Thursday, October 27, 2011

Cinemanila International Film Festival


This year's Lifetime Achievement Awardee: the master of giallo, Dario Argento.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Pinoy Film Focus: Patayin Mo sa Sindak si Barbara (1974)


(Kill Barbara with Panic)

Director: Celso Ad. Castillo

Writers: Celso Ad. Castillo, Mike Relon Makiling

Cast: Susan Roces, Dante Rivero, Rosanna Ortiz, Beth Manlongat, Mary Walter

Runtime: 96 minutes

It bears easily one of the best titles of all Filipino films, invoking a sense of unstoppable supernatural fear. There are many good reasons why Patayin Mo sa Sindak si Barbara is one of many Filipinos' favorite local horror films of all time. Not even the glaring flaws of the film as a whole can take that away.

Barbara (played by Susan Roces, at one time the scream queen a la Jamie Lee Curtis of the Philippines), comes back to her childhood home for the burial of her sister Ruth (Rosanna Ortiz), who has committed suicide out of jealous rage over husband Fritz's (Dante Rivero) supposed infidelities. Barbara also takes care of Ruth's daughter, Karen (Beth Manlongat), whose behavior toward her father has turned drastically cold since her mother's suicide. A flashback reveals chilling truths: Ruth stabs herself repeated in the torso with a large shard of broken glass, and when she is about to die she transfers her spirit to Karen's doll. This sets off a series of genuinely creepy scenes involving said doll: its eyes glow menacingly, it walks, it appears bloodied and decapitated, and, best (worst?) of all, it calls Fritz from another room and says repeatedly through the phone: "I hate you. I want to kill you." The maniacal glee with which director and story writer Celso Ad. Castillo uses the doll as a tool of terror anticipates the American horror-comedy flick Child's Play by a good 14 years, but it's even more effective here in providing the right chills. The film also takes a page out of the Japanese trope of long-haired vengeance-driven spirits in white robes. Decades before world cinema began to churn out imitations of Ringu's Sadako, Patayin's Ruth was haunting cemeteries, mansions, and rest-houses.

The film as a whole, unfortunately, is a large mess. The editing woes that plague many Filipino movies past and present are quite evident, with choppy sequences and rough transitions. Even the acting by the quite stellar cast is not very impressive, with the exception of the diabolical brilliance of Ortiz as spurned Ruth (ok, Roces screams quite well). The ending is also disappointing and senselessly empty. But as earlier stated, these cannot remove the power of those individual scenes that ultimately make Patayin such an effective story of vengeance from beyond the grave. With an appropriately repetitive, chilling score in the background, the sequences that are supposed to be terrifying truly are, and at the end that is what really matters in a horror movie. As Barbara fends off attacks by the restless spirit, waving her bloody arms in defense, she screams at her sister that this is no longer her world and that she must leave. The relentlessness of the spiritual assaults makes both impatient and appreciative viewers share Barbara's sentiments. As the title suggests, the film wears down, both with its technical travesties and its terror, but thankfully more so with the latter.

Image from Video 48

Pinoy Film Focus: Kulay Dugo ang Gabi (1964)


(Blood is the Color of the Night / The Blood Drinkers)

Director: Gerardo de Leon

Writers: Cesar Amigo, Rico Bello Omagap

Cast: Amalia Fuentes, Eddie Fernandez, Ronald Remy, Mary Walter, Celia Rodriguez

Runtime: 88 minutes

In the history of Philippine cinema, the name of the great Gerardo de Leon is enshrined for his invaluable contributions as early as the 1930s. These include several adaptations of the works of national hero Jose Rizal (Noli me Tangere, El Filibusterismo, and Sisa), as well as award-winning gems like Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo (Python at the Old Dome), The Moises Padilla Story, and Banaue.

Like most of the major international film auteurs, de Leon has dabbled in that genre enjoyed by many but scoffed at by many high-brow cineastes: horror. In the 1960s and 1970s, he joined fellow Filipinos Eddie Romero and Cirio Santiago in bringing Filipino films, co-produced by Americans and dubbed in English, to drive-in theaters and grindhouses. Many of these were cheap-looking horror films that nevertheless intrigued foreign movie-goers and showcased the talents of Filipino filmmakers. De Leon's Terror is a Man is probably the most famous and well regarded of these, but his "Blood Collection" merits special attention, if only for their very interesting take on vampires.

