Thoughts and Feelings on the Oscars

O....kay?

-James Franco and Anne Hathaway were an uncomfortable pair. She had energy, and I liked that she was off-the-cuff genuinely excited about being there and seeing everyone and everything. Franco, though, just stood there. I don't think he was acting "too cool for school", I think he genuinely didn't know what to do. Maybe he got nervous?


-Christian Bale referencing his Terminator: Salvation on-set rant was awesome, as was Melissa Leo's entire speech. That both of them won makes me extremely happy.

-Btw the category of Best Supporting Actress has been on fire since 2007, hasn't it? Swinton, Cruz, Mo'Nique, and now Leo. Damn! That's a good streak!

That's how you set a bar, baby!

-I came back home from work just as Best Picture was announced. Thank goodness, because my recording stopped right before Spielberg took to the stage, so I still got to see The King's Speech get its Oscar before rushing to catch up. I knew it was only a matter of time before that g-damned announcer spoiled everything for me.


-When I went back to watch the whole show, I could see actual suspense when, 3/4 through, The King's Speech had one Oscar and The Social Network had three -- including Best Original Score! Ya-hooooo!!!

It looks good on you.

-I wish Colin Firth had given in to his desires and danced. I really do. God, he's amazing. My personal pick may have been Eisenberg, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't rooting for Firth

-I scored 16/24 on my Oscar predictions. I missed all the shorts (you're right, Jake Gyllenhaal, they do make or break a ballot), Lead Actress (play it safe, Walter, play it safe), Art Direction, Cinematography, Score and Song.

-Alice in Wonderland has two Oscars; The Wolfman has one. And people are bitching about The King's Speech?

-There was a moment when Bardem and Brolin went out on stage in white tuxes, and it looked like they were about to dance. Suddenly, we cut away to Penelope Cruz for an interminable yet sexy length of time. Still, did they cut away from two dudes dancing because it was two dudes dancing? I can't imagine they'd shy away from that, what with Franco in drag and all.

-This is the first year ever in which all the acting Oscars went to Hollmann Award Nominees! Hooray!

My opinion roooocks!

The winners:
 [bold indicates correct predictions, * indicates Hollmann Award Nominee]

PICTURE: The King's Speech
DIRECTOR: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
*ACTOR: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
*ACTRESS: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
*SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale, The Fighter
*SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: David Seidler, The King's Speech
*ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Wally Pfister, Inception
*EDITING: Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall, The Social Network
COSTUME DESIGN: Colleen Atwood, Alice in Wonderland
ART DIRECTION: Alice in Wonderland
*SOUND EDITING: Inception
*SOUND MIXING: Inception
*ORIGINAL SCORE: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Social Network
*VISUAL EFFECTS: Inception
ORIGINAL SONG: We Belong Together, Toy Story 3
FOREIGN FILM: In a Better World
ANIMATED FILM: Toy Story 3
ANIMATED SHORT: The Lost Thing
LIVE-ACTION SHORT: God of Love
DOC SHORT: Strangers No More
DOCUMENTARY: Inside Job

Final Predictions, Sad News

Friends, I have a job! Yes, having dinked around since graduation, I am officially employed at the local arthouse theater, my favorite in the area. I will soon be ripping ticket stubs and providing popcorn for fans of Oscar flicks, foreign cinema, and documentaries. It's the place where I first saw Capote, Good Night and Good Luck, The King's Speech, Biutiful, and many things in between. The flip side? I'm working until 11:00 Sunday night, thirty minutes from home, which means I will be missing the Oscars....for the first time since 1997.

Fortunately, I'm going to record them, so I will still get to experience the shock and surprise of the show, albeit late...and I'll get to FF through commercials. Alas, I will have to by-pass Twitter coverage and my own live stream of the show, but it's worth it. I wouldn't be this involved in the Oscars were it not for this theater. I owe them big time.

This also means you'll know how I did on my predictions looong before I do. And what a great segue -- for here they are:

By the way: great Oscar moment

BEST PICTURE
Will the war between The King's Speech and The Social Network cause a split and allow a third film to rise? No. This might be one of those split years, or all of this lead-up could be meaningless. Who's to say? Smart money is on The King's Speech, of course, since it cleaned up at BAFTA, PGA, SAG and DGA. Myself, I think it sounds weird to hear that title coming after "Best Picture", even though I think it's a worthy contender...then again, it's just as weird to hear The Social Network in that role. Hm...
WILL WIN: The King's Speech
SHOULD WIN: Black Swan
WHAT'S MISSING: I Am Love (instead of True Grit)

BEST DIRECTOR
Again, it's a battle between Tom Hooper, who actually seems to want it, and David Fincher, who apparently could care less. Maybe the Academy will give it to Fincher's superior work, since people who love him, really love him. Yet I can't help but think that I may be disappointed...though certainly Hooper's unconventional direction is a fine choice for the category.
WILL WIN: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
SHOULD WIN: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
WHO'S MISSING: Luca Guadagnino, I Am Love (instead of the Coens)

