Select Films from Early 2011

I started writing about all of the films I had seen in the first half of 2011, but never finished.  For some reason, I started with the worst films and almost made it to some good ones.  All of these are currently available to rent/buy, so I figured these little snippet reviews could still be of some use. 

Sucker Punch

Wow. This is probably the most disappointed I've been at the movies in a while. Zach Snyder has made good (300), even great (Watchmen) films, each with an incredible visual style that enhances the story and overall film watching experience. Sucker Punch, however, is akin to watching someone play a repetitive video game or a series of overlong music videos while repeatedly getting hit in the head with a hammer. Maybe that last part was from seeing it in IMAX, but either way, somehow amid its beautiful, if not redundant, CGI presentation they forgot to put a coherent story. The main problem is obviously the script, which was written by Zach Snyder. Stick to directing, buddy. Hopefully they won't let him anywhere near the Superman script. That said, the only reason to maybe see this is to hear the voice-over at the end of the film. It so far surpasses other instances of pretentiousness and absurdity in film, it even makes Werner Herzog's ridiculous documentary voice-overs sound succinct.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

This latest documentary from German auteur Werner Herzog was shot in 3D, however, when I saw it at the United Artists Tara Cinema in Atlanta it was projected in 2D. This is one film in which I think 3D would have made an improvement, considering the incredible lengths of time we spend looking at the same cave paintings over and over and over again. The film focuses primarily on a cave in France that was only recently opened to anyone outside of a small team of scientists, and has since been closed, or sealed rather, to protest the integrity of the paintings and fossils. I was relatively intrigued for the first 20 - 30 minutes, but before long I was fighting to keep my eyes open. If I'm going to be truly honest about my personal enjoyment of a film (as I try my best to do), this is one of the worst films I've seen this year, as evident by its placement on this list.

Mars Needs Moms

I took my son to see this is IMAX 3D. The motion capture isn't bad, but overall its not a very good children's movie. The overarching message of "be grateful for your mom" was thoroughly hammered home and seemed too clumsy and obvious even for very young viewers. The best part of the movie was the closing credits. Not just because it was over, but they showed footage of the actors shooting with all the mo-cap 3D gear on. That was sort of interesting.

The Beaver

The Beaver is a film starring Mel Gibson as a toy company executive struggling with depression who eventually goes completely nuts. The entire premise is based on Mel's character finding a beaver puppet in a dumpster, and start using that puppet to communicate with everyone through a weird Cockney accent. Yes, it is a ludicrous as it sounds. I think most of the critical praise is due to those critics reading into this too much, comparing the real life struggles and mistakes of Mel Gibson to that of his character, and for them, this comparison adds some level of transcendence to his performance and to the film. Screw that. This movie is incredibly self serious even in the midst of its absurdity, which resulted in laughter from my friend and I throughout the film, often at the most serious times. The script is a joke, and the entire side plot involving the eldest son and his crush on the artistic cheerleader are also laughably cliché and trite. All of that said, its almost worth seeing just to witness the amount of absurdity on display.

The Mechanic

Jason Statham's latest beat-em-up is about what you'd expect from a hit-man film starring Jason Statham. I can't comment of how it compares to the original, because like most of the people who saw this movie, I had never even hear of it until this thing came out. Statham is always entertaining as one of the best action stars working today, but the material here is too self-serious, even maudlin, while simultaneously being utterly ridiculous. I won't elaborate on the plot, but Stathum's character is essentially training Ben Foster's character for a while, and the best scenes are the excessively violent, messy sequences of Ben making his first few kills. Some might find this morally reprehensible, others good clean cinematic fun. I found it sometimes entertaining, but nothing I can recommend.

