criterionforum.org

Duncan Hopper wrote:No love for Errol Morris? I thought 'Tabloid' was excellent, far better than 'The Tillman Story'.

It won't be eligible until next year. It is required to have a seven-day commercial run in New York and L.A. during the eligibility period. It should be released commercially in the spring, I think.

Sight & Sound's Best of 2010 list:

The Sight & Sound Top 12:

1. “The Social Network” (David Fincher)
2. “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
3. “Another Year” (Mike Leigh)
4. “Carlos” (Olivier Assayas)
5. “The Arbor” (Clio Barnard)
6. “Winter’s Bone” (Debra Granik)
6. (tied) “I Am Love” (Luca Guadagnino)
8. “The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu” (Andrei Ujica)
8. (tied) “Film Socialisme” (Jean-Luc Godard)
8. (tied) “Nostalgia for the Light” (Patricio Guzman)
8. (tied) “Poetry” (Lee Chang-dong)
8. (tied) “A Prophet” (Jacques Audiard)

Let the handwringing begin... (for my part, I think it's a decent list but I found the Leigh superior to Fincher's and Weerasethakul's films)

Finch wrote: Let the handwringing begin...

Well, I actually think it's an allright list. There may be a couple films I don't much like ('I Am Love') but I can't fault their inclusion since I also find them very well made.

I would like to be optimistic and hope that this result is going to play a role in helping to achieve at least a DVD release for Nostalgia for the Light, The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu and Poetry (I'm assuming Social Network, Another Year, The Arbor and Film Socialisme aren't going to need the same push!)

I haven't seen all of these, but it seems a respectable list. I'm very heartened to see Guzman's superb essay film turn up: I had no idea it had achieved any profile whatsoever.

Finch wrote:for my part, I think it's a decent list but I found the Leigh superior to Fincher's and Weerasethakul's films

If your biggest complaint is that the #3 film should be #1, it's probably a pretty good list.

Certified Copy seems like a glaring omission though.

Well, as I said earlier, I don't agree with the order of the top three but it's still a solid list. I was a little surprised to see A Prophet (a film I admired rather than loved) in the lower tier, and that too few (if any) of the polled critics cared for the Kiarostami, a film I'd have expected to fare better in spite of the mixed (compared to his earlier work) critical response.

Colin, the Korean DVD of Poetry is available here

Who are the least likely Oscar hosts you can think of? Nope, guess again.

Even more reason not to watch.

Why would James Franco host a ceremony during which he stands a great chance to win one of its most prestigious prizes?

P.S. Anne Hathaway is pretty.

mfunk9786 wrote:P.S. Anne Hathaway is pretty.

She sure is. She's a pretty great singer and dancer too, so I guess I can see the appeal of using her. But Franco?

Franco should be co-hosting with Komiko.

If you have any interest in the Gotham Awards Scott Macaulay of @FilmmakerMag is Twittering the action there.

Jeff wrote:

mfunk9786 wrote:P.S. Anne Hathaway is pretty.

She sure is. She's a pretty great singer and dancer too, so I guess I can see the appeal of using her. But Franco?

Don't get me wrong: Speaking as a boringly straight man, if I could have the looks, talent, and propensity for brains of anyone; it would be James Franco. I don't think he needs the hosting job, at least, not this year. I truly feel it will detract attention from his performance in 127 Hours, which is nothing short of a career-making revelation.

You saw it and liked it? Is 127 Hours better than Boyle's last few turkeys or is the acting the only thing worth the viewing.

After ONTD showed me Franco's penis-nose "art" installation, I gave up

knives wrote:You saw it and liked it? Is 127 Hours better than Boyle's last few turkeys or is the acting the only thing worth the viewing.

I have seen it twice - it is a slight but masterful film, one that completely redeems Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire and brings him back to the heights of 28 Days Later and Millions. He will always be a director that divides viewers (he has a way of playing to the crowd that will turn a few particularly curmudgeonly filmgoers off even here), but his focus throughout this film and effortless control over my emotions are worth every accolade thrown in his direction. And double that goes for Franco's performance.

