My (unnecessary) Disgust with the Oscars

‘ol Oscar himself via http://collider.com/2012-oscar-preview-best-picture-best-director/128116/

Well, I mentioned in previous posts (here and here) how much I loved the performances this year of Michael Fassbender in Shame and Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin. About the thespians, I said, “It’s a good thing these two aren’t competing with one another for awards because I would be at a loss when choosing a favorite.” Thanks to the oh-so-wise-and-cutting-edge  jackasses at the Academy, I’m in no danger of choosing my favorite actor or actress this year.

I hate to say it, but I was fuming when I read the Oscar nominees that were announced on Tuesday morning. I know it’s silly to be so incensed over something so trivial and vain, but I feel like I am the Academy Awards demographic– I love movies! I love the art

My 10 Favorite Films of 2011, Plus a Special Guest’s Top 10!

Program from my screening of 'Shame' at LACMA

Well, the day you’ve all been waiting for has arrived. It took some time and I had to make some tough (not really) decisions, but I’ve finally settled on my ten favorite movies of 2011. Not until I actually sat down to compile the list did I realize how many movies this year impressed me…

A year is a long time, and it was fun to go back through and reminisce about all of the movies I saw. Oftentimes I didn’t even realize that a particular film had been released last year. It’s not like I empathized with Sophie and her choice (drama queen), but I really did have to leave off some excellent movies– which is good! No one wants to dig for films just to salvage a shoddy top ten list.

As an additional treat, my podcast co-host, Devin Marble, sent me his

‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ Musings, Upcoming Top 10 Films of 2011, & ShortCuts Podcast #3!

Tilda Swinton hates her kid via http://www.poptower.com/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin.htm

We Need to Talk About Kevin is grim. It’s also great– truly great. Please, don’t let the grim factor scare you away.

Kevin does an excellent job of defying categorization. It could be described as a paranoid suspense thriller, a dark and dramatic look at domestic life, or even an honest examination of how some parents feel about their children. As many of the best films do, Kevin keeps you guessing from beginning to end, refusing to be cornered.

The director and co-screenwriter, Lynne Ramsay, chooses to tell the story of Kevin and his mother, Eva (Tilda Swinton), through a series of flashbacks, cutting between Eva’s sad and hopeless present with her sad and hopeless past. Her present is lonely, but her past is populated by her

Tarantino’s Top 11 of 2011 & My Top 10 of 2010

I was tempted to write a post about SOPA and the choice of many websites to go “dark” today (which I support… but I don’t have enough content or readers to go dark), but I changed my mind. Although I’m strongly in favor of preserving  a free and open Internet for as long as possible, I might never get off my soapbox once I climb up. Instead, I’d like to look at the great Quentin Tarantino’s Top 11 movies of 2011, as well as take a look back at my Top 10 movies of 2010. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, the

What’s the Best Film of 2011? Let Me Know

Host Billy Crystal posing with Oscar (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

 

The 2011 Academy Award nominations will be announced January 24th. I plan to have my own list of the ten best pictures of the year all ready to go on that day, but I would like to know your opinion. I obviously haven’t seen every movie that came out last year (though I’ve made an admirable effort), so maybe some of your favorites will spur me on to check them out. If you can’t limit yourself to just one movie, feel free to include a couple, three, or even offer up your own top ten list. Add your comment below or email me at shortcomments@gmail.com and maybe you’ll change my mind or make a suggestion I haven’t already considered.

In the meantime, for the sake of reminiscence and filling