I'll be seeing The Grey in theaters this weekend. Looks primal and amazing...
From Netflix is The Guard with Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson.
Via HD On Demand there's Margin Call and Perfect Sense, two movies I really wanna see...
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
IF I HAD AN OSCAR BALLOT
Best Picture
The Tree of Life
Drive
Shame
Take Shelter
Moneyball
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Contagion
50/50
Young Adult
The Descendants
Best Director
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Steve McQueen, Shame
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Bennett Miller, Moneyball
Best Actor
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter
Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Brad Pitt, Moneyball/The Tree of Life
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 50/50
Demian Bechir, A Better Life
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Leonardo Di Caprio, J. Edgar
Best Actress
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Debt, The Help
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Mia Wasikowska, Jane Eyre
Kiera Knightley, A Dangerous Method
Bernice Bejo, The Artist
Best Supporting Actor
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Hunter McCracken, The Tree of Life
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class
Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Best Supporting Actress
Carey Mulligan, Drive, Shame
Shailene Woodley, The Descandants
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna
Ellen Page, Super
Jennifer Ehle, Contagion
Anna Kendrick, 50/50
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Best Original Screenplay
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Steve McQueen & Abi Morgan, Shame
Will Reiser, 50/50
Diablo Cody, Young Adult
Scott Z. Burns, Contagion
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Christopher Hampton, A Dangerous Method
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin & Steven Zaillian, Moneyball
Steven Zaillian, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hossein Amini, Drive
Peter Straughan, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Alexander Payne & Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants
George Nolfi, The Adjustment Bureau
Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezeki, The Tree of Life
Newton Thomas-Sigel, Drive
Sean Bobbit, Shame
Adriano Goldman, Jane Eyre
Robert Elswit, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Jeff Cronenweth, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Adam Stone, Take Shelter
Janusz Kaminski, War Horse
Best Original Score
Cliff Martinez, Contagion/Drive
Mychael Danna, Moneyball
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Howard Shore, Hugo
Dario Marianelli, Jane Eyre
Best Film Editing
The Tree of Life
Drive
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Contagion
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Shame
Best Costumes
Immortals
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Artist
J. Edgar
Captain America
Best Visual Effects
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Captain America
Immortals
Battle: Los Angeles
Best Animated Film
Rango
Tin Tin
Best Art Direction
The Tree of Life
Immortals
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hanna
War Horse
Best Documentary
Forks Over Knives
Paradise Lost 3
Life In a Day
Bill Cunningham, New York
Tabloid
Page One: Inside the NY Times
Buck
The Tree of Life
Drive
Shame
Take Shelter
Moneyball
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Contagion
50/50
Young Adult
The Descendants
Best Director
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Steve McQueen, Shame
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Bennett Miller, Moneyball
Best Actor
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter
Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Brad Pitt, Moneyball/The Tree of Life
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 50/50
Demian Bechir, A Better Life
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Leonardo Di Caprio, J. Edgar
Best Actress
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Debt, The Help
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Mia Wasikowska, Jane Eyre
Kiera Knightley, A Dangerous Method
Bernice Bejo, The Artist
Best Supporting Actor
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Hunter McCracken, The Tree of Life
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class
Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Best Supporting Actress
Carey Mulligan, Drive, Shame
Shailene Woodley, The Descandants
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna
Ellen Page, Super
Jennifer Ehle, Contagion
Anna Kendrick, 50/50
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Best Original Screenplay
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Steve McQueen & Abi Morgan, Shame
Will Reiser, 50/50
Diablo Cody, Young Adult
Scott Z. Burns, Contagion
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Christopher Hampton, A Dangerous Method
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin & Steven Zaillian, Moneyball
Steven Zaillian, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hossein Amini, Drive
Peter Straughan, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Alexander Payne & Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants
George Nolfi, The Adjustment Bureau
Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezeki, The Tree of Life
Newton Thomas-Sigel, Drive
Sean Bobbit, Shame
Adriano Goldman, Jane Eyre
Robert Elswit, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Jeff Cronenweth, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Adam Stone, Take Shelter
Janusz Kaminski, War Horse
Best Original Score
Cliff Martinez, Contagion/Drive
Mychael Danna, Moneyball
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Howard Shore, Hugo
Dario Marianelli, Jane Eyre
Best Film Editing
The Tree of Life
Drive
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Contagion
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Shame
Best Costumes
Immortals
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Artist
J. Edgar
Captain America
Best Visual Effects
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Captain America
Immortals
Battle: Los Angeles
Best Animated Film
Rango
Tin Tin
Best Art Direction
The Tree of Life
Immortals
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hanna
War Horse
Best Documentary
Forks Over Knives
Paradise Lost 3
Life In a Day
Bill Cunningham, New York
Tabloid
Page One: Inside the NY Times
Buck
Monday, January 23, 2012
ONE SENTENCE THEATRICAL ROUND-UP
David Fincher applies his customarily precise and icy style to the graphically violent and sexually depraved Swedish noir The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and gets a transformative, revelatory performance out of Rooney Mara, who burns up the screen with intrigue, sexual energy, and more attitude than you can shake a stick at.
