My 20 Favourite Movies of 2011.

Okay, here we are. 20 may seem like a big number, but it was the only way I could fit in everything that I wanted to fit in. So let's not spend any time waffling - it is time for me to close out 2011 once and for all...

Honourable mentions: Hesher, Moneyball, Like Crazy, The Ides of March, Incendies, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Captain America: The First Avenger, Sarah's Key, The Adventures of Tintin, Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Limitless, Thor, Young Adult, Hugo, Melancholia, Contagion, The Help, Crazy, Stupid, Love., Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Super 8, X-Men: First Class, Source Code, Jane Eyre, Rango, Another Earth, Perfect Sense.

20. The Skin I Live In - Dir. Pedro Almodovar

A little strange? Definitely. The Skin I Live In, Pedro Almodovar's latest film, explores themes of loneliness, sexual identity, death, and possibly the most unique tale of revenge that I've ever seen. In other hands, this would have been the stuff that fits right into The Human Centipede's generation of horror. Almodóvar creates his macabre, ominous tale with elegance, kitsch and malevolence. The Skin I Live In is almost in a breed of it's own, playing out as a horror that dares you to get under your skin and make you question your own identity. Which is somewhat funny to see these days when horrors are all about scaring you with more blood and guts than are probably possible to be inside one person.

Cancer. With Laughs.

Film: 50/50
Director: Jonathan Levine
Written by: Will Reiser
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Serge Houde, Matt Frewer, Philip Baker Hall.
Running time: 100 min. 

"That doesn't make any sense, though. I mean, I don't smoke, I don't drink...I recycle." - Adam's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) response to being told that he has a tumour in his spine. We go through life believing that nothing bad will ever happen to us if we do right by the world, because we don't deserve it. Unfortunately, a fact of life is that we'll all be linked to someone who has had to battle cancer, whether they beat it or succumb to it. Maybe it'll be us. Cancer doesn't care if you recycle, or if you're the best person on Earth. For Adam, he is only 27 when he's told that he has the illness. And while he can't make sense of it, his situation allows him to make sense of himself and the people around him. 50/50, Jonathan Levine's follow-up to the brilliant stoner comedy The Wackness, isn't My Sister's Keeper, though. It isn't out to turn the waterworks on or soak any tissues. Instead, it does the inevitable and brings some laughs to an otherwise sad story. Most of all, it puts a new spin on a topic that is used in films to make you feel guilty for being alive. There's no guilt to be felt with this one.

10 2011 Films I Want to See in 2012

By now, you've probably seen all of these films. You're probably sitting there, laughing at me for not seeing any of these films yet. But in NZ, it is still 2011, and will stay that way until at least May/June. 2012? What is this year you speak of? You futuristic beings.

This list is in alphabetical order, just because there's no particular order in which I want to see them.

50/50
So, it would be nice if someone gave this a release date here. I know that Australia is getting it next month or so, but I can't see the same happening here. Like Warrior, it will end up going straight-to-DVD, even though it probably deserves a whole lot more. Why do we do this - give lots of crappy movies a proper release and leave the good-looking, critically acclaimed ones to get put straight on the shelf? It sucks. I might just buy this Blu-Ray off Amazon, because I might actually get to finally see Joseph Gordon-Levitt's latest to tide me over until his mammoth 2012 kicks in to gear.

The Artist
This actually came out last week, but there have been a few problems. First of all, it is only showing in nine small cinemas across the entire country. Second of all, the closest place it is playing to me is three hours drive away. I don't know what the heck is going on here, especially as we're pretty good with showing every movie up for an Oscar in every bloody cinema there is. I think the cinemas are a bit cagey because it is silent, but it has been on the news basically every night (with the most terrible puns I've ever heard - "it was a silent film that made the most sound" etc). I hope it does eventually come to cinemas, just so I can justify my love for Jean Dujardin and Uggie.

Carnage
As anyone, I'm a pretty big fan of Roman Polanski. So it will be pretty damn interesting to see him doing a comedy. This is specifically my type of comedy - it is based on a play, so that means for the most part the sets are pretty restricted, letting the dialogue show through. It also has a very simple idea, too, which I like. Plus, the cast is pretty cool, too. Christoph Waltz is always perfect. I thought this film would have got more attention than it did, so I'm not terribly unhappy that it currently has an April release date. However, I would be surprised if it even made it to many cinemas here.

