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WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MICHAEL-AN AWARD WINNING ACTOR

Congratulations to the cast and crew of "12 Years a Slave" winning an Oscar for Best Picture

Michael is currently filming "MacBeth"

Watch "12 Years A Slave" and "Frank" in theaters

Watch "The Counselor" and "12 Years A Slave" on DVD available now

Michael is set to star and produce on a film version of the video game "Assassin's Creed"

Completed projects: X-Men, Untitled Malik project

Upcoming projects Assassin's Creed, Prometheus 2, MacBeth,and more!

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2010 year end lists

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Post by Admin Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:53 am

http://bnowalk.blogspot.com/2010/12/puff-piece-entertainers-of-2010.html

Saturday, December 4, 2010
Puff Piece: The Entertainers of 2010

If Entertainment Weekly can declare some very earnest elf the entertainer of the year, then surely it’s time for someone to swoop in and completely rebuild their list of the year’s top entertainers, right? Duty calls.

I know I can be all “German expressionism this” and “state of nature that,” but I’ve taken my marching orders with the seriousness of Taylor Swift addressing Kanyegate. These are the entertainers of the year, the people that have delighted me with comfort over the past eleven months, not (necessarily) the visionaries responsible for the most creatively fulfilling or intellectually fascinating works. Translation: they're more Rowling than Tolkien.

Let the Reaganing begin:

12. Boy they really liked The Town, eh? Sorry, but Ben Affleck is the end-all and be-all neither of be-abbed thirtysomethings onscreen this year nor muscular B-movie auteurs. Taking his place are two of my picks:

Michael Fassbender, or more specifically, Michael Fassbender’s body – Fish Tank came out here this year, and boy looks good in some low-hanging jeans and an Irish accent. But then there’s Centurion, and you ain’t seen nothing till you’ve seen Fassbender star in Neil Marshall’s Roman 300 with meaning.


Roman Polanski – But as B-movie directors go, Polanski remains the year’s king with The Ghost Writer, one of his best films and another essential War on Terror thriller.

So who are your entertainers of the year?
Posted by Brandon Nowalk at 8:03 AM
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Post by Admin Wed Dec 08, 2010 7:11 pm

http://offtheshelf.nashvillepubliclibrary.org/2010/12/08/dvd-review-best-movies-of-2010/

DVD review: Best Movies of 2010
By Beth, December 8, 2010

Here are my picks for the top three films of the year:

Best Worst Movie

This strangely enchanting documentary catches up with the actors who appeared in Troll 2, a 1989 film that is fondly acknowledged to be one of the worst movies of all time. I predict that this movie will soon have the same cult-like following as The King of Kong.

Fish Tank

Set in a British housing project, this bleak but beautiful movie traces the impact on 15-year-old Mia when her mother brings home a new boyfriend (the menacing yet mesmerizing Michael Fassbender). Katie Jarvis, the nonprofessional actress who plays Mia, very convincingly portrays the perils of modern adolescence.

Winter’s Bone

This Southern Gothic thriller delivers the goods. The performances are tremendous and the danger is palpable.


-Beth
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Post by Admin Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:12 am

http://victim86.blogspot.com/2010/12/should-have-beens.html?zx=76b73f10310e3641

Tuesday, 14 December, 2010
Should Have Beens

New York magazine has created a hot list of 2010's 25 best performances that won't win oscars, for a variety of reasons. Here is the list:
Chloe Moretz - Kick-Ass
Joaquin Phoenix - I'm Still Here
Jim Carrey - I Love You Phillip Morris
Isabelle Huppert - White Material
Dale Dickey - Winter's Bone
Filippo Timi - Vincere
Olivia Williams - The Ghost Writer
Roger Stone - Client 9: The Rise And Fall Of Eliot Spitzer
Dominic West & Michael Fassbender - Centurion
Hye-Ja Kim - Mother
Kerry Washington - Night Catches Us
Ciaran Hinds - The Eclipse
Portia Doubleday - Youth In Revolt
Tahar Rahim - The Prophet
Alexander Siddig - Cairo Time
Katie Jarvis - Fish Tank
Brendan Gleeson - Perrier's Bounty
Julie Sokolowski - Hadewijch
Oliver Platt - Please Give
Tom Hardy - Inception
Ethan Hawke - Brooklyn's Finest
Thierry Guetta - Exit Through The Gift Shop
Mia Wasikowska - Alice In Wonderland
Mads Mikkelsen - Valhalla Rising

Posted by Victim86 at 7:41 PM
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Post by Admin Wed Dec 15, 2010 9:55 pm

http://breakattiffanys.livejournal.com/67065.html

Top 10 Actors of 2010

This list was inspired by my bb [info]fairchilds' awesome lists of her favorite guys and girls of the year. Sorry I don't have her amazing graphics skills though! Originally I was going to do a Top Performances picspam, but then I realized a lot of my top performances are from my favorite actors. I'll probably do either an accompanying Top Actresses picspam or Top Films.

My criteria for inclusion on this list is that everyone had to have at least one major project this year, whether in film or TV or whatever (but yeah, these are all from film. this is me we're talking about. lol). The list is in alphabetical order by last name.

Michael Fassbender



Age: 33
Films in 2010: Fish Tank, Centurion, Jonah Hex
Notable News: Cast as Magneto in Matthew Vaughn's X-Men prequel.

Upcoming: Jane Eyre, X-Men First Class, A Dangerous Method directed by David Cronenberg and co-starring Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen.

Our History: I only discovered him last year after Inglourious Basterds, but then I watched his performance in Hunger and was really impressed by him. Then, Fish Tank just cemented him as one of the most interesting up-and-coming actors today. I'm looking forward to what he does with David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method especially. He seems to have taken great advantage of his recent rise in Hollywood and chosen terrific directors and roles.
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Post by Admin Wed Dec 15, 2010 9:59 pm

http://blackpridenetwork.com/top-10-best-films-of-2010/

Filed under: Drama, Comedy, Action, Thriller/Suspense, Horror & Sci-Fi

2010 brought plenty of moviegoers to the box office, but only a handful of films can truly be called favorites. Some will be recognized come Oscar time, but even if the Academy passes them up, the following films are among the best of this year. Here’s our Top 10 countdown to the Best Films of 2010.

Top 10 Best Films of 2010
2010 brought plenty of moviegoers to the box office, but only a handful of films can truly be called favorites. Some will be recognized come Oscar time, but even if the Academy passes them up, the following films are among the best of this year. Here’s our Top 10 Best Films of 2010
Paramount / Disney / Fox Searchlight / Focus Features

2010 brought plenty of moviegoers to the box office, but only a handful of films can truly be called favorites. Some will be recognized come Oscar time, but even if the Academy passes them up, the following films are among the best of this year. Here’s our Top 10 Best Films of 2010

Top 10 Best Films of 2010

9. ‘Fish Tank’
As one of the earliest films to be released in 2010, ‘Fish Tank’ brings out an amazing and gutty performance from its lead, Katie Jarvis, as a 15-year-old whose world is rocked when her not-so-old mom brings home a new boyfriend (played by Michael Fassbender). Directed by Andrea Arnold, this British film, which won the Jury Prize at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, paints a bleak and realistic portrait of life that is well acted by the ensemble cast.
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Post by Admin Fri Dec 17, 2010 6:49 pm

http://www.bvonmovies.com/2010/12/15/top-10-best-films-2010/

Top 10 Best Films of 2010

By Wilson Morales on Dec 15th 2010 6:06PM

2010 brought plenty of moviegoers to the box office, but only a handful of films can truly be called favorites. Some will be recognized come Oscar time, but even if the Academy passes them up, the following films are among the best of this year. Here's our Top 10 countdown to the Best Films of 2010.

