my Alex In Movieland awards, 4th edition: Episode 4/4: Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress

It was the year of the Supporting Actress, which for me I think was the strongest acting category of the 4. The leading men also made a comeback in quality, after last year.

List of eligible/seen films (62):

50/50, The Adventures of Tintin, Albert Nobbs, Anonymous, The Artist, Beginners, A Better Life, Bridesmaids, Carnage, A Cat in Paris, Certified Copy, Chico & Rita, Contagion, Coriolanus, A Dangerous Method, The Descendants, Drive, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hanna, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, The Iron Lady, J. Edgar, Jane Eyre, Like Crazy, Margaret, Margin Call, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Meek’s Cutoff, Melancholia, Midnight in Paris, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Moneyball, The Muppets, My Week with Marilyn, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Potiche, Puss in Boots, Rampart, Rango, Real Steel, Rio, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Scream 4, A Separation, Shame, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Skin I Live In, Super 8, Take Shelter, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Tree of Life, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, W.E., War Horse, Warrior, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Weekend, Young Adult

And my choices:

BEST ACTOR

1. Jean Dujardin – The Artist

He carries the film with an unmatchable charm and literally almost no words. Perfect fit for the role and makes it all feel memorable.

2. Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

He is a master doing some of his finest work. As always, he creates a character that is fascinating, intimidating, and delivers a breathtaking monologue.

3. Michael Fassbender – Shame

It feels like he understands the drama of the character and he plays perfectly the emotional struggle of this troubled man. Both desirable and to be pitied.

4. Tom Hardy – Warrior

You can always count on Tom Hardy to be better than the material given. He creates a touching performance, and the fighting scenes are breathtakingly acted from his side.

5. Joel Edgerton – Warrior

He gives the most rational performance of the film and he’s a great match for Hardy: he rises to the challenge and nails both the emotions and the physical aspects of the performance.

6. Hunter McCracken – The Tree of Life

7. Brad Pitt – Moneyball

8. Michael Shannon – Take Shelter

9. Woody Harelson – Rampart

10. Thomas Horn – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

almost there: Ewan McGregor - Beginners, George Clooney - The Descendants, Tom Cullen - Weekend, Ralph Fiennes - Coriolanus, Joseph Gordon-Levitt - 50/50.

BEST ACTRESS

1. Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

From a technical perspective, this is perfection, making for some of the best aging acting seen on screen. Her performance is hypnotizing; I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

2. Viola Davis – The Help

Undoubtedly, she is the heart of the film and creates a very likeable character. The strength of the performance stands in some key heartbreaking scenes, acted to perfection.

3. Charlize Theron – Young Adult

She was the dark horse on my list: a performance like I’ve never seen before from her – she’s sexy, bitchy, natural and most of all: surprising. Her final scenes are a delight.

4. Charlotte Gainsbourg – Melancholia

While most seem impressed by Kirsten, I was all about Charlotte and the fascinating arc of her character. She brings just enough emotion, just enough hysteria to make it all work.

5. Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin

The writing is not in her favor, but you can always count on Tilda. She controls the film mostly in the quiet moments, and you can feel the fear and the frustration of her character.

6. Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

7. Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs

8. Juliette Binoche – Certified Copy

9. Saoirse Ronan – Hanna

10. Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia 

almost there: Mia Wasikowska - Jane Eyre, Michelle Williams - Meek's Cutoff, Felicity Jones - Like Crazy, Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene, Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Brad Pitt – The Tree of Life

A career-best performance from Brad, who shows maturity and a strong understanding of such a difficult, nuanced character. He made me feel, which is in tone with the movie’s theme.

2. Christopher Plummer – Beginners

A classically-written dramatic role of a dying person, done very well. He gets a couple of key emotional scenes done wonderfully, as you’d except given the experience.

3. Albert Brooks – Drive

A very clever performance, that fits well inside the movie. It’s a sly role, a nuanced villain, and it takes a smart actor to play it. Brooks does well.

4. Ralph Fiennes – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

To me it’s the essential villain of the past decade, even though I’m not a fan of series. With the help of fantastic make-up, Fiennes creates a fascinating, terrifying villain, like no other.

5. Colin Firth – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

One of the few performances inside the film to show more emotion: when the storyline reaches his character in the end, he really delivers.

6. Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn

7. Kevin Spacey – Margin Call

8. Ben Foster – Rampart

9. Nick Nolte – Warrior

10. Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

almost there: Michael Fassbender - Jane Eyre, Patton Oswalt - Young Adult, Jeremy Irons - Margin Call, Matt Damon - Contagion, Ezra Miller - We Need to Talk About Kevin

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Jessica Chastain – The Tree of Life

Just like her co-stars, she is breathtaking without much use for words. She is the undeniable soul of the film, and such a necessary presence.

