DD

Today the Academy Award nominees were announced. I’m currently suffering from sore wrists, so I’m keeping things brief as possible. Just the list of nominees with some of my thoughts on each category.

Best Picture
“Avatar”
“The Blind Side”
“District 9”
“An Education”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Precious”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”
“Up in the Air”

It’s not secret that I’m not a fan of The Blind Side, but I’ve come to peace with its nod. Fact is it’s a hugely popular film, and it’s not the first time a film of this kind has been nominated for best picture (Rocky, Titanic, The Fugitive, etc). The rest of the nominees are pretty darn good. I just wish (500) Days of Summer, Star Trek, or The Cove had made it.

Best Director
James Cameron, “Avatar”
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
“Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”
“Lee Daniels, “Precious”
Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”

No surprises there. Exactly the same five nominees that were nominated for the DGAs (Director’s Guild).

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth, “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”

Again, no surprises. These are the same five actors who have been nominated by nearly every awards group this year. I wish Matt Damon (The Informant), Sam Rockwell (Moon) or Ben Foster (The Messenger) had a shot, but the category was just too crowded this year.

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia”

Again, the same five actresses who have been dominating the awards race. I would’ve been happy if Sandra Bullock had been replaced by Abbie Cornish (Bright Star) or Katie Jarvis (Fish Tank), but they’re movies were too small and Bullock just can’t be stopped.

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, “Invictus”
Woody Harrelon, “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”

Yup, no surprises once again. I personally thought Damon’s performance was on the boring side. Maybe they wanted to nominate him here since they knew he wouldn’t get nominated in the lead category? It’s a shame Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) didn’t get a nod.

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, “Nine”
Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique, “Precious”

I haven’t seen Nine or Crazy Heart, so I don’t have much to say here. I would’ve liked to see Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) or Samantha Morton (The Messenger) sneak in.

Best Adapted Screenplay
“District 9”
“An Education”
“In the Loop”
“Precious”
“Up in the Air”

I’m extremely happy to see In the Loop’s nomination. Also would’ve liked it if they recognized the great animated adaptations (Fantastic Mr. Fox/Coraline), but I’ll take what I can get.

Best Original Screenplay
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“The Messenger”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”

Wasn’t really expecting The Messenger to get recognized here. It probably got in at the expense of (500) Days of Summer, which is kinda sad. Both films have great screenplays.

Best Animated Feature Film
“Coraline”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“The Princess and the Frog”
“The Secret of Kells”
“Up”

Was NOT expecting The Secret of Kells to get a nod. It was one of my favourite animated films of the year, so I’m filled with joy. It’s sad that Ponyo got the snub. There were simply too many good animated films to choose from.

Best Foreign Language Film
“Ajami” (Israel)
“The Milk of Sorrow” (Peru)
“A Prophet” (France)
“The Secret in Their Eyes” (Argentina)
“The White Ribbon” (Germany)

All I have seen is The White Ribbon, so no comment.

Best Art Direction
“Avatar”
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“Nine”
“Sherlock Holmes”
“The Young Victoria”

Best Cinematography
“Avatar”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“The Hurt Locker”
“The White Ribbon”

Pleased to see Bruno Delbonnel’s beautiful Harry Potter work recognized here. Great slate of nominees in this category. Bright Star and Lovely Bones both had lovely cinematography that deserved notice.

Best Costume Design
“Bright Star”
“Coco Before Chanel”
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“Nine”
“The Young Victoria”

It’s nice that Bright Star got SOMETHING I guess. Inglourious Basterds, Watchmen, Sherlock Holmes, Where the Wild Things Are, and Fantastic Mr Fox have sadly been ignored.

Best Film Editing
“Avatar”
“District 9”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Precious”

I expected Star Trek or Up in the Air to get in over Precious. It’s no surprise though. Best Picture nominees always dominate this category.

Best Makeup
“Il Divo”
“Star Trek”
“The Young Victoria”

Where are Dr. Parnassus, District 9 and/or Drag Me to Hell?

Best Music (Original Score)
“Avatar”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Sherlock Holmes”
“Up”

The Informant! was snubbed! I was shocked by The Hurt Locker’s nod. Good work from Marco Beltrami, but it’s only noticable for a few minutes during the film.

Best Music (Original Song)
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36″
“Take it All” from “Nine”
“The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart”

Crazy Heart SHOULD take this in a cakewalk.

