If I Were King of the Oscars…

You’ve seen the Oscars, I listed my top ten, now it’s time for my nominations. Some of these the Academy got right, others not so much. Here is what my personal ballot for 2010 would look like.

Bryan’s Top 10 of 2010

Once again my list is a little later than most, but I had some catching up to do. I tried my hardest to watch the most well received (and some not so much) films of the year. If you think something is missing or doesn’t belong, please feel free to start a discussion (argument) in the comments. As always, I don’t include documentaries, and I try to stick with films theatrically released in the U.S. last year.

My Favorite Films of the Last Decade #4

Ed Tom Bell: You can’t help but compare yourself against the old-timers. Can’t help but wonder how they’d've operated these times… The crime you see now, it’s hard to even take its measure. It’s not that I’m afraid of it. I always knew you had to be willing to die to even do this job. But, I don’t want to push my chips forward and go out and meet something I don’t understand. A man would have to put his soul at hazard. He’d have to say, “OK, I’ll be part of this world.”

The Trouble with Quibbles: True Grit

I dig westerns. With my particular predilection for Southern Gothic sensibilities, I like ‘em dark, bleak, gritty, following an anti-hero protagonist, preferably played by Clint Eastwood. (If anyone ever makes a Southern Gothic supernatural western starring Clint Eastwood, I’m there.) Not a huge John Wayne fan. Like some of his films, but he’s not by favorite. (Still, I think it might be un-American not to enjoy The Searchers at least a little bit.) Upon hearing that the Coen’s (Joel & Ethan) would helm a remake…reboot…re-imagining (whatever you want to call it) of True Grit, I was more than excited. Eager to see a western from the brilliant team behind the amazing neo-noir/western No Country for Old Men (a contemporary classic), starring The Dude himself (Academy Award-winner Jeff Bridges), Bryan and I anxiously awaited its winter release. And as we were of differing opinions about the Coen’s last film, A Serious Man–Bryan liked it, I did not–I was interested to see if we’d agree on True Grit.

Top 10 Trailers – 2010

Think of this as a companion piece to my previous poster list. My top ten movies list is still forthcoming, so in the meantime I’ve compiled the ten previews that stood out this year. I watch a lot of trailers, and wouldn’t you know it, my day job is writing and creating trailers. So, you might say I know what I’m talking about (wow, can’t say that too often). The best trailers stand out from the pack, don’t spoil the movie, and most of all, make you want to see the picture. A few of these have some wonderful copy and structure, but really most of these trailers work so well because of their music selection, wonderful editing, and usually some decent source material.

One note, these are trailers for films released in 2010, so no Tree of Life or Cowboys and Aliens. And just like with the posters, I’ll keep comments to a minimum and let the clips do the talking.

Requiem for a Fanboy – A Poster Prelude

[Editor's note: Stay tuned for Bryan's complete Top 20 posters of 2010.]

One of my favorite things about movies, theater, concerts–any event that needs to be advertised–is the poster. They have to sell something, an entire 90-minute event summed-up with one picture. While the specific qualities and purposes for the posters are often very different, the goal is still the same: to catch someone’s eye and make them remember it. With movies, the process is in overdrive.