Like Crazy
This came out two weeks back, but like The Artist, it isn't playing anywhere near me. Don't ask me why I want to see this so much, because I honestly don't know. Maybe it's because I want to give Anton Yelchin a cuddle so much (gosh I love the word cuddle). Maybe it's because I LOVE Felicity Jones. Maybe it is because it looks like exactly like my sort of film - romantic, but realistic. It looks like it could rip my heart out. And I like that feeling every now and again (no, I'm not an emo or goth or whatever you call them now).

Martha Marcy May Marlene
I'm SO incredibly pissed that I missed this at NZFF. And even though I haven't seen this, I'm still kinda sad that it didn't get much Oscar love. I would have loved to have seen an up-and-coming actress like Elizabeth Olsen getting an Oscar nomination. But whatevs, Oscar or no Oscar, I still really want to see this film. Just the idea of a cult (and an apparent great use of editing, which I always love - such a nerd) is enough to get me excited. I think this comes out in March, but again, I doubt it will come to any cinemas near me. If it does, my butt is right on that seat!

A Separation
One of my biggest regrets of 2011 was that I didn't go and see this film at the NZFF. I remember that it played directly after Melancholia, and I did ask Mum whether I could see it as well but nothing ever amounted so I let it go. When I got out of Melancholia, the screening was completely sold out. Now, I have to wait until April (hopefully) to see this Iranian film which is apparently quite amazing. Please please please Palmerston North, GET THIS FILM AT YOUR CINEMAS!

Shame
Okay, so here's one I won't be seeing in cinemas, unless I sneak in as I threatened to do when I go to the capital on a school trip next week. People always look at me strangely when I say I want to see this movie, and then I have to explain that it is about a sex addict and it stars my fifth husband and blah blah blah. But trust me, my reasoning for wanting to attempt sneaking in is because this actually looks like the type of film I'd like to make. I like the idea of harrowing addict dramas. And I know I shouldn't judge a movie by it's trailer, but that trailer makes me want to make a movie so much. Then there's the whole Michael Fassbender and his...golf stick.

The Skin I Live In
If I were to judge my anticipation just by watching the trailer, I would not want to see this film. The trailer is so odd, with the feel good, slightly porn-ish sounding music playing in the background when I'm sure this is supposed to be a serious movie. But I've read plenty of good things about this film, and I always like to see something a little out of the ordinary. And I'm glad that Antonio Banderas has decided to do something a little different to voicing an extremely seedy cat. I knew I should have hunted down one of the smaller cinemas in Melbourne (but it was hard enough trying to find the two huge ones that I did...THAT PLACE IS SO BIG) so I could see this, but I'm waiting for an April cinema release.

Take Shelter
Here's another movie that I should have seen at NZFF, but I actually couldn't. Why? Because it was playing on my birthday. And despite the fact that all I wanted for my birthday was a few tickets to the film fest, I didn't get to go over to see it. Which was fair enough, because it was playing pretty late and I had school the next day. But it is okay, as it is coming out on DVD next month. I placed many warnings in my emails to my Dad on the order, threatening all sorts of things. I sincerely hope he did end up getting it (because he only said "I think I did"), because I need another Jessica Chastain movie like I need to breathe air. Seriously.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
I shouldn't complain too much about this one, since it is my own fault that I haven't seen it yet. It came out in cinemas a month ago, but I still haven't seen it, because I haven't had a chance to go over to Palmerston North to see it. I can't really be bothered begging and pleading to have someone drive me over, but my parents just seem to go over whenever I can't go (which sucks). Oh well, I should keep trying to learn how to drive, even though my Mum's car hates me. Otherwise, it'll be a DVD watch for me, which is more than okay: I can try my best to wait for a cast like Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch, directed by the excellent Tomas Alfredson. If I can live without gluten, I can do this too.

What do you think of all of these films? What are some 2011 films that you still need to see?

