NOTE: This post contains one use of very strong language.
You may have noticed that I hate the Hollywood award season, largely for its blinkered backslapping of its own generally inferior product and people over the more deserving films and filmmakers who get ignored. So here’s my attempt to redress the balance with the third annual 24FPS film awards.
Nominees are in alphabetical order by film title or, when people rather than films are nominated, by Surname. I’m not going to restrict myself to five nominees this year. I’ve seen a LOT of films, and so I don’t have to leave deserved nods out each category will have up to 10 nominees.
BEST PICTURE
See The 10 best films of 2010 [coming soon]
BEST DIRECTOR
Catherine Breillat: BLUEBEARD
David Fincher: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Jessica Hausner: LOURDES
Janus Metz: ARMADILLO
Chris Morris: FOUR LIONS
Mikkel Munch-Fals: NOTHING’S ALL BAD
Francois Ozon: LE REFUGE
Kelly Reichardt: MEEK’S CUTOFF
Lee Unkrich: TOY STORY 3
Matthew Vaughn: KICK ASS
I believe this is the first time I've ever recognised a documentary director (Janus Metz) in my nominations, and his genuinely perilous work is among the standouts in this very strong group. Also worth mentioning is Catherine Breillat, whose Bluebeard is a real change of pace for her and one of the most achingly visually beautiful films of the year.
Winner: Jessica Hausner
Hausner's style is clearly heavily influenced by her mentor; Michael Haneke, but with Lourdes she struck out with a distinct style of her own, expressing more through subtle and inventive camera choices than with words. She also draws an exceptional performance from Sylvie Testud
BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck: THE KILLER INSIDE ME
Riz Ahmed: FOUR LIONS
Jesse Eisenberg: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Patrick Fabian: THE LAST EXORCISM
Colin Firth: A SINGLE MAN
James Franco: 127 HOURS / HOWL
John Hawkes: WINTER’S BONE
Johannes Krisch: REVANCHE
Louis-Ronan Choisy: LE REFUGE
Ben Stiller: GREENBERG
Though I loathed both the film and the character, I can't deny that Ben Stiller's performance in Greenberg is exceptional, and serves notice that he's worth watching as a dramatic actor. James Franco pulled out two remarkable performances as real people and consistently underrated serial 'That Guy' John Hawkes made what might have been a cliché character complex and compelling in Winter's Bone.
Winner: Colin Firth
This wasn't a tough choice. Colin Firth has, since shedding his pretty boy image of old, really come into his own as an actor in the past few years and though I ultimately didn't warm to the film as a whole, his central performance in A Single Man has really stuck with me. Firth finds rich depths of emotion, but never overplays, as a man embarking on the last day of his life, but it's in a flashback, receiving news of his partner's death, that he's best; speaking volumes with just a few subtle motions.
BEST ACTRESS
Clara Augarde: LOVE LIKE POISON
Ashley Bell: THE LAST EXORCISM
Isabelle Carre: LE REFUGE
Claire Danes: TEMPLE GRANDIN
Irene DeAngelis: DARK LOVE
Nina Hoss: ANONYMA: A WOMAN IN BERLIN
Isabelle Huppert: COPACABANA / SPECIAL TREATMENT /
VILLA AMALIA / WHITE MATERIAL
Jennifer Lawrence: WINTER’S BONE
Mille Lehfeldt: NOTHING’S ALL BAD
Sylvie Testud: LOURDES
This always seems to be the hardest category for me to settle on, and this year's vintage is no exception. Isabelle Huppert, as ever, needs mentioning; two general releases and two festival films this year, she's totally different and absolutely outstanding in each. Claire Danes was the big surprise, delivering, in Temple Grandin a performance better than any I expected she had in her. My favourite actresses all delivered; Nina Hoss, Sylvie Testud and Isabelle Carre were all as good as I've come to expect, and there were strong newcomers too. A great year in this category.