Kulay Dugo ang Gabi (Blood is the Color of the Night, really, but released with the more sensationalized title The Blood Drinkers) features Ronald Remy as the brooding vampire Dr. Marco, whose true love Katrina (Amalia Fuentes) has died. He attempts to resurrect her with lots of human blood and a new heart. He intends to get the heart from Katrina's twin sister, Charito, also played by Fuentes (presumably because, as a doctor of sorts, he knows that any other heart would likely be rejected by Katrina's body...or perhaps it's for a purely supernatural nonsensical reason). Despite phasing and hypnotic powers, hunchback and dwarf henchmen, and a bat familiar named Basrah, his attempts are continually thwarted, ultimately with a flare gun and the strong religious faith of a Catholic priest.

It is not supposed to work, what with Basrah being quite obviously a pathetic stuffed toy hanging by a string and with the heavy-handed, preachy speeches about faith in Jesus Christ saving everyone from evil. But it does. It's mainly because of the cinematography--the fog and the red tint to evil evenings that gives the film its name--and the vampire caricature played with gusto by Remy, but the small flourishes also work. The phasing powers, the ingenious use of flare guns, Dr. Marco himself using a gun (a vampire with a gun!), the unrequited right-hand woman (alluring Celia Rodriguez in her prime)... It all makes for a fascinating entry in the annals of vampire cinema that should be watched and appreciated by a whole new generation of horror and Filipino film enthusiasts. Certainly de Leon has produced much better films in his ouvre. But few are as deliriously fun to watch as The Blood Drinkers.

Image from Video 48

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Pinoy Film Focus: Itim (1976)


(Black / Rites of May)

Director: Mike de Leon

Writers: Clodualdo del Mundo Jr., Gil Quito

Cast: Tommy Abuel, Charo Santos, Mario Montenegro, Mona Lisa

Runtime: 105 minutes

When regular Filipino moviegoers are asked what they think is the best Filipino horror film ever made, they often mention such classics as Shake Rattle & Roll and Tiyanak, alongside modern box-office hits like Feng Shui and Sukob. Few, if any at all, mention Itim, the first full-length film of highly acclaimed filmmaker and player in Philippine cinema's Second Golden Era, Mike de Leon. Notwithstanding the fact that most modern moviegoers are sadly ignorant of de Leon's oeuvre, more so his first film, Itim is not commonly lumped together with the horror films that the local industry has healthily churned out because of the subtlety of its horrific elements, which is perhaps its greatest strength.

But a horror film it is, and such an effective one at that! Where most horror films, local and otherwise, have gone the way of jolts and shocks to scare their audience, Itim goes for atmosphere. The chills here are genuine, aided to a great extent by the sparse scoring and the low-key lighting. Itim, which in English means "black," is pervasive throughout the film, from its cinematography to its story.

The film begins with a seance, immediately setting the dark, other-wordly chills that would permeate throughout. Manila-based photojournalist Jun (Tommy Abuel) returns to his hometown in Bulacan to visit his ailing father and document the Holy Week rites. He thereafter moves through a world of religious icons, lust-driven murder, and possessions by restless spirits. The latter two are effective, though low-key, taking a backseat to the rather unique Filipino horror of Catholic rites and fanaticism. If there is anything that Filipino horror filmmakers could play upon to distinguish our horror cinema from those of our Asian neighbors, it would be that religious fervor and the dependence on santos (depictions, usually statues, of religious icons). Itim does it in spades; a particularly chilling scene here is where Jun has a nightmare of a roomful of santos coming to life and attacking him. Perhaps no other film has used this tool since Itim, or at least nowhere near as effectively.

Itim would be the first of Mike de Leon's cinematic jewels. That he started with a horror film is interesting, given how most other auteurs would make theirs after they have established their careers with the more usual genres. He would later re-visit the genre with the brilliant Kisapmata (In Just the Wink of an Eye; 1981), which is a story of familial violence and sadism that many critics consider to be even more of a horror film than Itim. Nevertheless, Itim gives us an early indication of the artistry and mastery of the craft that de Leon, formerly a cinematographer to revered Lino Brocka, is well loved for by cineastes.
Itim is easily a top-caliber ghost story and an excellent example of Filipino film overall.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Philippine Oscar Entry: Ang Babae sa Septic Tank


The Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), which has been officially deciding on the Philippines's entry to the Academy Awards since 1984, has selected Ang Babae sa Septic Tank this year (official press release here). I believe that this is the best choice among their options (which includes Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington, which I otherwise loved) because of the following:

- The film pokes fun at the common trappings (or tropes, if you will) of local indie films, from the slow takes and lack of dialogue to the urban poor setting. In this way, the film does not take itself or its own identity as an indie film too seriously, while still paying homage to the efforts of indie filmmakers past and present. The international community has seen many of our indies and may be over-saturated with the tropes, so it's refreshing to have a film that revels in its own indie sensibilities while otherwise scrutinizing its predecessors.

- It is a film about filmmaking, and a film targeting the Oscars at that! Academy voters may like the reference to their institution, as they had shown in such instances as awarding Best Actress in 1979 to Dame Maggie Smith for playing an Oscar-nominated actress in California Suite (though this didn't work too well for the 2006 film For Your Consideration). Similar foreign-language films on the industry, like Francois Truffaut's Day for Night (winner of Best Foreign Language Film in 1974) and Giuseppe Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso (winner of the category in 1990), have been well received. This year, the French film The Artist, which is about an actor facing the potential demise of silent cinema in the wake of the introduction of sound, is being significantly buzzed as a potential Best Picture nominee.

- The film is extremely well acted, from the principal actors to the minors. Eugene Domingo is, as usual, excellent, and one of her key scenes here is the "Three Types of Acting" scene (you can see it here). Voters might eat that up. Generally, acting showcases are highly regarded by the Academy.

The problem with Zombadings, which I imagine would have been among the other top choices of the FAP Oscar committee given its critical and box office performance, is that a lot (or all) of the fun of it will be lost in translation. How can non-Filipino speakers know the difference between normal Filipino and the gay lingo?

I personally love the choice that FAP has made this year and commend them for it. Hopefully, the film gets at least a limited run in US theaters so as to make it eligible for the Golden Globes and other pre-Oscar awards, so that the momentum takes it to a place where no other Filipino film has gone before.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Film-Otaku Awards 2010

BEST PICTURE

THE SOCIAL NETWORK



2. The King's Speech
3. Inception
4. Black Swan
5. Toy Story 3
6. True Grit
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
8. Let Me In
9. Rabbit Hole
10. Get Low

BEST DIRECTOR

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN (INCEPTION)



2. David Fincher (The Social Network)
3. Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
4. Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
5. Ethan and Joel Coen (True Grit)
6. Ben Affleck (The Town)
7. Danny Boyle (127 Hours)
8. John Cameron Mitchell (Rabbit Hole)
9. Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer)
10. David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I)

BEST ACTOR

COLIN FIRTH (THE KING'S SPEECH)



2. Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
3. Robert Duvall (Get Low)
4. Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island)
5. Aaron Eckhart (Rabbit Hole)
6. Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception)
7. Aaron Johnson (Nowhere Boy)
8. James Franco (127 Hours)
9. Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In)
10. Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

BEST ACTRESS

NATALIE PORTMAN (BLACK SWAN)



2. Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
3. Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)
4. Annette Bening (The Kids are All Right)
5. Julianne Moore (The Kids are All Right)
6. Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
7. Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
8. Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go)
9. Annette Bening (Mother and Child)
10. Hilary Swank (Conviction)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTIAN BALE (THE FIGHTER)



2. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
3. Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)
4. Jeremy Renner (The Town)
5. Andrew Garfield (Never Let Me Go)
6. Jackie Chan (The Karate Kid)
7. Vincent Cassell (Black Swan)
8. Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps)
9. John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
10. Sam Rockwell (Conviction)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

MELISSA LEO (THE FIGHTER)



2. Amy Adams (The Fighter)
3. Anne Marie-Duff (Nowhere Boy)
4. Kimberly Elise (For Colored Girls)
5. Naomi Watts (Mother and Child)
6. Jackie Weaver (Animal Kingdom)
7. Kristin Scott Thomas (Nowhere Boy)
8. Carey Mulligan (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps)
9. Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
10. Juliette Lewis (Conviction)

BEST SCREENPLAY

DAVID SEIDLER (THE KING'S SPEECH)

2. Christopher Nolan (Inception)
3. Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)
4. Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3)
5. Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin (Black Swan)