The Sitter is mostly a waste of David Gordon Green’s talents but still delivers some deranged laughs courtesy of Jonah Hill’s impeccable comic timing and Sam Rockwell’s bizarre gay body-builder baddie.
Sherlock Holmes 2 is more of the same, so if you liked the first one (like me), you’ll likely enjoy this one (as I did); it’s nothing revolutionary, just a solid action programmer.
The Adventures of Tintin is a rip-roaring, can’t-catch-its-breath adventure that finds Steven Spielberg back (quite comfortably) in Indiana Jones mode and delivering the escapist thrills like a consummate pro (the edit-free chase through Morocco was brilliant).
The Artist is neither as good as its most ardent supporters claim it to be, nor as overrated as many of its detractors are conversely stating; simply put, it’s a nice little throwback to a simpler time and a true celebration of movies as a visual artform.
A Dangerous Method finds David Cronenberg going period for the first time in a while and tells the psychologically intriguing true story of Freud (Viggo Mortensen, sly as always) and Jung (Michael Fassbender, intense as always) and how the two men agreed and disagreed over their professions and personal lives; Keira Knightley is electrifying as the woman who challenges Jung’s beliefs.
War Horse is essentially Old Yeller with (fairly) epic WWI battle scenes and a horse instead of a dog, monumentally sentimental and over-the-top-Hollywood; the ravishing cinematography and the head-scratching horse logistics and stunts are the best aspects.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the most satisfying big-budget, pure action film of 2011, a triumphant live-action debut for director Brad Bird, and a further reminder that Tom Cruise (aka God) is the greatest movie star of the last 30 years.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a bold and powerful family drama that directly confronts the horrors of 9/11 head-on and contains a startling and highly effective debut performance from teenager Thomas Horn.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is probably the best spy film I’ve ever seen, so densely plotted and intricately assembled that even after two viewings I’m not 100% sure of all of the particulars; what I do know is that I can’t wait to see it again and that Gary Oldman was sublime.
Young Adult is as nasty and chilly as a dark comedy can get and features two of the best performances of the year (Charlize Theron as a monumental bitch and Patton Oswalt as a monumental sad-sack); we’re a long way from Juno territory (Cody is writer, Reitman the director), which is a good thing.
Shame is a riveting, epic exploration of sex and a fractured mind (Michael Fassbender in a towering performance as a man falling completely apart), with bravura direction from Steve McQueen, who is in full-on Kubrick mode here; this is a work of art -- pure cinema -- fully earning its NC-17 rating, and demanding the attention of any serious moviegoer.
The Sitter is mostly a waste of David Gordon Green’s talents but still delivers some deranged laughs courtesy of Jonah Hill’s impeccable comic timing and Sam Rockwell’s bizarre gay body-builder baddie.
Sherlock Holmes 2 is more of the same, so if you liked the first one (like me), you’ll likely enjoy this one (as I did); it’s nothing revolutionary, just a solid action programmer.
The Adventures of Tintin is a rip-roaring, can’t-catch-its-breath adventure that finds Steven Spielberg back (quite comfortably) in Indiana Jones mode and delivering the escapist thrills like a consummate pro (the edit-free chase through Morocco was brilliant).
The Artist is neither as good as its most ardent supporters claim it to be, nor as overrated as many of its detractors are conversely stating; simply put, it’s a nice little throwback to a simpler time and a true celebration of movies as a visual artform.
A Dangerous Method finds David Cronenberg going period for the first time in a while and tells the psychologically intriguing true story of Freud (Viggo Mortensen, sly as always) and Jung (Michael Fassbender, intense as always) and how the two men agreed and disagreed over their professions and personal lives; Keira Knightley is electrifying as the woman who challenges Jung’s beliefs.