BEST ACTRESS
Portman's been cleaning up, but haven't we seen this before? A chance to award a respected veteran (Bening/Arkin) over the frontrunner with a January comedy (Portman/Murphy)? Hm... The difference, though, is that Norbit was reviled, whereas No Strings Attached is considered quite harmless. Then again, The Bening... There's nothing but opportunities for surprise this year (except for actor), and this would be the category for it.
WILL WIN: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
SHOULD WIN: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
WHO'S MISSING: Kim Hye-ja, Mother (instead of Jennifer Lawrence)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Despite Leo's three wins in this category at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and SAGs, this category isn't locked down yet. Or, at least, that's what some people are saying. Perhaps Leo's "Consider" ads did leave a bad taste in people's mouths, but I feel like there's nowhere else to go. The anti-Leos will, I suspect, split each other, leaving us with...Leo.
WILL WIN: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
SHOULD WIN: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
WHO'S MISSING: Sissy Spacek, Get Low (instead of Hailee Steinfeld)

BEST ACTOR
No contest.

I'd like to thank the Academy...

WILL WIN: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
SHOULD WIN: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
WHO'S MISSING: Robert Duvall, Get Low

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
I want to say this is Christiane Bale's. I probably will say it's Christian Bale's. But I can easily see Geoffrey Rush sneaking in at the last moment for a grand triumph. I almost want to predict that, but I already predicted a Bening upset, and two upsets seems a little extreme.
WILL WIN: Christian Bale, The Fighter
SHOULD WIN: Christian Bale, The Fighter
WHO'S MISSING: Michael Shannon, The Runaways (instead of Jeremy Renner)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
From the beginning, I've known there was only one film that could win this. Maybe -- MAYBE -- Cholodenko and Blumberg or Nolan could surprise, but the win for The King's Speech in Picture starts here.
WILL WIN: David Seidler, The King's Speech
SHOULD WIN: Scott Silver/Paul Tamasy/Eric Johnson/Keith Dorrington, The Fighter
WHAT'S MISSING: Andres Heinz/Mark Heyman/John McLaughlin, Black Swan (instead of Another Year, but only because I haven't seen it)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
From the beginning, I've known there was only one film that could win this. It probably would've won the WGA even if it wasn't eligible!
WILL WIN: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
SHOULD WIN: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
WHAT'S MISSING: Edgar Wright & Michael Bacall, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (instead of 127 Hours)
 
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
This is tougher. Conventional wisdom would tell you Roger Deakins will get his career award for deserving work in True Grit. ASC would tell you Wally Pfister is getting it for his incredible work for Inception. I tell you it deserves to go to Matthew Libatique for Black Swan. Hell, love for The King's Speech could get Danny Cohen a win! The only thing I'm certain won't win here is Jeff Cronenweth for The Social Network. Maybe it's best to go with conventional wisdom.
WILL WIN: Roger Deakins, True Grit
SHOULD WIN: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
WHAT'S MISSING: Benoit Debie, The Runaways (instead of The Social Network)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech
BEST EDITING: Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall, The Social Network
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Alice in Wonderland
BEST ART DIRECTION:  The King's Speech
BEST MAKEUP: The Wolfman
BEST SOUND MIXING: Inception
BEST SOUND EDITING: Inception
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Inception
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Toy Story 3
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Inside Job
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: In a Better World
BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "If I Rise", 127 Hours
BEST SHORT DOC: "Poster Girl"
BEST ANIMATED SHORT: "The Gruffalo"
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT: "Na Wewe"

A Guilds Recap

There are still one more guild (that I pay attention to) to announce: the American Cinematographers Guild. Nevertheless, with the results of the WGA Awards now out there for all to see, we might as well take a look at how things are going.

PGA

Another award? Come on in...

Motion Picture - The King's Speech

Animated Feature - Toy Story 3

Documentary - Waiting for "Superman"

I dare say Waiting for "Superman" was the surprise snub of Oscar Nom Morn (Nolan was surprising, but less so; if anyone in that category was going to miss, it was always going to be him). This was the first indication that The King's Speech was more beloved than initially anticipated.

DGA

Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Oh, and then there was this. When the odds-on favorite David Fincher lost this, of all awards, to Hooper, the nail was in the coffin. And everyone went crazy, forgetting that The King's Speech is an admirable film boasting a multi-faceted screenplay, relatable characters portrayed magnificently by top-tier actors, and surprisingly experimental direction. Ok, so it wasn't "art school" experimental, but few films are shot with such reliance on fish-eye lens and intimidatingly spacious headroom. And all for a purpose!

SAG

Helena, you saucy minx.

Outstanding Cast - The King's Speech

Outstanding Lead Actor - Colin Firth, The King's Speech

Outstanding Lead Actress - Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Outstanding Supporting Actor - Christian Bale, The Fighter

Outstanding Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo, The Fighter

As solid as the cast of The King's Speech is, I do wish this had gone to The Fighter. I shan't argue with those individual awards, however.

WGA

Original Screenplay - Christopher Nolan, Inception

Adapted Screenplay - Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Documentary Writing - Charles Ferguson, Inside Job 

It is difficult to take these too seriously, for several films were deemed ineligible due to the screenwriters not being card-carrying members of the WGA of America. The other Guilds, I believe, nominate non-Guild members - certainly the DGA must, for Tarantino has received two nominations from them and does not belong to any Guild. Because of these bizarre rules, David Seidler's screenplay for The King's Speech missed out on a nomination. It would've won, I'm sure.

