Beasts of the Southern Wild

Film: The Potential of “Me & Earl & the Dying Girl”

There were many flashy films at this years Sundance Film Festival, but in the end the Grand Jury Prize, as well as the Audience Award, went to an independent adaptation called “Me & Earl & the Dying Girl.”

“Me & Earl & the Dying Girl” is an adaptation of a 2013 book of the same name by Jesse Andrews. It tells the story of a teenage filmmaker and how he befriends a classmate with cancer. It has been called funny, heart-breaking, poignant, and melancholic by critics. It currently holds a 92 on Metacritic with 7 reviews logged.

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Festival Circuit: “Whiplash” wins Sundance’s top prize

The 2014 Sundance Film Festival announced its awards last night. There were a lot of interesting films at Sundance this year, and many remain highly anticipated (our list of notable Sundance films will be released later this week.) When it comes to Oscar 2015, you always have to consider the Dramatic audience award-winner and this year it’s “Whiplash.”

So what is “Whiplash”? Here’s what you need to know about the Grand Jury Prize (Drama) and Audience Prize award-winning film.

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Top 20: Films 2010 – 2014

12 Years a Slave, Gravity, Inside Llewyn Davis, Her all squeeze into the top 20 films of the decade so far. The Social Network continues reign as best film of the decade.

This time last year we compiled the top 20 films of the decade so far, and now we have updated it. Unfortunately of the 20 slots only four 2013 films have factored into the list, but all have made the top 10.

Remember, this list will be updated each year and films may fall shorter or fall off completely each year. Movies (like fine wine) can get better with age. So here is where we stand as of now at the end of 2013.  (more…)

Greatest Films 2010 – 2019

The Social Network
Zero Dark Thirty
Amour
A Separation
Toy Story 3
Winter’s Bone
The Artist
The King’s Speech
A Prophet
Moneyball

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Awards: Argo named Best Picture of 2012

Argo has just been named the best film of 2012 by the Academy, where the film received 3 Oscars, the other two for Editing and Adapted Screenplay. The most Oscars was given to Life of Pi which received four including Best Director for Ang Lee, Visual Effects, Cinematography, and Original Score.  Tying with Argo with three also was Les Miserables.

So what does everyone think? Any snubs? Did Argo deserve the title? I have never seen so much flip-flopping by Oscar predictors over the last few months, when Argo became the clear front-runner it was clear what happened. The momentum had been shifting since October from Argo to Silver Linings Playbook to Zero Dark Thirty to Lincoln to Les Miserables the back to Lincoln and then landed on Argo again. The thing about those other four films, and this would include Life of Pi as well is that they were all loved, just not by everyone and those people who didn’t “love” them kind of hated them.  (more…)

Top 20: Films of the Decade so Far 2010-2013

Judging by the amount of inevitable criticism I have been receiving since putting some unconventional films on my end of the year lists, I figured I’d make the image above one of my favorites, which is sure to be a cult hit, but not necessarily remembered in time.

The first list I’m going to have is all the films from the past three years (including 2013 so far, even though no film is actually included yet) factoring in the critical scores via MetaCritic and Rotten Tomatoes along with the cultural impact of the film.

I have included my top 20 as well which is vastly different: (more…)

Awards: The Media 10’s 2013 Film Awards

Best Film: Les Miserables
Runner Up: Moonrise Kingdom

Best Director: Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Runner Up: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Runner Up: Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

Best Actress: Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Runner Up: Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Supporting Actor: Dwight Henry, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Runner Up: Ewan McGregor, The Impossible

Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Runner Up: Doona Bae, Cloud Atlas

Ensemble Acting: Les Miserables
Runner Up: Lincoln

Adapted Screenplay: Lincoln
Runner Up: Cloud Atlas

Original Screenplay: Moonrise Kingdom
Runner Up: Zero Dark Thirty

Cinematography: Moonrise Kingdom
Runner Up: Lincoln

Production Design: Moonrise Kingdom
Runner Up: Lincoln

Editing: Cloud Atlas
Runner Up: Zero Dark Thirty

Score: Beasts of the Southern Wild
Runner Up: The Grey

Costume Design: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Runner Up: Cloud Atlas

Makeup: Cloud Atlas
Runner Up: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Visual Effects: Cloud Atlas
Runner Up: Life of Pi

Sound Mixing: Les Miserables
Runner Up: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Sound Editing: Frankenweenie
Runner Up: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Top 10 Films of 2012

1. Les Miserables
Tom Hooper tops “The King’s Speech” with style and grandeur. Les Miserables is an enchanting experience, adapting itself with discipline from the epic Broadway musical and to Victor Hugo’s classic novel. The film reaches its heights with the assistance of a vocally talented ensemble.