Best Sound Editing
“Avatar”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”
“Up”

I don’t have much to say about the Sound categories other than that I thought Drag Me to Hell had amazing sound work. Oh, and Lovely Bones had some nice Sound Mixing.

Best Sound Mixing
“Avatar”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

Best Visual Effects
“Avatar”
“District 9”
“Star Trek”

Avatar has this in the bag.

Best Documentary Feature
“Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country”
“The Cove”
“Food, Inc.”
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
“Which Way Home”

Best Documentary Short
“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province”
“The Last Campaign of Booth Gardener”
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”
“Music by Prudence”
“Rabbit a la Berlin”

Best Short Film (Animated)
“French Roast”
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty”
“The Lady and the Reaper”
“Logorama”
“A Matter of Loaf and Death”

Best Short Film (Live Action)
“The Door”
“Instead of Abracadabra”
“Kavi”
“Miracle Fish”
“The New Tenants”

I’ve been going through a wrist flare up the last few days, so I’m not bothering with commentary this week. Just check the list below to see what new releases are out this week.

Theatre - Wide Releases

From Paris With Love
Dear John

Theatre - Limited Releases

District B13
Frozen
Jackie Chan in Shinjuku Incident
The Korean
Red Riding Trilogy Part 1 <– My pick
Red Riding Trilogy Part 2 <– My pick
Red Riding Trilogy Part 3 <– My pick
Terribly Happy
Tony
The Most Dangerous Man in America

Theatre - Expanding

Crazy Heart

DVD/Blu-ray releases

Zombieland (DVD/Blu) <– My pick
Amelia (DVD/Blu)
The Time Traveler’s Wife (DVD/Blu)
New York, I Love You (DVD/Blu)
Love Happens (DVD/Blu)
House of the Devil (DVD/Blu)
Universal Soldier: Regeneration (DVD/Blu)
The Wolf Man (DVD)
Ong Bak 2 (DVD)
Mystic River (Blu)
The Godfather (Blu)
The Godfather Part II (Blu)
Gangs of New York (Blu)
Walk the Line (Blu)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Blu)
The Last King of Scotland (Blu)
Mona Lisa Smile (Blu)
Maid in Manhattan (Blu)
The Music Man (Blu)
Million Dollar Baby (Blu)
Unforgiven (Blu)
Gigi (Blu)
An American in Paris (Blu)
To Live and Die in LA (Blu)
Beverly Hills 90210 S9 (DVD)
Dr. Who The Complete Specials (DVD)
The Mary Tyler Moore Show S6 (DVD)
Mister Ed S2 (DVD)
Dragon Ball S3 (DVD)

It’s another slow release week. Avatar just reached $550 million at the box office and was #1 for the 6th week in a row. With nothing to challenge it any time soon it’ll easily pass Titanic’s record by next week. For this week there are only two new releases: The Mel Gibson thriller Edge of Darkness and a comedy starring Kristen Bell called When in Rome.

Relevant DVD releases for the week include Saw VI, Whip It!, Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Surrogates, Give ‘Em Hell Malone, and The Boys Are Back. There is also a pair of Keira Knightley films getting Blu-ray releases: Pride & Prejudice and Atonement.

Theatre - Wide Releases

Edge of Darkness <– My pick
When In Rome


Theatre - Limited Releases

Falling Awake
Off and Running
Saint John of Las Vegas
The Weathered Underground

DVD/Blu-ray

Saw VI (DVD/Blu)
Surrogates (DVD/Blu)
Michael Jackson’s This Is It (DVD/Blu)
Whip It! (DVD/Blu) <– My pick
Soul Power (DVD/Blu)
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (DVD)
Paris, Texas (Blu)
Robert Rossellini’s War Trilogy (DVD)
Little Ashes (DVD)
Pride & Prejudice (Blu)
Atonement (Blu)
The Toolbox Murders (Blu)
The Boys Are Back (DVD)
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (DVD)
WWII in HD (DVD/Blu)
Give Em Hell Malone (DVD/Blu)
King Lear (DVD)
Alone in the Dark 2 (DVD)
Southland S1 (DVD)
The Universe S4 (DVD)
Pawn Stars S1 (DVD)

This is exactly like my post last January that listed all of the films I had seen during the previous year and ranked them in the order of my preference. Looking over this year’s list, I am reminded of how many great movies I saw in 2009. Very few of the movies I watched were below average. Granted, I did my best to avoid stinkers like Bride Wars and I Love You Beth Cooper.

