TOP 10 SHOTS from "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

Apologies for the two day delay, but I deeply had my work cut out for myself when I took on this week's Top 10 Shots piece, mostly because I had to figure out something appropriate for the week, despite "Bombay Beach" being unavailable for relation to "Mayley", another documentary of exceptional cinematography. That fell through, so I thought long and hard on what to branch out to, and there's really nothing out this weekend that even connects to something of strong enough quality for dissection. So I turned my gaze towards something outside the realm of theatrical cinema, and instead went towards the world of television for guidance, as many of us often do.

You may already have heard about "Girls", Lena Dunham's television debut after having success with "Tiny Furniture" on the indie market. I felt somewhat compelled to seek out "Tiny Furniture" itself, but it apparently takes time to get Criterion DVDs shipped out to the local library. Who knew? That might have been the end of it, but the cinematographer on both Dunham's series and film had another prolific cinematography venture this past year in the form of "Martha Marcy May Marlene", directed by Sean Durkin. So if you haven't seen the film, I caution SPOILERS TO ALERT, since I will be getting into details about the film following the jump. In other words, GET THE FUCK OUT THERE AND SEE IT!

THEN AND NOW: Supporting Actor & Actress

It's no secret, especially since the rather long leave of silence on the site, that I am just not loving this Oscar season anymore. I'm not sure if I ever was. Of course, there are some races that have me quite invested in the outcome, as always, but they are few. And I kept feeling like I had to explain why this year was a low point in the Academy history, though that should be perfectly obvious. The Academy has lost their teeth, which is no huge news, but even more than that, they've lost their sense of spontaneity. For the first time in a while, I am kind of wishing Brett Ratner and Eddie Murphy had stayed. Why? Because the moment they strolled off, this year became extremely safe. The quick choices of Brian Grazer and Billy Crystal to fill in was the first sign.

So it seems so fitting to compare this year to last year in terms of who made the cut for the nominations. This year, it doesn't really matter who the other four nominations are, as we all know it's going to be Christopher Plummer for Best Supporting Actor. I touched on this a bit a while back, but this year's slate of Supporting Actor competitors is extremely soft. I know everyone is pissed off that Jonah Hill made it, but he honestly isn't the worst of evils. In "Moneyball", he is admittedly kind of good. If nothing else, he has shown that he has a possible future in the way of dramatic roles. Does he deserve a nomination for just showing that he has potential. Absolutely not.

Carpet-Bagging: Lost Boys of the Backdrop

I don't think the lack of unanimous structure in the lead acting races is confined between the two of them. There's as much of an absence from the supporting races as well, which is only noticed by further examination. Personally, I thought that it would be a no-brainer, but then I remembered that the world is a cruel and horrible place, and nothing ever goes my way. The supporting actor race in particular is kind of a crap shoot right now. We've still got a ways to go before the year's end, and what comes along in that time may make this race more definitive, but right now it's hard to place a bet on anyone with confidence.

Although, I think many are agreed that Christopher Plummer is the only real lock thus far. After all, people were so pleased with "Beginners", most especially Plummer's performance. Myself, I'm not sipping the koolaid as much as others are. Sure, his performance is strong, but only as strong as the film will allow him to be. Now, I'd be much more willing to throw Albert Brooks out there as frontrunner for "Drive", but one wonders if the Academy may be a bit adverse to it. I'm pretty confident he'll get a nomination, but not the Waltz-Ledger-Bardem win he so deserves after busting out such a surprising performance.

For Your Anticipation: A Teacher and a Leader

Clearly, there are films that I'd much rather be seeing this weekend than "Paranormal Activity 3", and this one is near to the top of that list. When you hear a lot about a film for the entire year, you'll come to that level of anticipation. "Martha Marcy May Marlene" has brewed controversy and acclaim from the expected sectors for each. Every piece of promotion has been holding back a bloodcurdling scream that I can't wait to hear in full. Probably won't get that opportunity until next month, I hear it's well worth the wait.

Film Review: "Contagion" (**1/2)

Within 10 minutes of "Contagion", I was already catching myself touching my spotty face and letting out a nervous cough, and the slightest scare of paranoia reached me, and other audience members understandably. I'm about to get into a lot of things that I wasn't too fond of in "Contagion", some forgivable, but nonetheless troubling. All the same, I think it's worth mentioning the one thing that Steven Soderbergh does to perfection in this film, which is that central fear of germs and illness that is unavoidable in real life.

