Anyway, instead of writing  full reviews I decided to do ten 15 word write ups on the films I’ve seen so far in 2011 (had to scratch ten because I had a hard time sticking with that number!):

1. “The Hangover 2″-Greedy studio grabing a quick buck by making the SAME movie we saw in 2009. D-

2. “X-Men: First Class”-Fassbender OWNS;  rest of the film around him is meh but still enjoyable summertime fluff.  B- (film)/ A (Fassbender & McAvoy)

3. “Super 8″-Decent nostalgia flick with good central performances and a third act that completely falls apart. C+

4. “I Am Number Four”- Horrible film through and through; Alex Pettyfer should just model & never speak again. D-

For some reason I think I’m forgetting something which says alot about the films I’ve seen lately. Up next, my list of highly anticipated films which will hopefully make me really forget the some of the crap I’ve endured this year so far.

Top Films of 2010

1. “Black Swan”
2. “The Social Network”
3. “I Am Love”
4. “Blue Valentine”
5. “The Fighter”
6. “Fish Tank”
7. “Rabbit Hole”
8. “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”
9. “The Kids Are All Right”
10. “How To Train Your Dragon”
11. “Never Let Me Go”

If I have more time I will list my favorite performances, directors, and screenplays of the year along with a little commentary. Until next time!

And here we go:

“The Town”- D+

“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”- B+

“The Fighter”- A-

“Black Swan”- A

“Fish Tank”- B+

“I’m Still Here”- D-

Once I’ve seen “King’s Speech”, “True Grit”, “Blue Valentine”, and hopefully “Rabbit Hole” I will post my top ten!

Anyway,its been a  nice couple of days but of course I had to watch some films in between all the hoopla.

I know I need to write a full review of “HP 7 Pt. 1″ and I will get to it eventually. I think the two films I saw over the holiday deserve analysis first as they are both two of the best movies of the year.

Which two films do I speak of? That would be “I Am Love” and “The Kids Are Alright”.

More on both of them later (Tilda deserves a nod again and Julianne Moore & Annette Bening both should be in the Best Actress lineup) since it’s late….but oh, Tilda. How I love her. It’s impossible to count the ways.

“I Am Love”: A; “The Kids Are Alright”: A-

B-/C+.

However, since it is a two-part film I will reserve final judgment until July 2011 when Part 2 (ugh) comes out. Quick opinion: Not the best Potter film and unfortunately it’s a slavish adaptation of the novel.

Review to come tomorrow!

I really love Hailee and Jeff’s posters along with Brolin’s but… oh, dear Matt. What have they done? Or rather, I’m actually tired of seeing him. I used to like him but for some reason now that he’s everywhere it makes me realize he’s not that versatile but maybe I’m just weary of him and my feelings are clouding my judgment. *shrugs*

Anyway, unless all of the absolute hype across the internets kill expectations this one will be in the running for several of the “big eight” categories along with some below-the-line nominations.

SN: I wish Barry Pepper had a bigger role (in Damon’s place) because it’s a shame that Pepper is such a gifted character actor who I’m sure would be able to play a more prominent role in any film. He’s fantastic.

Anywhoo, I have a feeling this one is going to make quite a splash come Oscar time- great cast with a visionary behind the camera. I’m thinking Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (not sure who yet), and Cinematography and this is just judging the trailer. But we shall see, as I always say. Here’s the trailer:

I can’t wait until January to see this one!

There aren’t enough words to express how much I adore Andrew Garfield- he delivers such a wonderful performance. Anyway, back to the movie- it’s visually stunning and over the top but that’s to be expected from Gilliam. It’s bold, flashy, extravagant… and it shouldn’t work although I’m sure for most people it doesn’t but it did for me. Definitely a better outing than “The Brothers Grimm” *shudder*… B+ 

I also caught “Smiley Face” with Anna Faris and while the story itself is pretty thin, Faris is hysterical as the stoner Jane F. One of my favorite part was watching her attempting to focus on putting her “to-do” list. Classic. This woman deserves a well-written comedy because she’s absolutely hilarious but unfortunately there aren’t enough female-focused comedies (“bromance” films have taken over Hollywood at the moment, sigh). SN: Adam Brody, Jane Lynch, and John Cho were great as well!

