Bryan Cranston dreams a world after "Breaking Bad"

I've dabbled around the idea of a Greatest Working Actors list for some time now, and as alluring as it is to put them all up on a scale like that, I'd simply never know what to do with the actors who have their feet firmly planted in television. With all the shows moving towards their finishes, I am intrigued to see what Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, John Noble, Anna Torv, Jasika Nicole, and Aaron Paul are to do once their respective shows are up. The bell is chiming for Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, John Slattery, and the rest of the "Mad Men" gang as well, and Jared Harris has already been let off the leash for a promising future in the business.

One actor who isn't laying down while waiting for his television check to ring in is Bryan Cranston, headliner on AMC's "Breaking Bad", headed now towards its fifth and final season. For every year Cranston has performed in the pivotal character of Walter White, he has taken home an Emmy for Best Actor. He is quite likely to make it four this fall, and with the splitting of the final season into two eight-episode stretches, the possibility is not merely alive for two more, but it's a certainty for after the show's completion. Cranston is in very good hands with showrunner Vince Gilligan at the helm, though has not been laying steady while the end approaches.

Quick Takes: "The Pirates!", "Pandorum", "Up", "Drive"

"The Pirates! Band of Misfits"

Directed by Peter Lord

Believe it or not, there are requisites for an entertaining stop-motion animated offering, the main one being that it has to have a purpose for all its inane musings. "Wallace and Gromit" has been silly as all hell, but it's always found an organic explanation for existence. That's something that "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" lacks, is that through all the weird and zany misadventures of this crew, they never feel gleeful. They simply feel like they're there for the sake of the jokes, which often aren't all that amusing. The villain hates pirates because... she hates pirates. And the best thing about being a pirate is... Ham Night, apparently. The art of claymation gives it a slight leg up in the joy factor, but is it too much to go beyond the true bare minimum of narrative investment?

"Pandorum"

Directed by Christian Alvart

You may be wondering, what reason did I have for seeing this at all? Well, sometimes it's just there, and fact of the matter is that this is exactly the type of film my father raised me and my brother on. Sci-Fi Horror with no real purpose than to shock, which it really doesn't. We have all the requisite factors. The Earth is a non-factor, dead by now with nobody missing it. The attractive guy who survives with the attractive girl. The zombies, which they may not be since they're just suffering from space mutation, but they're zombies for all we care. They act the same as can be expected. And we have somebody who isn't who we think they are, and we can't say we honestly care either. Except this time, we kind of do a bit, but that's only thanks to a rare strong performance from Dennis Quaid. I was surprised by how effective his work was, but beyond that, this is a lot of the same gruesome nothingness that fails to enthrall much at all.

Ranking 2011's Oscar Nominated Films

I've had the feeling that I saw less Oscar nominated movies this year than in previous years. Not so. In fact I feel less complete in Oscar knowledge this year than in previous years when I had seen more films nominated. This year, it scales out to 24, only 5 of which I'd profess to truly love, and only one of those is nominated where it most matters. "Drive" only has one nomination to its name. The worst film I saw of the bunch, until today, was "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2", and it has three, which I suppose is somewhat deserving, but it only repeats the Academy's favoritism towards glitzy, gaudy, and obvious.

If nothing else, this gives me an outlet for ranking some of the other films that didn't make the cut past the top 20. I have no doubt people will think I'm crazy in ranking "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" above "The Tree of Life", "The Descendants", and "The Adventures of Tintin", but for the life of me I had more of an experience in Michael Bay's rampant actioner than I did with those that rank lower than it. Anything lower than 20, I did not like, so the majority of the films nominated that I've seen, I do enjoy them. I think that they are rather good. It doesn't change the fact that there are better films out there that simply aren't being represented here, and that's a shame.

Indie Spirit Awards Predictions

Let me emphasize that the Indie Spirit Awards are usually the fun about Oscar weekend. We could get to the tailend of this weekend and have that not be true. This could be a relatively boring rehash of "The Artist"s usual success, and that's fine, but we have the Oscars for that. Which is why I am far and away going for "Drive", "Martha Marcy May Marlene", "Take Shelter", and "Shame" to clean up this evening. Will it happen? probably not. It's a bit of a strain to think that "The Artist" would only take home one award. But let's dare to be adventurous this weekend, shall we? Isn't that so much more fun?