AAN: My thoughts on the Golden Globes nominations w/ Fassy, Loki and Owen

I must admit, I was anticipating a really crap lineup like last year for the Golden Globes. Alas, that was not the case, and I can say I'm more impressed with these nominations than the SAG nominations (which is a surprise). However, as with all awards, there are people snubbed, a few surprises...and how could I possibly sum up my reactions to these nominations? Of course, with Happy Fassy, Lowkey Loki and Overwhelmed Owen, who I introduced you to last night. Alrighty then, let's delve into the second most important nominations to the Oscars:

Best Motion Picture - Drama:

The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

Oooh, six nominations. This is different. But we can't say that we didn't expect it. Actually, something that I didn't expect was to see The Help get nominated. Sure, it's shaping up to be a bit of a The King's Speech (in the way that it kinda looks like Oscar-bait, but not as much as that one), but the critical response for the film wasn't that great. Also, I'm surprised to see The Ides of March nominated, since we haven't seen it around much at any of the other awards. However, I expected The Descendants, Hugo, Moneyball and War Horse to show up. Plus, you may say that War Horse is pure Oscar-bait, but I have to disagree. The book is freaking amazing, so it's no wonder that they wanted to share this beautiful story. Oh, and my own war horse-type horse (from this post) got sold, and now she's even further away. So, when I finally get to see this movie, I'll probably be crying throughout the whole thing.
There were a few snubs, though. To be honest, I'm not that surprised that The Tree of Life didn't get nominated. It's the Golden Globes, for heavens sakes. It will get in at the Oscars, though. While I love the movie, I'm not sure why the awards circuit would go for it, but it could happen. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is missing, despite the fact that it is winning itself a lot of fans. J. Edgar is also missing. No, I didn't really think it had much of a chance because of the lukewarm reaction towards it, but it just seems like the type of movie that the HFPA would go for (considering all of the people involved). And again, there's no Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Why has that film been so absent?
There are some good choices here, but they aren't amazing. Therefore, I'm Lowkey Loki about it.

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy:

The Artist
Bridesmaids
50/50
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn

This is a pretty alright line-up. Well, it's more than alright considering how last year we had an absolute train-wreck of a category. At least every movie on this list has been getting some actual good reviews. The Artist will probably win without a doubt, but won't it be weird to see a movie considered as a comedy win Best Picture? Yeah, I'm still predicting it. I still don't get the love for Bridesmaids, but I guess they had to nominate it. The ever elusive 50/50, which I've heard definitely deserves it's place here, gets a nomination, which is good for the indie section of the awards. Midnight in Paris still has a huge place in my heart, and I imagine it could well give The Artist a good run for it's money (after all, they're both nostalgia hits). I'm just not sure what My Week with Marilyn is doing here, since I imagine that it is more of a drama. Is it because there are a few songs in there? Wow, the criteria is so accepting.
I'm actually happy about this category, even if I don't love Bridesmaids like everyone else. And in comparison with last year, this gets a Happy Fassy from me.

The rest of the nominations after the jump...

AAN: Where all of the awards are up to...

As I said earlier in the week, awards season has been getting away from me, so I'll just round up all of the awards in this singular post. Next week promises to be a real treat, though, since we have the Crtics Choice, Golden Globes and SAG awards nominations being announced. I will still be covering those while I'm doing my Harry Potter marathon. What I won't be covering on time, though, are the actual ceremonies for the Critics Choice and Golden Globes. At that time I will be out of the country (in Melbourne, Australia, to be exact), so I'll catch up with them when I get back. I'm taking awards coverage seriously, this year!

Anyway, let's start with the WAFCA awards (Washington DC Area Film Critics Association...I presume.)

Best Film: The Artist, The Descendants, Drive, Hugo, Win Win.
Best Director: Martin Scorsese (Hugo), Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive).
Best Actor: George Clooney (The Descendants), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Michael Fassbender (Shame), Brad Pitt (Moneyball), Michael Shannon (Take Shelter).
Best Actress: Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn), Viola Davis (The Help), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin).
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks (Drive), Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn), John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Christopher Plummer (Beginners), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes).
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (The Help), Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Carey Mulligan (Shame), Shailene Woodley (The Descendants).

Best Acting Ensemble: Bridesmaids, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, The Help, Hugo, Margin Call.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Descendants), Tate Taylor (The Help), John Logan (Hugo), Steven Zallian and Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball), Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy).
Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser (50/50), Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), Michel Hazanvicius (The Artist), Tom McCarthy (Win Win), Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids).
Best Animated Feature: Rango, The Adventures of Tintin, Arthur Christmas, Puss in Boots, Winnie the Pooh.
Best Documentary: Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, Buck, Into the Abyss, Project Nim.
Best Foreign Language Film: The Skin I Live In, 13 Assassins, Certified Copy, I Saw the Devil, Pina.
Best Art Direction: Hugo, The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, The Tree of Life, War Horse.
Best Cinematography: The Tree of Life, The Artist, Hugo, Melancholia, War Horse.
Best Score: The Artist, Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, War Horse.

