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

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (35-31)

35. Half Nelson (Ryan Fleck, 2006)

Half Nelson tells the story of an inspirational teacher in a rundown inner city Brooklyn school. He works with his students to teach them to think for themselves and to make something of their lives. He rebels against the set curriculum because he wants to engage his students in the classroom. He even coaches the girls basketball team. Only this inspirational school teacher is a little bit different than the ones you may have seen on film many times before - he also smokes crack.

The film operates so effectively because it doesn't deal in simple black and white, but rather in shades of gray. This is not the sort of movie where Gosling's character inspirationally cleans-up his act and spurs on his students to an array of college scholarships. Rather it deals with the middle ground - the good acts of a deeply flawed individual.

The film focuses on the relationship between that teacher and a student who discovers his use of drugs at the school. It gives the film an emotional center; in their own way each wants to help the other. The student wants the teacher to clean up. The teacher wants to prevent the student from falling into a life of drug dealing.

That teacher is played by Ryan Gosling. Gosling gamely takes on that difficult role in a genuine and believable way. It is one of the most remarkable performances of the decade and the deserving recipient of an Academy Award nomination. The student is played by the talented young Shareeka Epps, who inhabits her role with a maturity that belies her years. Half Nelson is an emotional film to sit through, but it's entirely worth the time you invest in it.

34. Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme, 2008)

Rachel Getting Married brings a wedding to life in a way quite unlike most other films. Director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) makes effective use of the hand-held camera throughout the film, using it to integrate the viewer like another guest at the wedding. The film follows Kym, sister of the bride, through her wedding weekend leave from rehab. To the dismay of most of her relatives, Kym returns to her family like a tornado. She is selfish, immature and an addict - she also carries something from her past that sets her aside from her family members.

Anne Hathaway doesn't so much play Kym, as much as inhabit the character. I frankly had no idea that Hathaway was capable of such an incredible performance. She had shown hints of her talent in films like Brokeback Mountain and, to a lesser degree, The Devil Wears Prada, but here Demme has helped her tap into a wealth of talent that is astounding to watch. The entire supporting cast is strong but particular note goes to Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel the bride, and Bill Irwin, the family patriarch. Their scenes with Hathaway have an amazing sense of life and emotion.

Hathaway's work here is one of the finest and most natural performance I've ever seen.

33. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)

A young couple sits in a car in a Lovers' Lane-like parking lot. The two chat awkwardly but the girl seems nervous and is reluctant to share why. A car pulls up behind the couple without headlights and pauses, ominously, before driving away. The girl refuses to answer the boy's questions about the identity of the driver of the car. Soon the car reappears and pulls behind them, the headlights illuminating the young couple. An individual approaches the vehicle with a flashlight drawn. The individual walks to the side window of the car, and shines the flashlight in the eyes of the young couple before firing an unseen handgun five times into the vehicle. The individual departs only to return a few moments later after noticing a motion in the car. He fires four more bullets, departs for his car and calls the police to announce what he has done. It is one of the most chilling murder scenes ever put to film and it kicks off one of the greatest serial killer movies ever made.

David Fincher crafts the film of an epic study - spanning nearly 30 years - of the search for the Zodiac serial killer focusing on the ordeal from two perspectives: the press and the police. For the press perspective, Fincher, in exacting details, crafts the 1960s San Francisco Chronicle offices and focuses on cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal playing the man who's book inspired the film) and criminal writer Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.). Fincher follows two police inspectors who become obsessed with solving the case (played by Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards). The acting is exceptional across the board.

On the whole, the film is a remarkable study of the obsessive lengths necessary to pursue such a killer. Fincher situates every shot in the film with exacting precision and has an old-school style of film construction that eliminates the jump cuts and choppy editing so prevalent this past decade. The film is also incredibly rich in the details of the actual investigation, and to Fincher's credit the film succeeds despite such a broad and labyrinthine structure.

32. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)

Tom Stall lives in a small Indiana town and runs a diner. He seems well liked by everyone in town, has a loving wife and a happy family. That is until one day two criminals enter his diner, threaten the patrons and attempt a robbery. Acting on something that can only be described as instinct, Tom efficiently and brutally kills both men. This brings a wealth of local media attention on Tom... and a change in his personality.