Now there are obviously places where I know that what I want to win isn't going to win. "50/50" has a certain chance in the screenplay category, as does "Beginners". J.C. Chandor's "Margin Call" could snap up the debut director/writer credits, which would be a massive shame. Michelle Williams could snatch up actress, and Jean Dujardin is more than likely for Actor. But I'm game with thinking that this could be so delightfully up in the air this particular year. Or maybe not, but "Black Swan" and "Winter's Bone" both took home some deserving wins last year. I'm hoping for the rush of the new to beat out the nostalgia of the old.

And Here We Go: Final Oscar Predictions

In officially nailing down my final predictions, or in other words, the bets I'm going to be calling on Oscar night, I realized something rather fortunate. In the context of most of these categories, I'm rather fine with the winners. I rather love "The Artist", for all its wit and mindful pastiche, and it certainly stirred emotions in me a great deal more than any of the other contenders this year. I'm sure there are categories in which I'd rather "The Artist" win, but I don't have it down. The primary one, for me anyway, is cinematography, but I'm going to play the optimist in saying that the faith so many have put on "The Tree of Life" all season hasn't been wasted.

But I even have "The Artist" down for Original Screenplay, echoing the choice the BAFTAs made. I imagine that they're not going to look too superficially at it as undeserving because it's a silent film. And yes, I'm assuming "Midnight in Paris" will go home emptyhanded. Much as I enjoyed it, that's something I expect to happen. The performance categories are irreversible at this point, almost depressingly so in terms of that search for surprise. But let's reflect, shall we? This year, 82-year-old Christopher Plummer, who had not been nominated until last year, will receive his first, and deserving, Academy Award.

It'll be the first time two black actresses win in the same year, the second time two black performances win in the same year, but the first time the two winners would be from the same film. The first time was between Forrest Whitaker of "The Last King of Scotland" and Jennifer Hudson of "Dreamgirls". I don't mean to make it seem like more than it is, but this year is distinctly less prejudicial against race, age, or nationality. After all, a French comedy filmed silent and in black and white is about to sweep the major categories, and land Jean Dujardin with an Oscar. Maybe it's worth noting it as the first time a French man wins Best Actor. I think it is.

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Adapted Screenplay

I'm not alone in my over-enthusiasm for the grand portion of the screenplay nominations this year. Along with the spectacular triad of "Midnight in Paris", "The Artist", and "A Separation" over in the original screenplay bracket, we again have three rather deserving nods here, along with two deliveries of Academy filler. By that, I speak inevitably of "The Descendants", which is more than likely to win for its light and toothless addressing of family issues, alongside some odd attempts at humor. I'm also talking about "Hugo", whose script may be the biggest thing that this piece has against it. The film's beauty may have washed over me if it weren't scripted so painfully obvious.

But escaping those problem factors that will of course win, there are some mighty fine nominations here. "The Ides of March" is a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. The film may be no massive success, but it is quite entertainingly constructed, especially through its charming off-the-tongue dialogue. You can consider me an apologist on behalf of "Moneyball", whose script I've bashed for not quite being the same level of charm as "The Social Network", but these are honestly two different beasts. This one has frills in different places, and it just happens to be handling a subject that's not of such scintillating excitement. There are plenty moments where the script was to such a tee that it made me feel something.

TOP 10 SHOTS from "Drive"

This past Tuesday and Wednesday, Kris Tapley of In Contention revealed his annual list of the top 10 shots of the year, which always serves to give me a buzz. But as much as it is an acknowledged and studied list, it's also one of preference. I had some issue with two of the shots picked, one being from "Hugo" which was rather unextraordinary when I saw it in the theater. It certainly shocked me to see it there. And the second was the big chase scene in "Tintin", which is rather fun, but I just couldn't escape how much of a cheat it seemed to me, though I entirely understand why he had it there. If it had been anything other than the top shot, I wouldn't have had as much issue.