If Soderbergh's film has a main character, it's the virus to which it owes its title. From the first moment, it's about the spread of the virus, and how society and the several disease control agencies deal with that problem. There are several characters put to work in the film, and you'd be forgiven for forgetting one or two. Soderbergh packs "Contagion" with all star cast members, none of which hold total focus. Some of them are doctors (Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet), some of them civilians (Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, John Hawkes), and just outside players (Bryan Cranston, Jude Law).

Theatrical Trailer: Martha Marcy May Marlene

Of the films that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, Martha Marcy May Marlene struck me as the film I most wanted to see. A lot of people are calling it the Winter's Bone of this year, but this trailer really paints it as something else entirely. The most I was sure about the film was that it was about a girl who has been in a cult and is just now running away from it. The trailer only hints towards each individual plotline, so subtlety is clearly not going to be a problem with this one. Newcomer Elizabeth Olsen really strikes me as a young Maggie Gyllenhaal type of performer, so I'd expect a performance of equal value. Take a look at the trailer below and chime in on your own thoughts.

Awards 2010: Independent Spirit Award Winners

And with that, the precursor season is now officially over, and I think I'll be more happy with the results here than with the results of tonight's Oscar showcase. Black Swan was the big winner of the night, taking home four awards and making it easier to get through the film not winner Best Picture tonight. James Franco was the most deserving actor of the group nominated, so he quite obviously took the award. Winter's Bone took home a few awards too, mostly in the supporting acting categories. The Kids Are All Right took home Best Screenplay, and Exit Through the Gift Shop won Best Documentary. Now lets go this exact way tonight, we'll finally be done!

Best Feature: Black Swan
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
Best Actor: James Franco (127 Hours)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Best Supporting Actress: Dale Dickey (Winter's Bone)
Best Screenplay: The Kids Are All Right
Best First Screenplay: Tiny Furniture
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Foreign Film: The King's Speech
Best First Feature: Get Low
Best Cinematography: Black Swan

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Supporting Actor

We live in a world of good and bad, and it almost seems as if we spend so much time defining the line between those two that we forget about the line between good and great. That's my biggest problem with this year's Oscar race, and I doubt that I'm alone on this one. I had so much overwhelming trouble compiling a list of last year's best, not only because I hadn't seen everything, but because there were so few truly great films. Not to mention the fact that at the time I was compiling my list, I hadn't made the important revelations that didn't occur until we reached this Oscar race. This Oscar season has really shaped me more critically than any other in recent memory, and that's the biggest complement I can give it.

So, you can stand to reason that all of the performances in the Best Supporting Actor category are good, but can we really say that they're all great? I hardly believe that to be the case, especially since one of my favorite supporting performances of the year wasn't even nominated here, and I'm not speaking of Andrew Garfield's sweet and sympathetic performance in The Social Network. I'm talking about Vincent Cassel's finely cut performance in Black Swan as the intense ballet director and Nina's romantic fancy. Almost every character in the film is two-sided, which offers only the greatest performances.

As for what is nominated, I can't say all are deserving to be here, and the one I find my mind coming back to constantly is Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech. I know he used to be the frontrunner, but he just lacks the extra depth that's needed to go above and beyond. If there's anybody who's going to steal the top prize from the preferred winner, it will be him, but undeservedly so. Similarly, Jeremy Renner did a fantastic job with what he was given in The Town, and he just bordered on being truly great. The role was there, and he was there, but something benign just seems to be holding him back a bit.

So who is nominated here and deserves to be here? For one thing, I still feel Mark Ruffalo's character in The Kids Are All Right was given a melancholic and half-fulfilled ending, which is really perfect for the performance he gave. It's really fascinating in that less-is-more sort of way, and Ruffalo has always excelled in such subtleties. John Hawkes is my #2 pick for this category, and he emphasizes everything I loved about Winter's Bone, with the gruff exterior shrouding a wearied heart underneath. He's sadly not going to win this year, which adds to my hopes that he really pulls out all the stops in Martha Marcy May Marlene.

