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Best in Film 2011 Tracker, Part 5

January 16, 2012

jmunney Best in Film 2011, Cinema, Oscars Leave a comment

I wanted to post one more update on my tracker before I put the finishing touches on my year-end wrap-ups. Since the last post (12/22/11), I have seen The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows in the theatre and I’ve seen Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Tabloid, Beginners, and Margin Call on DVD.

(Note: I forgot to include Mel in Lead Actor on the last tracker.)

Best Film
Bridesmaids
Moneyball
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The Muppets
The Descendants
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Midnight in Paris
Margin Call
Young Adult

Director
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorcese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Rupert Wyatt, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Paul Feig, Bridesmaids
Bennett Miller, Moneyball
Glen Ficarra and John Requa, Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Lead Actor
Tom Hardy, Warrior
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
George Clooney, The Descendants
Mel Gibson, The Beaver
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life
James McAvoy, X-Men: First Class
Michael Fassbender, X-Men: First Class

Lead Actress
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Viola Davis, The Help
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia
Emma Stone, The Help
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna

Supporting Actor
One of my favorite actors – Spacey – manages to make a plot point that could be ruinously cloying (a dead dog) into something instead that adds an extra layer of meaning to his performance.
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Kevin Spacey, Margin Call
Kevin Bacon, X-Men: First Class
Bruno Ganz, Unknown
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Peter Sarsgaard, Green Lantern

Supporting Actress
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Judy Greer, The Descendants
Mélanie Laurent, Beginners
Analeigh Tipton, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life
Lin Shaye, Insidious

Adapted Screenplay
Stan Chervin, Aaron Sorkin, and Steven Zaillian, Moneyball
Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, The Muppets
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo

Original Screenplay
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Dan Fogelman, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Diablo Cody, Young Adult
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Mike Mills, Beginners

Editing
Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball

Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Brendan Galvin, Immortals
Janusz Kaminski, War Horse

Animated Film
Arthur Christmas
The Adventures of Tintin

Documentary
Tabloid
Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Score
Cliff Martinez, Drive
Michael Andrews, Bad Teacher
The Chemical Brothers, Hanna
Cliff Martinez, Contagion
Roger Neill, David Palmer, and Brian Reitzell, Beginners
John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin

Original Song
“Man or Muppet,” written by Bret McKenzie, The Muppets

Visual Effects
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Hugo

2011: A Year at the Movies

January 2, 2012

jmunney A Year at the Movies, Cinema Leave a comment

My moviegoing continued smashingly in 2011, as I took in a personal record-75 films at the theatre this past year, besting 2010’s then-record 66. Here is the complete list of all that I saw in ’11, along with the original grades I granted, dates, showtimes, theatre locations, and fellow moviegoers for each movie.