War Horse is essentially Old Yeller with (fairly) epic WWI battle scenes and a horse instead of a dog, monumentally sentimental and over-the-top-Hollywood; the ravishing cinematography and the head-scratching horse logistics and stunts are the best aspects.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the most satisfying big-budget, pure action film of 2011, a triumphant live-action debut for director Brad Bird, and a further reminder that Tom Cruise (aka God) is the greatest movie star of the last 30 years.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a bold and powerful family drama that directly confronts the horrors of 9/11 head-on and contains a startling and highly effective debut performance from teenager Thomas Horn.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is probably the best spy film I’ve ever seen, so densely plotted and intricately assembled that even after two viewings I’m not 100% sure of all of the particulars; what I do know is that I can’t wait to see it again and that Gary Oldman was sublime.
Young Adult is as nasty and chilly as a dark comedy can get and features two of the best performances of the year (Charlize Theron as a monumental bitch and Patton Oswalt as a monumental sad-sack); we’re a long way from Juno territory (Cody is writer, Reitman the director), which is a good thing.
Shame is a riveting, epic exploration of sex and a fractured mind (Michael Fassbender in a towering performance as a man falling completely apart), with bravura direction from Steve McQueen, who is in full-on Kubrick mode here; this is a work of art -- pure cinema -- fully earning its NC-17 rating, and demanding the attention of any serious moviegoer.
BLU RAY IN ONE SENTENCE
The Debt is a mostly solid thriller with yet another excellent performance from Jessica Chastain.
Another Earth was thought provoking and heady and has an ending that some people will likely find frustrating.
Exporting Raymond is a funny little documentary about how what’s funny in America isn’t necessarily fit for translation in Russia.
Take Falling Down and mix it with Kick-Ass and you’ve got Super, a bracingly violent vigilante superhero movie with two incredibly maniacal performances from Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page.
Trollhunter makes great use of a nifty premise and throws in some clever, on-a-shoe-string special effects; look out for a remake.
The Help was enjoyable and heartwarming if a bit long in the tooth and on the nose; great acting all around.
Point Blank is as ruthless and precision-tooled as an action-thriller can get; 85 minutes of pure forward momentum, plot twists and reversals, and bloody stand-offs.
The natural light cinematography in Jane Eyre is exquisite and a joy to behold, as are the performances from Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska; a moody, gothic version of the classic story.
Forks Over Knives is literally the most important documentary that you’ll ever see, a film that truly has the power to change the way you live your life.
Another Earth was thought provoking and heady and has an ending that some people will likely find frustrating.
Exporting Raymond is a funny little documentary about how what’s funny in America isn’t necessarily fit for translation in Russia.
Take Falling Down and mix it with Kick-Ass and you’ve got Super, a bracingly violent vigilante superhero movie with two incredibly maniacal performances from Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page.
Trollhunter makes great use of a nifty premise and throws in some clever, on-a-shoe-string special effects; look out for a remake.
The Help was enjoyable and heartwarming if a bit long in the tooth and on the nose; great acting all around.
Point Blank is as ruthless and precision-tooled as an action-thriller can get; 85 minutes of pure forward momentum, plot twists and reversals, and bloody stand-offs.
The natural light cinematography in Jane Eyre is exquisite and a joy to behold, as are the performances from Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska; a moody, gothic version of the classic story.
Forks Over Knives is literally the most important documentary that you’ll ever see, a film that truly has the power to change the way you live your life.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
MY WIFE PICKS 'EM: 2011
She doesn't like to pick a favorite, so here are her 10 favorites, in random order:
A Better Life
50/50
Tree of Life
The Artist
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Take Shelter
Young Adult
Bridesmaids
Forks Over Knives
Shame
Runner's Up:
Life in a Day
Contagion
The Descendants
In Time
The Adjustment Bureau
Sarah’s Key
Warrior
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Muppets
J. Edgar
The Ides of March
Source Code
Rango
The Debt
The Help
Bill Cunningham: New York
Midnight in Paris
Crazy, Stupid Love
Horrible Bosses
Trust
Water for Elephants
Friends with Benefits
Terri
The Lincoln Lawyer
A Better Life
50/50
Tree of Life
The Artist
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Take Shelter
Young Adult
Bridesmaids
Forks Over Knives
Shame
Runner's Up:
Life in a Day
Contagion
The Descendants
In Time
The Adjustment Bureau
Sarah’s Key
Warrior
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Muppets
J. Edgar
The Ides of March
Source Code
Rango
The Debt
The Help
Bill Cunningham: New York
Midnight in Paris
Crazy, Stupid Love
Horrible Bosses
Trust
Water for Elephants
Friends with Benefits
Terri
The Lincoln Lawyer
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