Although I'm not one to argue in the slightest, as I could never put that amount of time and effort in to distinguish between a field of several brilliant shots. A single-shot action sequence isn't the worst he could have done, and it's an extremely impressive sequence and shot, all things considered. I shouldn't be complaining so much, so enough with that. The list did what it was supposed to, which was to inspire me in how I view images, and to get in the game, be it in a different way. I was struck by one particular image from "Drive" chosen on the list, but then again, I was struck by many different images from the piece that I felt obligated to share it to a degree.

OSCAR 2011: Requiem for an Ensemble

If there's been one category that's been sorely missing from the Academy bracket for ages, it's an award for Ensemble Cast that's been long standing within the SAG Awards. And it's a damn shame because there is plenty of room for them to honor a notably strong ensemble cast. Of course the Academy would quite easily muck it up to accommodate their own favorite films rather than consider the casts as a whole. So I offered them a slot for themselves, with what would very likely end up nominated if they chose. But honestly, I care a great deal more about what I would choose, because I'm just that narcissistic.

The only real overlap there would be would be in "Midnight in Paris", which they'd give access automatically whereas I understand why they deserve to be nominated. The cast of that piece is so immense and on-the-dot in a wide and expansive impersonatory and satirical joust for the win. On the smaller side, I think everybody was stunned by the synchronization of the work on "Drive", but less for the across the board subtle and shattering performances on "Tomboy". That may be just me, but I was devastated fantastically. I was giddy with joy at the assembled cast of the latest "Mission: Impossible", each of which served to a purpose. And the cast of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" leaves nary a weak link in the pot.

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Costume Design

Alright, let's get back to this grind of ours, shall we? The Academy branch sure likes it when there things are pretty to the point of making one gag. Is it ever to a purpose. I'd like to think that "Jane Eyre" being here is a show of good faith. If there's anything that isn't up for debate about that one, it's the wear of the characters. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen. It could, and that's a very lively possibility. But then again, so is that "W.E." walks away with it, which I think we all believe is a worst case scenario. It would be a new low for them to award more towards "W.E." than they awarded towards... any film that got snubbed wrongfully this year.

Thankfully, I don't think that will happen. There are plenty others to steal the focus, even if they really shouldn't. "The Artist" and "Hugo" seem to be the two main contenders, as both are the main contenders for Best Picture, as of this moment anyway. If "Hugo" wins, everyone will inevitably start bandying about a "Hugo" night. If "The Artist" wins, things settle back into the way they were before. And if "Anonymous" wins... Oh, let's please be serious. There's no way in hell that is ever going to happen. It'd be cool, because those outfits are very flamboyant and obvious, but still very fun. At least they have a sense of humor.

OSCAR 2011: If I Chose the Nominees

I've been fuming ever since the Oscar Nominations were announced just yesterday. I think we all have been, as we knew we'd be disappointed, but we had no idea exactly how disappointed we eventually would be. That's been the tone of the entire season, with very few things truly certain about the eventual endgame of the Oscars, the ceremony included. It is currently looking to be a dull and absolutely unmotivating affair, so why care? The films we loved all still exist, so why not celebrate them as they still lay. I had arrayed this list as my dream ballot for release before the nominations announcement, but it is just as appropriate now as it was then. So here are my nominations for 2011.

BEST PICTURE

• "Certified Copy"
• "Drive"
• "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
• "Meek's Cutoff"
• "A Separation"
• "Shame"
• "Sleeping Beauty"
• "Tomboy"
• "Weekend"
• "We Need to Talk About Kevin" 

Second Tier: "The Artist", "Cold Weather", "Melancholia", "Midnight in Paris", "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol", "The Muppets", "Rango","Senna", "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", "Tyrannosaur"

Further Thoughts: I dispatched with the Foreign Language Film and Animated Feature races for two reasons. One is that there aren't enough good toons out there this past year to warrant the latter, and secondly because there are three films that could be deemed Foreign Language in my Best Picture list. There is no way in hell any of my ten were going to be reciprocated by the Academy. "Martha Marcy May Marlene", "Meek's Cutoff", "Sleeping Beauty", and "Weekend" all skew too low key. "Shame", "Drive", and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" are all too hard edge for them. They'll constantly make excuses for why they don't belong, but none of them really hold up.