But can I say how bizarre I find it that there's a category for documentary writing? And yet I know that narration and editing in a doc is just as dependent on the way the documentarian crafts his story as any narrative. And yet...

Too Little, Too Late

I swear I haven't watched the SAG Awards. I swear to Heaven I haven't, since I've been visiting my other favorite cousin all evening. These predictions aren;t just last-minute...they're downright late. I have recorded it, so I'm going to watch it before I read blogs and Twitter. But here's how I think it went down:

BEST ENSEMBLE: The Fighter
BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
BEST ACTRESS: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale, The Fighter
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
BEST STUNT ENSEMBLE: Inception

And, hey, who cares about TV? I will if I get a job with them, but since I can't come up with them off the top of my head, I won't bother predicting them. Let's see if I'm right an hour in the past.

And the Nominees Actually Are...

BEST PICTURE
127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter's Bone 

9/10

Toy Story 3 did make it, The Town got left off, making True Grit the only Best Picture nominee that did not make my Top 25 list.  Cool beans!

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
The Coen Bros, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter

4/5

I KNEW NOLAN WAS THE VULNERABLE ONE! I don't remember if I wrote it here, but I know I did on other blogs.  I mean, I still predicted him, but I knew if anyone was going to get left off, it would be him and not David O. Russell. Everyone underestimated that man. Not this guy.

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

3/5

Does this mean Biutiful will finally come out here? Wish Duvall was in there...and Wahlberg. I should have gone with Bridges, at least. That was a lock, but I did not belieeeeve!

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle William, Blue Valentine

4/5

Um, I can live with Steinfeld being bumped to supporting if it gets Michelle Williams her much-deserved nomination. Strong roster this year!

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

4/5

My hunch for John Hawkes paid off, BUT I thought it would be at the cost of Jeremy Renner. Alas, my own nominee Andrew Garfield misses out. You'll live to die another day, Andy.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham-Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

3/5

Kunis and Spacek (wild guess) left out for category fraud Steinfeld and Weaver. I know everyone in the blogosphere is having kittens for that Weaver pick.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

4/5

Mike Leigh got in over the writers for Black Swan. Again: does this mean the film gets a release here? Please?

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

5/5

Count it!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Black Swan - Matthew Libatique
Inception - Wally Pfister
The King's Speech - Danny Cohen
The Social Network - Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit - Roger Deakins

 4/5

The King's Speech triumphed over 127 Hours' double dose of DPs. Another strong group.

BEST SCORE
127 Hours - A.R. Rahman
How to Train Your Dragon - John Powell
Inception - Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
4/5
Alas, Never Let Me Go is left out in the cold this year. 127 Hours got in, though I for one really liked that score, too. I will never get over Powell's How to Train Your Dragon score getting a nom, though, because that movie is AMAZING.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
127 Hours - If I Rise
Country Strong - Coming Home
Tangled - I See the Light
Toy Story 3 - We Belong Together

3/4, predicted 5

No Burlesque? You lose, Academy!

BEST EDITING
127 Hours - Jon Harris
Black Swan - Andrew Weisblum
The Fighter - Pamela Martin
The King's Speech - Tariq Anwar
The Social Network - Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter

4/5

Wow. Ok, color me surprised that it's Inception, of all things, that is left off in favor of 127 Hours.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland
I Am LoveThe King's Speech 
The Tempest
True Grit

3/5

No Black Swan? No Burlesque? WHO CARES I AM LOVE GOT A NOMINATION! WHOOOOO!!!!


BEST MAKEUP
Barney's VersionThe Way Back
The Wolfman 

1/3

Thank Oscar the abysmal Alice in Wonderland is left out in the cold on this one. Didn't see Barney's Version coming, though I just left off The Wolfman.

BEST ART DIRECTION
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

3/5

Why did the abysmal Alice in Wonderland get in on this one?

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Hereafter
Inception 
Iron Man 2

3/5

Clint Eastwood flicks have to end up somewhere, I guess. I'm disappointed not to see Scott Pilgrim or TRON: Legacy here. The latter is the most surprising, for me.

BEST SOUND EDITING
Inception 
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy 
True Grit 
Unstoppable

2/5

Ah, how could I have forgotten the mainstream blockbuster slot for Unstoppable (TRON: Legacy, I don't think, really applies to that)! How could I have missed the TRON film, though? I knew the sound was incredible, what was I thinking?


BEST SOUND MIXING
Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network 
True Grit 

3/5

And again, Salt! How could I have forgotten? True Grit's really doing well in these tech categories, isn't it?

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3
3/3

But of course.

Unpredicted nominees in Foreign Language, Shorts and Docs after the jump....

The Nominees Are (Maybe, Perhaps?)

I am so excited for Oscar noms tomorrow, you have no idea. Well, scratch that; since you're here, you are probably either (a) looking forward to them as much as I am, or (b) tired of reading about my own anticipation. Which is CRAZY. Reading about my anticipation is one of the highlights of life! (Or...wait...am I thinking of Niagara Falls?)

