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.

Top 10 Oscar fails in 2011

The Oscars decided that they wouldn’t be the same as everyone else, and decided to snub deserving people left right and centre. You know what the number one snub is going to be here, but there are nine more reasons as to why the Oscars got it wrooooong.


10. Best Actor: Ryan Gosling – Blue Valentine

I haven’t seen Blue Valentine, but I find it extremely disappointing that the Academy decided not to nominate Ryan Gosling for his performance or for anything other than Michelle Williams in the Best Actress category. I would have thought that it was one of those ‘nominate one, nominate the other’ kind of deals, but not to be. His spot was taken by Javier Bardem for his turn in Biutiful, which was a bit of a surprise, seeing as he hadn’t been nominated anywhere else but the BAFTAs.

9. Best Original Screenplay: Animal Kingdom – David Michôd

So this wasn’t nominated in many other places, but in my opinion, it should have been somewhere. It’s just a little sad that this film only came away with one nomination, seeing at it is one of the best reviewed movies of the years. Must be a case of ‘it’s Australian, who cares’. Hey, I’m a New Zealander, and I rustled up the energy to care about this movie. The screenplay for this movie was pretty darn good with its structure and plot, especially considering the fact that this was a debut feature for Michôd.

8. Best Animated Feature: Tangled

I guess this one goes for Despicable Me as well. Just because they aren’t as great as Toy Story 3 doesn’t mean they should have been forgotten. Tangled is the standard in animation, and it should at least be recognized for the amazing visuals and happiness it provides. Then again, with Toy Story 3 shaping up to be The Social Network of the animated feature category, it doesn’t really matter what else is nominated.

7. Best Supporting Actress: Barbara Hershey – Black Swan

I think anyone who has seen Black Swan would agree with me: Barbara Hershey is one scary mamma. Did anyone think that she was like Margaret White in Carrie? Black Swan is such a well acted film, so it is a little strange that it only got one acting nom (which will probably win). Hershey deserved the nomination, even if she only got a BAFTA nom along the way. No wonder Nina was such a damaged soul.

6. Best Visual Effects: TRON: Legacy

Didn’t this seem like a no-brainer? The effects were pretty much the only things that made TRON: Legacy worth sitting through, and to be honest, they were pretty darn good visual effects. Somehow, Iron Man 2 managed to sneak through (what the hell?). A movie which houses a young Jeff Bridges and an old Jeff Bridges (neither of which actually look like normal Jeff Bridges), more lights than the world knowingly has and some amazing set pieces surely deserves an Oscar nomination in this category, no?

5. Best Editing: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

You know how hard it is to put up a sign saying that Salt is ‘nominated for an Oscar’ but end up putting nothing by Scott Pilgrim vs. the World? Take a second to imagine the poor editor who had to go through that movie. They had to add all of those extra effects on screen making the movie as kick-ass as it was. Yet, no recognition. Jeez, if I had it my way I would nominate this movie in every bloody category. But I guess the Academy aren’t ‘cool’ enough for this movie. Prepare to die, obviously.

4. Best Supporting Actress: Mila Kunis – Black Swan

I was really disappointed when I saw that Mila Kunis wasn’t nominated. Come on, she totally owned on screen. While it was all Natalie Portman’s film, Mila too went through hell for this movie (dislocated shoulder, two torn calf ligaments...). She also got a Golden Globe and a SAG nomination. She’s also got a movie about a casual relationship coming out this year. So why no love for her, Academy? You disappoint me.

3. Best Editing: Inception

This really seemed like a no brainer. When you have to edit through all those different layers and put them together so they all make sense, then you should get some recognition. The editing in Inception should not have only been nominated, but it should have won. Anyone that edits a Nolan film should win.

2. Best Supporting Actor: Andrew Garfield – The Social Network

There was a small part of me that could see this coming (as the missing SAG nom probably harmed his chances), but ANDREW GARFIELD SHOULD HAVE BEEN BLOODY NOMINATED! In such a well-acted film, nominating just Jesse Eisenberg makes it seem like he is the only reason to go and watch the film. He is not. ANDREW GARFIELD IS THERE TOO! And, to be quite frank, Andrew has probably the biggest future ahead of him after this movie. He was the one that everyone put on their list as the ‘top rising star of 2010’. So why wasn’t he nominated? WHY?! I still love you, Andrew. Academy, you better lawyer up, assholes, because he's not coming back for just a nomination...he is coming back for everything!

