Tuesday 31 May 2011

The Thin White Dude's Reviews - Cave Of Forgotten Dreams

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Produced by: Erik Nelson
Adrienne Ciuffo
Dave Harding
Julian Hobbs
David McKillop

Written by: Werner Herzog

Narrated by: Werner Herzog

Music by: Ernst Reijseger

Cinematography by: Peter Zeitlinger

Editing by: Joe Bini
Maya Hawke

Studio(s): Arte
Creative Difference
French Minister Of Culture
History Films
More4
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Distributed by: IFC Films (USA)
History Channel (TV)

Release date(s): September 13, 2010 (TIFF)
March 25, 2011 (United Kingdom)
April 29, 2011 (United States)

Running time: 89 minutes

Country(s): France
Canada
United States
United Kingdom
Germany

Language: English

Well, well, well, after a long leave of absence (partly due to laziness and otherwise part to the shit boring time that is exams), I return to the mantle of self-proclaimed number one film critic. I have seen a few new movies so they will be reviewed, and to Jack's complete lack of surprise, the Shutter Island review is still on the way. There is an epic tale to be wrote about this saga, seeing as how you sent that message to me over a year ago. Other new reviews coming up will be Cedar Rapids and Attack The Block. Also, going to be attending Strand Cinema a good bit in the next few weeks, so expect possible reviews for Fast Five, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Hangover Part II and X-Men: First Class. With a low amount of sequels last year, they have come back in full force.

So, first film is Cave Of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog. Anyone who follows this blog knows that I am a massive Herzog fan, so it will come as no surprise that I managed to get tickets to the Northern Ireland premiere of the film at the Queens Film Theatre. There was also a post-screening press conference played after which was fun. I consider Herzog to be one of the great masters of cinema, inducting him as a director in my 2008 Hall Of Fame. Also, for 2010, his film Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans won the Kenneth Loach Award for Best Drama Film, got him a Best Director nod, the film a Best Picture nod and Nicholas Cage the best performance he has had in years. So yes I like Herzog. Here, he returns to the documentary form and for Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, he received special permission from the French culture minister to film inside the Chauvet Cave, carefully preserved and forbidden entry from the general public.

To start with the good, it is Herzog, and he is one of those filmmakers that is able to take a central concept/idea and build it into something wonderful from the ground up. Herzog's exploration of the cave paintings serves as a self-reflection on the nature of art itself. Also, he always seems to be able to find fascinating people who are very interesting in their own right as interview subjects for his documentary. Of course, one can perhaps remember his dialogues of sort's with Timothy Treadwell in Grizzly Man. In Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, we have the perfume smeller, who is almost like one of the characters that Herzog himself would write, and the scientist who was once a circus performer. These guys fit right in with the motley crew of Aguirre, Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, Bruno Stroszek and Kasper Hauser (and the cast of Even Dwarfs Started Small). Finally, Peter Zeitlinger's cinematography is wonderful. Being the first people to shoot a film in the cave, the crew of four (Herzog include) were imposed with the shooting schedule of six days of four hours each. Also, despite much of the movement of the camera being restricted, Zeitlinger manages to capture the essence of the cave and inform the audiences, a most important aspect of the documentary film.

Don't that just because I am finished on the pros that there isn't much. Far from it, it's just that I am changing the format, because I am annoyed at writing line upon line about technical aspects of the film being ok or alright. I'm just going to point out pros and cons. So let's get on with the cons. There are not a huge amount of flaws in this film, as Herzog is a director of efficiency and consistency. However, it is nowhere near to the standard's of his earlier documentaries La Soufriere, My Best Fiend and Grizzly Man. There are moments when the film really lags and it just seems to go on and on. It seems like the film would be more appropriate as a sixty-minute special on Discovery, though I did not seem the film in 3-D so I can't talk about this aspect. Also, Herzog's documentary have his imprint all over them. Despite the format, they are unmistakably 'Herzog' films. In the three name-checked documentaries, and to a certain extent God's Angry Man, this works, but in Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, it does at times cross the line of imposition and end up detracting from the film.

Nevertheless, despite these problems, I rather enjoyed the film. Shamefully, I fell asleep at one point, but not due to it being bad, but having about four-and-a-half hours sleep, it was my own fault. Herzog's Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, like all of his film's, is inherently fascinating in the development of it's concept. The interview subjects that he gathers are interesting to listen to. Finally, the cinematography of Peter Zeitlinger is really good, managing to inform us appropriately about the Chauvet cave despite the strong impositions.

The Thin White Dude's Prognosis - 7.2/10

The Thin White Dude's Self-Diagnosis - Satisfied

P.S. Following on from Bad Lieutenant's iguanas, hello to the albino crocodiles, the latest in Herzog's recent trend of reptilian creatures featuring in his films

Sunday 15 May 2011

Logo!

