The lucrative summer movie season is upon with some must-sees, and some must-nots...as usual. For some, the summer tentpoles are usually a gasp of fresh air after the torturous spring, which notoriously is when the studios drop all the crap they can't market or give a potential bomb zero competition at stretching for it's 5 million opening weekend (yawn). And, more power to them. This summer is filled with sequels, franchise films, and comic book adaptations (maybe one too many, this time) to get excited about it. Others see it only as time to brace themselves for the mindless entertainment until the artful oscar season picks up again in the fall. For most, it's a little of both, so here are my favorite thing - lists on both the goods and the bads.
THE GOOD:
10.Thor - Already upon us, and already raked in 66 million it's opening weekend. This was expected for Thor, who isn't as widely known in the Marvel canon (Spider-Man opened with a whopping 114 million in 2002, and Iron Man pulled a 96 million opening in 2008), but obviously has his loyal fan base. The gig Marvel has going to keep people intrigued is how all their films, since Iron Man, are happening within the same universe. So, even audiences who know nothing of Thor will enjoy it's tie-ins to Iron Man, Hulk and Captatin America. Although it got decent reviews, I don't predict this one will have the legs to go over the 200 million mark. It's definitely a well executed movie, but with Kenneth Brannagh at the helm, his Shakesperian persuasions are all over the movie, which might bog it down for those wanting fun Marvel entertainment.
9. The Help - Based on the ridiculously successfull best seller about an aspiring writer who spearheads racial segregation in Jackson, Mississipi, this film will draw from audiences looking for a quieter movie this summer without losing the quality. Another major draw should be newcomer Emma Stone, right off her breakthrough performance in the delightful Easy A, who already has a small throng of devoted fans who say they "love her." The film's antagonist is played by Bryce Dallas Howard, and, from the trailer, it seems she's finally found another role to sink her teeth into after fledgling in Spider Man and Terminator sequels after The Village.
8.Captain America - Marvel devotees will recognize the actor playing Steve Rogers as the Human Torch from the forgetful Fantastic Four movies. Chris Evans, as he's known by everyone else, is hoping to start again in one of these fancy Marvel reboot films fans have been jumping about. Expect him to return next summer in The Avengers alongside Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk. Comparing to the comics, he definitely looks the part, and there's no reason anyone won't see a movie called Captain America due to the stroke of nationalism sweeping the states after the death of you-know-who (not Voldemort for once).
7.Super 8 - With the enlisted help of producer Steven Spielberg, acclaimed director J.J Abrams, coming off Star Trek fame, has written an intriguing piece of sci-fi sensationalism. Based in the 70's, a group of kid filmmakers, working with super 8 film, accidentally catch footage of a train derailment carrying cargo to the legendary Area 51. Cool huh? The trailer purposely mirrors the feel of Close Encounters, so some nostalgic moviegoers will probably be drawn in in that regard. Looks to be one of those "you never see the monster" movies, which I've been excited to get back to for awhile.
6. Tree of Life - This is also not spectacular, hyped up, VFX typical summer movie fare, but for the auteur followers out there: you know Terrence Malick only makes a movie like once a decade. His last effort, was The New World, a three hour poem with moving pictures, and his track record proves that as his style. His latest, stars Sean Penn and Brad Pitt, and won't be at all dissapointing cinematography wise. Just be ready for a slow, pensieve story...but no less emotional.
5. Cowboys and Aliens - Director Jon Favreau's first film off his Iron Man adaptation looks to be a neat blend of classic western and sci-fi. If he keeps the same touch as before, even the potentially silly segments won't be too overblown or drawn out. Iron Man kept itself well rooted in reality and I think fans are hoping he does the same here. It stars Harrison Ford, in a rare non-Indiana Jones adventure role, as the Sheriff, and Daniel Craig as the mysterious drifter who possess the only power to fight the invading aliens. It looks like everything Will Smith's Wild Wild West wanted to be.
4. The Hangover: Part II - The wolfpack is back! It's the sequel to the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time! This time the wedding is in Thailand, and try as they will to keep everything low key, things go horribly wrong. Expectations are high for this one, possibly the highest of all films this summer, and it's being dropped right at Memorial Day weekend so it will safely make bank. But if it doesnt' stack up, the box office will drop off quickly. What was fun about the first one was the way it came out of nowhere. With that gone, the sequel will have to pack twice the laughs.
3. Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides - Come on, give it a chance. The franchise has switched directors, giving duties to Rob Marshall of Chicago. Other cast members ala Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley has opted not to return. It will either turn out to be a fresh new start for the Pirates films, or the death rattle. My prediction is favorable since fans voiced unhappiness with the last two sequels, and judging from the trailers they listened. It's simple: forget the sweeping scope and visuals, and put the main focus back on Jack Sparrow
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Yet again, the last one was God awful, I think Michael Bay even issued a formal apology. However, like above, he's promised a more focused story, and gone back to the basics that made the first one such a fun time. If it's true, this could be good solid summer entertainment. They've got an intriguing tie in to the space race of the sixties, sort of one of those, "the public has never known what happened on the moon" sort of thing. Note the absence of the whiny Megahn Fox from the trailers...that's what you get when you call Michael Bay, Hitler.
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II - One: it's the continuation of the first movie, which featured solid performances from the child actors, just the right amount of special effects, a story more devoted to the books, and a wildly addicting premise. Two: it's in 3D and Three: Oh yeah, it's the finale of the most successfull book series in HISTORY!!! It's been a long run since 2001 when the first one came out. I think Warner Bros. will weep terribly when this money machine is finally out of gas.
Some things to avoid:
Green Lantern - It's the summer for the comic book, but not this one. Although DC comics is desperately buying back the rights to all their stories in order to catch up to Marvel, Green Lantern doesn't bode well. Saturated in unbelievable CGI, a ridiculously child like story, terrible dialouge, this movie just looks plain silly. Down and out. If you wanna support DC, hold your cash for Batman next summer.
Cars 2 - Lovable Pixar has to have a down year, and it is alas upon us. Why they chose this one, their least successful, for a sequel is a real headscratcher. Nevertheless, moms will take their kids to see it and it will make a considerable amount of money, but you stand warned.. Paul Newman is dead, so there goes that, and Larry the Cable Guy isn't as popular anymore. From there, Owen Wilson can't carry te movie because he excels more in physical comedy - not animation. Avoid.
Friends with Benefits AND Love, Wedding, Marriage - Every summer needs the formulaic RomCom. If you're impressed by that then go see it. It's not my money. Does it bother you that Friends With Benefits is just No Strings Attached (the one with Natalie Portman) but with different actors. While you're checking your brain at the door, don't think to hard about what the other one mirrors.
X-Men: First Class - I guess since they had such luck with the Avenger build up, Marvel got a little greedy and thought they could squeeze a little more out of the tired X-Men franchise. The trailer looks desperate, un-original and poorly acted. Every good thing must come to an end...just not like this.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: I'd like to go back in time to find the producer at the moment he pitched this and remind him it is not a good idea to make a prequel to a classic piece of sci fi from the 60s. The original was timely, pertinent and beautifully allegorical. It doesn't need a hawdy, noisy un-inspired prequel. And also, James Franco what happened to you?
The End, now go to the movies and enjoy yourself!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Top Ten Best Twist Endings...Ever!
Well, the oscars are over and now we endure the long wait through the romantic comedy laden spring until the big releases of the summer. Speaking of Oscars, however, I for one actually really enjoyed them. Aside from Franco's distant personality, I felt Anne really carried the show (despite most critics), and I loved how they re-introduced the montage at the beggining ala the Billy Crystal days. Finally, they went back to doing oscar clips...thank you!!! It seemed like the Academy went back to the formula that worked for so many years, and it came off, yet it's a shame others didn't feel the same way. The winners were of course predictable. The category that was hard to call went to Melissa Leo and I think we all remembered what happened after that. My only nit pick was that I really would have liked to see Fincher win director, since he will most likely make fewer oscar friendly movies in the future and he's just as visionary as most other directors out there. Anyway, onto the next thing...
This is a post I've wanted to do for a long time. My favortie show is The Twilight Zone (59 - 64, not the reboots) and for a long time my favorite director was M. Night Shamylan, so as you can tell, having a taste for the good twist ending has always been my thing. During my hunt for movies with great twists, I also saw a ton of bad ones, so I've come to develop a mode for what makes a twist ending work, and what makes it a cop out, as well as a list of my top ten picks for best twists endings ever.