1. How Do You Know? – B (1/2, 4:10 PM – Regal United Artists Oxford Valley, Langhorne, PA; Rob Malone, Kaity Malone, Dan Dickerson)
2. Season of the Witch – B- (1/7, 7:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
3. The King’s Speech – A- (1/13, 9:50 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
4. The Green Hornet in 3D – B (1/14, 10:20 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
5. Blue Valentine – A- (1/19, 1:45 PM – AMC Neshaminy, Bensalem, PA; myself)
6. The Way Back – B (1/22, 10:25 PM – Oxford Valley; Jason Tkach)
7. Tangled – B+ (1/24, 1:45 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
8. The Mechanic – B (1/29, 7:50 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik, Jeff Smith, Dave Coyle)
9. The Roommate – D+ (2/13, 8:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
10. Unknown – B+ (2/21, 2:20 PM – Oxford Valley; Peg Howe and Claire Dansbury)
11. Drive Angry in 3D – B- (2/25, 8:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
12. Cedar Rapids – B (3/4, 8:50 PM – Neshaminy; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
13. Battle: Los Angeles – C- (3/11, 9:50 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik)
14. Take Me Home Tonight – B (3/14, 10:30 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
15. Paul – B (3/18, 10:10 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik)
16. Limitless – B+ (3/25, 8:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Jason Tkach)
17. Hall Pass – B- (3/27, 7:45 PM – Oxford Valley; Rob Malone)
18. The Adjustment Bureau – B+ (4/6, 7:35 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
19. Your Highness – C (4/9, 10:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Rob Malone)
20. Source Code – B+ (4/10, 2:10 PM – Oxford Valley; Rob Malone)
21. Rango – B (4/12, 1:30 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
22. Scream 4 – B+ (4/20, 8:10 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
23. Insidious – B (4/20, 10:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
24. Hanna – B (4/27, 7:40 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
25. Fast Five – B- (4/29, 10:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik and Dave Coyle)
26. Thor – B (5/7, 7:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Bob Malone and Walt Wojcik)
27. Bridesmaids – A (5/14, 7:20 PM – Oxford Valley; Kaity Malone)
28. X-Men: First Class – A- (6/3, 7:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik)
29. The Hangover Part II – C+ (6/3, 10:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik)
30. Super 8 – C+ (6/10, 12:01 AM – Oxford Valley; Rob Malone and Dan Dickerson)
31. Midnight in Paris – A- (6/11, 4:30 PM – AMC Hamilton, Hamilton, NJ; Pat Dansbury and Claire Dansbury)
32. Green Lantern – B- (6/20, 7:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Bob Malone and Sue Malone)
33. Bad Teacher – B- (7/6, 8:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith and Greg Smith)
34. Horrible Bosses – B (7/9, 7:50 PM – Oxford Valley; Bob Malone, Sue Malone, Kaity Malone, Larisa Mariani)
35. Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 3D – C- (7/15, 6:40 PM – Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith)
36. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – B+ (7/21, 1:10 PM – Oxford Valley; Kylie Howe, Wesley Woods, Riley Woods)
37. Captain America: The First Avenger – B (7/22, 10:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Walt Wojcik)
38. The Tree of Life – B+ (7/26, 1:15 PM – Neshaminy; Kaity Malone, Beth Woods, Wesley Woods, Riley Woods)
39. Friends with Benefits – C+ (7/27,7:50 PM – Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith)
40. Cowboys and Aliens – C- (7/29, 10:40 PM – Oxford Valley; Rob Malone and Dan Dickerson)
41. The Change-Up – C (8/5, 10:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith)
42. The Help – B+ (8/10, 10:10 PM – Oxford Valley; Kaity Malone)
43. Rifftrax Live: Jack the Giant Killer – no grade (8/17, 8:00 PM – Neshaminy; myself)
44. Final Destination 5 in 3D – B (8/19, 8: 10 PM – Oxford Valley; Jeff Smith)
45. The Debt – B (9/2, 7:10 PM – Oxford Valley; Bob Malone and Sue Malone)
46. Colombiana – C (9/5, 7:50 PM – Oxford Valley; Rob Malone)
47. Warrior – B+ (9/9, 10:20 PM – Oxford Valley; Jason Tkach and Jason’s friend Ali)
48. Crazy, Stupid, Love. – A (9/13, 1:55 PM – Neshaminy; myself)
49. Our Idiot Brother – C+ (9/20, 1:35 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
50. Rise of the Planet of the Apes – A- (9/26, 2:50 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
51. Drive – B+ (9/29, 7:25 PM – Oxford Valley; Jason Tkach)
52. Moneyball – A (10/1, 7:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Pat Dansbury)
53. Straw Dogs – C (10/3, 9:40 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
54. Contagion – B (10/5, 1:35 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
55. The Ides of March – B+ (10/13, 2:30 PM – Oxford Valley; Peg Howe, Claire Dansbury, and Grace Stanford)
56. 50/50 – B+ (10/18, 2:40 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
57. Ghostbusters – A- (10/20, 7:00 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
58. Real Steel – B- (10/22, 9:45 PM – Regal Plymouth Meeting, Conshohocken, PA; Jason Tkach and Jason’s friend Sean [a.k.a Xiang-Yu Fu])
59. Paranormal Activity 3 – B+ (10/25, 1:00 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
60. Tower Heist – B- (11/4, 10:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Jason Tkach)
61. Martha Marcy May Marlene – B+ (11/15, 12:45 PM – Neshaminy; myself)
62. In Time – B (11/16, 1:25 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
63. Footloose – B (11/17, 1:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Peg Howe and Claire Dansbury)
64. Like Crazy – B+ (11/29, 12:55 PM – Neshaminy; myself)
65. My Week with Marilyn – B- (12/1, 1:20 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
66. The Muppets – A- (12/4, 2:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Bob Malone)
67. Immortals in 3D – C+ (12/6, 2:40 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
68. J. Edgar – B- (12/7, 1:00 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
69. The Descendants – A- (12/9, 2:00 PM – Oxford Valley; Claire Dansbury and Grace Stanford)
70. Hugo in 3D – A- (12/9, 10:05 PM – Oxford Valley; Jason Tkach)
71. Arthur Christmas – B+ (12/13, 1:05 PM – Oxford Valley; myself)
72. Young Adult – A- (12/19, 7:50 PM – Oxford Valley; Kaity Malone and Hannah Plumridge)
73. Melancholia – B- (12/21, 9:30 PM – Princeton Garden Theatre, Princeton, NJ; Kaity Malone)
74. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in 3D – B (12/26, 10:20 PM – Oxford Valley; Kaity Malone)
75. War Horse – B+ (12/31, 12:40 PM – Oxford Valley; Peg Howe and Claire Dansbury)