1. Best Director: Christopher Nolan – Inception

WHAT. THE. HELL. So, you’ve probably read my rant or whatever, and now you probably think I’m crazy. But you don’t just not nominate Christopher Nolan and expect to get away with it. You don’t just nominate him in every other award show but not at the Oscars. You don’t just ignore him for The Dark Knight and then ignore him for Inception. You don’t just hate on Nolan, full stop. He is amazing (in my eyes, at least). To be honest, he doesn’t need a fancy Oscar nomination to prove that. It’s just a nice thought.

AAN: Guessing the Golden Globes

ANNUAL AWARDS NERDISM delves into the guessing game of predicting the winners of Golden Globes, which are today. Guess who's back to help me rank my predictions? None other than Leo, Zuck and Steve. What will they be doing? Here's the key:

Strutting Leo: Who I'd like to win, my personal pick.

Mark 'You have my attention' Zuckerberg: Who is going to win in reality.

Steve from Legion: The longest of shots.

BEST MOTION PICTURE-DRAMA

There aren't any long shots in this category, as The King's Speech, Black Swan and The Fighter are all pretty much on the same level. Could Inception win? It would take a miracle. Especially with The Social Network dominating.

BEST MOTION PICTURE-COMEDY/MUSICAL

I haven't even seen The Kid's Are All Right, but I'd be happy to see a 96% movie win over all the other rotten yahoos anyday. If 20% The Tourist wins, then that will show just how dumb the Hollywood Foreign Press really are.

BEST ACTOR-DRAMA



As much as I'd like to see young Jesse Eisenberg win at least one award for his stunning performance in The Social Network, it's gotta go to Colin Firth, so he can continue his Oscar campaign for A Single Man The King's Speech. I suspect Mark Wahlberg was thrown in there for starpower at the awards ceremony.

BEST ACTRESS-DRAMA

Since I hear Natalie Portman is beyond good in Black Swan, I'd be happy to see her win. Not sure about Halle Berry for Frankie and Alice, as I hardly think this will make it to the Oscars.

BEST ACTOR-COMEDY/MUSICAL

It may have worked for Heath Ledger in 2009 for The Dark Knight, but I doubt Johnny Depp's make-up disguised turn in Alice in Wonderland will generate any Oscar buzz. Soak up all the glory now, Johnny, coz you won't be going any further. His normal performance in The Tourist is a longshot, simply because the film isn't that great. I just love Jake Gyllenhaal, so he's my preferred.

BEST ACTRESS-COMEDY/MUSICAL



Emma Stone definitely had the best comedic performance I'd seen last year  in Easy A, but Annette Bening has been generating Oscar buzz since The Kids Are All Right came out. She probably has the better chance between her and co-star Julianne Moore. Angelina Jolie just got the nod because she's in The Tourist and it would be unfair if they didn't nominate her royal highness. I can't see Anne Hathaway upsetting for Love and Other Drugs, but I'd be happy to see her coming away with the award.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Extreme weight loss will be on everyones mind when they vote for this category throughout awards season, so it looks like Christian Bale should continue his campaign with the win for The Fighter. If the Golden Globes were to surprise, you could easily see Andrew Garfield, Jeremy Renner or Geoffrey Rush (probably most likely choice) come through for the win. Michael Douglas seems like a bit of a longshot, and probably more deserving of a nomination for Solitary Man rather than Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. But as Gordon Gekko would say, 'Greed is good!', and this may work in Douglas' favour.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Since I love Animal Kingdom to death, I'd love it to pck up one big award, particularly if it's for Jacki Weaver and her marvellous performance as the matriach of a family full of crims. No one can really pick this category, as the 'fight's' between The Fighter co-stars Melissa Leo and Amy Adams. I'm not convinced by Melissa Leo's win at the Critics Choice Awards, and could see Amy Adams going in for the award, particularly because she's been nominated in this category three times since 2005. Mila Kunis, apparently not as deserving as other Black Swan actress Barbara Hershey, probably won't get the award, unless the HFPA are feeling generous. I love her for getting a nomination though.

BEST DIRECTOR

I still think Christopher Nolan could win this award for his work on Inception. I mean, on a poll on IMDb that was asking for predictions, God was leading with 5500 votes, followed Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan with 1800, and then David Fincher for The Social Network with 1500. Mind you, no one listens to that, so David Fincher will get the win for his least Fincher film. Tom Hooper doesn't stand a great chance against those three, but David O. Russell is probably the weakest of the lot, considering he took the Coens or Danny Boyle's spot.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Shit. Put Christopher Nolan's screenplay for Inception in the same category as Aaron Sorkin's screenplay for The Social Network and Inception is dust. In fact, everything is dust when you compare it to The Social Network. The King's Speech may have gotten Best Original Screenplay at the Critics Choice, but it doesn't stand a chance. Nor does the 127 Hours script. And it would have to be a real upset if The Kids Are All Right got the award.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Even though Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won the Critics Choice Award for their great The Social Network score, Hans Zimmer's Inception score is by far the best. God, I've listening to the score nearly everyday since like August, and I must admit, it's one of the best I've ever heard. And wouldn't it be nice if Inception could get at least one award? Alexandre Desplat and A.R. Rahman always do great work, and I'm sure this won't be the last we hear of The King's Speech and 127 Hours' scores, either. Danny Elfman's score was one of the best things about Alice in Wonderland, but I can't see it going much further than this nomination.

