The 2010 Golden Dolphin Nominations!

Best Picture
Dorothy Aufiero, David Hoberman, Ryan Kavanaugh, Todd Lieberman, Paul Tamasy, Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter
Terrence Berry, Walton Goggins, Ray McKinnon, Laura D. Smith - That Evening Sun
Dana Brunetti, Cean Chaffin, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin - The Social Network
Jacob Tierney - The Trotsky
Liz Watts - Animal Kingdom

Best Director
Olivier Assayas - Carlos
Anton Corbijn - The American
David Fincher - The Social Network
David Michod - Animal Kingdom
David O. Russell - The Fighter

Best Actor
Jay Baruchel - The Trotsky
Jim Carrey - I Love You Phillip Morris
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Hal Holbrook - That Evening Sun
Edgar Ramirez - Carlos

Best Actress
Annette Bening - The Kids are All Right
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Emma Stone - Easy A
Hillary Swank - Conviction

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale - The Fighter
Andrew Garfield - The Social Network
Ewan MacGregor - I Love You Phillip Morris
Ben Mendelsohn - Animal Kingdom
Sam Rockwell - Conviction

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham-Carter - The King's Speech
Allison Janney - Life During Wartime
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

Best Original Screenplay
Keith Dorrington, Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy - The Fighter
Pamela Gray - Conviction
Ji-woon Kim, Min-suk Kim - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
David Michod - Animal Kingdom
Jacob Tierney - The Trotsky

Best Adapted Screenplay
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen - True Grit
Glenn Ficarra, John Requa - I Love You Phillip Morris
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini - Winter's Bone
Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network
Scott Teems - That Evening Sun

Best Cinematography
Adam Arkapaw - Animal Kingdom
Jeff Cronenweth - The Social Network
Wally Pfister - Inception
Morten Søborg - Valhalla Rising
Rodney Taylor - That Evening Sun

Best Editing
Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall - The Social Network
Luke Doolan - Animal Kingdom
Pamela Martin - The Fighter
Nam Na-Young - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Travis Sittard - That Evening Sun

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Judy Becker - The Fighter
Hwa Sung Cho - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Francesca Balestra Di Mottola - I am Love
Larry Dias, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Douglas A. Mowat - Inception
Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh - True Grit

Best Costume Design
Jenny Beavan - The King's Speech
Mark Bridges - The Fighter
Antonella Cannarozzi - I am Love
Yu-Jin Gweon, Choi Eui-Yeong - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Mary Zophres - True Grit

Best Makeup
Rick Baker, Dave Elsey - The Wolfman
Maya Hardinge, Marina Proctor - Winter's Bone
Donald Mowat, Johnny Villanueva - The Fighter

Best Sound
Odin Benitez - The Fighter
Tae-young Choi - The Good The Bad The Weird
Albert Gasser, Aaron Glascock, David J. Schwarz, John Joseph Thomas, Bryan Watkins - The Town
Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo - Inception
Petur Hliddal, Tom Fleischman - Shutter Island

Best Score
John Adams - I am Love
Antony Partos - Animal Kingdom
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross - The Social Network
Nick Urata - I Love You Phillip Morris
Hans Zimmer - Inception

Best Animated Film
Nathan Greno, Byron Howard - Tangled
Tom McGrath - Megamind
Lee Unkrich - Toy Story 3

Best Documentary Film
Banksy - Exit Through the Gift Shop
Amir Bar-Lev - The Tillman Story
Josh Fox - Gasland
Don Hahn - Waking Sleeping Beauty
Michael Stephenson - Best Worst Movie

The 2010 Donnas

Best Picture

The Fighter

Social Network

I Love You Philip Morris

Conviction

Animal Kingdom

Best Actor

Jesse Esinberg Social Network

Jim Carrey Phillip Morris

Jay Baruchel – The Trotsky

Edgar Rameriz Carlos

Mark Wahlberg Fighter

Best Actress

Anette Benning - The Kids Are Alright

Jenny Lawrence - Winters Bone

Hillary Swank - Conviction

Emma Stone - Easy “A”

Natalie Portman – Black Swan

Best Director

Christopher Nolan - Inception

David O’Russell - The Fighter

Ben Afleck - The Town

Animal Kingdom – David Michod

Lee Unkirk - Toy Story 3

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale The Fighter

Evil Dude Animal Kingdom

Ewan McGregor Philip Morris

Sam Rockwell Conviction

Jeremy Renner The Town

Best Supporting Actress

Jackie Weaver – Animal Kingdom

Helena Bonahm-Carter King’s Speech

Amy Adams - The Fighter

Melissa Leo - The Fighter

Rebecca Hall – The Town

Original Screen Play

The Fighter

Inception

Conviction

Animal Kingdom

Toy Story 3

Adapted Screen Play

Philip Morris

Social Network

Shutter Island

The Town

Winters Bone

Cinematography

That Evening Sun

The Kids Are Alright

Social Network

Shutter Island

Winter’s Bone

Editing

Toy Story 3

The Fighter

Social Network

Animal Kingdom

Inception

Art Direction

The Fighter

Inception

Toy Story 3

Animal Kingdom

Social network

Costume

The Kings Speech

Shutter Island

Easy A

Inception

The Fighter

Documentary

Mormon Proposal

Mugabe and the

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Animated

Toy Story 3

Tangled

Megamind

Tangled

Book of Kells

Sound

Inception

The Town

Animal Kingdom

Shutter Island

The Fighter

Score

Animal Kingdom

I Love You Philip Morris

Inception

Social Network

Toy Story 3

Make-up

127 Hours

Conviction

The Fighter

Colleen's Thoughts:

I was greatly anticpating the announcements of the Donnas this year. I know she has been on top of seeing everything and takes her nominating very seriously so I was excited to see which movies would come out on top. I guessed that Conviction would make a strong showing as mom loves incredible true stories (Although, they have to be good; they can't be the boring 127 hours variety).

