2012 Academy Award Predictions

Here are my predictions and rankings for this year's Academy Awards. The number denotes where I'd rank the movie against its fellow nominees. Movies I've not seen are left unnumbered. An asterisk denotes a non-nominated movie that would have been my top overall choice in a category for the year. The list is in the order the show will supposedly proceed in.

Best Cinematography
1. War Horse
2. The Tree of Life
3. Hugo
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
5. The Artist

Will Win: The Tree of Life
Could Win: The Artist
Should Have Been Here: Melancholia, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Jane Eyre


Best Art Direction
1. Hugo
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
3. War Horse
4. The Artist
5. Midnight in Paris

Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Jane Eyre, Thor, Melancholia


Best Costume Design
1. Jane Eyre
2. Hugo
3. The Artist
Anonymous
W.E.

Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: Hugo
Should Have Been Here: *X-Men: First Class, Midnight in Paris


Best Makeup
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2. The Iron Lady
3. Albert Nobbs

Will Win: The Iron Lady
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Contagion


Best Foreign Language Film
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)

Will Win: A Separation
Could Win: In Darkness
Should Have Been Here: *13 Assassins (Japan)


Best Supporting Actress
1. Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
2. Jessica Chastain (The Help)
3. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
4. Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
5. Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Will Win: Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: *Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids), Marion Cotillard (Midnight in Paris)


Best Editing
1. Hugo
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
3. The Artist
4. The Descendants
5. Moneyball

Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: The Artist
Should Have Been Here: *Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Drive


Best Sound Editing
1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2. War Horse
3. Hugo
4. Drive
5. Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol


Best Sound Mixing
1. War Horse
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
3. Hugo
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
5. Moneyball

Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: War Horse
Should Have Been Here: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Rise of the Planet of the Apes


Best Documentary Feature
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Force
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Will Win: Undefeated
Could Win: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Should Have Been Here: *Page One: Inside the New York Times, Life in a Day


Best Animated Feature
1. Kung Fu Panda 2
2. Rango
3. Puss in Boots
A Cat in Paris
Chico and Rita

Will Win: Rango
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Winnie the Pooh


Best Visual Effects
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
3. Hugo
4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
5. Real Steel

Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Should Have Been Here: War Horse, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol


Best Supporting Actor
1. Nick Nolte (Warrior)
2. Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)
3. Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
4. Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
5. Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)

Will Win: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Could Win: Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
Should Have Been Here: *Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Michael Fassbender (Jane Eyre)


Best Score
1. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2. War Horse
3. The Artist
4. The Adventures of Tintin
5. Hugo

Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Captain America: The First Avenger


Best Song
1. "Man or Muppet" (The Muppets)
2. "Real in Rio" (Rio)

Will Win: "Man or Muppet" (The Muppets)
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: *"Star-Spangled Man" (Captain America: The First Avenger), "Hanna's Theme" (Hanna)


Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2. The Descendants
3. Hugo
4. The Ides of March
5. Moneyball

Will Win: The Descendants
Could Win: Moneyball
Should Have Been Here: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Adjustment Bureau


Best Original Screenplay
1. Midnight in Paris
2. Margin Call
3. Bridesmaids
4. The Artist
A Separation

Will Win: Midnight in Paris
Could Win: The Artist
Should Have Been Here: *50/50, Attack the Block, Contagion


Best Live Action Short
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantica

Will Win: The Shore
Could Win: any
Should Have Been Here: null


Best Documentary Short
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Will Win: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blosson
Could Win: Incident in New Baghdad
Should Have Been Here: null


Best Animated Short
Dimanche
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Will Win: La Luna
Could Win: any
Should Have Been Here: *Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation, Toy Story Toons: Small Fry


Best Director
1. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
2. Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
3. Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
4. Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
5. Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

Will Win: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Could Win: Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
Should Have Been Here: Tomas Alfredson (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2), Gavin O'Connor (Warrior)


Best Actor
1. Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
2. George Clooney (The Descendants)
3. Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
4. Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
5. Demian Bichir (A Better Life)

Will Win: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Could Win: George Clooney (The Descendants)
Should Have Been Here: Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class or Shame), Ryan Gosling (Drive)


Best Actress
1. Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
2. Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
3. Viola Davis (The Help)
4. Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
5. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

Will Win: Viola Davis (The Help)
Could Win: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Should Have Been Here: *Charlize Theron (Young Adult), Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), Emily Blunt (The Adjustment Bureau)


Best Picture
1. Hugo
2. The Descendants
3. War Horse
4. The Tree of Life
5. Midnight in Paris
6. The Artist
7. Moneyball
8. The Help
9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close


Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Drive, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Warrior, Contagion, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, X-Men: First Class, 50/50, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010 Movie Review List