2010 - The Thin White Dude’s 4th Best and Worst of the Year

Look, to start off, I have failed you in delivering my large monster of a best and worst that I love to give to my readership, small as it is, every year. Nevertheless, it is four months (five now) in the year, and I reckon that at some stage or another, the readership will want to have my opinion on the best and worst of the year 2010. Although there are trends, such as some great blockbusters, diversity was the key thing that defined 2010. There are so many different types of films honored (and severely dishonored) in this year’s best and worst of 2010. Also, I have done away with my top ten film’s of the year: it was a decision between that and five/ten nominations, and the ten nominations make a top ten list more or less superfluous.


Note: There are a number of categories in which I have taken liberties to break my own rules and include a sixth nomination as opposed to the usual five. These categories are Best Male Actor In A Leading Role, as Jim Carrey’s terrific performance as Stephen Russell in I Love You, Philip Morris could not be overlooked, and Nicholas Cage in the Most Significant Player category, for overturning critical naysayers with great parts in Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans and Kick-Ass. Apologies for the Jamesian sentence there, plus Best Director, as Martin Scorsese’ direction of Shutter Island deserves praise. Also, in the Best Thriller category, there are joint winners; never done before in my awards, as The American and Black Swan are too great a pair of film’s to separate.

Hope you all enjoy reading my belatedly published opinions. It took me a long time to get done, even without the 300-word award write-ups. I officially have more categories than the Oscars, and feel that I have sufficiently covered all bases, though I have ideas for even more categories next year. Enjoy!

The Thin White Dude

The Awards

The 3rd John Carpenter Award for Best Horror Film of 2010

· The Crazies (Participant Media/Imagenation Abu Dhabi) – Breck Eisner

· Frozen (A Bigger Boat/ArieScope Pictures) – Adam Green

· The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (Six Entertainment) – Tom Six

· Tony (Abbott Vision/Chump Films/Dan McCulloch Productions) – Gerard Johnson

And the winner is… Tony (Abbott Vision/Chump Films/Dan McCulloch Productions) – Gerard Johnson

The 3rd Kenneth Loach Award for Best Drama Film of 2010

· Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans (Millennium Films) – Werner Herzog

· Dogtooth (Boo Films) – Giorgios Lanthimos

· The King’s Speech (See-Saw Films/Bedlam Productions) – Tom Hooper

· The Special Relationship (Rainmark Films) – Richard Loncraine

· StreetDance (BBC Films/E1 Entertainment/HMV) – Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini

And the winner is… Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans (Millennium Films) – Werner Herzog

The 3rd Sylvester Stallone Award for Best Action/Adventure Film of 2010

· Green Zone (StudioCanal/Relativity Media/Working Title Films) – Paul Greengrass

· The Sky Crawlers (Warner Bros. Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment) – Mamoru Oshii

· The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Summit Entertainment) – David Slade

· Valhalla Rising (IFC Films) – Nicholas Winding Refn

And the winner is… Valhalla Rising (IFC Films) – Nicholas Winding Refn

The 3rd ‘GWB’ Award for Most Unintentionally Offensive Film of 2010

· Grown Ups (Relativity Media/Happy Madison) – Dennis Dugan

· MacGruber (Relativity Media) – Jorma Taccone

· A Serbian Film (Contra Film) – Srdjan Spasojevic

· Shrek: The Final Chapter or Forever After (DreamWorks Animation/Pacific Data Images) – Mike Mitchell

· Vampires Suck (Regency Enterprises/Road Rebel/Stand Up! Films) – Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer

And the winner is… Vampires Suck (Regency Enterprises/Road Rebel/Stand Up! Films) – Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer

The 4th David Fincher Award for Best Thriller Film of 2010

· The American (Focus Features) – Anton Corbijn

· Armored (Screen Gems) – Nimrod Antal

· Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures) – Darren Aronofsy

· Devil (Universal Pictures) – John Erick Dowdle

· Shutter Island (Phoenix Pictures/Appian Way Productions/Sikelia Productions) – Martin Scorsese

And the winners are… The American (Focus Features) – Anton Corbijn and Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures) – Darren Aronofsky

The 4th Philip K. Dick Award for Best Science-Fiction/Fantasy Film of 2010

· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (Heyday Films) – David Yates

· Inception (Legendary Pictures/Syncopy Films) – Christopher Nolan

· Ponyo (Studio Ghibli) – Hayao Miyazaki

And the winner is… Inception (Legendary Pictures/Syncopy Films) – Christopher Nolan

