My Movie Year is a blogathon hosted by Fandango Groovers Movie Blog. In it, we have to select a year which we think is the best movie year and give instances of 5 films to validate that claim. I thought I would be unable to take part in it on account of all the travelling, but I may just have made it in time albeit a bit late.
Now there are many years like 1939, 1976, 1994, 2007 etc. that are known for great movies. But I've decided to go with something very much recent because this was the year that I feel I fully immersed myself in movies and awards and everything. I think every film-lover goes through this and that first year always remains a favourite for them.
My year is 2010. Reasons-
The Social Network (Dir: David Fincher)
Inception (Dir: Christopher Nolan)
Black Swan (Dir: Darren Aronofsky)
Scott Pilgrim vs the World (Dir: Edgar Wright)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1 (Dir: David Yates)
Last year, and I think everybody will agree with me, Darren Aronfsky's Black Swan had the most beautiful posters, and of it were a competition, it would've emerged as the obvious winner.
Case in point-
Perfect.
I will now attempt to review some of the posters from 2011 (I might have forgotten a few :P)-
Despite the vigorous poster campaign from the Harry Potter group, none of the 500 million posters were actually that brilliant.
Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris was the most enchanting film of the year, and it cleverly uses what might be my most favourite painting ever, Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night, as part of its poster.
I think Ryan Gosling films had pretty good posters, especially with all that hot pink in Drive, and one truly ingenious The Ides of March poster.
Kirsten Dunst looked absolutely beautiful in the stunning albeit extremely depressing, Melancholia. The same goes for the poster.
I just searched for this film, and a lot of "Young Adult" book reviews came up. So witty.
Steve McQueen's follow-up to Hunger has an equally minimalistic poster, which I think truthfully captures the essence of the film, and keeps you wanting more. Also, I love the naughty French poster.
Roman Polanski's multi-starrer had an awesome colourful poster.
Another gem was the poster of Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy. The film is set in the Cold War times of codes and deceit, and that's exactly what we get.
Steven Spielberg brought to screen a most iconic character this year, and the posters just go to sow how even the shadow of Tintin immediately resonates with us.
The original poster to Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In was a beaut. Too bad it got changed.
The most eye-grabbing poster of this year was the teaser poster for David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. *Love* Fincher's guts so much!
Martha Marcy May Marlene had some very alluring posters too, and I think is thus far closest to Black Swan status. See especially the moving one.
But finally, the most gorgeous and dazzling poster of them all, which I think single-handedly beats Black Swan and almost every other poster that I have ever seen, is the one and only *cue drum roll* The Tree of Life, from master filmmaker Terrence Malick. You just cannot look away from it.
So I just had an epiphany of Scott Pilgrim-esque proportions. Okay not so much of an epiphany, but just a random realisation. Michael Caine has played both Alfie and Alfred. Cool...right?? Has anyone else noticed it before?
Reminds me of the time when I realised that Robert Downey Jr. says "I am Ironman" at the end of Ironman because that's how the Black Sabbath Ironman started, a few weeks before Ironman 2 released, and then everybody was like "Um...DUH." Yeah, that was bad.
Also when I was all excited to tell people that I've decided to call my personal style (once upon a time...now I just wear my pjs) 'Boho Chic' only to be told that that's already a style and I should read magazines and look at people like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen once in a while. Yeah...that was bad too.
The funniest Black Swan-related humour I have seen yet. Why couldn't they do that in the Oscars, instead of making the most boring shit ever?
One thing that the great films of 2010 all have in common is that they justified the highly cliched saying "All's well that ends well". More than well; in fact the endings were brilliant. I have talked about how I love a film /book with good endings and that many a time the last line is all that separates from good to brilliant. So these are my favourite endings and also SPOILER ALERT!!
Honourary Mentions- The King's Speech (Damn It- read note below) with Geoffrey Rush's face being the last shot, Never Let Me Go which is just so sad and beautiful, and Scott Pilgrim vs The World- classic example on how the ending somewhat ruins the film (except it's too epic to be possibly ruined).
Best Endings of 2010-
Those which can best be described by the following quote from the lovely Lewis Caroll- "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop."
127 Hours- the last shot of James Franco's divine face as he looks on at the real Aron Ralston and his family, and the moral of the story of course "Never leave home without a note about where you are going" and we are made intensely happy at the thought that this man, with such an extreme tenacity for life, has not let his handicap come in the way of doing what he loves. It's the most uplifting ending of the year.