It would be great if Judd Apatow finally realized how to write a three-dimensional, funny female lead for one of films. I can only dream. Ah, well at least I have “Smiley Face”. Film: B- /Anna Faris’s Performance: A

*Oscar prediction updates coming soon!

Early reviews are good not great but that’s to be expected considering the two-part decision which reeks of studio greed. Those who have read the book know it doesn’t require two films to tell the story- there’s at least 200 pages where nothing should have been excised from the adaptation. But it’s to be expected considering the worldwide love (worship?) of JK Rowling’s books by the masses.

It’s been a long journey for the Harry Potter series in theaters (ten years!) and while I’m sure I’ll be sad to see it end, I’ll finally breathe a sigh of relief that Rowling’s tale of “The Boy Who Lived” will be over. The biggest problem with the screen adaptations is the absolute faithfulness to the novels (I’m sure some diehards would disagree as many plots and storylines have been left out) and no originality in the interpretation of the story outside of the brilliant “Prisoner of Azkaban” which is still my favorite film of the series to this day.

Anywhoo, I have to address internet discussions attempting to creat Oscar buzz  for the film. It will NOT HAPPEN. It may sneak into some technical categories but I don’t care how great it is (or the actual finale) the Academy will never recognize it in the Best Picture lineup. Even with ten films in contention. The “Lord of the Rings” comparisons are laughable since voters backed all three “LOTR” films which landed it over 20 nominations including spots in the top eight categories.

Another factor is that unlike “LOTR”, “Potter” is not a singular vision. Yes, Steve Kloves wrote all of the scripts except “Order of the Phoenix” but the execution relies on the director and there’s only a couple of “Potter” films that have that signature stamp. The first one I named above (Azkaban) and the other happens to be “Phoenix”.

Gah, how did this turn into an Oscar discussion? Guess the race is foremost in my mind and I plan to post my updated predictions soon. Well, since I ranked the “Potter” films I guess I can do the same for the books. Here goes:

#7. “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”

#6. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”

#5. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”

#4. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”

#3. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”

#2. ”Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”

#1. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”

This is list is based on how I felt about the books the first time I read them- I’ve read all of them more than once but it’s been a while. Maybe I’m not a true “Potter Head”?

*Aw, they have grown up so much. Can’t wait until tomorrow. Wands at the ready!

Well, here are the ten:

#10- Jordon Gordon-Levitt (b. 1981, 29): Who would have thought the little boy from “3rd Rock” would turn out to be one of Hollywood’s best young actors? I know I didn’t expect it. At all. And he is one of the best. From “Brick” to “(500) Days of Summer” to “Inception” he’s proving he’s versatile and I’m sure he’s here to stay. Thank goodness because not only is he talented, he’s easy on the eyes.

#9- Anne Hathaway (b. 1982, 27): While I enjoy Anne, I’m not a die-hard fan of hers however she delivered one of the best performances of 2009 (career-best for her) in “Rachel Getting Married” and she makes the list based on that performance alone.

#8- Saoirse Ronan (b. 1994, 16): The baby of the list, for sure. Her performance in “Atonement” was haunting and she was the best thing about “The Lovely Bones” (meh). She’s working with Peter Weir in “The Way Back” and I have to say I admire her choices being so young. Her career is becoming a “must-watch” at this point which I plan to do.

#7- Ellen Page (b. 1987, 23): I was one of the last people on the planet to see “Juno” because every time I saw a trailer for the movie I would gag internally at this quick-witted, wise-beyond-her-years teenager that seemed so unrealistic. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought, “Kids do not talk like that”. I finally bit the bullet and although I was close to turning the movie off in the first 15 minutes, I completely fell for Juno after that. Damn Diablo/Jason for making me hate the film for it’s supposed timeliness.  She earned her Oscar nod that year, period. And she’s awesome in “Whip It” as well. Not so much in “Inception” but that’s not her fault. She’s working with the thinly developed character she was given.