There are still a few critically acclaimed/popular movies I haven’t gotten around to seeing. The biggest examples are the following: Nine, A Single Man, The Imaginerium of Dr. Parnassus, Crazy Heart, Disgrace, The Last Station, Me and Orson Welles, A Prophet, Red Cliff, That Evening Sun, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Fast and Furious, Angels & Demons, G-Force, Couples Retreat.

Keep in mind this is just my opinion and everyone feels differently about each film. For example,  there are many people out there who will disagree with my placement of Where the Wild Things Are and Sherlock Holmes, two films that I thought were decent but flawed. Feel free to disagree with me.

5 stars - Excellent

1. The Hurt Locker
2. Up
3. The Cove
4. Avatar
5. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
6. Star Trek
7. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
8. (500) Days of Summer
9. The Informant!
10. The Messenger
11. The White Ribbon
12. Fish Tank
13. Sin Nombre
14. The Secret of Kells
15. A Serious Man

4 stars - Very good

16. The Damned United
17. Drag Me to Hell
18. Coraline
19. Inglourious Basterds
20. In the Loop
21. An Education
22. Moon
23. Ponyo
24. Away We Go
25. District 9
26. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
27. Watchmen
28. Up in the Air
29. State of Play
30. Sugar
31. Public Enemies
32. Zombieland
33. Adam
34. The Princess and the Frog
35. Bright Star
36. It’s Complicated
37. Trick ‘r Treat
38. Goodbye Solo
39. The Brothers Bloom
40. The Hangover
41. I Love You, Man
42. Julie & Julia
43. 12
44. A Christmas Carol
45. Funny People
46. Invictus
47. Taken
48. Whatever Works
49. Broken Embraces
50. Whip It!
51. Brothers
52. Adventureland
53. Empties
54. Mary and Max

3 stars - Decent but flawed, or maybe just not my thing

55. The Road
56. Duplicity
57. 9
58. Sunshine Cleaning
59. The Lovely Bones
60. Sherlock Holmes
61. The International
62. It Might Get Loud
63. Michael Jackson’s This Is It
64. World’s Greatest Dad
65. 2012
66. Where the Wild Things Are
67. Taking Woodstock
68. Monsters vs. Aliens
69. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
70. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
71. The Blind Side

2 stars - Below average

72. The Proposal
73. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
74. Surrogates
75. Paranormal Activity
76. He’s Just Not That Into You
77. Julia (although it does have an excellent lead performance)
78. Bad Lieutenant

1 star - Terrible

79. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
80. Terminator: Salvation
81. The Final Destination
82. G.I. Joe
83. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
84. Land of the Lost

I apologize for the severe lateness of this post. I’ve had a difficult time getting back into school mode after getting all soft and lazy over Christmas break. Add in a crazy weekend road trip and it was easy to find excuses for not updating. To make up for lost time, I’m including two weeks of releases in one post. Basically all of these movies are now in stores or already playing in/coming soon to theatres. There have been so many good DVD releases the last two weeks that I decided to bold the ones that I consider to be must buys.

Theatre - Wide Releases

Extraordinary Measures
Legion
The Tooth Fairy
Book of Eli
The Spy Next Door
The Lovely Bones <– My pick
The Last Station

Theatre - Limited Releases

Creation
The Paranoids
To Save a Life
Fish Tank <– My pick
44 Inch Chest


DVD/Blu-ray Releases

The Hurt Locker (DVD/Blu) <– My pick
Moon (DVD/Blu)
In the Loop (DVD/Blu)
Gamer (DVD/Blu)
Pandorum (DVD/Blu)
The Invention of Lying (DVD/Blu)
Che (DVD/Blu)
Bright Star (DVD/Blu)
Halloween II (DVD/Blu)
Fame (DVD/Blu)
The Brothers Bloom (DVD/Blu)
Smoking Aces II (DVD/Blu)
Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself (DVD/Blu)
Post Grad (DVD/Blu)
8 1/2 (Blu)
Departures (DVD)
Amreeka (DVD)
The House on Sorority Row (DVD)
Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (DVD)
Big Fan (DVD)
Cliffhanger (Blu)
Last Action Hero (Blu)
The Burning Plain (DVD/Blu)
Whiteout (DVD/Blu)
According to Greta (DVD/Blu)
Death in Love (DVD)
The Bourne Identity (Blu)
The Bourne Supremacy (Blu)
The Bourne Ultimatum (Blu)
Magnolia (Blu)
Weeds S5 (DVD/Blu)
The Simpsons S20 (DVD/Blu)
Damages S2 (DVD)
ER S12 (DVD)
Becker S3 (DVD)
Jon and Kate Plus 8 S5 (DVD)
10 Things I Hate About You S1 (DVD)
Transformers S2,V2 (DVD)
Make It or Break It S1 (DVD)
Dallas S12 (DVD)
Thirtysomething S2 (DVD)
21 Jump Street (DVD)
Fraggle Rock (series) DVD

