#s 20-11 of the Decade

20. Before Sunset (2004)


Director: Richard Linklater
Writers: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

One of the most intelligent, natural, and character-driven romantic films of the last decade (or the last two, for that matter), with endearing performances by Hawke and Delpy. The ending sequence is precious, perhaps one of the best in cinema.

19. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)


Director: Brad Silberling
Writer: Robert Gordon, based on the books by Daniel Handler
Cast: Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Kara Hoffman, Shelby Hoffman, Jude Law, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Meryl Streep

Not having liked the books on which it was based, I wasn't expecting this film to be so much fun and, beyond that, a truly well crafted film on the technical aspects. Great art direction, cinematography, costume, makeup, score. And of course, great acting, including an amusing turn by Streep. Some parts are really touching.

18. Spider-Man 2 (2004)


Director: Sam Raimi
Writer: Alvin Sargent, based on the comic books by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco

Easily the best of the trilogy, with spectacular visual effects and a great, well rounded villain in Molina's Dr. Octopus. Still one of the best superhero movies of all time.

17. The Dark Knight (2008)


Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, based on characters by Bob Kane
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman

THE best superhero movie of all time. Amazing film made even better by the phenomenal performance of the great Heath Ledger. The biggest travesty committed by the Academy in recent years was not having nominated this film and its director.

16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)


Director: Michel Gondry
Writer: Charlie Kaufman
Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson

Gondry at his best, and Winslet at her most endearing (many fans' favorite performance of hers). This is easily one of the most creative and finely made films of the last decade.

15. Pride & Prejudice (2005)


Director: Joe Wright
Writer: Deborah Moggach, based on the novel by Jane Austen
Cast: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Rosamund Pike

This is a faithful adaptation of one of the all time wittiest, most romantic novels. The film and its actors are effortless, especially Knightley and Sutherland.

14. Dogville (2003)


Director: Lars von Trier
Writer: Lars von Trier
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Paul Bettany

Spare, austere, horrifying, liberating. Brilliant film by the brilliant oft misunderstood von Trier. A film that uses no sets except lines on the ground to denote where the houses are, it looks bare but the emotion is never so. A great ending sequence that has one thinking if s/he is a little too emotionally invested in the plight of Grace, Kidman's character. This is her best performance, in my opinion.

13. Summer Wars (2009)


Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Writer: Satoko Okudera
Cast (voices of): Sumiko Fuji, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Ayumu Saito, Nanami Sakuraba

From the visionary director of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has come another amazing feat of Japanese animation. Thoroughly engaging and spectacular.

12. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)


Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Writer: Satoko Okudera, based on the novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui
Cast (voices of): Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura, Ayami Kakiuchi

Summer Wars may be the more innovative film of Hosoda's, but The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is the more emotionally resonant. Nice take on the sci-fi trope of time travel, with romance thrown in to make one of the best anime films of all time.

11. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)


Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Simon Beaufoy, based on the novel by Vikas Swarup
Cast: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto

An exuberant, emotionally stirring film that I found myself watching over and over without getting tired of it.


Numbers 30-21 here.
Numbers 10-1 soon.

#s 30-21 of the Decade

30. Battle Royale (2000)


Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Writer: Kenta Fukasaku, based on the novel by Koushun Takami
Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Takeshi Kitano

One of Quentin Tarantino's favorite films. Excessive on many levels, but it's so unique and so much fun to watch.

29. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)


Director: Ang Lee
Writers: Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai, based on the book by Du Lu Wang
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Chang

This excellent film made wuxia popular again and made a star of Zhang Ziyi. Thank goodness for that.

28. The Others (2001)


Director: Alejandro Amenabar
Writer: Alejandro Amenabar
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Alakina Mann, James Bentley

This atmospheric film definitely ranks as one of the all-time best ghost stories, with a creepy feel all throughout and a satisfying twist at the end.

27. Atonement (2007)


Director: Joe Wright
Writer: Christopher Hampton, based on the novel by Ian McEwan
Cast: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Vanessa Redgrave

Amazing film with great performances and a heart-twisting premise that plays out powerfully.

26. Coraline (2009)


Director: Henry Selick
Writer: Henry Selick, based on the book by Neil Gaiman
Cast (voices of): Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, John Hodgman, Keith David

Neil Gaiman's work deserves such a magical adaptation. Great animation and musical score.

25. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)


Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, based on the novel by Roald Dahl
Cast (voices of): George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wallace Wolodarsky, Eric Chase Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe

What quirkiness you've come to expect in an Anderson film, you'll see here animated. Also a fantastic score by Alexandre Desplat.

24. Mean Girls (2004)


Director: Mark Waters
Writer: Tina Fey, based on the book by Rosalind Wiseman
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried

This is such a fun film that I can keep on watching over and over. Lohan's shining moment, and McAdams's breakthrough. This shows what Lindsay is capable of, so I wish her the best.

23. Magnifico (2003)


Director: Maryo J. de los Reyes
Writer: Michiko Yamamoto
Cast: Lorna Tolentino, Albert Martinez, Gloria Romero, Jiro Manio

Quite possibly one of the best Filipino dramas ever, without being a typical melodrama. Very human and very sincere. Can be devastating at certain points, but that's a good thing when you're looking for a film that packs an emotional punch.

22. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)


Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones

Del Toro has given us one of the most hypnotic and involving fantasy masterpieces of all time in Pan's Labyrinth. Not to mention one of the creepier creatures in the Pale Man.

21. Children of Men (2006)


Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Writers: Alfonso Cuaron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, based on the novel by P.D. James
Cast: Clive Owen, Michael Caine, Julianne Moore

A true modern sci fi classic. Cuaron expertly directs this gem about a dystopic Earth, perhaps the best such portrayal in decades.


Numbers 40-31 here.
Numbers 20-11 soon.

#s 40-31 of the Decade

40. Spirited Away (2001)


Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Cast (voices of): Rumi Hiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki

Animation god Hayao Miyazaki deservedly won an Oscar for this mesmerizing, magical (what Miyazaki film isn't) creation.

39. A Tale of Two Sisters (2002)


Director: Ji-woon Kim
Writer: Ji-woon Kim
Cast: Kap-su Kim, Jung-ah Yum, Su-jeong Lim, Geun-Young Moon

Captivating, intelligent, creepy psychological thriller that, like most Asian horror flicks, relies more on atmosphere than on cheap scares. Great acting by the principal cast. Korea has got to have among the best child actors in the world.

38. The Science of Sleep (2006)


Director: Michel Gondry
Writer: Michel Gondry
Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg

A criminally overlooked adorable, touching Gondry pic starring the adorable Bernal and Gainsbourg. It's classic Gondry with the surreal animation.

37. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005)


Directors: Tetsuya Nomura, Takeshi Nozue
Writer: Kazushige Nujima

This is how that other visually great but ultimately flat Final Fantasy film should have been. These are characters we've learned to love in the games, with breathtaking animation and action sequences. What a trip for fanboys!

36. Moon (2009)


Director: Duncan Jones
Writers: Duncan Jones, Nathan Parker
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey

Brilliant sci fi flick that's a throwback to the intelligent, human-driven science fiction of the 70s. Rockwell is great in this one-man show.

35. Paris Je T'aime (2006)


Directors: Multiple
Writers: Multiple
Cast: Too many to mention

Ah, the city of love. This omnibus from some of the best filmmakers is a product of love. Touching and emotionally involving. Stand-outs include Gurinder Chadha's "Quais de Seine," Alfonso Cuaron's "Parc Monceau," Vincenzo Natali's "Quartier de la Madeleine" (the only horror segment), Tom Tykwer's "Faubourg Saint-Denis," Nobuhiro Suwa's "Place des Victoires" (in which Juliette Binoche is, as always, amazing), and the winning closing segment by Alexander Payne, "14th arrondissement," which features the lovable Margot Martindale.

34. The School of Rock (2003)


Director: Richard Linklater
Writer: Mike White
Cast: Jack Black, Mike White, Joan Cusack, Sarah Silverman

Black probably hasn't been funnier or more natural than in this fun, music-driven flick. The kids are great and so are the songs. I'd love to see a sequel.

33. A Knight's Tale (2001)


Director: Brian Helgeland
Writer: Brian Helgeland
Cast: Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Laura Fraser, Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk

This could have failed miserably, mixing medieval Europe with modern pop beats. But it soars and delights, thanks mostly to the great chemistry and fantastic humor among the cast, led by the late great Ledger.