I know she liked it but I was slightly surprised to see Animal Kingdom nominated for best picture. Another surprise was Natalie Portman getting a best picture nom. Her one word reveiw of the film to me after she saw it was, "Bad!" I'm guessing Joe may have had something to do with the Helena and Natalie noms as they weren't particularly strong performances but made appearances at the Joe's. I burst out laughing on a break from work, reading the Dolphins and had to try and contain myself when I saw the nom for "Evil Dude." Classic. I was also glad mom didn't seem to forget about movies, Easy A got a few noms and That Evening Sun picked up a cinematog nom.

All and all I am looking very forward to the announcement of the Donna's this year.

The 4th Annual Joe Awards

Best Picture

The Social Network – Dana Brunetti, Cean Chaffin, Michael De Luca, and Scott Rudin

Best Actor

Ben Stiller – Greenberg

Best Actress

Hillary Swank – Conviction

Best Director

David Fincher – The Social Network

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale – The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress

Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech

Best Original Screenplay

Noah Baumbach and Jennifer Jason Leigh – Greenberg

Best Adapted Screenplay

Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network

Best Sound Editing

Craig Henighan - Black Swan

Best Sound Mixing

Ed Novick - Inception

Best Editing

Luke Doolan - Animal Kingdom

Best Art Direction

Brad Ricker, Luke Freeborn, Dean Wolcott - Inception

Best Cinematography

Jeff Cronewerth - The Social Network

Best Score

Hans Zimmer - Inception

Costume

Mary Zophers - True Grit

Make Up

Cathrine Conrad - The Killer Inside Me

The 2010 Joe's

Best Picture

Animal Kingdom – Liz Watts

The Fighter – Dorothy Aufiero, Mark Wahlberg, David Hoberman, Ryan Kavanaugh, Todd Liberman, and Paul Tamasy

Greenberg – Jenifer Jason Leigh and Scott Rudin

The Social Network – Dana Brunetti, Cean Chaffin, Michael De Luca, and Scott Rudin

True Grit – Ethan Coen, Joel Coen and Scott Rudin

Best Actor

Jim Carrey – I Love You Phillip Morris

Jesse Esinberg – The Social Network

Colin Firth – The King’s Speech

Ben Stiller – Greenberg

Mark Wahlberg – The Fighter

Best Actress

Annet Bening – The Kids Are Alright

Jennifer Lawrence – Winters Bone

Julianne Moore – The Kids Are Alright

Natalie Portman – Black Swan

Hillary Swank - Conviction

Best Director

Darren Arronofsky – Black Swan

David Fincher – The Social Network

Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech

Christopher Nolan – Inception

David O. Russel – The Fighter

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale – The Fighter

Matt Damon – True Grit

Rhys Ifans – Greenberg

Sam Rockwell - Conviction

Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are Alright

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams – The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech

Barbara Hershey – Black Swan

Melisa Leo – The Fighter

Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom

Best Original Screenplay

Noah Baumbach and Jennifer Jason Leigh – Greenberg

David Michod - Animal Kingdom

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

John Lassater, Lee Unkirk, Andrew Stanton, and Michael Ardnt - Toy Story 3

Mike Leigh – Another Year

Best Adapted Screenplay

Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network

Joel and Ethan Coen - True Grit

Scott Teems - That Evening Sun

Rowan Joffe - The American

Debra Granik - Winters Bone

Best Sound Editing

Black Swan

Inception

True Grit

Toy Story 3

The Good The Bad The Weird

Best Sound Mixing

Green Zone

True Grit

Inception

The Town

The Fighter

Best Editing

The Social Network

The Good The Bad The Weird

Black Swan

Animal Kingdom

Greenberg

Best Art Direction

Inception

Black Swan

True Grit

The Kings Speech

The Good The Bad The Weird

Best Cinematography

Inception

Black Swan

True Grit

The Social Network

Greenberg

Best Score

Inception

Black Swan

That Evening Sun

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

Costume

Alice In Wonderland

True Grit

Greenberg

The Good The Bad The Weird

Toy Story 3

Make Up

The Wolfman

The Killer Inside Me

Black Swan

Drew's Thoughts:
EMBARRASSING! Noms for The King's Speech and Black Swan??? What are these, the goddam Oscars?!

(I mean this in a playful tone. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings hehe)

FYI, you will not be able to vote for Toy Story 3 in Best Original Screenplay at the Dolphins because it is based on material and characters previously produced or published (Toy Story and Toy Story 2)

Colleen's Thoughts:

I have to say, I was disappointed in the lack of noms for some amazing films, not to mention Carlos being not included. It was released in festivals as a film and judged that way at sun dance. Colin Firth? Helena? Natalie? Tom Hooper? Get King's speech and Black Swan out of there. Both painfully mediocre films. Hopefully they will not get noms at the Dolphins. Disappointed Trotsky didn't get proper respect. Hilarious creative film with some great acting.

Happy to see Fighter and Social Network got their proper due at the Joes. Also glad to see Rockwell made his much deserved appearance. I was a little surprised not to see any noms for previous Joe favorites the Duplass brothers and their film Cyrus.