Part way through the past year I wrote an article on my blog that brought up the possibility of 2009 being the best year for movies in the last decade. It was in response to a few articles written in the oscar blog community that believed it might be a possibility, but at the time I wasn’t sure if I agreed. Now that 2009 has come to a close and I have seen most of the year’s best films (I still haven’t seen A Serious Man, A Single Man, The Road, Crazy Heart, and Nine), I can honestly say that 2009 isn’t quite the best year for movies this decade, but it WAS an awesome year for cinema. The year’s collection of films don’t touch the library of films that came out in 2007 and 2002, but there were a LOT of good movies. I’m aware that some people may insist that 2009 was a bad year for films, so let me dig deeper into the reasons why I feel differently.

When I look back at 2009, I think it was an important year for two reasons. Animated films and women directors. There has never been so many quality animated films released in a single year. This year we got Up, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Coraline, Ponyo, Princess and the Frog, 9, Mary & Max, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Secret of Kells, A Town Called Panic, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Ice Age. That doesn’t even include a number of films that didn’t get rave reviews, but still earned respect from the animation community. Most years we’re lucky to get two or three worthwhile animated films, so it was definitely a huge year for the medium.

It was also great seeing some significant films from women directors. This year brought brilliant films from Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Jane Campion (Bright Star), Lone Scherfig (An Education), Nancy Meyers (It’s Complicated), Nora Ephron (Julie & Julia), Agnes Varda (Beaches of Agnes), Claire Denis (35 Shots of Rum,White Material), Christine Jeffs (Sunshine Cleaning), and Drew Barrymore (Whip It). Not only is it likely that Kathryn Bigelow could win an oscar for directing, but it’s also very possible that two women could be nominated in the category. Considering only three women have ever been nominated in the history of the Oscars, the significance is profound.

To sum things up, 2009 simply had a lot of movies that I really enjoyed. Time must pass before the history books look at 2009 as a highlight year for film, but right now I feel that it was. But enough discussion, on to my list!

Movies I enjoyed that at least deserve to be mentioned:

Adam, Away We Go, Bright Star, The Brothers Bloom, A Christmas Carol, District 9, Funny People, Goodbye Solo, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Julie & Julia, Moon, Ponyo, The Princess and the Frog, Public Enemies, State of Play, Sugar, Trick ‘R Treat, Up in the Air, Watchmen, Whatever Works, Zombieland

Runners Up:

An Education

A British period piece with great performances from a talented cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson,  Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, and Olivia Williams.

Coraline

An inventive and painstakingly animated adaptation of the popular children’s book.

The Damned United

Arguably the best sports movie since Field of Dreams.

Drag Me to Hell

Sam Raimi’s thrilling return to comedy horror provided the most fun to be had at the movies all year.

Fish Tank

British Indie film-making at it’s best, with a star-in-the-making performance from Katie Jarvis.

In the Loop

A hilarious dark comedy that provides non-stop (and very vulgar) laughs. Think of it as Dr. Strangelove for modern times.

Inglourious Basterds

Tarantino’s World War 2 epic still frustrates me at certain moments, but there’s no denying that it’s an incredibly well made movie. Most of my problems lie with what I consider to be unbalanced writing and acting, but the occasional scenes of brilliant action and breakout performances by Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent ensure the film gets a spot on my runners up list.

The Secret of Kells

A beautiful Irish animated film that features voice work from Brendan Gleeson. Scenes in a forest are among the most spellbinding animation that I’ve ever seen. In what might be the busiest year ever for the animation medium, The Secret of Kells ranks as one of the best.

Sin Nombre

A shocking Mexican film that explores illegal immigration and gang violence. It’s similar to City of God and Slumdog Millionaire, but still manages to stand out on it’s own.

