TOP 10 SHOTS from "American Beauty"

Welcome to TOP 10 SHOTS, where we usually have a tendency to take up films of strong cinematographic prowess to look at the greatest choice shots of the affair. This weekend doesn't precisely evoke much visual wonder in terms of the films releasing, and in fact seems to exist basically to give people a breather from the more seriously inclined blockbusters and family-friendly animated charmers of the surrounding weeks. So I could bend over backwards to accommodate one of this weekend's releases, like a previous idea I had of sinking my teeth into "Burlesque", in correlation with "Rock of Ages", a film with similar theme and the mutual D.P. Bojan Bazelli.

But I'm not going to do that, since this weekend also has the occasion of being father's day, and usually when a holiday reels around the corner I feel more inclined to go with something that laughs at the holiday more than it exonerates it. It just so happens that it's father's day weekend, and though there are so many films that could fit the occasion well, I'm going for something that's quite hilariously unconventional. More than that, though, it is also a film that truly screams of massive cinematic value, with plenty gorgeous shots to pick from. Taking on "American Beauty" was quite a fun challenge to pit myself against.

THEN & NOW: Lead Actor & Actress

Continuing to seek our teeth into the flaws that exist in this low-point for the Academy Awards, I was starting to wonder if there was even a point of doing this. I mean, sure the nominees this year aren't great, but are they really a massive departure from previous years? Actually, yes. This isn't an overreaction. Previous years have rendered much greater and more deserving performances and films in the categories given. Maybe last year went a bit wild with the winners, but it did the nominees pretty well. I think that the Best Actor race was the worst last year, as it didn't really seem to have its heart in it. Colin Firth was the frontrunner the year after he should have won.

I am still of the belief that Jeff Bridges should have came to a win last year, rather than the year before, but he isn't the most deserving performance here either. James Franco was always a bit on the mild side, and I can't quite believe that he really needed to be there. I'm very glad that Javier Bardem made it in for a performance that was admittedly quite strong, and that was worth it simply for the rage it ensued amongst ignorant YouTube reviewers. But I think that Jesse Eisenberg was the real gem of the group last year, with a skillfully internalized performance in a very internalized film, but it was still a case of a relative newcomer sweeping in to steal the glory from somebody who was overdue.

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Lead Actress

I don't really think in a way that can be deemed as rational, as my brother keeps telling me of my fascination with Cougar Town. Of the nominees for Best Actress, the one I think is least deserving of recognition is Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole, and this is for a few reasons. The least important reason is that she's been pretty much absent from awards contention for the past few years, and her return feels a little awkward. There's a coldness to her performance, and it comes off as a bit forced if you ask me. It's still great, but less so than the other nominees. That's the critical perspective, and somehow that perspective can't take apart Emma Stone's performance in Easy A. Somehow her mannerisms in the film came off to me so radically that they brought me to tears with her. Don't call me pathetic!

Unfortunately, Emma Stone isn't nominated this year, which leaves a field of mistresses to sleep with deal with. Michelle Williams is an actress I have been observing rather closely, because I feel she's got the sort of talent that could explode across the screen in spectacular fashion. Somehow, and this has been nagging on me, she doesn't quite do that in Blue Valentine. She comes extremely close, and the raw intensity of her performance does warrant a nomination, but I can't really go any further for her yet. Her and Kidman are in something of the same boat, albeit in completely different ways.

The rest of the actresses here deserve to be here 100%, and it'd be so difficult to pick one out of the bunch if it hadn't been made so obvious already. Natalie Portman's iconic performance in Black Swan topped of the tragic tale of fragility and duality in a way that never once feels forced or exaggerated. She manages the transition from innocent child to sensual being of destruction so flawlessly, and that's not even to speak of the subtle nuances to the performance aspect of it. The physical brutality of the ballet world pushes the actress to emphasize every move in a way she wasn't capable of before. Any performance she gives from here on out will be better because of what she learned here. That's definitely worthy of reward.

The only actress with any hope or chance of beating Portman, though I pray that doesn't happen, is Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right. She's definitely at the point in which she's just waiting for the day she gets her award. I would've said this was her year before I saw Black Swan, and it's still worthy of note how she manages to make the character so believable in a way Julianne Moore didn't quite achieve. Perhaps that was just the way the characters were formatted, but you're definitely put on Bening's side by the end of the film, and there has to be a reason for that. Topping everything off, Jennifer Lawrence is the breakout star of the year, no matter what case you make for Hailee Steinfeld or Andrew Garfield. Lawrence shows a maturity beyond her years in this role, and if there's a film with such a solid ensemble this year, I'd say it was Winter's Bone.

1. Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
2. Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
3. Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
4. Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)
5. Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)

Will & Should Win: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Potential Upset: Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Should Have Been Nominated: Emma Stone (Easy A)

What's Next?: Best Actress

It is so easy to talk about what the nominations for Best Actress, because most of them have plans for the oncoming year. The one who doesn't, Annette Bening, is currently in pre-production on Hemingway & Fuentes, a film I am absolutely uninformed about. Nicole Kidman of Rabbit Hole has an even more unfortunate lineup for the following year. She has a mysterious role in the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It, and later this year's shes going to be in Trespass. I don't know much about the film other than the fact that it's directed by Joel Schumacher. Why do they still allow him to make films?

Jennifer Lawrence has a lineup of pretty outstanding bounce-back performances. She's slated to play Mystique in the upcoming period superhero film X-Men: First Class, a romantic interest for Anton Yelchin's character in The Beaver, and a supporting role in the recent winner at Sundance, Like Crazy. I doubt she'll be securing another nod for next year's awards, but she'll definitely be around. Natalie Portman has probably the most packed schedule for this year, having already released No Strings Attached and The Other Woman. The rest of her year includes the fantasy-comedy Your Highness and the superhero film Thor. No awards potential in the near future, but enough entertaining offerings to keep you going until after her pregnancy period. The only one amongst these women who has a potent chance of returning here next year is Michelle Williams. She's not only got the release of the western Meek's Cutoff to look forward to, but also her rendition of Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn. She's definitely one to watch for the following year.

Image: Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn

Fragility, Bravery, and Sexiness: Best Female Performances of 2010

If yesterday's list of the best male performances felt a bit underwhelming, it's because this wasn't so much a year for men. This was a fantastic year for women, so much so that it it's become difficult to place final decisions on those two Oscar races. I've had several favorites throughout the past few months, and I think I've finally got my choices nailed down for both categories. Many are saying that this was a year of newly discovered actresses, which I believe to be a bit of an overstatement. Maybe it's because I had already discovered Chloe Moretz in last year's (500) Days of Summer, not to belittle her efforts this year. I'm hesitant to say she's the next Dakota Fanning, because I hate Dakota Fanning. Nevertheless, her disturbing dark and controversial performances in Kick-Ass and Let Me In have certainly made a name for her.

One of the greater acting showcases this year was The Fighter, which obviously contained the jaw-dropping performance from Christian Bale, but there were also the smaller gems from the film. Amy Adams is probably the most underrated of the group, because she gives a very tough, sexy, and somewhat skanky performance as Mickey's girlfriend Charlene. She gives something a logical compass for the film when Mickey's delusional family comes to misdirect him. Probably the most overrated performance is from Melissa Leo, who I admit gave a fantastic performance as the cancer faced mother of Mickey's family, and the person who really controls all the moves of her blessed white-trash children. However, she's not really given too much of a chance to shine, and her character's purpose is a bit too similar to Bale's character, and it edges on lunacy at times. She's an amazing actress, but this just isn't her time.

This is probably the most daring praise I'll give an actress this year, I was extremely impressed with Tina Fey's voice work on the film Megamind. She joins the ranks of other actors who emotionally transcended the animated genre, most notably Ellen Degeneres in 2003's Finding Nemo. Tina Fey's vocal expression brings a lot of the charm and sexiness to the character of Roxanne Ritchi. Rounding out the actresses who didn't quite make the cut for me is Rooney Mara who had merely two or three scenes in this year's greatest success story, The Social Network, but one of them happens to be the best standalone scene in the film. Her work as Erica Albright, the soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend of Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg, is surprisingly passionate and gives a feminist edge to the predominantly male driven film. The top ten actresses of the year after the jump!

Awards 2010: Screen Actors Guild Nominations

The Screen Actors Guild announced their nominations yesterday, and that The Town was probably the biggest thing that I missed. There were quite a few notable occurrences, such as being left out of Best Ensemble Cast, though it has been playing well in that category during critics awards. John Hawkes deservedly made it into the Supporting Actor race for Winter's Bone, though it was at the loss of Andrew Garfield who was snubbed. I'm surprised Prince of Persia didn't make the stunt ensemble, because that was one of the only outstanding qualities that film had. Also worth noting, Mila Kunis is getting some heat going for her turn in Black Swan. This could lead to a bigger nomination this January. As for my guesses at who will win, they are, in order of the categories below, The Kids Are All Right, Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Inception.