First: "re-watchability". If you turn off the movie and go, "Well, it was all a dream...that was stupid!" You are most likely not going to watch or even recommend it, for sake of feeling cheated, frustrated and annoyed. So a good twist will hold to the test of time, and offer valuable insight into the surprising conclusion upon each re-watch. Most movies like this will feature plot points that guide your thinking in one direction...that is, to fool you, and the second time around you realize those same plot points actually make sense with the twist as well! You should even almost become excited as you proclaim, "that makes so much sense, why didn't I notice this before!"
Secondly: "believability", the ending must fit within the reality of the story. In film schools this is sometimes referred to as "versimilitude". Each story...er, "good story" will always feature a certain set of rules or logic that help the viewer build and understand the world the story is taking place in. If the ending violates those rules - game over. How would you all feel if at the end of the The Matrix they were like, "just kidding, they're not in a computer program after all!" There's no need to say it, you would be pissed beyond belief. What a cop out right? Yet, throughout most of the movie you believed the characters could actually leap over buildings and dodge bullets, because you understood the world the movie created. "Verisimilitude."
Lastly: "Pschiatry". This is a criteria because it is the number one pit fall for twist endings. The minute the movie delves into psychiatry then let the guesses begin! "He's got schizophrenia, he's got multiple personalities!" Whatever you guess, you're probably right. I think what audiences hate most about these endings is that they're easy to pull off. Also, they nearly always lead to disappointment due to their lack of creativity. No one likes the murder mystery to be solved when the lead detective turns out to have an evil alter ego. And no audience will ever talk about a drama where most of the conflict was hallucinated inside our protagonist's tortured mind. (Psycho is the only exception here because Hitchcock was the first to do it, and therefore, it wasn't a cliche at the time.)
Now that you know the criteria, here comes the list (spoiler alert!!!!! Yet if you haven't seen these movies, I don't know what to tell you.):
10. The Village
The set-up: An eighteenth century village, in rural PA, lives in isolation from the outside world, due to the surrounding woods inhabited by monsters eager to kill any trespasser.
The Twist: It's present day!!! The monsters are the village elders dressed in costume to keep the townsmen from venturing off and discovering society - which they believe to be cruel and immoral.
9. Primal Fear
The set-up: A meek, innocent kid, played by Edward Norton, is falsely accused of brutally murdering his priest mentor.
The twist: After finding out that it was Norton's alter ego (ala Multiple Personality Disorder) that committed the murder, we find out that Norton was actually faking the illness in order to be proven "not guilty."
8. The Sting
The set-up: Out for revenge against the racketeer who had their friend murdered, con-duo, played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, set out to perform the ultimate high stakes con game. Redford ultimately betrays Newman after the FBI encourages him to play both sides.
The twist: It was all part of the game! Including, the betrayal, the FBI involvement, and even the faked death of Redford...all part of the plan.
7. Unbreakable
The set-up: After being the sole survivor of a horrific train accident, Bruce Willis realizes he's never been sick or hurt. Because of his new reputation, he's tracked down by Samuel L. Jackson who convinces him to become a real life super-hero.
The twist: Samuel L. Jackson is a sociopath who's been committing mass murder until he found someone who is "unbreakable."
6. Memento
The set-up: A man, played by Guy Pearce, with severe short term memory loss, who only remembers things by tattooing them to his body, hunts for the man who killed his wife.
The twist: Pearce accidentally killed his wife by forgetting how many insulin injections he had given her, and has been tattooing false clues all over his body in order to never remember his horrible deed. (There's a little more to it than that, but it would take a whole other post to explain it.)
5. The Soylent Green
The set-up: In a dystopian future, Charlton Heston is a factory worker on the production line of the last available source of food - Soylent Green.
The twist: It's made from people!!!
4. Psycho
The set-up: Norman Bates, the timid, awkward, stuttering motel keeper, only does the will of his mysterious mother who seems to be killing off the guests.
The twist: Some consider the first twist the death of the star only halfway through the film (Janet Leigh in the famous shower scene), but the classic is when we find out that Bate's mother is actually dead, and she has now become his evil alter ego.
3. Planet of the Apes
The set-up: After a deep space exploration at warp speed, four astronauts crash land on an alien planet where apes are the dominant species and humans the slaves.
The twist: It was Earth all along!!! Instead of traveling into space, they merely went forward into time, to an era where evolutino seemed to have reversed. Whoa! This is probably one of the most haunting twists, with no soundtrack, little dialouge - just the image of the broken statue of liberty strewn across the beach. (Written by no one else, but Rod Serling.)