2010 Movies:

127 Hours: 10/10
30 Days of Night: Dark Days: 4/10
A-Team, The: 7/10
Agora: 7/10
Alice in Wonderland: 3/10
All Good Things: 5/10
American, The: 9/10
Animal Kingdom: 8/10
Assassin Next Door, The [Kirot]: 4/10
Babies: 5/10
Back-Up Plan, The: 1/10
Barney's Version: 6/10
Batman: Under the Red Hood: 6/10
Black Swan: 9/10
Blue Valentine: 8/10
Book of Eli, The: 6/10
Bounty Hunter, The: 2/10
Brooklyn's Finest: 5/10
Buried: 6/10
Burlesque: 6/10
Cairo Time: 8/10
Call Girl, A [Slovenka]: 5/10
Calvin Marshall: 7/10
Carlos: 10/10
Case 39: 2/10
Casino Jack and the United States of Money: 4/10
Cemetery Junction: 4/10
Centurion: 7/10
Charlie St. Cloud: 4/10
Chloe: 5/10
Chronicles of Narnia, The: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: 5/10
Clash of the Titans: 6/10
Company Men, The: 8/10
Cop Out: 4/10
Crazies, The: 8/10
Creation: 5/10
Crimson Wing, The: Mystery of the Flamingos: 7/10
Damage: 4/10
Date Night: 7/10
Daybreakers: 4/10
Dear John: 5/10
Death at a Funeral: 6/10
Descent, The: Part 2: 5/10
Despicable Me: 8/10
Devil: 5/10
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: 7/10
Dinner for Schmucks: 5/10
Disappearance of Alice Creed, The: 8/10
District 13: Ultimatum [Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum]: 6/10
Dogtooth [Kynodontas]: 7/10
Due Date: 7/10
Easy A: 7/10
Eat Pray Love: 3/10
Edge of Darkness: 8/10
Exit Through the Gift Shop: 9/10
Expendables, The: 5/10
Extraordinary Measures: 4/10
Fair Game: 6/10
Faster: 5/10
Fighter, The: 8/10
Flipped: 7/10
From Paris with Love: 6/10
Frozen: 5/10
Get Him to the Greek: 7/10
Get Low: 6/10
Ghost Writer, The: 9/10
Girl who Played with Fire, The [Flickan som lekte med elden]: 5/10
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The [Män som hatar kvinnor]: 8/10
Going the Distance: 6/10
Greatest, The: 5/10
Green Zone: 5/10
Greenberg: 5/10
Grown Ups: 4/10
Gulliver's Travels: 2/10
Halo Legends: 4/10
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: 9/10
Hereafter: 4/10
Holy Rollers: 7/10
Hot Tub Time Machine: 6/10
How Do You Know: 7/10
How to Make Love to a Woman: 1/10
How to Train Your Dragon: 8/10
Human Centipede, The (First Sequence): 5/10
Hunt to Kill: 3/10
I Love You Phillip Morris: 7/10
I Spit on Your Grave: 3/10
I'm Still Here: 7/10
Inception: 9/10
Ip Man [Yip Man]: 7/10
Iron Man 2: 8/10
It's Kind of a Funny Story: 7/10
Jackass 3D: 7/10
Jonah Hex: 4/10
Joneses, The: 7/10
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths: 5/10
Karate Kid, The: 7/10
Kick-Ass: 8/10
Kids Are All Right, The: 8/10
Killer Inside Me, The: 6/10
Killers: 3/10
King's Speech, The: 10/10
Knight and Day: 7/10
Knucklehead: 2/10
Last Airbender, The: 2/10
Last Exorcism, The: 7/10
Last Song, The: 6/10
Leap Year: 4/10
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole: 6/10
Legendary: 5/10
Legion: 5/10
Let Me In: 9/10
Letters to Juliet: 6/10
Little Fockers: 5/10
Losers, The: 7/10
MacGruber: 4/10
Machete: 5/10
Marmaduke: 4/10
Middle Men: 4/10
Monsters: 9/10
Morning Glory: 7/10
My Dog Tulip: 6/10
Never Let Me Go: 8/10
Next Three Days, The: 6/10
Nightmare on Elm Street, A: 3/10
Nowhere Boy: 7/10
Oceans: 7/10
Ondine: 7/10
Operation: Endgame: 4/10
Other Guys, The: 8/10
Oxford Murders, The: 6/10
Paranormal Activity 2: 4/10
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief: 5/10
Perrier's Bounty: 6/10
Piranha 3D: 8/10
Planet Hulk: 3/10
Please Give: 7/10
Predators: 7/10
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: 6/10
Promise, The: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town: 7/10
Prophet, A [Un prophète]: 8/10
Rabbit Hole: 8/10
Red: 7/10
Red Baron, The [Der rote Baron]: 5/10
Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974: 8/10
Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980: 6/10
Remember Me: 5/10
Repo Men: 7/10
Resident Evil: Afterlife: 6/10
Restrepo: 9/10
Robin Hood: 6/10
Runaways, The: 5/10
Salt: 8/10
Saw 3D: 5/10
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: 9/10
Secret in Their Eyes, The [El secreto de sus ojos]: 9/10
Secret of Kells, The: 8/10
Secretariat: 6/10
Sex and the City 2: 2/10
Sharktopus: 3/10
She's Out of My League: 6/10
Shinjuku Incident [San suk si gin]: 7/10
Shrek Forever After: 7/10
Shutter Island: 9/10
Skyline: 2/10
Social Network, The: 10/10
Solitary Man: 8/10
Somewhere: 7/10
Sorcerer's Apprentice, The: 7/10
Special Relationship, The: 7/10
Splice: 3/10
Spy Next Door, The: 3/10
Step Up 3D: 4/10
Stolen: 4/10
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse: 5/10
Survival of the Dead: 3/10
Switch, The: 5/10
Tangled: 8/10
TiMER: 5/10
Tooth Fairy: 3/10
Town, The: 10/10
Toy Story 3: 10/10
Triage: 5/10
TRON: Legacy: 6/10
True Grit: 9/10
Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The: 6/10
Unstoppable: 8/10
Valentine's Day: 4/10
Valhalla Rising: 3/10
Vampires Suck: 1/10
Waking Sleeping Beauty: 7/10
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps: 4/10
Way Back, The: 9/10
When in Rome: 4/10
Winning Season, The: 7/10
Winter's Bone: 9/10
Wolfman, The: 4/10
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger: 3/10
Youth in Revolt: 5/10


2010 Short Films:

Day and Night: 7/10
DC Showcase: Green Arrow: 8/10
DC Showcase: Jonah Hex: 7/10
DC Showcase: Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam: 5/10
DC Showcase: The Spectre: 7/10
Plastic Bag: 8/10
Red Dead Redemption: 3/10
Scrat's Continental Crack-Up: 6/10


Top 10 of 2010 (so far):
Honorable Mentions: The Ghost Writer, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The American, Restrepo, Monsters, Rabbit Hole, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Black Swan, El secreto de sus ojos, Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Way Back, Winter's Bone, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974, The Crazies, Never Let Me Go, The Fighter, Unstoppable, Kick-Ass, Blue Valentine, Un prophète, Iron Man 2, How to Train Your Dragon, Animal Kingdom, Tangled, The Kids Are All Right, The Company Men
10. Let Me In
9. True Grit
8. Inception
7. Shutter Island
6. Carlos
5. The King's Speech
4. The Social Network
3. The Town
2. Toy Story 3
1. 127 Hours

2011 Academy Award Predictions

Below are my rankings for the Top 40 Films of 2010 along with my predictions for the Academy Awards. I've ranked all the nominees I've seen by my preference in the category, then alphabetically for those I have not. I listed my prediction for the win, a possible spoiler and which film should have been recognized in each category (so if I list three 'should have been here' contenders it means I would replace the bottom three candidates in my ranking of the nominees with those to form my ideal ballot).


Best Picture:

1. 127 Hours
2. Toy Story 3
3. The Social Network
4. The King's Speech
5. Inception
6. True Grit
7. Black Swan
8. Winter's Bone
9. The Fighter
10. The Kids are All Right

Will Win: The King's Speech
Could Win: The Social Network
Should Have Been Here: The Town, Shutter Island, Carlos, Let Me In

An amazing year in the category, for once I genuinely liked every nominee.

Best Director

1. David Fincher, The Social Network
2. Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
3. Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit
4. Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
5. David O. Russell, The Fighter

Will Win: David Fincher
Could Win: Tom Hooper
Should Have Been Here: Danny Boyle, 127 Hours; Christopher Nolan, Inception; Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island

Best Actor

1. James Franco, 127 Hours
2. Colin Firth, The King's Speech
3. Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
4. Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Javier Bardem, Biutiful

Will Win: Colin Firth
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island; Andrew Garfield, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974; Edgar Ramirez, Carlos

Best Actress

1. Natalie Portman, Black Swan
2. Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
3. Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
4. Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
5. Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

The only poor selection here would be Bening who wasn't even the best female lead in her movie (Julianne Moore gave a far more interesting performance)

Will Win: Natalie Portman
Could Win: Annette Bening
Should Have Been Here: Rachel Weisz, Agora; Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs; Emma Stone, Easy A; Chloe Moretz, Let Me In; Patricia Clarkson, Cairo Time

Best Supporting Actor

1. Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
2. Jeremy Renner, The Town
3. Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
4. Christian Bale, The Fighter
5. John Hawkes, Winter's Bone

Another superb set of nominees, all are deserving

Will Win: Christian Bale
Could Win: Geoffrey Rush
Should Have Been Here: Andrew Garfield, The Social Network; Joe Anderson, The Crazies

Best Supporting Actress

1. Amy Adams, The Fighter
2. Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
3. Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
4. Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
5. Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Sadly, it looks like Melissa Leo is going to win for a scenery chewing over the top performance.