Some people may tell you about their "gut feelings" or "instincts". I wish I had either of those things, but these are pretty much wild guesses. Shots in the dark. Russian roulette.

BEST PICTURE
127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, The Social Network, The Town, True Grit, Winter's Bone 
What? No Toy Story 3? I actually just kind of forgot about it and decided this looked fine, though I knew something was missing, so I re-read the Entertainment Weekly predix. Ah. Well, I'm more comfortable cutting an animated film than either 127 Hours or Winter's Bone. Toy Story 3 is certainly deserving, but I don't think that a 10-wide field means all animated, all the time.

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter

BEST ACTOR
Robert Duvall, Get Low
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

Really, how are they going to nominate The Fighter for everything but Lead Actor? Does that make sense?

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
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
Sissy Spacek, Get Low

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
True Grit

BEST SCORE
How to Train Your Dragon - John Powell
Inception - Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat
Never Let Me Go - Rachel Portman
The Social Network - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
This was the hardest one, actually. Three sure things, plus Powell and Portman because...because.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
127 Hours - If I Rise
Burlesque - You Haven't Seen the Last of Me
Tangled - I See the Light
Toy Story 3 - We Belong Together
Waiting for Superman - Shine a Light

BEST EDITING
Black Swan 
The Fighter 
Inception 
The King's Speech 
The Social Network

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan 
Burlesque
The King's Speech 
The Tempest

BEST MAKEUP
Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
The Way Back

BEST ART DIRECTION
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
True Grit

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Inception 
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 
TRON: Legacy

These are the choices Andrew had at his blog...and I found them to be wise choices indeed.

BEST SOUND EDITING
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception 
The Town 
True Grit 

BEST SOUND MIXING
Black Swan 
Inception
The Social Network 
The Town 
True Grit 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Long Live the King

The PGA announced their winner this evening, and if you follow any Oscar pundits on Twitter, then you know that everyone was a-twitter (a-ha) about the results. Why?


The Social Network won the Golden Globes for Best Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Score. It won the Critics Choice Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. It's won more regional awards than any film in history (possibly because there are more regional awards now than ever before). It won LAFCA, National Board of Review, NYCC, etc., etc., etc. It's the favorite to win at the Oscars (though I've been telling my friends The Fighter BECAUSE I'M CRAZY).

But now the industry has actually started to chime in. And the PGA Award for Best Picture of the Year goes to....

THE KING'S SPEECH.

We won whaaaat?

Shock. Awe. And some bizarre foaming at the mouth. People who claimed to really admire The King's Speech and were surprised that it was a genuinely great film as opposed to just "Oscar bait",  are now back to slinging mud. It's right back to being an old farts' film, to being "an embarrassment", to reflecting how passe the tastes of the industry are. And all I can say is, "Come the FUCK on."

You know what? I think The Social Network is a better film. I really do. But I'm not going to suddenly hate on The King's Speech because it took away that film's shot at winning 1115 awards (now it's only 1114! the horror!). The King's Speech is more than just a solidly-made movie; it's a touching film capturing the bonds of friendship, bonds that transcend class, manners, upbringing, nationality, etc. I'm talking about a film that everyone labeled Oscar Bait until they saw it, and realized that the director had an actual vision, the actors had great chemistry, and the writer had a real fucking story.


The Social Network has all these things, too. I didn't nominate The King's Speech for Picture, Director, Screenplay, etc. But it's still one of my favorite movies of the year, because it really was one of the BEST of the year. Let it be recognized, just once, for more than Colin Firth's performance. And if it wins at the Oscars, I'll still be happy. If any of my Top Ten win best Picture, I'll be happy.

Congratulations to The King's Speech, a truly deserving winner. We've got a real race now, at least. It will only get trickier when The Fighter wins Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards.

The Suspense! The Drama! The Finalists!

The Golden Globes are done and gone, and the BAFTAs announce tomorrow. One week after that, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announces its nominees for the 83rd Oscars. Before we get too influenced by other awards shows, we ought to share some feelings of our own. Namely, which movies are being considered in what categories.

It's a tradition here to do as BAFTA does and provide a longlist: eighteen categories, fifteen finalists in each, selected from the 70+ films I've screened this year. Does it kill some of the suspense? Maybe, but so does a Top Ten when you think about it (and you shouldn't, not too hard). Besides, you're just itching to narrow it down, aren't you? The suspense is killing you, isn't it? Maybe not, but if you're into that sort of thing (that is, my opinion), then continue reading, dear friends. Presenting the Hollmann Longlist:

BEST PICTURE

Black Swan

Blue Valentine

Easy A

The Fighter

For Colored Girls

Get Low

I Am Love

The Kids Are All Right

The King's Speech

Mother

Never Let Me Go

The Runaways

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

The Social Network

Winter's Bone

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

Danny Boyle, 127 Hours

Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right

Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine

Anton Corbijn, The American

David Fincher, The Social Network

Debra Granik, Winter's Bone

Luca Guadagnino, I Am Love

Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Bong Joon-ho, Mother

John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole

David O. Russell, The Fighter

Aaron Schneider, Get Low

Floria Sigismondi, The Runaways

Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Patricia Clarkson, Cairo Time