2. The Usual Suspects
The set-up: Kevin Spacey is being questioned by the police chief in his office regarding a violent murder/conspiracy that took place in a shipyard a few nights prior. He reveals the mastermind as being a man named Kaiser Soze, and proceeds to tell a long, intricate and action packed story about how it all went down.
The twist: He was making up every word of it! Every single scene in the movie, save the initial crime, was fabricated by Spacey, as he glanced around the office pulling names of off random inanimate objects. Spacey is Soze, and he made up a story to get himself out of trouble.
1. The Sixth Sense (I know, I know)
The set-up: You know what it's about.
The twist: You know what happens. It's awesome...
This is a post I've wanted to do for a long time. My favortie show is The Twilight Zone (59 - 64, not the reboots) and for a long time my favorite director was M. Night Shamylan, so as you can tell, having a taste for the good twist ending has always been my thing. During my hunt for movies with great twists, I also saw a ton of bad ones, so I've come to develop a mode for what makes a twist ending work, and what makes it a cop out, as well as a list of my top ten picks for best twists endings ever.
First: "re-watchability". If you turn off the movie and go, "Well, it was all a dream...that was stupid!" You are most likely not going to watch or even recommend it, for sake of feeling cheated, frustrated and annoyed. So a good twist will hold to the test of time, and offer valuable insight into the surprising conclusion upon each re-watch. Most movies like this will feature plot points that guide your thinking in one direction...that is, to fool you, and the second time around you realize those same plot points actually make sense with the twist as well! You should even almost become excited as you proclaim, "that makes so much sense, why didn't I notice this before!"
Secondly: "believability", the ending must fit within the reality of the story. In film schools this is sometimes referred to as "versimilitude". Each story...er, "good story" will always feature a certain set of rules or logic that help the viewer build and understand the world the story is taking place in. If the ending violates those rules - game over. How would you all feel if at the end of the The Matrix they were like, "just kidding, they're not in a computer program after all!" There's no need to say it, you would be pissed beyond belief. What a cop out right? Yet, throughout most of the movie you believed the characters could actually leap over buildings and dodge bullets, because you understood the world the movie created. "Verisimilitude."
Lastly: "Pschiatry". This is a criteria because it is the number one pit fall for twist endings. The minute the movie delves into psychiatry then let the guesses begin! "He's got schizophrenia, he's got multiple personalities!" Whatever you guess, you're probably right. I think what audiences hate most about these endings is that they're easy to pull off. Also, they nearly always lead to disappointment due to their lack of creativity. No one likes the murder mystery to be solved when the lead detective turns out to have an evil alter ego. And no audience will ever talk about a drama where most of the conflict was hallucinated inside our protagonist's tortured mind. (Psycho is the only exception here because Hitchcock was the first to do it, and therefore, it wasn't a cliche at the time.)
Now that you know the criteria, here comes the list (spoiler alert!!!!! Yet if you haven't seen these movies, I don't know what to tell you.):
10. The Village
The set-up: An eighteenth century village, in rural PA, lives in isolation from the outside world, due to the surrounding woods inhabited by monsters eager to kill any trespasser.
The Twist: It's present day!!! The monsters are the village elders dressed in costume to keep the townsmen from venturing off and discovering society - which they believe to be cruel and immoral.
9. Primal Fear
The set-up: A meek, innocent kid, played by Edward Norton, is falsely accused of brutally murdering his priest mentor.
The twist: After finding out that it was Norton's alter ego (ala Multiple Personality Disorder) that committed the murder, we find out that Norton was actually faking the illness in order to be proven "not guilty."
8. The Sting
The set-up: Out for revenge against the racketeer who had their friend murdered, con-duo, played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, set out to perform the ultimate high stakes con game. Redford ultimately betrays Newman after the FBI encourages him to play both sides.
The twist: It was all part of the game! Including, the betrayal, the FBI involvement, and even the faked death of Redford...all part of the plan.
7. Unbreakable
The set-up: After being the sole survivor of a horrific train accident, Bruce Willis realizes he's never been sick or hurt. Because of his new reputation, he's tracked down by Samuel L. Jackson who convinces him to become a real life super-hero.
The twist: Samuel L. Jackson is a sociopath who's been committing mass murder until he found someone who is "unbreakable."
6. Memento
The set-up: A man, played by Guy Pearce, with severe short term memory loss, who only remembers things by tattooing them to his body, hunts for the man who killed his wife.