This category simply belongs to Christian Bale this year, and it's almost an act of apology after the Academy snubbing him all these years. It's unfortunate that he hasn't received a nomination until now, but it's great that he's set to receive his first win this year. He always falls completely into these roles, from every expression and every breathe, and it almost always feels unique to that specific character. This is one of those instances, and when Bale's playing a coked up former-wrestler whose fame is widely debatable, as is the case in The Fighter, you're going to deal with some crazy emotions. Bale matches those perfectly, as he almost always does.

1. Christian Bale (The Fighter)
2. John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
3. Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
4. Jeremy Renner (The Town)
5. Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Will & Should Win: Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Potential Upset: Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Should Have Been Nominated: Vincent Cassel (Black Swan)

What's Next?: Best Supporting Actor

We had something of a weak start to this series last week, with a bunch of supporting actresses who weren't planning on doing anything radical or new in the next year. This week is certainly a step in the right direction, with five supporting actors who have rather large and immediate plans made. Take John Hawkes for example, who is currently nominated for his role in Winter's Bone, which premiered a year ago at Sundance. This year he has a similar Sundance darling in the form of Martha Marcy May Marlene, in which he plays the leader of the cult that Elizabeth Olsen's character is trying to escape from. I'd be very happy to see the man back here again next year.

Mark Ruffalo's next feature is certainly an ambitious one, and he has some literally huge shoes to fill. He's set to appear as Bruce Banner, otherwise known as the Hulk, in Joss Whedon's The Avengers, currently slotted to release in May of 2012. On a related note, Christian Bale also has a superhero role by the first name of Bruce to head into after he picks up his Oscar statuette later this month. The Dark Knight Rises is piecing itself together as we speak, with a few casting rumors still circulating. I doubt they're going to put Robin Williams in as Hugo Strange, because I feel we have all the villains we need for the film to work. However, if Joseph Gordon Levitt ends up playing a supporting protagonist, I'm totally in. Wally Pfister has also recently said that he's read the script for the film, and it could potentially top The Dark Knight. If that doesn't make you want to push time forward to July 2012, then I have no idea what does.

I'm sorry if it felt like I was going off course, but I just had to get that news out there. Getting back on topic, Geoffrey Rush can be said to have big plans this year, but depending on who you ask, he could also have made some decisions. This May, Rush reunites with Johnny Depp for the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides, this time circling around the fountain of youth. With each film, there is a certain chance of some shred of disappointment, and this is no different. Still, it may be good impure entertainment, but certainly no more. Capping things off with Jeremy Renner, he has two rather large box office enterprises to head into. For one thing he has a supporting role in The Avengers, so he may have a scene to shoot with Mark Ruffalo. On the more immediate horizon, he's working with Brad Bird on Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, which could be the best film in the franchise. I expect big things of Brad Bird, and he's never let us down before. Not to my recollection anyway.

Images (in order): Christian Bale in The Dark Knight; John Hawkes in Martha Marcy May Marlene

Oscar 2010: Final Nomination Predictions (Part 2: Acting Categories)

Sorry I didn't get this to you guys yesterday, but I had a lot more on my plate than I anticipated. Nonetheless, we have plenty to discuss today in terms of the acting categories, which are often the vital organs of the Academy Awards. The technical awards can be slid over, but the acting races are so closely observed. There's bound to be more than one disappointment in the books. The Supporting Actor category is perhaps the least competitive of the bunch, because everybody knows at this point that Christian Bale is going to take the award for The Fighter. It's almost unnecessary to have anyone else be nominated, and yet those slots still have to be filled.

Geoffrey Rush was the original frontrunner in the category for his work in The King's Speech, but once Bale entered the ring, there was little hope for Rush taking the win, but he should still get a nod. Mark Ruffalo was never anything more than a contender looking for a nomination for his work in The Kids Are All Right, and by that standard he should get it. This is where things get really tricky. Jeremy Renner entered the game later in the year for his work in The Town, and that's really the only outstanding aspect of that film, so he deserves a nod. That leaves only one major slot to fill, and in most ways it's the major battle between Andrew Garfield's work in The Social Network and John Hawkes' bravura performance in Winter's Bone. Personally, I'd go for John Hawkes to win the category in a second, but that's not going to happen. I shudder at the idea of him not taking a nomination at all. As much as I love Garfield's sentimental and appealing work as Eduardo Saverin, he's just outside the arena in this case.