The White Ribbon

Michael Haneke’s disturbing drama dwells on the goings on in a small German village pre-World War 1. Much like Haneke’s 2005 film, Cache, The White Ribbon leaves you with a lot of questions and very few answers, but it is an experience that refuses to go away.

The top 10

10. The Messenger
Directed by Oren Moverman
Starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morten, Steve Buscemi
Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity

The first of two films in my top 10 that are about the American war against terror. The Messenger makes my list because it has an incredibly moving story involving two American soldiers who make house calls to inform widows that their loved ones have fallen in combat. The script is very smartly written, taking the story to surprising places, and the performances from Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morten rank as career bests.

9. The Informant!
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Starring Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskie, Scott Bakula
Rated R for language

The Informant! stands out as one of the funniest films of 2009. The cheeky tone of the film is sometimes off-putting, but it works mainly due to Matt Damon’s brilliant performance and the hilarious dialogue and score. I haven’t had a chance to revisit the film since it first came out in theatres, but as of now it sticks in my mind as a highly entertaining comedy/thriller that is more than worthy of a spot in my top 10.

8. (500) Days of Summer
Directed by Marc Webb
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
Rated PG13 for sexual material and language

2009 was a terrible year for Romantic Comedies. Before (500) Days of Summer’s release in the summer, we were treated to critical failures such as Bride Wars, New in Town, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Then along came (500) Days of Summer, with it’s realistic take on relationships, smart writing, and inspired dance numbers and split screen sequences. Not since my first viewing of Annie Hall have I seen such a different take on romance in the movies.

7. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by Wes Anderson
Voice Talent by George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe
Rated PG for action, smoking and slang humor

After Wes Anderson’s slightly disappointing 2007 endeavor, The Darjeeling Limited, I kept expections for his first animated film fairly low. The Fantastic Mr. Fox proved that I shouldn’t have lost faith in one of the most talented auteurs in Hollywood. It is a smart, family friendly film that retains Anderson’s quirky style. Making for an entirely new animated experience.

6. Star Trek
Directed by JJ Abrams
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg
Rated PG13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content

I’ve never been a huge fan of Star Trek, although I enjoyed a few of the past films. JJ Abrams series reboot finally gave me a reason to give the series a chance, stripping the series down to it’s bare essentials and making it a more exciting and faster paced blockbuster. Some devoted fans might not be happy with the results, but I for one am happy with the new direction that JJ Abrams has taken the series.

5. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Directed by Lee Daniels
Starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz
Rated R for child abuse including sexual assault, and pervasive language

Watching Precious can be a demanding experience, as Lee Daniel’s film shows graphic domestic violence. Yet there is a small sprinkling of humour and a sense of hope that makes the film watchable. But it’s the acting that makes the movie one of the best of the year. Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique give the two best performances of 2009, matching each other’s intensity and emotional depth throughout the film and leaving you speechless by time the climax comes knocking.

4. Avatar
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez
Rated PG13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking

After years of hype, James Cameron finally brought Avatar to theatres worldwide and against all odds, it met expectations. The visual effects, CGI and 3D technology is unlike anything ever seen before, but it’s Cameron’s ability to craft a thrilling adventure filled with action that impressed me the most. Avatar joins Aliens, Terminator 2 and The Abyss as spellbinding entertainment (and admittedly cheesy dialogue). Nobody makes action movies like James Cameron.

3. The Cove
Directed by Louie Psyhoyos
Rated PG13 for disturbing content

While The Cove isn’t the easiest film to sit through (dolphin slaughter isn’t pretty), it is so well crafted and such an important topic that it needs to be seen by as many people as possible. It is shot like a documentary version of The Bourne Identity making the disturbing topic slightly easier to watch. The team of film-makers involved in The Cove put themselves at great risk to get this story out there, and seeing them succeed made for one of the most moving film experiences of 2009.

2. Up
Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Voice Talent by Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer
Rated PG for some peril and action

The opening marriage montage alone is enough reason for Up’s high placement. That scene is one of Pixar’s greatest achievements, expertly showing life’s ups and downs in the first 5 minutes of the movie. The following 90 minutes are nearly as good, providing laughs, adventure, and a lesson that is important for people of all ages: that it’s the small joys that make up the best moments of one’s life.