The Adjustment Bureau

This latest movie based on a Phillip K. Dick story stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in what appeared from the trailer to be a Matrix-esque sci-fi action romp. What it turned out to be was an angst ridden love story that wrestles with the idea of human free will. If I accidentally made that sound interesting, just take my word that it's really not. There is essentially nothing of value discovered by these characters and the "love conquers all" theme is delivered with all the subtlety of kick to the face. If you skipped it in theaters, but were contemplating a rental, you'd probably be better off looking elsewhere.

Thor

Oh, how the might have fallen. That could be used to describe the title character after his dad, Anthony Hopkins' Oden, kicked him out of Asgard, or Natalie Portman who just won an Oscar for Black Swan and is now slumming it to pay for her unborn child's future Harvard education. While Natalie is completely wasted in this movie, there is a charm and charisma to Chris Hemsworth that makes you want to watch him on screen despite the lackluster script and slightly uninteresting story. He's also got ridiculous pecs. This is admittedly not my cup of tea, but I do want to see all the Marvel films leading up to The Avengers next year, so I can at least appreciate it as much as the next non-comic book reading film lover. If you are 12 years old, this movie will probably rock your world.

Meek's Cutoff

This is the latest from neo-neo realism auteur Kelly Riegnhert, whose previous films Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy were critical successes, and severely overrated in my opinion. This film is beautifully shot and well acted, but it is so excruciatingly slow paced that I had trouble keeping my eyes open. I think Kelly's main problem is that she edits her own films and refuses to make a cut. The film does do a good job of making you feel the hopelessness and isolation of the characters as they search for water, but I started to wish for the end of the film more than the well being of the characters. I was really hoping to like this more than her previous films, but I guess I'm just not a fan of this style of filmmaking, and probably won't waste my time with her films in the future.

X-Men: First Class

I was expecting great things from this X-Men prequel. Not only does it have a 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it was directed by Matthew Vaughn, whose other three films (Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass) I thoroughly and increasingly enjoyed. Unfortunately, this was a huge step backwards for Mr. Vaughn. Although there are moments of delight (every time Michael Fassbender is on screen), for the most part I never felt any real suspense, because there were no stakes. Thus is the problem with any prequel, but a huge contributor was the ridiculous amount of CGI employed, as is inevitable with this type of movie. Although not as copious as Thor, it still was enough, particularly in the final battle scenes, to completely remove me from the movie. Although I rarely seem to agree with Roger Ebert any more, I think he was right when pointing out how funny it was seeing those missiles change direction 5 or 6 times while they fought on the beach. If you normally like these types of movies, I'm sure this will sufficiently satisfy you, but if your tastes are more in line my mine, don't let the vast amount critical praise fool you like it did me.

Trollhunter

This is a little Norwegian found footage monster movie with a style, budget and pace that falls somewhere between The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. We follow a small college news crew as they try to get the story of a mysterious man who is passing through their small town. The adventures that follow are exciting, suspenseful, and often hilarious. Even though there is a thick layer of B-movie camp on top, Trollhunter does a good job of avoiding pure silliness. That said, this is certainly one that would be best consumed in the company of friends.

Rio

This was a surprisingly enjoyable viewing experience from the short film featuring the rodent from Ice Age to the end credits. Part of that could have been lowered expectations or that I was in a great mood since I was seeing it with my wife and son. The main reason I enjoyed it more than a lot of critics is almost certainly that I saw it in 2D, which is almost always better than its 3D counterpart. As for the actual film, Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg were great as the voices of the main two birds, and Jamie Foxx and Will i Am are both hilarious as the "Greek chorus" musical duo. Simply put, this is a very nice option if you are looking for a film to take your kids to.

Hobo with a Shotgun

The title tells you pretty much all you need to know about this low budget exploitation film. It came into existence due to its director winning Robert Rodriguez's SXSW grindhouse trailer competition. The kills are shocking and brutal, and the dialog is sufficiently cheesy. My favorite part of the film was the synthesizer heavy score that sounded straight from the 1980's, as well as the performance of Rutger Hauer as the hobo with said shotgun. He never waivers in his righteous indignation, and most importantly plays it completely straight throughout. I can't recommend this film to most people, but if you enjoyed Grindhouse and generally enjoy cheesy ultra-violent movies, this is probably worth a watch. I liked the fact that I got to see it before its limited theatrical release through Amazon Instant Video on my Roku.