[SPOILERS from here on out] Tom, it turns out, was also known as Joey back when he lived in Philadelphia and acted as a mob enforcer. Gradually, his family man facade is pulled back as that world encroaches on his life in Indiana. A maimed mobster named Fogarty appears in town and begins pestering Tom's wife - he tells her that the man she married took his eye with barbed wire. What seemingly fascinates director David Cronenberg is the dichotomy of the two lives of Tom and Joey. Can Tom truly move beyond that past as Joey? Or is Joey a permanent part of his identity?

The key Cronenberg masterstroke here is the casting of Viggo Mortensen. He is absolutely perfect for the lead role and fascinatingly plays the conflict of his two identities. Prior to this film (and other than the Lord of the Rings movies), Mortensen was known for solid, but unremarkable, performances in a number of mostly forgettable movies (such as Crimson Tide or A Perfect Murder). It is in this film that Mortensen really takes the next step as an actor. He did great work in the Lord of the Rings movies, but the success of those films hardly rested on his work. Here he has developed the ability to balance his usual intensity with humanity. Mortensen is helped by a supporting cast - highlighted by Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt - that craft fascinating characters around Tom.

31. The Painted Veil (John Curran, 2006)

The Painted Veil tells the story of a 1920's London socialite (Naomi Watts) who marries a local doctor she barely knows (Edward Norton) in order to escape her mother's influence. The marriage is far from perfect and the socialite begins seeing another man (Liev Schreiber). The doctor learns of her infidelity and presents her with an ultimatum: accompany him to China to help treat a cholera outbreak as his faithful wife or he will file a petition for divorce citing her infidelity (which, at the time, would make her a social outcast).

The 'choice' leads Kitty Fane to follow her husband to Mei-tan-fu, a remote village in China. He works ceaselessly to stop the spread of Cholera; she begins teaching children at a nearby orphanage run by nuns. The two live in icy silence until small revelations start to crack the ice between the two.

Director John Curran and cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh masterfully stage their shots to capture incredibly beautiful natural imagery. The wonder of the environs help to heighten the emotional impact of the relationship between the characters. While the film explores the Chinese communist revolution and the gradual modernization of the country, the film is, at its core, a story of the relationship between two individuals. Without effective actors, the film simply would not work... luckily, The Painted Veil has two phenomenal actors at the top of their game. Both Naomi Watts and Edward Norton give some of the best performances of their stellar careers. Both are difficult roles, but the actors excel. The Painted Veil is one of the best romance movies I've ever seen and I'd heartily 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)

