The Hollmann Awards: The Sexy Categories

The awards you've all been waiting for.... are after the jump. Click Read More if you want to explore my opinion....

My Nominees Are....

UPDATED: VFX, Sound, and Song categories now include nominated peoples.

Dear readers, some of you are friends of mine who've been reading since my days on Livejournal (newer readers: don't look for it). Some of you I've become "Blog Buddies" with, friends whose voices I've never heard, but whose writing, reading and commenting has formed a bond between us. The rest of you: WELCOME! Those of you familiar enough with this site know of my "prestigious" Hollmann Awards, honoring the year's cinematic best in my opinion! But did you know this is the FIFTH ANNUAL?!? It's true!


Five is a big number, so I'll have to think of a way to honor that, but first: let's have a look at the Nominees! After the jump!

Semi-Finalists: Fifteen Beauties of 2010

I still stand by my calling 2010 the most mediocre and disappointing film year I've experienced, but I've always been known among friends and family as "liking every movie". While that's not true at all (clearly), I have a lot of love in my heart for all kinds of cinema, and I think my Top 25 reflects that. What's so significant about this year is, more than ever, the "Oscar" films were truly incredible, so much so that I've spent three days trying to decide what to put here and what to put on the Top Ten. Five different films have filled in that Number Eleven spot, and we could very well wind up with a Precious situation.

(Last year, Precious made it to Number 22 of my Top 25; a second viewing a couple weeks before the Oscars had me rooting for it to sweep. Since then, it's joined my private pantheon of Greatest Movies of All Time.)

I regret not having room for Letters to Juliet, Shutter Island or Rabbit Hole, but this list reflects my feelings as of this last week. In the years, months, weeks to come, it may completely change, but for now, it's an interesting time capsule. Without further ado, 25-11 of my Top 25 of the Year.

25. The American

A beautiful, meditative, quiet film. George Clooney always finds a new way to break my heart, but this movie's finale may be his most effective. Good on Anton Corbijn, who made his feature debut with the equally moving Control in 2007, for evoking a long dormant form of filmmaking.

24. 127 Hours

Cathartic and claustrophobic, devastating and uplifting. A.R. Rahman's score impressed me, but of course it was James Franco who really delivered, anchoring the film with his transformation from smug to survival.

23. The Last Exorcism

Those final images still haunt me. See it for the career-making (in a perfect world) performances by Patrick Fabian and Ashley Bell. See it for the eerie storytelling. See it for scares not induced by sudden shocks or an intrusive score. A welcome addition to the horror genre, and to my favorite sub-genre.

22. Toy Story 3

(Number Twenty-Four on 25 Most Anticipated)

Ok, so they tease you with ruminations of mortality before a deus ex machina. But it's still an impressively mature study of maturation, letting go, moving on, giving to the next generation. If that doesn't sell you on it, maybe a little Michael Keaton as Ken will.

21. Inception

(Number Fourteen on 25 Most Anticipated)

Breathtaking action sequences, certainly. Maybe few characters are fleshed-out in the script, but I rarely noticed during the runtime. Ellen Page is underrated, Tom Hardy steals most of the show, Marion Cotillard gets the most developed female role in Nolan's canon and nails it. It helps that she has a striking, haunting beauty, of course. Hans Zimmer's score was a high point of a the year.

20. How to Train Your Dragon

It just moved me in unexpected ways. Certainly, the boy and his dragon story is magical, but I see this as a film about the relationship between father and son. First and foremost. The dragon is really a MacGuffin.

19. The Karate Kid

No, no I did not expect to love this as much as I do (I know Andrew K is befuddled). What can I say, though? Jaden Smith has a promising career ahead of him. Jackie Chan won me back. James Horner still delivers like the old-school epic composers. Oooh, that finale at the tournament was suspenseful, too!

18. Burlesque

(Number One on 25 Most Anticipated)

Guilty pleasure alert! Am I saying that Burlesque is a better movie than Inception and Toy Story 3? Well...as strange as it sounds, I think Burlesque boasts some of the better-developed, most three-dimensional characters of the year. The dialogue may not clue you in to it, but any movie that recognizes that people aren't evil because they have different interests is all right by me. Cher and Tucci: that's a combo that bears repeating.

17. The Ghost Writer

(Number Twenty-Two on 25 Most Anticipated)

Pulp without irony! Refreshing! The cast wisely plays it straight, especially the strong turn by Pierce Brosnan, but writer-director Polanski, writer Robert Harris and composer Alexandre Desplat all clue you in. Of course it's over the top; it's a paperback thriller that refuses to apologize for being so awesome.

16. Piranha 3D

Great fun! Takes advantage of the 3D trend while spoofing it. Christopher Lloyd, a nude underwater ballet, and gore galore.

15. Winter's Bone

It's a casual thriller, in that the tale is suspenseful, but delivered in a non-sensational, this-is-how-it-is fashion. Jennifer Lawrence's engaging lead performance is already doing wonders for her. John Hawkes and Dale Dickey do not disappoint as her protector and antagonist, respectively, though Dickey especially is unforgettable, layering her character with surprising sympathy. Oh, yes, and the score and the cinematography and Debra Granik is a great director.

14. The Kids Are All Right

Lisa Cholodenko's study of a modern American family. There may be two moms, but they go through all the same trials and tribulations as any normal family. We've all been reading about The Bening's performance, and deservedly so, but the ensemble as a whole enchants: Ruffalo, Wasikowska, Hutcherson and especially Moore. Funny and relatable.

13. The Runaways

(Number Fifteen on 25 Most Anticipated)

Flawed, yes, but there is beauty in its imperfection. It's a dirty little punk boasting an arty sensibility and a stunning visual palette courtesy cinematographer Benoit Debie. The absence of Michael Shannon's name in this year's awards conversation is a travesty: is there a more magnetic and intimidating performance this year?