Why My Top 10 Movie List Wasn’t Ready by the End of the Year

January 2, 2012

jmunney Cinema Leave a comment

I flirted with the idea of finalizing by December 31 my top ten movies of the year of the list. It at times seemed like a real possibility. My evermore conscientious moviegoing habit has led to a new personal record for movies seen in the theatre every year, with 2011 no exception. Granted, I never expected to see every film released in 2011, or even 100% of all those that appeared to have top ten potential. Smaller releases always fall by the wayside, only to be discovered later and lead to reevaluations of past lists. I never expected a list ready by the end of the year to be perfect, but I did fantasize that it could be good enough. But the truth is that you can make a good enough top ten list only if you are a critic (and are thus invited to pre-release screenings) or if you live in New York or Los Angeles. Annually, there are too many movies “released” at the end of the year that won’t reach a wide audience until January or February (if at all). So, dear readers, to get the Jmunney Top 10 list that you deserve, you’ll just have to be used to expecting it by the end of January. I must say that I have a year-round appetite for best of the year coverage, and I hope you feel the same way.

Best in Film 2011 Tracker, Part 4

December 22, 2011

jmunney Best in Film 2011, Cinema, Oscars Leave a comment

Since the last Tracker (11/1/11), I’ve seen Tower Heist, Martha Marcy May Marlene, In Time, Footloose, Like Crazy, My Week with Marilyn, The Muppets, Immortals, J. Edgar, The Descendants, Hugo, Arthur Christmas, Young Adult, and Melancholia in the theatre and The Lincoln Lawyer, Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, Attack the Block, Everything Must Go, Life in a Day, and The Beaver on DVD. There has been a lot of moving and shaking – I still haven’t sorted it all out yet. A little over a week in the year left, and still at least 15 movies to go.

Best Film
Bridesmaids
Moneyball
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The Muppets
The Descendants
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Midnight in Paris
Young Adult

Lead Actor
Tom Hardy, Warrior
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
George Clooney, The Descendants
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life
James McAvoy, X-Men: First Class
Michael Fassbender, X-Men: First Class

Supporting Actor
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Kevin Bacon, X-Men: First Class
Bruno Ganz, Unknown
Peter Sarsgaard, Green Lantern
Nick Nolte, Warrior

Supporting Actress
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Judy Greer, The Descendants
Analeigh Tipton, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life
Lin Shaye, Insidious