32. (500) Days of Summer (2009)


Director: Marc Webb
Writer: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel

One of the best, most well written romantic comedies in recent years. Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel are both adorable.

31. The Incredibles (2004)


Director: Brad Bird
Writer: Brad Bird
Cast (voices of): Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee

The title says it all. Great kinetic fun, much better than a lot of live-action superhero movies. How about a sequel?


Numbers 50-41 here.
Numbers 30-21 soon.

My 50 Favorite Films of the Last Decade

It took me a fair amount of time to decide on what 50 films from 2000 to 2009 most excited, intrigued, or impressed me. Some have simply stuck to my memory regardless of overall quality. This is not my list of "Best Pictures" of the last decade. These are instead films that I treasure for many different reasons and that I wouldn't mind watching over and over. This list, my first of its nature, is very important for me, since the cinephile in me was awakened only in 2001, twenty years after my birth and having been at best a casual moviegoer.

Here are #s 50-41:

50. Infernal Affairs (2002)


Directors: Wai-keung Lau, Alan Mak
Writers: Alan Mak, Felix Chong
Cast: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Sammi Cheng

The movie that directly inspired Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning The Departed. A masterful film, perhaps Hong Kong's finest in the last decade.

49. Dancer in the Dark (2000)


Director: Lars von Trier
Writer: Lars von Trier
Cast: Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare

What a performance from Bjork! Raw, innocent, powerful. The film itself scars and wounds, especially in the last few sequences, and it leaves an indelible mark.

48. Bayaning Third World (2000)


Director: Mike de Leon
Writers: Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr., Mike de Leon
Cast: Joel Torre, Ricky Davao, Cris Villanueva

Of the many Filipino films about national hero Jose Rizal, this is easily the most imaginative. Surreal, bizarre, sometimes bordering on absurd, but never anything less than genius. Mike de Leon, a major player in Philippine cinema's second Golden Age (the 1970s), proves he still has it.

47. Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (2005)


Director: Auraeus Solito
Writer: Michiko Yamamoto
Cast: Nathan Lopez, Soliman Cruz, JR Valentin, Neil Ryan Sese, Ping Medina

The Filipino indie scene is now dominated by gay films, but before that deluge of mostly derivative, exploitative drivel, this true gem of the digital movement impressed viewers here and abroad, even getting a Spirit Award nomination for Foreign Language Film. A very refreshing take on the homosexual Filipino adolescent, in that his very macho father and older brothers love him dearly and dote on him.

46. WALL-E (2008)


Director: Andrew Stanton
Writers: Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon

Brilliant piece of animation and science fiction. Having a silent robot with emotions as the lead character goes a long way.

45. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)


Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Writer: Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson

This is easily the best in the series. Cuaron's little touches elevate this to a very good fantasy piece. And the three actors are at their best here.

44. Sideways (2004)


Director: Alexander Payne
Writers: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, based on the novel by Rex Pickett
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh

This film is so smooth and effortless in the way it captures the audience's emotion that it latches on and doesn't let go. I cannot forget the amazement I felt at Paul Giamatti's brilliance...and my vexation at his not having been nominated for an Oscar.

43. Enchanted (2007)


Director: Kevin Lima
Writer: Bill Kelly
Cast: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Susan Sarandon

Amy Adams is aces as a Disney princess transported to modern-day New York in this very memorable and highly entertaining film. The songs are contagious, and James Marden plays a hilarious Prince.

42. Doubt (2008)


Director: John Patrick Shanley
Writer: John Patrick Shanley, based on his play
Cast: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis

Just writing that cast list has me thinking back to this powerful film. It's a good story and a well-crafted movie, but it's the cast that got me. All four, including the immortal Meryl Streep, at their finest. What more can you ask for?

41. In Bruges (2008)


Director: Martin McDonagh
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes

This film had me simultaneously in stitches, frightened of Ralph Fiennes, falling in love with Bruges which I had not heard of prior to watching this, and thinking how fantastic an actor Colin Farrell is. He should have been nominated for an Oscar.

Numbers 40-39 soon.