I Love You Phillip Morris- The clouds, Jim Carrey's contentful smile and Ewan McGregor's loving look, and ofcourse the undying spirit of the conman and escape artist that is Steven Russel as he tries to breakout of prison yet again- all this comes together as the happiest ending because you know how Steven will never give up till he is with Phillip again.
Toy Story 3- This was there in my favourite scenes list. The title of this post is totally apt for the ending of one of the best cinematic trilogies ever made. Our heart weeps (along with our eyes but you know what I mean) when two of the closest friends in the world- Andy and Woody bid farewell, but at the same time we know that there could possibly be no better ending. Those geniuses in Pixar really now how to surprise the public in the most wonderful and touching way, and Toy Story 3 is yet another proof of that.
And now those which totally express this quote by the uber-talented Bernardo Bertolucci- "I left the ending ambiguous, because that is the way life is." The Social Network- It is the ending that everyone is talking about, because in reality the story is far from over. The last scene of the film shows the amazing Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Facebook founder Mar Zuckerberg, refreshing the Facebook profile of the girl who started it all- Erica Albright and waiting for her to add him back. It shows us that the cocky yet insecure Mark is finally going to stop "pretending to be an asshole" and will "refresh" his life also, and he does so exactly as explained through the info being shown simultaneously. And accept it- we love it.
Black Swan- "I was perfect." Sure Nina, played by the exquisite Natalie Portman, was but the ending is deadly confusing. I actually do not think she died at all because if one watches properly (as I just did again), the mirror piece must have gone into her stomach atleast two dance sequences before and there is no way in hell she could have "controlled" it. Yet many do think Nina died, while if you are like me, you think it was only the death of the white swan in her, who as Thomas played by sex-god Vincent Cassel had foreshadowed early on- "...in death finds freedom."
Inception- This is a whole psychological battle and that total fucking Einstein of a man- Christopher Nolan, has his lips sealed. Limbo or Reality? Cobb's dream or Mal's? And most important ofcourse- did the top stop spinning??????? I, for one, thinks it didn't and that it is Mal's dream, played by the deadly gorgeous Marion Cottilard, and Cobb, the fantastic Leo Di Caprio character, is the one stuck in limbo...and the children are only figments of his subconscious. This ending will be discussed for ages, and believe me many many many will fight over it.
So keeping up with the theme, I will NOT end by asing what were your favourite endings?
Oh the NOTE- I liked The King's Speech(Screw You!) but not anymore due to the absolutely uncalled-for attention it is receiving. A film like this releases every year and a year like this, when so many groundbreaking films released, something as generic as The King's Speech(Burn in Hell) barely deserves anything. The only saving grace of the film is it's cast though, but being the faithful biased person I am, that appreciation will slowly fade away. So from now on, to show my complete loathing of the film, I will add a little obscene term in front of it.
While the Oscar nominations have, as usual, pissed me off this year due to snubbings of Andrew Garfield, Ryan Gosling, Barbara Hershey, costume and make-up for Black Swan etc, I found the most adorable thing today on the Best Picture Nominations- Lego versions of all of them!! 'Tis what I think:
True Grit (fun, but not that deserving- definitely not Best Actor material for Jeff Bridges)
Black Swan (deserving but perhaps a bit too ambiguous)
The King's Speech (If this wins...death)
The Social Network (most deserving)
127 Hours (really brilliant, but buzz-less)
The Fighter (good, but not the best)
The Kids Are All Right (same as above)
The Winter's Bone (strong leading performance but seriously boring as hell, and can only win if AMPAs decide to go uber small-scale)
Toy Story 3 (love! won't win though)
Inception (brilliance...if only AMPAs would go super cool and give this the statuette instead of a generic period drama)
127 Hours win the Lego Oscars definitely!!
Sorta looking deadly forward to and totally dreading Feb 27th (Feb 28th here), aka, THE OSCAR CEREMONY CUM BOARD EXAMS DAY!! Fingers crossed again!!!
Oscar Nominations Day Today!!!
So these are my wishlists-cum-predictions. They are only for the Big 5, or well Big 6 as there are two types of Screenplays PLUS the Supporting Categories. The others I know my selected winners and I am not familiar with everyone's work, so all that will be decided and posted after the nominations, before the awards. Duh.