Top 10 Best Films of 2010

9. 'Fish Tank'
As one of the earliest films to be released in 2010, 'Fish Tank' brings out an amazing and gutty performance from its lead, Katie Jarvis, as a 15-year-old whose world is rocked when her not-so-old mom brings home a new boyfriend (played by Michael Fassbender). Directed by Andrea Arnold, this British film, which won the Jury Prize at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, paints a bleak and realistic portrait of life that is well acted by the ensemble cast.
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Post by Admin Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:10 pm

http://500.the400club.org/?p=3010

Films of 2010- Alexeem’s Picks
Published on December 17th, 2010

Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) rocking his 'bitch please' expression in The Social Network

Having seen over 300 films this year, 129 of which were new releases, choosing a handful of the most memorable is a daunting task. First, a few notes. Films released in America and overseas that qualified for the 2010 awards season but that did not grace our screens until January 1st or later have been included, although I have attempted to avoid these where possible. There are many ‘buzz’ films that haven’t released here yet, a number of which I suspect may have made my list if I’d been able to see them. These include: Black Swan, True Grit, The Fighter, Rabbit Hole, Never Let Me Go, 127 Hours, Carlos, The Tillman Story, Inside Job, Catfish, Dogtooth, Best Worst Movie, Biutiful, Wild Grass, Everyone Else, Waiting for Superman and A Film Unfinished.

Now, on to the main event!

1. The Social Network (David Fincher 2010). Ystyn’s review can be found here.

Colin Firth in The King's Speech

2. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow 2008)

3. The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko 2010)

4. The King’s Speech (Tom Hooper 2010)

5. Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami 2010). Reviewed as part of the Brisbane International Film Festival.

6. Enter the Void (Gasper Noe 2009). My review of Enter the Void.

7. The Ghost Writer (Roman Polanski 2010)

8. Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich 2010)

9. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard 2009) / The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke 2009)

10. A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen 2009)

Because I have no discipline when it comes to film appreciation, behold, my top twenty:

11. The Secret in their Eyes (Juan Jose Campanella 2009)

12. The Killer Inside Me (Michael Winterbottom 2010)

13. Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance 2010)

14. Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese 2010)

15. Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy 2010)

16. Greenberg (Noah Baumbach 2010)

17. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold 2009)


18. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Edgar Wright 2010)

19. Mother and Child (Rodrigo García 2009)

20. Inception (Christopher Nolan 2010)

I wonder who will be first to mock my inclusion of Enter the Void? David F or Elliott?
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Post by Admin Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:37 pm

http://willlink.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/10-in-%E2%80%9810/

10 in ‘10

So it’s been about a year since I started this blog…and clearly I have failed. For about seven months I was going strong but then I slowed and stopped. I had a lot to say but maybe not enough time or energy to type it. I certainly yelled it at enough people both at work, Sardo’s and on the street corner. It has been an odd year but that is no excuse. They are all odd years. I have failed.

That said I thought of redoing the whole blog for the new year and just making it about the thing most important to me, and thing I feel I am the closet of anything to being an “expert” on, film. Not sure if I’m going to do it but with that in mind I wanted to post my Top 10 Films of 2010!

As this year went on I mentioned aloud that this wasn’t that great a year. Well maybe it was a weak summer that offered only a few above average films, however looking back over the year as a whole I may have to eat my words. This ended up being a good year, so good in fact that making this list has been kind of a nightmare. The films I am leaving off my list will be at the top of most people’s: The Social Network, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Catfish, 127 Hours, Inception and the hardest to leave off, the taut and thrilling The Town. All fantastic thought and conversation provoking work.

So what the hell is actually on my list?!?

Well when I was blogging I wrote a lot about my love affair with “smaller” films. I’ve always loved these kinds of films; slice of life, movies about the small moments in life in which everything important happen. Where characters discover who they are, fall in love, triumph, fail and so on. But as the years have gone on I have embraced them more than ever. Maybe it’s because the longer I am in this business the more I realize what a miracle it is any film actually gets made, let alone something so indie minded. It’s with that I give you my number one film of the year…a film I saw way back in January.

1. Fish Tank

If you haven’t seen it (and chances are you haven’t) it is a must. Katie Jarvis gives as good a debut performance as you will ever see. She is head strong and hostile and seeing how she lives in a London housing project you can understand why. Director Andrea Arnold does an amazing job of portraying and letting us into her world. As the film progresses we see her start to drop that emotional shield as she begins what is one of the most complicated relationships I have seen on film. It’s with her mother’s new boyfriend, played brilliantly by Michael Fassbender. He successfully walks the line between charmer and creep – neither of which can fully define him. There is a scene between him and Jarvis, in which the tension between them finally boils over, that is one of the most real and beautifully shots sequences in my recent memory. To me, Fish Tank was the best film of 2010.
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Post by Admin Sun Dec 19, 2010 3:54 pm

http://500.the400club.org/?p=3095

Best Films of 2010 – The Women
Published on December 20th, 2010

By David Faraker

Back in January, Rob Marshall’s adaptation of the Broadway musical Nine arrived in cinemas, promising a showcase for seven of the world’s biggest female stars, most of whom are Academy Award winners or nominees. As it turned out, the film offered seven of the more demeaning and one-dimensional female roles in any film of the year. Nevertheless, I find its story of an artist (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) and the various women who have shaped his creative vision eerily apt for this column.

Surveying my favourite films from the 2010 cinematic year, I’m struck by the wealth of rich and complex roles for women evident, and the corresponding wealth of memorable performances by the actresses playing them. The following are the seven women in film who left the most indelible impression on me in 2010:

* Andrea Arnold:

I believe the same can also be said for this British director of Fish Tank, a provocative, absorbing drama about a 15 year-old girl (with no discernible friends) and her relationships with her mother and sister, who live in working-class council accommodation, and her mother’s new boyfriend, a charismatic but troubling man played, memorably, by Michael Fassbender (of Hunger and Inglourious Basterds). Arnold’s visual sense is poetic – whereas most social realist films emphasise dampness and rot (see this year’s Harry Brown for example), Arnold bathes the film in a luscious golden glow – and her empathy for her characters tangible. Her young heroine is played by first-time actor Katie Jarvis; Arnold cast Jarvis in the part after watching her argue with her boyfriend at a train station. You’ve gotta admire a director who can spot talent in that manner and then coax such a great performance from a non-professional. Arnold’s next project: an adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
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Post by Admin Sun Dec 19, 2010 3:57 pm

http://5plitreel.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/best-films-of-2010-january/

Best Films of 2010 : January


The film year of 2010 has had it’s ups and downs. In this countdown, I’ll give my opinion of the best movies out this year by month (also stating the runner-ups since some of these months were reallyreally good for great cinema). Based on wide release dates. A full list of releases here.

January Winner : Fish Tank (United Kingdom)

Live, love and give as good as you get.

A Classic Coming of Age- story, Fish Tank focuses around Mia, a rebelling 15-year old from an Essex council estate. When she meets her mother Joanne’s new Irish boyfriend (Michael Fassbender) she’s introduced to life and living in a new way.

Could be classified as a 2009 film but mostly released in January 2010 this film showcases the bad that happens when council estate meets angry teenager, could be really cheesy but gives a nice edge to a coming-of-age story. With not that much screentime Fassbender gives a really solid performance, and I cannot praise him enough (he’ll be really big when he snags that big role) and if you haven’t seen Steve McQueen’s Hunger you’re missing out.

Best Bits: Bobby Womack’s California Dreaming, The Essex twang, Michael Fassbender
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Post by Admin Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:29 pm

http://moviemoxie.blogspot.com/2010/12/2010-checkin-in-and-looking-back-on.html

Tuesday, 21 December, 2010
2010 Checkin' In and Looking Back on Most Anticipated Films of the Year

It's getting to the end of the year, which means we are officially in list season. I love lists. LOVE them. I make them for everything. Although paper is preferable, I also like to make lists in Excel so I can A-Z sort them in terms of priority. True story. I'm a geek like that.

