We Have to Talk About Kevin (Jack's Review)

Tilda Swinton's performance is amazing. She can convey complex emotion and evoke oceans of empathy with subtle glances and the manner in which she carries herself. The filmmaker effectively uses flashbacks to make the construction of the storytelling quite compelling. There was a major flaw however, in the flashbacks to the early years. The director inexplicably left out the scene where the rogue Italian priest switches Tilda's baby in the hospital for the one whose real mother was a possessed dog. At least the John C. Reilly character met his just reward as is tradition for such obviously clueless characters in the horror genre.

Jack

The 2011 Donna Nominations

Best Picture

Tyrannosaur

Drive

We Need to Talk About Kevin

A Separation

Midnight In Paris

Best Actor

Paul Giamatti – Win Win

Ryan Gosling – Drive

Peyman Moadi – A Separation

Michael Fassbender – Shame

Peter Mullan – Tyrannosaur

Best Actress

Olivia Coleman – Tyrannosaur

Emily Browning – Sleeping Beauty

Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs

Tilda Swinton – We Need To Talk About Kevin

Rooney Mara – The Girl With The Dragon

Best Supporting Actor

Bryan Cranston – Drive

Eddie Marsan – Tyrannosaur

Ezra Miller – We Need To Talk About Kevin

Kevin Spacey – Margin Call

Aaron Wolf – Win Win

Best Supporting Actress

Mia Wasikowski – Albert Nobbs

Benece Bejo – The Artist

Mellisa McCarthy – Bridesmaids

Jessica Chastain – The Help

Sareh Bayat – A Separation

Best Director

Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive

Paddy Considine – Tyrannosaur

Lynee Ramsay – We Need To Talk About Kevin

Thomas McCarthy – Win Win

Asghar Farhadi – A Separation

Best Original Screenplay

Tyrannosaur

Win Win

A Separation

Shame

Margin Call

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Help

Drive

Albert Nobbs

Hugo

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Photography

Drive

Hugo

Tyrannosaur

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Midnight In Paris

Best Art Direction

War Horse

Albert Nobbs

Hugo

We Need To Talk About Kevin

The Artist

Best Editing

Drive

Win Win

Margin Call

The Artist

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Costume

The Artist

The Help

Albert Nobbs

Hugo

Midnight In Paris

Best Sound

The Artist

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Hugo

Drive

Win Win

Best Score

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The Artist

Hugo

Drive

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Make-Up

Drive

The Artist

Albert Nobbs

The 2011 Joe Nominations

Best Picture

Drive – Michel Litvak, John Palermo, Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker, Adam Siegel

Melancholia – Meta Louise Foldager, Louise Vesth

Moneyball – Michael De Luca, Rachel Horovitz, Brad Pitt

Shame – Iain Canning, Emile Sherman

The Tree of Life – Dede Gardner, Sarah Green, Grant Hill, Bill Pohland, Brad Pitt

Best Actor

Michael Fassbender – Shame

Ryan Gosling – Drive

Peter Mullan – Tyranosaur

Brad Pitt – Moneyball

Michael Shannon – Take Shelter

Best Actress

Olivia Colman – Tyranosaur

Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia

Rooney Mara – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Elizabeth Olsen – Martha Marcy May Marlene

Tilda Swinton – We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Supporting Actor

Albert Brooks – Drive

Bryan Cranston – Drive

Jonah Hill – Moneyball

Keifer Sutherland – Melancholia

Kevin Spacey – Margin Call

Best Supporting Actress

Sareh Bayat – A Separation

Berenice Bejo – The Artist

Jessica Chastain – Take shelter

Leila Hatami – A Separation

Carey Mulligan – Drive

Best Director

Terence Malick – The Tree of Life

Steve McQueen – Shame

Lynee Ramsay – We Need To Talk About Kevin

Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive

Lars Von Trier – Melancholia

Best Original Screenplay

Margin Call – J.C. Chandor

Melancholia – Lars Von Trier

Shame – Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan

Take Shelter – Jeff Nichols

Tyrannosaur – Paddy Considine

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Descendents – Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rush