Will Win: Melissa Leo
Could Win: Hailee Steinfeld, Helena Bonham Carter
Should Have Been Here: Mila Kunis, Black Swan; Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer; Soledad Villamil, The Secret in Their Eyes; Mia Wasikowski, The Kids Are All Right

Best Animated Film

1. Toy Story 3
2. How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist

Will Win: Toy Story 3
Could Win: null
Could Have Been Here: Tangled, Despicable Me

Best Foreign Language Film

1. Dogtooth (Greece)
Biutiful (Mexico)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Outside the Law (Algeria)

Will Win: Biutiful
Could Win: In a Better World
Should Have Been Here: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden)

Best Documentary Feature

1. Restrepo
2. Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Waste Land

Will Win: Inside Job
Could Win: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Should Have Been Here: Waking Sleeping Beauty

Best Original Screenplay

1. The King's Speech
2. The Kids Are All Right
3. The Fighter
4. Inception
Another Year

Will Win: The Kids Are All Right
Could Win: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Here: Black Swan, Monsters, Carlos

Best Adapted Screenplay

1, Toy Story 3
2. 127 Hours
3. The Social Network
4. True Grit
5. Winter's Bone

Will Win: The Social Network
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: The Town

Best Art Direction

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2. True Grit
3. Inception
4. The King's Speech
5. Alice in Wonderland

Will Win: Inception
Could Win: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Here: Black Swan, Shutter Island, The Wolfman

Best Cinematography

1. True Grit
2. Black Swan
3. Inception
4. The Social Network
5. The King's Speech

Will Win: True Grit
Could Win: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Here: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, 127 Hours, Shutter Island, The Way Back

Best Film Editing

1. 127 Hours
2. The Social Network
3. Black Swan
4. The King's Speech
5. The Fighter

Will Win: The Social Network
Could Win: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Here: Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Shutter Island

Best Visual Effects

1. Inception
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
3. Iron Man 2
4. Alice in Wonderland
5. Hereafter

Will Win: Inception
Could Win: Alice in Wonderland
Could Have Been Here: Scott Pilgrim vs the World, The Social Network

Best Original Score

1. 127 Hours, A.R. Rahman
2. The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
3. Inception, Hans Zimmer
4. How to Train Your Dragon, John Powell
5. The King's Speech, Alexandre Desplat

Will Win: The Social Network
Could Win: Inception
Should Have Been Here: Never Let Me Go, Rachel Portman; TRON: Legacy, Daft Punk; Toy Story 3, Randy Newman; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Song

1. "I See the Light" (Tangled)
2. "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)
3. "If I Rise" (127 Hours)
4. "Coming Home" (Country Strong)

Will Win: "I See the Light"
Could Win: "If I Rise," "We Belong Together"
Should Have Been Here: "Eclipse: All Yours" (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Best Sound Editing

1. TRON: Legacy
2. Inception
3. Unstoppable
4. True Grit
5. Toy Story 3

Will Win: Inception
Could Win: True Grit
Should Have Been Here: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 127 Hours, How to Train Your Dragon

Best Sound Mixing

1. Inception
2. Salt
3. True Grit
4. The Social Network
5. The King's Speech

Will Win: Inception
Could Win: Salt
Should Have Been Here: TRON: Legacy, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 127 Hours, Shutter Island, The Crazies

Best Costume Design

1. True Grit
2. The King's Speech
3. Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The Tempest

Will Win: The King's Speech
Could Win: Alice in Wonderland
Should Have Been Here: Black Swan, Robin Hood, The Way Back, The Wolfman

Best Makeup

1. The Wolfman
2. Barney's Version
3. The Way Back

Will Win: The Wolfman
Could Win: Barney's Version
Should Have Been Here: Black Swan

Best Animated Short

1. Day and Night
The Gruffalo
Let's Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, a Journey Diary

Will Win: Madagascar, a Journey Diary
Could Win: any
Should Have Been Here: DC Showcase: Green Arrow

Best Live Action Short

The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143

Will Win: The Confession
Could Win: any
Should Have Been Here: Paper Bag

Best Documentary Short

Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

Will Win: The Warriors of Qiugang
Could Win: Strangers No More
Should Have Been Here: (Abstain)


Top 40 Movies of 2011
40. Agora
39. Edge of Darkness
38. The Disappearance of Alice Creed
37. Salt
36. Cairo Time
35. The Company Men
34. The Kids Are All Right
33. Tangled
32. Animal Kingdom
31. How to Train Your Dragon
30. Iron Man 2
29. A Prophet (Un prophète)
28. Blue Valentine
27. Kick-Ass
26. Unstoppable
25. The Fighter
24. Never Let Me Go
23. The Crazies
22. Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974
21. Winter's Bone
20. The Way Back
19. Exit Through the Gift Shop
18. The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos)
17. Rabbit Hole
16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
15. Black Swan
14. Monsters
13. Restrepo
12. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
11. The Ghost Writer
10. Let Me In
9. True Grit
8. Inception
7. Shutter Island
6. Carlos
5. The King's Speech
4. The Social Network
3. The Town
2. Toy Story 3
1. 127 Hours

Super Bowl Movie Commercials

The Eagle (February 11)*

Sadly, the ads make The Eagle look like a lightweight version of Gladiator starring the very un-Roman Channing Tatum. They'd be better suited emphasizing the quality of filmmaker involved (director Kevin MacDonald also made State of Play and The Last King of Scotland) and the top flight supporting cast (Donald Sutherland, Jamie Bell, Mark Strong, Tahir Rahim) instead of poorly trying to pander to fans of dumb action movies. Also, I can't imagine many Americans would understand what the significance of 'the' eagle is to a Roman soldier so why not either keep the film's original title (The Eagle of the Ninth) or come up with something stupider to pander to American audiences.

Just Go With It (February 11)*

Better than those horrific Facebook status inspired commercials that litter the airwaves lately, the Just Go With It Super Bowl commercial at least seems to sell the movie's box office strengths: Adam Sandler-style humor and Brooklyn Decker in a bikini. It does look like a step-up from the last few more family friendly (Grown Ups and Bedtime Stories) and serious (Funny People) Adam Sandler movies. Interesting that the marketing department has completely removed Nicole Kidman from the trailers and commercials as she has one of the film's largest roles.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (February 11)**

Absolutely no interest here, but credit should go to the marketing department for making this at least appear to be a Bieber biopic instead of just another overpriced 3D concert film (like Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, U2 and The Rolling Stones in recent years).

I Am Number Four (February 18)*
<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=d7ebe3a0-1f95-4505-91ec-d619a3cc0d83" target="_new" title="">Dreamworks: 'I Am Number Four'</a>
I believe I Am Number Four is supposed to feel like the epic start of a new franchise but it justs seems a bit dull. The lead actor, Alex Pettyfer, seems to lack any of the necessary charisma to carry an action movie. At least this spot emphasizes great TV actor Timothy Olyphant, but I can't imagine he is going to put many asses in theater seats.