The 4th Stan and Ollie Award for Best Comedic Film of 2010

· Cemetery Junction (Columbia Pictures/Sony International Motion Picture Group) – Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant

· Four Lions (Film4/Wild Bunch/Optimum Releasing/Warp Films) – Chris Morris

· I Love You, Philip Morris (Europa Corp) – Glenn Ficara and John Requa

· Kick-Ass (Marv Films/Plan B Entertainment) – Matthew Vaughn

· Toy Story 3 (Pixar) – Lee Unkrich

And the winner is… Toy Story 3 (Pixar) – Lee Unkrich

The 4th ‘I Am Legend’ Award for Biggest Disappointment of 2010

· Cyrus (Fox Searchlight Pictures) – Jay and Mark Duplass

· Green Zone (StudioCanal/Relativity Media/Working Title Films) – Paul Greengrass

· The Sky Crawlers (Warner Bros. Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment) – Mamoru Oshii

· This Is War (Severe Clear) (G2 Pictures) – Kristian Fraga

· The Town (Legendary Pictures/GK Films/Thunder Road Film) – Ben Affleck

And the winner is… The Sky Crawlers (Warner Bros. Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment) – Mamoru Oshii

The 2nd Walt Disney Award for Best Animated Film in 2010

· Despicable Me (Illumination Entertainment) – Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud

· Ponyo (Studio Ghibli) – Hayao Miyazaki

· The Sky Crawlers (Nippon Television Network Corporation/Production I.G.) – Mamoru Oshii

· Toy Story 3 (Pixar) – Lee Unkrich

And the winner is… Toy Story 3 (Pixar) – Lee Unkrich

The 2nd Walter Murch Award for Best Sound Design/Mixing in a Film in 2010

· Benny Burtt/Dustin Cawood/Teresa Eckton/Tom Myers/Al Nelson/Tim Nielson/Dee Selby/Michael Silvers/Steve Slanec (Toy Story 3) – Lee Unkrich

· Johnna Chism/Valerie Davidson/Albert Gasser/Aaron Glascock/David Jobe/Curt Schulkey/John Joseph Thomas/Bryan Watkins

(The Town) – Ben Affeck

· Philip Clements/Jim Goddard/Catherine Hodgson/Catherine Thomas/Lee Walpole

(The King’s Speech) – Tom Hooper

· Brian Emrich/Craig Henighan/Wayne Lemmer (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

· Tom Griffiths/Giles Lamb/Micheal MacKinnon/Jamie Young (Valhalla Rising) – Nicholas Winding Refn

And the winner’s are… Brian Emrich/Craig Henighan/Wayne Lemmer (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

The 3rd Paul Schrader Award for Best Film Screenplay of 2010

· Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) – Lee Unkrich

· Steve Kloves (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One) – David Yates

· Chris Morris/Jesse Armstrong/Sam Bain/Simon Blackwell (Four Lions) – Chris Morris

· Christopher Nolan (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

· David Seidler (The King’s Speech) – Tom Hooper

And the winner is… Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) – Lee Unkrich

The Edith Head Award for Best Costume Designs in a Film in 2010

· Jenny Beavan (The King’s Speech) – Tom Hooper

· Sandy Powell (Shutter Island) – Martin Scorsese

· Sammy Sheldon (Kick-Ass) – Matthew Vaughan

· Janey Temime (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One) – David Yates

· Amy Westcott (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

And the winner is… Amy Westcott (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

The 4th (Lack Of Namesake) Award for Most Surprisingly Entertaining Film of 2010

· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (Heyday Films/Warner Bros. Pictures) – David Yates

· Secretariat (Walt Disney Pictures/Mayhem Pictures) – Randall Wallace

· Tony (Abbott Vision/Chump Films/Dan McCulloch Productions) – Gerard Johnson

· The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Summit Entertainment) – David Slade

· Valhalla Rising (IFC Films) – Nicholas Winding Refn

And the winner is… Secretariat (Walt Disney Pictures/Mayhem Pictures) – Randall Wallace

The 3rd Christopher Doyle Award for Best Cinematography in a Film in 2010

· Tim Hetherington/Sebastian Junger (Restrepo) – Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger

· David Higgs (Tony) – Gerard Johnson

· Wally Pfister (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

· Martin Ruhe (The American) – Anton Corbijn

· Martin Soborg (Valhalla Rising) – Nicholas Winding Refn

And the winner is… Wally Pfister (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

The Rick Baker Award for Best Make-Up in a Film in 2010

· Francesco Alberico/Amanda Burns/Amy Byrne/Francesca Crowder/Sarah Downes/Belinda Hodson/Tracey Lee/Claire Matthews/Jessica Needham/Sharon Nicholas/Charlotte Rogers/Stephen Rose/Sophie Slotover/Lucy Vanella/Steve Wood (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One) – David Yates