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Jeez, if Toy Story 3 doesn't win this category, then there'll be a huge upset on our hands. Plus, why wasn't this nominated for Best Comedy? Are they trying to say that a 99% movie is worse off than a 20% one? How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled and the widely loved French film The Illusionist will all fight the fair fight, with Despicable Me being the longshot (even though it's fantastic) since it wasn't as well-received as the rest of them. But I think everyone knows that Toy Story 3 was the only animated pic this year.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Javier Bardem's outing in the 'depressing' film Biutiful directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu has been generating a lot of Oscar buzz, and probably has the best chance here. If I Am Love wins, someone is going to get shot. Yeah, I know most people love it, but it is so damn overrated. Former Basterd Melanie Laurent stars in The Concert, which is a longshot since it's only rated 58%, just a few points off being fresh. Kray (The Edge) and In a Better World have barely been viewed enough to take the award.

Got any predictions of your own? Check back for my conclusion on the winners sometime tonight!

DVD--Animal Kingdom

or: Kids and crime.

One word to sum it up: Gritty.

Imagine my delight when I found a copy of Animal Kingdom in the preview drawer. Here is a movie which I hadn't heard of until seeing a glowing five star review in an issue of Empire, and had wanted to see ever since. It had a small release here in NZ, mainly circulating through the New Zealand Film Festival, but I'm pretty sure it's still playing at many independent cinemas across the country (I'm not sure when it's out on DVD here, but I'll just say that this is a DVD review anyway). Again, Australia proves why it is the best at making compelling family dramas, adding a fantastic crime vibe which David Michod should be proud of.

After Joshua 'J' Cody's (Jame Frecheville) mother dies in front of his eyes from a self-inflicted heroin overdose, J, who is slightly detached from life, feels he has no choice but to contact his maternal grandmother, Janine "Smurf" Cody (Jacki Weaver), the family matriarch, for a place to live. Smurf rules the family with a borderline incestuous love over her three sons, the quietly menacing Andrew "Pope" Cody (Ben Mendelsohn), the hyperactive Craig Cody (Sullivan Stapleton), and the barely of age Darren Cody (Luke Ford). Pope and his best friend, Barry "Baz" Brown (Joel Edgerton), are armed robbers, with Darren their up and coming apprentice, while Craig is a mid level drug dealer. Melbourne's Armed Robbery Squad is after specifically Pope, who is hiding out. But when the standoff between the Codys and the Armed Robbery Squad is brought up a notch, an all out war ensues, with some casualties and J caught in the middle. The only grounding in J's life is his girlfriend, Nicky Henry (Laura Wheelwright). With those casualties comes an investigation by Homicide Detective Senior Sergeant Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce), who knows the Codys are involved in some of those deaths. As Leckie tries to get J on his side, J has to figure out how best to get himself out from the middle, where he trusts neither side. J also wants to figure out how to exact what he considers justice in an all around bad situation.

The Cody's have just become the most interesting crime family to grace our screens in a long time. This family is blessed by fantastic actors who give powerhouse performances filled with aggression and barely any emotional stability. It doesn't feel like a film when you are watching it, as you are instantly drawn into to it's frighteningly realistic world. Animal Kingdom is not the kind of coming-of-age film you'd expect; however, James Frecheville's great debut performance as J pretty much epitomizes how hard it can be growing up, especially when you are surrounded by crims.

While it may look like an average crime genre violent frenzy riot, it's not. Animal Kingdom chooses not to be glorifyingly violent and packs a punch in ways we can all relate to. It asks the viewer how they would feel if they were J: having to choose between right or wrong and having to live with crims who are unpredictable at the best of times. Jacki Weaver, perhaps, has the best part of the movie, playing the strange matriarch who I couldn't quite wrap my head around, but I think that's what her point was. She deserves as many accolades as possible, she really is the pearl of the film. Animal Kingdom is a film which isn't to be missed, and is to be seen twice. David Michod is onto something big here.


THE VERDICT: David Michod crafts a superbly written and directed film, made even better by it's fearless performances that should be seen to be believed.

8/10