Rebecca Hall, Please Give

Kim Hye-ja, Mother

Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone

Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right

Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Kristen Stewart, The Runaways

Emma Stone, Easy A

Tilda Swinton, I Am Love

Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, The Fighter

Patricia Clarkson, Easy A

Loretta Devine, For Colored Girls

Dale Dickey, Winter's Bone

Whoopi Goldberg, For Colored Girls

Barbara Hershey, Black Swan

Keira Knightley, Never Let Me Go

Mila Kunis, Black Swan

Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Rooney Mara, The Social Network

Maria Paiato, I Am Love

Winona Ryder, Black Swan

Sissy Spacek, Get Low

Dianne Wiest, Rabbit Hole

Ellen Wong, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST ACTOR

Russell Brand, Get Him to the Greek

Michael Caine, Harry Brown

Michael Cera, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

George Clooney, The American

Rob Corddry, Hot Tub Time Machine

Robert Duvall, Get Low

Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Patrick Fabian, The Last Exorcism

Colin Firth, The King's Speech

James Franco, 127 Hours

Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go

Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine

Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, The Fighter

Pierce Brosnan, The Ghost Writer

Vincent Cassel, Black Swan
Jackie Chan, The Karate Kid

Andrew Garfield, The Social Network

Josh Hutcherson, The Kids Are All Right

Michael Keaton, Toy Story 3

Bill Murray, Get Low

Jerry O'Connell, Piranha 3D

Guy Pearce, Animal Kingdom

Brandon Routh, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Jason Schwartzman, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Michael Shannon, The Runaways

Stanley Tucci, Easy A

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Black Swan - Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin, story by Heinz

Blue Valentine - Derek Cianfrance & Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis

Burlesque - Steve Antin

Cairo Time - Ruba Nadda

Easy A - Bert V. Royal

The Fighter - Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, story by Keith Dorrington & Tamasy & Johnson

Get Low - Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell, story by Provenzano & Scott Seeke

Hot Tub Time Machine - Josh Heald and Sean Anders & John Morris, story by Heald

I Am Love - Barbara Alberti, Ivan Cotroneo, Walter Fasano & Luca Guadagnino, story by Guadagnino

Inception - Christopher Nolan

The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

The King's Speech - David Seidler

The Last Exorcism - Huck Botko & Andrew Garland

Mother - Bong Joon-ho & Park Won-kyo, story by Joon-ho

Tangled - Dan Fogelman

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

127 Hours - Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

The American - Rowan Joffe

For Colored Girls - Tyler Perry

The Ghost Writer - Roman Polanski & Robert Harris
How to Train Your Dragon - Will Davies and Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders

Never Let Me Go - Alex Garland

Rabbit Hole - David Lindsay-Abaire

The Runaways - Floria Sigismondi

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Edgar Wright & Michael Bacall

Shutter Island - Laeta Kalogridis

The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin

Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt, story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

True Grit - The Coen Brothers

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - Stephen Schiff and Allan Loeb

Winter's Bone - Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The American - Martin Ruhe

Black Swan - Matthew Libatique

Blue Valentine - Andrij Parekh

The Fighter - Hoyt von Hoytema
Get Low - David Boyd

Greenberg - Harris Savides

I Am Love - Yorick la Saux

Inception - Wally Pfister

The King's Speech - Danny Cohen

The Runaways - Benoit Debie

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Bill Pope

Shutter Island - Robert Richardson

The Social Network - Jeff Cronenweth

TRON: Legacy - Claudio Miranda
Winter's Bone - Michael McDonough

BEST EDITING

127 Hours - Jon Harris
The American - Andrew Hulm
Black Swan - Kristina Boden/Andrew Wiesblum
Blue Valentine - Jim Helton/Ron Patane
Easy A - Susan Littenberg
The Fighter - Pamela Martin
How to Train Your Dragon - Darren Holmes/MaryAnn Brandon
I Am Love - Walter Fasano
Inception - Lee Smith
The Last Exorcism - Shilpa Sahi
The Runaways - Richard Chew

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Jonathan Amos/Paul Machliss

The Social Network - Kirk Baxter/Angus Wall

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - David Brenner/Julie Monroe
Winter's Bone - Affonso Goncalves