Head nod to the Mike Leigh screenplay nom. I have a soft spot for that guy and I was happy to see that Joe saw the film. (Now he has kind of met our host family in London)

2010 4th Annual Colleen's

Best Picture:
Dorothy Aufiero, David Hoberman, Ryan Kavanaugh, Todd Lieberman, Paul Tamasy, Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter
Dana Brunetti, Cean Chaffin, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin - The Social Network
Tony Goldwyn, Andrew S. Karsch & Andrew Sugerman--Conviction
Jacob Tierney - The Trotsky
Jens Meurer, Daniel Leconte - Carlos

Best Director:
Olivier Assayas-Carlos
Anton Corbijn- The American
David Fincher-The Social Network
David O'Russel-The Fighter
The Trotsky-Jacob Tierney

Best Actress:
Annette Benning-The Kids are Alright
Nicole Kidman-Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence-Winter's Bone
Hilary Swank-Conviction
Tilda Swinton-I Am Love


Best Actor:
Jay Baruchel-The Trotsky
Jesse Eisengber-The Social Network
Robert Duvall-Get Low
Hal Holbrook-That Evening Sun
Edgar Ramirez-Carlos

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams-The Figher
Minnie Driver-Conviction
Melissa Leo-The Fighter
Nora Van Waldstatten-Carlos
Jacki Weaver-Animal Kingdom


Best Supporting Actor:
Christian Bale-The Fighter
David Bradley-Another Year
Andrew Garfield-The Social Network
Ewan McGregor- I Love you Phillip Morris
Sam Rockwell-Conviction

Best Original Screenplay:
Pamela Gray-Conviction
Jacob Tierney-The Trotsky
Keith Dorrington, Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy - The Fighter
David Michod- Animal Kingdom
Ji-woon Kim, Min-suk Kim - The Good, the Bad, the Weird

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Peter Craig, Ben Affleck-The Town
Debra Granik, Anne Rosselinni-Winter's Bone
Rowan Joffe-The American
Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network
Scott Teems-That Evening Sun


Best Cinematography:
Adam Arkapaw - Animal Kingdom
Roger Deakins-True Grit
Yorick Le Saux- I Am Love
Mo-Gae Lee, Seung Chul-Oh The Good, The Bad & The Weird
Martin Ruhe-The American


Best Editing:
Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall-The Social Network
Alfonso Goncalves-Winter's Bone
Pamela Martin-The Fighter
Nam Na Young-The Good, the Bad and the Weird
Dylan Tichenor-The Town


Best Art Direction:
Francesca Balestra Di Mottola- I am Love
Hwa Sung Cho - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Dante Ferretti-Shutter Island
Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh - True Grit
Francois-Renaud Labarthe, Bertram Straub-Carlos

Best Costume Design:
Antonella Cannarozzi- I Am Love
Mark Bridges-The Fighter
The Town-
Yu-Jin Gweon, Choi Eui-Yeong - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Cyrus-

Best Make Up:
Donald Mowatt-The Fighter
-Girl with Dragon Tattoo
-Winter's Bone

Best Sound:
-The American
-The Social Network
-The Town
-The Good, the Bad & the Weird
-The Fighter


Best Score:
The Social Network
I am Love
I love you Phillip Morris
Inception
Animal Kingdom

Best Animated Film
Tangled
Toy Story 3
Megamind

Best Documentary Film:
Best Worst Movie
Exit Through the Gift Shop
The September Issue
The Tillman Story
Waking Sleeping Beauty

Drew's thoughts:
Colleen certainly delivered an interesting line-up as promised. Quite a few surprises in the acting categories, out of nowhere shots from Another Year and Get Low. Could Anton Corbijn be headed to a director nom for The American at the Dolphins? On Saturday I would have said no way but now, just maybe he will. Colleen had not forgotten The September Issue which was watched a year ago, she displayed her fashion roots proudly beating out other top contenders about war, social justice in Africa and environmental politics. It was strange how similar many of the categories were to the Drews. That Evening Sun was the one Drew Best Pic nominee that didn't translate it's success to that category in the Colleens though it managed Best Actor and Adapted Screenplay bids. I appreciate all the love for The Fighter, The Social Network, Carlos and The Trotsky. I am a bit surprised I Love You Phillip Morris failed to make it into the Adapted screenplay category. I guess I underestimated Colleen's love for The Town despite Jeremy Renner not showing his face even though it was hinted he would.
It's nice slate overall, and I am looking forward to the winners being announced! Could there be more surprises in store?

The Fourth Annual Drew Nominations 2010

Best Picture
Terrence Berry, Walton Goggins, Ray McKinnon, Laura D. Smith - That Evening Sun
Dorothy Aufiero, David Hoberman, Ryan Kavanaugh, Todd Lieberman, Paul Tamasy, Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter
Dana Brunetti, Cean Chaffin, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin - The Social Network
Jacob Tierney - The Trotsky
Jens Meurer, Daniel Leconte - Carlos

Best Director
Olivier Assayas - Carlos
Anton Corbijn - The American
David Fincher - The Social Network
David O. Russell - The Fighter
Scott Teems - That Evening Sun

Best Actor
Jay Baruchel - The Trotsky
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Hal Holbrook - That Evening Sun
John C. Reilly - Cyrus
Adam Scott - The Vicious Kind

Best Actress
Annette Bening - The Kids are All Right
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Emma Stone - Easy A

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale - The Fighter
Andrew Garfield - The Social Network
Jonah Hill - Cyrus
Paul Reubens - Life During Wartime
Sam Rockwell - Conviction

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Allison Janney - Life During Wartime
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Carrie Preston - That Evening Sun
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

Best Original Screenplay
Keith Dorrington, Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy - The Fighter
Pamela Gray - Conviction
Ji-woon Kim, Min-suk Kim - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Bert V. Royal - Easy A
Jacob Tierney - The Trotsky

Best Adapted Screenplay
Glenn Ficarra, John Requa - I Love You Phillip Morris
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini - Winter's Bone
Todd Solondz - Life During Wartime
Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network
Scott Teems - That Evening Sun

