DGA Awards

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
TV Movie: Taking Chance
Television Series: Mad Men
Comedy Series: Modern Family
Documentary - The Cove
Musical/Variety - Obama Inauguration
Reality TV - Build it Bigger

Fish Tank and The Girl on the Train

Well, 2010 has gotten off to a good start with two films that I saw today. I will say a few words about each of them. I still have two more 2009 films (The Last Station and The White Ribbon) to see and then I will make up my best of 2009 list. I will see the films within the next two weeks.

Fish Tank, directed by Andrea Arnold is a powerful film about a young teenager named Mia Williams (Katie Jarvis). Mia lives in a council flat with her boozy mother Joanne (Kierston Wareing) and younger sister Sophie (Charlotte Collins). Oh, and they have a dog. Mia does not get along with her mother and most of the kids her age don't like her - and the feeling is mutual. She always seems to be getting into trouble. Her life changes when her mother's new boyfriend Connor (Michael Fassbender) starts coming around and eventually moves in. He treats Mia like a real person and she starts falling for him.

I don't want to say more about the plot. You will have to see the film if you want to find out more. I can say that Arnold is a terrific director. I loved her previous film Red Road and her Oscar winning short Wasp. And Fish Tank is on the same level. It is a real slice of life and these people do exist. Arnold truly knows how to portray the working class. All of the acting is spot on. Wareing and Collins are both very good. Jarvis is marvelous. It is hard to believe that she is not a professional actress (I would guess that now she is). And Fassbender is one of the best new actors working today.

Fish Tank pulls no punches. All of the talent involved is outstanding. I can't wait to see what they all do in the future.

Edit - As much as I liked this film I did not like the scene with the fish. That is the animal protector in me.

While not up to Fish Tank's standards, The Girl on the Train is still worth seeing. One reason is because I have always liked director Andre Techine's films. And two is because of the actors. Emilie Dequenne plays Jeanne, a troubled young woman. Jeannie lives with her mother Louise (Catherine Deneuve) in a suburb of Paris. She is trying to find a job but, in all honesty) is not trying hard enough. Louise spots an ad for a secretary in the paper. It so happens that lawyer Samuel Bleistein (Michel Blanc) is looking for a secretary. Bleistein is an old friend of Louise and her late husband (and an admirer of Louise's). He is very well known and speaks out about the growing anti-semitism in Europe. Jeanne has an interview with Bleistein's ex daughter in law Judith (Ronit Elkabetz) which doesn't go well.

In the meantime, Jeanne meets Franck (Nicolas Duvauchelle) an aspiring wrestler wh falls for her at once. After a short time they move into the home of a friend of Franck's. They are house sitting but things aren't what they seem. I won't tell you what happens but I will say that events cause Jeanne to make up huge lie. She tells the police that several men molested her on a train. They mistook her for a Jew and did certain things to her. It was a big story but it was not true. Besides these characters we have Bleistein's son Alex (Mathieu Demy) who is divorced from Judith and their son Nathan (Jeremie Quaegebeur).

Techine's directing is very good. I liked all of the actors (especially, Dequenne, Deneuve, Blanc and Elkabetz). And the story is quite interesting. The film doesn't go into the depths of anti semitism that is spreading throughout Europe. We don't really find out why Jeanne did what she did. And we don't come to any definite conclusions about Bleistein and his family. But it doesn't matter. Despite some flaw The Girl on the Train holds your attention and makes you think. And that is what matters.

DVD Mini Review - Of Time and the City

Of Time and the City is Terence Davies portrait of his birthplace of Liverpool. The film shows how the city has changed through the years. Through archive and more recent footage, beautiful music and poetry & prose Davies has created a visual poem of a film. I found it breathtaking and very moving. It certainly is a film about memories and how they affect us.

I highly recommend this film and I also recommend that you see his marvelous, underrated The House of Mirth (and read the book while you are at it!).

