't run this movie over. The film never strays far away from its awful predicament. While being stuck in a small place couldn't possibly be the most interesting idea for a movie, screenwriters Boyle and Simon Beaufoy give us plenty to chew on. They bring you right into the story, and with the aid of brilliant direction from Boyle and an ambient score from A. R. Rahman, you can feel every prick of pain and the urge to survive. And they also give you a very good moral: always tell someone where you are going. All the time.

James Franco had a big job in this movie. For 80% of the film, all we see is James Franco, on his own. The other 20% of the time we have people coming in and out of the story, who are easily outshone by Franco's brilliant star performance. Had this been given to any less likable than Franco, it would have fallen flat on its face. I'll admit, had Boyle's first choice Cillian Murphy gone with the role, it probably wouldn't have been as good. James Franco makes this movie. If only he could win the Oscar this year.

The editing in this movie is another strong point. There must be a million different angles used to make the prospect of claustrophobia in the canyon a lot scarier than it should have been on film. But the best editing is used in the amputation scene. There are terrific cuts which explode within the scene which is ten times more horrible than any movie that is intentionally sadistic, i.e. Saw (+7). I wouldn't call myself an expert on gore, but I generally felt sick after that scene. Which made the ending all the more sweet. In fact, this movie was life changing for me. I appreciate water a lot more now.

THE VERDICT: 127 Hours is a visceral and intense drama with the typical Danny Boyle flair that we know and love. James Franco is simply amazing acting (for the majority) by himself, and truly makes this film the uplifting hit it is.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

AAN: My predictions for the BAFTAs

The BAFTAs are coming up (not entirely sure exactly when, all I know is that they won't be streamed live here), and since there is a bloody good lot of nominations and this is the last big mainstream award show before the Oscars, I shall see which of these cool nominations will take away the funny looking golden mask. Of course, I will be using my awardsy raters, Leo, Zuck and Steve.

Key:

Leo=Who I most want to win. Generally doesn't mean they will win, though.

Zuck=Who will probably win.

Steve=Who has the least chance of winning.

BEST FILM:

I'm still an Inception fan, through and through, but it practically has no chance of winning. I'm predicting that The King's Speech will take the cake over The Social Network since this is a British awards show, though TSN still has a good chance because a) it won the top prize at the London Critics Circle awards and b) The King's Speech will probably win Best British Film, leaving The Social Network to win this one. But there is more chance that they will unfortunately go with The King's Speech, bettering it's chances to win Best Picture. True Grit is a wildhorse of sorts in the category, but even though Black Swan is amazing, it has the least amount of chance to win here.

ALEXANDER KORDA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR

The King's Speech will definitely come away with this one. Even if 127 Hours is better (that's a British film? It seemed completely American to me).

BEST ACTOR

This category is exactly the same as the Oscars one. I know Colin Firth deserves it, and he definitely will get it, and I'll love him to death for it, I'm still a Jesse Eisenberg fan. And a James Franco fan, for that matter. Thanks to not being nominated everywhere over the course of the awards season, Jeff Bridges doesn't stand a chance, nor does dark horse Javier Bardem.

BEST ACTRESS

Natalie Portman should be given her Oscar already. Is there any competition for her? It's nice to see that Annette Bening and Julianne Moore have been nominated for The Kids Are All Right, along with the brilliant Noomi Rapace for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. While Hailee Steinfeld arguably belongs in this category, the fact that she is Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress kinda takes the shine off her campaign here.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

It would be quite cool is the BAFTAs decided to go with Andrew Garfield, since those Brits really like him. But then again, Christian Bale is a Brit too, and they'll make like sheep and go with him. Geoffrey Rush is there, plus a surprise nomination for the late Pete Postlethwaite in The Town. Mark Ruffalo, like he is in the same category for the Oscars, is the dark horse.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

With no Melissa Leo in here, this is a very interesting race, and could seriously shake up the Oscars. I'm glad Barbara Hershey got a nomination for her creepy turn in Black Swan, and she has every chance of winning. The Fighter's other actress, Amy Adams, should get the award, and I'd be damn happy if she did. But there is a possibility that they will go with their Brit fave Helena Bonham Carter, or even Lesley Manville. Even Miranda Richardson has a chance. So much uncertainty!

DAVID LEAN AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION

This should have been the category they used for the Oscars. Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle, David Fincher, Tom Hooper and Christopher Nolan. While Tom Hooper is likely to get the award, even though his direction isn't amazing, I can still see them going for Nolan out of pity or actually seeing the light. Danny Boyle's direction in 127 Hours is frickin amazing, but I can't see him taking the award.

ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD

As seen in last weeks post, this is a very hard category to pick out a winner. My vote goes with either Emma Stone or Andrew Garfield, though I'd be happy to see any of them win. Andrew Garfield, however, definitely has the best chance. Tom Hardy and Gemma Arterton are both great stars on the rise, but I feel as if Aaron Johnson simply hasn't done enough, so he is the outsider just by a bit.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Despicable Me takes The Illusionist's place in this category, but we all know that Toy Story 3 will win. Even if How to Train Your Dragon is awesome.

The rest of the categories after the jump.