A ROTTEN TOMATO: Somewhere

OMG, what a snoozefest! This movie was just a lot of nothingness. I know this movie was about boredom, but did you really have to inflict it on the audience? Seriously, there were way too many extended scenes of the lead character doing various mundane activities (the film began and ended with 5 minutes each of him just driving....that's it). Why do people love Sofia Coppola (the writer and director) so much? She has made 2 of the most painfully boring films ever made (this and "Lost in Translation"). Stay far, far away from this one.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK/OSCAR WATCH: Black Swan

Darren Aronofksy is one sick man. Only he could have envisaged this twisted film. He is at the top of the game with "Black Swan", a truly gritty, visceral, melodramatic, terrifying, psychological masterpiece (this movie really is everything, and then some). With the aid of a prominent score and a brilliant script, the film itself was like a theatrical performance, pushing seamlessly towards its climax. This film was also a prime showcase for the talents of all its female stars, which included Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder (all truly deserving of their Oscar buzz). Of course, the real star was Natalie Portman, who absolutely owned her role. Her transformation was really astonishing. People, this woman needs to prepare her Oscar speech. That award belongs to her. This film is a sure contender for prizes in Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Editing, Costume Design, Original Score etc etc.

OSCAR WATCH: The Music

With all the focus on acting, screenplays etc, we often forget one of the most important components of a good film - the soundtrack. For example, can you imagine "Titanic" without thinking of Celine Dion's iconic theme song? In fact, other Oscar winners such as "Chicago" and "Amadeus" could not have been made without the music. Music is so crucial to the tone and pacing of the movie. In recognition of the importance of this aspect, I've added a playlist (see sidebar at right) of music from recent Oscar winners for Best Original Score and Best Original Score. The playlist includes mainstream hits such as "Lose Yourself" and "Jai Ho", in addition to some of my personal favs like "Falling Slowly" and "Piano Variation in Blue". Also, be sure to check out the music from some of this year's outstanding scores:

The Social Network
Black Swan
The Ghost Writer
True Grit
Inception
127 Hours (check out "If I Rise" by Dido and A.R. Rahman)
Toy Story 3 (check out "We Belong Together" by Randy Newman)
The Ghost Writer
The King's Speech
Alice In Wonderland

OSCAR WATCH: SAG Nominations

It has been a busy two weeks of awards, culminating in the just announced Screen Actors Guild nominations. Mostly much of the same, the only suprises being Hilary Swank and John Hawkes. Not amused by the absence of "Inception". The nominees are:

Ensemble (equivalent to the Best Picture Award)
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

Actor
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Robert Duvall, Get Low
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Hilary Swank, Conviction

Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, King’s Speech

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

OSCAR WATCH: Golden Globe Nominations

The Golden Globe nominations were just announced, and boy were they interesting! The Fighter is getting a real push now and is looking like one of the Top 5 for the Oscars.

Best Picture (Drama)
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist

Best Actor (Drama)
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp, The Tourist
Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version
Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack

Best Actress (Drama)
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie, The Tourist
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone, Easy A

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Rabbit Hole

Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart are excellent in this touching film about a couple struggling with the grief of losing their child. Due to smart choices by the director and a quality script, the film didn't turn into an over-dramatic "Lifetime movie"(though there was a lot of crying). Instead, "Rabbit Hole" was a realistic portrayal of the mourning process and its impact on family relationships and everyday interactions with other people. Somehow it manages to be ultimately hopeful amidst all of the depression. A lot better than some of the Oscar bait being thrown around this year.

OSCAR WATCH: Critics Choice Nominations

The Broadcast Film Critics Association announced their nominees today and it seems they loved "Black Swan". Some highbrow Oscar pundits disregard the Critics Choice Awards, but they are important. This where the Sandra Bullock freight train took off last year.

Best Picture
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Robert Duvall, Get Low
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine

Best Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Noomi Rapace, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Sam Rockwell, Conviction
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception

AWARDS SEASON: What's Hot and What's Not

The awards season is about to kick-off tomorrow with the first major nominations. Nowadays there are many different awards groups, but for me the important ones are those that actually air on tv. So with that in mind, we kick off with the announcement of the nominations for the Critics Choice Awards, which will air on January 14th on VH1. Below are the 10 frontrunners for Oscar's Best Picture award. If, the Oscars were held today, these are the 10 films that most would bet on making the cut...

OSCAR WATCH: Get Low

Apparently, this a Best Picture contender, but I don't buy it. I actually thought it was quite boring. Yes, Robert Duvall was good in the closing scenes, but this movie was so dreadfully slow that even when it finally got "interesting", I was just waiting for the film to end. The movie just barely missed my "Rotten Tomato" tag. Oscar-wise, I can understand a Best Actor nomination for Duvall, but that's about it.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: A Few Good Men

Yet another one of those iconic films that I somehow missed. Great performances all around by the cast (especially Cruise and Nicholson). Very thought-provoking and riveting story by the brilliant Aaron Sorkin. Can you handle the truth? Yes, I know that was lame, but I had to throw it in. Check out "A Few Good Men" if you haven't already.

OSCAR WATCH: The Town

After hearing so many great things about this film, I expected something groundbreaking. Unfortunately, I have to say I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it was very entertaining and kept me engaged from start to finish, but I really can't say it was anything substantially superior to your typical crime thriller (though it was certainly above average). I would actually be disappointed if this was nominated for Best Picture, as there are so many good films this year. I did think however, that Jon Hamm was outstanding in his role (making use of his charisma from "Mad Men") and also Blake Likely showed off her acting skills as well. I really don't expect any Oscar nominations for this film though. Overall, it's a great "popcorn" flick, perfect for your next Friday night trip to the DVD store.