1. The Hurt Locker
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes
Rated R for war violence and language

The first time I saw The Hurt Locker I sat in my seat completely stunned by what I had just seen. The Hurt Locker isn’t just a well made war film, it’s also an intricate action movie that is intense, emotional, and relevant. Kathryn Bigelow’s talented direction, Jeremy Renner’s bravado filled performance, and the perfectly orchestrated action scenes make The Hurt Locker an instant classic, and arguably the greatest war film of the 2000s.

Starting today I am beginning a new series that will count down my favourite movies of the 2000s. These are the 100 movies that stand out to me as being the best of the decade. Some of them are impactful, others were moving, and some were simply entertaining. This is my list, so of course it’s personal and could cause argument for some people. I encourage anyone reading to take time to comment with their thoughts on each entry. After all, the purpose of this blog is to talk about movies.

#100 - A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Haley-Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O’Connor, William Hurt, Brendan Gleeson
Academy Award Nominations: Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score
Deserved Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Jude Law), Best Cinematography

Then:

A.I. had been a pet project of Stanley Kubrick’s. When Kubrick passed away Steven Spielberg took over the project. The film opened to positive reviews and did alright at the box office, but word-of-mouth was decidedly mixed. When I saw A.I. in June 2001, I thought it was a beautiful piece of work. Complaints that it was too sentimental and dragged on too long seemed unjustified to me. I’ve never understood why people don’t like Spielberg’s tendency towards sentimentality. While it’s true that he goes over-the-top once in awhile, I don’t think it hurts any of his movies. He’s one of the best directors of all time and has provided some amazing moments in movies, and A.I. has plenty of great scenes.

Now: Watching A.I. for the first time in 9 years, I was surprised at how well it has held up. The story is still as moving as it was then, and the strong production values are quite stunning. Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography for the film ranks amongst the best of his career, showing a future that is beautiful and menacing. The Art Direction, Visual Effects are also top-notch, and John Williams’ score is a subtle masterwork. What I love most however, is the excellent cast. Haley-Joel Osment followed up his Oscar nominated turn in The Sixth Sense with a strong lead performance as the robot boy, and he is supported by a strong cast that includes Frances O’Connor, William Hurt and Brendan Gleeson. The real standout performance of the film belongs to Jude Law, who is a marvel as a sex bot on the run from the Law.

Looking at the film now, I believe it is one of Speilberg’s strongest films, fitting neatly beside his other classics such as Jaws, E.T., and Schindler’s List.

We’re officially into a new year. January is usually the worst month of the year for movies, as studios dump films that aren’t expected to make money into theatres. This week’s three wide releases, which include a screwball comedy, a horror film, and an R-rated comedy, all look intriguing at best. I’m personally interested in all three, but I don’t trust anything that comes out in January until reviews come out. Of the three I am most interested in Leap Year, if only because I have a deep love for Amy Adams and will watch anything she makes no matter how good or bad it turns out.

As far as limited releases go there is nothing noteworthy. Just indie films that got lost amongst last years awards hopefuls.

The week’s big home video releases are The Final Destination (an abomination imo), Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and a variety of old films making their Blu-ray debuts. My pick of the week goes to the second season of Chuck, which is a great season for one of the most under-appreciated Television shows.

Theatre - Wide Releases

Leap Year <– My pick
Daybreakers
Youth in Revolt

Theatre - Limited Releases

Bitch Slap
Crazy on the Outside
Waiting for Armageddon
Wonderful World
Sweetgrass

DVD/Blu-ray Releases

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (DVD/Blu)
The Final Destination (DVD/Blu)
Lorna’s Silence (DVD)
Trucker (DVD)
10 Things I Hate About You SE (DVD/Blu)
Doom (Blu)
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (Blu)
Dogtown and Z Boys (Blu)
Dawn of the Dead - 2004 (Blu)
Jarhead (Blu)
The Last Starfighter (Blu)
Chuck S2 (DVD/Blu) <– My pick
Battlestar Galactica S1 (Blu)
Big Love S3 (DVD)
Superfriends S1,V1 (DVD)
Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures series (DVD)
Iron Man: Armored Adventures V2 (DVD)

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 has come to an end, and with 2010’s arrival we are entering a new decade. I’m taking a moment tonight to break my tradition of never making resolutions and discuss some stuff I have planned for this blog.

First of all…news.

I am going to attempt to count down my top 100 films of the last decade. I will post the first entry tomorrow, and will hopefully follow up with entries every few days. We’ll see if I can keep it up.

Also, I will be changing my review score format from the 5 star system to a letter grade. I don’t think it really matters. It’s just a personal preferrence.