Drive Angry: Shot in 3D (February 25)*

It seems remarkable to me that in the course of two months Nicolas Cage could have two of the worst movies ever released. At the very least this one seems to be embracing a spirit of trashy fun more than Season of the Witch. However, they've done nothing in the marketing to suggest this is the sort of movie that merits the extra money for 3D despite the commercial begging otherwise.

The Adjustment Bureau (March 4)*

I have no idea why they're advertising this as a trashy scifi action movie. The movie is full of damn good actors (Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Slattery, Terrence Stamp, Anthony Mackie) and is every bit as much a love story as an action movie. If they bring the focus back to the Damon-Blunt love story and try to appeal to a more upscale viewer I think they'd have a far better shot at making some money.

Rango (March 4)

To Rango's credit, it sports the only unique look and style of the many animated movies marketed last night. With an appearance that seems computer generated by way of Ray Harryhausen creations (think: the original Clash of the Titans) and a relatively funny trailer I think Rango's marketing is right on to capture a broad audience.

Take Me Home Tonight (March 4)**

Didn't this movie come out last year under the title Hot Tub Time Machine, only with funnier actors? Seems like nothing more than a bland 80s-set sex comedy with an unappealing lead actor.

Battle: Los Angeles (March 11)*

Late last year a movie was released called Skyline. The directors of Skyline are special effects gurus who created new effects technology for use in Battle: Los Angeles. They then re-utilized that technology and cranked out the atrocious Skyline in just a few months. By making another aliens invade Los Angeles movie, they're effectively undercutting the movie that bankrolled the creation of the new effects technology. Thankfully, it looks like Battle: Los Angeles has exciting and unique enough commercials to sell this premise. The commercial hits all the right notes, giving the viewer a look at the lead actors, the plot and the action. More importantly, the effects look impressive enough that it has more of a summer 'feel' than the typical March movie so it should play out like a major event at the box office.

Mars Needs Moms (March 11)
<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=d7ebe3a0-1f95-4505-91ec-d619a3cc0d83" target="_new" title="">Dreamworks: 'I Am Number Four'</a>
Using the lifeless zombie animation style of film's like The Polar Express and Beowulf and sporting a broad, bland sense of humor, Mars Needs Moms looks like an absolute dud.

Limitless (March 18)

Bradley Cooper as a smarmy guy who knows everything seems like perfect casting, De Niro looks motivated and Kanye music fits the premise extremely well. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the movie is awful, but for now I'm sold.

Hop (April 1)*

One of the worst previews of the night, Hop's commercial told us basically nothing about the film's plot or premise. The animation style seems bland and Song 2 by Blur was a better fit in trailers nearly15 years ago when paired with movies like Starship Troopers.

Rio (April 15)

Another nominee for worst commercials of the night, Rio looks colorful but the trailer tells us next to nothing about what to expect from the movie. With so much animation on the schedule, movies need to stand out and Rio utterly fails to.

Fast Five (April 29)

I didn't particularly care for Fast & Furious (the series' 4th film), but for some reason I find myself pretty excited for the sequel. Throwing in some parkour and The Rock seem like good moves to keep the enjoyably trashy series strong. An impressive money shot at the end of the commercial of Diesil and Walker jumping out of a car flying off a cliff and 'The Summer Begins' tagline make for a solid way to sell Fast Five as an event movie.

Thor (May 6)

I want to be excited for this movie SO badly, but the marketing so far just isn't really hitting home for me. I think that the movie is fantastically well cast, that Kenneth Branagh is an inspired choice of director and that the efforts to link Thor into the upcoming Avengers movie should keep it from getting to fantasy-esque. But this commercial is just kind of uninspiring. A lot of mediocre CGI (what the hell is that creature at the end of the commercial?), hokey costumes and unimpressive action are making me pretty nervous about Thor.

Priest (May 13)*

Why is this January junk being released during the summer?!? The same star and director as 2010's mediocre January Legion, along with a weaker supporting cast and a 3D post-conversion that is all but certain to damage eyeballs, make Priest look like a disaster on the horizon.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)

I like that the commercials seems to emphasize that gone are the convoluted plots of Pirates 2 and 3, replaced by a back to basics approach that hearkens backs to the superb original film. I can't quite put my fingers on it - I don't know if it's the fact that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are gone or the change in director to Rob Marshall (Chicago) from Gore Verbinski - but something about this trailer leaves me a bit uninspired. Maybe the sequels have already done too much damage to the franchise.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 27)*

The commercials is a decent enough play on the classic sports anthem 'We Will Rock You' and the character is likable enough that the movie watchable. I don't understand Dreamworks' hubris with this series though - they've already planned for 5 sequels.

Super 8 (June 10)

Seemingly I'm in the minority, but the trailer for J.J. Abrams' Super 8 was a big hit for me. Intended as a tribute to Steven Spielberg's early career, Super 8's commercial manages to evoke E.T., Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in just 30 seconds. Not a great idea about the exact plot, but it's clear enough some sort of creature escapes from a train in a 70s town. Nice to see a summer movie starring role for Kyle Chandler, so good on Friday Night Lights.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1)

The big surprise of the night for me. Like most, I hated Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but I've been cautiously optimistic about the fact that Michael Bay seems to recognize the many ways the first Transformers sequel went astray. The Super Bowl commercials was basically 30 seconds of Chicago getting absolutely ravaged by Transformers, capped off by an impressive long take shot of Optimus Prime fighting his way through the city streets. Michael Bay can still craft some of the most impressive action scenes in Hollywood and, mercifully, this dark commercial suggests a stark move away from the horrifically stupid humor of Transformers 2.

Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22)

The trailer was a tiny bit of a disappointment for me. I loved the designs and the World War II setting (director Joe Johnston previously made The Rocketeer and was a key art director and special effects designer for the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones series), but the action seemed somewhat unimpressive. Tough to tell much of anything about Chris Evans' performance (he says five words in the trailer), but it does sadly seems like his signature humor will be part of the role. Cautiously optimistic about Captain America at this point.

Cowboys and Aliens (July 29)

The director of Iron Man (Jon Favreau) plus the star of Casino Royale and, arguably, the greatest 'event movie' actor of all time equals a movie for which I'm damn excited. Despite the dumb title, Cowboys and Aliens looks like it's going to sport a motivated Harrison Ford, top flight action, a great supporting cast (Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano, Keith Carradine, Walton Goggins) and some fantastically bizarre creature and set designs. Cowboys and Aliens is probably the movie I'm most excited for in the summer of 2011 and this commercial only strengthened that notion.

* denotes a movie trailer that aired before the Super Bowl
** denotes a movie trailer that aired during the post-Super Bowl episode of Glee

The Real Razzies

In honor of the Razzies Nominee announcement I've decided to post my own nominees for the worst movies of 2010. My problem with the Razzies is that they only nominate movies that the film snob and geek communities are supposed to hate, which leads to a decent movie like The Twilight Sage: Eclipse getting the most nominations or Jessica Alba getting nominated for a damn fine performance (in The Killer Inside Me, alongside three other roles). More importantly, they're afraid to go after the real film making disasters: when credible and legitimate talent makes garbage (Alice in Wonderland, I'm looking at you).