Best Picture
Mine: 1) The Social Network
2) Black Swan
3) Inception
4) Toy Story 3
5) I Am Love
6) The King’s Speech
7) True Grit
8) Blue Valentine
9) The Fighter
10) The Ghost Writer
Theirs: Inception and Toy Story are shaky and The Ghost Writer would be a surprise. Instead, they would probably choose films like Rabbit Hole, Animal Kingdom and Winter’s Bone.
Winner- If statistics and worth mean anything, it should go to The Social Network, but AMPAs may do a Crash on it and Black Swan or The King’s Speech may win.
Best Director
Mine: 1) David Fincher for The Social Network
2) Darren Aronfsky for Black Swan
3) Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech
4) The Coen Brothers for True Grit
5) Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
Theirs: I doubt Polanski’s position. It will probably be David O’ Russel for The Fighter or Lisa Cholodenko for The Kids Are All Right.
Winner- This has to be Fincher’s year. For all that he has done for me. Aronofsky has his eye on the gold though.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Mine: 1) Colin Firth in The King’s Speech
2) James Franco in 127 Hours
3) Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
4) Christian Bale in The Fighter
5) Jim Carrey in I Love You Phillip Morris
Theirs: They are going to replace Jim Carrey with Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine and put Mark Wahlberg in place of Bale, who was a co-lead, but jury members are stupid like that. Eisenberg may also be replaced by Jeff Bridges for True Grit, though that again was a supporting role at the most.
Winner: King Colin has this in the bag essentially. I would still love a surprise win from Eisenberg or Franco.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Mine: 1) Natalie Portman for Black Swan
2) Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right
3) Tilda Swinton for I Am Love
4) Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone
5) Emma Stone for Easy A
Theirs: Tilda and Emma are not certain, especially Emma because of the “low Oscar appeal” of the film. They will put Julianne Moore for The Kids Are All Right, Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole, Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine and maybe even Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit (as she was the lead).
Winner- This is clearly a new versus old, drama versus comedy, goddess versus angel category. That means it will be either Bening or Portman, though I think Portman will bag the Oscar,
Best Original Screenplay
Mine: 1) Christopher Nolan for Inception
2) Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin for Black Swan
3) Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich for Toy Story 3
4) Sofia Coppola for Somewhere
5) Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg for The Kids Are All Right
Theirs: I don’t know who they’ll replace, but Blue Valentine and Animal Kingdom are strong contenders. Sofia Coppola will be replaced by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson for The Fighter
Winner: I really think it should go to Inception, but Black Swan or The Kids Are All Right may be a surprise.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Mine: 1) Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
2) Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy for 127 Hours
3) Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini for The Winter’s Bone
4) Roman Polanski and Robert Harris for The Ghost Writer
5) Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall for Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Theirs: The last two are highly doubtful to get any love from the AMPAs and the 127 Hours team is on shaky grounds too. The Coen Brothers will probably be nominated for True Grit along with David Lindsay-Abaire for Rabbit Hole.
Winner: Aaron Sorkin has to win for what he did with Accidental Billionaires and how he turned it into the absolutely wonderful Social Network.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Mine: 1) Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech
2) Jeremy Renner in The Town
3) Andrew Garfield in The Social Netwok
4) Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right
5) Jeff Bridges in True Grit
Theirs: AMPAs will probably put Christian Bale here. Also Pierce Brosnan from The Ghost Writer would be a good surprise. Andrew G. and Mark Ruffalo have a relatively shaky position.
Winner: In my list- Geoffrey Rush, though Andrew G. winning would be a spectacular thing to watch. A list with Bale will have Bale taking the Oscar home in his Bat Mobile.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
Mine: 1) Barbara Hershey for Black Swan
2) Amy Adams for The Fighter
3) Melissa Leo for The Fighter
4) Olivia Williams for The Ghost Writer
5) Elle Fanning for Somewhere
Theirs: Mila Kunis can come for Black Swan and they’ll probably put Hailee Steinfeld here along with Helena Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech. Imagine if Rooney Mara for Social Network lands here.
Winner: I thought that Barbara Hershey was a much more unforgettable and dysfunctional mother than Melissa Leo this year. I hope the AMPAs do too.
Let's see how it goes. And fingers crossed o'course.