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Robert Duvall (Get Low)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Hilary Swank (Conviction)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech)
Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

BEST STUNT ENSEMBLE
Green Zone
Inception
Robin Hood

Awards 2010: New York Film Critics Circle

It would be an extremely frustrating week if I was constantly reporting on all the critic awards at once, so I'm going to let them trickle onto my site over the next few days, rather than let them all in at once. I actually needed the New York Film Critics Circle's choices after that unfortunate little spat I had at the BFCA's nominations yesterday. Many of the wins were rather routine, but Colin Firth was able to nail out a win, and The Kids Are All Right got some more proper consideration. I think Best Screenplay may have been a stretch, but I'm still glad it happened. And since I'm striving for pictures, here's one from the Best Foreign Film choice, Carlos.

Best Film: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actress: Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Best Screenplay: The Kids Are All Right
Best Cinematography: Black Swan
Best Animated Feature: The Illusionist
Best Documentary: Inside Job
Best Foreign Language Film: Carlos

Awards 2010: Boston Society of Film Critics Award Winners

I'll admit it. Things are getting a little worrisome now. There's always going to be a few critics who break against the general opinion, but those critics rarely get so close to becoming the general opinion. Most of the winners with the Boston critics have been rather routine in terms of how things have been going. However, what intrigues me is the main acting races, which seem to be leaning in favor of Natalie Portman and Jesse Eisenberg, rather than Annette Bening and Colin Firth. In short, the critics seem to be awarding the young this year, rather than the older and under-appreciated. Take a look for yourself. Weigh in on your own opinions. We have plenty more awards propping up over the next week.

Best Picture: The Social Network
Runner-up: Toy Story 3

Best Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Runner-up: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)

Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Runner-up: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Runner-up: Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)

Best Supporting Actress: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Runner-up: Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)

Best Supporting Actress: Juliette Lewis (Conviction)
Runner-up: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Best Screenplay: The Social Network
Runner-up: Please Give

Best Cinematography: True Grit
Runner-up: Black Swan

Best Documentary: Marwencol
Runner-up: Inside Job

Best Foreign Language Film: Mother

Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Runner-up: The Illusionist

Best Film Editing: Black Swan
Runner-up: Inception

Best Ensemble Cast: The Fighter
Runner-up: The Kids Are All Right

Best Use of Music in a Film: The Social Network
Runner-up: True Grit

Film Review: The Kids Are All Right

Seeing as we've gotten some great epic films such as Inception and Toy Story 3, it's easy to overlook some of these other great film opening in limited release. In a Summer so unrewarding, Lisa Cholodenko delivers more perfectly timed entertainment than most of the bloated blockbusters out right now. Her new film, The Kids Are All Right, is a suburban comedy focusing on the kids of lesbian parents Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening). The family is very unconventional, and while it never once seems unrealistic, we get that the family isn't the way they should be. A change needs to happen.

That's when the kids get in contact with their sperm donor, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), a slacker in the food service industry. His interactions with this family put them through a string of unexpected twists and turns that put their family bond to the test. While there are so many different stories being followed in this film, the one that I most related to was Joni (Mia Wasikowska), a girl who is about to go to college and leave everything behind, all while these changes are shaping her life. The ending to this film really had me in tears in a way that no other live-action film has done this Summer.

The entire cast does absolutely breathtaking work in their roles. Annette Bening isn't an actress I follow that much, but I should, because she always gives these honest performances that strike me as pure. Along the way, you may be wondering how I could possibly think her the best actress in this film, but by the end you'll realize. Mark Ruffalo does a great job portraying a slacker at his core. Deep down, he wants a family, but he isn't willing to do all the extra work. Mia Wasikowska really breaks through with this film, after her uninspiring turn in Alice in Wonderland. This film isn't completely hers, but every scene she's in is. I wouldn't be surprised if Bening, Ruffalo, and Wasikowska all get acting nominations come awards season.

Julianne Moore was pretty good as Jules, and carefully puts us on the edge of the confrontations through the film. The audience is never quite sure of what's right and what's wrong, and she embodies that sort of curiosity. Josh Hutcherson is actually a good young actor. I've never had a problem with any of his roles, but he's always felt like a Disney kid because he's starred in a lot of Disney films. It's nice to see that he's no longer bound by that company, and he displays such a great attitude as any son of two lesbian parents would. He'd kind of have to.

Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg's script has such comic timing on its own, so it seems even more natural when it's said. Everything feels like it works, and the dialogue never once feels forced. It doesn't feel like somebody else is putting the words in their mouths. The Kids Are All Right depicts the best portrayal of a real family that I've probably seen since Juno. Comedies don't usually score with the Academy, but this is more than just a comedy. It's an original film about growing up and growing old. This is one of my favorite films of the year, and it won't be forgotten when Oscar season comes swirling by.

A+