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

2009 Movie Review List

2009 Movies:
(500) Days of Summer: 9/10
12 Rounds: 5/10
17 Again: 5/10
2012: 7/10
9: 6/10
Adventureland: 8/10
Alien Trespass: 3/10
Amelia: 3/10
Angels & Demons: 7/10
Avatar: 10/10
Away We Go: 7/10
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan: 7/10
Big Fan: 7/10
Blind Side, The: 7/10
Bride Wars: 3/10
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men: 6/10
Brothers: 6/10
Brothers Bloom, The: 4/10
Bruno: 6/10
Christmas Carol, A: 6/10
Confessions of a Shopaholic: 4/10
Coraline: 8/10
Couples Retreat: 3/10
Cove, The: 10/10
Crank: High Voltage: 4/10
Crazy Heart: 7/10
Crossing Over: 5/10
District 9: 10/10
Drag Me to Hell: 7/10
Dragonball: Evolution: 2/10
Duplicity: 8/10
Earth: 7/10
Education, An: 8/10
Extract: 6/10
Fanboys: 7/10
Fantastic Mr. Fox: 8/10
Fast & Furious: 6/10
Fighting: 5/10
Final Destination, The: 5/10
Fired Up!: 4/10
Friday the 13th: 3/10
Funny People: 7/10
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder: 7/10
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra: 7/10
Gamer: 5/10
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: 5/10
Gigantic: 3/10
Girlfriend Experience, The: 7/10
Goods, The: Live Hard, Sell Hard: 6/10
Halloween II: 2/10
Hangover, The: 8/10
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: 9/10
Haunting in Connecticut, The: 2/10
He's Just Not That Into You: 4/10
Hulk Vs.: 3/10
Hurt Locker, The: 9/10
I Love You, Beth Cooper: 4/10
I Love You, Man: 7/10
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: 6/10
In the Loop: 9/10
Inglourious Basterds: 7/10
International, The: 8/10
Into the Blue 2: The Reef: 4/10
Invention of Lying, The: 5/10
Invictus: 7/10
It's Complicated: 5/10
Jennifer's Body: 5/10
Julie & Julia: 7/10
Knowing: 6/10
Land of the Lost: 4/10
Last House on the Left, The: 7/10
Law Abiding Citizen: 6/10
Lovely Bones, The: 7/10
Marine 2, The: 6/10
Me and Orson Welles: 8/10
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus: 3/10
Messenger, The: 8/10
Miss March: 2/10
Monsters vs. Aliens: 7/10
Moon: 10/10
Mutant Chronicles: 4/10
My Bloody Valentine: 3/10
New York, I Love You: 4/10
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: 6/10
Nine: 4/10
Ninja Assassin: 6/10
Observe and Report: 5/10
Obsessed: 4/10
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning: 5/10
Orphan: 7/10
Paranormal Activity: 7/10
Paul Blart: Mall Cop: 7/10
Perfect Getaway, A: 6/10
Pirate Radio: 7/10
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire: 8/10
Princess and the Frog, The: 8/10
Prison Break: The Final Break: 6/10
Proposal, The: 6/10
Public Enemies: 8/10
Push: 4/10
Race to Witch Mountain: 5/10
Road, The: 9/10
Saw VI: 4/10
Serious Man, A: 7/10
Sherlock Holmes: 8/10
Soloist, The: 5/10
Sorority Row: 5/10
Spread: 5/10
Spring Breakdown: 3/10
Star Trek: 10/10
State of Play: 8/10
Stepfather, The: 3/10
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: 3/10
Sugar: 8/10
Sunshine Cleaning: 5/10
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies: 5/10
Surrogates: 4/10
Taken: 8/10
Taking Chance: 5/10
Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, The: 5/10
Taking Woodstock: 4/10
Terminator: Salvation: 4/10
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: 5/10
Twilight Saga, The: New Moon: 3/10
Tyson: 8/10
Ugly Truth, The: 6/10
Unborn, The: 3/10
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans: 5/10
Uninvited, The: 6/10
Up: 10/10
Up in the Air: 9/10
Watchmen: 7/10
Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter: 2/10
Where the Wild Things Are: 7/10
Whiteout: 3/10
X-Men Origins: Wolverine: 7/10
Year One: 5/10
Young Victoria, The: 8/10
Zombieland: 8/10

2009 Short Films:
B.O.B.'s Big Break: 5/10
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province: 8/10
Dug's Special Mission: 7/10
French Roast: 8/10
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty: 4/10
Kinematograph, The: 7/10
La dama y la muerte: 7/10
Logorama: 7/10
Los Bandoleros: 8/10
Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space: 4/10
Partly Cloudy: 10/10
Runaway: 4/10
Wallace & Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death: 9/10

2009 Top 10 (so far)
Honorable Mentions: The Hurt Locker, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, State of Play, An Education, Zombieland, The International, Sugar, Precious
10. In the Loop
9. Road, The
8. Up in the Air
7. Moon
6. (500) Days of Summer
5. The Cove
4. District 9
3. Up
2. Star Trek
1. Avatar

My 2010 Emmy Nomination List

As a prelude to finally finishing my Top Movies of the Decade posts, here are what I'd have liked to see as the Emmy nominations this year.

Before going onto the lists, I should say that regardless of category the greatest achievement of this past year in television was HBO's The Pacific. Each of the three lead actors - James Badge Dale, Jon Seda and Joseph Mazzello - gave performances as fine as anybody listed below. The writing and direction of the entire series is exceptional, as are the technical accomplishments in editing, sound, music, visual effects, costumes and art direction. It is, much to my surprise, better than Band of Brothers.