Winner: Mille Lehfeldt
I'd never heard of Mille Lehfeldt before sitting down to watch Nothing's All Bad, and her performance as cancer victim Anna; trying to convince herself that even without one of her breasts she can still be attractive, and sexual, just tore my heart out. She doesn't have much dialogue, but there's such a lot said behind her eyes and in simple gestures. It's a brilliantly underplayed performance in a role that could easily have been histrionic.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Nicolas Cage: KICK ASS
Ralph Fiennes: CEMETERY JUNCTION
Zach Galifianakis: IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY
Andrew Garfield: NEVER LET ME GO / THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Rhys Ifans: GREENBERG
Nigel Lindsay: FOUR LIONS
Dominic Rains: THE TAQWACORES
Wesley Snipes: BROOKLYN'S FINEST
Nicolas Cage's performance in Kick Ass was, to be fair, something of an audience splitter, but I loved the absurdity of his Adam West impression, and the idea that to become Big Daddy, his character would need to sond like someone he identifies as a superhero. Andrew Garfield, who I hadn't warmed to previously, proved that with good material he's an interesting and versatile young actor, and in one of the most charismatic performances of the year Dominic Rains stole The Taqwacores.
Winner: Nigel Lindsay
However, my winner was always Nigel Lindsay, whose magnificently splenetic, irretrievably stupid, aspirant suicide bomber was perhaps the funniest part of the year's funniest film. Of course he had the magnificent dialogue to work with, but it's the constant boiling rage that he has as Barry which really makes the performance so very funny.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Dale Dickey: WINTER’S BONE
Elle Fanning: SOMEWHERE
Rebecca Hall: PLEASE GIVE
Anna Kendrick: UP IN THE AIR
Sophie Lowe: BEAUTIFUL KATE
Chloe Grace Moretz: KICK ASS
Irina Potapenko: REVANCHE
Emily Watson: CEMETERY JUNCTION
Olivia Williams: THE GHOST
I'm baffled by the acclaim for Polanski's snoozefest The Ghost, but Olivia Williams' performance stuck out like a diamond in a pile of coal. In fact several of these nominees stood out in otherwise unexceptional movies; Rebbecca Hall, Sophie Lowe, Elle Fanning, and Anna Kendrick all did work far better than their films really earned, and Fanning was so good that I very nearly picked her as the winner here, but...
Winner: Chloe Grace Moretz
"Okay you cunts, let's see what you can do now". I think that line pretty well ended any and all real debate in this category. Chloe Moretz stormed Kick Ass, creating an instant icon in Hit Girl, her cult status more assured every time she spoke. But it's not just cool dialogue, she draws two distinct, developed and engaging characters; Hit Girl and Mindy and proves in the process that she's a real talent to watch (oh, and she did most of those amazing stunts).
BEST NEWCOMER
Ashley Bell: THE LAST EXORCISM
Lola Creton: BLUEBEARD
Irene DeAngelis: DARK LOVE
Kerrie Hayes: KICKS
Sophie Lowe: BEAUTIFUL KATE
Kayvan Novak: FOUR LIONS
Dominic Rains: THE TAQWACORES
Noomi Rapace: THE MILLENNIUM TRILOGY
Louis Ronan-Choisy: LE REFUGE
The above are all names to watch in the future. I wished desperatley that The Last Exorcism hadn't had that stupid, stupid ending, which so let down such a lot of good work, especially by Ashley Bell and I was just blown away by Irene DeAngelis sensitive performance in Dark Love, but again, there's one very clear winner here.
Winner: Noomi Rapace
Whatever the shortcomings of the second and third part of the Millennium trilogy (and they were increasingly many) Noomi Rapace was not one of them. Her Lisbeth Salander seemed to have stepped out of Stieg Larsson's book, but she also brought solid grounding to what was often a fanciful role. You can't quite believe the book's Lisbeth exists, but Rapace' charismatic performance is so vivid and so well drawn that you completely buy into it. Apart from her acting skills, Rapace simply has a quality about her; whenever she's on screen, whatever else is going on, she's what you're watching. That's what will make her a big star.
