Scream - A Retrospective

It has long been known that teenagers are where it’s at when it comes to the horror genre. In the 1950’s it was discovered by some shifty studio executive that teenagers have money to spend and they love to spend it on being scared. So Hollywood began to churn out inexpensive B-pictures with provocative titles such as I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Attack of the Giant Leeches and Teenagers From Outer Space. These titles were silly, not very creative and had some really dreadful special effects but they still managed to pack the drive-in on a Saturday night.

The 1970’s saw teen horror re-popularised mostly by the success of John Carpenter’s Halloween. To this day it is one of the most successful indie films of all time and it created a sub-genre, the “stalk n’ slash” movie which of course went on to inspire thousands of imitators, none of which would ever match the terrifying heights of Halloween. Teenagers and adults alike were piling into cinemas for movies such as Friday the 13^th, Prom Night and When a Stranger Calls, all similar to Halloween in their depiction of teen behaviour and the killers who track them.

The 1980s was better known for the “video nasty” phase of horror history. Not that it didn’t give us some classics but the direction of the films veered away from teenage babysitters in general during that period. The 80’s did however give us Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street which went on to become one of the most revered horror films of all time, along with it’s outrageously beloved child murderer, Freddy Kreuger.

Many would claim that Scream was the first “meta” horror and while it was certainly the film that popularised self-referential horror, lets not forget that Wes Craven made New Nightmare two years before Scream, which was a film, set in the real world in which the actress, Heather Langenkamp, who played Nancy in A Nightmare on Elm Street becomes haunted by Freddy Kreuger as she is on the brink of making a new Freddy movie. The self-referential nature of this film makes it one of the most historically important films of the genre but it was unfortunately overlooked, possibly presumed to be yet another stinker of a sequel. It was with Scream in 1996 that the “ironic slasher” was born.

Those who remember the release of Scream will undoubtedly remember it as something of a genre revolution. For a period, teenagers sneaked into cinemas all over the world to scream and giggle; sleepovers full of teenage girls had never been so afraid and no one answered the phone when they were in the house alone. 

For those unfamiliar with the premise, Scream tells the story of Sidney Prescott, whose mother was brutally murdered a year earlier and now a ghost-masked serial killer is tormenting her with phone calls, movie trivia and a series of bloody murders. The fictional town of Woodsboro is in a panic. Who is the masked serial killer? Can hot-shot reporter Gale Weathers solve the crime and win her Emmy with the help of the sweet but dim Deputy Dewey? The plot is as basic as they come but what sets this film apart is Scream's borderline satirical awareness of the genre allowing it to play homage to all the great slasher films of the past while bursting the door wide open for a new wave of slice n’ dice murderous mayhem in cinema.

Scream follows the same basic conventions of a slasher film but with a knowing smile. These kids are well-versed in movie terminology and the sagely nerd Randy explains the conventions of the horror genre. Rule #1: You can't have sex, since only virgins can outsmart the killer in the end; Rule #2: You can't drink or do drugs, since like rule #1, they are sins. Rule #3: Don't ever say "I'll be right back." Needless to say, Randy’s rules are fairly accurate and allow the audience a tantalising prediction of who’s going to die.

Scream stands out, not only because of its tongue-in-cheek genre-bending but also because it is damn scary! The scares come hard and fast, starting with the classic Drew Barrymore opening sequence. There is something untrustworthy about Scream’s “the rules are there are no rules” cavalier attitude towards scares that keeps the audiences feeling uncomfortable for the entire film. You think you know where the jumps are coming, but since you also know that they are playing with expectations, you can never quite trust the rules you think you know. Another unique element of Scream is the self-aware nature of these teenagers. Kevin Williamson would go on to create an entire generation of over-thinking, verbose teenagers with his TV show Dawson’s Creek and it’s clear to see his pattern emerging here. The cast and characters are equally colourful and much of Scream’s power is wielded in the energy and likeability of the young cast. Unlike the teenagers in previous horror films, these kids were not so interested in sex and drugs that they are oblivious to the fact that they are being picked off one by one. These teens are well aware of horror movie clichés. They know what is expected of them and know how to avoid being killed. As the panic spreads, they look to the movies to figure out how to survive. Also, when the films killers are finally revealed it is their disturbing relationship to the horror genre that has inspired them. But they are quick to dismiss that horror movies actually make people commit murder, they just help them come up with interesting ways to do it; “movies don’t create psychos, movies make psychos more creative”. Williamson was unafraid to create two sides to the “video nasties” argument, giving the audience something meaty to mull over after the movie ended, if they were so inclined.