PGA Winners

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker!
Comedy Television: 30 Rock
Long Form Television: Grey Gardens
Documentary: The Cove
Animated Feature: Up
Live Entertainment and Competition: The Colbert Report
Selznick Award: John Lasseter
Non-Fiction Television: 60 Minutes
Stanley Kramer Award: Precious
TV Drama: Mad Men
Vanguard Award: Joss Whedon
Milestone Award: Sony's Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton

Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart is a wonderful new film written and directed by Scott Cooper. Although it is a low budget picture it is high budget in quality and the emotions that it evokes.

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake. He is a washed up, alcoholic country star who is down on his luck and broke. His body is so lived in that it seems it was overrun by a steamroller. There are many closeups of Blake's weathered, beaten up face. And looking at him you know what he is feeling.

Blake has a protege named Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell) who is now a big star. Blake taught Sweet everything he knows but now he is playing small joints. A bit of fresh air comes into Blake's life when he meets a reporter in Santa Fe named Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal). They start a relationship but you know it isn't going to be easy. Rather than tell you what else happens in the film I will just urge you to see it.

Cooper is a first time filmmaker and I say bravo to him. Farrell is terrific (but I wonder why he is not credited) as is Robert Duvall who shows up late in the film as Wayne, a friend of Blake's. Gyllenhaal gives such a fine performance that I find it hard to believe she has not gotten any awards buzz. I don't get it. And what can I say about Bridges. It is such a subtle, marvelous performance of a man on the edge. The film also has some great music with a soundtrack written by T Bone Burnett and the late Stephen Bruton. And then there is the award winning song The Weary Kind written by Burnett and Ryan Bingham.

As you can see from my previous post Bridges just won the SAG award. He has also won the Critics' Choice and Golden Globe awards. There are many outstanding performance by actors this year including George Clooney (who just keeps getting better), Colin Firth (who was outstanding and heartbreaking) and Viggo Mortensen (magnificent but I am afraid he will not even get a nomination) but on Oscar night I will be rooting for Jeff Bridges. Go, Jeff, Go!

SAG Winners

MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"

FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"

MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"

FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mo'Nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"

CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
"Inglourious Basterds"
Daniel Bruehl
August Diehl
Julie Dreyfus
Michael Fassbender
Sylvester Groth
Jacky Ido
Diane Kruger
Melanie Laurent
Denis Menochet
Mike Myers
Brad Pitt
Eli Roth
Til Schweiger
Rod Taylor
Christoph Waltz
Martin Wuttke

STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
"Star Trek"

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Kevin Bacon, "Taking Chance"

FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Drew Barrymore, "Grey Gardens"

MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"

FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
"Mad Men"
Alexa Alemanni
Bryan Batt
Jared S. Gilmore
Michael Gladis
Jon Hamm
Jared Harris
Christina Hendricks
January Jones
Vincent Kartheiser
Robert Morse
Elisabeth Moss
Kiernan Shipka
John Slattery
Rich Sommer
Christopher Stanley
Aaron Staton

ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
"Glee"
Diana Agron
Chris Colfer
Patrick Gallagher
Jessalyn Gilsig
Jane Lynch
Jayma Mays
Kevin McHale
Lea Michele
Cory Monteith
Heather Morris
Matthew Morrison
Amber Riley
Naya Rivera
Mark Salling
Harry Shum Jr.
Josh Sussman
Dijon Talton
Iqbal Theba
Jenna Ushkowitz

STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A TELEVISION SERIES
"24"

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Betty White

DVD Mini Review - Herb & Dorothy

Megumi Sasaki's wonderful documentary Herb & Dorothy is about married couple Herb & Dorothy Vogel. The Vogels are New Yorkers who collect art. But they are not rich people. He is a retired postal worker and she is a retired librarian. And this film shows you that you don't have to be rich to do what you love.

We get a bit of background on the Vogels but the film really focuses on when they got married and how they become such great art collectors. Despite their great knowledge of art the Vogels are very down to earth people. They live in a rent controlled apartment and love animals. And in the end you find out that they are not into money at all.

I highly recommend this film to those of you who like to find out that there wonderful and interesting people in the world.