2. Jessica Chastain – The Help

It’s a performance that might seem a cliché on paper, but quickly turns human, surprising and complex when Jessica’s assigned the part. She’s superb.

3. Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids

Undoubtedly, she’s the MVP of her movie, and every time she’s on screen it’s smile-inducing: she handles the dialogue, creates comedy like a pro.

4. Sareh Bayat – A Separation

She creates the most emotional scenes inside the film, with apparent easiness and an undeniably realistic acting style. Her last scenes are heartbreaking.

5. Carey Mulligan – Shame

She holds her own when sharing the screen with Fassbender. Carey creates this fragile, unstable character that becomes memorable with its predictable tragedy.

6. Jessica Chastain – Take Shelter

7. Allison Janney – The Help

8. Octavia Spencer – The Help

9. Kate Winslet – Contagion

10. Anjelica Houston – 50/50

almost there: Cate Blanchett - Hanna, Judy Greer - The Descendants, Sandra Bullock - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Charlotte Rampling - Melancholia, Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs.

Final thoughts:

BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR:
(tough to pick one) Brad Pitt – The Tree of Life

BEST ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR (ANY CATEGORY):
Terrence Malick as the Director of The Tree of Life.



Recap of the winners of the Alex In Movieland Awards 2011:

Best Film: The Tree of Life
Best Director: Terrence Malick, for The Tree of Life
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, for The Artist
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, for The Iron Lady
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, for The Tree of Life
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, for  The Tree of Life 
Best Original Screenplay: Bridesmaids
Best Adapted Screenplay: Moneyball
Best Cinematography:  The Tree of Life 
Best Original Score: The Artist

To check out previous editions, click somewhere on the right.


Thanks for reading :)

my Alex In Movieland awards, 4th edition: Episode 3/4: Best Picture & Director

These were the 2011 films that impressed me the most: 2 or 3 classics and some good ones, but overall not a fabulous year, with plenty of disappointments. 

List of eligible/seen films (62):

50/50, The Adventures of Tintin, Albert Nobbs, Anonymous, The Artist, Beginners, A Better Life, Bridesmaids, Carnage, A Cat in Paris, Certified Copy, Chico & Rita, Contagion, Coriolanus, A Dangerous Method, The Descendants, Drive, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hanna, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, The Iron Lady, J. Edgar, Jane Eyre, Like Crazy, Margaret, Margin Call, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Meek’s Cutoff, Melancholia, Midnight in Paris, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Moneyball, The Muppets, My Week with Marilyn, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Potiche, Puss in Boots, Rampart, Rango, Real Steel, Rio, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Scream 4, A Separation, Shame, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Skin I Live In, Super 8, Take Shelter, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Tree of Life, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, W.E., War Horse, Warrior, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Weekend, Young Adult

And my choices:

BEST PICTURE

My number one is a masterpiece and the best film I've seen in YEARS. A film for the soul, like no other done before. The Tree of Life is an experience.

1. The Tree of Life

2. Drive

3. Melancholia

4. A Separation

5. Shame

and then also:

6. Young Adult

7. War Horse 

8. Take Shelter

9. Weekend

10. Hanna

Runner-ups:

11. Moneyball

12. Margin Call

13. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

14. Contagion

15. Like Crazy

Also:

16. Bridesmaids

17. The Adventures of Tintin

18. The Help

19. Meek's Cutoff

20. Jane Eyre

BEST DIRECTOR

This category was very interesting this year, with a lot of auteurs bringing their best; this Top 5 is very competitive, with lots of different directing styles. That being said, my number one was obvious, as I consider it the highest achievement of the year, in any category.

1. Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life

2.Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive

3. Lars von Trier - Melancholia

4. Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

5. Steve McQueen - Shame

Runner-ups:

6. Kelly Reichardt - Meek's Cutoff

7. Steven Spielberg - War Horse

8. Jeff Nichols - Take Shelter

9. Tomas Alfredson - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

10. Bennet Miller - Moneyball

Also:

11. Stephen Daldry - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

12. Steven Spielberg - The Adventures of Tintin

13. Martin Scorsese - Hugo

14. Asghar Farhadi - A Separation

15. Joe Wright - Hanna

my Alex In Movieland awards, 4th edition: Episode 2/4: Original Screenplay & Adapted Screenplay

I continue presenting my choices for 2011, with the two writing categories. 