Outstanding Drama Series

Dexter (Showtime)
Dollhouse (Fox)
Friday Night Lights (NBC/DirecTV)
Lost (ABC)
Mad Men (AMC)
True Blood (HBO)


Outstanding Comedy Series

30 Rock (NBC)
Chuck (NBC)
Glee (Fox)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Party Down (Starz)
The Office (NBC)


Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor, Friday Night Lights
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, Dexter
Jon Hamm as Don Draper, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, House, M.D.
Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton, True Blood
Andy Whitfield as Spartacus, Spartacus: Blood and Sand


Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock
Steve Carrell as Michael Scott, The Office
Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Castle
Thomas Jane as Ray Drecker, Hung
Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski, Chuck
Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester, Glee


Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Michael Emerson as Benjamin Linus, Lost
Enver Gjokaj as Victor, Dollhouse
Josh Holloway as James 'Sawyer' Ford, Lost
Fran Kranz as Topher Brink, Dollhouse
John Slattery as Roger Sterling, Mad Men
Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman, True Blood


Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Adam Baldwin as John Casey, Chuck
Ed Helms as Andy Bernard, The Office
John Krasinski as Jim Halpert, The Office
Ryan McPartlin as Devon 'Captain Awesome' Woodcomb, Chuck
Michael Mosley as Drew Suffin, Scrubs
Mark Salling as Noah 'Puck' Puckerman, Glee


Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Zach Gilford as Matt Saracen, Friday Night Lights
John Hannah as Batiatus, Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan, 24
John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell, Dexter
Dominic Monaghan as Charlie Pace, Lost
Alan Tudyk as Alpha, Dollhouse


Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Scott Bakula as Steve Bartowski, Chuck
Jon Hamm as Dr. Drew Baird, 30 Rock
Neil Patrick Harris as Bryan Ryan, Glee
Mike O’Malley as Burt Hummel, Glee
Brandon Routh as Daniel Shaw, Chuck
Michael Sheen as Wesley, 30 Rock


Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Julie Benz as Rita Morgan, Dexter
Connie Britton as Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights
January Jones as Betty Draper, Mad Men
Evangeline Lilly as Kate Austen, Lost
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Mad Men
Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse, True Blood


Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Jane Adams as Tanya Skagle, Hung
Lizzy Caplan as Casey Klein, Party Down
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, 30 Rock
Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin, Weeds
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation
Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah Walker, Chuck


Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Lisa Edelstein as Lisa Cuddy, House, M.D.
Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway, Mad Men
Yunjin Kim as Sun Kwon, Lost
Dichen Lachman as Sierra, Dollhouse
Annie Wersching as Renee Walker, 24
Olivia Williams as Adelle DeWitt, Dollhouse


Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray, Glee
Eliza Coupe as Dr. Denise Mahoney, Scrubs
Jenna Fischer as Pam Halpert, The Office
Ellie Kemper as Erin Hannon, The Office
Sarah Lancaster as Ellie Bartowski, Chuck
Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, Glee


Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Amy Acker as Whiskey, Dollhouse
Michelle Forbes as Maryann Forrester, True Blood
Courtney Ford as Christine Hill, Dexter
Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke, Lost
Louanne Stephens as Lorraine Saracen, Friday Night Lights


Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Elizabeth Banks as Avery Jessup, 30 Rock
Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes, Glee
Kristin Kreuk as Hannah, Chuck
Kate Mara as Brittany, Entourage
Idina Menzel as Shelby Corcoran, Glee
Julianne Moore, 30 Rock




Toughest Cuts
Outstanding Drama: House, M.D. (Fox); Rescue Me (FX)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin, Rescue Me; Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, 24; Mark Valley as Christopher Chance, Human Target

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Ryan Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse, True Blood; John Cho as Demetri Noh, FlashForward; Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins, Friday Night Lights; Michael B. Jordan as Vince Howard, Friday Night Lights; Tahmoh Penikett as Paul Ballard, Dollhouse; Aaron Staton as Ken Cosgrove, Mad Men; Daniel Dae Kim as Jim Kwon, Lost; Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte, True Blood; Steven Pasquale as Sean Garrity, Rescue Me; Joel Gretsch as Father Jack Landry, V