So...I finally watched all the "Oscar-worthy" films of 2010. Well, as many as possible. No more 2010 films for now. Just general ones, of any year. This is a final compilation of all possible lists regarding 2010 films
A. Best Films So I had already made an incomplete list of top ten 2010 films here. Now I could make a top ten list again, but instead I'll include films and their ranks till whichever place the previous number 10 spot had been. It adds up to an even top 20. Ain't I just awesome? The New List (those in the previous list don't have a description):
1) The Social Network
2) 127 Hours- Oh My Lord! Why did Danny Boyle not make this two years back and win the Oscar for this instead of the over-hyped Slumdog Millionaire?? This film was incredible! James Franco, in his one man show, between a rock and a very hard place, and the gorgeous editting and edge-of-the-seat feel- this film is certainly one of the best this year. It's rather unfortunate it fell out of everyone's award radar, but not mine. My brain totally fuzzled in a certain would-have-been-gross-of-not-superbly-yet-chillingly-filmed-gem-of-a-scene. You know what I'm talking about *wink*.
3) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
4) Inception
5) Black Swan- Yes, an upgrade (technically not). Not because I love the now number 6 less, but after a reviewing, I love and respect Black Swan more. For Millepeid baby!
6) Easy A
7) Toy Story 3
8) Never Let Me Go
9) The King's Speech- The very first public speech in the film, when Colin Firth as King George VI or Bertie struggles to take words out of his mouth, and the echoes...oh my heart melted. Mr. Firth is a very well-spoken Englishman, but when he transformed himself into this reluctant stammering king, an unparalleled performance of a lifetime along with cinematic magic took place. Beautiful film, and great supporting performances from both "geisha girl" Geoffrey Rush and "exquisite and no-nonsense queen" Helena Bonham Carter.
10) I Love You Phillip Morris- Why does noone care about this incredibly hilarious and heart-warming film? Probably the two most underrated and under-appreciated leading men in Hollywood- Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor star in this sweet, fantastical romantic comedy that really happened. It really did.
11) I Am Love- Tilda the Goddes! She's incredible and this film, so beautifully shot mostly in sunny and snowy Italy, in quite lovely too. A simple and complicated story of a high-class Italian family and their little secrets and lives, I Am Love is the only foreign-language film I saw of last year and it mesmerised me completely.
12) Somewhere- Oh so beautiful...one of the biggest tragedies of my life is that I'm not a character in a Sofia Coppola film. I love the way everyone looks in her films, especially her women. And in this film, it was the stunning Elle Fanning. She plays the daughter of the eternally bored and widely loved actor Stephen Dorff, who's existence is confined within his weird-ass room in the very shady Chateau Marmont. Sounds boring? Believe you me, it's not, because thw way it is shot and feels and how unknowingly we feel for both the father and daughter is what the Sofia Coppola touch is all about.
13) Scott Pilgrim vs The World
14) The Town- I hate Ben Affleck. But still I could not deny the energy and the smoothness of this film. It was a great crime film, and the performance by Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm make it very interesting to see.
15)The Ghost Writer
16) True Grit- I'm not one for westerns, having had seen only 3 in my whole life. But this film was something else. Maybe it was because it was written and made by the Coen Brothers. Maybe because it starred the Dude. Maybe because it has a character called La Beouf played by the always brilliant Matt Damon. Maybe it was because it marks the beginning of the gorgeous and superb Haille Steinfeld. I don't know, but I sure did enjoy it.
17) Blue Valentine- Fact of life: Ryan Gosling with a balding scalp can make me earthquake as much as Ryan Gosling without a balding scalp can. Now that that's established, I have to say what a great actor, and what an intense performance. Also that the almost equally accomplished Michelle Williams was able to stand up to him. A bittersweet film if there ever was one.
18) The Fighter- Finally Christian Bale'sm mazing body transformations caught attention of critics, along with nutritionalists. It's unfortunate that he's receviving acclaim as the supporting actor, as he is clearly a co-lead. Mark Wahlberg too, has completed his transformation from Marky Mark to one of the most dedicated actors in Hollywood. Add to that actual and equally brilliant supporting roles from Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, The Fighter adds up to a highly enjoyable and touching sports film.
19) The Kids Are All Right- It stars two of my favourite middle-aged actresses who can always light-up the screen with their faces and performances. I love Annette "The Goddess" Bening and Julianne "The Darling" Moore! And such a sweet film. Mark Ruffalo was too cool. A very enjoyable dramedy, though a bit too loved by the crtics.