· Dubravka Busatlija/Miroslav Lakobrija (A Serbian Film) – Srdjan Spasojevic

· Judy Chin/Marjorie Durand/Valerie Gladstone-Appel/Todd Kleitsch/Mary Hedges Lampert (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

· Maxine Dallas/Duncan Jarman/Niamh Morrison/Stephen Murphy (Valhalla Rising) – Nicholas Winding Refn

· Rachel Elbertse/Erik Hillenbrink/Rob Hillenbrink (The Human Centipede) – Tom Six

And the winner(s) are… Francesco Alberico/Amanda Burns/Amy Byrne/Francesca Crowder/Sarah Downes/Belinda Hodson/Tracey Lee/Claire Matthews/Jessica Needham/Sharon Nicholas/Charlotte Rogers/Stephen Rose/Sophie Slotover/Lucy Vanella/Steve Wood (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One) – David Yates

The 3rd Lucio Fulci Award for Most Excessively Violent Film of 2010

· From Paris With Love (EuropaCorp/M6/Éclair Films/Canal+) – Pierre Morel

· MacGruber (Relativity Media) – Jorma Taccone

· Repo Men (Relativity Media/Stuber Pictures) – Miguel Sapochnik

· A Serbian Film (Contra Film) – Srdjan Spasojevic

· Vampires Suck (Regency Enterprises/Road Rebel/Stand Up! Films) – Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer

And the winner is… A Serbian Film (Contra Film) – Srdjan Spasojevic

The 3rd Ennio Morricone Award for Best Original Score/Soundtrack in a Film in 2010

· Mark Isham (Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans) – Werner Herzog

· Matt Johnson of The The (Tony) – Gerard Johnson

· Peter Kyed/Peter Peter (Valhalla Rising) – Nicholas Winding Refn

· Clint Mansell/The Chemical Brothers/Pyotr Ilyrich Tchaikovsky (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

· Robbie Robertson and Various Artists (Shutter Island) – Martin Scorsese

And the winners are… Peter Kyed/Peter Peter (Valhalla Rising – Nicholas Winding Refn

The (As Yet Named) Award for Best Production Design in a Film in 2010

· Stuart Craig (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One) – David Yates

· Guy Hendrix Dyas (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

· Dante Ferretti (Shutter Island) – Martin Scorsese

· Andrew Menzies (The Crazies) – Breck Eisner

· Eve Stewart (The King’s Speech) – Tom Hooper

And the winner is… Dante Ferretti (Shutter Island) – Martin Scorsese

The 2nd Stan Winston Award for Best Special/Visual Effects in a Film in 2010

· Chris Corbould/Pete Bebb/Paul Franklin/Rob Hodgson/Andrew Lockley (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

· Neil Corbould/Michael Dawson/Gary Brozenich/Nick Davis/Dadi Einarsson/Rob Harvey/Hugh McDonald/William Mesa/Simon Stanley-Clamp/Craig Veytia (Clash of the Titans)

· Steve Hamilton/Nicolas Aithadi/Florian Gellinger/Christian Manz/Sean Mathiesen/John Moffat/Chris Shaw/Olcun Tan/Matthew Tyford/David Vickery: Double Negative/Framestone (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One) – David Yates

· David Harris/Michael Innanen/Laird McMurray/Jeppe N. Christensen/Tom Collier/Martin Gardeler/Richard Higham/Mattias Lindahl/Anton Yri (Kick-Ass) – Matthew Vaughan

· Dan Schrecker (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

And the winner(s) are… Chris Corbould/Pete Bebb/Paul Franklin/Rob Hodgson/Andrew Lockley (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

The 2nd Vic Armstrong Award for Best Stunts/Choreography in a Film in 2010

· Giorgio Antonini/Kimmo Rajala/Franco Salamon (The American) – Anton Corbijn

· Jared Bruke/Douglas Crosby/Julie Kent/Olga Kostritzky/Jen Weissenberg (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

· Sy Hollands/Cedric Proust/Tom Struthers/Brent Woolsey (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

· Gary Hymes/Tom McComas (The Town) – Ben Affleck

· Will Tuckett (Streetdance) – Max Giwa/Dania Pasquini

And the winner’s are… Jared Bruke/Douglas Crosby/Julie Kent/Olga Kostritzky/Jen Weissenberg (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

The 3rd Thelma Schoonmaker Award for Best Editorial Work in a Film in 2010

· Tim Murrell (Streetdance) – Max Giwa/Dania Pasquini

· Ken Schretzmann/Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) – Lee Unkrich