Film-Otaku Awards 2009

BEST PICTURE

AVATAR


2. Up in the Air
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. Summer Wars
5. Antichrist
6. The Hurt Locker
7. Star Trek
8. (500) Days of Summer
9. Moon
10. Inglourious Basterds

BEST DIRECTOR

JAMES CAMERON (AVATAR)


2. Lars von Trier (Antichrist)
3. Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
4. Jane Campion (Bright Star)
5. Jacques Audiard (Un Prophete)
6. Duncan Jones (Moon)
7. Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
8. Clint Eastwood (Invictus)
9. Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)
10. Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox)

BEST ACTOR

VIGGO MORTENSEN (THE ROAD)


2. Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man)
3. Tahar Rahim (Un Prophete)
4. George Clooney (Up in the Air)
5. Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
6. Sam Rockwell (Moon)
7. Ben Foster (The Messenger)
8. Willem Dafoe (Antichrist)
9. Joseph Gordon-Levitt ((500) Days of Summer)
10. Ben Whishaw (Bright Star)

BEST ACTRESS

TILDA SWINTON (JULIA)


2. Abbie Cornish (Bright Star)
3. Michelle Pfeiffer (Cheri)
4. Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist)
5. Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
6. Kim Hye-ja (Mother)
7. Carey Mulligan (An Education)
8. Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones)
9. Gabourey Sidibe (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)
10. Robin Wright-Penn (The Private Lives of Pippa Lee)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTOPH WALTZ (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS)


2. Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
3. Paul Schneider (Bright Star)
4. Niels Arestrup (Un Prophete)
5. Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker)
6. Alfred Molina (An Education)
7. Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes)
8. Robert Duvall (The Road)
9. Rhys Ifans (The Boat that Rocked)
10. Stephen Lang (Avatar)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

MO'NIQUE (PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE)


2. Bianca Portillo (Broken Embraces)
3. Zoe Saldana (Avatar)
4. Marion Cotillard (Nine)
5. Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
6. Penelope Cruz (Nine)
7. Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds0
8. Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
9. Bailee Madison (Brothers)
10. Mozhan Marno (The Stoning of Soraya M.)

BEST SCREENPLAY

SCOTT NEUSTADTER, MICHAEL H. WEBER ((500) DAYS OF SUMMER)


2. Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner (based on the novel by Walter Kim) (Up in the Air)
3. Lars von Trier (Antichrist)
4. Duncan Jones, Nathan Parker (Moon)
5. James Cameron (Avatar)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

FANTASTIC MR. FOX


2. Summer Wars
3. Coraline
4. Up
5. The Secret of Kells

BEST ART DIRECTION

SHERLOCK HOLMES


2. Moon
3. Red Cliff
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Avatar

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

ANTHONY DOD MANTLE (ANTICHRIST)


2. Philippe Rousselot (Sherlock Holmes)
3. Bruno Delbonell (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
4. Andrew Lesnie (The Lovely Bones)
5. Mauro Fiore (Avatar)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

JANET PATTERSON (BRIGHT STAR)


2. Sandy Powell (The Young Victoria)
3. Jenny Beavan (Sherlock Holmes)
4. Tim Yip (Red Cliff)
5. Consolata Boyle (Cheri)

BEST MAKEUP

STAR TREK


2. Zombieland
3. Dead Snow

BEST SCORE

BRUNO COULAIS (CORALINE)


2. Alexandre Desplat (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
3. James Horner (Avatar)
4. Bruno Coulais (The Secret of Kells)
5. Michael Giacchino (Star Trek)

BEST SONG

"ALL IS LOVE" (WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE)


2. "Ponyo" (Ponyo)
3. "Aisling's Song" (The Secret of Kells)
4. "Cinema Italiano" (Nine)
5. "I See You" (Avatar)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

AVATAR


2. Star Trek
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
4. Where the Wild Things Are
5. The Lovely Bones

BEST ENSEMBLE

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS


2. The Boat that Rocked
3. An Education
4. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
5. In the Loop

BEST CAMEO PERFORMANCE

BILL MURRAY (ZOMBIELAND)


2. J.K. Simmons (Up in the Air)
3. Emma Thompson (The Boat that Rocked)

Coming Soon on Film-Otaku

With another Oscar year over, it's time to move on. Predicting nominees has always been much more fun than predicting winners.