Drive – Hossein Amini

The Ides of March - George Clooney, Grant Heslov

Moneyball – Stan Chervin, Steven Zallian, Aaron Sorkin

We Need To Talk About Kevin – Lynne Ramsay, Rory Kinnear

Best Photography

Drive – Newton Thomas Sigel

Jane Eyre – Adriano Goldman

Moneyball – Wally Pfister

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Hoyte Van Hoytema

Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki

Best Editing

Joe Bini - We Need To Talk About Kevin

Hank Corwan, Jay Rabinowitz, Daniel Rezende, Billy Weber, Mark Yoshikawa - The Tree of Life

Mat Newman – Drive

Molly M. Stensgaard, Morten Hojbjerg – Melancholia

Christopher Tellefsen – Moneyball

Best Art Direction

Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould - The Artist

Maria Djurkovic - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Jack Fisk - The Tree of Life

Dante Ferretti – Hugo

Sarah Pasquali - Submarine

Best Costume

Mark Bridges - The Artist

Vicki Farrell – Meek’s Cutoff

Sonia Grande - Midnight In Paris

Michael O’Conner - Jane Eyre

Sandy Powell – Hugo

Best Sound

Lon Bender, Robert Eber, Victor Ray Ennis – Drive

Ron Bocher, Ed Novick – Moneyball

Paul Davies - We Need To Talk About Kevin

Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Phillip Stockton – Hugo

Best Score

Ludovic Bource - The Artist

Mychael Danna – Moneyball

Alberto Iglesias - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Cliff Martinez – Drive

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Best Make up

Iron Lady

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The Last Circus

Moneyball

Moneyball is the best baseball movie since Angels in the Outfield, and the best sports movie since last year's Dolphin Best Picture winner The Fighter. Although if we're talking about team sports it's the best since, you guessed it, the 1994 classic Angels in the Outfield.
Neither movie ends with its team winning the World Series. While Angels has (expectedly) more of the Walt Disney happy ending sheen, neither film really projects that either team, the California Angels or the Oakland As, will continually repeat their success and become a dominant force in the league. For each of these teams it was a miracle to make the playoffs, the difference is one team uses angels and the other uses sabermetrics.
After a big playoff run, big teams with deep pockets lure away all of Oakland's star players. With a miniscule budget (relative to other teams' massive budgets) Oakland's general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) attempts an experiment of building a team based entirely on stats (the most, perhaps only, important stat being how much a player gets on base) and seeking cheap players who fit the statistical profile.
It seems like a lot of people said Brad Pitt's performance in The Tree of Life was the best of his career but he does better work here. The entire film is centered around Beane and Pitt hits a nice note of subtlety throughout. It's the naturalism that's the key, of Pitt's performance and Bennett Miller's (Capote) direction of the movie. There are funny scenes sprinkled throughout but not enough to call it a comedy, there's plenty of extential tension but it never approaches melodrama and when the team has success there isn't that "inspiring true story" sentimentalism present in 80% of sports movies.
What I liked most about the movie was that it focused almost entirely on the business of baseball. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I can't think of another film where the front office and not the players are the stars of the show. It was interesting getting a peek into how player trades go down, what processes scouts use when recruiting players and the interaction between the owner, general manager and dugout manager.
I woulda sent the "relationship with the daughter" subplot down to the minors, but it's given minimal screen time so its not too big of a flaw. When I think about it the film doesn't really have many flaws yet I don't see this winning Best Picture; it's a well-made and well-told story but I don't anticipate it stirring up enough passion to win the big one at the Dolphins. Although sometimes it's the consensus picks that win out, and Moneyball seems like a movie that all the Dolphins could potentially get behind.
Beane says late in the movie that he wants to change the game. And he did, or at the very least influenced it. Though the end of the film is still somewhat tragic, as Colleen pointed out that even if everyone uses sabermetrics those with an advantage (i.e. lots and lots of money) still have it. The players all wear caps perhaps it's time that the salaries wear 'em too.

Fourth Annual Drew Award Winners

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: Gene Hackman

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.