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold, Entourage; Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell, 30 Rock; Rex Lee as Lloyd Lee, Entourage

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Callum Keith Rennie as Vladimir Laitanan, 24

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Stana Katic as Kate Beckett, Castle

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, V; Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica Hamby, True Blood; Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian, 24

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney, 30 Rock; Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury, Glee; Rebecca Creskoff as Lenore, Hung


There are a number of well thought of television shows of which I have not seen any episodes and, as such, couldn't fairly consider (among them are Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Breaking Bad and Community).

2010 Academy Award Predictions & My Top 30 Movies for 2009

Below are my rankings for the Top 30 Films of 2009 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 (thereby 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. Avatar
2. Up
3. District 9
4. Up in the Air
5. The Hurt Locker
6. An Education
7. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
8. Inglourious Basterds
9. A Serious Man
10. The Blind Side

Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Could Win: Avatar, Inglourious Basterds
Should Have Been Here: (500) Days of Summer, In the Loop, Moon, The Road, Star Trek

Best Director

1. Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
2. James Cameron, Avatar
3. Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
4. Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
5. Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Will Win: Kathryn Bigelow
Could Win: James Cameron
Should Have Been Here: J.J. Abrams, Star Trek; Neil Blomkamp, District 9

Best Actor

1. Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
2. Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
3. George Clooney, Up in the Air
4. Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Colin Firth, A Single Man

Will Win: Jeff Bridges
Could Win: Jeremy Renner
Should Have Been Here: Sharlto Copley, District 9; Sam Rockwell, Moon; Viggo Mortensen, The Road

Best Actress

1. Carey Mulligan, An Education
2. Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
3. Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
4. Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station

Will Win: Sandra Bullock
Could Win: Meryl Streep
Should Have Been Here: Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria; Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer; Saiorse Ronan, The Lovely Bones; Maya Rudolph, Away We Go

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
2. Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
3. Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
4. Matt Damon, Invictus
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

Will Win: Christoph Waltz
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Peter Capaldi, In the Loop; Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles; Mark Wahlberg, The Lovely Bones

Best Supporting Actress

1. Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
2. Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
3. Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
4. Penelope Cruz, Nine
5. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Hart

Will Win: Mo'Nique
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Marion Cotillard, Nine; Zoe Saldana, Avatar

Best Animated Film

1. Up
2. The Secret of Kells
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. Coraline
5. The Princess and the Frog

Will Win: Up
Could Win: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Could Have Been Here: Ponyo

Best Foreign Language Film

Ajami (Israel)
El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
Un Prophète (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)

Will Win: Un Prophète
Could Win: The White Ribbon
Should Have Been Here: Gomorrah (Italy)

Best Documentary Feature

1. The Cove
Burma VJ
Food, Inc
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Will Win: The Cove
Could Win: Burma VJ
Should Have Been Here: Tyson

Best Original Screenplay

1. Up
2. The Hurt Locker
3. The Messenger
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. A Serious Man

Will Win: Inglourious Basterds
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: (500) Days of Summer

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. In the Loop
2. Up in the Air
3. District 9
4. An Education
5. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Will Win: Up in the Air
Could Win: An Education
Should Have Been Here: The Road, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Best Art Direction

1. Avatar
2. Sherlock Holmes
3. The Young Victoria
4. Nine
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: Sherlock Holmes
Should Have Been Here: Coraline, Where the Wild Things Are

Best Cinematography

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2. Avatar
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: Moon

Best Film Editing

1. Avatar
2. The Hurt Locker
3. District 9
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Could Win: Avatar
Should Have Been Here: Star Trek

Best Visual Effects

1. Avatar
2. District 9
3. Star Trek

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: Avatar
Could Have Been Here: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Best Original Score

1. Up, Michael Giacchino
2. Sherlock Holmes, Hans Zimmer
3. Avatar, James Horner
4. The Hurt Locker, Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Alexandre Desplat

Will Win: Up
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: Star Trek, Michael Giacchino; The Secret of Kells, Bruno Coulais; The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Song