· Lee Smith (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

· Zachary Stuart-Pontier (Catfish) – Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman

· Andrew Weisblum (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

And the winner is… Zachary Stuart-Pontier (Catfish) – Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman

The 4th James Cameron Award for Best Sequel of 2010

· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (Warner Bros.) – David Yates

· Toy Story 3 (Pixar) – Lee Unkrich

And the winner is… Toy Story 3 (Pixar) – Lee Unkrich

The 3rd Werner Herzog Award for Most Ingenious Film Concept of 2010

· Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman (Catfish) – Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman

· Chris Morris (Four Lions) – Chris Morris

· Christopher Nolan (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

· James Richardson (StreetDance) – Max Giwa/Dania Pasquini

· David Seidler (The King’s Speech) – Tom Hooper

And the winner is… Christopher Nolan (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

The Award for Most Overlooked Film of 2010

· The American (Focus Features) – Anton Corbijn

· Catfish (Universal Pictures/Relativity Media/Rogue Pictures) – Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman

· Cemetery Junction (Sony Pictures Releasing International) Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant

· Tony (Revolver Entertainment) – Gerard Johnson

· Valhalla Rising (IFC Films) – Nicholas Winding Refn

And the winner is… Cemetery Junction (Sony Pictures Releasing International) – Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant

The 3rd Katherine Hepburn Award for Best Supporting Acting Role by a Female Actor in 2010

· Hope Davis: “Hillary Clinton” (The Special Relationship) – Richard Loncraine

· Mila Kunis: “Lily” (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

· Chloe-Grace Moretz: “Mindy ‘Hit-Girl’ Macready” (Kick-Ass) – Matthew Vaughan

· Aggeliki Papoulia: “ ‘Elder Daughter’ ” (Dogtooth) – Giorgios Lanthimos

· Violante Placido: “Clara” (The American) – Anton Corbijn

And the winner is… Chloe-Grace Mortez: “Mindy ‘Hit-Girl’ Macready” (Kick-Ass) – Matthew Vaughan

The 3rd R. Lee Ermey Award for Best Supporting Acting Role by a Male Actor in 2010

· John Hurt: “Old Man Peanut” (44 Inch Chest) – Malcolm Venville

· Nigel Lindsay: “Barry” (Four Lions) – Chris Morris

· Ewan McGregor: “Philip Morris” (I Love You, Philip Morris) – Glenn Ficara/John Requa

· Dennis Quaid: “Bill Clinton” (The Special Relationship) – Richard Loncraine

· Geoffrey Rush: “Lionel Logue” (The King’s Speech) – Tom Hooper

And the winner is… Ewan McGregor: “Philip Morris” (I Love You, Philip Morris) – Glenn Ficara/John Requa

The ‘Extras’ Award for Best Bit Part in a Film in 2010

· Steve Buscemi: “Wiley” (Grown Ups) – Dennis Dugan

· Ricky Gervais: “Len Taylor” (Cemetery Junction) – Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant

· Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson: “P.K. Highsmith” and “Danton” (The Other Guys) – Adam McKay

· Bud Luckey: “Chuckles” (Toy Story 3) – Lee Unkrich

· Stu ‘Large’ Riley: “Huge Goon” (Kick-Ass) – Matthew Vaughan

And the winner is… Stu ‘Large’ Riley: “Huge Goon” (Kick-Ass) – Matthew Vaughan

The 2nd Michael Moore Award for Best Documentary Film of 2010

· Catfish (Universal Pictures/Relativity Media/Rogue Pictures) – Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman

· Collapse (Vitagraph Films) – Chris Smith

· Exit Through The Gift Shop (Paranoid Pictures/Revolver Entertainment) - Banksy

· Restrepo (National Geographic Entertainment/Dogwoof Pictures) – Tim Hetherington/Sebastian Junger

· This Is War/Severe Clear (Sirk Productions/G2 Pictures) – Kristian Fraga

And the winner is… Restrepo (National Geographic Entertainment/Dogwoof Pictures) – Tim Hetherington/Sebastian Junger

The 2nd Peter Sallis Award for Best Vocal Acting in a Film in 2010

· The Cast (Toy Story 3) – Lee Unkrich

· Dakota Fanning: “Cherie Currie” (The Runaways) – Floria Sigismondi

· Colin Firth: “Prince Albert, Duke Of York/King George VI Of England (The King’s Speech) – Tom Hooper