20) Kick Ass
B. My Favourite Performances of 2010:
1) Colin Firth as King George VI- the stuttering, the pain, the anger, the warmth. Also the build-up from last year's equally amazing A Single Man. Beautiful performance from Mr. Firth, who I like just the way he is- a king.
2) Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers- The way she controls herself and the way she loses the control- so shocking and poignant and scary. The effort that she put in, both to become a pro ballerina and give just the most incredible performance, is groundbreaking.
3) James Franco as Aron Ralston- To carry a whole film alone, confined in a small scary place, and blowing the audience's mind, that's just a bit of the work Mr. Franco did in 127 Hours. And we all know, what he did, we can never do.
4) Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg- From the assumed confidence to the apparent self-doubt, from the assholeness to the loneliness, every emotion on Eisenberg's face and voice showed clear as water. A very brilliant performance, but I sure hope it won't be his best as he obviously has a lot to offer.
5) Christian Bale as Dickey Ward- It's scary whenever he loses the weight, but this performance balanced it out. Amazing.
6) Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin and Tommy D- Two beautiful and heart-wrenching performances. I'm so proud of him.
7) Emma Stone as Olive Penderghast- She delivered. Like noone else. The King's Speech had period drama, Black Swan had Aronofsky's twisted vision, The Social Network had Sorkin's witty script. Easy A had Emma Stone. 'Nuff said.
8) Jim Carrey as Steven Russel- He's such a funny man and this might be one of his best performances to date. He knows what is over the top, and he does it so well that it becomes believable. It's such an excellent quality...how does Hollywood not see it?? How???????????
9) Ryan Gosling as Dean Pereira- He's funny, musical, goofy, loving, forgiving and gorgeous. What an actor!
10) Annette Bening as Nic- She's strong and funny and sad, and the moment she breaks out in a Joni Mitchell medley we know what a performance this is. I love her.
11) Elle Fanning as Cleo Marco- She's so beautiful, and in her aloof childlike performance, she wins thousands of hearts.
12) Tilda Swinton as Emma Recchi- The classy and quintessential wife of a rich Italian household, with a dirty secret. The camera loves her, maybe because of her beauty or maybe because even when she does nothing, she's acting.
13) Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly- The big discovery of this year. She's so natural, and my new favourite young actress.
14) Chloe Mortez as Hit Girl/Mindy Macready- Awesome. No other word. And well, kick ass!
15) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger- The prettiest girl in the world, and also one of the strongest. She held all Harry, Ron and the film together.
16) Jeremy Renner as James "Jem" Coughlin- Violent and volitile, his performance fuels the film.
17) Hailee Steinfeld as Mattiie Ross- Not supporting, definitely lead. What a future this young lady has has...gives me chills.Honourable mentions- Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly and everyone in Scott Pilgrim vs The World.
C. My Favourite Scenes of 2010:
1) The Transformation in Black Swan- I forgot the most basic of all living things functions during this scene- how to breathe. And I'm not exaggerating.
2) Deathly Hallows Story in Harry Potter 7- what a pleasant and unforgettable surprise. Fueled by Emma Watson's beautiful voice.
3) The Condescending scene in The Social Network- BAM! Diss! Awesome!
4) The Video scene in 127 Hours- It was funny and tragic at the same time.
5) Pocket Full O' Sunshine in Easy A- I need that damn card!
6) The End of Toy Story 3- Not gonna ruin the surprise for those who haven't seen it, but I really love Woody and Andy.
7) The Betrayal in The Social Network- Eisenberg's face and Andrew's suit and anger.
8) The Beginning of Scott Pilgrim vs The World- Votte way to start a film. The credits don't roll by, they shock and startle.
9) The Hand in 127 Hours- Painfully brilliant.
10) Harry and Hermione Dance in Harry Potter 7- Poignant and beautiful, kills the romantic in me...in a good way.
11) Black Sheep in Scott Pilgrim vs The World- I guess the best singing part in the film, though there are loads to choose from.
12) The Joni Medley in The Kids Are All Right- So random and funny and sweet. I love Annette.
13) The Ice-Skating in Somewhere- Elle Fanning ice-skates to Gewn Stefani’s Cool in a beautiful light blue costume while Stephen Dorff and the audience watches on. With the Sofia Coppola effect ofcourse.
14) You Always Hurt the One You Love scene in Blue Valentine- This scene is magical. Ryan Gosling’s lovely voice accompanied by Michelle Williams’ adorable tap dancing, while they innocently sing out the story of the whole film.
