PICTURE

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• Hugo
• The Tree of Life
• The Help
• Midninght in Paris
• Moneyball
• War Horse
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Bridesmaids

Possibilities: Drive, The Ides of March, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

DIRECTOR

• Michael Hazanavicius (The Artist)
• Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
• Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
• Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
• Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

Possibilities: David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Steven Spielberg (War Horse), Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), Bennett Miller (Moneyball)

L.  ACTOR

• Jean Dujardin(The Artist)
• Geroge Clooney (The Descendants)
• Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
• Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)
• Michael Fassbender (Shame)

Possibilities: Michael Shannon (Take Shelter), Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March), Demian Bichir (A Better Life), Ryan Gosling (Drive)

L. ACTRESS

• Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
• Viola Davis (The Help)
• Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)
• Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)
• Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)

Possibilities: Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Charlize Theron (Young Adult), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

S. ACTOR

• Christopher Plummer(Beginners)
• Kenneth Branagh (My Week With Marilyn)
• Albert Brooks (Drive)
• Nick Nolte (Warrior)
• Jonah Hill (Moneyball)

Possibilities: Armie Hammer (J. Edgar), Patton Oswalt (Young Adult), Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method), Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris)

S. ACTRESS

• Octavia Spencer (The Help)
• Jessica Chastain (The Help)
• Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
• Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
• Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)

Possibilities: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Carey Mulligan (Shame), Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus)

O. SCREENPLAY

• The Artist
• Midnight in Paris
• Bridesmaids
• Young Adult
• A Separation

Possibilities: 50/50, Margin Call, Win Win, Beginners

A. SCREENPLAY

• The Descendants
• Moneyball
• Hugo
• The Help
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Possibilities: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, War Horse

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• War Horse
• The Artist
• Hugo
• The Tree of Life
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Possibilities: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Drive

F. EDITING

• The Artist
• Hugo
• Moneyball
• War Horse
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Possibilities: The Descendants, The Tree of Life, Drive, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

S. MIXING

• Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• Hugo
• War Horse
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Moneyball

Possibilities: Transformers 3, Hanna, Super 8, The Adventures of Tintin

S. EDITING

• Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Super 8
• Transformers 3
• Hugo

Possibilities: Hanna, War Horse, Drive, The Adventures of Tintin

O. MUSIC SCORE

• War Horse
• The Artist
• Hugo
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Possibilities: The Skin I Live In, The Adventures of Tintin, The Help, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

VISUAL EFFECTS

• Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• Hugo
• The Tree of Life
• Captain America
• Harry Potter 2

Possibilities: Transformers 3, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, X Men: First Class

MAKE UP

• The Iron Lady
• Albert Nobbs
• Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
• The Artist
• Anonymous

Possibilities: none

COSTUME DESIGN

• Hugo
• My Week With Marilyn
• The Help
• The Artist
• Jane Eyre

Possibilities: The Iron Lady, WE, Anonymous, War Horse

ART DIRECTION

• Hugo
• The Artist
• Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• The Help
• War Horse

Possibilities: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Tree of Life, A Dangerous Method

ORIGINAL SONG

• “Lay Down Your Head” – Albert Nobbs
• “The Living Proof” – The Help
• “Life’s A Happy Song” – The Muppets
• “Star Spangled Man” – Captain America
• “Pictures in My Head” – The Muppets

Possibilities: “Coeur Volant” – Hugo, “Man or Muppet” – The Muppets, “Hello Hello” – Gnomeo and Juliet, “The Backson Song” – Winnie the Pooh, “So Long” – Winnie the Pooh

FOREIGN FILM

• A Separation (Iran)
• Pina (Germany)
• In Darkness (Poland)
• Footnote (Israel)
• Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)

Possibilities: Superclasico (Denmark), Bullhead (Belgium)

ANIMATED FEATURE

• Rango
• Arthur Christmas
• The Adventures of Tintin
• Chico and Rita
• Puss in Boots

Possibilities: A Cat in Paris, Rio, Kung Fu Panda 2, Cars 2, Happy Feet 2

I’m going to watch the Oscar nominations in Oscars’ live streaming in Youtube. Just so excited. Let’s see. =)))

Directed by: Lee Unkrich

Written by: John Lasseter (story), Andrew Stanton (story),

Lee Unkrich (story), Michael Arndt (screenplay)

Company: Pixar Animation Studios / Walt Disney Pictures

Runtime: 103 minutes

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The film is the third and final installment of the beloved animation trilogy that started in 1995.

The film tells the story of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and their group of toys as they face the dilemma of being left alone because Andy, their owner, is already going to college, and even if Andy wants to take them with him, he simply cannot. What he did was he placed the toys, except Woody which he will take with him to college, in a plastic bag to place them in the attic where thy can still be in peace. Misfortune follows and they were mistakenly placed in the garbage.

Woody makes a way to let them escape and go back to the attic, but the other toys refuse to listen to him and chose to be donated and stay in Sunnyside Daycare, a playground for children. Everything looked perfect, with Lotso, a teddy bear, leading the toys there in welcoming them.

Andy runs away from Sunnyside, but was taken by Bonnie, an innocent little girl. He’s taken home and found a very welcoming friend in her. But Chuckles, a sad clown, told Woody the dark truth that Lotso has, often showing violence and bullying to the other toys in Sunnyside. Woody then finds a way to save Buzz, and his other toy friends.

In Sunnyside, they experience the unimaginable – being played by monstrous, reckless, careless, and almost diabolical kids who treat them violently and play with them in such disgusting ways.

Woody goes back to Sunnyside and makes an escape plan for all of them.

What a fantastic way to end this great trilogy!

The direction is fantastic. It has this very special way of putting things together, reaching almost perfection in the execution.  don’t believe that there is a perfect film, but Toy Story 3 has this very suave way of making it appear that it actually is. The story is already fascinating, so what the film only needs is a direction that can handle the greatness of the material. And it sure delivered a very great direction. There are times when the direction is so in charge of the proceedings, and there are times when the story asks for the direction to hold back for a moment and keep a moment of restraint, but either way, the direction was able to make each and every one of the elements in filmmaking shine in their own way in their right timing. The film is special, and that’s because of the direction, if not only reason.