Everything Must Go

This is one of those typical "funny guy does an indie drama" movies, but it's pretty good. Will Ferrell plays a guy who loses his job on the same day his wife kicks him out of the house. Both of these plot points are crucial to the movie's primes, as he spends the entire film living on his front law with all of his personal possessions. As things continue to just get worse and worse for him, his character starts to do some real soul searching. What we end up with is a quaint, but enjoyable slice of melancholy indie film making, made even more worthwhile by Will Farrell's performance. Check it out if you get the chance.

The Company Men

The Company Men centers around three men who work for the same large manufacturing corporation until the economy forces executives to layoff thousands of people in an effort to meet shareholder expectations. Ben Affleck and Tommy Lee Jones star, while Chris Cooper also plays a pivotal role. While Affleck's career as a director is really taking off (that said, please don't direct the re-make of Tell No One), I've never been too fond of his acting. However, Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic as always, as is Chris Cooper. While it deals primarily with men who make way more than the average American, the film begged me to question, "if I found myself in their position, how I would react?" It's a good question, and the film does a pretty good job of showing the stakes without too much melodrama. If you appreciate stories of real(ish) characters dealing with real life obstacles, you should give this one a watch.

Source Code

I was very much anticipating this second feature from Duncan Jones, the director of 2009's fantastic low budget one-man-show, Moon. Source Code's similarities with Moon are its contemplative sci-fi roots, as well as its themes of identity and need for human connection. If differs greatly in execution, as Moon's success has afforded Jones with a much larger budget to use on name actors and CGI special effects. The result is a terrific sci-fi thriller with an outright Hitchcockian feel. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a disoriented soldier that finds himself being used in a government program that is recreating the last eight minutes of a terrorist bomb victim's memory in order to find out who the terrorist is, and stop further attacks. The Groundhog Day-like elements of repeating the same period of time over and over again are used well to comedic effect. I won't spoil any plot twists, but let's just say the focus of the film shifts gradually from the basic plot of finding the terrorist to Gyllenhaal's character himself. We end up with a terrificly satisfying ending of the film that made my heart swell similarly to the end of 127 Hours. Only the film didn't want to stop there, instead deciding to add a coda that completely undermines the goodwill created by what should have been the ending. Obviously this is hard to talk about without spoiling it, but Source Code would have been much higher on my list had Duncan Jones not insisted on adding the stupid coda, and that's a shame.

Monsieur Lazhar

This little French Canadian film, while I had never heard of it before my closest art-house theater picked it up, is probably the best movie I've seen this year. While there are some typical elements of films that center around a teacher and his class, there is a lot more going on here. Centered around multiple tragedies, the film does not wallow in misery, but rather focuses on the healing process, with hope and dignity, all while also commentating on the state of the modern education system and the stifling limitations placed on teachers. I won't spoil anything, as I'm sure most people haven't seen or even heard of this little gem, but I highly recommend seeking this out.

Take This Waltz

Possible Spoilers

Sarah Polley's second directorial effort is an exploration of the inherently human lack of contentment and commitment in one's circumstances, the insatiable desire for something better with no hope of happiness, and pure unbridled selfishness. Michelle Wiliams' character, Margo, is about 28 years old, but acts like a child the entire movie. Whether its her infantile sweet talk with her husband (played truthfully by Seth Rogan), or the utterly reckless lack of responsibility she displays by teasing herself and the guy who lives across the street by constantly putting herself in compromising situations. I appreciate the performances and the general artistry of the camera. I did not, however, appreciate the general hopelessness of the story and where it led. I suppose I could glean from the ending that Margo learned her lesson: that indeed, new exciting things too grow old and lose their luster. But the last frame only shows her wistfully twirling on the carnival ride, alone; content to wallowing in her self-inflicted misery and melancholy. Even though Polley's first film, Away from Her, was a tragic story about Alzheimer's, and how a husband copes with losing his wife, I think Take This Waltz was just as depressing.