My 2011 Top 20 in Posters

I gave a kind of allusion to the year's great poster work in my "Nitrate Awards" post, but then I saw one of my friends post this fantastic writeup, and it got me to think about which posters I'd most go for. And then I left that notion behind and got to thinking about my own top 20 and how their posters really live up, if they do at all. If found that some of them were positive, and others were just very sad and typical. So what is not worth posting something for you guys? Here are my top 20 films of 2011, but with their posters.

20. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

I opted for this one instead of the one with Rooney Mara's tits, though they were very much appreciated in the film. This poster seems to know what the film is better than the opening titles do, and though it doesn't hold a candle to the impact, it does remind one of the film's own merits, of which there are plenty to partake in on revisiting. I will however mention the fact that part of the concept is taken from the poster for "Jane Eyre", though it's not much of a distraction. Also, it's a lot more transparently interesting than the poster for the Swedish version

2012 Nitrate Awards

Consider this my personal superlatives list, but I need to nail the coffin on 2011 beyond any reasonable doubt before moving on to the task at hand of Oscar coverage. It's been a long first week of this year, and that's not been hastened by any piece of news. I don't quite feel the progression of this year yet, but that may be what happens when a film like "The Devil Inside" premieres at the start of the year. So I have no hesitation in going back to more pleasant times as the end of last year.

BEST PICTURE: "Meek's Cutoff"

BEST DIRECTOR: Nicolas Winding Refn ("Drive")

Further Thoughts: I think there's little debating the directorial power that Refn had over this vehicle, having been given the keys to the kingdom by Ryan Gosling. This could have easily turned out any number of ways, and if it weren't for Nicolas Winding Refn at the lead, it wouldn't have become the beautiful, creative, shocking being it is now. You can't chock that up to any other director this year.

BEST ACTOR: Tom Cullen & Chris New ("Weekend")

Further Thoughts: Even if some miracle were to occur that put both these actors in this Oscar category this year, it'd be damn near impossible for either of them to win, because it's impossible to choose between either one of them. Both display copious amounts pent up vigor and expressiveness, despite being as new to the circuit as they are, and I couldn't hand that to any one actor in this category. The only one that comes close is Gary Oldman, who takes shotgun this time around.

BEST ACTRESS: Juliette Binoche ("Certified Copy")

Further Thoughts: I'm not sure what I could say for Binoche at this point. She's already won an Oscar, be it for a performance that was cuter than it was fascinating. Indeed she still has all that cuteness here, but she is working well overtime on the layers and specificities in this character as enigmatic as Ryan Gosling's similarly nameless protagonist this year. It's a role anybody would kill for, and Binoche both strives to understand and manages to have fun with it.

Dance on our Graves: Duncan's Top 20 Films of 2011

I have said, and will continue to say for some time, I'm certain, that I was not too happy in 2011. Of course the fact that I could not make a proper list of just ten films this year seems to dispute that, and there were even some films that I felt pretty good about that nonetheless got shoved off by the time I finalized it. So why the persistent attitude? It's mostly that I had my eye set on presents that I did not get, even though what I received was more than fine. Of course when we get around to Oscar time, it's more likely than not that nobody will notice the best there is to notice. There are precious few on this list that will gain such attention.

As per usual, the first several months of the year were as despairing as you'd expect them to be. It was a poor reminder of how little most people care about cinema, and it's a pathetic dropoff from where we left off at the end of the year. The only real comfort was the mild entertainments of films like "Source Code" and "Hanna", as well as the festival films from the previous year beginning to trickle out. And it's a just portrait of the times that when we did get to the summer, so much of what we found was as unsavory as could be predicted, for me anyway. For some reason, I just didn't get the excitement people felt behind "Super 8", "Harry Potter", and "X-Men: First Class".