Coming soon (sooner than would seem normal, in the third case haha) on this blog:

My 50 Favorite Films of the Past Decade (2000-2009)

Film-Otaku Awards 2009

Predictions on the 83rd Academy Awards

Winners of the 82nd Academy Awards

MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR

The Hurt Locker

Predicted: Inglourious Basterds. The safest best. I just had to change my bet at the last minute to Basterds, thinking the preferential voting would benefit it. Oh well. I loved Avatar and wanted it to win, but while I still believe that it deserved to win, I'm happy for Locker and the people involved.

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)

First female winner of this category EVER. Very deserving, though James Cameron's achievements with Avatar are still mind-blowing and should have been rewarded more.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)

He finally wins after the fifth nod. Can't say I was crazy about the performance (and as I still haven't seen A Single Man, can't say it's the best either), but the voters could have done much worse. He's a terrific actor.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)

Up until the last minute, I was still rooting for Meryl Streep, but there was no denying Sandra Bullock's momentum. Blah. Love her and the speech and the fact that she now has an Oscar, but over those other four? America's sweetheart indeed.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

The most deserving of the five by a mile.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Mo'Nique (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)

Ditto here. Love her speech. It should never be about the campaigning!

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker)

Predicted: Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds). Tarantino's support within the Academy was not enough to have his creative script win over Boal's intense screenplay.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)

Predicted: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air). One of the biggest upsets of the night. Not really happy with the result here, as Up in the Air is easily the superior film.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Pete Docter (Up)

Duh. Though while I was watching the clips of the nominees (and the "interviews" with the leads), I found myself wondering what Princess and the Frog was doing lumped with all those excellent films.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The Cove

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Argentina (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)

Less of a surprise than generally thought, as the film has been getting rave reviews and buzz.

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION

Avatar

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Mauro Fiore (Avatar)

Predicted: Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker). I'm happy that I'm wrong. Fiore deserves it.

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

Sandy Powell (The Young Victoria)

How utterly predictable. I wish Janet Patterson had won.

ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING

Bob Murawski, Chris Innis (The Hurt Locker)

Predicted: John Refoua, Stephen Rivkin (Avatar). Come on. They should have given this to the Avatar team. Respect.

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

Star Trek

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

Michael Giacchino (Up)

I realized how great this score is when the nominees were being played.

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

"The Weary Kind" (Crazy Heart)

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

The Hurt Locker

Predicted: Avatar. This stings.

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

The Hurt Locker

Predicted: Avatar. Again.

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar

BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

"Music by Prudence"

Predicted: "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

"Logorama"

Predicted: "A Matter of Loaf and Death"

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

"The New Tenants"

Predicted: "The Door"


Score: 14/24. As usual, the shorts got me. The major categories were much more easily predictable.

Who I Think Would Make a Great Captain America

The powers-that-be have yet to announce who they'll be casting as the iconic titular character in The First Avenger: Captain America, with names such as Chace Crawford (too pretty?) and John Krasinski (umm...nope) popping out. At the earliest stages of speculation, when Brad Pitt's name was being tossed around as the ideal Thor, Leonardo DiCaprio was being mentioned for this role. Leo's my favorite actor, so I wouldn't mind if it came to that, but I don't think they'll go that way.

There's another actor, recently surging in popularity and Oscar-nominated to boot, that I believe would be a very good Captain America. He's American (as the character's actor should be), a good actor, and he starred in an action movie with American sentiments (just something called The Hurt Locker). He's being rumored to be Hawkeye in the Avengers movie, but I'm thinking that might be a decoy...

JEREMY RENNER


And who else to play Nazi villain Red Skull but Christoph Waltz?

Final Oscar Predictions on Friday

At this point, The Hurt Locker still has the momentum (e-mail brouhaha and all), but any of the other big three (Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, Up in the Air) can still take it. It hasn't won anything recently, but I'm beginning to suspect a Basterds "upset." Hmm...

Winners of the 2010 BAFTA Awards

Best Film
The Hurt Locker

Outstanding British Film
Fish Tank

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

The Last Airbender

Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards

THE NOMINEES:

MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Prediction result: 8/10. Predicted (500) Days of Summer and Invictus instead of and The Blind Side and A Serious Man. Blind Side, seriously? But I should have foreseen it, given the box office heat. Didn't think enough voters would like A Serious Man but the Academy loves the Coens.


ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

James Cameron (Avatar)
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)
Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)

Prediction result: 5/5.


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
George Clooney (Up in the Air)
Colin Firth (A Single Man)
Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

Prediction result: 5/5.


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
Carey Mulligan (An Education)
Gabourey Sidibe (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)
Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)

Prediction result: 5/5.


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Matt Damon (Invictus)
Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)
Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)
Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

Prediction result: 5/5. How boring. I was hoping Alfred Molina or someone else would sneak past Damon. Oh well.


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Penelope Cruz (Nine)
Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)
Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
Mo'Nique (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)

Prediction result: 3/5. Predicted Melanie Laurent and Julianne Moore instead of Cruz and Gyllenhaal. This was always the least predictable category.


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman (The Messenger)
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (A Serious Man)
Bob Peterson, Pete Docter (Up)

Prediction result: 3/5. Predicted Avatar and (500) Days of Summer instead of The Messenger and Up. Bummed about the Summer snub, but not so surprised about the one for Avatar.


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell (District 9)
Nick Hornby (An Education)
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche (In the Loop)
Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air)

Prediction result: 4/5. Predicted Fantastic Mr. Fox instead of In the Loop. The latter was really funny, but I loved the Fox screenplay much more.


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Henry Selick (Coraline)
Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
Ron Clements, John Musker (The Princess and the Frog)
Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells)
Pete Docter (Up)

Prediction result: 4/5. Predicted Ponyo instead of The Secret of Kells. Didn't love Miyazaki's latest, so I'm not really surprised about the snub. But I was expecting Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to upset. Who predicted Secret?


BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

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

Prediction result: 3/5. Predicted Beaches of Agnes and Mugabe and the White African instead of The Most Dangerous Man and Which Way Home. I generally guess this category, but the snub for Beaches is rather surprising.


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

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

Prediction result: 3/5. Predicted Bulgaria and Netherlands instead of Argentina and Peru. Had a hunch about Milk of Sorrow; should have stuck with it.


ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION

Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Prediction result: 2/5. Got only Avatar and Sherlock Holmes correct.


ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Mauro Fiore (Avatar)
Bruno Delbonnel (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker)
Robert Richardson (Inglourious Basterds)
Christian Berger (The White Ribbon)

Prediction result: 4/5. Predicted Nine instead of The White Ribbon.


ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

Janet Patterson (Bright Star)
Catherine Leterrier (Coco Avant Chanel)
Monique Prudhomme (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus)
Colleen Atwood (Nine)
Sandy Powell (The Young Victoria)

Prediction result: 4/5. Predicted Cheri instead of Imaginarium.


ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING

John Refoua, Stephen Rivkin (Avatar)
Julian Clarke (District 9)
Chris Innis, Bob Murawski (The Hurt Locker)
Sally Menke (Inglourious Basterds)
Joe Klotz (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)

Prediction result: 4/5. Predicted Up in the Air instead of Precious.


ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

Prediction result: 1/3. Predicted District 9 and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus instead of Il Divo and The Young Victoria.


ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

James Horner (Avatar)
Alexandre Desplat (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders (The Hurt Locker)
Hans Zimmer (Sherlock Holmes)
Michael Giacchino (Up)

Prediction result: 3/5. Predicted Coraline and The Informant! instead of The Hurt Locker and Sherlock Holmes. Reminds me how interesting the score for Holmes is.


ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

"Almost There" (The Princess and the Frog)
"Down in New Orleans" (The Princess and the Frog)
"Loin de Paname" (Paris 36)
"Take It All" (Nine)
"The Weary Kind" (Crazy Heart)

Prediction result: 3/5. Predicted "I Can See in Color" and "I See You" instead of "Down in New Orleans" and "Loin de Paname." Who saw the latter coming?


ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

Prediction result: 3/5. Predicted Transformers and 2012 instead of The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds.


ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Prediction result: 2/5. Got only Avatar and The Hurt Locker right.


ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

Prediction result: 3/3.

TOTAL: 77/106.


BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

"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 a la Berlin"


SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

"French Roast"
"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty"
"The Lady and the Reaper" ("La Dama y la Muerte")
"Logorama"
"A Matter of Loaf and Death"


SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

"The Door"
"Instead of Abracadabra"
"Kavi"
"Miracle Fish"
"The New Tenants"