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Possible Spoilers
  

This movie features a good performance from Tilda Swinton, as well as John C. Reilly; however, the film itself is all style and no substance. It does nothing to delve into the mother/son relationship that is at the its core, instead choosing to wallow in misery for misery's sake. The movie never presented any real reasons for the boy to turn out the way he did, instead it presented him as pure evil from the start. The actions of the boy and his parents just didn't jive with reality. This type of story belongs in campy horror flicks, not (what seamed to be an attempt at) a realistic look at the devastation suffered by the mother of the perpetrator of a high school massacre. In no way was this film entertaining (unless you appreciate the feeling of dread), nor was any aspect of it redeeming or meaningful upon reflection.

Best Movies of 2010

Better late than never, right? Normally I try to get this thing out by the Oscars, but this year has been crazy, and even when I've had free time, I've been too tired from work to write. So I apologize to the three of you who regularly read this blog.

It seems that every year people want to complain that "this was such a weak year for movies." As with every other time I hear this, I disagree. Maybe it's because I stay away from the moronic schlock that most critics are forced to slog through each year, but I've seen over 70 films this year and thoroughly enjoyed a majority of them.

There wasn't one or two stand out films in 2010 as there was in 2009 (Inglourious Basterds) or 2007 (No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood), but there were several films that made a lasting impression on me that I am sure I will number among my favorites of the decade in nine years. This year reminded me more of 2008, when there were several films that moved and enthralled me, almost equally (In Bruge, Let the Right One In, The Wrestler, Tell No One). As in 2008, I find it particularly hard to find an order for these films, but will try to present them in a way that reflects the impact each of these films had on me in the movie theater, whether bringing me to tears, leaving a huge smile on my face, or leaving me contemplating the film for days or even weeks later. These films encapsulate what it is I love about going to the movies, and what keeps we coming back week after week. These are the best films of 2010:

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

THE AMERICAN

THE FIGHTER

THE GHOST WRITER

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

KICK-ASS

TRUE GRIT

WINTER'S BONE

The Top Ten

(10) THE SOCIAL NETWORK

This film certainly doesn't need my help to promulgate its greatness. Declared by many as film that defines the current zeitgeist, it was even garnished with comparisons to Orson Welles' masterpiece. While these claims are gross overstatements, I will acknowledge that it is a brilliantly written film, which is only enhanced by the pin-point precise direction of David Fincher. Jesse Eisenberg delivers Aaron Sorkin's lightning quick, witty dialog with a mix of charm and cool, making his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg quite a compelling anti-hero.

(9) ANIMAL KINGDOM

The young Aussie filmmaker David Michod wrote and directed this sprawling crime film that follows the demise of a family of bank robbers, mostly through the eyes of Josh, a newcomer to the group after his mother died. The dynamic between his uncles and his grandmother, the matriarch of this criminal family played very creepily by Jackie Weaver, is strange and even hints at incestuous. Guy Pearce also co-stars as a police detective who recognizes the innocence in Josh and tries to guide him to safety. Josh's journey is both treacherous and surprising, and as he struggles to survive in the midst of this war between his uncles and the violent crimes police squad, Animal Kingdom offers some of the most thrilling cinema of the year.

(8) 127 HOURS

Danny Boyle's thriller based on the true story of Aron Ralston's desperate fight for survival is a visual treat, as one would expect. What's amazing about 127 Hours is how he was able to fill this film about a guy with his arm stuck under a rock with such energy and lust for life that it made me want to be a better person. There's a scene when Aron, played charismatically and joyfully by James Franco, cries out "I need help!" For me it was such a poignant moment, a beautiful culmination to Danny's tribute to companionship and human connection.