I find this time of a year a challenge because I want to write, share and celebrate lists but we still have 2 Fridays of releases and there are films in theatres I haven't seen yet, so I feel like I don't quite want to talk about things until I've 'seen' everything. But I can't hold the lists back anymore. I can't. I have too many to share that I have to start getting them out there while it's still 2010.

I thought the best way to start would be to look back at my Most Anticipated Lists from 2010 and how those films faired (see Most Anticipated Lists Part 1 & Part 2). I've seen all but 2 of those films (one comes out this week), so although there could be some shifting in the next 2 weeks, it's nominal.

Disqualified (1 Film)

Haven't Seen Yet (2 Films)

Below Expectations (7 films)

Not Quite Met Expectations, But Still Enjoyable (9 films)
A.K.A. I felt like I saw a different film than everyone else section...

Centurion (no rank as no regular theatrical release)
I enjoyed this snow & sandals epic with a new feel from Neil Marshall, but I keep being suprized and dissapointed by gender crap in his films after seeing the amazingly femme-centric The Descent. Centurion was leaps and bounds above Doomsday, but I still wanted more. I did enjoy the film, especially Michael Fassbender and Liam Cunningham.

Blew Me Away (8 films)

Fish Tank (no rank as theatrical release was TBC)
This one totally blew me away. I was originally a little leery as Andrea Arnold's film felt so dark to me, but I was completely captivated by this coming-of-age film set amongst gritty UK apartment complexes. Fantastic performances by both Katie Jarvis and Michael Fassbender. It's a hands-down must-see.
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Post by Admin Tue Dec 21, 2010 4:46 pm

http://james-wwwmusingsandstuff.blogspot.com/2010/12/indiewires-best-of-2010.html

Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Indiewire's Best of 2010
The folks at Indiewire have made their best of 2010 choices:

Top Ten Films:

1) The Social Network
2) Carlos
3) Winter's Bone
4) Black Swan
5) Everyone Else
6) Dogtooth
7) The Ghost Writer
Cool Mother
9) I Am Love
10) Another Year
(tie) Wild Grass


Best Lead Performance:

1) Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
2) Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
3) Natalie Portman, Black Swan
4) Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
5) Kim Hye-ja, Mother
6) Tilda Swinton, I Am Love
7) Jeon Do-yeon, Secret Sunshine
Cool Isabelle Huppert, White Material
9) Lesley Manville, Another Year
10) Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine


Best Supporting Performance:

1) John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
2) Christian Bale, The Fighter
3) Michael Fassbender, Fish Tank
4) Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
5) Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
6) Greta Gerwig, Greenberg
7) Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Cool Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
(tie) Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer
9) Lesley Manville, Another Year
10) Melissa Leo, The Fighter

contributing critics\bloggers
Posted by James at 1:08 AM
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Post by Admin Wed Dec 22, 2010 2:26 am

http://newcityfilm.com/2010/12/21/the-top-5-of-everything-2010-film/

Reviews, profiles and news about movies in Chicago
Dec 21
The Top 5 of Everything 2010: Film

Top 5 Domestic Films
“The Social Network,” David Fincher
“Winter’s Bone,” Debra Granik
“Ghost Writer,” Roman Polanski
“Exit Through the Gift Shop,” Banksy
“Inception,” Christopher Nolan
— Ray Pride

Top 5 Foreign Films
“Carlos,” Olivier Assayas
“Everyone Else,” Maren Ade
“Dogtooth,” Yorgos Lanthimos
“Father of My Children,” Mia Hansen-Løve
“I Am Love,” Luca Guadagnino
— Ray Pride

Top 5 Domestic Films
“Animal Kingdom,” David Michôd
“Enter the Void,” Gaspar Noé
“Inception,” Christopher Nolan
“Lourdes,” Jessica Hausner
“Monsters,” Gareth Edwards
—Bill Stamets

Top 5 Foreign Films
“Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno,” Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea
“Sweetgrass,” (no director credited) [Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor]
“The Oath,” Laura Poitras
“Videocracy,” Erik Gandini
“Rembrandt’s J’Accuse,” Peter Greenaway
—Bill Stamets

Top 5 Cinematography
“The Social Network,” Jeff Cronenweth
“I Am Love,” Yorick Le Saux
“True Grit,” Roger Deakins
“Somewhere”/”Greenberg,” Harris Savides
“Carlos,” Denis Lenoir, Yorick Le Saux
— Ray Pride

Édgar Ramirez, "Carlos"

Top 5 Lead Performances
Édgar Ramirez, “Carlos”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”
Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”
Tilda Swinton, “I Am Love”
Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine”
— Ray Pride

Top 5 Supporting Performances
Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom”
John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”
Andrew Garfield, “The Social Network”
Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech”
Michael Fassbender, “Fish Tank”
— Ray Pride

Top 5 Screenplays
Maren Ade, “Everyone Else”
Olivier Assayas and Dan Franck, “Carlos”
Aaron Sorkin, “The Social Network”
Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne, “Blue Valentine”
Lee Chang-dong, “Secret Sunshine”
—Ray Pride

Top 5 Directors
David Fincher, “The Social Network”
Oliver Assayas, “Carlos”
Roman Polanski, “The Ghost Writer”
Debra Granik, “Winter’s Bone”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Dogtooth”
—Ray Pride

Top 5 Documentaries
“45365,” Bill Ross, Turner Ross
“The Oath,” Laura Poitras
“Marwencol,” Jeff Malmberg
“Last Train Home,” Lixin Fan
“Inside Job,” Charles Ferguson
— Ray Pride

Top 5 Soundtracks
“Carlos,” songs by Wire, The Feelies, New Order
“I Am Love,” John Adams
“The Social Network,” Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
“Inception,” Hans Zimmer
“Tron: Legacy,” Daft Punk
— Ray Pride

Top 5 Films You Can’t See Yet
“Attenberg,” Athina Rachel Tsingari
“Film Socialisme,” Jean-Luc Godard
“The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu,” Andrei Ujica
“The Hunter,” Rafi Pitts
“Two Gates Of Sleep,” Alistair Banks Griffin
— Ray Pride
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Post by Admin Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:05 pm

http://www.thereelbits.com/2010/12/22/top-10-in-2010/

Fish Tank: Talented Hunger star Michael Fassbender might be the highest profile performer in Andrea Arnold’s stunning Cannes Jury Prize-winning Fish Tank, however it is newcomer Katie Jarvis that steals the show. Playing fifteen year old hip-hop dancing loner Mia, Jarvis perfects the volatile combination of teenage angst and youthful vulnerability, with Fassbender’s pseudo-father figure providing the caring balance to her surly demeanour. As the pair step through the evolution of relationship that starts with parental animosity yet quickly eclipses the bounds of the familial to end in heartbreaking revelation, both aptly demonstrate the gritty reality of their situation rather than an idealised version of events. As a result, Arnold’s social realist second feature presents an intimate and uneasy coming of age story, uncovering an exceptional young actor in the process.
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Post by Admin Mon Dec 27, 2010 2:29 am

http://www.flickpickmonster.com/2010/12/best-and-worst-films-and-best.html

Sunday, December 26, 2010
Best and Worst Films and Best Performances of 2010

I did up my top ten list in the style of Roger Ebert’s, with the top ten ranked and the rest in alphabetical order. Like Entertainment Weekly’s, I have also included a five worst films list, bound to be disagreed with but fun for me anyways, as well as a list of the year’s best performances. A list of best technical achievements will come later on.

I wrote about the films to varying degrees of length, as sometimes I didn’t feel as if I could pump out 3 paragraphs of new insight about each movie. Hopefully you can understand. Wink

I tried to wait to see as much as I possibly could, but I was unable to see "Another Year," "Blue Valentine," "Biutiful," "The Illusionist," "Rabbit Hole" (which I could wait just a bit for, but I've decided against it), and "Somewhere," movies I thought may have had an impact on the list.