Scream was a gigantic success both critically and financially and so it sparked a new wave in teen horror, many of which were pretty terrible. There were even two sequels to Scream, the first of which was a winking discussion of the rules of the sequel. It was reasonably clever but not as good as the first (but then again, isn’t that the rule about sequels?). Scream 3 however was an absolute disaster, hated by pretty much everyone and especially infuriating because its twist ending managed to ruin elements of the original film. Scream 4 is a dissection, fifteen years on, of the effect of the original film on horror films and how the genre has moved on, with particular attention paid to the Blair Witch inspired tendency of horror films to be based on supposed “found footage”. Whether or not the fourth film manages to become a worthy addition to the franchise, it gives us the perfect opportunity to reflect on the original Scream film and to appreciate it for its sense of humour, its cinematic wisdom, it’s uniquely postmodern concept (this is a concept that could only be used once, any followers were mere copycats), and it’s ability to scare the crap out of audiences all over the world, even the most seasoned horror buff!

Wake Wood

Directed by: David Keating 

Written by: David Keating, Brendan McCarthy 

Starring: Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle, Ruth McCabe, Timothy Spall, Ella Connolly.

Rating: 6/10

One of the first films to fly the newly reformed Hammer banner, Wakewood is an Irish horror film quite unlike any you’ve seen before. In a lot of ways, it can be accused of being a magpie, picking little bits from other movies but the big picture can only be described as a true original.

The story sees a young couple, David and Louise devastated by the death of their daughter Alice who, in a horribly disturbing scene, is mauled to death by a dog. They move to the small rural town of Wake Wood, where David gets a job as the local vet to a town full of farmers. Soon after they move to the town they notice strange things happening and unusual behaviour within the community. After accidentally witnessing a ritual involving farm machinery, blood-letting and rebirth, they realise that there’s more to this town than meets the eye. They are told that the ritual can bring someone back from the dead but only for three days and the dead person must be dead less than a year. Despite the fact that Alice is dead a little longer than that they take their chances and go ahead with the ritual. As expected, things don’t go as planned for the reunion with their daughter.

The most memorable thing about this film is its very visceral use of gore. The deaths her are all painful to behold (especially unpleasant is a farmer being crushed by a bull) and the detailed look at the machinations of the ritual is commendable and my favourite part of the film.

The chemistry between David (Gillen) and Louise (Birthistle) leaves a lot to be desired and the breakdown between them feels slightly contrived but the film is at its strongest when exploring the supporting characters such as the evil-eyed Peggy O’Shea (Ruth McCabe) and the creepy ringleader Arthur (Timothy Spall). The supporting cast are wonderful and Ella Connolly does a great job with the dual task of charming us and scaring the pants off us.

From the genuinely disturbing imagery to the inner domestic strife, this film is unsettling throughout. David Keating’s direction doesn’t mean to make us jump, it dares us to keep watching. I must say I was distracted by the film’s tendency to indulge in homage to other films a bit too much, particularly Don’t Look Now and Pet Sematary but there is plenty to enjoy in this solid horror film. It is action packed and the special effects are top-notch. If you enjoy a good splatterfest then this will be for you. However, if you like your horror films subtle then perhaps avoid Wake Wood.

 - Charlene Lydon
(from Film Ireland: http://www.filmireland.net/2011/03/24/wake-wood/)

Source Code

Written by: Ben Ripley

Directed by: Duncan Jones

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan, Jeffrey Wright

Rating: 8/10

Duncan Jones made some serious waves in 2009 with his debut film Moon, an instant classic that saw Sam Rockwell living in isolation on a space station on the moon. Needless to say, the pressure on his sophomore output is extreme. For his second film, Jones chose Ben Ripley’s Source Code. It is easy to see why the script caught his attention and I’m pleased to say that his hands were most certainly the right place to put it.

Source Code begins on a train. Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) wakes up to find himself in transit, sitting across from a beautiful stranger, Christina, who seems to know him. She calls him Sean, but that’s not his name. She is familiar and behaves as if they are old friends and perhaps something more. Colter panics and is completely confused by what’s going on and as Christina tries to calm him, the train explodes. Colter wakes up in a dark room, bound, with Vera Farmiga’s earnest but friendly face peering at him from a computer screen. She explains that he is connected to a computer programme, Source Code, that will allow him to relive the last eight minutes of another man’s life. This man, Sean, died in a train bomb attack. Colter must use his time on the train to investigate what is going on and try to deduce who the terrorists are so that he can give the information to the military in the hope that they can prevent the rest of the series of threatened attacks.