(7) THE SQUARE

Part of my love for this film comes from seeing it at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX. The atmosphere and the food were great, and watching a film like this with a theater full of cinema lovers is something I highly recommend. The film is a exercise in suspense and tension, with Coen-esque themes of people getting what's coming to them. This film doesn't leave me pondering any grand themes, but it was an adrenalin rush, pure excitement fused dread and style. The Edgerton brothers are a film making duo to watch out for.

(6) TOY STORY 3

I don't need to sell anyone on Pixar or the Toy Story franchise. It's probably the strongest trilogy since the original Star Wars trilogy, as far as quality throughout all three films. Toy Story 3 might be my favorite of the bunch. It's one of the best prison break movies you'll ever see, plus the humor is there as usual. More than that though, there were moments of pure emotion towards the end that were completely genuine, and thoroughly earned. It also proves that Pixar sequels being good was no fluke with Toy Story 2, and actually has me excited for Cars 2 and Monsters Inc. 2. If for some reason you haven't seen it, it's on Netflix Watch Instantly, so you officially have no more excuses, not that your other excuses were any good.

(5) SHUTTER ISLAND

I wrote a lot about this film earlier this year, comparing it to Inception because of the shared themes of remorse and mental angst. Needless to say, I loved this film, because it stayed with me for so long after seeing it. I've heard it's actually much better the second time around with the full realization of Leo's character in mind, and I can't wait to catch up with it again on blu-ray. Unfortunately, its February release hurt it during the awards season, because this film deserved so much more acclaim than it received.

(4) THE KING'S SPEECH

There is absolutely nothing more I can say about this film than has already been said by countless critics and bloggers. It earned over $100 million, won every award at the BAFTAs and most of the major Oscars. Because of its popularity, I've heard quite a bit of negativity towards it recently. Everyone acknowledges it is a good movie, but many have claimed that it shouldn't have won the Oscar, or that it was nowhere near as good as the The Social Network. While I preferred Black Swan to the other best picture nominees, of the front-runners, the Academy got it right with The King's Speech. When comparing the two films, the writing was just as good in the King's Speech, the acting was better, and overall the experience was more exhilarating. The King's Speech is probably the best feel-good movie of the past decade or more, and is worthy of all of the praise it received.

(3) MOTHER

As I mentioned last year, Bong Joon-ho is among my favorite directors now, having delivered yet another excellent genre-defying film with great characters and an unpredictable plot. His tone is unique and affecting in a way that is rare among American film makers. I've been enjoying quite a bit of South Korean cinema over the last few years, and Bong Joon-ho is at the forefront. If you are unfamiliar with his films, I recommend seeing all four of them, but Memories of Murder in particular is an outstanding film. Mother is my second favorite of his films, and is available to watch on Netflix Watch Instantly.

(2) THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES

I also wrote briefly about this film last year. It won the 2009 Oscar for best foreign language film, but sadly most people have still not seen it. The Secret in Their Eyes is a phenomenal film that deals with themes of love, revenge and justice in such a compelling manner as I have never seen before. If you are averse to subtitles, all I can say is you are missing out on so many great films. Watch a few really good foreign films, like this one, or Mother. You will get used to it, and you will thank me later.