Best Cinematography
Adam Arkapaw - Animal Kingdom
Wally Pfister - Inception
Morten Søborg - Valhalla Rising
Rodney Taylor - That Evening Sun
Hoyte Van Hoytema - The Fighter

Best Editing
Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall - The Social Network
Pamela Martin - The Fighter
Nam Na-Young - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Travis Sittard - That Evening Sun
Dylan Tichenor - The Town

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Hwa Sung Cho - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Larry Dias, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Douglas A. Mowat - Inception
Dante Ferretti - Shutter Island
Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh - True Grit
Francois-Renaud Labarthe, Bertram Straub - Carlos

Best Costume Design
Mark Bridges - The Fighter
Antonella Cannarozzi - I am Love
Milena Canonero - The Wolfman
Yu-Jin Gweon, Choi Eui-Yeong - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Mary Zophres - True Grit

Best Makeup
Rick Baker, Dave Elsey - The Wolfman
Tahira Herold - Centurion
Donald Mowat, Johnny Villanueva - The Fighter

Best Sound
Iain Anderson, Giles Lamb, Douglas MacDougall - Valhalla Rising
David O. Daniel, Christer Melen, Joakim Sundstrom - The Killer Inside Me
Albert Gasser, Aaron Glascock, David J. Schwarz, John Joseph Thomas, Bryan Watkins - The Town
Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo - Inception
Petur Hliddal, Tom Fleischman - Shutter Island

Best Score
Klaus Badelt - The Extra Man
Carter Burwell - True Grit
Antony Partos - Animal Kingdom
Nick Urata - I Love You Phillip Morris
Hans Zimmer - Inception

Best Original Song
"Depression Era" by Patterson Hood - That Evening Sun
"Despicable Me" by Pharrell Williams - Despicable Me

Best Foreign Film
Olivier Assayas - Carlos
Claire Denis - White Material
Jean-Pierre Jeunet - Micmacs
Ji-woon Kim - The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Giorgos Lanthimos - Dogtooth

Best Animated Film
Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders - How to Train Your Dragon
Tom McGrath - Megamind
Lee Unkrich - Toy Story 3

Best Documentary Film
Banksy - Exit Through the Gift Shop
Amir Bar-Lev - The Tillman Story
Josh Fox - Gasland
Don Hahn - Waking Sleeping Beauty
Michael Stephenson - Best Worst Movie

Lifetime Achievement Award: TBA

Colleen's Thoughts

As I mentioned in my comment some surprises here but the biggest surprise of all to me is how similar the Drews and Colleens ended up in some categories. We seemed to differ in opinion a fair amount of times this year and I was surprised that it didn't translate into our nominations that way. Perhaps the winners will make up for this.

I was happy to see 4 out of my 5 best picture noms in Drew's noms. Trotsky and Carlos should have got love at all the awards but I am at least glad they showed up here. No surprise about That Evening Sun. Drew adored that film. Also, no one should be surprised by the C. Reily nom as we all knew that was coming....more commentary to come

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Colleen's Thoughts:

When I first started to write my review for this documentary, I gave a long personal anecdote of my affinity for Banksy. That got far too long and I hadn't even gotten to the film so, instead, I'll stick to discussing Banksy's new doc, which is quite worthy of its own praise. If you want to know more about Banksy and I, just ask. Here goes the review:

I hesitate only slightly in exclaiming that I've been more impressed with the documentaries I've seen this year than with the narrative films. Having said that, Exit Through the Gift Shop lived up to its hype and will be a strong competitor for the best doc award at the 2010 Colleen's.

Thanks to Thierry Giuetta, our main subject, the film has amazing footage of street art in action and shows the entire thinking, creating, assembling, and displaying proccess. It also has awesome and rare footage of Banksy at work.

However, the film isn't merely segments of street art happening, it is a character study of Thierry Giuetta who claimed to be making a documentary of street art and then became the street "artist," MBW (Mr. Brainwash). The end product of this doc ends up being an intriguing look at the art world and what it means to be an artist. It's fascinating to mull over the differences between someone like Banksy and MBW. Truly a thought provoking film, and if you don't know street art and Banksy a great way to dive in head first.

Carlos

Drew's Thoughts:

Carlos is an ambitious portrait of the international terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal by French filmmaker Olivier Assayas. The 5 1/2 hour film was screened at Cannes Film Festival earlier in the year and was later broadcast on French television in 3 installments and also as an edited 2 1/2 hour theatrical cut. I watched the original 5 1/2 cut and enjoyed the film pretty thoroughly.

The film is anchored by an equally charasmatic and repugnant performance by Edgar Ramirez as Carlos, a man who views himself as a revolutionary but when it comes down to it he's all about the ego. 5 1/2 hours is a long time but the film stays pretty energetic throughout and I was never bored. Considering the large scope of the film though, its length doesn't seem so crazy. My favorite part was the hour or so covering the raid on the 1975 OPEC meeting in the middle of the film.

The film is among the best I've seen this year and Edgar Ramirez is worth considering in the Best Actor category for his empassioned, dedicated performance.

Conviction

Drew's Thoughts:

Conviction is a pretty remarkable true story and manages to avoid feeling cliched. Last year's Best Actor winner Sam Rockwell was very impressive in his role and I don't see why he won't get his third Dolphin nom in a row. Though I was worried by the trailer that she might be hammy, Hilary Swank also gave a good performance. Juliette Lewis contributes a very good one-scene performance as well.

Director Tony Goldwyn and screenwriter Pamela Gray did a good job with the material not trying to make the story seem more amazing than it already is. It was definitely an emotional story, seeing the bond between the two siblings that lasts throughout their lives. I can't tell if the film will have much replay value or not but I definitely enjoyed my first viewing.

