Nominees: In A Better World, True Grit, Rabbit Hole, Blue Valentine, Skeletons, Black Swan, Let Me In, I Saw the Devil, 13 Assassins
Oscars pick: The King’s Speech
Nominees: The Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone
2010 was all about the ladies. A lean year that nevertheless yielded several outstanding films... but only a handful I'd categorize as great. And women directed my two at the top.
Winter's Bone
Incredible film - which offers something we need more of in the movies; strong, complex female characters. Jennifer Lawrence plays a girl from the Ozarks who is searching for her missing drug dealer father, in order to keep from losing the family home. The production is understated -kind of Earthy poetic- there an undercurrent of ever-present tension and a sense of danger. While it tells a bleak, hard story, it still provides a feeling of hopefulness.
Lawrence was a revelation. She is utterly convincing playing Ree - young but tough - Determined to keep her family together and hold on to their small spot of land, and struggling to keep herself free from the drugs that are so part of the culture she’s grown up in.
I like the authentic look and tone of the piece; it was filmed in the hardscrabble Missouri hills, using real houses and casting of local people. It feels genuine, the homes looked lived in, the people are weather-worn, with unpolished faces full of character. The distinct language, even overall sound is a landscape that lends texture to the film. I've seen it described as 'hillbilly gangster rural noir', which sounds as good a description as any, but it also has elements of fable – it's the model of the quest-type saga: The journey rife with hardship - secrets unearthed – the mentor guide, and an obtained talisman that will set our hero free.
In A Better World
Susan Bier's well deserved Oscar winner for Best Foreign film is about revenge (and abuse of power). And all the forms it takes. But it's also about empathy and forgiveness. Susan takes no sides, gives no pat answers, she simply allows the characters do what they will. It's up to them to react or turn the other cheek. Some find Bier’s movies contrived, and they are to a degree, but for a purpose. I find her moral conundrums thought-provoking and moving. Her stories stick with me. I can't stop pondering them, and this film was no exception.
The Kings Speech was okay, nice acting, but it didn’t deserve the best picture or direction Oscars. The critics choice, the Social Network, I didn't care for. I found Arron Sorkin's script artificial, manipulative, heavy-handed. Plus I simply don't enjoy spending time with all these entitled dickweeds and could care less about their story.
Note: This is the first year I nominated remakes of Felix nominated originals (True Grit, Let Me In)
As to my best actress? Rabbit Hole addressed a difficult subject. I felt the script was wise and the performers did it justice. It avoided many of the clichés I expected them to drift into. Kidman and Elkhart worked really well together ---- At the risk of getting overly personal - my little sister died young and I saw my mother and father go through a lot of this kind of thing. And to me, it felt like an honest portrayal of the subject. Diane Wiest has a scene with Kidman where they talk about whether the pain ever goes away, which was a poignant moment that struck a tearful chord of truth.
Supporting actress? It's funny to see how many of us place Steinfeld in this slot when she's really the protagonist; with more screen time and lines of dialogue than anyone in the film. I think it's because she (Mattie) places herself in the side-kick position. She needs Rooster to find and deal with Chaney. He even saves her life. It's like Walter Huston in Sierra Madre. He has as much screen time as Bogart, but he's seen as the sidekick. And sidekicks get the supporting nods.
I struggled mightily to find my actor - there are lots of good ones, but not any that stood far above the rest. I went with the leads in the brutal, bloody revenge thriller I Saw the Devil. I originally was going to go with Min-sik alone, but as with my previous twin victors, one was just not as great without the other. He and Byung-hun were inseparable.
Honorable Mentions:
Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version * The cast of "In a Better World" * Javier Bardem, Biutiful * Christian Bale, The Fighter * Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine * Ewan McGregor, The Ghost Writer * Colin Firth, The King's Speech * George Clooney, The American * Robert Duvall, Get Low
Honorable Mentions:
Natalie Portman, Black Swan * Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone * Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine * Lesley Manville, Another Year * Juliette Binoche, Certified Copy * Yoon Jeong-hee, Poetry * Alma Blanco, La Yuma * Catherine Keener, Please Give
Supporting Actor: John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Other movies I liked include: Tuesday, After Christmas, Love in a Puff, The Arbor, Cafe Noir, A Cat in Paris, Easy A, Kick-Ass, Megamind, Inception, How to Train Your Dragon, Mysteries of Lisbon, Cyrus, Welcome to the Rileys, Troll Hunter, Barney’s Version, Shutter Island, Another Year, Fair Game, Flipped, The Secret World of Arrietty, The Illusionist, Defendor, The American, The Runaways, The Kings Speech, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, The Eclipse, Please Give
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Other movies I liked include: Tuesday, After Christmas, Love in a Puff, The Arbor, Cafe Noir, A Cat in Paris, Easy A, Kick-Ass, Megamind, Inception, How to Train Your Dragon, Mysteries of Lisbon, Cyrus, Welcome to the Rileys, Troll Hunter, Barney’s Version, Shutter Island, Another Year, Fair Game, Flipped, The Secret World of Arrietty, The Illusionist, Defendor, The American, The Runaways, The Kings Speech, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, The Eclipse, Please Give
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