(1) BLACK SWAN

Darren Aronofsky is one of the 3 or 4 most exciting directors working today. Black Swan, his follow-up to The Wrestler, features another artist who sacrifices their body for their art. This time, a ballerina named Nina, played "perfectly" by the wunderkind Natalie Portman. A prestigious ballet company is preparing to open the new season with a stripped down, visceral production of Swan Lake, whose plot the film cleverly mirrors throughout. Nina fully embodies the White Swan; pure, innocent, and childlike. Although technically second to none, the director, played by Vincent Cassel, pressures Nina to let herself go so that she can embody the sensual Black Swan. When Nina is awarded the role of Swan Queen, she begins a dark journey where she must face her oppressive mother, sexual repression, as well as her feelings of jealousy and inadequacy, as she strives for perfection. Clint Mansell's score is brilliantly interwoven with the music from Tchaikovsky to create a beautiful and haunting tapestry. The music not only compliments, but is completely integral to the film and its impact in the audience. Although the themes and methods in play are anything but subtle or original, the movie's balance of psychological horror and B-movie camp, mixed with Aronofsky's precise direction and vision, creates a singular and memorable theater going experience unlike any other this year.

The Sunset Limited

I just finished part two of our Samuel L. Jackson double feature, beginning with MOTHER AND CHILD, and ending with the premiere of THE SUNSET LIMITED on HBO. The first film was very good, and certainly worth your time, but the second film deserves a slightly longer mention. Based on a play by Cormac McCarthy, THE SUNSET LIMITED ponders the existence of God, the state of humanity, and other weighty topics, as discussed between Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones. Cormac's dialogue doesn't just crackle, it detonates as it's delivered by these infinitely talented and experienced actors, each delivering tour de force performances. Jones plays a tired old professor, who attempts to commit suicide, and Jackson an ex-con who intercepts him at the last second. However, we see nothing of this event, only them talking about it in Jackson's dingy New York City apartment, right after the incident. Jackson, a jail-house convert, diligently shares his Christian faith with Jones, but Jones, who is much to intelligent for his own good, argues vehemently for his own pessimistic world view. The film itself doesn't seem to take sides, letting each man win and lose an argument or two. I certainly felt the pain and desperate persistence in Jackson as he battled for this man's life and soul, but at the same time I empathized with Jones' negative views on the nature of man and his dismal outlook on the future. Much like THE ROAD and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, this film left me thinking after the credits rolled, and to me, that's a sign of a good film, or at least a well written one. If you have HBO, you should definitely check it out. Might be a while before I see a better film in 2011.

2011 Oscars

It's that time of year again, when I'm desperately trying to watch as many great films from a newly depleted year so I can have a respectable top 10 list. Even though I haven't had the opportunity to write many reviews this year, I have seen a ton of 2010 films (approximately 70, most of them good), and I look forward to writing about the best ones in more detail. As usual, my deadline is the Oscar ceremony, so I will have it done by then. I have yet to been able to place my favorite 2010 films in any kind of meaningful order. It's harder for me this year than its ever been for some reason, as there are 6 or 7 films I love almost equally.

Enough griping! Here's my take on the Oscar nominations, who I think will win, and who actually deserves to win. I will not comment on many of the "lesser" categories (Makeup, Visual Effects, Etc.), or a category for which I've seen less than half of the films (Documentary Feature, Short Film, etc.). Oh, and it might be helpful to have the list of nominations open in a different tab.

Music (Original Score)

I own three of the five soundtracks nominated, and will probably own all of them by Oscar night. While I loved the music in each of these films (How To Train Your Dragon, Inception, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, and The Social Network), John Powell's score for How to Train Your Dragon is a clear favorite for me. I sincerely think it's the best film score of its kind (that excludes Clint Mansell) in years. I listen to it all the time, and it never ceases to give me chills. This is my most pleasant surprise of the all of the Oscar nominations, and I'll be cheering for it hard come February 27th.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Of the nominees, I think the actress who should and will win is Hailey Steinfeld, although she certainly belongs in the leading actress category. She is in almost every scene of True Grit and carries the film, holding her own among some of the best actors working today. The ladies from The Fighter are both thoroughly entertaining in their roles, but Amy Adams' performance to me was much more believable in its subtly. I'm glad to see Jackie Weaver nominated for one of my favorite films of the year, Animal Kingdom, and while I did enjoy Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech, neither of these ladies stands a chance at the Oscar in my estimation.