The Killer Inside Me

Drew's Thoughts:

Michael Winterbottom's mostly botched adaptation of Jim Thompson's classic pulp novel was a disappointment. The technical aspects were on point but Winterbottom and screenwriter John Curran had difficulties capturing the feel of the novel which gets deep inside a twisted, criminal mind using extensive first person narration. As a fan of the novel, a number of key points were totally flubbed but I also feel I may have enjoyed the film more than the average viewer since I could fill in the gaps.

That said though, casting Casey Affleck as Lou Ford (no relation to Bob Ford) is absolutely perfect. He gives a very good performance as the sinister sheriff but, I can't help but think his performance could have been the best of the year (instead of just one of them) if he was working with a higher caliber filmmaker. Along with Best Actor, the film deserves consideration in the sound and makeup categories for some brutal, unflinching scenes.

The American

Drew's Thoughts:

The American is a spy movie made the way spy movies should be made. George Clooney is an assassin who spends most of his time alone, in silence, as a spy would. Unlike James Bond or the Bourne movies where the main is character is always on the move, jumping from explosion to explosion, director Anton Corbijn is very selective with his instances of violence making them highly effective.

Drawing inspiration from foreign filmmakers such as Jean-Pierre Melville, a lot of American audiences were confused when the film came out wondering why they didn't get a Bourne style movie. The film certainly has its flaws (mostly due to Rowan Joffe's screenplay) but Corbijn delivers enough memorable scenes, such as the film opener, and a well co-ordinated overall aesthetic to make it a winner in my opinion.

Animal Kingdom

Drew's Thoughts:

Animal Kingdom is an exceedingly dark Australian crime drama from David Michod. Jacki Weavers's performance has been the big story here in the states as she's won a few critics awards. She doesn't have a ton of screen time, but she definitely made my skin crawl when she was onscreen and deserves some Dolphin consideration in my opinion. Otherwise, I'd say Michod talents as a director outweigh his as a screenwriter. He creates a singular, grim atmosphere incorporating excellent cinematography and an unusual but highly effective score.

I don't see the film racking up piles of Dolphin nominations, but there's a few key categories in which it should not be forgotten.

Centurion

Drew's Thoughts:

I liked the approach to Neil Marshall's "sword and sandals" picture; it's very grimey, gritty and gorey. Unfortunately the screenplay isn't really up to the challenge as its pretty ho hum, failing to provide interesting content to match the aesthetics.

Still, the cast featuring Michael Fassbender (Fish Tank, Hunger) and Dominic West (The Wire) is decent and the movie as a whole makes for a fun, swiftly paced adventure. Just don't expect anything amazing.

Probably not many Dolphin hopes except the technical categories, it should definitely be considered in the Makeup category though.

Casino Jack

Drew's Thoughts:

I thought that Casino Jack could be a turning point for Kevin Spacey, who hasn't done anything worthwhile since 1999's American Beauty, but I was wrong. The film isn't much more than an excuse for Spacey to share his inexhaustible supply of celebrity impressions. Considering how much interesting material they had to work with the filmmakers did roughly zero interesting things with the film.

Skip this and watch Alex Gibney's documentary Casino Jack and the United States of Money instead.

Casino Jack and the United States of Money

Drew's Thoughts:

Infinitely more fascinating than the Kevin Spacey biopic Casino Jack, Dolphin-winner Alex Gibney (Gonzo) weaves the bizarre and sometimes depressing portrait of super lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his various activities with US Congress. Tracing his small beginnings as a College Republican, including an unsuccessful detour into the movie business, to becoming the top lobbyist in the D.C., scheming and screwing over people around the world to the tune of millions of dollars.

Abramoff makes for an interesting if sickening subject, particularly if you don't know much about him (like me). The sheer breadth and weirdness of his life makes for perfect documentary material.

The Trotsky

Drew's Thoughts:
Rounding out the trio of surprises this year (Easy A and The Social Network being the others) is The Trotsky a brilliantly witty and hilarious comedy about a Montreal teen who believes he's the re-incarnation of Bolshevik revolutionary Leon Trotsky. Supported by a more than capable cast,
Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder) delivers a fantastic central performance as he holds protests with snacking hunger strikers and throws a social justice-themed school dance. The film makes me really wish there were more high-concept comedies out there, as you have to know a bit of 20th century history to get the (hilarious) jokes. Luckily we Dolphins are a well-educated bunch.
As far as I'm concerned Jacob Tierney's joyously clever original screenplay is the front runner by a mile at this point in the race. Though you should consider the film in many other categories, not least of which Best Picture. A must see!

The Ghost Writer

Drew's Thoughts:

This movie is so achingly mediocre that the question of whether it's good or bad is pointless. Don't waste your time watching it because I won't waste any more time thinking about it.

The score is pretty good though.

I Love you Phillip Morris

Colleen's Thoughts:
Quite a crazy film indeed, but then again Ewan MacGregor and Jim Carrey don't seem to shy away from crazy flicks. This was a weird and twisted love story. I found it dragged on a bit long near the end, but I still must say I enjoyed it. I can't believe that it was based on true events. If the Kids Are Alright showed us all how normal and hetero-like gay couples can be, this movie did the opposite. I thought both Jim Carrey and Ewan MacGregor gave good perfomances. Depending on how the year lines up, they may have a shot at noms at the Colleen's.