BAFTA Nominations

FILM
"Avatar," James Cameron, Jon Landau
"An Education," Amanda Posey, Finola Dwyer
"The Hurt Locker," nominees to be confirmed
"Precious," Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness
"Up in the Air," Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, Daniel Dubiecki

DIRECTOR
"Avatar," James Cameron
"District 9," Neill Blomkamp
"An Education," Lone Scherfig
"The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow
"Inglourious Basterds," Quentin Tarantino

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"The Hangover," Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
"The Hurt Locker," Mark Boal
"Inglourious Basterds," Quentin Tarantino
"A Serious Man," Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
"Up," Bob Peterson, Pete Docter

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"District 9," Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
"An Education," Nick Hornby
"In the Loop," Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
"Precious," Geoffrey Fletcher
"Up in the Air," Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

LEADING ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney, "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Andy Serkis, "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll"

LEADING ACTRESS
Carey Mulligan, "An Education"
Saoirse Ronan, "The Lovely Bones"
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"
Meryl Streep, "Julie and Julia"
Audrey Tautou, "Coco Before Chanel"

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, "It's Complicated"
Christian McKay, "Me and Orson Welles"
Alfred Molina, "An Education"
Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Anne-Marie Duff, "Nowhere Boy"
Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"
Mo'nique, "Precious"
Kristin Scott Thomas, "Nowhere Boy"

BRITISH FILM
"An Education," Amanda Posey, Finola Dwyer, Lone Scherfig, Nick Hornby
"Fish Tank," Kees Kasander, Nick Laws, Andrea Arnold
"In the Loop," Kevin Loader, Adam Tandy, Armando Iannucci, Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche
"Moon," Stuart Fenegan, Trudie Styler, Duncan Jones, Nathan Parker
"Nowhere Boy," Kevin Loader, Douglas Rae, Robert Bernstein, Sam Taylor-Wood, Matt Greenhalgh

DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
Lucy Bailey, Andrew Thompson, Elizabeth Morgan Hemlock, David Pearson, directors, producers – "Mugabe and the White African"
Eran Creevy, writer/director – "Shifty"
Stuart Hazeldine, writer/director – "Exam"
Duncan Jones, director – "Moon"
Sam Taylor-Wood, director – "Nowhere Boy"

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
"Broken Embraces," Agustin Almodovar, Pedro Almodovar
"Coco Before Chanel," Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo, Philippe Carcassonne, Anne Fontaine
"Let the Right One In," Carl Molinder, John Nordling, Tomas Alfredson
"A Prophet," Pascale Caucheteux, Marco Chergui, Alix Raynaud, Jacques Audiard
"The White Ribbon," Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, Margaret Menegoz, Michael Haneke

ANIMATED FILM
"Coraline," Henry Selick
"Fantastic, Mr Fox," Wes Anderson
"Up," Pete Docter

MUSIC
"Avatar," James Horner
"Crazy Heart," T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton
"Fantastic Mr Fox," Alexandre Desplat
"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll," Chaz Jankel
"Up," Michael Giacchino

CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Avatar," Mauro Fiore
"District 9," Trent Opaloch
"The Hurt Locker," Barry Ackroyd
"Inglourious Basterds," Robert Richardson
"The Road," Javier Aguirresarobe

EDITING
"Avatar," Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron
"District 9," Julian Clarke
"The Hurt Locker," Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
"Inglourious Basterds," Sally Menke
"Up in the Air," Dana E. Glauberman

PRODUCTION DESIGN
"Avatar," Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
"District 9," Philip Ivey, Guy Poltgieter
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Stuart Craig, Stephenie Mcmillan
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," nominees to be confirmed
"Inglourious Basterds," David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds Wasco

COSTUME DESIGN
"Bright Star," Janet Patterson
"Coco Before Chanel," Catherine Leterrier
"An Education," Odile Dicks-Mireaux
"A Single Man," Arianne Phillips
"The Young Victoria," Sandy Powell