#6- Carey Mulligan (b. 1985, 25): I remember her as one of the ditzy daughters in “Pride and Prejudice” but Knightley and Pike caught my full attention in that film so I didn’t give Ms. Mulligan a second thought until I saw “An Education”. And saw it again. She’s phenomenal as Jenny and I remember the first time I saw the film I couldn’t get the character- or her performance out of my head. I can’t wait to see “Never Let Me Go” regardless of the reviews as a few of my favorite “under 30″ actors/actresses are starring it in.

#5- Keira Knightley (b. 1985, 25): How fitting the two of them are next to each other. Keira surprised me as I would have never expected her to deliver a performance like the one she did in “Pride and Prejudice” which was rightfully recognized as one of the top five of that year. I wondered if it was a fluke but she knocked it out of the park in “Atonement”. But I wondered whether she could do more than period pieces after “The Duchess” which was alright, but nothing to write home about. She’s getting good ink for “NLMG” but not enough to sustain an actual campaign for an Oscar nomination. Oh, well. We’ll see what she does next.

#4- Ryan Gosling (b. 1980, 29): Ah, I remember him from that horrible Sandra Bullock film “Murder by Numbers”. Wow, that was atrocious. Horrible, horrible, horrible. And from what I can remember, he kind of sucked and once again I kind ignored him until he refused to be ignored with his tour-de-force performance in “Half Nelson”. And he hasn’t stopped since. He’s receiving raves for “Blue Valentine” (can’t wait to see!) and is starring in “All the Good Things” alongside Kirsten Dunst which may turn out to be good. We’ll see.

#3- Natalie Portman (b. 1981, 29): If this was several years ago, she would have topped the list. She was the track to be the best among young Hollywood but there was an undeniable gap in her career over the past years after delivering stunning turns in “Beautiful Girls”, “The Professional”, “Garden State”, “V for Vendetta”, and “Closer”.  And who could forget “Hotel Chevalier” which featured a partly- nude Portman portraying a confident woman (not the little girl/woman role she usually plays) which was a first. But she’s back with “Black Swan” and her performance is being lauded by critics and has her in the running with the likes of Annette and Nicole for Best Actress. That’s quite an achievement for someone’s who’s under 30.

#2-Jake Gyllenhaal (b. 1980, 29): Of course he’s in the top two- he’s Gyllenhaal. Those baby blues should put him at the top but I won’t let my crush on him cloud my thoughts on his talent. There’s been plenty written on him with performances in “Donnie Darko”, “Brokeback Mountain”, and “Zodiac” leading the bunch (in my book anyway). He’s heartbreaking as Jack in “BM” and the nomination was earned but in the wrong category. Same sex= can’t both be leads. Yes, we know Academy. Whatever. He is one of the best of his generation.

#1- Michelle Williams (b.1980, 30): Yes, she’s numero uno. And she can’t be denied. The woman has had a track record most actresses can only dream of. And to think that she started out on “Dawson’s Creek” and everyone expected Katie Holmes to become the star (well, she has in her own weird way). Michelle is my “Actress of the Month” and I’ve said plenty about her already but she is definitely the best actor/actress under 30 (?) working today.

Finis.

While putting the list together I noticed a couple of things: (1) The ratio of Oscar nominated actresses vs. the actors and the theory that the Academy loves the women young is apparent in the numbers & (2) I had a harder time with the men than the women which proves my theory that I’m biased towards the ladies (duh).

However, this lends weight to the theory that men get better as they get older and the women for the most part peak in their thirties and forties (unless you are Meryl Streep). Anyway, enough babbling here’s part one of the list:

#20- Emily Blunt (b. 1983, 27): I haven’t seen enough of her filmography (sorry!) but she blew me away in “The Devil Wears Prada” which should have won her an Oscar nomination/ win. But that’s just me. She also shined in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (she was better than Hanks, Roberts and Adams combined) and was the better sister-half in “Sunshine Cleaning”.