In all of its splendor, here it is:

5. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold)

A very fond memory of my film-going year was being packed into the small, specially-curated screening room at a theater I used to go to a lot (where they showed more obscure films) to be completely engaged by “Fish Tank.” Robbed of a Palme d’Or at Cannes ’09 (though a Jury Prize is good consolation), this is a significant cinematic and thespian achievement.

Katie Jarvis I underestimated originally, as I now realize that she’s so good that she calls no attention to her part. Many say that her character’s dancing is poor, but she convinced me it wasn’t. Michael Fassbender is also quite fine, given a chance to exhibit an exceptional screen personality. Robbie Ryan shoots the film tremendously, and Andrea Arnold as a result becomes one of my favorite active directors. It isn’t entirely perfect, but it was pretty much all I thought about in the days afterward. And I’ve developed a pretty big soft spot for it. This proves all the more that indelibility is much more important than impeccability.

(Apparently there has been some question of what year this was released during. I’m including it this year.)

Best Performances:

Katie Jarvis and Michael Fassbender, Fish Tank
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Post by Admin Mon Dec 27, 2010 2:38 am

http://briwiz.blogspot.com/2010/12/wizzies-best-performances-of-2010.html

Sunday, December 26, 2010
The Wizzies: Best Performances of 2010

There was a definite urge when making this list to stray from some of the more populist choices. When I say populist, I am referring to the critics. I commend some of my peers for choosing outside the box, (which I have done with a couple of choices) but had I done that with most of my list, I would've been going against my honest feelings. Although “Black Swan” and “127 Hours” aren't exactly blockbusters, they have been deemed “safe” choices by many who are bored with the same names over and over. The way I see it, the best performances are the best. Period. So, here is the list. In some cases, I have chosen to quote or link to past reviews.

The heart and soul of the film seems to be the underlying theme of these performances. Enjoy.

4.
Michael Fassbender, “Fish Tank”

It's been a long time since I saw “Fish Tank.” It was one of the first films I saw in 2010, and like “A Prophet,” I assumed it would be near the top of my 2010 Top 10. Who knew the year would turn out the way it did? Unless I have a major rethink before tomorrow it's simply an honorable mention. That being said, I can't deny Michael Fassbender in my list of the greatest performances of the year. The character could have come off like a dirty old man, but he doesn't. Yes, he was in the wrong for being with Mia, but you almost understand where he is coming from.
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Post by Admin Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:50 pm

http://www.nycfilmcritic.com/?p=2859

Mon 27 Dec 2010
2010 Year in Review

Posted by Ethan under Years in Review
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Summing up 2010’s best and worst and everything in between.


The Top Ten (Links to original reviews where available.)
1. Exit Through the Gift Shop
True or false, the genuine article or smart-ass prank, Exit Through the Gift Shop, the feature filmmaking debut of rogue British artist Banksy, is a marvelous synthesis of documentary and narrative techniques, spinning a terrific yarn while educating the viewing public at the same time. If taken purely at face value, the film offers a fascinating account of the early years of the street art movement (enhanced by lots of rare behind-the-scenes footage) as well as the origin story of one of the industry’s dominant players, Thierry Guetta, an L.A.-based videographer who–we’re told–morphed into the in-demand artist Mr. Brainwash. If approached as a somewhat embellished version of events, Exit cheekily reflects its maker’s penchant for surprise and misdirection. Either way, it’s great fun to watch and functions as a provocative comment on (or spoof of) our commodity-based culture, when even supposed “outsider art” can be bought and sold at a respectable institution like Sotheby’s or in the gift shop at your local art museum.

9. Fish Tank
Andrea Arnold’s coming-of-age story Fish Tank is an impassioned update of the so-called “kitchen sink dramas” that defined British cinema in the ‘50s and ‘60s, in which angry young working class men raged against a society that didn’t seem to care about their wants and desires. Mia Williams (a striking debut by non-actor Kate Jarvis), the 15-year-old aspiring dancer at the center of Fish Tank, burns with much of the same fury. Trapped in an ugly council flat with an annoying younger sister and a mother that’s barely around, she’s desperate to forge a bond with someone that will treat her as an adult and thinks she’s found that person when mum’s cool new boyfriend (the effortlessly charismatic Michael Fassbender) moves in. It’s all too clear where this relationship is headed, but the movie never strikes a false note on the way to its melancholic resolution. A few belabored visual metaphors aside, Fish Tank is also one of the year’s most vividly directed films with Arnold’s terrific eye for composition lending the movie a stark beauty that’s in keeping with the kitchen sink tradition while also establishing its own distinct vision.

Best Performances
Casey Affleck: The Killer Inside Me
Christian Bale: The Fighter
Michael Fassbender: Fish Tank/Centurion
James Franco: 127 Hours
Kate Jarvis: Fish Tank
Lesley Manville: Another Year
Edgar Ramirez: Carlos
Noomi Rapace: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Tilda Swinton: I Am Love
Michelle Williams: Blue Valentine
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Post by Admin Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:51 pm

http://www.trespassmag.com/best-of-2010-films/

Top Ten Cinema Releases

1. Fantastic Mr Fox (Wes Anderson, USA)

Featuring Wes Anderson’s typically deadpan and offbeat humour, a charming animation style, the voice talents of George Clooney and Jason Schwartzman, and Jarvis Cocker as an animated town troubador – Fantastic Mr. Fox in, indeed, fantastic.

2. The Social Network (David Fincher, USA)

3. The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, USA)

4. Inception (Christopher Nolan, USA)

The ridiculous hype surrounding this film led to some pretty snarky backlash, but for all its faults Inception was still far more challenging than your typical Hollywood blockbuster. A blend of arthouse and action, sci-fi and cri-fi, film noir and neo-gothic, Inception engaged the eyes and the mind.

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Edgar Wright, USA)

6. Animal Kingdom (David Michôd, Australia)

7. In The Loop (Armando Iannucci, UK)

8. Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, USA)

9. A Single Man (Tom Ford, USA)

10. The Loved Ones (Sean Byrne, Australia)

The Loved Ones was scary, somewhat sickening, and stomach-churning – but it also features some of the best cinematogrpahy seen in film all year, an amazing soundtrack, and a sly dark humour that left you laughing in horror. Certinaly not recommended for the faint of heart, but perhaps one of the best ‘prom’ movies since Pretty in Pink.

Honorary Mention for Sheer Hilarity: 
Piranha 3D (Alexandre Aja, USA)

The Film That Got Away:

Food Inc. (Robert Kenner, USA)
Australian Highlight:

Animal Kingdom (David Michod)

Animal Kingdom was brutal and nail-biting, showcasing outstanding performances from the utterly evil Jacki Weaver and the chilling Ben Mendelshon. Deserving of every award and accolade it will receive, Animal Kingdom should put a stop to those naysayers who still think Australians cannot produce quality cinema.

Top Three Non-Cinema Releases

1. Bill Cunningham New York (Richard Press, USA, 2010)

2. Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, UK, 1987) – viewed at the National Film and Sound Archive

3. Bliss (Ray Lawrence, Australia, 1985) – viewed as part of the Canberra International Film Festival

SEAN ROM

Top Ten Cinema Releases

1.The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, USA)

No other film this year was as perfect as this one by Lisa Cholodenko (Laurel Canyon). Featuring a career best performance from Annette Benning (American Beauty) and equally strong contributions from a uniformly excellent cast, The Kids Are All Right showed remarkable insight into human relationships and the concept of family. Not since Parenthood has a film on this subject balanced substance and entertainment value so deftly. What a light, breezy joy and what an ending that manages to juggle darkness and hope with such poignancy.