SOUND
"Avatar," Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Tony Johnson, Addison Teague
"District 9," nominees to be confirmed
"The Hurt Locker," Ray Beckett, Paul N. J. Ottosson, Craig Stauffer
"Star Trek," Peter J. Devlin, Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Mark Stoeckinger, Ben Burtt
"Up," Tom Myers, Michael Silvers, Michael Semanick

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
"Avatar," Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andrew R. Jones
"District 9," Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," John Richardson, Tim Burke, Tim Alexander, Nicolas Aithadi
"The Hurt Locker," Richard Stutsman
"Star Trek," Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh, Burt Dalton

MAKE UP AND HAIR
"Coco Before Chanel," Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen, Jane Milon
"An Education," Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," Sarah Monzani
"Nine," Peter 'Swords' King
"The Young Victoria," Jenny Shircore

SHORT ANIMATION
"The Gruffalo," Michael Rose, Martin Pope, Jakob Schuh, Max Lang
"The Happy Duckling," Gili Dolev
"Mother of Many," Sally Arthur, Emma Lazenby

SHORT FILM
"14," Asitha Ameresekere
"I Do Air," James Bolton, Martina Amati
"Jade," Samm Haillay, Daniel Elliott
"Mixtape," Luti Fagbenle, Luke Snellin
"Off Season," Jacob Jaffke, Jonathan Van Tulleken

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
Jesse Eisenberg
Nicholas Hoult
Carey Mulligan
Tahar Rahim
Kristen Stewart

Golden Globe Winners

* Best Picture, Drama – Avatar
* Best Picture, Comedy/Musical — The Hangover
* Best Director — James Cameron, Avatar
* Best Actress, Drama — Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
* Best Actor, Drama – Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
* Best Actress, Comedy/Musical — Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
* Best Actor, Comedy/Musical — Robert Downey Jr, Sherlock Holmes
* Best Supporting Actress — Mo’Nique, Precious
* Best Supporting Actor — Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
* Best Foreign Language Film — The White Ribbon
* Best Animated Feature — Up
* Best Screenplay — Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
* Best Original Score — Michael Giacchino, Up
* Best Original Song — The Weary Kind, Crazy Heart
* Best TV Series, Drama – Mad Men
* Best TV Series, Comedy — Glee
* Best TV Miniseries — Grey Gardens
* Best Actress, TV Miniseries — Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
* Best Actor, TV Miniseries — Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
* Best Actress, TV Drama — Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
* Best Actor, TV Drama — Michael C. Hall, Dexter
* Best Actress, TV Comedy — Toni Collette, United States of Tara
* Best Actor, TV Comedy — Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
* Best Supporting Actress, TV — Chloe Sevigny, Big Love
* Best Supporting Actor, TV — John Lithgow, Dexter

The Lovely Bones

I read Alice Sebold's marvelous novel The Lovely Bones many years ago. And I was really looking forward to the screen version of the book. But the critics did not give it the best reviews. Let us say that while Peter's Jackson's film is not a great one it is a good one and it held my interest.

This is the story of young Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan). She is just fourteen years old when she disappears. And, yes, she is murdered. This is not a mystery. We know all along who her killer is - he is the oddball loner neighbor George Harvey (Stanley Tucci). Part of the film takes place in the in between - in between earth and heaven that is. The other part of the film takes place in the world of Susie's family. Her mother (Rachel Weisz) and father (Mark Wahlberg) have trouble getting their lives back to normal. And who can blame them? There is nothing worse than losing a child.

Does Harvey get caught? If you read the book you know the answer. Although I read the book a number of years ago I seem to remember that a few things were different. But I certainly cannot say what.

All of the acting is fine and Tucci and Ronan are standouts. Tucci is menacing without saying a word. Susan Sarandon is a hoot as the eccentric Grandma Lynn. And the visuals are stunning.

So, all in all, The Lovely Bones is a good film. But I guess that the critics wanted it to be something different.