1. The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart), Crazy Heart
2. Almost There, The Princess and the Frog
3. Take It All, Nine
4. Down in New Orleans, The Princess and the Frog
5. Loin de Paname, Paris 36

Will Win: The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)
Could Win: Take It All, Nine
Should Have Been Here: Winter, Brothers

Best Sound Editing

1. Star Trek
2. Avatar
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Up
5. Inglourious Basterds

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: District 9

Best Sound Mixing

1. Star Trek
2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
3. Avatar
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Inglourious Basterds

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: District 9

Best Costume Design

1. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
2. The Young Victoria
3. Nine
4. Bright Star
5. Coco Before Chanel

Will Win: The Young Victoria
Could Win: Nine
Should Have Been Here: Amelia

Best Makeup

1. Star Trek
2. The Young Victoria
3. Il Divo

Will Win: Star Trek
Could Win: Il Divo
Should Have Been Here: District 9

Best Animated Short

1. Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death
2. French Roast
3. Logorama
4. The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
5. Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty

Will Win: Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Load and Death
Could Win: Logorama
Should Have Been Here: Partly Cloudy

Best Live Action Short
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

Will Win: The Door
Could Win: Miracle Fish
Should Have Been Here: (Abstain)

Best Documentary Short

1. China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

Will Win: Chine's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
Could Win: The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Should Have Been Here: (Abstain)


My Top 30 Films for 2009
30. The Hangover
29. Adventureland
28. The Princess and the Frog
27. Sherlock Holmes
26. Me and Orson Welles
25. Duplicity
24. Public Enemies
23. Coraline
22. Sugar
21. The International
20. Fantastic Mr. Fox
19. Zombieland
18. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
17. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
16. The Messenger
15. The Young Victoria
14. An Education
13. The Secret of Kells
12. State of Play
11. The Hurt Locker
10. In the Loop
9. The Road
8. Up in the Air
7. Moon
6. (500) Days of Summer
5. The Cove
4. District 9
3. Star Trek
2. Up
1. Avatar

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (40-36)

40. The Aviator (Martin Scorsese, 2004)

Throughout his career, Scorsese has always been interested in the rise and fall of his characters: Raging Bull, GoodFellas, Casino. The Aviator, based on the life of Howard Hughes, falls nicely into that tradition. Focusing principally on Hughes' better years, Scorsese crafts an epic and tragic tale of a man crippled by his own flaws. What makes the film effective, however, is Scorsese's choice to focus on the good portion of Hughes' life - merely alluding to his tragic end (living as a recluse in a single room for most of his last two decades).

Leonardo DiCaprio is phenomenal. The role calls for an epic performance and DiCaprio is completely game. Howard Hughes was a man who courted Hollywood starlets, made epic movies and designed - and crashed - airplanes before succumbing to crippling obsessive behaviors. DiCaprio is one of the only actors alive capable of not just taking on such a role but owning it and making it successful. While DiCaprio 'grew up' with the 2002 releases of Gangs of New York and Catch Me If You Can, it was with The Aviator that he truly established himself as one of the finest actors working today.

The film's investigation of Hughes' career is utterly compelling, even as his flaws begin to shine through. When filming the aviation epic Hell's Angels, Hughes needs not 24 cameras, but 26, borrowing two cameras from a Hollywood mogul to make sure the scene is just right. His plane designs MUST meet certain specifications, consequences be damned (even if those consequences involve crashing through Beverly Hills in an airplane). The film's supporting cast plays wonderfully off of DiCaprio's Hughes. Alan Alda and Alec Baldwin act as great rivals for Hughes. Cate Blanchett and Kate Beckinsale, playing Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardner, respectively, both make lasting impressions. In the film's funniest scene Hughes has a meteorological professor (Ian Holm) scientifically analyze Jane Russell's breasts in the movie The Outlaw before the film censorship board to 'prove' that she showed no more cleavage than other starlets. With The Aviator, the world's greatest living director found a biopic perfectly suited to his skills.

39. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005)

IMDB users have rated The Dark Knight the 10th greatest movie of all time. This perturbs me not just because The Dark Knight is the most overrated movie in film history, but because somehow the movie has come to completely overshadow its far superior predecessor: Batman Begins. [This write-up will have spoilers for both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.] I should preface the rest of this by saying I actually like The Dark Knight.

First, let's talk about the acting. In Batman Begins, Christian Bale is the perfect casting choice to bring something new to the role. Bale always brings intensity to his films and this role is no exception. But in Begins, Bruce Wayne/Batman has an actual character arc to follow: he grows from an immature young man to a believable hero. Wayne's training to become Batman, and his failures and struggles when starting out as the hero, are simply more compelling plots. The limitations of The Dark Knight script only allow Bale to do three things: smug Bruce Wayne, mopey and quiet Bruce Wayne and, worst of all, his Batman performance. As Batman, Bale gives the character a gravelly voice but in Dark Knight it feels like a spoof of the character - his growling is so over-the-top and embarrassing that it loses the believability found in Begins. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both have actual character development in Begins, whereas in Dark Knight they, and most of the rest of the supporting cast, simply appear and disappear from the film with no purpose, just because the script calls for it. Certainly, Heath Ledger gives one of the most compelling villain performances I've ever seen. But the villainous crew of Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe in Begins work better than the Ledger/Aaron Eckhart combination in Dark Knight as effective adversaries for Batman. The end of The Dark Knight careens wildly out-of-control as the motivations of Two-Face simply make no sense - there is literally no explanation (other than the plot 'needing' it) for why Harvey Dent would choose to go after Gordon and Batman instead of the Joker. Compare that to Liam Neeson's return in Batman Begins: the realization of Neeson's deception carries more emotional weight than anything in the second half of The Dark Knight, including Rachel's death. Also, and I'm not claiming she's a better actress overall, Katie Holmes is simply better in the Batman's girlfriend role than Maggie Gyllenhaal.

I don't want to go on-and-on forever about this so I'll focus on just a few more things about the movies. First of all, the action scenes, already poorly edited in Batman Begins, careen wildly out of control in The Dark Knight. It is literally impossible to follow some of the scenes as they are arranged: the flow of the action doesn't make sense and the viewer is required to guess what they're looking at and what is actually happening. The climax of Batman Begins is chaotic, exciting and relevant to the Batman character. The Dark Knights sees a putrid action scene with ridiculous Bat-sonar and a criminals versus citizens stare down to the death. That boat scene - will the normal people kill criminals to save themselves before the criminals kill them?!? - is the sort of scenario best left where it belongs: in the Saw series. The action in Begins is also grounded in reality - Bruce Wayne has to redesign his mask to protect his head more. In The Dark Knight it devolves into absurdity: somehow Bruce Wayne has access to a magical cell phone reading device that allows access to every cell phone conversation in Gotham but also to use the locations of the phones as a sort of sonar. Not only does this make no sense - why not use this technology to find the Joker sooner? - but the sonar is a vast deviation from the more believable technology in the first movie.

Clearly, I've turned this write-up into an assault on The Dark Knight. I guess I'm just annoyed that the decade's finest comic book adaptation has been sadly overlooked by its inferior successor.

38. Serenity (Joss Whedon, 2005)

In 2002, Fox aired a series called Firefly about a crew of, basically, cowboys in space from Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On paper it's an absurd concept and Fox ran only 11 out of the 14 completed episodes (and ran them out of order too) before cancelling the show. But a funny thing happened on the way to obscurity: people started buying the show on DVD. And buying it. And buying it. And buying it. The buzz surrounding the deceased show spread. So successful were the sales of the DVD that Universal picked up the rights and decided to make a movie out of the series.

Serenity, the name derived from the crew's ship, is basically a Western in space, no aliens to be found here. As he does to all of his projects, Joss Whedon brings a unique vision. One area Whedon particularly excels in is dialogue. His characters all speak with a distinct lingo and humor that makes simple conversation a joy to watch. It helps as well that Whedon is a gifted director with a stellar sense of pace and a great understanding of where to put the camera. The show has the benefit of being perfectly cast as well. Each of the supporting players brings great life and humor to their roles, especially Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin. Nathan Fillion (now starring on TV's Castle) has the perfect wit and charm as the ship's smarmy, but lovable, captain.