The less said about what happens next the better. A generic twist on Groundhog Day, the story changes direction many times as it progresses and gives the audience not only a brilliantly plotted mystery but also a clever back story. Both the central bomb storyline and the story of Colter Stevens journey to the Source Code are equally interesting and deftly woven together, keeping the story tight and the action gripping.

The pressure is on for Gyllenhaal to prove he’s up to the dual role of intellectual leading man and action hero. He balances brains and brawn nicely and there’s something touchingly human about his huge eyes staring from his gaunt face that raises this film to a level about most films of its ilk. His performance is affecting on a human level and believable on a physical level. Given that he is on screen for almost the whole film he is commendable here as a character to invest in. There’s something in Gyllenhaals boyish grin that makes him a vulnerable everyman, even when he’s in action mode and this is extremely important in getting the audience to invest emotionally when the time comes. In all the action and mayhem, the quiet, more profound moments are given to us by Michelle Monaghan as an innocent bystander caught up in the plot and tragically destined to die and Vera Farmiga playing a solider caught between her head and her heart. Both give the film warmth against a cold, clinical backdrop of a train and a military facility.  

Source Code is a hugely ambitious thriller that many will accuse of thinking it’s cleverer than it is. I don’t think that's the case at all. The twists in the film aren’t ground-breaking but they aren’t played to shock, they are provided as a means of telling this story in the most entertaining, emotive and intelligent way possible. And for my money, it worked! As mainstream action-thrillers go, this is top notch. Enjoyable on many levels and if you’re not into the self-important undertones that belie the story, just enjoy it for its excitement, its commendable writing and skilled performances.

Great fun!

The Adjustment Bureau

Written & Directed by: George Nolfi

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Terence Stamp

Rating: 8/10

The Adjustment Bureau is a film that wears it’s heart on its sleeve and its head in The Twilight Zone. The film begins with what looks like a propaganda piece for Davis Norris (Damon), a young, handsome and, most importantly, working-class politician who is running for Congress. He is well-dressed, genuine and cares about the little guy, making him a shoo-in for his constituency. That is, until a newspaper runs some unsavoury photographs of him from his wilder days. His lead drops away and he loses the election.

David is crushed and as he rehearses his concession speech in the men’s toilets in a swanky hotel, he realises he is not alone. There is a beautiful young woman (Blunt) hiding away in a cubicle, on the run from hotel security for crashing a wedding. In a meet-cute straight out of a Capra film, the pair hit it off instantly and she inspires him with her free-spirited nature and her easy manner. When David’s aide tells him it’s time to go, she dashes off into the night leaving David aghast and madly in love. She also left him inspired. He discards his old speech and replaces it with an improvised speech about the falsities that he presents as a politician, the thought and man-power that goes into choosing his tie and his shoes and he promises that he is the real deal and he will no longer buy into such nonsense. His powerful speech resonates with his constituents and his profile is raised making a sure thing for the next election…if he chooses to run.

Despite all the positive attention, David has only one thing on his mind. The woman he met on election night. When he accidentally bumps into her on the bus and the spark between them is as powerful as it was the first time, his prayers have been answered.

Meanwhile, shadowy men in fedoras and trenchcoats are thrown into a panic. How did this happen? This wasn’t part of the plan! They do everything in their power to ensure that this couple are kept apart so David can go back to the path he is supposed to be on and fulfil his destiny.

The rest of the film sees these shadowy characters following David and trying to convince him to never see her again. But, the heart wants what the heart wants and David is more stubborn than the Adjustment Bureau give him credit for.

As the film progresses it becomes clear that there are two worlds going on and both are as intriguing as the other. The first world is that of the Adjustment Bureau, an far-reaching organisation that watches the world and ensures that the important people reach their destiny. Any breaches will be rectified at any cost. However, as we get to know these characters, particularly Harry (a scene-stealing Anthony Mackie) who we suspect has become a little too attached to David and might just be on his side, it becomes clear that there is more to them than meets the eye and the people who first seem like leaders are only following orders from the people above them. John Slattery as the snide, arrogant Richardson (not a huge leap from his Mad Men or Desperate Housewives characters) and Terence Stamp as the malicious and reckless Thompson make wonderful villains as we struggle to understand the nature of their place in the world. Are they angels who are so caught up in the tangles of bureaucracy that their wings are forever tarnished by its machinations? Or are they politicians with an agenda that they will fulfil at any cost to the humans on earth? Either way, their world of GPS destiny-tracking machines and huge libraries and doors that magically open to the other side of the city is visually delightful and also intricate enough to capture the imagination.