· James Franco: “Aron Ralston” (127 Hours) – Danny Boyle

· Yuria Nara: “Ponyo” (Ponyo) – Hayao Miyazaki

And the winner’s are… The Cast (Toy Story 3) – Lee Unkrich

The 4th Cate Blanchett Award for Best Lead Acting Role by a Female Actor in 2010

· Nichola Burley: “Carly” (StreetDance) – Max Giwa/Dania Pasquini

· Dakota Fanning: “Cherie Currie” (The Runaways) – Floria Sigismondi

· Diane Lane: “Penny Chenery” (Secretariat) – Randall Wallace

· Natalie Portman: “Nina Sayers” (Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

· Emma Watson: “Hermione Granger” (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One) – David Yates

And the winner is… Natalie Portman: “Nina Sayers”

(Black Swan) – Darren Aronofsky

The 4th Kevin Spacey Award for Best Lead Acting Role by a Male Actor in 2010

· Nicholas Cage: “Lt. Terrence McDonagh” (Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans) – Werner Herzog

· Jim Carrey: “Stephen Russell” (I Love You, Philip Morris) – Glenn Ficara/John Requa

· George Clooney: “Jack/Edward” (The American) – Anton Corbijn

· Peter Ferdinando: “Tony Benson” (Tony) – Gerard Johnson

· Colin Firth: “Prince Albert, Duke Of York/King George VI Of England” (The King’s Speech) – Tom Hooper

· Mads Mikkelsen: “One-Eye” (Valhalla Rising) – Nicholas Winding Refn

And the winner is… George Clooney: “Jack/Edward” (The American) – Anton Corbijn

The 3rd Akira Kurosawa Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 2010

· (Greece) Dogtooth (Boo Films) – Giorgios Lanthimos

· (Japan) Ponyo (Studio Ghibli) – Hayao Miyazaki

· (Japan) The Sky Crawlers (Nippon Television Network Corporation/Production I.G.) – Mamoru Oshii

And the winner is… (Japan) Ponyo (Studio Ghibli) – Hayao Miyazaki

The 2nd Orson Welles Award for Most Promising Debut

· Banksy (Exit Through The Gift Shop)

· Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger (Restrepo)

· Gerard Johnson (Tony)

· Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Catfish)

· Chris Morris (Four Lions)

And the winner is… Gerard Johnson (Tony)

The 3rd Steven Spielberg Award for Best Producer(s) on a Film in 2010

· Darla K. Anderson/Nicole Paradis Grindle/John Lasseter (Toy Story 3) – Lee Unkrich

· David Barron/David Heyman/J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One) – David Yates

· Adam Bohling/Tarquin Pack/Brad Pitt/David Reid/Kris Thykier/Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) – Matthew Vaughan

· Iain Canning/Geoffrey Rush/Emile Sherman/Gareth Unwin (The King’s Speech) – Tom Hooper

· Christopher Nolan/Emma Thomas (Inception) – Christopher Nolan

And the winners are… Darla K. Anderson/Nicole Paradis Grindle/John Lasseter (Toy Story 3) – Lee Unkrich

The 4th Stanley Kubrick Award for Best Director of a Film in 2010

· Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)

· Anton Corbijn (The American)

· Werner Herzog (Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans)

· Christopher Nolan (Inception)

· Nicholas Winding Refn (Valhalla Rising)

· Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island)

And the winner is… Christopher Nolan (Inception)

The 2nd Drag Me To Hell Awards for 2010’s Horsemen Of The Apocalypse

· Horseman Michael Bay (A Nightmare On Elm Street) – Samuel Bayer

· Will Forte/Macgruber (Macgruber) – Jorma Taccone

· Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (Vampires Suck)

· Marmaduke (Marmaduke) – Tom Dey

The 2nd Alfred Hitchcock Award for Most Significant Player (Member of the Film Community) of 2010

· Nicholas Cage (Actor of Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans and Kick-Ass)

· George Clooney (Producer/Actor of The American)

· Leonardo DiCaprio (Actor of Shutter Island and Inception)

· John Lasseter (Executive Producer/Story on Toy Story 3, Executive Producer of Day & Night)

· Mike Medavoy (Producer of Shutter Island and Black Swan)

· Christopher Nolan (Director/Writer/Producer of Inception)

And the winner is… Christopher Nolan (Director/Writer/Producer of Inception)

The 4th Ed Wood Award for Worst Film of 2010

· Grown Ups (Relativity Media/Happy Madison Pictures/Columbia Pictures) – Dennis Dugan

· Macgruber (Relativity Media/Rogue/Universal Pictures) – Jorma Taccone

· Marmaduke (Regency Enterprises/Davis Entertainment/Dune Entertainment/Intrigue/20th Century Fox) – Tom Dey

· A Serbian Film (Contra Film/Invincible Pictures) – Srdjan Spasojevic

· Vampires Suck (Regency Enterprises/Road Rebel/Stand Up! Films/20th Century Fox) – Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer

And the winner is… Vampires Suck (Regency Enterprises/Road Rebel/Stand Up! Films/20th Century Fox) – Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer

The 4th Clockwork Award for Best Film of 2010

· The American (Focus Features/Goldcrest Post Production London/Greenlit Rights/Smoke House/This Is That Productions/Universal Pictures International) – Anton Corbijn

· Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans (Millennium Films/Edward R. Pressman Film/Saturn Films/Polsky Films/Osiris Productions/Lieutenant Productions/Nu Image Films/Sony Pictures Releasing) – Werner Herzog

· Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures/Protoza Pictures/Phoenix Pictures/Cross Creek Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation) – Darren Aronofsky

· Cemetery Junction (Columbia Pictures/Sony International Motion Picture Production Group/Sony Pictures Releasing/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) – Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant

· Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (Warner Bros. Pictures/Heyday Films/Warner Home Video) – David Yates

· Inception (Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures/Syncopy/Warner Home Video) – Christopher Nolan

· The King’s Speech (See-Saw Films/Bedlam Productions/Momentum Theatrical/”Bring Back The” UK Film Council) – Tom Hooper

· Restrepo (Outpost Films/Virgil Films & Entertainment/Dogwoof Pictures) – Tim Hetherington & Sebastian Junger

· Shutter Island (Paramount Pictures/Phoenix Pictures/Sikelia Productions/Appian Way) – Martin Scorsese

· Toy Story 3 (Pixar Animation Studios/Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) – Lee Unkrich

And the winner is… Toy Story 3 (Pixar Animation Studios/Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment)

Lee Unkrich


Multiple Awards Winners

Tony: 2 awards - The 3rd John Carpenter Award for Best Horror Film of 2010, The 2nd Orson Welles Award for Most Promising Debut (Gerard Johnson)

Valhalla Rising: 2 awards - The 3rd Sylvester Stallone Award for Best Action/Adventure Film of 2010, The 3rd Ennio Morricone Award for Best Original Score/Soundtrack in a Film in 2010 (Peter Peter/Peter Kyed)

Vampires Suck: 3 awards - The 3rd ‘GWB’ Award for Most Unintentionally Offensive Film of 2010, The 2nd Drag Me To Hell Awards for 2010’s Horsemen Of The Apocalypse (Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer), The 4th Ed Wood Award for Worst Film of 2010

The American: 2 awards - The 4th David Fincher Award for Best Thriller Film of 2010 (with Black Swan), The 4th Kevin Spacey Award for Best Lead Acting Role by a Male Actor in 2010 (George Clooney)

Black Swan: 5 awards - The 4th David Fincher Award for Best Thriller Film of 2010 (with The American), The 2nd Walter Murch Award for Best Sound Design/Mixing in a Film in 2010 (Brian Emrich/Craig Henighan/Wayne Lemmer), The Edith Head Award for Best Costume Designs in a Film in 2010 (Amy Westcott), The 2nd Vic Armstrong Award for Best Stunts/Choreography in a Film in 2010 (Jared Bruke/Douglas Crosby/Julie Kent/Olga Kostritzky/Jen Weissenberg), The 4th Cate Blanchett Award for Best Lead Acting Role by a Female Actor in 2010 (Natalie Portman: “Nina Sayers”)

Inception: 6 awards - The 4th Philip K. Dick Award for Best Science-Fiction/Fantasy Film of 2010, The 3rd Christopher Doyle Award for Best Cinematography in a Film in 2010 (Wally Pfister), The 2nd Stan Winston Award for Best Special/Visual Effect in a Film in 2010 (Chris Corbould/Pete Bebb/Paul Franklin/Rob Hodgson/Andrew Lockley), The 3rd Werner Herzog Award for Most Ingenious Film Concept of 2010 (Christopher Nolan), The 4th Stanley Kubrick Award for Best Director of a Film in 2010 (Christopher Nolan), The 2nd Alfred Hitchcock Award for Most Significant Player (Member of the Film Community) of 2010 (Christopher Nolan as “Writer/Producer/Director of Inception)

Toy Story 3: 7 awards - The 4th Stan and Ollie Award for Best Comedic Film of 2010, The 2nd Walt Disney Award for Best Animated Film in 2010, The 3rd Paul Schrader Award for Best Film Screenplay of 2010 (Michael Arndt), The 4th James Cameron Award for Best Sequel of 2010, The 2nd Peter Sallis Award for Best Vocal Acting in a Film in 2010 (The Cast), The 3rd Steven Spielberg Award for Best Producer(s) on a Film in 2010 (Darla K. Anderson/Nicole Paradis Grindle/John Lasseter), The 4th Clockwork Award for Best Film of 2010