Critics' Choice Awards Winners

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Best Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds
Best Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air
Best Acting Ensemble: Inglourious Basterds
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges
Best Actress: tie! Meryl Streep & Sandra Bullock
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Young Actress: Saoirse Ronan
Best Documentary: The Cove
Best Foreign Language Film: Broken Embraces
Best Animated Movie: Up
Best Comedy Movie: The Hangover
Best Score: Up
Best Song: The Weary Kind
Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria
Best Make-Up: District 9
Best Action Movie: Avatar
Best Cinematography: Avatar
Best Visual Effects: Avatar
Best Art Direction: Avatar
Best Editing: Avatar
Best Sound: Avatar

DVD Mini Review - Moon

A few words about Moon. It is a most interesting film. Directed by Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie) and adapted from a story by him by Nathan Parker Moon is more than just a science fiction film.

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is an astronaut who has been on the moon for three years. His time to come home is almost at hand. He is very excited about seeing his family again. But he has an accident and soon finds out that he is not alone. Well, he had the voice of Gerty (Kevin Spacey in voice only) guide him. And he had an occasional video from his bosses or his wife. But there were no other humans there. But after the accident he finds a clone of himself. Or is he the clone? You will have to see the film to find out. I will not say more about the plot.

What I will say is that Jones is a director to watch. Besides the film there is also a short film (The Whistle) that he made several years ago on the DVD. Jones is a very creative talented man. I don't always like this type of film (I didn't like Danny Boyle's Sunshine although I think that he is a very talented director) but Jones kept be absorbed right up to the end. I can't wait to see what he does next. And Rockwell gave a terrific performance, probably his best to date. If you haven't seen this film check it out.

WGA Nominations

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

(500) Days of Summer, Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; Fox Searchlight
Avatar, Written by James Cameron; 20th Century Fox
The Hangover, Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore; Warner Bros.
The Hurt Locker, Written by Mark Boal; Summit Entertainment
A Serious Man, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen; Focus Features

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Crazy Heart, Screenplay by Scott Cooper; Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb; Fox Searchlight
Julie & Julia, Screenplay by Nora Ephron; Based on the books Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex
Prud’homme; Sony Pictures
Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher; Based on the novel Push by Sapphire; Lionsgate
Star Trek, Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman; Based upon Star Trek, Created by Gene Roddenberry; Paramount Pictures
Up in the Air, Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner; Based upon the novel by Walter Kirn; Paramount Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Against the Tide, Screenplay by Richard Trank; Moriah Films
Capitalism: A Love Story, Written by Michael Moore; Overture Films
The Cove, Written by Mark Monroe; Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions
Earth Days, Written by Robert Stone; Zeitgeist Films
Good Hair, Written by Chris Rock & Jeff Stilson and Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar; Roadside Attractions
Soundtrack for a Revolution, Written by Bill Guttentag & Dan Sturman; Freedom Song Productions and Louverture Films

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a wildly imaginative film from the mind of Terry Gilliam. And what a trip it is indeed.

Doc P (played by Christopher Plummer and referred to as Doc P from now on) has a traveling magic show. Doc P is immortal - he is about 1,000 years old. He arrived at his immortality by making a deal with Mr. Nick (Tom Waits). Oh, Mr. Nick is the equivalent of the devil himself. The deal is that he must hand over his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) to Mr. Nick when she turns sixteen. And that is within a few days. Valentina has someone who loves her - Anton (Andrew Garfield) one of the people who works with the show. The show also includes a midget named Percy (Verne Troger). Also coming into the mix is the mysterious Tony (Health Ledger). As we all know Ledger's untimely death happened while he was making this film. So rather than scrap the film the creative Gilliam decided to have three other actors play Tony at various times during the film. They are Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. I won't say more about the plot.

All of the acting is good and your realize what a loss Ledger is. I thoroughly enjoyed Plummer. He is such a find actor. And the visuals are absolutely stunning.

This film is not for everyone. But for those of you who like something a bit strange and trippy this film is for you. Does the story have a happy ending. Well, I can't say. See the film to find out.

50 Dead Men Walking (DVD)

50 Dead Men Walking, directed by Kari Skoland, may not be a masterpiece but it is a good political thriller. And it is based on a true story. The film is adapted from a book of the same name written by Martin Gartland and Nicholas Davies.