BEST ART DIRECTION

TRON: LEGACY


2. Inception
3. Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows: Part I
4. The King's Speech
5. Agora

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

WALLY PFISTER (INCEPTION)


2. Eduardo Serra (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II)
3. Greig Fraser (Let Me In)
4. Roger Deakins (True Grit)
5. Matthew Libatique (Black Swan)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

MARY ZOPHRES (TRUE GRIT)


2. Milena Canonero (The Wolfman)
3. Amy Westcott (Black Swan)
4. Colleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland)
5. Gabriella Pescucci (Agora)

BEST MAKEUP

THE WOLFMAN


2. Inception
3. Alice in Wonderland
4. Let Me In
5. Black Swan

BEST SCORE

DAFT PUNK (TRON: LEGACY)


2. Alexandre Desplat (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I)
3. Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (The Social Network)
4. Hans Zimmer (Inception)
5. Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

INCEPTION


2. TRON: Legacy
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
5. Alice in Wonderland

BEST ENSEMBLE

THE FIGHTER


2. The Kids are All Right
3. The Town
4. The Social Network
5. Inception

BEST ANIMATED FILM

TOY STORY 3


2. RPG: Metanoia
3. How to Train Your Dragon
4. Despicable Me

TOP 10 SEQUENCES OF 2010

1. The Black Swan (Black Swan)


2. The King's speech (The King's Speech)


3. Deathly hallows story (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I)


4. Andy giving away his toys (Toy Story 3)
5. Felix's story (Get Low)
6. "Pocket Full of Sunshine" (Easy A)
7. The apology (The Kids are All Right)
8. The confrontation (Rabbit Hole)
9. Planting the sycamore (Flipped)
10. Tommy's breakdown on the road (Never Let Me Go)


Saturday, March 05, 2011

83rd Academy Award Winners

MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR

The King's Speech*


ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Natalie Portman (Black Swan)*


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Colin Firth (The King's Speech)*


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Melissa Leo (The Fighter)


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale (The Fighter)*


Original Screenplay


David Seidler (The King's Speech)*


Adapted Screenplay


Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)*


Best Animated Feature Film


Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3)*


Best Documentary Feature


Inside Job*


Best Foreign Language Film


In a Better World (Denmark)*


Achievement in Art Direction


Alice in Wonderland


Achievement in Cinematography


Wally Pfister (Inception)*


Achievement in Costume Design


Coleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland)


Achievement in Film Editing


Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall (The Social Network)*


Achievement in Makeup


The Wolfman*


Achievement in Music (Original Score)


Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (The Social Network)


Achievement in Music (Original Song)


"We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)


Achievement in Sound Editing


Inception*


Achievement in Sound Mixing


Inception*


Achievement in Visual Effects


Inception*


Short Film (Animated)


"The Lost Thing"


Short Film (Live Action)


"God of Love"


Documentary (Short Subject)

"Strangers No More"


Score: 15/24

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

83rd Academy Award Nominations (and reactions)

MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR

The Fighter

Inception
The Kids are All Right
127 Hours
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone


Score: 9/10 (predicted The Town instead of Winter's Bone). Not too surprising a lineup, when all is said and done. Winter's Bone was warming up en route to nomination morning, while The Town was cooling down with the exception of Jeremy Renner.

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (True Grit)

Score: 4/5 (predicted Nolan instead of the Coens). The Academy members really don't like Christopher Nolan, do they? Snubbed yet again. How can anyone who directed something like Inception not be nominated? Oh well.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Annette Bening (The Kids are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Score: 4/5 (predicted Steinfeld instead of Williams). Much deserved nod for Williams. I always knew that putting Steinfeld here was risky, though I was hoping the Academy would put her in the right category.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)

Score: 4/5 (predicted Wahlberg instead of Bardem). Looks like the campaign of Sean Penn and Julia Roberts for Bardem worked. I predicted the Duvall snub but not for him. Sad to see the brilliant work of Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine overlooked.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Score: 3/5 (predicted Kunis and Manville instead of Steinfeld and Weaver). The Academy decided to commit category fraud and place Steinfeld here, though I don't really mind. Now she can easily win this category on Oscar night (though I personally prefer either Adams to Leo). Glad to see Weaver among the nominees.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Score: 4/5 (predicted Garfield instead of Hawkes). The Academy seems to really dig Winter's Bone. I was hoping to see Garfield here, but Hawkes's performance IS deserving of notice so no complaints about that not-quite-surprising nom (given the SAG nod earlier).