The screenplay is what keeps the film as fresh as it was the first time you watch it in repeated viewings. Most films come to a point of wearing out once you see the film for the 2nd or 3rd time, but the screenplay of the film made the film endearing to watch. Now what made it so fresh just like it was in the first time? Well, the characters are so sturdily built on humanity, humor, and pathos with skillful mixing of the three in every bit of the movie that made the story so easy to watch, so watchable, yet so full of intelligence. And the intelligence lies on the perfect timing of the words the characters throw to each other. The humor is not forced, the drama is not cheesy, and the characters, believable.

The cinematography was very efficient in sustaining the fantastical yet realistic look of the film. There is quite a big amount of richness in color in every frame that never got tiring and exhausting to watch since there is control in it. The whole film is just a big delight to watch. Some scenes have the very realistic feel, like the incinerator scene, that it’s just amazing to watch.

The editing makes the film extremely fast-paced yet unusually relaxed. It effectively brings the action that the film requires but it never neglects the characters involved in the scenes. It’s something outstanding for an animated film and an action film as well because those two types of films have common tendencies – to veer away on the characters and to focus more on showing off to the audience wither by eye-popping visuals or by loud action scenes. The dramatic scenes had the very natural flow, editing wise. It knows when to cut back to an other angle, but the clicks never felt obvious in any way.

The music is dynamically fascinating. It reaches a point when it became a very powerful emotional swayer in the scenes. It knows how to manipulate the scenes to turn them into scenes that really affect us, but every music never became obtrusive to the narrative of the story. It is actually quite smart in putting itself in the middle of the proceedings to almost became incidental music but still keeps the theme in it. Whether it be the prison escape or the incinerator scene or the farewell, everything is so worked out, and there is the music, subtly inching in the emotions needed in each scene.

The voice acting is very good.

As Woody, Tom Hanks proved here that you can breathe in another character just by hearing the voice. When you listen to his voice, he channels a much more mature and affected Woody that faces some personal crisis, but optimism clearly leads him. Woody has a very determined mindset, and you can clearly feel that with his voice.

Tim Allen also does good as Buzz Lightyear. The seriousness that Buzz has never sounded corny. Never, not even a line. The seriousness Buzz had is fun, but also effectively dramatic. There is a bit of calculation in the voice, but well, it comes as very effective and fit for his role for he is a robot!

Ned Beatty is endearingly terrifying as Lotso. The deceiving element of the character is very convincing because in reality, who would not love the kind Lotso? The voice resonates gentle authority, and Beatty has that in his voice. His voice when he already shows his demonic side is still the same, and that’s what I like about the voice – he character is still maintained. The voice is still the same, and that, for me, is an accomplishment for voice acting because some voice actors does not find grace in the way hey shift their tone in the voice.

The rest of the actors gave the utmost justice on their characters. That means to say, they were able to give the characters the life that they should have for us to care for them. And I also think that no one could replace any of the voices in their roles because they made it feel that they own the characters, and no other voice could match their roles.

So what do we have in the end?

What we have is a film that plucks the heartstrings of the viewers to subtly bring them to the emotions and to confront the characters in this film with ultimate honesty. I have watched the first film, but after fifteen years, I did not believe at first that a sequel like this will actually worked. And it did. It was so touching, so amazing, so overwhelming, and yet, so humane. I love this film.

For this, the film gets:

What are your thoughts? Disagree or not?

I know, I know, everyone’s preparing their own awards roll for 2011 while I’m still left, with 2010, but hell, I want to watch as many eligible contenders as possible.

I’m just going to see 35 movies (hell!). So, goodluck to me.

Best Picture 2010 will surely continue.

Directed by: Debra Granik

Written by: Debra Granik and Ann Rosellini

Company: Winter’s Bone Productions / Roadside Attractions /

Anonymous Content

Runtime: 100 minutes

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The film is about Ree Dolly, a 16-year-old girl who is living with the tough realities of life in the Ozark mountains. She plans on getting into the military to get the benefits for her family. As his father is not around for most of the time and her mother is psychologically incapacitated, she takes over the responsibilities of both by raising her other siblings by sending them to school, providing their food, and teaching them small bits of knowledge.

The police arrives in their house, informing them that their father is missing. He needs to show up in court about some trouble he got in. If he won’t appear, the family will be evicted from their place. Determined yet fearing for her family, Ree courageously takes the task of looking for her father.

As she traces the location of her father, she gets involved in the syndicated underworld in the mountains.

The screenplay provides a sturdy foundation for the story. The dialogues felt natural and humane, and the events are plausible. Though the much more obvious aspects of the screenplay aren’t that showy, it’s the unfolding of events which I root for in this movie. The screenplay does not have the high intelligence that, for example, The Social Network has, but it makes it up for the story itself. There is unpredictability in how the events go after each event, and I thought that was brilliant.

But the effectiveness of the dialogue is not to be discounted. It all felt like taken from real life. Sure, this kind of screenplay has minimalistic style in it compared to other movies, but from the small talks of the characters, the screenplay was able to build up the character and emotional arc the film needed for us to believe what is happening.

The direction has a much more noticeable work, but is also subtle. When the screenplay isn’t giving much, the direction comes in with a smooth yet tense grip on the story. Each movement of the story is backed upon by sophisticated yet raw lensing and restrained editing to pile up tension after tension without becoming unbearable in any way. There are some parts in the film where you know the direction is holding back a bit, letting the actors get the real attention, yet, it feels that it should have to. It never felt wrong in handling the story.