The story takes place in the late 1980s when Northern Ireland was on fire. Martin (Jim Sturgess)lives in West Belfast and is a Catholic. He knows a lot of IRA members and is sympathetic to the cause. But over time he becomes disillusioned with the violence. He is recruited by a British agent named Fergus (Ben Kingsley) to work undercover and help prevent people from dying. Martin does what he is told but things are not that simple. Along the way he falls for Lara (Natalie Press) and the two of them start a relationship and become parents.

The film is quite suspenseful. Although it is a little rough around the edges it is a good, solid film. It is also an anti-violence statement and it certainly makes a good case for people putting down their guns. Sturgess, Kingsley (despite a bad wig) and Rose McGowan are all good in their roles. But it is Press who steals the show as the loyal but frightened Lara (she has a Spirit Nomination to prove just how good she is). You will have to wait until the end to find out what happens to Martin but let us just say that life can be cruel and unfair.

I will say a few things about the DVD itself. Since the accents are thick I think that they should have supplied English subtitles. Also, when they introduce characters they have their names onscreen but the print should have been bigger. But even with the heavy accents you will know what is going on. So, yes, do rent this film because it is a good one.

BAFTA Long List

* Denotes Chapter selection from Round One

Best Film
Avatar
District 9
An Education
Gran Torino
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Moon
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
The Road
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air


Director
Avatar *
Bright Star
District 9 *
An Education *
Fish Tank
Gran Torino
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Moon
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
A Prophet *
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Leading Actor
Aaron Johnson (John Lennon) – Nowhere Boy
Andy Serkis (Ian Dury) – Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll *
Ben Whishaw (John Keats) – Bright Star
Brad Pitt (Lt. Aldo Raine) – Inglourious Basterds
Clint Eastwood (Walt Kowalski) – Gran Torino
Colin Firth (George) – A Single Man *
George Clooney (Ryan Bingham) – Up in the Air *
Jeff Bridges (Bad Blake) – Crazy Heart
Jeremy Renner (SSgt. William James) – The Hurt Locker *
Michael Sheen (Brian Clough) – The Damned United
Morgan Freeman (Nelson Mandela) – Invictus *
Peter Capaldi (Malcolm Tucker) – In the Loop
Peter Sarsgaard (David) – An Education
Sam Rockwell (Sam Bell) – Moon
Viggo Mortensen (Man) – The Road

Leading Actress
Abbie Cornish (Fanny Brawne) – Bright Star *
Amy Adams (Julie Powell) – Julie & Julia
Audrey Tautou (Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel) – Coco Before Chanel
Carey Mulligan (Jenny) – An Education *
Emily Blunt (Queen Victoria) – The Young Victoria
Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *
Helen Mirren (Sofya Tolstoy) – The Last Station
Katie Jarvis (Mia) – Fish Tank
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jean Craddock) – Crazy Heart
Marion Cotillard (Luisa Contini) – Nine
Melanie Laurent (Shosanna Dreyfus) – Inglourious Basterds
Meryl Streep (Jane) – It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep (Julia Child) – Julie & Julia *
Penelope Cruz (Lena) – Broken Embraces
Saoirse Ronan (Susie Salmon) – The Lovely Bones *

Supporting Actor
Aaron Wolff (Danny Gopnik) – A Serious Man
Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape) – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Alec Baldwin (Jake) – It’s Complicated
Alfred Molina (Jack) – An Education *
Anthony Mackie (Sgt. JT Sanborn) – The Hurt Locker
Brian Geraghty (Specialist Owen Eldridge) – The Hurt Locker
Christian McKay (Orson Welles) – Me and Orson Welles *
Christoph Waltz (Col. Landa) – Inglourious Basterds *
Christopher Plummer (Leo Tolstoy) – The Last Station *
Dominic Cooper (Danny) – An Education
Matt Damon (Francois Pienaar) – Invictus
Stanley Tucci (Mr Harvey) – The Lovely Bones *
Stanley Tucci (Paul Child) – Julie & Julia
Timothy Spall (Peter Taylor) – The Damned United
Zachary Quinto (Spock) – Star Trek