2. Moonrise Kingdom
With whimsy and nostalgia, Moonrise Kingdom is a welcoming period piece from a not-so-unfamiliar time, about a not-so-unfamiliar subject matter. Wes Anderson tells his story with fantastical renderings and a keen-eye for detail and design.

3. Lincoln
A film told by words and character, Lincoln successfully humanizes a heroic figure from human history by guiding us through his most difficult struggles with stunning finesse. Spielberg directs an impressive cast into a film that is as entertaining as it is education

4. Beasts of the Southern Wild
Quvenzhane Wallis transforms the character of Hushpuppy to an unsung hero. Beasts of the Southern Wild directs us into the struggling mind and heart of this girl and adventures us through a lifestyle of self-reliance that is touching and often miraculous.

5. Cloud Atlas
Ambitiously adapted from the successful novel, Cloud Atlas is interwoven with several entertaining plots, and entrusts the audience to discover the connectedness of each story. With well-paced editing and execution any easily-possible contrivances are avoided.

6. The Grey
Carnahan’s character-driven thriller is as intense as it is emotionally sound. Liam Neeson humanizes the appointed leader of a pack of humans struggling to survive in the Alaskan wilderness. Deep, thematic themes are explored along with a beautifully developed narrative that ties up all loose-ends.

7. Zero Dark Thirty
Combining elements of journalism and a strong narrative, Kathyrn Bigelow’s retelling of America’s greatest manhunt through the eyes of a CIA agent named Maya is thrilling and told with subjectivity. Zero Dark Thirty surpasses expectations and fantasies of the untold story with realism and humanism.

8. Safety Not Guaranteed
A film about regret and second chances subtly wraps itself in inde-comedy paper. But with intriguing characters, and a strong lead performance by Aubrey Plaza, the film maintains a consistent amount of humor and heart-warmth. All that leads us to a spiraling, and satisfying third-act.

9. Argo
The pacing in Affleck’s thriller will make your heart-race. Argo becomes a true American story that adapts itself from real-life events and characters involved in dramatic and dire situations. Meticulously crafted and edited with breath-taking attention to execution, Argo is an ideal Hollywood thriller.

10. Indie Game: The Movie
Independently funded and shot on DSLR cameras, Indie Game: The Movie interweaves the struggles and ideals of video game developers. Edited seamlessly to support a strong, moral narrative; directors Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky encompass us in the midst of the artistic process; behind the scenes of an art form so few understand.

Honorable Mentions: Amour, Silver Linings Playbook, The Dark Knight Rises, The Cabin in the Woods, Life of Pi

Oscars: 2013 Nominations – Winners and Losers

Whoa! What happened? So, myself and a lot of the more “professional” Oscar predictors did a pretty mediocre job on their predictions, especially in the Best Director category. But I thought the nominations were more thought provoking than previous years. It shows that the Academy is a group of wildcards really.

So here is the list of winners and losers after the nominations were announced per category: (more…)

Oscars: 2013 Oscar Predictions – December

This will be the second to final Oscar Predictions before they are announced in January. But then we will be predicting winners. The Media 10 has also moved Oscar Predictions to their own page found at the top of the lefthand column.

At this moment in time, nothing is set in stone. Zero Dark Thirty has taken home many critic awards for Best Feature and there are stacks of positive reviews. Les Miserables, despite ovations and Academy-screening applause, is struggling with critics.

CRITICS DON’T VOTE FOR THE OSCARS. The Academy consists of film professionals, actors and other enthusiasts. SAG is one of the biggest indicators for the Academy since it consists of a good majority of actors. SAG can go to either Lincoln or Les Miserables.  (more…)