Kick-Ass: 2 awards - The 3rd Katherine Hepburn Award for Best Supporting Acting Role by a Female Actor in 2010 (Chloe-Grace Mortez: “Mindy ‘Hit-Girl’ Macready”), The ‘Extras’ Award for Best Bit Part in a Film in 2010 (Stu ‘Large’ Riley: “Huge Goon”)

R.I.P. 2010/2011

This is a list of people of whom I am a fan/influenced me/were major part of a film in 2010/2010-award winner

Dennis Hopper: 1936-2010 - Director/Writer/Actor of Easy Rider, Actor of Apocalypse Now, Rumble Fish, Blue Velvet, Speed and Land Of The Dead

Satoshi Kon: 1963-2010 – Director/Writer/Animator of Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Paranoia Agent

Dino De Laurentiis: 1919-2010 – Producer of Serpico, Death Wish, Blue Velvet and Manhunter

Leslie Nielsen: 1926-2010 – Actor of Forbidden Planet, The Poseidon Adventure, Airplane!, Creepshow and The Naked Gun film series

Irvin Kershner: 1923-2010 – Director of The Empire Strikes Back, Never Say Never Again and Robocop 2

Pete Postlethwaite: 1946-2011 – Actor of Alien 3, In The Name Of The Father, The Usual Suspects, Brassed Off, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and 2010’s Inception, Clash Of The Titans and The Town

John Barry: 1933-2011 – Composer of eleven James Bond films, The Lion In Winter, Born Free, Out Of Africa, Dances With Wolves and Somewhere In Time

Gary Winick: 1961-2011 – Director of Bride Wars: not a fan, hated the film, but horrible to hear nevertheless

Sidney Lumet: 1924-2011 – Director/Writer/Producer of 12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead


Tim Hetherington: 1970-2011 – Director/Cinematographer/Photographer for Restrepo: winner of The 2nd Michael Moore Award for Best Documentary Film of 2010


Final Pointers

Just to start off, Blogger is being a dick and not letting me do away with underlining as it does not have an underline button, so you'll have to excuse me! As ever with every year in film, there are a number of different trends. It was a fantastic year for the thriller genre, seeing three masterpieces (Shutter Island, Black Swan, The American) emerge from with those ranks. Also, it was a year for polarization in comedy, producing some terribly unfunny films (Grown Ups, Macgruber, Marmaduke, Vampires Suck), but also conversely producing the best batch of comedies in years (Four Lions, I Love You, Philip Morris, Cemetery Junction), including Toy Story 3 as Best Film. This year’s awards have also produced their own trends. Toy Story 3 becomes the most decorated film in the history of my awards with 7 wins, a truly remarkable feat that shows that animated film’s deserve to considered worthy to stand by ‘feature film’s.’ Also, because a number of films, Toy Story 3, Inception and Black Swan specifically, which won 18 awards out of 39 awards between the three of them, other top film’s did not get as much due notice. At this point, I would like to point out The American, Shutter Island, Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans and Cemetery Junction. In fact, from next year on the Most Overlooked Film award will be named after this sorely overlooked wonder from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Hell, even I overlooked it! It must be said, despite omissions such as this, 2010 is a year in which the mainstream has decided to take some risks and audiences the world over have benefitted from it. Inception, Black Swan, Toy Story 3, Shutter Island and even smaller films such as Four Lions are film’s that have taken on challenging topics and thrived, both in the mainstream and art-house/cult audiences. By no means was this the best year of film ever though. Some of these risks also revealed shallow exteriors. Despite being a decent exploitation flick, The Human Centipede is not the horror classic it is hyped up to be, regardless of a genuinely horrible concept. Also, A Serbian Film has to one of the most ethically deplorable films ever. I understand that horror film has to have no bounds, but I think that there should appropriate artistic reason to cross these bounds. Instead it is a stupid and ridiculous film, more boring, nauseating, with the rare laugh and one genuinely scary scene (those who have seen it know what I am talking about and are equally scarred). Furthermore, proving the fine line of horror and comedy we also had really shit comedies. Adam Sandler and Friends’ theatrically released holiday home video Grown Ups was snore-inducing with the exception of Rob Schneider, Macgruber and his hound Marmaduke were terribly unfunny, and Vampires Suck was beyond a postmodernist nightmare. If it was a child, it would be hard not to sacrifice. The thing about The Omen and Damien being the Antichrist is that he is still a little boy with a human body and soul, Vampires Suck lacks the purity of evil, tainted as a scourge of mankind worst bowel problems. Despite these miscrepancies on the film blip, there was enough in 2010 to keep me excited about the future of cinema. I hope you enjoyed the year and my year in review. This is The Thin White Dude signing out. BLOG OUT!