What does this mean for Oscar? Other than that we can still be pretty sure that The Artist will win Best Picture? Hmmmm...I'm still about 80% sure that it will win. The other 20% goes to the possibility of the Academy being 'old-fashioned' and going with War Horse, or going with Hugo because that's been given a bit of attention, or going with anything else. But I do think that The Artist has won it.
In regards to Best Actress, I'm slightly surprised that Michelle Williams got the award, especially in a category with Meryl Streep. I guess I should buck it up and put Streep in my predictions, but I refuse to let go of Rooney Mara. Only time will tell. But maybe Viola Davis hasn't won the award just yet. Same with Christopher Plummer, who lost his award to Albert Brooks. I think he might have a chance at getting an Oscar nomination now. Bonus points for adding Andy Serkis, though!
Jessica Chastain was not given a nomination for any of her performances, and I fear this will be the case come Oscar time. She's just been in too many movies and she's been too consistent - there's nothing that really 'stands out' because they all stand out. I still think this is a weak category, though.
I'd love for 50/50 to get some Oscar love, and I think it stands a good chance in the Best Original Screenplay category, particularly because of the back-story. Rango also stands a good chance at possibly winning the Best Animated Feature category, especially winning this award. I've only heard mixed things for The Adventures of Tintin, but because it is made by Spielberg it will probably win there and then. Winnie the Pooh is the deserving one, though.
As for the 'technical awards', I'm surprised for the non-love for The Tree of Life, War Horse and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in the earlier categories. However, if The Tree of Life doesn't win Best Cinematography, I will personally start a riot.
Anyway, these people seem to love Bridesmaids. I'd be happy about this since it's a female driven comedy, but it's not necessarily a very good movie.

British Independent Film Awards, European Film Awards and National Board of Review after the jump...

AAN: Gotham, NYFCC and Spirit Awards

Well, I think we can officially kick Annual Awards Nerdism off. For those of you not in the know: Annual Awards Nerdism is my version of awards coverage, but I do it in a fun-ish way. When we get down to predicting the winners for the Oscars, I put them into poems. Now, you don't see that every day. Check out last years coverage here. Today I'll look at the winners of the Gotham Independent Film Awards, the New York Film Critics Circle winners and the Independent Spirit Awards nominees...

Gotham Independent Film Awards Winners

Best Film: Tie between The Tree of Life and Beginners
Best Documentary: Better This World
Breakthrough Award: Felicity Jones for Like Crazy
Breakthrough Director: Dee Rees for Pariah
Best Ensemble Performance: Beginners
Best Film Not Playing in a Theatre Near You: Scenes of a Crime

What does this mean for Oscar? The tie between The Tree of Life and Beginners is interesting, seeing as a tie has never happened for this award and these films are completely different. But I think between this and the Palme D'Or at Cannes, we could see The Tree of Life becoming a lock in the Best Picture race. Beginners I'm not so sure about...it's a brilliant film, but I can't see it sustaining the momentum until Oscar time as a film. Christopher Plummer will probably be it's only chance at Oscar glory. Also, I was kinda surprised about Felicity Jones winning the Breakthrough Award. I don't doubt her talent, as I'm secretly hoping that maybe she'll get a few more awards, but everyone has been going for Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene and Shailene Woodley in The Descendants to be nominated this year. I wouldn't read too much into it; I think Jones' film is perhaps a little too small and it has seemed to pass by without many people noticing it. But I think people campaigning for Like Crazy should definitely push Jones even more.

NYFCC and Independent Spirit after the jump...

10 2011 Movies I Want to See

This is a totally unoriginal idea for a post, but since I've been so slack with my movie-watching lately (it's only going to get more slack this week since I have intense rehearsals as stage challenge nears), I'm running out of options. Anyway, this is a handy idea because there are so many movies I want to see, but I'm not sure about the ones that I want to make any special effort to see. And my first list I made at the start of the year was pretty much useless, as Sucker Punch topped that one. No, I didn't go and see that movie in the cinemas. Yes, I have lost all interest in it.

30 Minutes or Less - Jesse Eisenberg. From awkward geek to Oscar nominee within one year of being a household name. But what happens after the 27 year old that no-one expected big things from gets an Oscar nomination for his brilliant performance as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network? Well, he's gotten more cats. But Jesse ain't looking to put himself out there as the best actor in the world just yet. Instead, he's reteamed with Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer for a comedy about a pizza delivery guy who's forced to rob a bank otherwise he'll be blown up. Sound stupid? It's a true story. And you know how Hollywood is with the true stories. I imagine Jesse will be up for a second Oscar nomination with this one.