Sometimes, it goes a bit too natural that you may think, and some others may think, that the direction in those particular scenes are less functioning, but those moments are the ones that captures the essence of rural poverty in the film’s setting. Things are of acerbic nature, but the heart of the film is still Ree, and having a woman as a director, I am sure Debra Granik deeply understood the struggles of Ree in this film that she also confines her with danger, and at the same time, frees her in independence.

The film is engrossing, and it’s largely due to the gripping and balanced blend of spontaneity and precision. The film felt like it was improvised, yet know everything was well-thought of. Now, how amazing is that.

The cinematography is bleak yet still understated. It’s not a showy effort from the cinematographer, but it was efficient in giving the film he atmosphere and mood that it needed to set the movie from the rest of other movies. There is always the hues of blue in it which gives a more cold feeling to the film. It may not have added anything to the story, but it did more than that – it told the story visually. It’s not the usual goal of cinematography, but because the screenplay is somewhat of secondary importance here, the cinematography aided the story for it to be told even with the lack of words.

The editing wisely uses the whole length of the film to compact everything it has to say and it has to show in that span of time without ever feeling like things are rushed. It also gave a moderated pace for the film that actually helped drive the story just the way it should have been – not too fast, but definitely not going to drag.

The music is, like the screenplay, also minimalist in nature. It never has a big moment in the movie, nor it was utterly explosive, but it creates an unsettling melody that resounds quite well in the film. Aside from the musical score that is so “in the setting”, if you know what I mean, the film also has the country hymns that give an ironically warm comparison with the film’s over-all mood.

The production design is simple yet it fleshes out a lot in the character’s  conditions. Ree’s house is filled with stuff that feels like taken from another person’s stuff with the very same living condition. And the other locations as well – Teardrop’s house, the basement where Ree was beaten, and others.

The acting is uniformly excellent.

Jennifer Lawrence brings in a gutsy and intense yet sublimely relaxed performance in the lead role. She carefully forms her character in every scene with the grace that a young lady like her has and the sense of rigidness to convey the realities of her character. The performance felt so natural, like it was almost no-acting at all, on the good side, of course.

She keeps it all on a constant low that’s not too low to become lazy acting, but also not too high to make it look like a forced “natural” acting. And I actually see this performance as a perfect marriage of calculation and rawness, if there is any at all. She made things look so easy but when you try to assess it, you know only a talented actress like her can do it.

John Hawkes is gentle yet highly terrifying as Teardrop, Ree’s uncle. The first part of his performance is as intense as you can get. I’m literally breathless with his first scene. He’s like a mouse trap – one wrong move and he’ll get you. And the threat that he gave on Ree reached the height of maximum tension. I don’t know where did he get that power in acting, but I’m sure it’s his talent and skills as an actor that made him able to deliver such strong introduction to his character.

His next scenes where he became more open to Ree gave me the likable factor, but he steadily maintains the fatality that his instincts as Teardrop has. And don’t you ever challenge him – his scene in the car with the police is one helluva scene that in itself warrants him a nomination. He knows that he is in control of the proceedings no matter what the police does, but he’s like a lion – he would not hesitate to attack you if you come any closer. It’s such a strong scene that Hawkes was able to handle with mastery.

Dale Dickey is fantastic as Merab, one of the women involved in the underworld. When she enters the screen, she may give that welcoming exterior to Ree, but beneath her skin is a sharp, alert, and diabolical person. She won’t let you say words at her if she does not like it. That’s how Merab is – she rules over things. Yet, you can sense that tiny feeling of humanity in her that made us all believe that she actually means her help in the climax of the film. It’s a brief performance, but the impression that she leaves is utterly amazing.

Let me just tell you this short history of my relationship with this film before I give my grade – 1st viewing, I thought the film was lazy, not worthy of any recognition, Lawrence was impotent, 2nd viewing – one of the best independent films of the year, Lawrence was fantastic, 3rd viewing – one of the best films of the year, Lawrence is remarkable.

For this, the movie gets:

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or not?

Filed under: Best Picture 2010, Best Picture Project ]]> http://mylastoscar.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/best-picture-profile-winters-bone/feed/ 0 Malcolm Gunderson WB wb 1 wb 2 5-meryls http://mylastoscar.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/best-picture-profile-true-grit/ http://mylastoscar.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/best-picture-profile-true-grit/#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:52:38 +0000 Juan Carlos Ojano http://mylastoscar.wordpress.com/?p=1902 ]]>

Directed by: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Written by: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Company: Paramount Pictures

Runtime: 110 minutes

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The film is about Mattie Ross, a strong-willed lass who looks for a man with true grit to avenge his father’s death by sending the said man to get Tom Chaney, a hired criminal, to her. On her search for the man with true grit, she finds Rooster Cogburn, a respected and feared yet frequently drunk sheriff. At first, Cogburn is in denial with the prospect job, but as she offered money, he went with the plan. Much to his surprise, Mattie herself joins her. So, with Texas ranger LaBeouf with them, the three go on a journey to get Tom Chaney, dead or alive.

Why such a short synopsis? Because the majority of the film’s running time could only be called with that one word – journey.

Anyway, going back.

The direction is filled with a resounding spirit. This is an action film, but it settles its foundation on a very sturdy ground filled with the feeling of soulfulness. Of course, the direction never neglects the techniques employed in each scene in the film, and it’s even quite impressive, but it also give the material the right amount of space for it to breathe in its own life. It serves the movie with a firm but gentle hold throughout the film. Every move feels both thrilling and visceral. You can feel the confidence in the control of the movie.

And who can forget the warm but threatening atmosphere the film has throughout its whole length? There is the ever-present tactility in the whole process without getting too soft for it to even fit the bill of being an action film. How does it work? The film slowly peels each layer of its material with clarity and grace that it comes to a point where you can’t think of anything that can describe the film but one word – glorious.

Every shot, every piece of music, every cut felt harmonious, for the film’s benefit. It’s quite stunning to see the material like this get some intensely great treatment. I’m in no way going to play the comparison game, but this version is simply much, much better than the 1969′s awful as hell version.