BEST SCORE

127 Hours - A.R. Rahman

Black Swan - Clint Mansell
Cairo Time - Niall Byrne

The Ghost Writer - Alexandre Desplat

How to Train Your Dragon - John Powell
Inception - Hans Zimmer

The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat

Let Me In - Michael Giacchino

Mother - Lee Byeong-woo 

Never Let Me Go - Rachel Portman 

Rabbit Hole - Anton Sanko

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Nigel Godrich

The Social Network - Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross

Toy Story 3 - Randy Newman

TRON: Legacy - Daft Punk

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Burlesque - Bound to You

Burlesque - But I Am a Good Girl

Burlesque - You Haven't Seen the Last of Me

How to Train Your Dragon - Sticks 'n' Stones

The Other Guys - Pimps Don't Cry

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Ramona

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Slick

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Summertime

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Threshold

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - We Are Sex Bob-Omb

Tangled - I Have a Dream

Tangled - I See the Light

Tangled - Mother Knows Best

Toy Story 3 - We Belong Together

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

The American - Suttirat Larlarb

Black Swan - Amy Westcott

Burlesque - Michael Kaplan

Easy A - Mynka Draper
The Fighter - Mark Bridges

For Colored Girls - Johnetta Boone

Get Low - Julie Weiss

I Am Love - Antonella Cannarozzi
Inception - Jeffrey Kurland

The King's Speech - Jenny Beavan

Mother

The Runaways - Carol Beadle

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Laura Jean Shannon

The Social Network - Jacqueline West

True Grit - Mary Zophres

BEST MAKEUP

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

Inception
Kick-Ass

Let Me In
Nanny McPhee Returns

Piranha 3D

The Runaways

Saw 3D

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Shutter Island

True Grit
The Wolfman

BEST ART DIRECTION

127 Hours

Black Swan

Burlesque

For Colored Girls

Get Low
The Ghost Writer

I Am Love

Inception

The Last Exorcism

Nanny McPhee Returns

The Runaways

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy

True Grit

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

127 Hours

The A-Team

Black Swan

The Ghost Writer

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

Inception

Iron Man 2

Kick-Ass

The Other Guys

Piranha 3D

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Shutter Island

The Social Network

TRON: Legacy
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

BEST SOUND

127 Hours
The A-Team
The American
Black Swan
The Fighter
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The Last Exorcism
Machete
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The Town
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit

BEST ENSEMBLE

Black Swan
Easy A
The Fighter
For Colored Girls
Get Low
I Am Love
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Last Exorcism
Mother
Rabbit Hole 
The Runaways
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The Social Network
Winter's Bone

Golden Globes in a Crystal Ball

Ah, the Globes! I know everyone likes to diss the Golden Globes as meaningless, as starfucking at its worst, as a fake awards show made up of dubious choices by an organization no one seems to know much about (Hollywood Foreign Press Agency...what do they do?). These claims are often warranted, I'll grant you, especially when Alice in Wonderland, The Tourist and Red are nominated for Best Musical/Comedy, in a year that gave us Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Easy A, both of which made my Top Ten of the Whole Year (I don't segregate).

But who cares? The Globes are great fun, and to be honest, they march to the beat of their own drum more than people give them credit for. Remember when they awarded Atonement for Best Drama in 2007 over the Oscar favorite No Country for Old Men? It was the Globes awarding Avatar last year that cast doubt for The Hurt Locker's chances. They awarded The Aviator! They awarded The Hours! And as my friend Tom pointed out, they nominated four supporting actresses from the great Nashville. The Globes and I are friends.

Let me lay down some predictions for y'all, then.

BEST PICTURE - MUSICAL/COMEDY
Well, when you're nominating movies like Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist against masterpieces like Burlesque and The Kids Are All Right, then throwing in brainless fun like Red for good measure, predicting who will reign victorious can be a trifle...hard. But I usually like the Globes' choices in this category (The Hangover, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), so I'm going to go with The Kids Are All Right.

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA
Four of my Top Ten appear here, and five of my Top 25. Well-played, Globes. The Globes tend to go for love stories here, or for European films, or for both. The King's Speech -- with its central friendship, supportive wife, and Britishness -- should reign supreme here.

BEST ACTRESS - MUSICAL/COMEDY

Annette Bening, please. The only Oscar contender in a category that includes Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore and Angelina Jolie. Oscars for Best Actor are only for Drama films. However, the Globes likes to give love to both Actress frontrunners -- remember Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep, Julie Christie and Marion Cotillard, Sally Hawkins and Kate Winslet (before Hawkins wasn't nominated at Oscar and The Reader took Revolutionary Road's spot)? So, yeah, Bening here...

BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA
...which means Natalie Portman wins here. And good for her! I feel like the HFPA were the only ones who saw Frankie and Alice, and have probably earned Halle Berry's eternal devotion. Michelle Williams might be a dark horse here, actually. I could see it happening, but I don't think it will. The other two -- Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence -- are the only nominees for their respective films, suggesting that the HFPA just doesn't love their movies enough. Shameful, but true. Rabbit Hole especially grows better and better in my mind with each passing day.
 
BEST ACTOR - MUSICAL/COMEDY
Previous winner Johnny Depp is up for two films here, neither of which present his best, or even second-best, work. Then we have Paul Giamatti, Jake Gyllenhaal and Kevin Spacey. Hm. Tough choice, really, since previous winners I either loved (Colin Farrell), liked a lot (Robert Downey, Jr.), or admired enough (Johnny Depp). Here, we have performance I hate, performance I was bored by, and three performances I haven't seen. Let me just take a shot in the dark and say Paul Giamatti.


BEST ACTOR - DRAMA

As strong as the performances turned in by Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Gosling, James Franco and Robert Duvall are, Colin Firth is in it to win it.