2. Animal Kingdom (David Michôd, Australia)

David Michôd’s debut feature seemed to appear out of nowhere, and suddenly you couldn’t stop hearing about it. It was usually from friends expressing how great this film was. This was sometimes followed by-“for an Australian film”. It is a great Australian film, but it is also one of the best films of the year full-stop. From its mesmerizing opening sequence of heroin overdose and ‘The Price is Right’, you know you are watching something special. Animal Kingdom is a tight, immaculately made drama; from the haunting sound design, to the astonishing performances of every single actor with a spoken role. Jacki Weaver (Cosi) has been attracting justified Oscar buzz for her turn as the matriarch “Smurf”. For me it is Ben Mendelsohn (Beautiful Kate) as the quiet sociopath “Pope” who is the standout, finding evil of the blackest kind in laid back larrikinism.

3. Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, USA)

4. Somewhere (Sofia Coppola, USA)

Whether you love or hate her films, Sofia Coppola is a bona-fide auteur. Somewhere is the most successful distillation of her particular, often enchanting vision and is an even more radical departure from traditional filmmaking than her previous efforts. It floats over you in much the same way as its gorgeous music score (written by French indie super group Phoenix), and leaves you humming its tune for days after. Stephen Dorff (Blade) beautifully conveys the lonely outlook of his character and his relationship with his forgiving daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning- a charming, natural presence).

5. Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper, USA)

6. Inception (Christopher Nolan, USA)

7. Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, USA)

8. Let Me In (Matt Reeves, USA)

9. The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson) (Mona Achache, France)

10. A Prophet (Un Prophète) (Jacques Audiard, France)
The Film That Got Away:

The Messenger (Oren Moverman, USA)

Australian Highlight:

The Loved Ones (Sean Byrne, Australia)

This Australia horror film played very successfully on the festival circuit but failed to ignite the local box office. Featuring a demented performance from Robin McLeavy (48 Shades) and solid work from the rest of the cast, this was a strange, entertaining horror film that deserved an audience. If writer/director Sean Byrne never matches the brilliance of his dining room table, mirror ball set piece, the film should be praised for its willingness to push audience expectations…and stomachs. The Loved Ones will hopeful find its cult audience on DVD.
Top Three Non-Cinema Releases

1. If I want to whistle, I whistle (Florin Serban, Romania)

Admittedly the new wave of Romanian cinema has been rather bleak, with films focusing less on unicorns and rainbows and a little more on communism and illegal abortion. Needless to say there are no unicorns in writer/director Florin Serban’s debut film. This tense documentary style drama follows eighteen year old Silviu (an excellent George Pistereanu) as he struggles to control his behaviour in the last weeks of his prison sentence. The audience watch in tense trepidation as Silviu circumscribes his own future with his violent impulses. Serban does great things with his primarily amateur cast, the majority of who are actual prison inmates. It is grim but not without its moment of tenderness and humour as seen in the burgeoning relationship between Silviu and Ana, a girl who works in the prison.

2. Hesher (Spencer Susser, USA)

3. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not (Linda Mirabilio, Australia).
GLENN DUNKS

Top Ten Cinema Releases

1. Monsters (Gareth Edwards, UK)

A miniscule budget, an unknown cast illegally filming in exotic locations and made with products purchased over the counter for the cost of an above average trip to IKEA. All of this combined with a director writing and directing his first feature and it’s hard to believe that Monsters is not only the best movie I saw in 2010, but also the best movie I saw in several years. It’s a science fiction classic in the waiting and a stunning, awe-inspiring achievement.

Focusing on two strangers several years into an alien invasion (no seen-it-all-before attack on American rah-rah sensationalism here), Monsters treads lightly with when and how it shows off the titular monsters. Combining visual amazement with political analogies and textured human emotions, Monsters is a masterpiece.

2. I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino, Italy)

3. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, UK)

The second feature from Red Road director Andrea Arnold is a grim and, at times, deeply unsettling account of a teenager (an astonishing debut from Katie Jarvis) living amongst the counsel estates of Essex. Mia is an outcast with dreams of being a hip-hop dancer and when her single mother brings home the charming Connor (Michael Fassbender) she is awakened both sexually and emotionally. Nothing will end well from all of this, we can guess that from the start, but where it goes and it will get there can’t be comprehended.

The counsel estates of Essex are far away from the globetrotting sci-fi of Monsters, but both make fascinating duel British movies. One shows how others perceive America, whereas Fish Tank is more about how England perceives itself, but both are connected by the lingering unhappiness of its characters. Fish Tank is a marvel that everybody should see.

4. The Tree (Julie Bertuccelli, Australia/France)

5. Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Lee Daniels, USA)

6. Somewhere (Sofia Coppola, USA)

7. Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, USA)

8. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (Ricki Stern & Anne Sundberg, USA)

Joan Rivers, comedy icon at age 77, doesn’t do anything quietly and so when it was announced that Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg were making a year-in-the-life documentary of the one and only Rivers you can only imagine what the cameras would pick up. The film will appease fans, obviously, with the more serious side of Rivers’ vulnerable, lonely and sad personality mixed with uproarious footage of her stand up act. Non-fans, however, should also do themselves a favour and watch it; they may just come to appreciate her acidic barbs as the last defence system of a woman who is so concerned with her own legacy – an empty datebook means nobody cares – that it becomes something quite dark and moving.

9. Fantastic Mr Fox (Wes Anderson, UK/USA)

10. Mother (Joon-ho Bong, South Korea)
The Film That Got Away:

A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, France
Australian Highlight:

While it’s true that I found many Australian films to love this year – including Top Ten placer The Tree, as well as Animal Kingdom and The Waiting City – it is a trio of genre titles that I want to highlight: Triangle (Christopher Smith), The Horseman (Stephen Kastrissios) and The Loved Ones (Sean Byrne). Each was world-class fare, unfairly passed over for shinier, sillier American product. Triangle was a particular surprise with it’s twisty, labyrinth plot somehow surpassing Inception for challenging mind-altering fun.

The Horseman and The Loved Ones are each gruesome, brutal and emotionally scarring horror titles that feature, give or take, the best male (Peter Marshall) and female (Robin McLeavy) performances of the year respectively. Hopefully all three will continue to find audiences on DVD.
Top Three Non-Cinema Releases

1. Dreamland (Ivan Sen, Australia)

2. The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet, France/UK)

3. I Love You Phillip Morris (Glenn Ficarra & John Reque, USA)

In a year that had several gut-busting comedies (Chris Morris’ Four Lions and Raymond De Fetilla’s City Island being two others) it was this gay romance/prison breakout film from the writers of Bad Santa that provided the biggest laughs. A lot of it is in incredibly bad taste, but who really cares when it’s so funny! I only got about half the jokes since I was too busy keeling over with tears in my eyes to hear them all (especially amongst a packed cinema audience at the Melbourne International Film Festival).

It should be said that beneath the laughs is actually a deeply moving romance between none other than Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, giving, perhaps, the best performances of their careers. The story is so hard to believe that it has to be true – and it is – and it’s such a shame that local audiences have yet to be privy to it. I suspect it’s because the distributor is icky about the full-on sex scenes and the eye-opening romance, but if given a chance it will win over as many as it repulses.
MATTHEW PEJKOVIC

Top Ten Cinema Releases

1.Animal Kingdom (David Michôd, Australia)

As soon as Anthony Portos’ mournful score played over the opening credits, it was clear that Animal Kingdom would not be some Underbelly retread. For too long, filmmakers have been stuck in a post Guy Ritchie haze of flash visuals, glamorous violence, and gangster caricature. Finally a filmmaker arrived in David Michôd who refused to follow the well-worn road layered with crime genre conventions, and as a result came one of the best crime movies seen in some time. Yet Animal Kingdom is more than cops and robbers. This is a film about family, loyalty, and how far people are willing sell their souls in order to survive. Jackie Weaver is receiving well deserved kudos for her supporting role of the Ma Barker to a family of criminals, but let’s not forget the spectacular turns by Ben Mendehlson, Guy Pearce, and young James Frecheville whose innocence anchors the film.