I have never seen the point of making Resolutions. I’ve always seen them as something that is only broken a month into a new year. But seeing fellow Bullshisher Lauren’s success I felt inspired to change my ways and attempt something that is actually possible over the course of the next 12 months. There are actually two things I plan on doing.

1. Stop reading the Oscar blogs on a regular basis. Lately I’ve been wondering if my reading oscar news every single day could affect my ability to enjoy a movie. After months of reading about a film’s awards chances, it’s probably more likely that I will end up feeling underwhelmed. So this year, I will try to avoid reading the oscar news/reviews and only check Rotten Tomatoes to see which films are being well-received.

2. Watch every “noteworthy” film made by Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, and Billy Wilder. Those three directors are probably the most famous of their time, and I’ve only seen a few of their classics. It’s time I rectify that and I think it might be fun to watch every good movie that they made. I will list them out. Bolded titles are ones I have already seen, but I will watch them again anyways.

Akira Kurosawa

1. Drunken Angel (1948) I actually watched this tonight)
2. Stray Dog (1949)
3. Scandal (1949)
4. Rashomon (1950)
5. The Idiot (1951)
6. Ikiru (1952)
7. Seven Samurai (1954)
8. I Live in Fear (1955)
9. Throne of Blood (1957)
10. The Lower Depths (1957)
11. The Hidden Fortress (1958)
12. The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
13. Yojimbo (1961)
14. Sanjuro (1962)
15. High and Low (1963)
16. Red Beard (1965)
17. Dodes’ka-den (1970)
18. Dersu Uzala (1975)
19. Kagemusha (1980)
20. Ran (1985)
21. Dreams (1990)
22. Rhapsody in August (1991)
23. Madadayo (1993)

Alfred Hitchcock

1. The Lodger (1927)
2. The 39 Steps (1935)
3. Sabotage (1936)
4. Young and Innocent (1937)
5. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
6. Rebecca (1940)
7. Foreign Correspondent (1940)
8. Suspicion (1941)
9. Saboteur (1942)
10. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
11. Lifeboat (1944)
12. Spellbound (1945)
13. Notorious (1946)
14. Rope (1948)
15. Strangers on a Train (1951)
16. I Confess (1953)
17. Dial M for Murder (1954)
18. Rear Window (1954)
19. To Catch a Thief (1955)
20. The Trouble With Harry (1955)
21. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
22. The Wrong Man (1956)
23. Vertigo (1958)
24. North By Northwest (1959)
25. Psycho (1960)
26. The Birds (1963)
27. Marnie (1964)
28. Frenzie (1972)

Billy Wilder

1. The Major and the Minor (1942)
2. Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
3. Double Indemnity (1944)
4. The Lost Weekend (1945)
5. A Foreign Affair (1948)
6. Sunset Blvd (1950)
7. Ace in the Hole (1951)
8. Stalag 17 (1953)
9. Sabrina (1954)
10. The Seven Year Itch (1954)
11. The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
12. Love in the Afternoon (1957)
13. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
14. Some Like it Hot (1959)
15. The Apartment (1960)
16. One, Two, Three (1961)
17. Irma La Douce (1963)
18. Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)
19. The Fortune Cookie (1966)
20. The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
21. Avanti! (1971)
22. The Front Page (1972)

I just got the AK100 set (below) over Christmas, so I’ll probably start with Kurosawa’s films.

It’s the final day of 2009, so it’s time to finish off this series of lists with my favourite films of the 90s. Tomorrow I will be starting something new.

1. The Shawshank Redemption - 1994 - Frank Durabont

2. Schindler’s List - 1993 - Steven Spielberg

3. Beauty and the Beast - 1991 -Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

4. Terminator 2: Judgement Day - 1991 - James Cameron

5. Rushmore - 1998 - Wes Anderson

6. Leon: The Professional - 1994 - Luc Besson

7. Pulp Fiction - 1994 - Quentin Tarantino

8. The Truman Show - 1998 - Peter Weir

9. Magnolia - 1999 - Paul Thomas Anderson

10. (tie) Saving Private Ryan (1998,Steven Spielberg), The Thin Red Line (1998,Terrence Malick)

honourable mention:

Being John Malkovich
Groundhog Day
Heat
The Insider
LA Confidential
The Lion King
Princess Mononoke
The Silence of the Lambs
Toy Story
Unforgiven