15) The King’s Speech in The King’s Speech- One feels strangely proud watching it.
16) The Scream in Never Let Me Go- Heart-breaking as hell.
All in all, 2010 was in my opinion one of the best years for films. Maybe it's because I've never cared like this, or because I was able to see so many of the films, but still this year gave me and everyone some really memorable films, performances and moments. Ten-twenty years from now, people will still be talking about what happened at the end of Inception and Black Swan, still wondering the truth behind The Social Network and The King's Speech, still being amazed by the true life tales of 127 Hours and I Love You Phillip Morris and of course, still loving Harry Potter 7. It was also a great year for breakthroughs- Andrew G, Emma Stone, Mila Kunis, Elle Fanning, Noomy Rapace, Jennifer Lawrence, Mia Wasikowska, Rooney Mara, Chloe Mortez, Hailee Steinfeld etc.
Oh another year has gone by and I feel as if I've done nothing substantial. Nonetheless, I did watch a few good films. And when I say few, I mean 2010 films. I think I've watched 10 (get the connection? No. Ofcourse). However, being the list-fiend I am, I'm still gonna make a Top-Ten Films of 2010 List!! Enjoy.
NOTE: I haven't seen 127 Hours, The Kids are All Right, Blue Valentine, The King's Speech, Winter's Bone, True Grit, I Am Love etc. And yes, I do know I should jump off a cliff before calling myself a film critic again.
1) The Social Network- What is left to say that I haven't said before? This film just gives me so much joy everytime I see it. Also, I realised today it was the funniest film I've seen this year. Also, Andrew Garfield stole my heart.
2) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1- Never thought a Harry Potter film can surprise me like this. But HP7 just shook me, in a very very good way. Yes, most critics would kill me for alone putting this film on the list, and even more for putting it before the numbers 3 and 5, but the dance scene and the Deathly Hallows scene can stand up to any such animosity.
3) Inception- This is probably the coolest film of the year, or the decade. The whole concept is nothing short of revolutionary and the film might just become the uber-talented Christopher Nolan's magnum opus. Add to that a fantastic cast, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt stealing the show from Leo DiCaprio big time.
4) Easy A- I just love a good chick flick. And this one's pretty much on top this year. Emma Stone's brilliant breakthrough performance with a hilarious support cast and a really smart take on a beloved classic, Easy A is easily one of the year's best.
5) Black Swan- Darren Aronofsky's frightening and beautiful and melodramatic spin on the Swan Lake tale, with the excruciatingly stunning and talented Natalie Portman is a fantastic drama. Ah this film and it's dazzling look and feel, and the shock-factor. Quite perfect.
6) Toy Story 3- I saw this yesterday. I am very sorry for the late viewing, but still this film was just awesome!! I love Woody and Buzz and Andy! It's funny, magical and so touching at the same time. Best Animated Film his year by a mile.
7) Never Let Me Go- *wipes a tear off my face* God I loved this film. It just touched my heart so much. The story, the metaphor, Andrew and Carey. New Year Resolution- read the book.
8) Scott Pilgrim Vs the World- One might find it odd, but Michael Cera is amongst my most favourite leading men. And as the cute, confused, base-playing, ass-kicking Canadian Scott Pilgrim, he's too cool. The whole idea of the film, the way it's been made, the total lack of explanation for Scott's and Ramona's and her seven evil exes' superhuman fighting ability, and the whole comic book feel is so very novel. And I just love Kieran Culkin, and Wallace Wells is friggin' magnificent. Allison Pill, Anna Kendrick and Jason Schwartzman are superb too. I just saw that it's tagline is "An Epic of Epic Epicnes". Mindblasted.
9) The Ghost Writer- I love Roman Polanski to bits (well, I have a little crush on him actually). This was such a well-made film. Yes the whole CIA-is-the-Thought-Police-thing annoys me, but with the very subtle yet intriguing plot, and to-die-for cast, consisting of the always amazing Ewan McGregor, Pierce "James Bond" Brosnan, the very talented Olivia Williams and Kim "Samantha-fucking-Jones" Cattral; the films a hell of a thriller.
10) Kick-Ass- I just love superhero noir. Chloe Mortez as Hit Girl has easily become one of my most favourite female characters. This film was cruel, blunt and mindblowing!
Okay, now thinking back, I did see more than 10 films, but these were the cream.