The twist: Pearce accidentally killed his wife by forgetting how many insulin injections he had given her, and has been tattooing false clues all over his body in order to never remember his horrible deed. (There's a little more to it than that, but it would take a whole other post to explain it.)
5. The Soylent Green
The set-up: In a dystopian future, Charlton Heston is a factory worker on the production line of the last available source of food - Soylent Green.
The twist: It's made from people!!!
4. Psycho
The set-up: Norman Bates, the timid, awkward, stuttering motel keeper, only does the will of his mysterious mother who seems to be killing off the guests.
The twist: Some consider the first twist the death of the star only halfway through the film (Janet Leigh in the famous shower scene), but the classic is when we find out that Bate's mother is actually dead, and she has now become his evil alter ego.
3. Planet of the Apes
The set-up: After a deep space exploration at warp speed, four astronauts crash land on an alien planet where apes are the dominant species and humans the slaves.
The twist: It was Earth all along!!! Instead of traveling into space, they merely went forward into time, to an era where evolutino seemed to have reversed. Whoa! This is probably one of the most haunting twists, with no soundtrack, little dialouge - just the image of the broken statue of liberty strewn across the beach. (Written by no one else, but Rod Serling.)
2. The Usual Suspects
The set-up: Kevin Spacey is being questioned by the police chief in his office regarding a violent murder/conspiracy that took place in a shipyard a few nights prior. He reveals the mastermind as being a man named Kaiser Soze, and proceeds to tell a long, intricate and action packed story about how it all went down.
The twist: He was making up every word of it! Every single scene in the movie, save the initial crime, was fabricated by Spacey, as he glanced around the office pulling names of off random inanimate objects. Spacey is Soze, and he made up a story to get himself out of trouble.
1. The Sixth Sense (I know, I know)
The set-up: You know what it's about.
The twist: You know what happens. It's awesome...
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Academy Awards Updates...and Andrew's pick for Best of the Year!
I know I've been a little AWOL from here for the last six months or so, and for those of you who have continually clicked over from "A Pear to Remember," I appreciate you're unwavering support. However, my time of the year has arrived, and if I didn't at least try to keep this thing going, then I figured it was time to call it quits. So here it goes...
Best Picture: Just like last year between Avatar and Hurt Locker, we have another tight race between two highly acclaimed films. The historical drama, and also quite humerous, The King's Speech, as well as The Social Network. A month ago, it looked as if the Facebook movie was going to bring home the naked gold man, but tides have shifted. With King's Speech still picking up speed in some of the recent guilds, and Social Network losing some buzz, King George's stammering legacy could be movie that goes all the way. Still though, this one will be a coin toss, so let the excitement begin!
Best Director: David Fincher has swept nearly every award and guild leading up to the big night so it's impossible to see why he would be passed over by Oscar. Judging from his career thus far, he doesn't always make academy friendly material, so this will be their chance to reward him. Yet, he was passed over for Benjamin Button, but somehow I think they knew he could do better...and he did. The only possible spoiler could be Tom Hooper for King's Speech, and that's only if things really reach fever pitch with that film.
Best Actor: Colin Firth. He practically un-learned how to speak. His work is heartbreaking, comic, intimate. Also, he's a veteran, so there's no reason why this won't happen. If there is an upset, Colin should storm the stage. Any other year, this would have been Franco's oscar...just saying.
Best Actress: Another good race that is up in the air. Ever since the Golden Globes, Natalie Portman has spoiled Annette Benning's "lock" status. Although Natalie's performance was much more emotional and involved in the story, Anette still holds that veteran status that Oscar loves to reward. Much like many other recipients in the category, ala Kate Winslet in The Reader, it's sometimes not the performance but just because their due. It could go either way at this point. A spoiler to both would be if Natalie and Anette split their votes, and Helena Bonham Carter takes the trophy. This is also what I meant by "fever pitch" above. If Helena wins its an omen that Fincher is doomed, because the academy has gone King Speech crazy - it could happen. I personally do not want to see Bellatrix Lestrange win an Oscar.
Supporting Actor: This one is a definite lock. There is no reason why Christian Bale won't be awarded for his transformative performance in The Fighter. For those who have seen the film - enough said.