Winter's Bone

Colleen's Thoughts:
Although I recommend knowing what you are in for, I really enjoyed this film. It was an interesting take on a rural, modern, noir type story. Jennifer Lawrence has been getting a lot of buzz for her leading performance in this film and all of it is deserved. In the film she plays a protective older sister (proud to be a dolly) who needs to find her dad or at least the body of her dad to keep her house and the rest of her family intact. She goes through scary mission after scary mission, one, which isn't scary at all to her, includes teaching her brother and sister how to hunt and skin squirrels, their dinner many nights over. This was a very interesting film about an environment I thankfully have little to no idea about. I would recommend this one to all dolphin members.

The Social Network

Drew's Thoughts:
Like Easy A, I was pretty darn skeptical of The Social Network. I mean, Facebook? Justin Timberlake? How the hell is Fincher gonna pull this one off? Answer: he's working with a solid screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, an oddly fascinating story of something trivial turned into one the most popular cultural phenomenons ever, unusually good performances from young actors and the secret to it all Dolphin winning editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall moving the story along at a rapid fire pace. A lot of people talk about the screenplay being the star of the show here but I really think it's how David Fincher (Dolphin winner as well) approached the material that makes it special. No one would have guessed that a movie about the invention of Facebook would be the most energetic film of year, but it is, thanks to Finch. I have yet to meet a single person who has not liked this movie which is quite a feat indeed.
Write it on your wall, put it on your newsfeed or whatever you have to, just don't forget about it when you're filling out your Dolphin ballot.

The Kids are All Right

Colleen's Thoughts:
This was a fine-mediocre film with some outstanding lead perfomances. Coming out of the film one of the empolyees working at the theater said that he and others did not enjoy Annette Benning's perfomance. I however, think this is ludicrous. I think those people mainly just saw her as a beezy and did not see that she was actually "acting" that way and an "act"or. I thought she was great in the film.
While it is refreshing to see a movie about a committed lesbian relationship (most films with gay couples I have seen are with two men). I worry a little bit about the message of what this film is telling us is "all right." I am happy to see that people are finally coming around to believeing that two people of the same sex can raise a family just as adequately as two parents of different sexes. However, I think it is interesting that even with a queer couple at the center of the film, traditional family power dynamics seem to remain intact. Nic, Annette Benning's character, clearly the more "masculine" of the couple, seems to be the head of the household. She is logical and brings home the bacon. Julianne Moore (who also gave a stunning performance) was the "feminine" one; she was sensitive, artsy and let's face it didn't know what the hell she was doing career wise tee hee. I worry that for us to be ok with "alternative" family lifestyles they have to quite clearly mirror stereotypical heterosexual relationships. And whose to say that traditional heterosexual relationships have made kids "all right?"
Back to the more concrete of this film, I thought it was an interesting enough screenplay with a few slags. Drew was laughing his ass off when Nic said "If I hear one more person mention heirloom tomatoes.." However, it wasn't really refreshing to hear that just like for straight couples, gay married life sucks the life out of you. I believe Jules likened it to "slogging through the shit." When your relationship is likened to that, I would say get the hell out.

Easy A

Drew's Thoughts:

I am thankful that Colleen wanted to watch this as I had already written it off as a lame teen comedy, when in fact, it's actually the best teen comedy I've seen in a while. Emma Stone (one of the few legit nominees in this year's Golden Globes comedy categories) provides a truly charismatic performance in this re-imagining of The Scarlett Letter. The film features hilarious moments, throughout, a likable heroine you can get behind, and a few great supporting performances as well--mainly talking about Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci here as Stone's parents.

What I really liked about the film was that the humor was never too broad, it stays within genre boundaries without sacrificing smarts which is a rare thing indeed. Definitely worth seeing, could be a dark horse in the Dolphin race. (Thanks for the suggestion Colleen!)

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe

Colleen's Thoughts:
Watching this documentary, I was surprised by how many famous racial American events lawyer Bill Kunstler was at the center of. He is famous for representing the Chicago Seven, being the lead negotiating counsel for the prisoners at the Attica Prison riots, and representing the American Indians at Wounded Knee. However, he is also infamous for his defense of scarier folks such as cop killer Assasta Shakur and Al Sayyid Nosair who assasinated Zionist fanatic Rabbi Meir Kahane. Clearly he is a puzzling player in American history.
This documentary does a wonderful job of showing what an extraordinary man Kunstler was. At times he did things most Americans would now be proud of, but he also took on cases that not even his daughters and wife respected. Interestingly, these daughters are behind the film. They are the co-directors of this documentary. They seem most apt to tell this story. They love and respect their father but they also recognize that he was a fame hound and took on cases that they didn't appreciate him taking on. They have memories of not being able to leave their house because of Jewish organizations protesting outside. However, they also remember how terrible their father felt after the Attica prison massacre and how he taught them about white privelege and racism in America.
As someone considering a degree in law, it was fascinating to see the power that lawyers can have in such huge political situations. Bill Kunstler is admirable in his use of his position as a lawyer to fight for the causes he believed in. We desperately need more civil rights lawyers like Bill Kunstler today.

That Evening Sun

Drew's Thoughts:
Scott Teems's excellent Southern gothic slowburner That Evening Sun is the first great film I've seen this year.
Hal Holbrook gives a fantastic performance as Abner Meecham, a grizzled old Tennesseean farmer who leaves his nursing home unannounced after recovering from a hip injury to find his son has leased the farm to another family. Meecham determined to take his farm back takes up residence in the sharecropper house on the property and a power struggle ensues between him and the family.
Just about everything about the film is top-notch. The screenplay is excellent and first time filmmaker Teems sustains tension and controls the mood perfectly (even managing some unexpectedly funny moments.) The acting is strong too with good supporting performances by Oscar-winner Ray McKinnon (who also produces) as the man who Meecham wars with, Carrie Preston (Arrested Development) and Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) as his wife and daughter and Barry Corbin (No Country for Old Men) provides his unique presence as Meecham's neighbor. Holbrook really is the star of the show though with his gruff, convicted and ultimately towering performance. I'll be surprised if he doesn't end up with a Drew nom at the end of the year.
Add to that impeccable cinematography and editing and a good piano/guitar score by Michael Penn (Boogie Nights) and you got yourself a great goddamn movie.
We're only halfway through the year, and there's a lot more films to be seen, but whether That Evening Sun is in the final five at the end of the year or not, it is certainly good enough to be there.