The screenplay was filled with unexpected emotional texture. I expected this to be an action, and indeed, it was an action film. A very effective one, actually. But never did I expect find such heart in this kind of movie. The screenplay was focused on Mattie, and the screenplay was able to fully realize her character. She’s not simply a symbol of strong juvenile femininity. The screenplay a character that we care about. Her struggles, her dreams, her ambitions, her life – everything, the screenplay plotted with such ease.

What about the others? Well, we’ve got extremely fascinating characters that may not have been as three-dimensional as Mattie, but all added served in filling the world of the Wild West with humanity. But that does mean that the rest of the characters are simply enigmas? Maybe, but enigmas fleshed out to create believability.

And talk about the plot. And the humor. And the emotions. And the lines. There goes a great screenplay.

The cinematography is compelling. Every shot feels so well-thought. Every shot feels like it was poetry illustrated. Every shot feels strategically placed yet also with a bit of candidness. Every shot feels warmly vibrant yet inexplicably haunting. Every shot is filled with vivid clarity but, in the same time, clinging mystery. Every shot is delightfully rich yet hauntingly bleak. Every shot feels  beautifully classic yet intelligently modern. Every shot feels mildly calm yet intensely ravishing. To keep it simple, the cinematography is beautiful.

The editing gives the film a very well-decided pace. It never rushes things but it also never drags the film down. The dialogue scenes are composed with simple cuts with no much fanciness in these scenes, but the timing of each cut give the film a feeling of underlined rush from Mattie’s perspective. In contrast to that are the dialogue scenes with Rooster Cogburn at the start of the film. There is Mattie in the scenes which give the feeling of urgency, but it’s Rooster’s dominance that rules over the scenes with the effective use of editing in the film.

Then we have the intelligently handled action scenes. It never overdoes the tricks to make it thrilling. Even if the scenes are filled with violence, the film is still being experienced through Mattie’s view. So, the action scenes in the film still felt seen in a tough woman’s perspective without even going too soft. I’m not saying that these scenes are lame, never. I think that they are oozing with masculine roughness and violence. But at the same time, it never gets out of Mattie’s senses. And, for me, I saw that through the deft editing the film has.

Believe it or not, we have a clearer sense of hearing when we watch films of The Coen Brothers. They always contain unabashed clarity and modulation. And this film is no exception. Even in less showier efforts, you can hear the specificity in the sound. Much more in this showier movie, sound-wise. But even in the less showier parts of the film, the sound already provides the corresponding environment needed for the viewers to be absorbed in the already-gone milieu of the Wild West. The dialogue, of course, takes the audible spotlight in the film, but even the faintest sound from the background, the smallest voice from afar, all is clear, and all provide an aural palette for the film’s world. Great work, if you ask me.

The musical score surprisingly added a lot of heart in the film. It was not a so-so action music. It moves with grace, each note slowly raising the emotional range of the story, and the emotional attachment of the characters to us. Every piece feels well-chosen. That piano arrangement that sometimes get played with the strings perfectly captures the essence of the story. There is toughness in the visual part, but the music still holds Mattie’s eyes for the story, and you can all feel that in the music.

The production design is simply impressive. Down from the most obvious sets to the most unnoticeable part of the office, every single piece of material in it builds up to a complete world. The costume design is also on the same level of excellence, displaying the characters’ psychology by the clothes that they wear without becoming overly literal. The make-up is also effective in adding small touches that significantly adds a lot to the actors’ performances.

The acting is note-worthy.

Jeff Bridges is simply a lot better than John Wayne. I promised no comparison game, but I’m simply doing it right now. Jeff Bridges was able to capture the heart and humanity of Rooster Cogburn that John Wayne did not even try to have a grasp on. Instead of drowning Cogburn in suffocating masculinity, Bridges adds heart to the role. Yes, he’s tough, but he has a heart. And he cares for Mattie. And I felt that. And I even liked him. And that’s the point of Cogburn – a bit distant, but ultimately likable. Bridges gets that part of Cogburn.

Of course, the performance has a setback that keeps me from fully loving it: the accent at the start of the film. His accent is almost consistent throughout the film, another thing that I like in his performance – technically consistent. However, it was too deep or too garbled at the start. Seriously, I needed subtitles for that. Anyway, after some scenes, he recovered immediately. There are few scenes in the course of the film where I still needed subtitles for his dialogue, but what matters more is that I was already able to appreciate Rooster Cogburn the character. And it’s largely due to Bridges.

Hailee Steinfeld is Mattie Ross. There’s no other way to put that in words. She totally inhibits the character with a feeling of rush and ease at the same time. Right from the start of the film, she already sets the character with sharp with and edge in her negotiations with the store owner. In that specific scene with the sore owner, we see how determined she is. She won’t become stupid in front of this man. And surprisingly, it does not look fake. Her speedy delivery, with easy conviction, is what Mattie is when she knows she is dealing with tough people.

But at another scene, where she talks to the owner of the funeral parlor, you can feel that she is sad by that, but always keep the steel determination. You can see the small signs of her grief, but she easily gets it all back in because she knows she needs to be tough for her to survive. And she will do anything for her family to survive because she knows she is in charge, and she is the only one who has the capacity to be in charge.

And that’s what I like about Steinfeld – she knows things. And it’s met with relaxed passion. I don’t want to get into that comparison game, but I’d say this – Steinfeld got Mattie Ross, Kim Darby didn’t. Darby’s version was filled with phony urgency, resulting into a display of stupidity, ridicule, and aimlessness. No offense to the 1969 version, but it just did not get anything right.

Let’s go back to Steinfeld. As Rooster Cogburn enters the scene, she wisely decided to step back a bit for him to take over, but she keeps the courage up front, giving us a very believable if slightly unlikely duo. She gets more affected by the violence that she experiences and sees, and in some moments of the film, it actually quite showed, but as Steinfeld keeps the character throughout the film, she effortlessly puts the strength right in front of her character.