The other world that the film gives us is the rather more intimate world between David and Elise, two people falling in love. The trick to The Adjustment Bureau and its strongest aspect is that the love story is not only believable, but it is engaging enough to make us really, really care that they are allowed to end up together. It’s all too rare to see falling in love portrayed onscreen with such a dynamic pairing. Not for one second do we doubt that this couple is supposed to be together and it is a credit to the filmmakers and the actors that such fanciful leaps of faith on the part of the audience are possible. Too many films place the entire premise on the assumption that two people belong together but don't make the audience really believe it (Titanic, I'm looking at you!). 

When these worlds collide it brings together a mix of wonder, terror and science fiction logic that is brilliantly executed and lovingly rendered by the wonderful cast. Matt Damon in particular must be applauded for his role here. He single-handledly shoulders not only the emotional core of the film but elegantly balances it with the action and sci-fi. Of course, I’ve come to expect nothing less from him, after a long career of skilful genre-jumping but here he shines in a film which could have gone terribly wrong if it weren’t for our love of the character and of course the double jeopardy of that niggling feeling that the Adjustment Bureau could be right. This man is going to be important and might change the world in the future and he shouldn't deviate from his path for the sake of a woman.

The final few minutes might get a little too sappy for some but this cannot overshadow the fun, the mayhem and the high-concept artistry on offer in the film. Stylish, thoughtful and deep, this is my favourite sci-fi film since The Box (hey, it’s a great movie, don’t be so hasty!) and I recommend watching it with an open mind but be prepared for a bit of romance thrown in with the action!

Cropsey

Directed by: Joshua Zeman & Barbara Brancaccio

Rating: 9/10

“Cropsey” is an urban legend, popular with kids in America since the 19th Century. He lived in the woods, sometimes he had an axe, sometimes a hook. He kidnapped children and brought them down to the tunnels under the town and killed them. This documentary looks at the disturbing reality behind this particular myth. The filmmakers, Josh and Barbara, two locals, were astonished to realise, as they grew up, that in their town “Cropsey” was real and his name was Andre Rand.

In 1980s Staten Island, New York saw a bout of child kidnappings. Several of these children were mentally disabled and were abducted in broad daylight from their relatively safe suburban neighbourhoods. When seven year-old Jennifer Schweizer, a girl with Down’s Syndrome disappears, the town has had enough and they work tirelessly to find the little girl, hoping to find her alive, but prepared for the worst. A local homeless man Andre Rand was suspected, arrested and charged with the kidnapping. Andre Rand was known to locals as being a vagrant who lived out in the woods near Willowbrook, an old institute for people with learning disabilities. He had a history of sex offences and other crimes which made him a likely suspect. The images of Rand that appeared in the local press were terrifying, wild eyes, gaunt figure and a string of drool from his mouth to his chest easily convinced the world that this man was indeed an evil lunatic.

 

Shortly after his arrest, Jennifer Schweizer's body was found in a shallow grave in the woods. Rand was convicted of her murder on minimal evidence and sentenced to life in prison, with a chance of parole in 2008. On his release he faced a new trial, for the kidnap and murder of Holly Hughes. The documentary follows this trial and begs the question, was Rand treated fairly or was he merely a convenient scapegoat for the locals?

This is a documentary that works on many levels. On one level, it is a highly entertaining, frightening and fascinating look at a community, like so many others that harbours dark secrets and evil places that seem impossible alongside the wholesome community that occupy the town. On another level it is an intelligent unbiased look at the legal system and the collective need for communities to find a villain and put him away so that they may try to move on from the tragedy, whether justice is being served or not.

A small, but resonant aspect of the documentary is the history of Willowbrook Institution which was the subject of a shocking expose in 1973 by Geraldo Rivera. The conditions in which mentally disabled children were living was beyond comprehension. Naked, filthy, sleeping in their own waste and with only one supervisor for the entire institution, the images in the documentary were shocking and tragic and let to the institution being shut down. Now abandoned, the building was rumoured to have become a refuge for some of its previous inhabitants who weren’t placed in other hospitals.

This place became a legendary “haunted house” where teenagers go to scare each other. Legends and stories became associated with the building and as the documentary investigates the buildings and the tunnels underneath there is chilling evidence found that would suggest that the atrocities of Willowbrook are still going strong.

As Cropsey continues, it faces the audience with challenging questions about our own prejudices against outsiders and "weirdos". It was clear that Rand did not get a very fair trial the first time, and the second trial is even worse. Guilty or innocent, the documentary is not out to exonorate him nor condemn him. However, he has always maintained his innocence and the prosecutors had very little real evidence against him. There are many theories around the town, all of which are considered fairly by the very non-judgmental, intelligent filmmakers.