2. The Secret in Their Eyes (Juan José Campanella, Argentina)

Although winning the Best Foreign Language award at this year’s Oscars, there are still those oblivious to the existence of the near Argentine masterpiece The Secret in Their Eyes. Based on the book “The Question in Their Eyes” by Eduardo Sacheri, and adapted to the screen by writer/director Juan José Campanella, this haunting crime mystery focuses on a retired criminal investigator (Ricardo Darín) who decides to write a novel based on a 25 year old murder case. Transitioning between past and present, The Secret in Their Eyes works as a police procedural, political thriller and redemptive drama, filled with hypnotic performances by Darín, Soledad Villamil, and a scene stealing turn by comedian Guillermo Francella. But most impressive of is Campanella’s visual prowess, invoking the likes of an in form Brian De Palma with his sweeping camera and voyeuristic sensibilities.

3. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, France)

4. The King’s Speech (Tom Hooper, UK)

5. Inception (Christopher Nolan, USA)

6. The Social Network (David Fincher, USA)

7. Up In The Air (Jason Reitman, USA)

If we were to dissect George Clooney’s career 20 years from now, then this must surely be his golden period. Following strong performances in Syriana and Michael Clayton, Clooney hit the peak of his prowess with Up in the Air, where he starred as a career terminator who finds purpose and companionship in a life where his one true love is his job. It is a role that he owns in every instance, hitting all of his strong notes (charm, intelligence) while pulling out additional ammunition from his undervalued acting arsenal. Combined with stellar supporting work by Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick (unfairly robbed of an Oscar), it is perhaps the ensemble cast of the year, all thanks to the superb writing and direction by Jason Reitman, who has created a powerfully relevant and entertaining film for these post recession times.

8. Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, USA)

9. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, USA)

10. GasLand (Josh Fox, USA)
The Film That Got Away:

I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino, Italy)

Tilda Swinton is one of the finest actors of her generation, and by all accounts her role as a native Russian married into a wealthy Milan family in the Italian melodrama I Am Love is a tour de-force. Exactly how I missed the opportunity to watch the film I don’t remember. Let’s just hope that come Christmas day, a DVD will come my way (hint, hint).
Australian Highlight:

Beneath Hill 60 (Jeremy Sims, Australia)

With Animal Kingdom my number 1 film of 2010, I will dedicate the Australian highlight section to the war drama Beneath Hill 60. While the WWII sub-genre pumps out films yearly, the rich historical drama and heroic exploits of WWI has been left in the cold. Sure, Gallipoli provided the ANZAC experience with stunning, heart breaking clarity. Yet that was 29 years ago, and there was even more to Australia’s contribution in the great war. Based on true events, Beneath Hill 60 tells the story of the 1st Australian tunnelling company, a group largely made up of miners led by engineer Oliver Woodward (Brendan Cowell), who dug their way underneath the German outpost of Hill 60 and blew the krauts to kingdom come. Epic in scale and featuring a fine ensemble cast, director Jeremy Hartley Sims magnificently captured the mud, blood, and sweat of this unique brand of trench warfare.
Top Three Non-Cinema Releases

1. The Crazies (Breck Eisner, USA)

It is a shame that the one good remake of 2010 went straight to DVD, while the likes of Nightmare on Elm Street found a home at the multiplexes. A redo of the 1973 George Romero classic, The Crazies mixed violence, horror, and social commentary into a fun and genuinely scary experience courtesy of director Breck Eisner. Starring the ever reliable Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell, the film focused on a small town placed under martial law, after a contamination starts making the residents a little cuckoo. Much chaos and bloodshed follows, not to mention several well choreographed crap-in-your-pants sequences. Fans of horror would be advised to check it out.

2. Youth in Revolt (Miguel Arteta, USA)

3. Brooklyn’s Finest (Antoine Fuqua, USA)
BETH WILSON

Top Ten Cinema Releases

1.Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, USA)

Adapted from Daniel Woodrell’s country noir novel of the same name (also highly recommended) Winter’s Bone tops my list for two reasons. Firstly the amazing central performances can’t be praised enough; Jennifer Lawrence is a revelation as the film’s lead heroine Ree Dolly, John Hawkes is simply brilliant as Ree’s gruff uncle and Dale Dickey is terrifyingly good as the top matriarch. Secondly it is so nice to have a film with a strong, determined and brave female lead. Ree Dolly is a rare character to have in cinema – a young independent female character that isn’t reliant on looks to succeed.

2. Welcome (Phillipe Lioret, France)

I like a film that gets you riled up and Welcome is certainly a film with a strong message. Set in the coastal town of Calais, Welcome follows the interaction between an Iraqi teenager, Bilal (Firat Ayverdi) who is desperate to get to the UK and a French swimming teacher, Simon (Vincent Lindon), who is adrift following his divorce. I interviewed the director of this political and ultimately very humanist film, Phillipe Lioret, and was struck by how passionate he was about the issues surrounding refugees and their treatment in France, and how angry he was about the criticism his film has taken from right-wing politicians and commentators. I don’t care what side of the political spectrum you fall on, you can’t watch this film and not feel for the plight of Bilal. And if you empathise with Bilal, then you have to consider the many more nameless faces for whom this is a reality.

3. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, Austria)

4. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, UK)

5. The Social Network (David Fincher, USA)

I have never watched The West Wing, I’ve always found Aaron Sorkin’s writing too self-knowing, his dialogue always seems to be saying look at me, look how clever I am. But in the nicest backhanded compliment I absolutely loved his writing for The Social Network. The film’s characters, high-flying techno-savy geeks are the perfect vessels for his rapid paced dialogue. Added to Sorkin’s amazing script was David Fincher’s excellent direction- he made code-writing seem interesting- and brilliant central performances. Jesse Eisenberg is great as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Garfield is equally compelling as Eduardo Saverin, and Armie Hammer- I had no idea one person was playing twins! A film for our generation, and a great film for 2010.

6. Animal Kingdom (David Michôd, Australia)

7. Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy, UK)

8. Love, Lust and Lies (Gillian Armstrong, Australia)

9. Monsters (Gareth Edwards, UK)

10. Somewhere (Sofia Coppola, USA)
The Film That Got Away:

Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, USA)
Australian Highlight:

The Waiting City (Claire McCarthy, Australia)

The closest I came to tears in the cinema this year (I’m not a crier) was watching Claire McCarthy’s film. It left me both distraught and also oddly uplifted. It is not the best Australian film of the year, but definitely one of my favourites. The first Australian film to be shot in India, The Waiting City follows Aussie couple Fiona (Radha Mitchell) and Ben (Joel Edgerton) who are waiting to pick up their adoptive daughter from an orphanage in Kolkata. Dealing with the issue of expectations in relationships and the strain placed on the marriage by the bureaucracy they face in India, the film’s spectacular visuals contrast with the film’s emotional core. I’m definitely excited to see what McCarthy does next.
Top Three Non-Cinema Releases

1. Waste Land (Lucy Walker, UK)

Lucy Walker’s documentary about Brazilian artist Vik Muniz and his art project in Jardim Gramacho (Rio de Janeiro), home to South America’s largest land fill and it’s many pickers/catadores, was my one of my most favourite cinema experiences this year. I saw the film at this year’s Sydney Film Festival (SFF), one of 20+ films I saw over 10 days. I went in knowing absolutely nothing about the film and left feeling completely inspired. Looking at the idea of the transformative power of art without the condescension, Walker’s film is positive and compassionate. The film didn’t pretend to solve poverty, or even understand it, but it did show that the joy of collaboration and creating something with people is universal and something to treasure.