Serenity is a great movie all by itself, but it is a more complete experience after watching Firefly. I highly recommend both.

NB: I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of Joss Whedon's other great creations this decade: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. Dr. Horrible is a series of three musical 'webisodes' each running less than fifteen minutes. Created during the writer's strike on a shoestring budget out of Whedon's pocket, Dr. Horrible is one of the funniest and most charming achievements of the decade (and it can be found on hulu.com).

37. Star Trek (J.J. Abrams, 2009)

I think Star Trek is one of the most surprisingly successful gambles in film history. Prior to Star Trek's release, the 'brand' had almost no appeal outside of its core fanbase and even that group had wained over the years (2002's Star Trek: Nemesis is considered a financial and artistic failure). The series had little-to-no success outside of the United States. The studio then decided to 'reboot' the franchise, recasting all the characters who had grown to the point of cultural assimilation. Even without having seen an episode of the old Star Trek show, everyone knows who Kirk and Spock are. Then they decided to hire a director whose only previous big budget movie, Mission: Impossible III, was a gigantic disappointment at the box office. And they decided to give that director, J.J. Abrams, $160 million dollars to make the movie. And the studio was forced to delay the movie's release from Christmas 2008 to the summer of 2009 (right in the middle of the heavily anticipated trio of Wolverine, Angels & Demons and Terminator: Salvation) because it simply wasn't ready to be released. All the signs pointed to disaster, but somehow Abrams has crafted one of the most enjoyable blockbusters of the decade.

The film opens with one of my favorite scenes of the entire decade. In just the ten minutes of a gorgeously crafted and acted sequence, wherein the father of the movie's hero sacrifices himself to save the crew of his ship including his newborn son, J.J. Abrams does the impossible: he makes Star Trek cool for the first time in 30 years. And, from there, we're off. The story, set in the formative years of the well known Star Trek characters, focuses on the relationship between Kirk and Spock, once played by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy now by perfectly cast Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, and how the two grew from rivalry to friendship. All of the other actors are great as well and Abrams and the screenwriters are wise enough to give each character a proper introduction and a moment to stand out during the film.

The production designs are stellar; the new look of everything is clean, modern and impressive. It's almost like the iPod designers gave the Enterprise a once-over. The special effects are well used and the action sequences are exciting. The writers also came up with a cute device to frame the story that allows for a cameo from Leonard Nimoy as the original Spock - his performance, though limited in screen time, is touching and memorable. For my money, Michael Giacchino's theme for the movie, Enterprising Young Men, highlights one of the most distinct and exciting film scores of the decade. Simply put, my two hours at Star Trek were some of the most enjoyable I spent in a theater this entire decade.

36. Walk the Line (James Mangold, 2005)

A man (Joaquin Phoenix) convinces a producer, the same producer that discovered, among others, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison, to give his gospel band an audition. They play a gospel song and clearly the producer is apathetic - the producer cuts them off mid-song and challenges the man to sing the one song he would sing if he was in the gutter dying, the song that would let God know how he felt about his time on Earth. From there, the man begins to play a song he wrote while in the Air Force: Folsom Prison Blues. At the moment he starts the song he's a nobody, one of countless struggling musicians. As he plays something changes. The producer sits up in his chair. The audience leans towards the screen. When the song ends, the man has become Johnny Cash.

That's my favorite scene in James Mangold's (3:10 to Yuma) stellar Johnny Cash biopic. It only works because of how spectacular Phoenix is in the lead role. Not just in his delivery of the song (and he has a great voice), but in his face and in his body language you see the transition. The film takes a broad treatment of Cash's life detailing from his youth through his ascent as a performer to his marital troubles and drug addictions culminating in his famous performance at Folsom Prison. The core that grounds most of the movie, however, is his relationship with June Carter. Carter, played by a never better Reese Witherspoon, brings an emotional heft and romantic core to the story. Their love story, difficult as it may be, remains at the heart of Walk the Line and it elevates the movie. One of the finest biopics of the decade, I'd recommend Walk the Line 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)

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