BEST DIRECTOR
Oh, David Fincher, obviously. Look, they may love The King's Speech in all other things, but you should probably give the Best Director award to the best director of the year. Even the Globes know that (thus Cameron won). Now, it's admittedly a tough choice since they nominated all the Best Directors -- Fincher, Aronofsky, Russell -- but I have faith in Fincher.

BEST SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air...Slumdog Millionaire...No Country for Old Men...Brokeback Mountain. With the exception of The Queen, the Globe has been awarded to the Oscar frontrunner for Best Adapted Screenplay. Since I've been watching it, I mean. Inception keeps getting nods in this category, but I've no faith in its chances. 127 Hours, ditto. The Kids Are All Right would be a good win, actually, but the other two nominees are who it's really between. The Social Network? The King's Speech? Despite my feeling that they'll really go for The King's Speech, I think Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network wins here. It's the law of the adaptation.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
This is another category where I believe The King's Speech will topple the presumed frontrunner. I think Bale is a shoo-in for the SAG and Oscar, but Geoffrey Rush's  understated performance as Lionel Logue pulls the heartstrings and tickles the funnybone. Douglas, Garfield and Renner are just glad to be here.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Everyone would love to see Jacki Weaver take it, I know, but I just don't think it's going to happen. Mila Kunis is that odd nominee that will show up everywhere but not actually win anything. It's between the two girls from The Fighter and The King's Speech's Helena Bonham-Carter. Though they'll love The King's Speech and Bonham-Carter, her role is not enough to warrant an award. It's between Adams and Leo, either of whom could win...but I'm going with frontrunner and Critics' Choice Award Winner Melissa Leo.

The rest are just guesses and no-brainers. Determine amongst yourselves which are which.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", Burlesque
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Toy Story 3
BEST FOREIGN FILM: Biutiful
BEST COMEDY SERIES: "Glee"
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES: Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES: Toni Collette, "The United States of Tara"
BEST DRAMA SERIES: "Boardwalk Empire"
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES: Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES: Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
BEST MINISERIES/MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE: "Carlos"
BEST ACTOR IN A MINISERIES/MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE: Edgar Ramirez, "Carlos"
BEST ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES/MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE: Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR ON TV: Chris Colfer, "Glee"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS ON TV: Jane Lynch, "Glee"

Lovely Lensing

The American Society of Cinematographers have announced their own nominees. The news is already a day old, but there's no harm in being a little late for these things. It's not like the nominees will suddenly disappear because I didn't blog about them...right? Or are the precursors like the walking ad monsters in that Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" episode, where their survival depends on how many people find them relevant and are compelled to watch? Whatever the case may be, I for one love the precursors, and the cinematography one interests me more and more.

Danny Cohen, The King's Speech

Jeff Cronenweth, The Social Network

Roger Deakins, True Grit

Matthew Libatique, Black Swan

Wally Pfister, Inception

Ok, I honestly would've predicted The Fighter's Hoyt von Hoytema instead of Cohen, so that is a surprise. But not the bad kind! It's a nice surprise, actually, since the cinematography in The King's Speech is actually pretty classy, pretty well-done, pretty top-notch.

This is a pretty strong list, isn't it? Much like the directors, we've got a solid group of master craftsmen in contention. Personally, I feel it's between Deakins and Libatique, and I'm predicting Libatique for the win.  Great stuff, Black Swan.

Old News, But Good News

All right, here's the second-to-last Insider Precursor that I follow. Tomorrow: American Society of Cinematographers; Today: Directors Guild.

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

David Fincher, The Social Network

Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Christopher Nolan, Inception

David O. Russell, The Fighter

About as expected, actually. I never believed those whispers that Russell would have a hard time getting in, and I expect him to show up at the Oscars, as well. People like him a lot more than the internet thinks. 

Aronofsky, Fincher and Hooper are safe as safe can be. I don't know why people expect Hooper to be the one left out in the cold. Have they seen The King's Speech? This isn't one of those "anyone could have directed it" royalty porn films, and it's just about the actors and screenplay. The direction and cinematography are ace, and those who think Hooper is at the fifth slot are sorely mistaken. 

No, the one that continues to surprise me, honestly, is Nolan. I like Inception, I like Nolan, but while I think all five of these films are visually striking and tonally solid, Nolan is the weakest when it comes to performances. He's solid, don't get me wrong, I love much of what the actors did with their characters, but how can you compare it to The Fighter's family dynamics, the warm friendship and in The King's Speech, the snot-nosed youth and elitist adults in The Social Network, the camp-undertone in the operatics of Black Swan?

Here We Go Again...

The Producers and Writers Guilds announced their nominees for the Best/Most Outstanding/Most Well-Publicized [Blankety Blank] of the Year. The former stayed the course, though there was one entry that made me go, "Hm." Not shocked, mind you, and very pleased to see it, but I was expecting something else.

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King's Speech

The Social Network

The Town

Toy Story 3

True Grit

I guess I have to buckle down and face facts: True Grit is a true blue contender. Not that I hated the movie, I'm just surprised. I really didn't think it was going to go anywhere besides screenplay and cinematography, and yet here we are, one PGA and two SAG noms later.