The Wolfman

Drew's Thoughts:
Directed by Oscar-winner Joe Johnston (Jumanji, The Rocketeer) and starring and produced by Benicio Del Toro, I was very pleasantly surprised when I watched this remake of the '41 film and the old Universal Pictures logo came on the screen. You know the one, it appears before classics like The Bank Dick and The Invisible Man. It was a good sign of things to come, as the film seems like it's trying to throwback to the monster movies of yore a little bit. Though the film gets more CGI'd as it moves on, particularly close to the end, the film has atmosphere and its a much classier horror picture than we usually see these days. It's fun to see Benicio onscreen again and his bored recitation of Hamlet at the beginning is hilarious (his character is a traveling actor) and Anthony Hopkins shows he still knows how to play malicious old men exceedingly well. The period detail was good and Donna-nominee Danny Elfman's crackerjack score tops it off. Not a great movie to be sure but a suprisingly engrossing flick. Probably not a great future at the Dolphins other than possible tech noms or a nom for Elfman's score.

The Vicious Kind

Drew's Thoughts:
The Vicious Kind is a decent, darkly comic low budget drama. The main attraction is the central performance by Adam Scott (The Aviator, TV's Party Down) who does what he does best, playing an enormous dickhead. Scott got a surprise Independent Spirit Award nomination last year for his performance despite the film never actually being shown outside the festival circuit. It was released this year and I checked it out on Netflix. First time film maker Lee Toland Krieger does a pretty good job here, doing a lot with a little. Adam Scott is good and totally commits to playing a completely unlikable asshole. He plays Caleb a character with some serious issues and the film sees things get dicey when his younger brother and his girlfriend come home for Thanksgiving to the dad Caleb doesn't speak with. There's a lot of harsh moments though the film manages to make a few of them funny. I wouldn't list it as a comedy as Netflix has though. The films feels a little long at just under an hour and a half but I found it pretty engaging for such a simple story about a jerkoff. It's a better story-about-an-asshole than Greenberg.
Probably not many Dolphin prospects beyond Scott's performance and he's in the usually tough category of Best Actor. It's one of the better lead performances so far this year though.

Green Zone

Drew's Thoughts:
This film, directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) and starring last year's Dolphin-nominee Matt Damon, turned out to be a fair amount better than I expected it to be. It's better/less ridiculous than the Bourne movies and it doesn't cut to a new shot every second which was a pleasant surprise. Even though Brian Helgeland's script (which I gather is a mostly fictional story "inspired by" a book on Iraq) has its share of cliches and heavy-handed preaching, the story is paced quickly enough to get the job done. Matt Damon delivers a good if unadorned performance as a soldier on the WMD search squad who sets out to figure out why he's being continually given faulty intel (SPOILER: there are no weapons.) However, the supporting players Amy Ryan, a journalist, and Brendan Gleeson, a CIA man, aren't given much to work with though. Greg Kinnear plays a decent slimewad though.
Shot by Barry Ackroyd (The Hurt Locker,) Green Zone is the well-made, entertaining Iraq war thriller Body of Lies failed so miserably at being. Probably not much Dolphin potential beyond the tech categories though.
Also what the hell kind of accent is Brendon Gleeson supposed to have in this film??

Toy Story 3

Colleen's Thoughts:
After being mildly disappointed but entertained by the second Toy Story, I went into Toy Story 3 with low expectations. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about having one of my favorite toys (Barbie) front and center. After bragging to Drew and Ellen that I had the Barbie Jeep and Corvette, as well as, a 4 STORY Barbie mansion with an elevator, I felt ready to see the film. I was pleasantly surprised. But I must make a brief note that it does not even compare to the first Toy Story. How dare IMDB and People magazine say that this movie is better than the original. Shame on you people. Have you no memory? Do you not remember the brilliant craftsmanship that is the original Toy Story? That said there were certainly extremely memorable moments of this film. I thought the part with the toys betting on the farm sounds toy was so clever and hilarious. I also loved it when the toys called Ken an accessory toy; “a purse with legs.” Also, the introduction using the same exact lines from the Toy Story original opening was huge for winning me over. The Spanish Buzz was clever as well. The movie could have used some editing, too many climaxes where the toys narrowly escape death. The Andy leaving for college stuff was also a little cliché and overdone. The Pink Bear character was kind of a weak villain. And didn’t they use the whole abandoned toy thing in the last movie? All and all (minus about 15 minutes) this was a relatively enjoyable film. Toy Story 3 is certainly worth seeing but not a must see.