I should say that there are many 2010 movies that I have no doubt are truly awful that I have not seen.

Worst Picture
* Alice in Wonderland
* The Back-Up Plan
* The Bounty Hunter
* Case 39
* Knucklehead
* The Last Airbender
* Sex and the City 2
* Skyline
* Survival of the Dead
* Vampires Suck

Vampires Suck is the best movie yet from the "film-making" team of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Regardless, it's still the worst movie of 2010. It seems surreal to me that there used to be funny spoof movies (like The Naked Gun or Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) because the Friedberg/Seltzer combo has so thoroughly destroyed the genre with masterpieces like Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie and, of course, Vampires Suck.

Special notice goes to Alice in Wonderland, Sex and the City 2 and The Last Airbender for all finishing in the year's top 30 films at the box office and, in the process, shaking my faith in the viability of the American dream.

Also a special notice goes to How to Make Love to a Woman, the teen comedy starring Ken Jeong (The Hangover), Krysten Ritter ("Breaking Bad") and Ian Somerholder ("Lost"), for being the worst straight-to-DVD release of 2010 and the second worst movie I saw all year.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Splice and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger just miss the list because good work by the performers is enough to just slightly elevate piss poor material.

Worst Actor
* Brendan Fraser, Extraordinary Measures
* Garrett Hedlund, TRON: Legacy
* Robert Pattinson, Remember Me
* Noah Ringer, The Last Airbender
* Kenneth Welsh, Survival of the Dead

I don't actually think Robert Pattinson is all that bad an actor, but his Marlon Brando impersonation (why the character should be a Brando impersonation, I have no idea) in Remember Me is one of the most histrionic and awful performances I've ever seen - an easy win for the worst of 2010. I also wanted to make sure to point out the weak link in the otherwise watchable TRON: Legacy, Garrett Hedlund. I disliked his work enough that I now retroactively have a far lesser appreciation for Friday Night Lights.

Worst Actress
* Emma Bell, Frozen
* Katherine Heigl, Killers
* Jennifer Lopez, The Back-Up Plan
* Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City 2
* Renée Zellwegger, Case 39

The "winner" here is Jennifer Lopez for leading up one of the worst romantic comedies I've ever seen. I find myself thinking Frozen could have been a really great movie if it had some better performances.

Worst Supporting Actor
* Nicolas Cage, Kick-Ass
* Josh Gad, Love and Other Drugs
* Jason Patric, The Losers
* Jackson Rathbone, The Last Airbender
* Shawn Roberts, Resident Evil: Afterlife

I genuinely liked Kick-Ass and Love and Other Drugs so it saddens me to include them here. I actually kind of like Nicolas Cage (when he's properly motivated he's quite a great actor ala Leaving Las Vegas), but I have no idea what the hell he was trying to do here. Shawn Roberts is one of the least intimidating 'bad ass' villains I've ever seen in a movie. But Josh Gad was special. His was, easily, the single worst performance I saw all year (in many years, in fact). His immature, broad and downright creepy 'comedic' performance did EVERYTHING in its power to derail Love and Other Drugs and to sabotage the top flight performances of the film's leads. I have no idea why Edward Zwick cast him and I truly hope to never see another Josh Gad performance.

Worst Supporting Actress
* Cate Blanchett, Robin Hood
* Katie Cassidy, A Nightmare on Elm Street
* Brittany Daniel, Skyline
* Nicola Peltz, The Last Airbender
* Ninette Tayib, The Assassin Next Door [Kirot]

Cate Blanchett is a great actress, which might be why her performance in Robin Hood was so embarrassing. Cast as some sort of tough guy version of Maid Marion (with a full set of armor naturally), her character is reduced to rolling around drowning in a beach's surf during the film's climax... because the armor is too heavy for her to stand up in.

A few other minor awards:
Worst Special Effects in a Major Release: Daybreakers
Worst On-Screen Couple: Robin Hood
Worst Editing in a Major Release: The Expendables
Worst Use of Condescending to the Audience: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Worst Garbage Masquerading as an Art Film: Valhalla Rising
Worst Use of a Great Cast: Eat Pray Love
Worst Release Pattern that Sabotaged the Release of a Legitimately Good Movie: The Way Back
Worst Use of 3D: Clash of the Titans
Worst Use of 9/11 as a Manipulative Plot Device: Remember Me
Worst Incentive to Travel in Germany: The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

And the Nominees Should Be...

Best Picture
* 127 Hours
* Carlos
* Inception
* The King's Speech
* Let Me In
* Shutter Island
* The Social Network
* The Town
* Toy Story 3
* True Grit
Next Ten: Black Swan, Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Ghost Writer, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Monsters, Restrepo, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Secret in Their Eyes, The Way Back, Winter's Bone

Best Director
* Ben Affleck, The Town
* Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
* Gareth Edwards, Monsters
* Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island
* Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Next Five: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), Olivier Assayas (Carlos), David Fincher (The Social Network), Christopher Nolan (Inception), Matt Reeves (Let Me In)

Best Actor
* Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island
* Colin Firth, The King's Speech
* James Franco, 127 Hours
* Andrew Garfield, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974
* Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
Next Five: Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Colin Farrell (Ondine), Mel Gibson (Edge of Darkness), Joaquin Phoenix (I'm Still Here)

Best Actress
* Patricia Clarkson, Cairo Time
* Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
* Chloe Moretz, Let Me In
* Emma Stone, Easy A
* Rachel Weisz, Agora
Next Five: Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), Rachel McAdams (Morning Glory), Radha Mitchell (The Crazies), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

Best Supporting Actor
* Joe Anderson, The Crazies
* Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
* Jeremy Renner, The Town
* Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
* Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Next Five: Christian Bale (The Fighter), Andrew Garfield (Never Let Me Go), Jon Hamm (The Town), Barry Pepper (True Grit), Justin Timberlake (The Social Network)

Best Supporting Actress
* Amy Adams, The Fighter
* Mila Kunis, Black Swan
* Soledad Villamil, The Secret in Their Eyes
* Mia Wasikowska, The Kids Are All Right
* Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer
Next Five: Jessica Alba (The Killer Inside Me), Alicja Bachleda (Ondine), Rosamund Pike (Barney's Version), Michelle Williams (Shutter Island), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)

Best Original Screenplay
* Michael Arndt, Toy Story 3
* Olivier Assayas and Dan Franck, Carlos
* Gareth Edwards, Monsters
* Andre Heinz, Mark Heyman and John J. McLaughlin, Black Swan
* David Seidler, The King's Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay
* Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard, The Town
* Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
* Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, True Grit
* Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Foreign Language Film (My nominees are based on 2010 U.S. release dates which is not how the real system works)
* Carlos [France]
* The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [Män som hatar kvinnor, Sweden]
* A Prophet [Un Prophète, France]
* The Secret in Their Eyes [El secreto de sus ojos, Argentina]
* Shinjuku Incident [San suk si gin, Hong Kong]

Best Documentary Feature
* Exit Through the Gift Shop
* Oceans
* The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town
* Restrepo
* Waking Sleeping Beauty