50/50 - The trailer for this just hit the webbie and people seem to like what they see. So do I. I mean, first of all, it has the great Joseph Gordon-Levitt in it. And when you have Joey around in your flick these days, he can do no wrong. The rest of the cast is pretty top-notch too. I like the idea that Seth Rogen is the buddy in this movie, which means he is kinda back to the guy he was before he got all famous and such...the funny buddy. Anna Kendrick is also impressive and so is Bryce Dallas Howard. Plus, it's directed by Jonathan Levine, who did some brilliant work with The Wackness. I'm expecting big things, and I hope it can deliver.

Crazy, Stupid, Love - The trailer for this was very promising. Really, the cast itself it very promising. Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon...that's like, acting heaven. You can't tell me that all of these great people came together for a bad movie, can you? Well I certainly hope not. Anyway, if it fails, Ryan Gosling is still pretty hot and there are two redheads in this movie.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Okay, so last year I had major spazzes over Inception and I was just so excited to see it every time I heard that name uttered I'd go into cardiac arrest. I think I've found this year's Inception in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I must have watched that trailer like 50 gazillion times now. But the sad thing is that this doesn't come out in NZ until 26th January 2012. So technically, this is my most anticipated for 2012. Anyway, it's a 2011 release, so I'll keep having heart attacks over it all throughout the year.

Hanna - Yeah, all of you people are probably like "you should have seen that already!" Truth is, it should have been released here in less than a couple of weeks time. But no, some idiots decided it would be a good idea to release it here on September 1st. Smooth, guys, real smooth. Just under three months until I get to see Saoirse Ronan kicking ass, Cate Blanchett being a red-head, Eric Bana being all violent and my queen Olivia Williams? Yeah, I love you too.

The Help - Okay, I admit, I feel as if this movie was made decades ago. But have you seen the red-heads that are in this? Emma Stone. Bryce Dallas Howard. Jessica Chastain. Red-heads! Plus, there's Sissy Spacek, Viola Davis, Anna Camp and Allison Janney. This has a strong female cast, and damn, I've been waiting a long time for a strong female cast. I also think that Emma Stone will impress with this movie. She'll prove that she can be a strong dramatic actress, hopefully, and continue to wow us with her charm.

Melancholia - Yeah, yeah, yeah. This will be branded as 'that movie directed by that Jew who thinks he's a Nazi'. While Cannes banned Lars von Trier's ass from their show, I'm glad they didn't cut his film from contention. Because it looks freaking awesome. Strange, but awesome. Kristen Dunst is making her big comeback, and this film has made sure that she's welcome again. Oh, and I think it's worth mentioning that there are two Skarsgård's in this film: Stellan and Alexander. I have a strange infatuation with these two. Stellan just seems like an all-round great guy and Alexander might just be the sexiest man alive (that's what happenswhen you watch True Blood all week, folks).

Midnight in Paris - I ain't the hugest fan of Woody Allen. All of his recent works have been kinda 'meh'. However, his latest, Midnight in Paris, got some fantastic reviews. Which I thought was unlikely, since he teamed up with Owen Wilson. But no, apparently this one is splendid. The cast looks splendid, too. Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Carla Bruni, Adrien Brody, Kathy Bates, Marion Cotillard...it all looks divine. I'm sure I'll like this one, even if I ain't the hugest fan of Woody.

In Time - First it was called I'm.Mortal. Then it was called Now. And now it is called In Time. I wouldn't be surprised if they changed the title again. Anyway, even though there hasn't been a trailer or much publicity for this movie yet, I'm excited. Sure, 95% of that comes down to the fact that Cillian Murphy is in it and in that picture he looks like the most excellent brand of bad-assery. The other 5% of my excitement over this movie comes down to Olivia Wilde, Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. The story sounds cool too...it's set in a world where no-one can go over the age of 25. Yeah, most people would want that world to be real.

The Tree of Life - I'm sure I have no right to be excited over this, since I haven't seen any of Terrence Malick's other work, but it looks fantastic. I just love watching movies which just observe life. From what I've read, this movie has everything from dinosaurs to wordly shots to mean fathers. It sounds as interesting as anything. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that it won the Palme D'Or at Cannes even though many people gave it the 'boo' treatment. Now that is interesting.

Well, there's my list. What are you looking forward to for the rest of this year?