Now, the surprise for me was seeing 127 Hours instead of Winter's Bone. I thought the first would be more vulnerable, but I guess not. Now, is this slate going to repeat itself at the Oscars? Probably, actually. That's fine by me: 127 Hours made it to my Top 25, after all. I'd rather see Winter's Bone in there than The Town, though.

Ok, now the WGA always manages to toss in a surprise or two, especially considering how films like The King's Speech and Winter's Bone were deemed ineligible due to Guild membership requirements and whatnot.

Original

Black Swan - Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin, story by Heinz

The Fighter - Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, story by Keith Dorrington & Tamasy & Johnson

Inception - Christopher Nolan

The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

Please Give - Nicole Holofcener

Adapted

127 Hours - Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy, from Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

I Love You Phillip Morris - John Requa & Glenn Ficarra, from the book by Steven McVicker

The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin, from The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

The Town - Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stoddard, from Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan

True Grit - Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, from the novel by Charles Portis

I mean, those inclusions for Please Give and I Love You Phillip Morris are quite the how-do, don't you think? Actually, the latter has thrown off my game, making it the only nominee here that I haven't seen. Which means that I've got to find a way to get to Boca if I want to keep things consistent. I believe there's a separate animation branch, too, which explains the absence of Toy Story 3 from the adapted list; it worries me not.

I just want to point out this: this is the second career nomination for Ben Affleck by the WGA, and he's about to get a second person an acting Oscar nom. Maybe Affleck was the brains behind Good Will Hunting after all? Because according to every spoof show I watch, there's no way Affleck and Damon could be equally talented!

Ten for '10: The Best of the Year

The Year-End Top Ten is rightfully revered. It's more than just a list of films that you liked: it's a reflection of who you were in a given year. What was it about 2009 that led me to Public Enemies, Fantastic Mr. Fox and (500) Days of Summer? Certainly it was pure love with the first, but what I was going through that year certainly informed my opinions on the other two.

I always think it's interesting to go back and see what one was into the year before, and why that might have been. Take last year for instance:

Public Enemies

Fantastic Mr. Fox

(500) Days of Summer

Bright Star

A Serious Man

Julie & Julia

The Princess and the Frog

Up in the Air

Easy Virtue

Jennifer's Body

I've always been into human relationships, of course, but love stories absolutely dominated last year, whether unrequited (Jennifer's Body), committed (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Bright Star, Julie & Julia), broken ((500) Days of Summer, Up in the Air, Easy Virtue) or Disney (The Princess and the Frog). I didn't realize it at the time, of course, but looking at it now, it's obvious. 

This year, I have no idea what trends, if any, appear. I don't know what they say about my state of mind in 2010. All I know is this: these are the films that touched and tickled me, appropriately and sometimes naughtily, in 2010. In alphabetical order:

Black Swan

(Number Four on 25 Most Anticipated) 

Sexy, psychotic, operatic, horrifying. Natalie Portman and Darren Aronofsky create a literal danse macabre together, and it is beautiful.

Easy A

Emma Stone is hilarious in a star-making turn as Olive Penderghast. The genuinely witty screenplay helps, of course, as does the great supporting cast. I can honestly say this was the most fun I had in a theater all year.

The Fighter

(Number Ten on 25 Most Anticipated) 

How can a movie give us such frustrating characters like Alice and Dickie and still get us to sympathize with them? How can it get career-best work from an ensemble of already strong performers? How can it keep me on the edge of my seat even when I already know the ending? Impressive.

For Colored Girls

Tyler Perry finally dials it down and makes a genuinely great film, though with a few caveats. But as I said yesterday, there's a beauty to some imperfections. Perry's film delivers on cinematography, production design, costumes and directing (!!). Oh, and of course, there's the strong ensemble of actresses, including formerly dull Thandie Newton not only turning in a good performance, but delivering one of the best of the film.

I Am Love

Poetic. Operatic. Sheer beauty.

The King's Speech

(Number Six on 25 Most Anticipated) 

Yeah, yeah, it's another movie about the royals, but it's more than that: it's a fish-out-of-water/buddy flick, with Geoffrey Rush's Australian commoner helping Colin Firth's British king overcome his crippling stammer. Inventively-shot, wittily-written, subtly-acted, The King's Speech is a genuine crowdpleaser.

Mother

Kim Hye-ja's lead performance alone is a wonder. Add Lee Byeong-woo's playful score and Bong Joon-ho's tight direction and script, and you've got a witty and suspenseful Hitchcockian thriller that surprises.

Never Let Me Go

I saw something profound and haunting. That last shot... That scene with Keira Knightley in the bedroom... Charlotte Rampling's last scene... The boat... The score...

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

(Number Eleven on 25 Most Anticipated) 

I like it more and more every time I see it, and that's going on four times now. Not just a great sense of fun, but a poignancy is there. I tear up every time those opening chords to "Ramona" play. And I'm sorry, anyone who says this is the same old Michael Cera isn't watching the movie.

The Social Network

(Number Sixteen on 25 Most Anticipated)

Seriously, who knew a movie about Facebook would be this interesting, this masterfully-made? It's the story of my generation, of friendship betrayed, love lost, the cost of the American Dream. And the main cast are all under 30. Ha! Awesome!