Best Animated Film
* How to Train Your Dragon
* Tangled
* Toy Story 3

Best Editing
* Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, The Social Network
* Jon Harris, 127 Hours
* Thelma Schoonmaker, Shutter Island
* Lee Smith, Inception

Best Cinematography
* Russell Boyd, The Way Back
* Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle, 127 Hours
* Roger Deakins, True Grit
* Bob Richardson, Shutter Island
* Eduardo Serra, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Best Art Direction
* Black Swan
* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
* Shutter Island
* True Grit
* The Wolfman

Best Visual Effects
* Inception
* Iron Man 2
* Monsters
* Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* TRON: Legacy

Best Original Score
* Daft Punk, TRON: Legacy
* Alexandre Desplat, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
* Randy Newman, Toy Story 3
* Rachel Portman, Never Let Me Go
* A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours

Best Song
* Eclipse: All Yours, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
* I See the Light, Tangled
* If I Rise, 127 Hours
* Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass
* We Belong Together, Toy Story 3

Best Sound Mixing
* 127 Hours
* The Crazies
* Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* Shutter Island
* TRON: Legacy

Best Sound Editing
* 127 Hours
* How to Train Your Dragon
* Inception
* Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* TRON: Legacy

Best Costume Design
* Black Swan
* Robin Hood
* True Grit
* The Way Back
* The Wolfman

Best Makeup
* Barney's Version
* Black Swan
* The Wolfman

Nomination Count
127 Hours: 10
Shutter Island: 7
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: 6
Black Swan: 5
Toy Story 3: 5
True Grit: 5
Carlos: 4
Inception: 4
The King's Speech: 4
The Social Network: 4
The Town: 4
TRON: Legacy: 4
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: 3
Let Me In: 3
Monsters: 3
The Wolfman: 3
The Crazies: 2
How to Train Your Dragon: 2
The Kids Are All Right: 2
The Secret in Their Eyes: 2
Tangled: 2
The Way Back: 2
Agora: 1
Barney's Version: 1
Cairo Time: 1
Easy A: 1
Exit Through the Gift Shop: 1
The Fighter: 1
The Ghost Writer: 1
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 1
Kick-Ass: 1
Love and Other Drugs: 1
Never Let Me Go: 1
Oceans: 1
The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town: 1
A Prophet: 1
Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974: 1
Restrepo: 1
Robin Hood: 1
Shinjuku Incident: 1
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: 1
Waking Sleeping Beauty: 1


Bonus Categories (Not actual Academy Award Categories)

Best Ensemble
* Inception (Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Pete Postlethwaite)
* Shutter Island (Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Elias Koteas)
* The Social Network (Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara)
* The Town (Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively, Chris Cooper, Pete Postlethwaite)
* True Grit (Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper)

Best Scene
* 127 Hours - James Franco cuts off his arm and the aftermath
* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson share a dance in a quiet moment
* Inception - Joseph Gordon-Levitt's rotating gravity fight scene
* Shutter Island - Leonardo DiCaprio remembers Michelle Williams by the lake
* Toy Story 3 - The toys hold hands in the incinerator

Breakthrough Filmmaker
* Banksy, Exit Through the Gift Shop
* Juan José Campanella, The Secret in Their Eyes
* Gareth Edwards, Monsters
* Debra Granik, Winter's Bone
* Lee Unkrich, Toy Story 3

Breakthrough Performer
* Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1983 and The Social Network
* Aaron Johnson, The Greatest, Kick-Ass and Nowhere Boy
* Chloe Moretz, Kick-Ass and Let Me In
* Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
* Mia Wasikowska, Alice in Wonderland and The Kids Are All Right

Valentine's Day Review

The Plot:
- Valentine's Day attempts to interweave the stories of a number of singles and couples over the course of one Valentine's Day - starting in the morning and ending at midnight.

The Good:
- The cast is one of the most impressive in a film in years. The film's poster alone lists 19 names, easily enough to populate a handful of movies. Almost all of the actors seem to try to elevate the material as much as possible in limited screen time.
- Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher have the most effective narrative arcs, not coincidentally because they have the most screen time.
- Eric Dane's plot line has a genuinely funny and memorable conclusion.

The Bad:
- Almost every character is little more than a caricature. There's almost so much good actors can do with underwritten, one note characters in limited screen time.
- Some of the plots (Topher Grace's, for one) are pretty painful to sit through.
- Taylor Swift + acting = disaster.
- It feels like a slightly more cohesive New York, I Love You or Paris, je t'aime.

The Verdict:
- Is it the worst romantic comedy of 2010? No. Is it amusing to watch all these big stars in one movie? Sure, but it never goes beyond that. The characters never come to life as anything more than a variety of cameos by actors we like better in other movies.

Overall Score: 4/10

Edge of Darkness Review

The Plot:
- A homicide detective (Mel Gibson) investigates the murder of his daughter and stumbles into a far larger conspiracy.

The Good:
- Sadly, Edge of Darkness underperformed at the box office because of all the (deserved) negative publicity surrounding Mel Gibson. Gibson, however, delivers one of the best performances of his career, far better than the pulpy material deserves. Even in his mid-50s Gibson is entirely credibly in action scenes. More importantly, he manages to deftly balance the sadness inherent in losing a child and the pure rage that drives him to find those responsible. The performance is most effective in the small genuine moments, such as a flashback to Gibson lightheartedly making a shaving cream beard on his daughter.
- Ray Winstone, as always, brings fantastic gravity to the movie. His scenes with Gibson are absolutely electric.
- Martin Campbell, director of Casino Royale, Goldeneye and Mask of Zorro, is one of the most competent directors working today in terms of staging action scenes. Each shot flows logically from the one prior and it's entirely possible to grasp the exact location and scale of all the moving pieces of a scene.
- Nice work in limited screen time by Bojana Novakovic who plays Gibson's daughter.

The Bad:
- The conspiracy theory plot, which dominates the film's second half, feels weak and out of place. The film was adapted from a six hour British serial drama so, perhaps, something was lost in translation.
- The often effective Danny Huston seems wasted in a smarmy role as the boss of the evil Halliburton-esque corporation behind the conspiracy.

The Verdict:
- While the film itself works as a solid action movie, the second half is muddled by an emphasis on the less compelling conspiracy aspects. The whole thing would have worked better as a pure revenge thriller. Mel Gibson, however, does such fantastic work with the material that I believe he deserves legitimate award consideration (which will, of course, never happen). Writing this in December of 2010, I still see Gibson's work as some of the finest of the year. Perhaps inspired by his nearly 8 year hiatus from starring roles, Gibson brings fantastic intensity and commitment to his character. I hope that people are someday able to separate Gibson the actor from Gibson the person so that his work can receive the credit it deserves.

Overall Score: 8/10

Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum [District 13: Ultimatum] Review

The Plot:
District 13: Ultimatum reunites the lead actors from 2004's District B13 in another parkour based action flick to prevent the French government from annihilating the Parisian ghettos. Patrick Alessandrin steps in to replace Pierre Morel who has moved on to bigger budget Hollywood productions (Taken, From Paris with Love).