Aww, you know what? Fuck it. Freaks and Geeks-James Dean biopic James Franco and yes-she-is-fuckin-gorgeous-and-she-can-sing Anne Hathaway...even if they blow it big time, I'll still tune in and support them the whole way. If you can't get Billy Crystal then let some talented young 'uns have a shot, why the fuck not?

INDEPENDENT SPIRIT NOMS

BEST FEATURE
* 127 HOURS
* BLACK SWAN
* GREENBERG
* THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
* WINTER’S BONE

BEST DIRECTOR
* DARREN ARONOFSKY – Black Swan
* DANNY BOYLE – 127 Hours
* LISA CHOLODENKO – The Kids Are All Right
* DEBRA GRANIK – Winter’s Bone
* JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL – Rabbit Hole

BEST SCREENPLAY
* STUART BLUMBERG & LISA CHOLODENKO – The Kids Are All Right
* DEBRA GRANIK & ANNE ROSELLINI – Winter’s Bone
* NICOLE HOLOFCENER – Please Give
* DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE – Rabbit Hole
* TODD SOLONDZ – Life During Wartime

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
* EVERYTHING STRANGE AND NEW
* GET LOW
* NIGHT CATCHES US
* THE LAST EXORCISM
* TINY FURNITURE

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
* DIANE BELL – Obselidia
* LENA DUNHAM – Tiny Furniture
* NIK FACKLER – Lovely, Still
* BOB GLAUDINI – Jack Goes Boating
* DANA ADAM SHAPIRO & EVAN M. WIENER – Monogamy

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
* DADDY LONGLEGS
* LOVERS OF HATE
* OBSELIDIA
* THE EXPLODING GIRL

BEST FEMALE LEAD
* ANNETTE BENING – The Kids Are All Right
* GRETA GERWIG – Greenberg
* NICOLE KIDMAN – Rabbit Hole
* JENNIFER LAWRENCE – Winter’s Bone
* NATALIE PORTMAN – Black Swan
* MICHELLE WILLIAMS – Blue Valentine

BEST MALE LEAD
* RONALD BRONSTEIN – Daddy Longlegs
* AARON ECKHART – Rabbit Hole
* JAMES FRANCO – 127 Hours
* JOHN C. REILLY – Cyrus
* BEN STILLER – Greenberg

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
* ASHLEY BELL – The Last Exorcism
* DALE DICKEY – Winter’s Bone
* ALLISON JANNEY – Life During Wartime
* DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA – Jack Goes Boating
* NAOMI WATTS – Mother and Child

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
* JOHN HAWKES – Winter’s Bone
* SAMUEL L. JACKSON – Mother and Child
* BILL MURRAY – Get Low
* JOHN ORTIZ – Jack Goes Boating
* MARK RUFFALO – The Kids Are All Right

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
* ADAM KIMMEL – Never Let Me Go
* MATTHEW LIBATIQUE – Black Swan
* JODY LEE LIPES – Tiny Furniture
* MICHAEL McDONOUGH – Winter’s Bone
* HARRIS SAVIDES – Greenberg

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)
* EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
* MARWENCOL
* SWEETGRASS
* RESTREPO
* THUNDER SOUL

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)
* KISSES (Ireland)
* MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON (France)
* OF GODS AND MEN (Morocco)
* THE KING’S SPEECH (United Kingdom)
* UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (Thailand)

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
* PLEASE GIVE

That list made me realize what an awful movie year this is.

It just made me think that Winter's Bone deserves to win in practically every category.

I thought the same thing.

Why six nominees for best female lead? They do that sometimes?

BEST FEMALE LEAD
* ANNETTE BENING – The Kids Are All Right
* GRETA GERWIG – Greenberg
* NICOLE KIDMAN – Rabbit Hole
* JENNIFER LAWRENCE – Winter’s Bone
* NATALIE PORTMAN – Black Swan
* MICHELLE WILLIAMS – Blue Valentine

Minus Gerwig, this is probably what the Oscar version will look like

Which is unfortunate as Gerwig deserves to win. Oh well, at least Williams has a chance. I just hope nothing from that deplorable POS The Kids Are All Right wins anything.