A thematic companion piece to Stephen Kings novel “It”, this is a story about grief and fear and how people create monsters to wrap up the events as evil and not something any normal person would be capable of. Rand was never seen or treated as a normal person. He was perceived as a monster. Knowing that he was behind bars could detract from the fear and trauma that this community was feeling.

This is a very personal, very mature documentary that will scare you, upset you and hopefully make you think about society’s treatment of people. It is a well-balanced story which weaves many strands together to create a single picture of a town in crisis and the lasting effect it has had on the community. Highly recommended!

-          Charlene Lydon

http://www.sproutflix.org/content/willowbrook-last-great-disgrace

http://www.amazon.com/Cropsey/dp/B004FTVTPC

We Love...Gone With the Wind from Film Ireland

Gone With the Wind is a film that divides people of our generation. In some ways its enduring fame has worked to its detriment. It is emblematic of the Golden Age of Hollywood and stands up as one of the most successful blockbusters of all time (apparently if inflation is taken into account its still the highest grossing film of all time). However, because it is so widely known and much-parodied everybody feels like they have seen it. But how many people under 30 really have? Or, should I ask, how many people have given it the attention it deserves? We’re all guilty of claiming to have seen a film when in reality it played in the background on the telly while we were engaged in conversation, or doing a bit of cleaning. I think that Gone With the Wind is a film that has suffered a lot from this. Nobody forgets its feisty heroine, its lush visuals or its beautiful score but maybe people are forgetting what a truly beautiful romance is at the heart of it. With its daunting running time and the fact that you probably feel like you’ve already seen it, why give over nearly four hours of your life to this antique? Well, this Valentine’s Day perhaps you should make it your business to spend your afternoon in the company of the fieriest, most frustrating, most engaging cinematic couple of all time.

What is it about Rhett Butler? Gone With the Wind has been around for seventy years and still the very utterance of his name stands for what masculinity should truly be. The enduring popularity of this character says a lot about what women want in a man. Someone who will love them unconditionally but isn’t afraid to call them out when they’re acting like a child; someone who will fawn over their offspring; someone who is outrageously handsome and it helps that he has a stubborn integrity that will not be wavered. Here is a man who stands up for what he believes in, despite ruffling feathers to do so. Rhett Butler, if Carlsberg made romantic heroes…

It is difficult to summarise Gone With the Wind, and in summary it lacks much of the punch that the story holds in actuality. The sense of frustration audiences feel at this couple who obviously love each other but cannot be happy together still resonates today, despite the films ripe old age. There has been a recent resurgence in “doomed couples” films like 500 Days of Summer, Revolutionary Road and Blue Valentine. The appeal of films such as these is the grand tragedy of the fact that these couples just couldn’t make it work, despite loving each other deeply and genuinely. There are few tragedies more simple and relatable than that. Rhett and Scarlett’s relationship was a prime example of this dynamic. They love each other; it’s complicated in many ways but simple at its core. These are two people who understand each other and respect each others’ inherent flaws but whose sense of pride and individuality, not to mention stubbornness leads to their demise.

The breakdown of a marriage is a messy business and here it is displayed in beautiful Technicolour and explored in quite a profound way, disguised by a lush veneer of glamour and artifice. Give it a chance, you might just find yourself feeling profoundly moved.

 - Charlene Lydon
(from http://www.filmireland.net/2011/02/15/we-love-st-valentine-gone-with-the-wind/)

Winter's Bone

Written by: Debra Granik, Anne Rosselini
Directed by: Debra Granik
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt

Rating: 8/10


Winter's Bone tells a powerful story of Ree Dolly, a 17 year old girl who lives in the dangerous and hopelessly grim backwoods of Missouri. She is solely responsible for her much younger brother and sister and for taking care of her severely mentally ill mother. The local sheriff, solemnly played by the ever-wonderful Garret Dillahunt, informs her that her absent meth-cooking father has ditched bail and that his collateral was their small farm. If she doesn't find him they will be forced out of their home. What follows is Ree's trek around every grimy, drug infested hole in the county looking for any information she can get on her father.

Her frustration and desperation is palpable as she finds that her father was in so deep with the local drug-making "elite" that nobody will give her any information. She hits dead end after dead end and because everybody is generally unpleasant it is very difficult to tell friend from foe. As it starts to become likely that her father has in fact been murdered and his body "disposed of", Ree's situation looks utterly hopeless and the audiences cringes at this world that has sucked us into accepting a brutal murder of a father as "inconvenient". That is the shock of this story. Life is cheap, life is a chore we must get though until it is over and death is earned.