#19- Paul Dano (b. 1984, 26):  Another young actor I have not seen at work as much as I probably should and the obvious performances come to mind. “Little Miss Sunshine” and “There Will Be Blood”. SN: What was up with all the titles with “Sunshine” in them? Anywhoo, back to Dano. I thought he great in “LMS” as the Nietzsche obsessed wannabe-pilot and WAY over the top in “TWBB” (in a good way). I mean, with such a towering performance from DDL, he had to reach for the stars and beyond to compete with that.

#18-Andrew Garfield (b. 1983, 27): I’m noticing a trend- the less I see from an actor the lower they are on the list which I guess makes sense as I have only seen “The Social Network” and “Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” so I don’t have much to go on however, his performance in “TSN” is phenomenal which will probably garner him an Oscar nod (*fingers crossed*).

#17- Ben Foster (b.1980, 30): For some reason, I was the most impressed with him in “30 Days of Night” (shoot me!) as it’s the performance that sticks in my mind by Foster the most. However, he was commendable in “3:10 to Yuma” as well as “The Messenger”.

#16- Rebecca Hall (b. 1982, 28):  I just loved her in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.  She was amazing and ran HUGE circles around Scarlett Johansson in the film. Didn’t everyone? I refuse to make this post about Scarlett as my love for her has completely faded. If I had compiled this list several years ago she would have topped it. No such luck for her. Anyway, back to an actress who deserves to be on the list. Hall was heartbreaking as ‘Sarah’ in “The Prestige” as well- whoa. Just hit me they were in that film together and Hall out-performed her again. Note to ScarJo: No more films with Ms. Hall.

#15-Abbie Cornish (b. 1982, 28): For shame she earned such notoriety for her “relationship” with Ryan Phillippe which supposedly caused his break-up with Reese Witherspoon. That’s neither here or there when assessing her talents as an actor. Although I haven’t seen that many of her films, her amazing performance in one of the best films of 2009, “Bright Star” should have earned her an Academy Award nomination as she was better than the majority of the actresses in the running that year.

#14- Ben Whishaw (b. 1980, 30): Fitting that he’s next in line as he was the co-star of “Bright Star” which in my opinion is his best along with his role as one of the Bob Dylans in “I’m Not There”.

#13- James McAvoy (b.1979, 31): Okay, cheating a little. Actually, I thought he was thirty still but he just had a birthday. Ah, well. Here he is. I remember seeing him as the fawn in “Chronicles of Narnia” and pretty much forgetting who he was until “The Last King of Scotland” which he should have been nominated along with Forrest Whitaker. Loved him in “Atonement” , too bad that campaign didn’t take off as well as it should have.

#12- Jesse Eisenberg (b. 1983, 27): This one’s an odd one and I think I may change the rankings slightly at a later date. However, Eisenberg stands out in my mind for “The Social Network”, first and foremost. It is an award-worthy turn by an actor who was consider “The Poor Man’s Michael  Cera”. Plus he has “The Squid and the Whale”.

#11-Gael Garcia Bernal (b. 1979, 31): Dammit, another slip-up. But it’s well worth it with Bernal’s filmography which includes “Bad Education”, “Motorcycle Diaries”, and “Y Tu Tambien”. He stays, I don’t care how old he is. ‘Nuff said.

*Top ten coming soon!

I’m baffled by this cover by The Hollywood Reporter declaring the “Awards Season Begins Now” with a roundtable consisting of Nicole Kidman (makes sense), Annette Bening (should be here), Natalie Portman (of course), Amy Adams (?), and Hilary Swank (why, people, why?!).

It’s funny that I wrote about the possible nomination of Hilary Swank and the whole “Bening vs. Swank Part 3″ scenario recently but didn’t really think people were still considering it as a real possibility especially after the reviews of her performance in “Conviction” were, well less than stellar.

I hate to judge a performance before seeing a film but it looks like a variation on the work she did in “M$B” and “Boys Don’t Cry”… which she received nominations and won Oscars for. Oh boy, I’m keeping my fingers crossed hoping that I don’t have to see her working the awards circuit again.