2. Crab Trap (Oscar Ruiz Navia, Columbia)

3.The Refuge (Francois Ozon, France)

(NB: This film had a very limited release in Melbourne in 2010, but as I would have been unable to see it there and as I saw it at SFF I have included it in this list)
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Post by Admin Tue Dec 28, 2010 2:07 am

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-28/top-movies-feature-firth-s-stuttering-king-duvall-s-hermit-rick-warner.html

Top Movies Feature Firth's Stuttering King, Duvall's Hermit: Rick Warner
By Rick Warner - Dec 27, 2010 7:30 PM PT

A stuttering king, a hillbilly hermit, a trapped mountain climber and an Internet entrepreneur are among the varied subjects of my favorite films of 2010.

The list includes movies from England, France and Argentina. There are dramas, documentaries and animated features. Some have star-studded casts, others have no stars at all.

What they all have is a compelling story, well told. Here are my picks, in alphabetical order:

“Fish Tank”: Katie Jarvis makes an unforgettable film debut as an alienated British teenager living in a dreary housing project in Andrea Arnold’s coming-of-age story.
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Post by Admin Wed Dec 29, 2010 3:14 pm

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/best-action-films-of-2010.php

Year in Review: The 10 Best Action Films of 2010
2010 Year in Review By Robert Fure on December 29, 2010

In many ways, the end of the year is just like every other part of the year: we want to make lists. So we come up with lots of list ideas. One idea this year, like almost every year, is a list of the best action films. But this year, 2010, is special. This article is special. Why? Because this Year in Review article is going to kick off a brand new column that you’ll be able to rock and roll with every Wednesday in 2011: Bullet Points.

Like The Coroner’s Report, Bullet Points will focus on a particular genre. I’m not talking down to you when I say that it’s action films, though you probably guessed that pretty quickly. To kick off this column right and make 2010 just explode all over itself, we’re counting down our ten favorite action films.

10. Unstoppable

When I first saw trailers for Unstoppable I had two thoughts: I could stop that train and Tony Scott f#%@#&! loves trains. A runaway train movie with a pedigree (Scott, Washington, Pine), this film generated a lot of attention and as our own Jim Rohner said it best: That movie was a lot better than it had any business being.

9. Inception

I hesitate to put Christopher Nolan’s Inception on the list because I don’t think it’s primarily an action film, but with a lot of gun play, a bunch of explosions, and the innovative and beautifully fantastic hallway fight, this mind bender might just be average on every level but action.

8. The A-Team

2010 was perhaps the year in action defined by team movies. While I had very high hopes that Joe Carnahan’s vision would take The A-Team to a more realistic and violent place, he went the other way and created the years silliest action film. While it’s not hardcore enough to satisfy my blood lust, there is no denying that the outrageous action sequences will keep your attention long enough to make it worth it.

7. Centurion

No year in end action list is complete without at least one pair of sandles and a whole bunch of swords. If after seeing Inglorious Basterds you thought “Hey, Michael Fassbender should be in more stuff” Centurion is one you should look up. From the always entertaining director Neil Marshall, this is one of the bloodiest and most violent films of the year, so of course we Rejects love it.


6. Ip Man 2

When compiling this list I consulted our Master of Asian Cinema Studies (Rob Hunter) knowing that he would have the inside line on the best martial arts film of the year. Amongst his suggestions was Ip Man 2 which features enough ass kicking from star Donnie Yen that it might just change your life.

5. The Town

A classier action film than most on the list, The Town is a legitimately good movie with some legitimately good action sequences. Even if it doesn’t have enough ass kicking to mimic my own life of crime on the streets, the gunfights are loud, fast, and ring mostly true to life.

4. The Losers

One of my favorite “fun flicks” of the year, The Losers packs a great cast with great chemistry and finds the right balance of silly action and overt violence. On the hardcore scale, it would fall right in between The A-Team and The Expendables, but on the action scale, it scores healthily with a lot of gun play and a lot of special forces training on display.

3. The Expendables

Is The Expendables a great movie? No. But does it have awesome action sequences? Hell f#%@#&! yes. When I watch this movie all I want to do is work out, shoot guns, and kick the s$#! out of people. The opening sequence is surprisingly violent, Jason Statham’s basketball brawl is amongst the best fights of the year, and the final thirty minutes is an orgy of awesome violence, capped off with a brutal head kick and Terry Crews using an AA-12 automatic shotgun to destroy an entire platoon of enemies.

2. Kick-Ass

A movie I didn’t absolutely love in theaters, but really wanted to see a second time. Kick Ass isn’t Ass Kicked (he-he heh) when it comes to the best action of the year as it fits in a couple of good hand to hand moments, some video game inspired first person shooting, and two fantastic battle sequences: Nic Cage’s Big Daddy wrecking an entire warehouse full of people and Hit Girl’s insanely violent revenge attack.

1. RED

Yet another team movie for 2010 makes my list: I really like team movies. RED has a distinction of being a bit more accessible than the other films though. It’s not as violent as The Expendables nor is it as silly as The A-Team. Add in some very bankable and recognizable stars giving wonderful performances (Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Mary-Louise Parker) and you get a fun action film with plenty of bang and a great sense of humor. This makes the top of my list for some excellent Bruce Willis ass kicking when they invade his home and my absolute favorite fist fight of the year: Willis vs Urban.

What was your favorite action movie of 2010?
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Post by Admin Wed Dec 29, 2010 3:46 pm

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-12-28/top-10-movies-of-2010-that-were-overlooked-never-let-me-go-more/

10 Most Overlooked Movies of 2010

by Marlow Stern

For every Black Swan, there’s an ugly duckling that unfortunately fails to connect with audiences. From vampires to a Saturday Night Live spin-off, Marlow Stern brings you 10 films that didn’t get their due this year.

2. Fish Tank

Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and the Best British Film recipient at the 2010 BAFTAs, Fish Tank is a gritty, naturalistic bildungsroman reminiscent of Ken Loach’s finest work. The film centers on Mia (Katie Jarvis), a headstrong 15-year-old who lives on an Essex council estate with her alcoholic mother and foul-mouthed younger sister. Mia yearns to be a hip-hop dancer and practices her routine in baggy pants in her room. Things get complicated when she establishes a close relationship with her mother’s boyfriend Connor (Michael Fassbender), a dreamy Irishman who works as a security guard. The performances are uniformly excellent, especially Jarvis, who had no prior acting experience and was cast after one of director Andrea Arnold’s assistants saw her arguing with her boyfriend at a train station. And Fassbender, who stole every scene he was in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, is equally captivating in his role. Fish Tank “may begin as a patch of lower-class chaos, but it turns into a commanding, emotionally satisfying movie, comparable to such youth-in-trouble classics as The 400 Blows,” according to The New Yorker critic David Denby.
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Post by Admin Wed Dec 29, 2010 3:48 pm

http://www.soundonsight.org/top-10-movie-trailer-of-2010/

Top 10 Movie Trailers of 2010

Posted by Ricky on Dec 28th, 2010

Movie trailers certainly help make or break a film’s success at the box office. I still think that the reason why Scott Pilgrim didn’t make much money is because it’s trailer didn’t appeal to most people. Working at a video store you constantly get to hear why people want to see a film or don’t. For most mainstream moviegoers the trailer and names of actors attached to a film dictate their interest in seeing it. The following ten trailers do a good job of showing some of the best imagery from each movie while using either a great piece of the movie score and/or popular music to sell the film.