12. Blue Valentine

Love turns to resentment in this tragic yet strong debut from Derek Cianfrance, who worked with Williams and Gosling for years before filming began. The dedication shows. It hurts to watch, but I don't regret a moment of it. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are painfully real in their portrait of both an enthusiastic courtship and a crumbling marriage. Painfully. There are some sexy moments that play real (did he really...?), some bitter moments that ring too true. It's a downer emotionally, but as far as what it means for cinema, I couldn't be happier.

11. Get Low

I'm a huge fan of Robert Duvall, and if I ruled the world, he would have won his first two Oscars (Melvyn Douglas? Really?). Here, he gives what I consider his crowning achievement, career-best work that climaxes in an emotional final monologue. It's a slow burn, a comfortable mystery and character piece. Sissy Spacek broke my heart; Bill Murray gives more layers than you realize. Just perfectly-executed.

Tomorrow, my full Top Ten of '10, in alphabetical order. Because if it was ranked, there's no suspense at the Hollmann Awards.

Current State of Mind...

Finally updated the Top Ten in the sidebar, to reflect my mind of now. In what order are these? Alphabetical, and no more than that.

Blue Valentine
Easy A
Get Low
The Kids Are All Right
Mother
Piranha 3D
The Runaways
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The Social Network
Winter's Bone

By the way, the last time I updated that sidebar was May, and the last time I did one of these posts was July.

Halfway Point

It's the first of the month, so you know what that means: an update of the Top Ten so far. Last month, Korean thriller Mother came out on top, followed by the unreviewed Blue Valentine, the flawed but refreshing The Runaways, A Prophet and Greenberg. The Ghost Writer, Kick-Ass, Shutter Island, Iron Man 2 and Hot Tub Time Machine finished in the last half of the Top Ten, nothing to sniff at, I assure you. But now that we've gotten through the first half of the year, a new list must be made, one that more clearly defines the state of film at this present juncture. I still haven't reviewed Casino Jack and the Unites States on Money, nor have I shared my thoughts on Please Give. Nevertheless, here we go:

THE CURRENT TOP TEN
1. Mother
2. Blue Valentine
3. Toy Story 3
4. The Karate Kid
5. The Runaways
6. The Ghost Writer
7. Greenberg
8. A Prophet
9. Kick-Ass
10. Hot Tub Time Machine

Not just new additions, but some re-arranging as well.

So Far, These Are So Good

The month of May is at an end, and I've finally seen enough worthy films to make a Top Ten (So Far). Check it out on the sidebar (alphabetically), or right below (in descending order of love). Some of these movies have not gotten proper reviews, and I don't know why. I'll get on that.

1. Mother
2. Blue Valentine
3. The Runaways
4. A Prophet
5. Greenberg
6. The Ghost Writer
7. Kick-Ass
8. Shutter Island
9. Iron Man 2
10. Hot Tub Time Machine

Jett Set

Boy, I wish I had a lot to say about The Runaways. It was an interesting time, and I certainly enjoyed it. But what can one really say about it? Writer-director Floria Sigismondi and her creative team certainly do an effective job of evoking a time and mood. It really feels like a down-and-dirty 1970s rock 'n' roll party, and that much is certainly appreciated. Too many biopics have a sheen to them; The Runaways, partly due to Benoit Debie's cinematography and partly due to the low budget, is refreshingly gritty and sometimes experimental.

The title's misleading, though. This isn't about the band, really, but Cherie Currie, drawing as it does from her autobiography Neon Angel. Even co-lead Joan Jett is given short shrift narratively speaking, though Kristen Stewart is fantastic in the role. Scout Taylor-Compton's Lita Ford has one note, namely, "Man, fuck Cherie, we don't need her, man!" Alia Shawkat plays "Robin", a stand-in for the five or six bassists that came and went; despite her third billing, she is relegated to the background and has ZERO lines. Co-founder/drummer Sandy West, played beautifully by Stella Maeve, is relegated to almost a footnote.

Instead, we get Dakota Fanning's self-conscious, mannered performance as Cherie, a storyline that seems interesting in theory but surprisingly does not really go anywhere. We all know Fanning is one of those genius child actors that are already little adults, but it's always been a detriment to her performances. Like Kate Hepburn said of Meryl Streep, you can see the wheels turning, "Click, click, click." She's not bad, but she's not natural, either. Kristen Stewart also comes in danger of this in some portions, but mercifully Sigismondi gets her to abandon her tics in favor of an actual performance.

If only the movie had gotten into the full story. The Runaways, after all, lasted from 1975 to 1979, and Currie was only there for a little less than two years. It feels weird; like manager Kim Fowley, the filmmakers are keen to oversell the jailbait lead singer rather than look at the band as a whole. And while that's fine, why call it The Runaways? Why not just call it Cherry Bomb or Neon Angel? Naming the film after the band gives me the impression that it's going to be about the whole band.

By the way, I've not yet mentioned the best part of the whole film, Michael Shannon's deliciously bent performance as Kim Fowley. Campy, creepy and cutthroat, Fowley is a force to be reckoned with. When he's on screen, there's an energy that the rest of the film lacks. He plays like Gerrit Graham's Beef in Phantom of the Paradise, only one that you can't believe actually existed. Let this be the role They remember come January, for if he can get honors for phoning it in in Revolutionary Road, surely a truly inspired performance such as this should not be ignored.

Surprisingly, despite the problems with the narrative, it's still a good movie. It's not a masterpiece, but it's interesting and palatable, and I'd definitely see it again. I'd probably even buy it. Why not? The directing is spellbinding, the cinematography is mood-perfect, the music is kick-ass, and the performances by Stewart and Shannon beg to be revisited. Give it a shot.