Greenberg

Colleen's Thoughts:
I tried to go into Noah Baumbach’s movie Greenberg with an open mind. However, I was mildly skeptical considering I listened to Terry Gross’s show, Fresh Air, with Ben Stiller and she talked to him more about Tropic Thunder than the movie he was actually promoting, Greenberg. Unfortunately almost all the great things about Margot at the Wedding (Baumbach’s last film)Greenberg lacks. True, both movies are about privileged over educated whiney snobs. However, Margot at the Wedding (mostly to the credit of the characters played by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jack Black) never seems to lose sight of this. Margot (brilliantly played by Nicole Kidman) is a character we dislike but also see as a real and interesting person. Roger Greenberg (played competently by Ben Stiller) is certainly not interesting and here lies the major flaw of the screenplay in my opinion. Baumbach is already asking a lot of the viewer (especially this viewer) by making a movie with very little plot, all about a depressed rich asshole. Although his medical history suggests Greenberg is “deep” we do not see any evidence of this in the film. Instead Greenberg is just plain grumpy and no fun to watch. (The performance by Greta Gerwig is even less interesting if you can fathom it). I think Baumbach would have been better off channeling this privileged grumpiness into a modern remake of A Christmas Carol, though I doubt at this point he can pull off much of anything.

Don McKay

Drew's Thoughts:
This film is sort of a mix of A History of Violence and A Serious Man. Unfortunately, the quality is much closer to the former.
The film is earnest to the point of being hokey, which in turn gives it an unintended feeling of phoniness. A perfect example is the big twist, which I honestly think the film maker believes is clever, which is so dumb because it feels unearned. The twist consists of a vital piece of character background being revealed which is left out solely so it can be the twist. Had it been revealed at the beginning, there literally would not have been a movie as the entire plot is predicated on the audience not knowing this single piece of information. That's sloppy, flaccid writing.
The acting isn't great and the supposed existential angst is not felt by the audience at all. I've seen worse films, but I couldn't help wondering why this film exists and who thought it worthy of funding.

Chloe

Drew's Thoughts:
Atom Egoyan's sexual thriller starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried was alright. It's got a good performance by Moore, who manages to a make a less-than-compelling character, well, compelling. It's not up there in her top 5 performances or anything but it goes to show just what a talented actor she really is. There are a number of scenes where the much younger, less experienced Seyfried just can't match Moore's poise and power, and it's usually most evident when Seyfried has the lines and Moore is doing nothing at all. I can't blame Seyfried too much though, it's tough to hold your own against Julianne.
The film follows Moore who is obsessed with the idea that her husband Neeson is having an affair and hires Seyfried to test his susceptibility to seduction. From there things get awkward and strange as Seyfried recounts explicit details of sexcapades with Neeson and the two women gradually become closer.
There's a lot of flaws in the film that I don't really feel like getting into (Colleen may get into them, though her disappointment mostly stemmed from "not enough lesbianism") but I'll give credit where it's due. After the first few minutes I told Colleen "I don't think I'm gonna like this" but I watched the whole film without checking the clock. Chloe may be underdeveloped but at least it's well paced.

Micmacs

Drew's Thoughts:
Jean-Pierre Jeunet has more or less made a career of out-Gilliaming Terry Gilliam and his newest film Micmacs is another example of this. The inventive anti-gun/war/violence tale begins with a boy's father killed by weapons by a particular weapons manufacturer and fast forwards to the boy now grown up witnessing a shooting outside the video store where he works and gets a stray bullet, made by another Parisian weapons manufacturer, lodged in his brain which makes him go a little crazy sometimes.
The film is pure fantasy drawing on the vast history of movies to tell its story (without actually ripping off anything a la Tarantino.) Bogart and Bacall make cameos, an old Max Steiner score is used occasionally, there are hints of Chaplin's tramp (and other silent-era comedy,) westerns, capers, and, of course, desert combat films. The main character falls into a colorful gang of misfits who live beneath a junkyard (oh yeah, I forgot to mention Freaks) and eventually devises a plan and enlists their help to get back at both weapons manufacturers.
The film is briskly paced, with great art direction and cinematography. Dominique Pinon, the pug-faced Jeunet regular, provides a hilarious performance though unfortunately his part is quite small.
While Micmacs is inventive, it doesn't wield the emotional heft of Jeunet's finest hour Amelie. It's fun, well-made and doesn't get too heavy-handed with its message, yet the film still feels as though it might be a little too light to really stick in my memory. Only time will be the test. That said, it may be my second favorite of Jeunet's ouvre.
And no, I still don't get why this is called "Micmacs."

Life During Wartime

Drew's Thoughts:
Todd Solondz's latest film is an odd one for a number or reasons, not least of which is that it's a sequel to 1998's Happiness that he entirely re-casted with different actors. Apparently, Solondz wanted to see what different actors would bring to the characters; it's a risky move but it works and the film feels coherent with Happiness while also offering a fresh, more-or-less stand alone film for those unfamiliar with Solondz's previous work.
Solondz is known for challenging his audience with uncomfortable topics and this film is no different. Life During Wartime is a much funnier film than Happiness (it won best screenplay at the Venice Film Festival last year) and doesn't shred your nerves as much. Those who haven't seen Happiness will have to be patient and observant as Solondz does fill in all necessary back story but never in an overly expository, this-is-everything-that-happened way. The film is entirely character-driven and I think the cast, including Michael K. Williams (Omar from The Wire), Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club) and Ciaran Hinds (There Will Be Blood, Margot at the Wedding), did a uniformly good job with Paul Reubens and Allison Janney giving my favorite two performances.
There are a lot themes going on in the film: forgiveness, memory, masculinity, normalcy, guilt and responsibility (among many others) with Solondz using some of the tactics Colleen discusses in her Mrs. Dalloway thesis such as shared language and heteroglossia. Solondz seems to be particularly interested in our current time and place as both the "war" on "terror" and the internet now consistently permeate the characters' lives. I won't get into them here but there are many dilemmas here, Donna should be all over this!
Though overall I prefer this film to Happiness, there was nothing in it that matched Dylan Baker's incredible performance as Bill in the first film. Leaving me to ponder is it better to make a mixed film with an unforgettable, stand-out performance or a better film without one? I guess Solondz just side-stepped the question by making both.