#7- Jane Eyre

Focus Features did an excellent job in creating a trailer for Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre. This new gothic horror take on the Charlotte Brontë classic, stars Mia Wasikowska as the titular Jane Eyre, Michael Fassbender as Edward Rochester, as well as Judi Dench and Jamie Bell. Even those not normally interested in period pieces, will be tempted to see this film after watching the trailer. The trailer indicates this may be one of the best looking film released next year. The art direction and cinematography look superb, the actors look at the top of their game and the score is fantastic.
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Post by Admin Wed Dec 29, 2010 3:52 pm

http://www.moreupdates.com/news/2010s-25-best-performances-that-wont-win-oscars-26494.html

2010′s 25 Best Performances that WON’T Win Oscars0 comments
By mynews
Posted on 29 Dec 2010 at 9:56am

Oscar buzz rarely surprises: Inevitably, the nominees are Hollywood stars in upper-middlebrow prestige pictures, with a couple of British stage actors thrown in to class up the joint. And as a result, many great-but-unconventional performances are overlooked, and this year there seem to be more than ever, from a tween action-movie heroine to an underrated character actress to a pair of A-listers who gambled on oddball (or downright bizarre) projects. Below, our favorite sure-to-be slights, for your consideration.

Dominic West and Michael Fassbender, Centurion

Neil Marshall’s nasty Roman action film was a misbegotten flop, in part because rising star Fassbender (Fish Tank, Hunger) and West (The Wire) are hardly the kind of names that move tickets. But despite the film’s obvious flaws, the two actors were vicious, gruff, perfectly matched soldiers, utterly at home in the mud and the blood and bog. Maybe in the next action movie, they’ll get paired with marquee stars.


Katie Jarvis, Fish Tank

Most movies about teens dress up young people like dolls. But Andrea Arnold’s gritty apartment-complex drama gives Jarvis a heather hoodie and lets her snipe, fight, claw, and curse her way through parking lots and abandoned yards. And she nails her cocky-insecure B-boy dancing with all the angry energy she can muster — and none of the polish.
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Post by Admin Thu Dec 30, 2010 4:38 am

http://www.snarkastic.com/archives/003429.html

December 29, 2010
Best and Worst 10 of '10

Continuing on: Batter up, 'Box:

Best 10

10. Machete - This one's hilarious on-the-fly Mex-sploitation, and it's also Robert Rodriguez's eff you to anti-immigration right-wingers. It's fun, brilliantly conceived, doesn't take itself too seriously, and features a bad-ass Michelle Rodriguez being bad-asser than ever. But you went to The Expendables that weekend, so Red Box this or something, would you?

9. The Town - Ben Affleck's return to being taken seriously began with his excellent Gone Baby Gone and brings him on-screen for this follow-up. Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm getting on board ought to be enough to convince you this one's solid. And it is, so give your homie a second chance. He's made fewer terrible choices than, say, a John Travolta. Hell, maybe he's working that career trajectory in reverse.

8. Hunger - This one didn't see much of a release in the states, but it made it to Netflix this year and caught my attention because of Michael Fassbender's portrayal of Bobby Sands, reportedly the role that got him that amazing film-critic/spy part in Inglourious Basterds. It's a great performance, but be warned, the depiction here of the dirty protests and the famous hunger strike that ended Sands's life are not at all for the weak-stomached (yeah, avoid the Blu-Ray)

7. Iron Man 2 - I don't care how Ivan Vanko made it to the Grand Prix race (STOP OVER-ANALYZING SUPERHERO FLICKS), that scene was awesome. It was an Iron Man movie. It succeeded in this way. What more do you want? OMG HOW DID THE JOKER KEEP THAT GIANT GUN IN HIS PANTS SO LONG OMG HOW DID THE BATJET NOT KILL HIM I WANT MY MONEY BACK HOLY s$#! (What is wrong with us these days?)

6. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - From '09, I saw this one early this year and am including it as part of my defense of all things Nicholas Cage. We have the best of both worlds here, a substantially great Nicholas Cage performance that's also a batshit Nicholas Cage performance. Except, I've already made a mistake by putting it in those terms. There are not bad and great Nicholas Cage performances. There are only great Nicholas Cage performances in bad or better films. You will find my intransigence on this issue f#%@#&! I'M A VAMPIRE I'M A VAMPIRE I'M A VAMPIRE

5. Inception - Whether the totem does or doesn't fall is just one of many, many ways to obsess over Nolan's best non-Bat flick. This one earns its heaviness, and its swagger. Some observers found the dream-state needlessly uniform in its look, unimaginative in its scope. Isn't it more interesting to set up rules and limits when you don't have to?

4. Toy Story 3 - As good as they say. It's also more anxiety driven than I would've imagined. Genuinely touching, though, and the animation is amazing, etc., it's Pixar.? I was never much of a Toy Story fan, and this one stands up there with my favorite flicks by these f#%@#&! brilliant aliens.?

3. Winter's Bone - Jennifer Lawrence is twenty years old, was no doubt a little younger when they made this, and had gotten most of her acting experience on The Bill Engvall Show prior to being selected for the part. You are doing yourself a disservice to miss her. She will get a nomination for this, deservedly. Depressing is not the word I would use to describe the movie, though the set of circumstances is terribly grim indeed. The movie that springs up from this abyss in the Ozarks is suspenseful, pitch-perfect and riveting, and doesn't let up on any of that for a single minute.

2. True Grit - Another excellent performance from a youngling, Hailee Steinfeld's Mattie Ross is a memorable entry in the annals of stubborn characters, and young Steinfeld is also pretty much guaranteed a nomination here. True Grit has moments of darkness, moments of tragedy, and moments of deep, chortling comedy. So, yeah, its' a Coen Brothers flick, and I don't understand what's confusing some critics about that. I was amused and entertained by the flick for two hours. Yes it's a revenge and retribution play. So's a lot of fun flicks, people.

1. The Social Network - As Sorkin a flick as Sorkin's ever made. Fincher, Reznor, Eisenberg and the rest, have made a movie of intense and amazing focus. Here's a movie that commands your ears to wake up. For all the talk about how manipulative, self-serving and dickish Eisbenberg's Zuckerberg is, it's worth pointing out this is also a familiar Sorkinesque story of an over-achiever who really did accomplish unbelievable things in spite of his shortcomings. Both of those sides of Zuckerberg are there, and that' s a real accomplishment for Eisenberg, Sorkin and Fincher. For the parties involved who feel the movie has taken liberties with the story of Facebook's founders, one can hear in the distance Sorkin shouting: "If you were the authors of The Social Network you would've MADE The Social Network"

Honorable Mentions: Fair Game, Tron: Legacy (I read a lot of books this year)
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Post by Admin Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/2010/12/carsons-top-10-movies-of-year.html

Thursday, December 30, 2010
Carson's Top 10 Movies Of The Year
Yeah yeah yeah, I fully own up to having a few “pretentious film snob” entries on my list - trendy little cinematic morsels that made a lot of noise on the indie circuit but which the majority of America could care less about. But I stand by my entries because I’m a dancing fool and because I believe they were great films, especially my Top 5, which were all awesome.

However before I get to that Top 10, I have to take on a few of the less than stellar entries of the year. I don’t usually do “Worst Of” lists because I’d much rather be celebrating film than condemning it. We have enough condemners in this industry. But there are films that need to own up to their badness, films that actually made you angry that you wasted your time on them, and so I’ve reserved five slots to discuss the very worst films I saw this year.

6) FISH TANK
Fish Tank is a weird movie. In many ways, it sounds a lot like the movie I hated so much, Winter’s Bone. Depressing subject matter. How the low-budget impedes on the story. But unlike the main character in Winter’s Bone, the main character in Fish Tank, Mia, is fascinating. She’s pissed off at the world, mainly due to a mother who doesn’t love her. She takes all her frustration out in her dance, a secret desire she’s hoping will one day lead her out of this slum. But when her mom brings in a 30-something boyfriend, the hot sculpted Michael Fassbender, Mia lets her guard down for the first time. The two develop a friendship that always teeters on the inappropriate, but still manages to be real and genuine. Fish Tank makes you feel uncomfortable during the majority of its running time, yet you can’t help but be charmed by Fassbender’s character as well, so you want to see how their relationship is going to end. I wasn’t thrilled with the final act of Fish Tank, but there's enough great stuff here to outweigh that shortcoming.
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