Author: user9291

Today on video we have a whole lot of movies that I decided to pass on in 2010.  The one I did manage to see was It’s Kind of a Funny Story, starring Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover), Keir Gilchrist, and Emma Roberts.  This is definitely a cute film, well worth a rent.  You can read my brief summary here, in what was the first and only segment of my Watercooler Reviews.

   Also out today are My Soul to Take (looked like a I Know What You Did Last Summer rip-off), Tamara Drewe (which might be the sleeper renter here), Paranormal Activity 2, Ong Bak 3: The Final Battle, Middle Men, Life As We Know It, You Again, I Spit On Your Grave, and For Colored Girls. 

   If you have seen any of those films, feel free to chime in and let us know if they are worth a rent or not.

The 7th [ and final….FINALLY!!!] part of the Aycee Awards is here!  This last set includes Original and Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and of course, Best Film of 2010.

Here is a recap of all the Aycee Awards categories:

1. Best Animated
2. Documentary
3. Comedy
4. Action Film
5. Special Effects
6. Cinematography
7. Character
8. Quote
9. Song
10. Score
11. Trailer
12. Poster
13. Most Overrated
14. Most Underrated
15. Breakthrough Male Performance
16. Breakthrough Female Performance
17. Ending of a Film
18. On-Screen Duo
19. Scene
20. Ensemble
21. Supporting Actor
22. Supporting Actress
23. Lead Actor
24. Lead Actress
25. Original Screenplay
26. Adapted Screenplay
27. Director
28. Movie of 2010

Voting will remain open until February 12th and then as we countdown to Oscars, we will unveil the winners you have chosen.

Vote in Part 7 of the Aycee Awards:Original Screenplay 
 Inception
 Black Swan 
 The King’s Speech
 The Kids Are All Right
 Animal Kingdom
 The Fighter
Adapted Screenplay 
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
 127 Hours
 True Grit
 The Social Network
 Winter’s Bone
 The Ghost Writer
Best Director 
 Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – True Grit
 Christopher Nolan – Inception
 Danny Boyle – 127 Hours
 Debra Granik – Winter’s Bone
 David Fincher – The Social Network
 Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan
 David O. Russell – The Fighter
 Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech
Best Film of 2010 
 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
 The King’s Speech
 Winter’s Bone
 True Grit
 Inception
 Toy Story 3
 How to Train Your Dragon
 The Kids Are All Right
 The Town
 The Social Network
 Blue Valentine
 Animal Kingdom
 The Fighter
 Black Swan
 127 Hours

There is some talk going around about how Melissa Leo may have hurt her chances at taking home an Oscar later this month for her performance in The Fighter.  Having won a load of critics awards, a Golden Globe, and the SAG, most pundits have Leo out in front for Oscar, with Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) closing in.  The smear campaign is based on the fact that the above “consider” ads were taken out by Leo personally, after her being upset about all of the covers going to younger people. 

Watch the live Oscar Nominee Luncheon to see interviews and more!

 When I read the obit of actor Tony Curtis last September I uttered “thank God!” under my breath.

   Not thank God that he was dead, but thank God that by a stroke of serendipity I had somehow managed to have a brief, interesting encounter with him about this time a year ago, a mere seven months before his death at age 85.

   I was at work that day and we were busy. I help train new hires for a home shopping call center.  Most of our customers are elderly ladies you have to spend a long time waiting on while they search for their glasses to read you their credit card numbers while cursing their cat or dog for getting in the way.  

   Occasionally a  celebrity calls.  

   Once a film legend called, and I spoke to him.

   Read the rest of Gary’s incredible encounter after the jump…

 The Art Directors Guild Awards honor films in three genres, so they pretty much cover all the bases.  Although there might not be a whole lot to learn about who will win the Oscar for this category, you might get a glimpse of who might be out of it.  Alice in Wonderland is considered one of the front runners to win the Oscar for Best Art Direction, but is noticeably absent from the winners list.  I currently have The King’s Speech predicted to win the Oscar, so I’m not surprised to see it turn up here.Contemporary feature film: Therese DePrez, BLACK SWANFantasy feature film: Guy Hendrix Dyas, INCEPTIONPeriod feature film: Eve Stewart, THE KING’S SPEECH

After wiping the floor with Toy Story 3 at the Visual Effects Society Awards, How to Train Your Dragoncontinues to rake by winning 10 Annie Awards Saturday night.   

   But don’t get too excited, Dragon fans.  A big part of the reason Dragon won 10 Annies was due to Disney/Pixar boycotting the 38th annual presentation with complaints they have about the voting process.  Disney/Pixar still received 7 nominations, but the heavy dose of awards went to the DreamWorks Animation team. 

   All this buzz for Dragon leading into the final voting stage could spell an upset at the Oscars, but I would bet strongly against that happening.  You have to remember, voters will be looking to recognize the entire Toy Story franchise this year, since the Best Animated Feature Oscar was not in existence during the first two films run.  Not to mention, the Disney/Pixar film is up for Best Picture.  It would be a little more than silly to have it be the only animated film nominated for the best film overall, if it is not going to at least win its own genre category.

   Check out the Annie winners for film after the jump…

 The Steven Spielberg produced, J.J. Abrams directed film that has me on pins and needles to see debuted some footage during the Super Bowl.  Super 8 looks absolutely amazing from what we have seen so far.  But how else do you expect me to feel about a movie brought to us by the guys who gave us E.T. and LOST?!   It just looks magical already. 

   Due out June 10th.

 It’s fair to say that among those who love movies (and who doesn’t?), most have screen couples, movie teams they especially adore. 

   For me, I’ve always  enjoyed Tracy and Hepburn, Bogart and Bacall, Ladd and Lake, Hope and Goddard, Ford and Hayworth, Garbo and Gilbert, Robinson and Bennett. These and others were unforgettable screen teams who made numerous films together and whose work remains popular decades after they first graced  the silver screen together and settled into a permanent place in our collective film love lore.

   Continue reading after the jump…

The Directors Guild Award went to Tom Hooper for his work behind The King’s Speech.  And with it, the Oscar race is now all but officially over.  The PGA, The DGA, and the leading 12 Oscar nominations all add up to Oscar gold:  The King’s Speech will be your winner for Best Picture 2010.  You can take that to the bank.  I have updated my predictions accordingly.

   Stay tuned Sunday night when we find out what the actors are thinking during the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.  And be sure to join us around 7:30 p.m. EST, when I will be live blogging the red carpet and SAG results.