Supporting Actress
Anna Kendrick (Natalie Keener) – Up in the Air
Anne-Marie Duff (Julia) – Nowhere Boy *
Claire Danes (Sonja Jones) – Me and Orson Welles
Diane Kruger (Bridget von Hammersmark) – Inglourious Basterds
Emma Thompson (Headmistress) – An Education
Julianne Moore (Charley) – A Single Man *
Kristin Scott Thomas (Mimi) – Nowhere Boy *
Mariah Carey (Mrs Weiss) – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Mo’Nique (Mary) – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *
Olivia Williams (Miss Stubbs) – An Education
Penelope Cruz (Carla) – Nine
Rachel Weisz (Abigail Salmon) – The Lovely Bones
Rosamund Pike (Helen) – An Education *
Susan Sarandon (Grandma Lynn) – The Lovely Bones
Vera Farmiga (Alex Goran) – Up in the Air

Adapted Screenplay
Crazy Heart
The Damned United
District 9 *
An Education *
Fantastic Mr Fox
In the Loop *
Invictus
Let the Right One In *
The Lovely Bones
Me and Orson Welles
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *
The Road
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up in the Air *

Original Screenplay
Avatar
Bright Star
Broken Embraces
Fish Tank
Gran Torino
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds *
It’s Complicated
Moon *
Nowhere Boy
A Prophet
A Serious Man *
Up *
The Young Victoria

Make Up & Hair
Avatar
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel *
District 9
An Education *
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus *
Inglourious Basterds
Julie & Julia
Me and Orson Welles
Nine
Nowhere Boy
The Road
Star Trek
The Young Victoria *

Special Visual Effects
2012 *
Avatar *
District 9 *
Fantastic Mr Fox
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince *
The Hurt Locker
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Moon
The Road
Star Trek *
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Watchmen
Where the Wild Things Are

Sound
Avatar *
District 9 *
An Education
Fantastic Mr Fox
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Moon
Nine
Nowhere Boy
The Road
Star Trek *
Up *
Where the Wild Things Are

Editing
Avatar *
Bright Star
District 9 *
An Education
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds *
The Lovely Bones
Moon
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
The Road
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air *

Costume Design
Avatar
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel *
District 9
An Education *
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Inglourious Basterds
Me and Orson Welles
Nine
Nowhere Boy
Sherlock Holmes
A Single Man *
Star Trek
The Young Victoria *

Production Design
Avatar
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel
District 9 *
An Education
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince *
The Hurt Locker
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus *
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Moon
The Road
Sherlock Holmes *
A Single Man
Star Trek

Cinematography
Avatar *
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel
District 9
An Education
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds *
The Lovely Bones
Moon
The Road
A Serious Man *
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up in the Air

Animated Film
Coraline *
Disney’s A Christmas Carol
Fantastic Mr Fox *
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Up *

Music
Avatar *
Bright Star
Coraline *
Crazy Heart *
An Education
Fantastic Mr Fox *
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Moon *
Nine
Nowhere Boy
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Up *
Up in the Air

Film Not in the English Language
Broken Embraces
Coco Before Chanel
Let the Right One In
A Prophet
The White Ribbon

Director's Guild Nominees

James Cameron, “Avatar”
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”
Lee Daniels, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”

Producers Guild Nominees

AVATAR
Producers: James Cameron, Jon Landau

DISTRICT 9
Producers: Carolynne Cunningham, Peter Jackson

AN EDUCATION
Producers: Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey

THE HURT LOCKER
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Producer: Lawrence Bender

INVICTUS
Producers: Clint Eastwood, Rob Lorenz, Lori McCreary , Mace Neufeld

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
Producers: Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Sarah Siegel-Magness

STAR TREK
Producers: J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof

UP
Producer: Jonas Rivera

UP IN THE AIR
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

Animated after the cut.