As the film ended, I thought of nothing but Steinfeld. She practically breathed in her character the life that we need to see in a character like her.

Matt Damon is solid as LaBeouf. There is the obvious manly behavior in him, but what’s inside him is a thing to see. He has a thing on Mattie that is amusing to watch, but even if his LaBeouf is not the meatiest supporting role to exist on paper, he still adds a lot in making the characters’ journey a compelling one.

Much more contained in a minute role is Josh Brolin as Tom Chaney. What he has is a symbol of evil, and he does that quite well though I admit that I wanted more. But as I saw how in character he is, I can’t complain anymore. Barry Pepper, also in a small role, fared better. His role is quite thin, and appeared for no more than five minutes, more or less, but he was able to give a daring performance. His anger felt authentic.

This film surprised me the second time around. When I started this year after watching it for the first time, I thought it was technically exhilarating,  but it left me indifferent. After that, I was simply won over by this film. I love this. I’ll let my grade speak.

For this, the movie gets:

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or not?

Directed by: David O. Russell

Written by: Scott Silver (screenplay), Paul Tamasy (story and screenplay),

Eric Johnson (story and screenplay), Keith Dorrington (story)

Company: Relativity Media

Runtime: 116 minutes

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The film is about Mickey Ward, an underdog boxing player, who has his drug-addicted trainer-brother Dicky Ecklund, and extroverted manager-mother Alice Ward, taking over her career. He is not doing that well because his brother always cause delays and troubles, and her mother cares more about her pride of having two boxers than actually handling his fights wisely.

Things change when her strong-willed yet passive bar girl Charlene comes to his life. With her principles mostly conflicting Alice’s, Charlene turned out to be an unpleasant person for the family. But Mickey started to think for himself. With Dicky being sent to jail, Mickey started to have a better career thanks to is new manager.

This enrages Alice, causing her whole family to go against what is happening between Charlene and Mickey. Mickey stands up for himself, and as Dicky is paroled, more troubles ensue just before Mickey’s biggest fight.

The screenplay is not the most original screenplay one could have. As you could have read, it’s almost the quintessential sports story, or boxing story for that matter (Rocky, anyone?). And it’s not quite a secret – it has a happy ending. So where is the difference? It’s on the characters. They are so three-dimensional, humane, believable,  and most of all, realistic. The characters, in a fast glimpse, may seem like they are stereotypical, but the intelligence lies on how the characters became fully rounded. Each has their own conflicts, has their imperfections, has their distinct qualities. And it’s quite thrilling when you see these characters exchange words that you know are so well-thought.

And I am really quite pleased to see that this film has humor in it. These are real people, and they get involved in realistic, but bitingly funny scenes. I like that a lot because the film did not try to take everything too seriously. Yet, it did not try to sensationalize the laughs because it knows the fact that this is a mature drama where humor is present, but not always. And how fun those words of wisdom from the  mother are!

Going to the film’s biggest asset aside from acting, the direction serves the material so well, raising the not-so-original material into a higher level of excellence. It gave life to the narrative by adding these very interesting choices in telling the story. It did not simply give us a boxing story. There is a distinct amount of uniqueness and dynamics in the story.

I hope I’m not the only one who thought that, but the direction actually made the film extraordinary. Sure, it has the sports genre thing in it, which makes it look predictable, and sure, you already know the story and the ending, for that matter, but when you actually watch the movie – you forget that. You simply throw any doubts in the film and you simply enjoy every bit of it.

The cinematography is something. It demonstrated a certain amount of naturalistic beauty. in many shots of the film. It’s not a show-off type of cinematography, but it added more life to the story. Actually, I thought the film would be dull, so I stayed away from this for the longest time. But watching the film, props for the cinematography, the visual part of the film just caught me by surprise. It found small details that may have seemed insignificant, but because the film took notice of that, the result is much more interesting.

The editing is simple, but definitely hypnotic in the least obvious way. Its skillful composition of scenes and elements is just wonderful – from the shots blended with perfect harmony with the sound and the music – the whole film simply resounded with energy. And I’m not yet talking about the boxing scenes. I’m just referring to those scenes of people exchanging lines, talking to each other. So how about the boxing scenes? Thrilling to watch all the way.

The film used a lot of pre-existing music that happened to be great choices. I mean, some of the songs here are definitely not of my taste if we are going to talk about the songs, per se, but when it was already used in the scenes in the film, they just added another layer of cinematic power in it. What is the song that played when Dicky was chased and Mickey’s hands got hit by a stick? It was a metallic rock song, and I never liked that kind of music, but it fit the scene so well. And who can question the great use of “How You Like Me Now” in the film’s most important scenes? So undeniably genius.

Also, the original music for the film cannot be discounted as of secondary importance.  Talk about power. The original music pieces in the film are distributed evenly throughout the film in those scenes where we should hear nothing but a faint echo from the minds of the characters. Putting that aside, my favorite score in the film is “Ladies’ Day Out”. This music plays when the Alice and the Sisters drive to Charlene’s house  for a confrontation. There is playfulness in it, but it never forgets the seriousness of it as a drama.

The costumes actually did a very good job in putting on the different shades on the facade of the characters, which is obviously, the costumes. You can easily identify the personality of the characters by simply looking at them, but the thing is, it’s not too obvious either. It’s just there to add a dimension on the characters.

And the make-up is mighty fine. The boxing injuries are believable, but it’s the Sister’s faces and hair that became the thing to watch out. These are seven sisters that should be unique from each other for them to feel necessary in the narrative flow.  With the make-up, all of them felt different from each other.

The acting is fantastic, no doubt.