Even "The Tree of Life", a recurring figure in the top ten lists of this year, left me cold outside of the performances of Hunter McCracken and Brad Pitt. Truth is, most of the films out this year were good, but few really reached the potential that they had set for themselves, and that's a lot of where I came off ill. The year didn't really kick in until the last trimester, as it usually does. But I'm obviously not speaking of most of the Oscar heavyweights this year. Films like "The Help" and "Moneyball", while not terrible, were severely lacking in spark or spunk. I fail to see the passion invested behind "Hugo", a soulless automaton in itself. And I could so easily live without ever seeing "The Descendants" and "War Horse", though I'm inevitably doomed to sit down to them eventually.

AWARDS 2011: Broadcast Film Critics nominations hit

If I'm pretty damn far behind the beat, it's because more important things in real life have taken up the place of my attention span, however cramped it may be. So now I get along to the BFCA nominations, which remain a mere glyph for what the Oscars might be. The nods are mostly predictable in the vein of what you'd expect. The only thing really worth raising a glass to is Nick Nolte being nominated for supporting actor for "Warrior". Still need to see that one, but I've heard solid things going for the man.

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

AWARDS 2011: San Francisco votes up "Tree of Life"

Is anybody else getting severely tired of these critics awards? I need a long break to regain my sanity after being numbed by repressive output. If nothing else, San Francisco made a great deal of more than just solid choices for their branch of critics. Sure, "The Tree of Life" reminded us once again of how blindly supportive its followers are, but in the film's defense there is heart to it. It's just buried under a heap of misguided non-narrative detour. Other than that, specifically in the performance branches, they get a lot of things right. It's nice to see Gary Oldman finally pick up an award, and it's even nicer to see Tilda Swinton continue on her march to the Oscars.

BEST PICTURE: “The Tree of Life”

BEST DIRECTOR: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

BEST ACTOR: Gary Oldman, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”  

BEST ACTRESS: Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”

AWARDS 2011: NY critics land on "Artist" & "Bridesmaids"

The New York Film Critics Online, the last film awards of the day to start was the shortest to conclude. A lot of the same going on, with another win for Albert Brooks in "Drive", further wins for "The Artist", a push for Michael Shannon in "Take Shelter", another "Tree of Life" cinematography win, and a surprising second award of the day for Melissa McCarthy for "Bridesmaids". Color us surprised, but I'm still guessing she won't make it into the Oscar shortlist. Just simple bias.

BEST PICTURE: "The Artist"

BEST DIRECTOR: Michel Hazanavicius ("The Artist")

BEST SCREENPLAY: "The Descendants"

BEST ACTOR: Michael Shannon ("Take Shelter")

BEST ACTRESS: Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady")

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Albert Brooks ("Drive")

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa McCarthy ("Bridesmaids")

BEST ENSEMBLE: "Bridesmaids"

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER: Jessica Chastain ("The Tree of Life", "The Help", "Take Shelter")

BEST ANIMATED FILM: "The Adventures of Tintin"

BEST DOCUMENTARY: "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "A Separation"

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR: Joe Cornish ("Attack the Block")

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: "The Tree of Life"

BEST USE OF MUSIC: "The Artist"

AWARDS 2011: DC Critics go for the odd nods

With the awards season in full swing, it's expected for things to start to form in unexpected manners. The DC critics have continued that trend which started at NBR, and we're really starting to consider which films are genuinely the main players of the season. Until "War Horse" garners a genuine win, I think it's becoming more and more plain that maybe it's not the frontrunner we all thought it would be. Perhaps it's just a lower tier player, as it wasn't able to even scratch past "Win Win" or "Drive" in the DC circuit. It's odd enough that Nicolas Refn's film was in there, and that alone sparks another fire in this awards season that's in much need of some personality.