Supporting Actress: Another good coin toss between Melissa Leo, our hatable, control freak from The Fighter, and Hailee Steinfeld, the lovable protagonist from True Grit (who seriously showed some acting chops.) Why she is here and not in the actress category is a real head scratcher, but I suppose they knew she couldn't win against Natalie or Anette...which leads me to believe she might win for this. Only thing against Hailee is her age. If she's this good, there will be more opportunities to award her.
Original Screenplay: This is where Inception will finally get its due. Nolan was snubbed from the Director category in the thinking that it was more the writing and the effects that made the movie - not necessarily the directing. However, watch out for David Sedler's script for The King's Speech. Remember - fever pitch.
Adapted Screenplay: This is Aaron Sorkin's to lose. His writing was nothing short of brilliant: all the word play, the humork, the pace, storytelling...perfect.
Cinematography: A close race between Inception and True Grit. The Coen's last film shot out west was No Country for Old Men and that was seen as a lock, but it was snubbed. This time the only thing standing in the way is the truly inventive stuff seen in Inception. We shall see.
So, here are my picks for top ten of the year...argue if you wish!
1) The Social Network
2) 127 Hours
3) The King's Speech
4) The Fighter
6) Toy Story 3
7) Black Swan
8) The Town
9) True Grit
10) Inception
Best Picture: Just like last year between Avatar and Hurt Locker, we have another tight race between two highly acclaimed films. The historical drama, and also quite humerous, The King's Speech, as well as The Social Network. A month ago, it looked as if the Facebook movie was going to bring home the naked gold man, but tides have shifted. With King's Speech still picking up speed in some of the recent guilds, and Social Network losing some buzz, King George's stammering legacy could be movie that goes all the way. Still though, this one will be a coin toss, so let the excitement begin!
Best Director: David Fincher has swept nearly every award and guild leading up to the big night so it's impossible to see why he would be passed over by Oscar. Judging from his career thus far, he doesn't always make academy friendly material, so this will be their chance to reward him. Yet, he was passed over for Benjamin Button, but somehow I think they knew he could do better...and he did. The only possible spoiler could be Tom Hooper for King's Speech, and that's only if things really reach fever pitch with that film.
Best Actor: Colin Firth. He practically un-learned how to speak. His work is heartbreaking, comic, intimate. Also, he's a veteran, so there's no reason why this won't happen. If there is an upset, Colin should storm the stage. Any other year, this would have been Franco's oscar...just saying.
Best Actress: Another good race that is up in the air. Ever since the Golden Globes, Natalie Portman has spoiled Annette Benning's "lock" status. Although Natalie's performance was much more emotional and involved in the story, Anette still holds that veteran status that Oscar loves to reward. Much like many other recipients in the category, ala Kate Winslet in The Reader, it's sometimes not the performance but just because their due. It could go either way at this point. A spoiler to both would be if Natalie and Anette split their votes, and Helena Bonham Carter takes the trophy. This is also what I meant by "fever pitch" above. If Helena wins its an omen that Fincher is doomed, because the academy has gone King Speech crazy - it could happen. I personally do not want to see Bellatrix Lestrange win an Oscar.
Supporting Actor: This one is a definite lock. There is no reason why Christian Bale won't be awarded for his transformative performance in The Fighter. For those who have seen the film - enough said.
Supporting Actress: Another good coin toss between Melissa Leo, our hatable, control freak from The Fighter, and Hailee Steinfeld, the lovable protagonist from True Grit (who seriously showed some acting chops.) Why she is here and not in the actress category is a real head scratcher, but I suppose they knew she couldn't win against Natalie or Anette...which leads me to believe she might win for this. Only thing against Hailee is her age. If she's this good, there will be more opportunities to award her.
Original Screenplay: This is where Inception will finally get its due. Nolan was snubbed from the Director category in the thinking that it was more the writing and the effects that made the movie - not necessarily the directing. However, watch out for David Sedler's script for The King's Speech. Remember - fever pitch.
Adapted Screenplay: This is Aaron Sorkin's to lose. His writing was nothing short of brilliant: all the word play, the humork, the pace, storytelling...perfect.
Cinematography: A close race between Inception and True Grit. The Coen's last film shot out west was No Country for Old Men and that was seen as a lock, but it was snubbed. This time the only thing standing in the way is the truly inventive stuff seen in Inception. We shall see.
So, here are my picks for top ten of the year...argue if you wish!
1) The Social Network
2) 127 Hours
3) The King's Speech
4) The Fighter
6) Toy Story 3
7) Black Swan
8) The Town
9) True Grit
10) Inception
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