Original Screenplay
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Dan Fogelman, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Diablo Cody, Young Adult

Editing
Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball

Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Brendan Galvin, Immortals

Animated Film
Arthur Christmas

Score
Cliff Martinez, Drive
Michael Andrews, Bad Teacher
The Chemical Brothers, Hanna
Cliff Martinez, Contagion

Original Song
“Man or Muppet,” written by Bret McKenzie, The Muppets

Visual Effects
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Hugo

Addendum to Jmunney’s Very Early Oscar Predicitions

December 9, 2011

jmunney Awards Shows, Cinema, Oscars, Television Leave a comment

In my very early Oscar predictions, I chose not to include anyone or anything from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. But then I realized who is directing: Stephen Daldry. And it must be said that Daldry has been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars for all of his previous feature films (Billy Elliot, The Hours, and The Reader). So I think he might be a contender this year.

Jmunney’s Very Early Oscar Predictions

December 2, 2011

jmunney Awards Shows, Cinema, Oscars, Television Leave a comment

Presently, the 2011 Academy Awards are looking significantly more unpredictable than the 2010 edition. At this point last year, I could have confidently said that pre-holiday season releases The Social Network, Inception, and Toy Story 3 were locks for Best Picture nominations. This year, I am not sure if any movie released before November will be nominated; most of the likely nominees are either yet to be released or still in limited release. Come February, the major categories may prove to be just as easy to call as they were last time, but at the moment, this race could go in any number of directions. (Predictions are listed in order of most likely to least likely to be nominated.)

Best Picture
The Academy changed the nominating rules for Best Picture again, so this year, anywhere between 5 and 10 films will be nominated. I’m going to call it in the middle and go with 7. Entertainment Weekly and other outlets are calling War Horse a sure thing, but I’m not necessarily buying it even as a contender, at least not yet. The Artist, despite its superficial disadvantages, could emerge the favorite, but I think The Descendants has the best mix of ingredients (previously nominated and really well-respected director, one of the biggest stars in the world, breakthrough young actress). At least one mainstream, crowd-pleasing box office success from summer or earlier could likely sneak in, probably The Help and maybe even Harry Potter.
The Descendants
The Artist
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Help
War Horse
Hugo

Director
With the Best Picture picture as chaotic as it is, it is theoretically possible that this could be one of those years when the Best Director winner is not the director of the Best Picture winner. But no one director (except maybe Terrence Malick) seems to be that much more of a contender than his (no directing ladies seem to be in contention this year) film, so Payne and Hazanvicius are necessarily then at the top.
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Bennett Miller, Moneyball
Martin Scorcese, Hugo

Actor
One of the biggest stars of the country is the front-runner, and that country is … France. Dujardin, veteran of the French spy spoof series OSS 117, is the favorite over Clooney and Pitt. Ryan Gosling can make it on only if voters feel compelled by his overall great year.
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
George Clooney, The Descendants
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame

Actress
Who says there are no good roles for women over 40? There are three ladies who have reached that milestone (Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis) and are defiantly the front-runners in this category, and they might be joined by a fourth (Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin). Beyond Close/Streep/Davis, this category could go in a number of different directions. I’m betting on the presence of a young newcomer à la Jennifer Lawrence last year, likely either Elizabeth Olsen or Felicity Jones (Like Crazy). Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Charlize Theron (Young Adult) must also have their due considerations.
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Viola Davis, The Help
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Supporting Actor
This is the most wide-open I can ever remember this category being. The favorite may very well be a gay eightysomething, and a motion capture simian performance may actually be nominated. Don’t bet the house on these predictions, unless you like to live life dangerously.
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Albert Brooks, Drive
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Kevin Spacey, Margin Call

Supporting Actress
Spencer and Chastain (in the best of her 6 performances from 2011) are obvious. Woodley is too, especially considering this category’s reputation as the ingenue category. McCarthy has a good chance, as comedic roles stand a chance in the supporting field. And I’ll round it out with Janet McTeer, because I hear things. But don’t fall asleep on Bérénice Bejo (The Artist).
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Best in Film 2011 Tracker, Part 3