One of the less predictable races, Supporting Actress, the entire race and its outcome depends on who is nominated. Amy Adams and Helena Bonham Carter are pretty solid bets to get nominations for The Fighter and The King's Speech respectively. Melissa Leo is in a major fight to win the award, but could so easily be thwarted by Hailee Steinfeld. It all depends on whether Steinfeld will be nominated in the lead or supporting race for True Grit, because that's still up for debate. If nominated in the supporting race, Leo has some major competition to go up against, a sad statement for such an esteemed actress. If nominated for lead, Leo should take the win, and Steinfeld walks away with some sort of consolation prize for her effort. As for who will round out the category, it's between Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom and Mila Kunis for Black Swan. I'd prefer the latter, and that's who I'm going to bet on. Of course, if Steinfeld makes the cut for lead, they could both make it in.

1st Annual Nitrate Awards

We've now officially completed this year's inaugural run of the "Best of the Year" segment, and it's definitely been something of a success. It was a little rocky on the finish there, and I apologize for the numerous problems that sprung up in terms of yesterday's "Best Films of 2010" posts. I'll probably not try the whole countdown thing again next year, and just go with simply posting it all up, avoiding all the technical errors that we've been rigorously dealing with these past few weeks. So now the only thing left to do is give my superlatives, and so here is the premiere run of the Nitrate Awards, which we hope to carry on more successfully to next year. Feel free to list your choices in these categories!

Best Picture: True Grit
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Best Supporting Actress: Marion Cotillard (Inception)
Best Male Cameo: Chris Evans (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)
Best Female Cameo: Rooney Mara (The Social Network)
Best Breakthrough Male Performance: Kieran Culkin (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World)
Best Breakthrough Female Performance: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

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

Film Review: Winter's Bone

Just as this summer comes to an end, I finally get the chance to catch the first film this year to get enough going for it to be a credible threat in the Best Picture category. I'm going to state right away that I don't expect this film to take the top prize, as the film doesn't quite measure up to The Kids Are All Right or Toy Story 3, but this is still a hugely successful film. The film follows Ree Dolly, a seventeen year old girl who finds herself in the unfortunate position of primary caregiver for her two siblings and mother after her criminal father goes missing. When they are threatened with being kicked off their property if their father doesn't show up for court, Ree goes searching for him.

This film deals a fair bit with the setting of southern Missouri, and how the landscape really echoes the name of state. The trees don't shine of nature's beauty, but instead are more like uneven growths out of the cold winter landscape. The look of the cinematography is just as bleak as the subject matter. This family is being faced with poverty, homelessness, and the fact that their father may be dead. Ree Dolly, portrayed by this year's undiscovered-talent-turned-Oscar-contender Jennifer Lawrence, is one of those great female characters who you rarely see realized on screen. She's just as strong as the men in her criminalistic extended family, just in a different sort of way.

Director Debra Granik (Down to the Bone) really pushes the intensity of this thriller, right up the very end. There are moments where you feel like things could instantly go wrong without the slightest hesitation. You may indeed forget to breath during this movie. However, most things aren't as they initially seem, which is the main difference between a good film and a great one. There are things going on that Ree doesn't approve of or know about, but she can't do anything about it. All she can do is look out for her family's livelihood. Jennifer Lawrence isn't the only golden egg this movie has. John Hawkes also puts up an awards worthy performance as Ree's uncle, Teardrop. All the actors put their best work towards making this a family, and keeping that unique bond authentic.

There isn't much music in this film, as if it would break the atmosphere of tension that surrounds our characters. Any music we do hear has strange and quiet nature to it. The pacing of the film is pitch-perfect, not laying around longer than it needs to. It gets it's business done while it can, and it doesn't feel rushed. As a matter of fact, you may be tricked into believing that that first thirty minutes of the film is an unnecessary waste of time. Things prove to be more eventful as the last hour of the film unfolds. Winter's Bone may or may not be remembered in the coming years, but it's currently got a number four spot on my list of top films of this year.

A-