BEST ENSEMBLE
FOUR LIONS
MEEK’S CUTOFF
MEMORY LANE
NOTHING’S ALL BAD
SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TOY STORY 3
WINTER’S BONE
Winner: Four Lions
I've singled out Riz Ahmed, Nigel Lindsay and Kayvan Novak, each in a different categoy, but Four Lions really comes together because of the way the performers play off one another, especially among the main group of plotters. It's also worth noting that there are many supporting performances (right down to the actors playing tiny roles as Police snipers) that deserve recognition, chiefly Preeya Kalidas slightly underused, but excellent, performance as Ahmed's supportive wife. This is a perfect example of a cast coming together and being better as a whole than as individuals.
BEST SCREENPLAY
Ricky Gervais / Stephen Merchant: CEMETERY JUNCTION
Jesse Armstrong / Sam Bain / Chris Morris: FOUR LIONS
Jane Goldman / Matthew Vaughn: KICK ASS
Jessica Hausner: LOURDES
Mikkel Munch-Fals: NOTHING’S ALL BAD
Aaron Sorkin: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Jac Schaeffer: TiMER
Michael Arndt: TOY STORY 3
Comedy gets a rough ride at awards time, largely because I think a lot of people, and award bodies, assume that the jokes are just made up on the spot, so I'm pleased to see so many outstanding comedy scripts this year. Toy Story 3's mix of humour and heart came close to the win, but this was another easy pick...
Winner: Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin doesn't really write realistic dialogue, but what's really refreshing about his work is his love of language. He strikes me as a less sweary David Mamet; his dialogue is stylised, but it sounds right coming from the characters he creates. The Social Network could easily have been filled with boring acres of exposition, but Sorkin makes the words so compelling that the film (which is really just a series of board meetings) becomes totally riveting.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Chris Blauvelt: MEEK’S CUTOFF
Enrique Chediak / Anthony Dod Mantle: 127 HOURS
Vilko Filac: BLUEBEARD
Eduard Grau: A SINGLE MAN / KICKS / BURIED
Martin Gschlacht: LOURDES / REVANCHE
Yorick Le Saux: I AM LOVE
Michael McDonough: WINTER'S BONE
Mathias Raaflaub: LE REFUGE
Winner: Eduard Grau
Eduard Grau is just 30, and yet this year he's had three films released, each of which looks totally different and each of which staggeringly beautiful. He helped Lindy Heymann render Liverpool as an imposing, but beautiful, urban wasteland for Kicks. He and Tom Ford captured a clean lined, sleek, 60's style for A Single Man and he helped make Ryan Reynolds in a box visually compelling in Buried. For my money, Grau is already one of the best cinematographers around, and just think how long he's got to grow.
BEST MUSIC [score or song]
CRAZY HEART
I AM LOVE: Sore by John Adams
LOURDES
LOVE LIKE POISON
THE LOVELY BONES: Use of Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil
THE SOCIAL NETWORK: Score by Trent Reznor / Atticus Ross
TRON LEGACY: Score by Daft Punk
For me, most of the time, when I notice a soundtrack it's because it is annoying me (that's even true, some of the time. of I Am Love, but you can't deny how well the music fits the tone of the movie, and that's why it's here), but these are the musical scores and moments that really stuck out for me this year.
Winner: Daft Punk
A score that totally exceeds the film. Daft Punk's mix of sweeping strings and pounding, pulsating, electro is the most exciting and engaging thing about Tron: Legacy.
BEST POSTER
BURIED / THE CRAZIES / I AM LOVE
IN OUR NAME / KICK ASS / THE KILLER INSIDE ME
THE LAST EXORCISM / A SERBIAN FILM / THE WOLFMAN
Winner: Kick Ass
Pretty much anything involving Hit Girl was a beneficiary of her instant icon status, but there's more to this than her inherent coolness. The design is a great satire of a wartime poster, but more than that, every little detail is done with such care and such wit, and it suits the irreverent tone of the film down to the ground.
No comments:
Post a Comment