"Win Win", on the other hand, I wouldn't give too much attention based on this nomination alone. If AWARDSit's a trend that continues on to other awards, we'll definitely take it into consideration. After all, if "The Help" is getting buzz, then we can more than expect to see more light indie flicks like this to rise up. You could categorize "Win Win" right along with "50/50" in that respect. A few more pleasant notes are that Fassbender made it into his first Best Actor field for his performance in "Shame", Elizabeth Olsen and Tilda Swinton continue to be of strong presence in Best Actress, and Andy Serkis and Melissa McCarthy are genuinely getting buzz for the supporting categories. In review, we need more critics awards to tell if DC is not completely off their rocker.

BEST FILM

- "The Artist"

- "The Descendants"

- "Drive"

- "Hugo"

- "Win Win"

AWARDS 2011: "Drive" & "Beginners" Dominate Indie Spirit Nods

Let me quickly clarify that this was hell to speed write out all the nominations as they were announced via twitter. Give a guy a chance to breathe! All the same, it was really quite fantastic to finally be in the rush of awards season, especially when we're starting in such great fashion. The Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations are really the best way to kick off the season which ends in the bitter disappointment of the Oscars. Of course there are quite a few films that I still don't care for, primarily "The Descendants", and as time ticks by "The Artist". I am not spent on "Beginners" yet, as the film was really quite charming, and its resurgence here gives me enough pause to see it again and reevaluate it.

Still haven't seen "50/50", which doesn't seem as spectacular as it once did, and I expect to get branded by everyone I love for not falling for it. I never got the chance to see it, sadly enough. Fortunately, "Take Shelter" is coming around the bend for me to get in just under the wire for this year. And I've even more ecstatic about "Drive" making such a strong surge for the Indie Spirits. With each passing second it seems all the more like the "Black Swan" of this year. It was nice to see "Martha Marcy May Marlene" to get some love under the main line. What wasn't nice was the almost complete alienation of "Shame", which left Fassbender and Mulligan out of the races, much to my disdain. I'll survive. This is still a nice batch.

BEST PICTURE

-"50/50"

-"Beginners"

-"Drive"

-"Take Shelter"

-"The Artist"

-"The Descendants"

BEST DIRECTOR

-Mike Mills ("Beginners")

-Nicolas Winding Refn ("Drive")

-Jeff Nichols ("Take Shelter")

-Michel Hazanavicius ("The Artist")

-Alexandre Payne ("The Descendants")

The Sound of "Drive"

I've been so desperate to revisit "Drive" since it came out two months back, and it's all too difficult as the film has exited the majority of theaters out there. That is a point of frustration that I simply cannot get over. I often think of how the added parts of "Drive", along with the vision of Nicolas Winding Refn, make it much more than it could have been. The sound design of the film, while not quite so meticulous, is nonetheless crucial in its choices of when it comes in and moves out. "Spot on" is the perfect phrase for this particular film, in most every aspect.

AWARDS 2011: "Tinker, Tailor" Dominates BIFA Nods

Continuing the slow unveiling of film award nominations, the British Independent Film Awards have happily added to the pot. It's a nice array of films that you should get jotted down before the year ends, and I've already gotten off to a solid start with two films in the top race already seen. Two films in particular have prevailed in the nominations above the others, though it's still mostly the same central players. "Senna" is the standout documentary nominee, and a well earned one in my own opinion. "Tyrannosaur" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" are also strong points of interest, gaining their fair share of nods as well. I'd be very happy to see the latter get the lion's share of praise.

However, the top players here are "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", which dominates the performance categories, and "Shame", which picks up more than a few technical nods here. I'd love this to be the start of a surprise awards run for "Shame", but lets face it. That's probably not going to happen. It'll be a wonderful miracle for Fassbender to get nominated in the endgame for Best Actor. I'd consider this to be a sort of outcast lineup, with Mia Wasikowska ("Jane Eyre") and Brendan Gleeson ("The Guard") rounding out the lead actors, and "Drive" picking up a foreign independent nod amongst "Pina" and "A Separation".

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM

• "Senna"
• "Shame"
• "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
• "Tyrannosaur"
• "We Need to Talk About Kevin"