The films eligible here:

List of eligible/seen films (62):

50/50, The Adventures of Tintin, Albert Nobbs, Anonymous, The Artist, Beginners, A Better Life, Bridesmaids, Carnage, A Cat in Paris, Certified Copy, Chico & Rita, Contagion, Coriolanus, A Dangerous Method, The Descendants, Drive, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hanna, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, The Iron Lady, J. Edgar, Jane Eyre, Like Crazy, Margaret, Margin Call, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Meek’s Cutoff, Melancholia, Midnight in Paris, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Moneyball, The Muppets, My Week with Marilyn, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Potiche, Puss in Boots, Rampart, Rango, Real Steel, Rio, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Scream 4, A Separation, Shame, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Skin I Live In, Super 8, Take Shelter, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Tree of Life, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, W.E., War Horse, Warrior, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Weekend, Young Adult

And these were my choices:

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

This was easily the best of the 2 writing categories, and my number one will definitely surprise/turn-off many people who'll get to read this. I chose it because, as a writer-wannabe, I can clearly confirm that comedy is hard. And funny-funny stuff is even harder to do. So: RESPECT for Kristen Wiig and her co-writer, for writing a flawed, but overall terribly funny screenplay. Number 2 came naturally, even though I'm not a Diablo Cody fan, while number 3 clearly gave us the best drama screenplay of 2011.

1. Bridesmaids (Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo)

2. Young Adult

3. A Separation

4. Weekend

5. Shame

runner-ups:

6. Take Shelter

7. The Tree of Life

8. Rango

9. Margin Call

10. Beginners

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

There was almost nothing to choose from here, as most of these screenplays are disappointing. If you would've told me a year ago that The Help would make my Top 5 in Adapted Screenplay, I would've told you you're crazy. But then the rest of the films came, one more disappointing than the other: plenty of good ideas, but in the end executed in a mediocre way. Still, I'm ok with these 5: no masterpieces, plenty of flaws, but mostly positive elements.

1. Moneyball 

(Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, Stan Chervin, based on a book by Michael Lewis)

2. Drive

3. The Help

4. War Horse

5. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

runner-ups:

6. Jane Eyre

7. Carnage

8. The Skin I Live In

9. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

10. Albert Nobbs

Part 3/4 will follow soon.

my Alex In Movieland awards, 4th edition: Episode 1/4.

It’s the 4th edition of my personal film awards. To see the previous 3 years, just go somewhere on the right and you'll find the links or just click on one of the labels. It's one of the most joyous times of the year for me, and this year I've delayed it way too long. But the moment has arrived: and because I've had enough time for reflecting, I can honestly say in 2011 we had couple of masterpieces, some good films and a lot of overrated stuff.

This is how they'll go down:

Episode 1: Cinematography, Original Score.

Episode 2: Original Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay.

Episode 3: Film, Director.

Episode 4: Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress.

These are the eligible films, and I really wish I would've seen more, but this is as far as I got. Main players of 2011 are covered here, I even had to sit through some really dreadful films... :)

List of eligible/seen films (62):

50/50, The Adventures of Tintin, Albert Nobbs, Anonymous, The Artist, Beginners, A Better Life, Bridesmaids, Carnage, A Cat in Paris, Certified Copy, Chico & Rita, Contagion, Coriolanus, A Dangerous Method, The Descendants, Drive, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hanna, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, The Iron Lady, J. Edgar, Jane Eyre, Like Crazy, Margaret, Margin Call, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Meek’s Cutoff, Melancholia, Midnight in Paris, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Moneyball, The Muppets, My Week with Marilyn, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Potiche, Puss in Boots, Rampart, Rango, Real Steel, Rio, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Scream 4, A Separation, Shame, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Skin I Live In, Super 8, Take Shelter, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Tree of Life, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, W.E., War Horse, Warrior, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Weekend, Young Adult

And here we go:

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Arguably the best category the year had to offer, with at least 3 films that took Cinematography to a whole different level. My first 3 choices seem like obvious ones, but my number one came naturally: The Tree of Life simply offers one of the best cinematography I have even seen on screen, if not the best - and I know what I'm talking about.

1. The Tree of Life (Emmanuel Lubezki)

2. Meek's Cutoff (Christopher Blauvelt)

3. Melancholia (Manuel Alberto Claro)

4. We Need to Talk About Kevin (Seamus McGarvey)

5. Jane Eyre (Adriano Goldman)

runner-ups:

6. War Horse
7. Drive
8. Hugo
9. The Artist

10. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

This is a good line-up, though none of these titles could match the brilliance (brilliance I say!!) of last year's Inception and TRON Legacy music. Even surprisingly to myself, I went with the "most music" kind of film, even though my number 2 was really close due to its memorable music theme.

1. The Artist (Ludovic Bource)

2. Super 8 (Michael Giacchino)

3. Shame (Harry Escott)

4. Hugo (Howard Shore)

5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

runner-ups:

6. Hanna
7. Drive
8. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
9. War Horse

10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Part 2/4 will follow in 1 or 2 days. :)