November 1, 2011

jmunney Best in Film 2011, Cinema, Oscars Leave a comment

Since the last Tracker – posted on September 14 – I have seen Our Idiot Brother, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Drive, Moneyball, Straw Dogs, Contagion, The Ides of March, 50/50, Real Steel, and Paranormal Activity 3 in the theatre and Win Win on DVD. It has been a mix. Some of these movies will be a factor here; others, not so much. There are several movies out in limited release that have so far proven difficult for me to catch – Take Shelter, Margin Call, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Like Crazy. Hopefully, I will make it out to those as soon as I can, and since it’s November, there should be a notable release coming out just about every day. Stay tuned.

Best Film
Bridesmaids
Moneyball
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Midnight in Paris

Director
The orders for Film and Director aren’t quite matching up. Constant re-evaluation will likely be taking place.
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Rupert Wyatt, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Paul Feig, Bridesmaids
Bennett Miller, Moneyball
Glen Ficarra and John Requa, Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Lead Actor
Tom Hardy, Warrior
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life
James McAvoy, X-Men: First Class
Michael Fassbender, X-Men: First Class

Lead Actress
Viola Davis, The Help
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Emma Stone, The Help
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna

Supporting Actor
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Kevin Bacon, X-Men: First Class
Bruno Ganz, Unknown
Peter Sarsgaard, Green Lantern
Nick Nolte, Warrior

Supporting Actress
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Analeigh Tipton, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life
Lin Shaye, Insidious

Adapted Screenplay
Stan Chervin, Aaron Sorkin, and Steven Zaillian, Moneyball

Original Screenplay
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Dan Fogelman, Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Editing
The seamless interweaving of the main story, flashbacks, and archival video and audio in Moneyball lead me to include Editing for the first time.
Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball

Cinematography
I forgot to include cinematography on the first couple of trackers – I guess Tree of Life was just too obvious.
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life

Score
Cliff Martinez, Drive
Michael Andrews, Bad Teacher
The Chemical Brothers, Hanna
Cliff Martinez, Contagion

Visual Effects
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Best in Film 2011 Tracker, Part 2

September 14, 2011

jmunney Best in Film 2011, Cinema, Oscars Leave a comment

Since posting the first Best in Film Tracker, I have seen Final Destination 5, The Debt, Colombiana, Warrior, and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Jessica Chastain performed another memorable performance in The Debt (but not quite on the level of what she did in The Help or The Tree of Life). There has been a good deal of buzz building for Nick Nolte, but I was most impressed by Tom Hardy when it comes to the cast of Warrior. The brooding hero has become a bit cliché lately, but Hardy made sure that Tommy Conlon’s moments of longing and forcefully workmanlike approach to fighting were filled with a clarity as to why he was so brooding.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. has vaulted near the top of my list for best films of the years. The cast was solid all-around, though I am not sure if any one actor stood out, with the exception of Analeigh Tipton, who had what was surely the trickiest role among tricky roles. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that Ryan Gosling was rather notable as well for all that he accomplished in a role that could have been one-note (so I guess there actually were some actors who stood out in that cast). And credit in that regard must surely also go to the screenplay from Dan Fogelman.

Best Film
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Midnight in Paris

Director
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Paul Feig, Bridesmaids
Glen Ficarra and John Requa, Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Lead Actor
Tom Hardy, Warrior
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life
James McAvoy, X-Men: First Class
Michael Fassbender, X-Men: First Class

Lead Actress
Viola Davis, The Help
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Emma Stone, The Help
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna

Supporting Actor
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Kevin Bacon, X-Men: First Class
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Bruno Ganz, Unknown
Peter Sarsgaard, Green Lantern
Nick Nolte, Warrior

Original Screenplay
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Dan Fogelman, Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Score
Michael Andrews, Bad Teacher
The Chemical Brothers, Hanna