Actor in a Supporting Role

This is a two race, but Christian Bale is ahead by a couple lengths. He completely steals the show in The Fighter. If you haven't seen this film yet, it's worth the $10 just for his performance alone. The second horse is Geoffrey Rush for his sensational turn in The King's Speech as King George VI's speech therapist. There will be plenty more mentioned of this film, as it leads the nominations with 12, and rightly so, as it is indeed one of the best films of the year. As for the rest, John Hawks (Winter's Bone), Jeremy Renner (The Town), and Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right) all deserve the nomination as much as anyone else this year, although I did love Nicholas Cage in Kick-Ass!

Actress in a Leading Role

I will start by saying I have not had the pleasure (misery?) of seeing Rabbit Hole or Blue Valentine, so I cannot comment on the performances of Nicole Kidman or Michelle Williams. My favorite performance of the group came from Natalie Portman, who I also think will win for her magnificent performance as a tormented ballerina in Black Swan. Jennifer Lawrence was pretty great in her break-out performance in Winter's Bone, a film that is tragically under-seen. Unfortunately the wrong actress was nominated from The Kids Are All Right. I found Julianne Moore's performance to be more multi-layered and believable than Annette Bening's one note, "tough guy" act. One performance I was not expecting to get nominated, but was hoping for, is Kim Hye-ja, the title character from Bong Joon-Ho's Mother. She is phenomenal, and carries the film like no other actress this year.

Actor in a Leading Role

Again, I'll lead with the caveat that I have not seen Javier Bardem's performance in Biutiful (nor have I seen any of the other Foreign Language Film nominations). Colin Firth is the front-runner here, and my favorite performance of the bunch. His role as "King George the Stammerer" in The King's Speech is such a treat to behold. James Franco is captivating in 127 Hours, but doesn't stand a chance here. The only men capable of pulling the upset on Oscar night are Jeff Bridges and Jesse Eisenberg for their roles in True Grit and The Social Network, respectively.

Writing (Adapted and Original)

It's getting late, so I'll keep it brief on this one. Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network is a lock for adapted, while I think David Seidler's The King's Speech should and will win original.

Animated Feature Film

Duh, it goes to the Pixar movie.

Directing

Let me start by addressing those who are tweeting things like, "Christopher Nolan could have done a decent job directing The King's Speech, but no one could have directed Inception but him!" This is truly an idiotic statement. It might be true that Nolan deserves a Directing nomination simply for making his script half-way intelligible on the screen, but to say that he could have directed The King's Speech... I'll just say that The King's Speech has more heart than all of Nolan's films put together. Was he snubbed? I'd say no, considering all of the directors that were nominated ended up with better films. In Nolan's defense, he deserved a nomination as much as James Cameron did last year for Avatar. As for the front runner in this category, I think it has to be Fincher, and I'd be happy with him, Aronofsky, or the Coens.

Best Picture

For your convenience, the nominated films are listed below:

Black Swan *

The Fighter *

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King's Speech *

127 Hours

The Social Network *

Toy Story 3

True Grit *

Winter's Bone

* These films would have been the nominees had there only been five (as there should be).

All of these films are pretty great, and 7 of them will likely be in my top 10. If there are any films I would have loved to see here, it's Animal Kingdom and Mother (rent them both!!), however, their absences are understandable considering how under-seen those films are. As for the front-runners, the The Social Network is in first, with The King's Speech in second and True Grit in third. Either of these films could win and it wouldn't surprise me, plus I'd be equally happy. If it was my vote, I'd probably give it to The King's Speech. It moved me in the best possible way, the way I hope to be moved each time I go to the theater. It's the feel good film of the year, with tremendous performances, and a great script and score.

Overall, I was very happy with the nominations, and look forward to the show as I do every year. I plan on having another great Oscar watching party, so if you read this, and that kind of thing interests you, you are welcome to join us!