And really, Amy Adams? She’s become that “default” supporting actress nominee every other year.

The only nomination she should have (IMO) thus far is for her incredible performance in “Junebug”. She’s another one that needs to stretch beyond the sweet and innocent roles she’s constantly inhabiting.

Judging by the trailer her performance in “The Fighter” looks like more of the same. But again, I hate to comment on a performance I haven’t seen but still…

Anyway, back to the cover. It is heavily photo-shopped (what the hell did they do to Helen Bonham Carter?) but it’s always nice to see Annette and Nicole. And Natalie, of course. I think the three of them are in for sure and the other two spots are pretty much up for grabs in the Best Actress category.

Well, I’m still working on my Oscar prediction updates but they will be posted soon!

I noticed it was on “Instant Watch” on Netflix and decided “Why not?”. And I’m glad I did as it turned out to be a stunning film that caused me to tear up a little in the end.

Two wonderful, fully realized characters in a rather simple story about friendship, loneliness, depression, alcoholism, suicide, and mental illness. Well, maybe it’s not that simple but you get the point.

Too bad it didn’t make it in the running for Best Animated Film at the Oscars as it was superior to “Up” in my opinion.  And although I’m no fan of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, his voicework as Max was excellent. Plus, I didn’t have to look at his face or see his overacting that plagues all of his performances. A

I also watched “How To Train Your Dragon” for the second time and while I was mildly entertained the first time, this go around I was delighted by the film as it is probably the best animated movie Dreamworks has done in a long time.

If it weren’t for the juggernaut that is Pixar, I’m sure it would win Best Animated Film hands-down. A-

With it begin Halloween weekend and all, I decided to catch at least one “scary” flick for the occasion and ended up with “The Crazies”. Ugh, horrible. And that’s putting it kindly. I couldn’t finish it but I’ll still grade it anyway. D-

I haven’t been to the movies in a while but as soon as “127 Hours” and “Black Swan” open, I’ll be there. And also when that small, little known film called “Harry Potter” arrives November 19th.

*Oscar prediction updates coming soon!

When the news surfaced that her film was deemed eligible for an Oscar run this year (which is questionable but that’s another post for another day), bloggers and critics everywhere were either singing their praises that a woman of color will finally entered the race or baring their fangs ready to attack.

My issue is with the former especially those who are prone to calling any Oscar race without a minority nominee “whitewashed” and feel as though there should always be at least one every year.

As a black woman I understand the plight of black actors and actresses have to deal with. There aren’t enough well-written roles in great films for them (we need better screenplays written specifically for black actors/actresses… where are they?- tangent, sorry).

However, I absolutely do not agree with handing out token nominations every year to be “politically correct”.

I watch the Oscars to see the best performances win (or lose, or not get nominated at all…I digress). I do not watch to monitor the Academy and make sure they are filling certain quotas. It’s ridiculous.

Let the performance speak for itself- if she’s nomination worthy, then fine. I’ve never been a fan of hers personally and feel she won for “Monster’s Ball” because the Academy wanted to make history (yet another discussion for another day).

 SN: I would take Angela Bassett and Kerry Washington over Halle any day of the week. Twice on Sunday. Where are the roles for these two? Jeez.

Well, that’s old news- back to the present and on to actual “Oscar” talk.

I don’t think Halle will make the final cut come nomination morning regardless of how baity the role is (playing a character with multiple personality disorder no less. bah.) 

The movie’s been on the shelf for a while and supposedly it was listed as a contender in 2009 which should disqualify it but we shall see.

I guess I’m with those ready to pounce (shame on me, I know) but it would be nice to see another black actress in contention for the top spot other than Berry because she isn’t the only one delivering performances worthy of Academy recognition.

*[/rant] for real…back to regular programming shortly!

And she’s been more than worthy on several occasions after her win for “The Hours”. Ah, well. That’s another extremely long rant for another day. Or, maybe I posted my thoughts on this before? Who knows.

SN: I absolutely love the poster—————————–>

*Oscar updates coming soon*