Best in Film 2011 Tracker, Part 1

August 17, 2011

jmunney Best in Film 2011, Cinema, Oscars Leave a comment

As the year in cinema is a little more than halfway through, there have been, believe it or not, plenty of great (or at least good) movies, performances, and individual achievements in movies. So I have decided to start occasionally posting a tracker of the best in film in 2011, which I will continue to do until the end of the year, and then probably for a month or so after as well, as I catch up on the late 2011 films in the early days of 2012. I will be reposting the tracker whenever I catch a notable movie that will provide me with any notable updates regarding the best of the year. Now is a good time for me to start with the tracker, as I saw The Help last week, which featured about a dozen memorable performances. The supporting actress category is already overflowing, and unfortunately, awards shows will not have enough room to recognize all of the ladies of The Help.

In each category, honorees are listed in order of most deserving first.

Best Film
I very much enjoyed X-Men: First Class, The Tree of Life, and The Help, but I’d like some time to re-evaluate them to see if they are truly among the best of the year.
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris

Director
Bridesmaids struck me as an accomplishment more of writing and performing than directing, but I’ve got to assume that Paul Feig did something worthwhile.
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Paul Feig, Bridesmaids

Lead Actor
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life
James McAvoy, X-Men: First Class
Michael Fassbender, X-Men: First Class

Lead Actress
Viola Davis, The Help
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Emma Stone, The Help
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna

Supporting Actor
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Kevin Bacon, X-Men: First Class
Bruno Ganz, Unknown
Peter Sarsgaard, Green Lantern

Supporting Actress
Isn’t that new It Girl Jessica Chastain just cute as a button?
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life
Lin Shaye, Insidious

Original Screenplay
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Score
Michael Andrews, Bad Teacher
The Chemical Brothers, Hanna

2011 Mid-Year Report

July 3, 2011

jmunney Cinema, Music, Music Videos, Oscars, Television, Trailers Leave a comment

2011 is halfway through, and it is time for us to take a breath and get ourselves prepared for what we may very well have to include six months from now in the roundup of the best in entertainment for the whole year.

Best in Movies
The best films I have seen so far this year are Bridesmaids and Midnight in Paris. I haven’t caught The Tree of Life, so I can’t yet say if it loves up, or down, to the hype.

In Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen pulled out his best directing tricks since those he showed off in Match Point.

Woody’s literacy also earns him accolades for his screenplay, while Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo wrote a fascinating look at female friendship with Bridesmaids.

As for acting, the top female leads were Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) and Saoirse Ronan (Hanna), while James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class) led the way for the men. The top supporting ladies were Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) and Lin Shaye (Inisidious). The Supporting Actor fielded is already crowded, with Kevin Bacon (X-Men: First Class), Bruno Ganz (Unknown), Peter Sarsgaard (Green Lantern), and Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway (Midnight in Paris).

Best Trailers
Hanna blew our mind with its wild tonal shifts, X-Men: First Class promised us a visceral period piece, and the wedding invitation in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 marked the ultimate in cheese.

Best in Television
The top shows that I caught that debuted in 2011? Portlandia, Sports Show with Norm Macdonald, and Bob’s Burgers at number 1. Honorable mentions go to Perfect Couples and Happy Endings.

Best Songs
At the top is, of course, Adele with “Rolling in the Deep,” while former Tony! Toni! Toné! member Raphael Saadiq brought the funk with “Stone Rollin.'”

Best Music Videos
Guest stars galore has been the name of the game for great music videos for 2011. First off, two clips from Chris Marrs Piliero: Ke$ha’s “Blow” (featuring James Van Der Beek) and the Black Keys’ faux-trailer in “Howlin’ for You” (featuring Tricia Helfer, Corbin Bernsen, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Todd Bridges). There were also twisted tales from Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” with Darren Criss, Kevin McHale, Rebecca Black, Hanson, Kenny G, Corey Feldman, and Debbie Gibson – and Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette – “Hello,” with tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils and fellow DJ Bob Sinclair. Meanwhile, sans guest stars, Taylor Swift was at her cutest and wittiest yet in “The Story of Us.”

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