Original Screenplay

Mike Leigh (Another Year)
Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy (The Fighter)
Christopher Nolan (Inception)
Lisa Chodolenko, Stuart Blumberg (The Kids are All Right)
David Seidler (The King's Speech)

Score: 4/5 (predicted Black Swan instead of Another Year). Leigh fans can rejoice; his film wasn't entirely overlooked. But its nom came at the expense of Black Swan.

Adapted Screenplay

Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours)
Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)
Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3)
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (True Grit)
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini (Winter's Bone)

Score: 5/5.

Best Animated Feature Film

Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon)
Sylvain Chomet (The Illusionist)
Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3)

Score: 2/3 (predicted Tangled instead of The Illusionist). Interesting, that Tangled wasn't able to get a spot in this category.

Best Documentary Feature

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land


Score: 4/5 (predicted Waiting for Superman instead of Waste Land). That snub for Waiting for Superman was quite the shocker, considering how much it's been buzzed.

Best Foreign Language Film

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

Score: 4/5 (predicted South Africa instead of Algeria). I should have picked up on the buzz on Algeria's entry, but the South African film seemed a much surer bet.

Achievement in Art Direction

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit


Score: 4/5 (predicted Black Swan instead of Alice in Wonderland). Should have known they'd go for the wacky Alice world. Black Swan was probably too simple and contemporary for the voters.

Achievement in Cinematography

Matthew Libatique (Black Swan)
Wally Pfister (Inception)
Danny Cohen (The King's Speech)
Jeff Cronenweth (The Social Network)
Roger Deakins (True Grit)

Score: 4/5 (predicted Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I instead of The Social Network).

Achievement in Costume Design

Colleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland)
Antonella Cannarozzi (I Am Love)
Jenny Beavan (The King's Speech)
Sandy Powell (The Tempest)
Mary Zophres (True Grit)

Score: 4/5 (predicted Black Swan instead of I Am Love).

Achievement in Film Editing

Andrew Weisblum (Black Swan)
Pamela Martin (The Fighter)
Tariq Anwar (The King's Speech)
Jon Harris (127 Hours)
Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall (The Social Network)

Score: 3/5 (predicted Inception and True Grit instead of The Fighter and 127 Hours).

Achievement in Makeup

Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman


Score: 1/3 (predicted Black Swan and The Tempest instead of Barney's Version and The Way Back). Always an unpredictable category where random films can pop up.

Achievement in Music (Original Score)

John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon)
Hans Zimmer (Inception)
Alexander Desplat (The King's Speech)
A.R. Rachman (127 Hours)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (The Social Network)

Score: 4/5 (predicted TRON Legacy instead of How to Train Your Dragon). The nom for Daft Punk was wishful thinking, I know.

Achievement in Music (Original Song)

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

Score: 3/4 (predicted five, with "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" and "Me and Tennessee" instead of "Coming Home"). Sorry, no Cher on Oscar night.

Achievement in Sound Editing

Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable


Score: 4/5 (predicted Iron Man 2 instead of Unstoppable). Should have known that a critically well-received actioner would get notice here. Should have spread the net wider. Though 4/5 is good for me in this category.

Achievement in Sound Mixing

Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit


Score: 3/5 (predicted Black Swan and TRON Legacy instead of The King's Speech and Salt). I don't think anyone expected that nom for Salt, but I should have seen the King's Speech nom coming.

Achievement in Visual Effects

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2


Score: 4/5 (predicted TRON Legacy instead of Hereafter). Sure, the young Jeff Bridges was kinda unnatural, but how can they not nominate TRON Legacy for every other nifty visual in that film? Injustice.

Short Film (Animated)

"Day & Night"
"The Gruffalo"
"Let's Pollute"
"The Lost Thing"
"Madagascar, a Journey Diary"

No predictions.

Short Film (Live Action)

"The Confession"
"The Crush"
"God of Love"
"Na Wewe"
"Wish 143"

No predictions.

Documentary (Short Subject)

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

No predictions.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Winners of the 68th Golden Globe Awards

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Social Network

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
The Kids Are All Right

Best Director - Motion Picture
David Fincher, The Social Network

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Foreign Language Film
In a Better World

Best Animated Feature Film
Toy Story 3

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from Burlesque