PGA Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

9
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

CORALINE
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
Producer: Peter Del Vecho

UP
Producer: Jonas Rivera

PGA Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:

BURMA VJ
Producer: Lise Lense-Moller

The COVE
Producers: Paula DuPre Pesman, Fisher Stevens

SERGIO
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television*:

GEORGIA O'KEEFFE
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

GREY GARDENS
Producers: David Coatsworth, Lucy Donnelly, Rachael Horovitz, Michael Sucsy

LITTLE DORRIT
Producers: Lisa Osborne, Anne Pivcevic

PRAYERS FOR BOBBY
Producers: Stanley M. Brooks, Damian Ganczewski, David Permut, Daniel Sladek, Chris Taaffe

THE PRISONER
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

TAKING CHANCE
Producers: Lori Keith Douglas, Ross Katz, Brad Krevoy, Cathy Wischner-Sola

National Society of Flim Criitics winners

Picture:
“The Hurt Locker”
Director:
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
Actor:
Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”
Actress:
Yolande Moreau, “Seraphine”
Supporting Actor:
Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds,” and Paul Schneider, “Bright Star” (tie)
Supporting Actress:
Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Screenplay:
Joel and Ethan Coen, “A Serious Man”
Foreign-Language Film:
“Summer Hours”
Non-Fiction Film:
“The Beaches of Agnes”
Cinematography:
Christian Berger, “The White Ribbon”

Four Seasons Lodge

Four Seasons Lodge, directed by Andrew Jacobs, is a moving documentary about Holocaust survivors who vacation at a colony in the Catskills every summer. The focus of the film is a conflict of interests regarding the colony. Some people want to sell it and some do not. It is their refuge during summer months. We meet many wonderful people as we watch the film. See it when you can.

The Blind Side, Ricky (MOD), It's Complicated and Police Adjective (MOD)

I will say a (very) few words about the latest films I have seen.

The Blind Side is a decent, heartwarming film about real people. John Lee Hancock directs the film from Michael Lewis' book. Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock) rescues a homeless boy names Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron). She feels that he has been given a raw deal - which he has. His mother is a crack addict. Now, you have to remember that this takes place in Tennessee and that Touhy is a white Republican and Michael is black. She guides him to to his true potential. Bullock is very good in the role and has already gotten some awards nominations. This film could bring her her first Oscar nomination. Tim McGraw plays her husband Sean and Kathy Bates plays the tutor Leigh Anne hires to help Michael with his grades (and she is a Democrat to boot).

I saw Ricky on Movies on Demand. Francois Ozon directed this film. It is quirky but I liked it. Alexandra Lamy plays Katie, a single mom who has a daughter named Lisa (Melusine Mayance). At work she meets Paco (Sergi Lopez). They start seeing each other and Paco soon moves in with Katie and Lisa. Katie is pregnant. She eventually gives birth to Ricky (Arthur Peyret). At the beginning all seems well. But Ricky is not like other children. I won't say what happens but I am not exactly sure of everything in this film. I would love to talk to someone who has also seen it. But despite its strangeness I did enjoy the film.

It's Complicated is an enjoyable, entertaining romantic comedy written and directed by Nancy Meyers. Jane (Meryl Streep) is a successful businesswoman who has been divorced from her husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) for ten years. He married a younger woman. They meet up at their son's graduation and begin an affair. Yes, that is what I said. Streep and Baldwin have great chemistry and I laughed a lot during the film. Steve Martin plays Adam - a shy man who also has an interest in Jane. This film is a lot of fun and there is a message in it as well.

Lastly, I saw Corneliu Porumboiu's Police, Adjective on MOD. Cristi (Dragos Bucur) is a policeman keeping tabs on a young man who supplies drugs to his friends. But he does not sell it to them - he just gives it to them. Although the authorities want him to arrest the young man - named Victor - but Cristi has a moral dilemma. He does not feel that Victor is a threat to society. You can find out what happens in the end by renting this movie from MOD or seeing it in a very limited release. It was an interesting film but I would not say it is a great one. Too much time is spend on Cristi following the students. But still and all I am happy that I saw it.