Mark Wahlberg does not have the showiest character among the bunch, somewhat surprising for a lead role. He mostly steps backward for his other co-stars to shine and get the film’s bigger share of attention. But actually, it was a wise acting choice for him not to compete with the other’s attention. He keeps everything grounded and subtle, which definitely fits his character. He does a bit of a sacrifice, but it’s all worth it because it’s in is character.

I’m not the biggest fan of Christian Bale’s work here, but I admit that I intensely salute him for this immensely dedicated performance. It’s not in the weight loss where I refer my word “immensely dedicated”. It’s on how I feel when I watch every scene of Bale. You can feel the dedication from him as an actor, and yet, it also feels so effortless. I first thought that this is going to be a very showy performance, physicality aside, but it turned out to be a near-subtle performance. I like that.

Amy Adams plays Charlene, the boxer’s girlfriend, in a very smooth manner. It’s your typical Oscar character – the girlfriend – but Adams add a lot of layers in her role, filling it with nuanced complexities and well-judged purity. Her character is not a hypocrite, almost always on the edge, but she also has a time when she suppresses her feelings towards Micky, towards herself, and that’s where Adams really shine.  She need not a big scene for herself. All of her glory are in those exchanges with Wahlberg, with Bale, with Leo. And it’s also worth noticing that she fits the role so well, considering that this is against her usual work.

Coming in with a blazing, explosive, jaw-dropping creature is Melissa Leo as the mother lion of the family, Alice. There’s nothing that’s going to stop this strong force of nature Leo was able to bring to the movie. Her Alice takes no prisoners, just for the sake of her children, particularly her two sons, even if it sometimes causes their trouble.

Amidst of all the noises that she make, her love for her children felt sincere. And even if she causes a lot of trouble aside from Dicky, I still care for her. It’s such a very complicated character to play. Her Alice is extroverted, vocal, and over-the-top. And Leo acts Alice with the fact that she is over-the-top. Leo’s genius takes over the proceedings for her performance and the result is sheer actress magic.

The film’s is not original on paper, i can tell you that. But if you have such dazzling way to tell this story up to the point where everything seemed to be so new, then you have a masterfully made film. Filled with humor, drama, pathos, and intelligence, this film is definitely worth the time and the price.

For this, the movie gets:

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or not?

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Written by: Christopher Nolan

Company: Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Syncopy

Runtime: 148 minutes

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The film is about Dom Cobb, a man wanted for arrest in his home country because of his job, extraction, a job involving stealth where a person enters other person’s subconscious in his dreams. He wanted to go home, but because he is on the blacklist of passengers entering his home country, he cannot go home. An offer from Saito, a rich businessman who wanted to do inception in his business, forced him to do something that he did not really want to do, but he did, guaranteed that Saito will be in-charge of his return to home.

In this task, he is joined by Arthur, his partner, Ariadne, an architecture graduate, Eames, an associate, and Yusuf, the chemist. Their subject is Robert Fishcer, the heir of a business magnate who is having some issues with his father. To implement the plan, they subjected Robert and themselves to heavy sedation. In the execution of the job, some things go wrong, complicating things.

This is why movies are made.

The direction is as great as you can get. Christopher Nolan – what kind of brain does he have? He holds the whole film right from the start until the last second of with with such immense glory and pulling force that it is simply remarkable. You can see the intelligence through the display of  stunning bedazzlement that only a master filmmaker can do. It’s overwhelming, it’s astounding. The moviemaking process itself is a big mystical puzzle that Nolan was able to accomplish with the cinematic power that results to a majestic experience.

It was indeed an experience, an experience like no other. It was a rousing roller-coaster ride that brought filmmaking to new heights. It was able to push the boundary between reality and magic. And there is also the very wise usage in capturing the right pace for this movie. A lot of time in the first part was used for introductions and plot developments. It may seem tedious to go through in paper, but Nolan is a genius. He was able to sustain a dynamic stream that continues throughout the parts of development until we reach the action scenes where we see more of his directorial prowess.

And then come the final act of the film. It’s a breathtaking, earth-shattering part of the film where we all see the peak of the film. This part is unlike anything that I have ever seen before. It’s an indescribable part of this already unforgettable film, and this is where we just let the director take charge in all of the events that unfold.

The screenplay is as original as you can get. It’s almost flawless. You can say things about the characters being used as plot devices, but who cares? The story is puzzling, but when you rewatch it, the genius of the screenplay unfolds like magic. There is a big amount of complexity in it that you can’t get with just one time of watching. Truth be told, I watched this like four to seven times before I fully got this movie. And when you already understand the whole, you can only reckon the high level of intelligence contained in this movie. It’s mindblowing.

The cinematography was fantastic. Looking back, there were very few stylized shots in this film, but the function that it served in the film was indeed vital. It is quite noticeable that the film used a fair amount of handheld shots, quite unusual for a big movie like this. Anyway, putting  the big shots aside, the cinematography was able to bring the story and the characters closer to the audience. In this massive story of epic proportions, it is quite hard to channel these characters who are almost of second importance to the plot, but somehow, the angles, the shots, the colors, the shades, were able to actually absorb us to the film.

The editing is superb. When I watch the film, I know that I’m always into something that I should watch out. Even the simple exchange of words, there is the feeling that something is about to happen in about a few moments. There’s always this on-the-edge feeling throughout the film, and that’s mainly due to the film. The actions scenes are composed in a way that’s quite different than the normal action scenes from standard action films. The dramatic scenes never felt out-of-place, and always affecting. The final third act is the editing’s crowning glory, bringing all the skills that the editor has. By the end of the film, I felt that I went one big roller-coaster ride. And wow, was it that thrilling.

The sound must be heard to be believed. This may seem to be the least evident component of the filmmaking process, but in this film, it was so important. It created the world aside from the visuals. The whole move felt like you were really in the place, and that says a lot in a film like this. It’s as if you are inside this whole movie and it’s as exhilarating as movies can be. It’s so detailed, yet it never gets annoying. And how it gave emphasis to each sound but all of those still feel like it’s one, not separate from each other.