The Good:
- The action scenes are compelling enough to carry the viewers attention. Inspired by the martial art of parkour (or free running), the characters literally jump off buildings and run up walls. The grace and athleticism involved in the art and stunt work (also seen in movies like Casino Royale, Live Free or Die Hard and The Bourne Ultimatum) is absolutely astounding.
- The lead actors, David Belle (the creator of parkour) and Cyril Raffaelli (a poor man's Jason Stahthem), are appealing enough to carry the non-action scenes.

The Bad:
- The plot is some sort of ridiculous nonsense involving a variety of ethnic gangs uniting to, more or less, stage a coup.
- The supporting performances are lacking, at best.
- The editing and lensing of the actions scenes is a step down from those of the original. Morel had a better feel than Alessandrin for when to move the camera or cut during one of the action scenes without taking away from the impressive stunt work.

The Verdict:
- If you have any interest in parkour, martial arts or top flight stunt work, the movie is worth seeing. Less so if you need a competent plot or performances to enjoy a movie.
- A worthy, but inferior, successor to District B13.

Overall Score: 6/10

The Book of Eli Review

The Plot:
- A nomad named Eli (Denzel Washington) fights his way across post-apocalyptic America carrying a tome that is supposed to hold the hope for humanity's salvation.

The Good:
- One of the finest character actors in the business, Gary Oldman delivers yet another interesting role. His sneering deliveries liven up every scene.
- The film crafts a convincing and effective post-apocalyptic world.
- Creatively crafted action scenes keep things interesting, as does the competent camera work and cinematography.
- A nice little role for Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome) as Oldman's top henchman.

The Bad:
- The ending twist is more than a little absurd.
- Mila Kunis lacks credibility as an action heroine.
- Denzel seems a bit bored by the material.
- The action scenes are poorly edited to the point where it's sometimes difficult to tell what's going on.

The Verdict:
- Worth seeing for Oldman's amusing antagonist performance and a well-designed film world, just don't expect anything profound.

Overall Score: 6/10

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (30-26)

30. Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005)

As a society we have a tendency to look back at the 1950s as an ideal time in American history. We had just defeated the evil of the Nazis and had become the heroes in the battle of wills with the godless communist menace. A lot of our imagery of the era comes from film and television programming like Leave it to Beaver: the perfect family pursuing the American dream of the suburbs and a white picket fence. It goes further: we think of greasers and preppies, quaint television sets, Elvis, and children (humorously) undergoing nuclear bomb drills in schools. The early parts of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, regardless of the issues in the later section of the film, really tap into these sort of memories.

But there's another side of the 1950s: McCarthy, racism, women's suffrage, House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), the growth of drug use and post-war alcoholism. The more interesting movies about the 50s reside in these areas, those that attack and deconstruct the mythos of the 50s. No film of the last decade more effectively played with the ideas of the 50s than Good Night, and Good Luck.

Set in the core era of the fear-mongering of Joseph McCarthy, George Clooney's film deals with the efforts of broadcaster Edward R. Murrow to bring honest political debate about the efficacy and legitimacy of McCarthy's tactics. First Murrow defends, on the air, an Air Force lieutenant named Milo Radulovich. McCarthy accuses the serviceman of being a closet communist because his sister is liberal and his father still receives a newspaper from his homeland of Serbia - Morrow takes McCarthy to task for the absurdity of his accusations and creates a public battle that helps lead to McCarthy's political downfall.

Dealing with such a delicate topic, one that could easily devolve into pedantic politicized histrionics, George Clooney shows a sure hand. His direction is restrained, professional and designed to get the best out of his actors. The screenplay, by Clooney and Grant Heslov, is fantastically constructed. Clooney draws top shelf performances out of Robert Downey, Jr., Jeff Daniels and Patricia Clarkson. But, perhaps, the greatest gem of the movie is the lead performance of David Straithairn. To most film goers Straithairn is a 'that guy' actor: someone a viewer recognizes and appreciates but can't quite place where they know him from - perhaps as the head of the prostitution service in L.A. Confidential or as Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream. His roles were predominantly small, but effective, bits of film and television. Clooney, however, had the wisdom to see Straithairn's talent and reward him with the lead role here. And Straithairn delivered one of the best performances of the decade; a performance which was rightfully nominated for the best actor Academy Award. To anyone that has seen Good Night, and Good Luck David Straithairn has made the transition from 'that guy' to one of the best character actors of his time.

29. The Bourne Trilogy: The Bourne Identity/The Bourne Supremacy/The Bourne Ultimatum (Doug Liman, 2002/Paul Greengrass, 2004/2007)

Granted, I'm fudging the rules a little bit by combining the Bourne Trilogy into one film. This spot is, most of all, for Paul Greengrass' superlative Bourne Ultimatum but I felt the whole series deserves recognition as the finest action trilogy since Indiana Jones. The Bourne Identity crafted a fantastic character and mythology. It establishes Matt Damon as a bona fide action star and made for one of the most enjoyable thrill ride movies of the decade. Sadly, Doug Liman's direction is adequate but unspectacular. It isn't until Paul Greengrass took over in 2004 that the series made the transition from enjoyable action movie to legitimate work of art. It's in The Bourne Ultimatum that the series reaches its greatest heights.

One of the very worst trends of the 2000s has been the growth of handheld 'shaky' camera work and spastic editing that makes modern action scenes indecipherable mysteries. In car chases, for example, there's no sense of the spatial relationship between vehicles: you see a driver, then a trail, then a gun, then a squealing tire, then a car careen around a turn, then the rival driver - and all of that in just a few seconds. The human brain can barely process the first image before it's been bombarded by three more. Sadly, this is a result of the later Bourne movies. Paul Greengrass' masterful editing used this style in a manner no other action director has been able to replicate. Each cut creates a new point of emphasis in the action while never losing sight of the big picture of a scene. It gives the action a sort of immediacy, brutality and potency that most films can only dream of. Greengrass even crafted one of the most remarkable little shots of the decade in The Bourne Ultimatum: the camera follows Bourne as he runs across a roof, he gets to the edge and jumps off towards a window across an alleyway. Only the camera follows right behind Bourne across the jump through the window and into the neighboring apartment. I can remember the exact moment while I was watching the film for the first time, you could feel the entire theater gasp. It's since been duplicated many times, but that initial shot was a little piece of movie magic.

Now, of course, if the films were only about action they wouldn't be on the list here. The movies are carried by the fantastic work of Matt Damon. He is believably tough as a spy/assassin and brings a stunning credibility to the action work. Bolstered by Greengrass' work (he also edited Bourne Identity), we believe Damon's work in the fight scenes as much as any other action actor in recent years. But he also brings emotional depth to the performance. The series is driven in large part by Bourne's relationship with Marie, a woman he meets and bribes to help him escape Paris. Played superbly by Franka Potente, Marie acts as the series' beating heart. The leads have the benefit of amazing supporting players as well. From Bourne's quasi-allies (Julia Stiles and Joan Allen) to his in-the-field rivals (Clive Owen and Karl Urban) to his 'big picture' enemies in the CIA (Chris Cooper, Brian Cox and David Straithairn), each supporting player brings a memorable and worthy performance to the series. On the whole, the Bourne movies are a fantastic achievement in the action genre. I look forward to seeing what Tony Gilroy (writer of the Bourne trilogy and director of Michael Clayton) does with the Bourne's series 4th installment.