New Year Resolution- I'll watch EVERYTHING in 2011.
Now in order to review Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, I must talk about four things- its trailer, its posters, its cast and the film itself.
1) The Trailer
The official trailer of Black Swan is one of the best ever. I remember seeing it for the first time and being absolutely mesmerised. It does everything a trailer should do- look good, create interest, leave the viewer wanting more, leave the viewer wanting to watch the film and also become unforgettable. There are barely any trailers that I've seen, not only this year but ever that match up to the beauty and the mystery of Black Swan's trailer.
2) The Posters
The first time I found out about this movie was through a poster in my Tumblr dashboard. The colours of white, red and black stood out immediately. This is very important because the whole film is about these colours. The virginal white Nina has to become the visceral black swan and this transformation is assisted by deadly red blood. It's quite fantastic.
3) The cast
Natalie Portman delivers the performance of a lifetime in Black Swan. Her Nina is this beautiful, scared, ephemeral, pure woman who has to embrace her darker side. She is a top-class ballerina who, after a lifetime of dedicated perfectionism, gets the lead in her ballet company's new production of Swan Lake. However she is only ideal for the white swan side, and has trouble embracing the black swan side of her character. Add to that she is being constantly ridiculed and seduced by director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), is facing competition from free-spirited Lily (Mila Kunis), and her overprotective mother Erica (Barbara Hershey). All this soon starts to affect her mind and her grip on reality as the story of Swan Lake takes over her life. Portman portrays all aspects of Nina- her reservations, her desires, her fears, her insanity, her malevolence; such that her last line "I was perfect" becomes a fact. And a damn good one at that. Her hard work into getting into the shape and mindset of a professional ballerina reminds me of Adrien Brody in The Pianist, who lost a great amount of weight and learned to play Chopin and hence won the Oscar for his portrayal of Wladyslaw Szpilman.
The next best role was that of Barbara Hershey as the mother/the Queen. She channeled Margaret White and a certain Mrs. Bates for this role. Even a bit of Michele Pfeiffer from White Oleander. She was creepy as hell. She tries to control Nina's life to the extreme and treats her as a little girl, her "sweet girl" so much so that she even dresses her, and cuts her nails and regulates her going in and out. Her paintings are just as weird, and the fact that she cries while she paints them does help her creep factor quite a bit. She is a failed ballerina, and despite the fake frigid smile on her face while wishing good luck, she wants Nina to be one too. It's quite a brilliant and chilling performance.
Vincent Cassel is a sexgod and his Thomas is one too. I love the way he seduces Nina to bring out the black swan in her. He is the only one who sees this side of her, and if it wasn't for his advances, the quite virtuous Nina would not have broken into the new characater, or side. Mila Kunis is very good too. She, like Portman, practiced for months before to become a ballerina onscreen. She embodies the black swan in her role, and the stark contrast to Nina is commendable. Their sexual "encounter" is very graphic, but quite necessary. Winona Ryder is also there as the ex-queen ballerina Beth, who gets replaced by Nina. I love Winona Ryder to bits and hope that this excellent albeit tiny role would get her into the game again.
4) The Film
Oh what a film! Aronofsky has delivered a cinematic melodramatic gem that will be loved for many many years to come. The entire concept, of taking a overly-secured ballerina, with a prolonged childhood and mixing in it the elixir of Swan Lake...genius!! It is visually stunning masterpiece. Everything from the beauty of ballerinas and their outfits, to the effects that show Nina's degarding mind is excellent. The music of Tchaikovsky adds immensely to the drama and the splendour of the film. The themes of light and dark, of sexuality and parental control, of control and release, of love and lust, of life and death is what the film consists of. All the characters show this, but especially Nina. I personally thought the ending was brilliant, but it still confused me a bit. As did the whole film. I can't help it but a part of me thinks that all of it was Nina's imagination, or maybe that she was Beth herself. It raises many questions on psychology, most importantly on those peole who have been performers all their lives and how that affects them. The details are minute and expertly put. The choreography is just beautiful and touching and shocking.
This film hits you over and over again, but in a good way. Aronofsky can show the degradation of human mind expertly, like how he did in Requiem for a Dream, but he has really polished his craft in this film.
Oscar predictions- I think Natalie Portman has the the Best Actress Oscar in the bag. The film, Aronofsky, score, editting, costume and Hershey for Supporting Actress should get nominated.