Winter's Bone is essentially a film noir set in the polar opposite of sultry LA. The structure of the story is almost like a video game where the protagonist goes from level to level unlocking prizes to get them to the next level. Here's the "prizes" are frustratingly small tidbits of information from unreliable sources. As onlookers on her journey, the audience can feel as angry and disgusted as she does. The risible junkies and dealers that she crosses paths with have learned to look out for number one and  the harsh, no-nonsense lives they lead have created a world in which "love thy neighbour" is laughably idealistic.

Her one ally (or is he?) is her father's brother Teardrop (deservedly Oscar-nominated John Hawkes)who is a hopeless junkie on his last legs who is reluctant to get involved in anything, but has a soft spot for his niece and her plight. Teardrop is really a wonderful character. He's scary, unpredictable, nasty but in this world, he is Ree's only hope.

As the story rolls towards its conclusion, Ree is faced with performing a most unimaginably grisly task to ensure the safety of her farm. This sequence is horrific to watch, truly heart-wrenching and it cements this characters status as the most badass teen ever committed to film. As good a performance as Ms. Lawrence turned in I found her looks to be distracting. Her angelic face and cherubic lips were far too typical Hollywood for my liking and that might seem like an unfair thing to say given the strength of her acting. But I do have to say that if I were casting the film I would have gone for someone a little more Sissy Spacek, a little less Charlize Theron. Otherwise, the rest of the cast is suitably decrepit and miserable-looking with a unified sense of malaise that it truly disturbing after a while.

This is a wonderful story, well told and the cast is wonderful. The backwoods meth aesthetic is an interesting one and I think it might be a new favourite sub-genre of mine (it's the reason I keep watching Showtime's Justified). However, while watching the film, I couldn't help feeling that it wasn't quite living up to its potential. It had all the elements of an incredible film but it just wasn't quite hitting the right notes for me. There was unfortunately something slightly TV-ish about the tone of the film and I kept thinking that in the hands of the right director (where are you Clint???) this would have been an instant classic. That's not to say this wasn't a remarkable film. It is certainly worth watching and deserving of it's accolades. Be warned, this is grim...I mean early Mike Leigh grim!

OSCAR NOMINATIONS 2011

Congratulations to Irish short film The Crush for it's nomination! We're all rooting for you here!!

Black Swan

Best Picture

“Black Swan” 

“The Fighter” 

“Inception” 

“The Kids Are All Right” 

 “The King's Speech” 

“127 Hours” 

“The Social Network” 

“Toy Story 3” 

“True Grit”

“Winter's Bone"

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem (Biutiful)

Jeff Bridges (True Grit)

Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)

Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

The brilliant John Hawkes is nominated for "Winter's Bone

James Franco (127 Hours)

Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale (The Fighter)

John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)

Jeremy Renner (The Town)

Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)

Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Actress in a Leading Role

Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)

Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)

Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)

The luminous Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine"

Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

Michelle Williams in (Blue Valentine)

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams (The Fighter)

Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)

Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

Animated Feature Film

“How to Train Your Dragon”

“The Illusionist” 

“Toy Story 3”

Art Direction

“Alice in Wonderland”
Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”
Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan

“Inception”
Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat

“The King's Speech”
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr

“True Grit”
Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

The now-legendary revolving fight scene in "Inception"

Cinematography

“Black Swan” Matthew Libatique

“Inception” Wally Pfister

“The King's Speech” Danny Cohen

“The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth

“True Grit” Roger Deakins

Costume Design

“Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood

“I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi

“The King's Speech” Jenny Beavan

“The Tempest” Sandy Powell

“True Grit” Mary Zophres

Directing

“Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky

“The Fighter” David O. Russell

“The King's Speech” Tom Hooper

“The Social Network” David Fincher

“True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Documentary (Feature)

“Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz

“Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic

“Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

“Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger

“Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Documentary (Short Subject)

“Killing in the Name” Nominees to be determined

Danny Boyle's daring true story racked up an unexpected 6 nominations

“Poster Girl” Nominees to be determined

“Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon

“Sun Come Up” Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger

“The Warriors of Qiugang” Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Film Editing

“Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum

“The Fighter” Pamela Martin

“The King's Speech” Tariq Anwar

“127 Hours” Jon Harris

“The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

"Dogtooth" - an edgy choice for Best Foreign Language film

Foreign Language Film

“Biutiful” Mexico

“Dogtooth” Greece

“In a Better World” Denmark

“Incendies” Canada

“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

Makeup

“Barney's Version” Adrien Morot

“The Way Back” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng

“The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Music (Original Score)