28. United 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006)

I've really struggled with how to write about this movie. When I saw United 93 back in 2006, the release was covered by a cloud of controversy as to if it should even exist at all. Some argued it was too soon to make a movie about 9/11 - we lacked perspective, and the pain was too immediate. Others that it was particularly offensive to depict the terrorists as praying to God before and during the hijacking of the film. Others still that movies simply shouldn't be made about 9/11, that it disrespects or cheapens the tragedy of what happened that day. I think if all of those naysayers gave United 93 a chance today, they'd recognize what a masterful tribute the film is to the heroic deeds of those on United Flight 93.

The film is entirely apolitical. It happens with a harrowing immediacy. No effort is made to delve into the back stories of any of the victims or terrorists. Rather the film aims to memorialize what happened by crafting as true a picture as possible. No moment is shoehorned in to artificially up the emotional drama. The fact that nearly every actor was an unknown at the time of the movie helps create the cinéma vérité feel towards which director Paul Greengrass aspires. In fact, the actual FAA Operations Manager on 9/11, Ben Sliney, plays himself in the film. Greengrass' fast editing style, so effective at amplifying the action in the Bourne movies, here serves the purpose of heightening the chaos and confusion of September 11th. The film is one of the most difficult sits I've ever experienced. You leave the film drained, sad and frighteningly brought back to wherever you were on September 11th.

Greengrass knows that the story itself told as accurately as possible is the greatest tribute to those that gave everything and saved countless lives on 9/11.

27. Thank You for Smoking (Jason Reitman, 2005)

Director Jason Reitman became something of a household name later in the decade with best picture nominees Juno and Up in the Air. But it was his first, most cynical movie that still remains his best. Thank You for Smoking is about a tobacco lobbyist named Nick Naylor, played with aplomb by Aaron Eckhart. Naylor is the type who hangs out with his friends, an alcohol lobbyist and a firearm lobbyist - the self titled MOD Squad (MOD = Merchants of Death) - and debates the effectiveness of each's products' death dealing abilities. He's the sort of guy who brings his son along on cross country trips to convince movie executives to feature more stars smoking on film. Naylor is called before congress in the debate about a bill to put a skull and crossbones on packs of cigarettes. As a result, he begins receiving death threats.

[Spoilers] Throughout the film, you keep waiting for the cop-out. You keep waiting for Naylor to be redeemed. You keep waiting for his 'ah ha!' moment where he realizes cigarettes are bad and his job is nefarious at best. You keep waiting for him to develop a 'normal' relationship with his son. But those moments never come. The ending of the movie sees Naylor not only successfully defend tobacco, but become an even greater advocate of 'evil' corporations. He starts his own lobbying firm, his son starts winning school debates and he adds friends in fast food, hazardous waste and oil drilling to the MOD Squad. It's dark, it's cynical, hilarious and perfectly in line with the character. The genius of Thank You for Smoking is the way it attacks both sides, Big Tobacco and anti-smoking advocates, and comes down on the side of free choice. [End Spoilers]

As Reitman further showed with Juno and Up in the Air, his greatest gift as a director is bringing out the best work in his actors. Though he has only three movies under his belt, numerous actors have chosen to work with Reitman on multiple projects. They recognize he brings out their best. While Eckhart is fantastic here, exhibiting all the smarmy, unctuous charm expected of a lobbyist, a lot of the best parts here go to the supporting players. J.K. Simmons is fantastic and hilarious as Naylor's boss. William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Rob Lowe, Sam Elliot and Robert Duvall are all superb in their supporting roles. With a pitch perfect script, great performances and editing, Thank You for Smoking is one of the best black comedies of the decade.

26. Up (Pete Docter, 2009)

Up opens with one of the most moving and elegiac sequences I've ever seen in a movie - not just animation. The film opens with a young boy named Carl watching newsreel footage of his hero, renowned adventurer Charles Muntz, being accused of fabricating a discovery at Paradise Falls (inspired by Angel Falls in Venezuala). Soon after Carl meets a young girl named Ellie at her clubhouse. Ellie, as it turns out, is a big fan of Muntz as well and the two form a bond immediately and promise to someday move the clubhouse to Paradise Falls. The movie then cuts out all dialogue and allows the Michael Giacchino's amazing "Married Life" score to take over. We're taken on a visual journey through Carl and Ellie's marriage: the good moments and the bad. In a little over 4 minutes, director Pete Docter crafts more genuine emotion than many directors do in a career.

There is, of course, more to the movie than the first ten minutes. Escaping the efforts of an evil faceless corporation to knock down his family home, Carl literally flies his house away with thousands of balloons. He ends up on a grand adventure, quite literally dragging his house along for the ride. Along with a lonely neighborhood boy scout, a talking dog (talking thanks to an electronic collar) and a bird that looks like the bizarro offspring of an ostrich and a blue-footed booby, Carl tries to take his home, his clubhouse, to Paradise Falls. Now, I recognize, that if you haven't seen the movie this entire description sounds absurd. But the genius of Pete Docter, and the other writers, is that we buy into this world and we love it. Everything about the film is beautiful to look at: the colors, the designs, the movements. The dog, Dug, is one of the funniest characters in recent film history. He speaks not in the human manor of most movie dogs, but in a way we recognize as what we believe our actual dogs might be thinking. Carl himself is fascinatingly designed and quite unlike anything else in American animation. He hobbles awkwardly with his walker and always seems to shuffle his feet, like a man accepting that his end is near.

And that's the kicker about Up. Even though it's is guised as a kid's movie, Up is so much more. It's a contemplation on obsession, on loss and on letting go. The best animation, just like the best science fiction, isn't really about the actual plot on the screen - it's a device to give a new perspective on an idea or an emotion. Up is one of the most affecting movies of the decade and I recommend it to anyone.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)
50: Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
49: (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009)
48: Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
47: 3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007)
46: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004)
45: The Cove (Psihoyos, 2009)
44: Iron Man (Favreau, 2008)
43: District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009)
42: Atonement (Wright, 2007)
41: The Incredibles (Bird, 2004)
40: The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004)
39: Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005)
38: Serenity (Whedon, 2005)
37: Star Trek (Abrams, 2009)
36: Walk the Line (Mangold, 2005)
35: Half Nelson (Fleck, 2006)
34: Rachel Getting Married (Demme, 2008)
33: Zodiac (Fincher, 2007)
32: A History of Violence (Cronenberg, 2005)
31: The Painted Veil (Curran, 2006)
30: Good Night, and Good Luck (Clooney, 2005)
29: The Bourne Trilogy: The Bourne Identity/The Bourne Supremacy/The Bourne Ultimatum (Liman, 2002/Greengrass, 2004/2007)
28: United 93 (Greengrass, 2006)
27: Thank You for Smoking (Reitman, 2005)
26: Up (Docter, 2009)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56
55-51
50-46
45-41
40-36
35-31