The musical score is GREAT! What could I say? Right from the start, it already was able to set the film to a higher degree of truth. You know you are up to something, but the music never abused itself to drown to film to its strong power. And with the start of the first action scene, what comes next is the film’s majestic prowess unleashed, adding a lot to the film’s already atmospheric milieu. The power of the music lies on the fact that it went so well with the visuals. It’s breathtaking, but it’s so because of the visuals.

Impeccable the production design is. There is nothing in everything that you see in the film that you may think is not well-thought of. The rooms present in the dream scenes are beautifully designed, but some very small details in it provide the air of surrealism in it. It could have been that it’s too beautiful, but it’s never obvious. It underlines every single thing that it wants to tell, bu the message it suggests is present. The different levels of dream give a big challenge on the designers because it should be defined from the other levels of dream. And with some of the most surprising sets (fortress, hallway), and knowing that they’re all real, I’m just impressed.

The visual effects are high class. There is no visual effect shot in the film that looked fake. None whatsoever. It’s so real. Of course, you know that the shot was CGI because you know it’s very much impossible to do (the glacial style of collapse of the buildings), but there are also shots where you expect that CGI will take over, but when you watch the process, it’s surprising that it was an on-set effect. Take the collapse of the fortress. I was pretty much sure that it was CGI, until I found out that it wasn’t. It’s just so confusing if you’re watching CGI or completely on-set effects. Either way, it was enchanting.

What do you have if you have a big ensemble cast with this high caliber of actors giving top-notch performances?

Leonardo DiCaprio is good and surprisingly touching as Dom Cobb. I felt for his confusions, for his desperation, for his affliction. Not to mention that the grief part of his performance is beautifully understated.

Cillian Murphy is heartbreaking as Robert Fischer, Jr. He’s got a lot of conflict in him, and he does not have the biggest amount of time to channel that to us, but in this one small bit of a performance, he was able to give us the film’s most touching scene – his farewell to his father. It just gave a sudden eruption of emotions from me. Anyway, moving on.

Marion Cotillard is excitingly dangerous as the film’s heart, Mal. There is this breeze of fatality whenever she appears on screen. She’s the most unpredictable of all the characters because she does not have a mind of her own. She is the product of Dom’s dark past. She can kill you with one sharp stare, but she can also break your heart with that same eye. And only a skillful actress like Cotillard could handle that tricky job.

Ellen Page – there’s nothing wrong with her, actually. I can’t see anything wrong with her performance. Actually, she was fine with her role. Not in the same caiber as Cotillard, but she did fine.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Tom Berenger,  and Dileep Rao provide strong supporting work in their roles.

But in the end of the journey with this film, it’s Christopher Nolan. He is the star of this film, and all the praises of this film should be unto him. Without Nolan, this film’s nothing. This is his crown, and this year’s crown. When we look back at this year twenty years from now or so, we’ll still remember this film. I’m pretty much sure on that.

For this, the movie gets:

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or not?

Just to say this to you, I’m checking my blog everyday. And I mean that, everyday. To tell you right now, my best picture profile on Inception is halfway through, just to tell you that I’m not going to stop.

Directed by: David Fincher

Written by: Aaron Sorkin

Company: Columbia Pictures

Runtime: 120 minutes

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The film is about Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard undergrad who created the social networking site Facebook.

It all started as Facemash, a polling site where Harvard students can vote between two ladies, depending on who they think is hotter. The spark that it caused in the administration caught the interest of the Winkevoss twins, also Harvard undergrads, who are planning to create their own social networking site, the Harvard Connections. They hired Zuckerberg to crate the site for them.

At the same time that he started to lose contact with the twins, Zuckerberg also started creating his own social networking site, TheFacebook. He did this with the help of his best friend, Eduardo Saverin. In the process of the expansion of the website, young net entrepreneur Sean Parker rides with them to further improve and propagate the website to more campuses. One of those changes is turning the website’s name to simply, ‘Facebook.’ Misunderstandings ensued as Facebook became bigger, causing Eduardo and Mark to break their friendship.

The events are told through the inter-weaved disposition scenes of Mark’s two lawsuits against the Winklevoss twins and against Eduardo.

This is a very intelligent film.

The direction… what could you say? It has a very interesting, though very technical subject matter, but the initial thought that I have is that it might fail in executing the story if it will just do things like in a good old-fashioned biopic style, though there’s nothing bad at it. It created a dynamic perspective on the story without letting go of the fact that it still has a straight path that it follows. It never sways on actually involving us in this story that might have been uninvolving. There is this big amount of precision int he scenes, on the way they were executed, but it did not even feel like it’s over-controlling, or let’s say, overdirected – far from that. The modern feel is also a plus, because it suits the story so much.

The screenplay is one of the best, ever. There is huge amount of skill in the dialogue. Right form the star, you can sense the over-all brilliance of it in creating the characters through the litlle and subtle shadings in the lines. And even if many lines are combated with speedy delivery, it did not tire my ears in trying to understand every word that the actors were saying because there is sense in what they are talking about. And the dialogue is of high intelligence, but it never felt unrealistic. And what’s the first scene that you remember when you think about the genius of the screenplay? The opening scene! Right from the start, it already blasts the screen with overwhelming knowledge and skill it has in creating the character background of the two people talking. And who can forget the disposition scenes? The camera is just still in its position in these scenes, but there is this very big tension because of the deft use and flow of words in the scenes. But it’s not just contained in those scenes. The power of the screenplay is evenly spread throughout the entire course of the film.