“How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell

“Inception” Hans Zimmer

“The King's Speech” Alexandre Desplat

“127 Hours” A.R. Rahman

“The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Music (Original Song)

“Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey

“I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater

“If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong

“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Short Film (Animated)

“Day & Night” Teddy Newton

“The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang

“Let's Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe

“The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann

“Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois

Irish short film "The Crush" by Michael Creagh

Short Film (Live Action)

“The Confession” Tanel Toom

“The Crush” Michael Creagh

“God of Love” Luke Matheny

“Na Wewe” Ivan Goldschmidt

“Wish 143” Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Sound Editing

“Inception” Richard King

“Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers

“Tron: Legacy” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague

“True Grit” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey

“Unstoppable” Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Mixing

“Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick

“The King's Speech” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley

“Salt” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin

“The Social Network” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten

“True Grit” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Visual Effects

“Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi

“Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell

“Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb

“Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

A shoo-in for Best Adapted Screenplay.

“127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

“The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

“Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

“True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

“Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh

“The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson

“Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan

“The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

“The King's Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

Black Swan

Written by: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John McLaughlin

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Vincent Cassel.

Rating: 10/10

Darren Aronofsky’s powerful new horror/thriller/melodrama is truly in a class of its own and proves yet again that he is one of the world’s most reliably imaginative, fearless and powerful film directors. After the admittedly underwhelming The Fountain, Aronofsky followed up with the stripped bare, no punches pulled The Wrestler which was a feat of restraint and nuance which triumphed as a touching tale of the lengths that performers will go to not to leave the prime of their career behind. In The Wrestler, Aronofsky deals with an ageing wrestler who refuses to give up despite his train-wreck of a body begging him to give it a break. In Black Swan he tackles a ballerina in the prime of her life, just reaching the pinnacle of her much-sought “perfection” which is taking its toll not only on her body but on her mental health also.

Nina is a ballerina, the daughter of an obsessed former ballerina, and she has worked her whole life to be “the best”. She is the perfect daughter, beautiful, polite, subservient and modest. She works hard and is insecure about her social skills but tries to get along with people as best she can. She dreams (literally) about playing The Swan Queen in Swan Lake, every ballerina’s dream no doubt and as it happens her ballet company’s former star, Beth (Ryder) retires and leaves a space for a new star to emerge. Thomas (Cassel), the leering genius choreographer, believes she is a perfect White Swan but doesn’t believe that she has the depth, darkness or sensuality to play the Black Swan, an evil seductress. Deep down she knows he’s right and what follows is Nina’s desperate foray into the dark side of her soul, one which has been so neglected that it has become dangerously repressed.

If David Cronenberg did women’s pictures he might just have given us Black Swan. Almost everything about this is classic David Cronenberg; the duality that becomes more and more trippy; the focus on the body as a fallible and often grotesque instrument of obsession; the endeavour for progress that ultimately brings about the downfall of the hero. This territory has been tread by Cronenberg in such films as The Fly, Videodrome and Dead Ringers. However, with Cronenbergs other notable penchant being masculinity, there’s no room for him in this film. Black Swan is in every way a film about being a woman; in the most volatile, dark, hideous form of femininity. Almost everything about the protagonist, Nina encapsulates the absolute worst aspects of womanhood. The insecurities, the pressure to control one’s own body, the thin line between Madonna and whore, the ugliness that comes with the pursuit of perfection. I’m not accusing this film of misogyny, but the grotesque darkness underpinning Nina’s journey is certainly an inherently female one.

As ugly as it is beautiful, Darren Aronofsky has sculpted a story here that is so profoundly horrific that it amazed me that it hasn’t been told before. The less said about the plot, the better as the “plot” is fairly thin. There’s not much by way of story, it is more a beautiful exercise in atmosphere and a dark fairytale about obsession and repression. Natalie Portman puts on the performance of a lifetime here and earns the Oscar nomination (and probably win) she will inevitably receive. She is in turns transcendently beautiful, frighteningly ugly, off-puttingly child-like and darkly sexy, depending on the scene. Her body is put through the mill to impossible lengths and she is so skinny she starts to look skeletal in parts. This is a flawless performance and it can’t be overstated how important the central performance is for this film to work. Kudos must also go to the supporting cast who plays their small roles with gusto. Vincent Cassel is a wonderfully believable menace and Winona Ryder’s fading star is wicked and soulful and Mila Kunis is a giddy, sexual delight in a role in which charisma is so important. Barbara Hershey is truly upsetting as Nina’s nightmarish stage mother. It is easy to feel the intense mix of love and fear in their household and the genuine tenderness mixed with regimental bullying.

This is a perfect production on every level. The music, Clint Mansell's aural raping of Tchaikovsky is deeply unsettling, ugly enough to complement the film's darkness and beautiful enough to evoke real emotion in the audience. The visuals are simply stunning and the energy with which the film is shot ensures that you will spend most of the film beside yourself in the grip of terror and just general unease.

Black Swan is a stunner of a film. Frightening, tender and eloquent; it is a visual poem of epic proportions about one girl’s meltdown told from a stunningly intimate viewpoint. A story told from the inside out, and one which manages successfully to keep you on board in the most devastating fashion until long after the credits rolled.

 - Charlene Lydon

We Love...The Town from Film Ireland

Ben Affleck’s second film as a director The Town allayed the doubts of any sceptics. Gone Baby Gone (2007) was an ambitious, impressive debut which pulled some brilliant performances from its cast and told a complex story deftly. This time Affleck upped the ante by not only directing The Town but also starring in the film. The Town is a pleasant surprise as it is not only a perfect showcase for Affleck’s powerful filmmaking skills but the role proves he is much more than chiselled features and a cheeky grin. Due to some poor choices in the past, Ben Affleck is rarely given much credit for his acting skills but here he provides a mix of likeability and classic Hollywood charisma. He has proven withThe Townthat he is certainly next in line to Eastwood’s throne as the King of the Actor/Directors, not that Eastwood shows any signs of hanging up his crown just yet.

For those of you who haven’t seen it, The Town is a classic heist setup. Doug (Affleck) is a nice guy born on the wrong side of the tracks into an area of Boston where bank robbers seem to be bred from generation to generation. He is convinced to do one last job but things get complicated when they take Claire, a smart, sexy bank manager (Rebecca Hall) as a hostage. Doug is sent to seduce her in the hope that he might find out what she is telling the FBI but he soon becomes enamoured of her, jeopardising the relationships between the gang.

This is a pretty generic story but what makes this film special is that it does not revel in the lifestyle of these people. The world that is built in the film is not the cocaine-fuelled high-life of gangsters á la Goodfellas;these are blue collar, working-class men who were raised in this lifestyle and rob banks like expert scamps, giddy on the adrenaline and unaffected by the presence of the law. ‘The Law’ in this case is represented by FBI agents Frawley (Jon Hamm), a prejudiced and jaded bureaucrat and Ciampa (Titus Welliver), a former resident of Charlestown, now sympathetic turncoat. The complex dynamic of cop and robber is brilliantly evolved due to the delicate balance of where our sympathies lie.

As the story progresses and the relationship between Doug and Claire deepens the tension mounts as Doug becomes more and more tangled in the web of family and neighbourhood ties he is stuck in.

There are three major action sequences in the films, the first being Claire’s bank which is thrilling, and frightening in its brutality (undoubtedly influenced by Nolan’s opening scene inThe Dark Knight). The second action sequence is a post-robbery car chase through Boston’s winding, hilly, North End. I’m not usual one for car chases but I cherished this one as a one-of-a-kind action sequence that got every element perfect for cinematic thrills. The blue-collar nature of The Town ensures a creeping sense that life is cheap and happy endings are not guaranteed, giving this film an added layer of turmoil.

The final action set piece is a brazen robbery of Fenway Park. A brilliant sequence, the story of this one robbery in all its intricacy is like a film all to itself. It also leads to the film’s final showdown and thrilling climax which is so packed with energy and cinematic tension that it became clear that this is the year’s best thriller by a mile (take that, Lisabeth Salander!).

In a film that plays with notions of heroes and villains, kudos must go to the recently deceased Pete Postlethwaite for his slimy portrayal of the only clear evil bastard of the film, Fergie the florist; a wonderfully memorable monster whose villainous ways are delightfully menacing and gut-wrenchingly hateful. Never has rose-stem snipping been more terrifying. A fitting end to a great career!

I’ve never found myself a lover of gangster films or heist films. In fact, I usually find it difficult to connect with them at all. The Town is, for some reason or another, a welcome exception. Perhaps it was the fact that I could buy into the lifestyle as a bread-and-butter means to an end rather than a hedonistic pursuit of money and cocaine or perhaps it’s the community of characters that is so deftly woven together or maybe it’s just the sum of all its parts; acting, writing, directing, pacing adding up to a superior cinematic experience. In a year full of extremes of good and bad films, The Town proudly stands with the best of them as an example of how classy a genre film can be with the right talent involved.

 - Charlene Lydon

from: http://www.filmireland.net/2011/01/14/we-love-2010-the-town/