The editing brings  some of the crispiest cuts this year. There is so much energy in the way the scenes are all glued into one continuous flow of dialogue and images that strikes me as easily memorable. With sturdy direction and nimble screenplay, what you need to compose this two into this synchronized success is clever editing of the scenes. There are moments in the film where there is simply series of images overlapped by sharp lines from the screenplay and unsettling music, and the editing simply composes all of these elements into this telling of events done in a simple yet powerful fashion. But the parts where you can actually see the editing work, but not showing off in any way, are the disposition scenes when in some parts, the two cases go in a crisscross fashion. It’s a very complicated task to compress these two cases and make them interesting, and at the same time, entertaining. Or those simple scenes of dialogue – the editing propels each line to the next one without ever becoming exhausting to the senses.

The sound provides a very smooth blend between the aural elements of the movie. The way they type on the keyboard, the sound that the keyboard makes, there is rhythm in it. It’s not just sounds of people typing; there is this fine passage and beat in the way the keyboard sounded. Another example is the club scene – the music is so loud, but you can still hear the dialogue clear enough, but you can also experience the blast of music, but the lines are still so clear – it’s great sound work to cut things short. The importance of sound in creating the story in the film is that it created this air of being in the scenario. It’s different from the music creates, but there is harmony in the sounds. In every noise that you hear, there is a feeling of place. You know it’s not accidentally recorded; even the faintest sound from the movie added enough dimensions to make the story as real as possible.

If the sounds had harmony, the music filled the movie with emotional energy and atmospheric immersion.

What emotional energy? The music provoked the artistic wedding of the imagery and the psychological core of the story. There is the ‘youth’ feel in the music, but there is also this maturity that you get to experience only from the youth, and while the images strongly deliver it, the music hinges the effect of the scenes to bring it to a higher power of cinematic triumph. It was very particular in what it was trying to say, but the end product of the music is something words cannot express. The craft employed in the pieces of music used in the film provided the glimpse of the vast knowledge and understanding on the subject matter.

What atmospheric immersion? Right from the start, from the already-classic musical piece “Hand Covers Bruise”, as it plays over scenes of Mark while going back to his dormitory, the music already empowers the sequence with much more sense of tangibility and specificity in environment. It captures the air that breezes in every scene with a suitable and powerhouse soundtrack.

The costume design is so subtle yet so great. It defined these characters easily by the costumes – from Mark’s sweatshirt to Eduardo’s coat and polo to Sean’s shirt and jacket to Erica’s complete outfit. The production design, as subtle as the costume design, proves to be a visceral element in setting up the world located inside the soul of Facebook through the eyes of these characters. Everything goes in place to provide an impeccably designed world with so much complexities beneath each thing and each attire that we see in the film.

The ensemble in this film is composed by the actors who gave some of the best performances of the year.

Jesse Eisenberg is completely fantastico in the lead role that fits him so well, it’s almost unnoticeable acting. He definitely inhibits the character with such ease and timing, and even if you know Eisenberg shows his acting tics, it all worked for is performance. It’s a faultless performance that only a specific actor can play with almost no flaws. As I have said, Eisenberg is an actor with what you call these ‘acting tics’, these bits in a performance where you can feel a moment of beat or pulse from him. And it’s quite distracting to see actors having that, but not if it fits the role. Those tics defined Eisenberg’s unpredictably calculated, and it’s a compliment for me. Those golden line deliveries, those look in his eyes that are not seen from him before, the cold sensitivity that he brings to the table – Eisenberg is flawless.

In par with the high excellence of the previous performance is Andrew Garfield’s creation of Eduardo Saverin. In contrast to Eisenberg’s seamless calculation is Garfield’s careful observation of his character’s totality. There is this certain amount of amorousness strongly suggested beneath and on the surface of this character, and Garfield does it with full justice. Moreover, he takes it all to a higher degree of delicacy in terms of emotional content. There is no single moment where he faltered in the execution of what could have been a role so easy to be taken for granted by someone without the knowledge on channeling an emotionally complex role, but Garfield definitely earns his every second in the movie because he never lets you down in pulling to the core of his soul. And that is something only a capable actor can do. And with that, Garfield surely is one.

Another performance worthy of praise is Rooney Mara in a three-scene performance as Erica Albright, Zuckerberg’s ex-girlfriend. Disregarding the small time that she had in this film, it’s a stirring glimpse in a woman’s life. Mara nails every bit of her presence in the film with her honest exploration of this fascinating, if fictional, character while fully embracing the film’s intricately stylized screenplay. Her role could have been small in terms of quantity, but ht impact and the impression that she left in the rest of the film is undeniable great.

The rest of the cast did great, too.

Justin Timberlake is effective the slyly evil Sean Parker. You know that he’s cool and easy-easy in his life, and he manages to do it. He’s not someone I anticipate would do good as an actor, but he just gets the arc of the character so well.

Armie Hammer is good as the twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. He’s the hardest to judge because I don’t know if I will still recognize his good acting when he is just used in face replacement, but rest assured, he completely managed to define the two characters in a very effective way.

Brenda Song, Douglas Urbanski, Rashida Jones, Denise Grayson, and definitely more – all of these actors created this world filled with cynicism covered with formality and glamor. Each actor created something unique, something different, something remarkable.

And all of these elements came to this fascinating examination of a multi-dimensional story that could have been so boring in paper but with all of these coming together in one synchronized and dynamic assembly of cinematic facets all in place with a common denominator – excellence.

For this, the movie gets:

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or not?

So here it is. My real name is

Juan Carlos Ojano

I’m 16 years old, has a moderated movie passion, senior high school student, and just a simple person. I’m in Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and what else? You could find me there if you want to. You can call me JC, by the way.

Here’s some of my sites, if you’re interested:

Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/juancarlosojano

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/juancarlosojano

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/juancarlosojano

Scripped - http://scripped.com/user/profile/53580

I don’t think I’d post any of my pictures here at this minute, but who needs my pictures?

So from now on, I’d use this name, if you’re no that familiar, then I’m Malcolm. But that’s my real name. And from now on, I’d use this name. Any comments, suggestions, violent reactions,please comment on this post.

So, good day to you!

P.S. : Coming up, my best picture profile for The Social Network.