Snap Judgments: 84th Annual Academy Award Nominations

Earlier this morning the nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced. Hugo received 11 nominations while The Artist received 10. As usual, there were snubs (sorry Albert Brooks and Tilda Swinton) and surprises (GARY OLDMAN).

Some of the nominations have left me furious and the Best Picture nomination for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has made me throw things. Gary Oldman’s nomination as well as two other nominations for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy only slightly quell my rage. I’m also crushed that we won’t get to see which Haider Ackermann pantsuit Tilda Swinton was going to wear to the Oscars. And can someone please explain to me how and why only two songs were nominated for Best Song? The voting rules for that category need to be addressed.  The complete list of nominees is here and my snap judgments are below. Share your thoughts in the comments. Continue reading “Snap Judgments: 84th Annual Academy Award Nominations”

A Best of 2011 List You Shouldn’t Take Too Seriously

I have been commissioned to write some sort of “Best of 2011” list. The problem is I don’t believe in “Best of” lists. Instead, this is just a list of 15 movies from 2011 I liked, in alphabetical order. (Disclaimer: You can blame Ally (and some other Tweeps) if you don’t enjoy this list.)

Continue reading “A Best of 2011 List You Shouldn’t Take Too Seriously”

Trailer Fix: The Tree of Life (2011)

Ever since I saw the trailer for Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life last week, I have been waiting for it to premiere online. I’ve seen the trailer twice now in theaters and both times it absolutely mesmerized me. (So much so that when a group of teens who had obviously never seen a Malick film before starting laughing at the trailer, I almost turned around to shout at them for ruining the trailer.)

The Tree of Life follows Jack from his 1950s Midwestern childhood through his years as a disillusioned adult and as he attempts to repair his relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Sean Penn plays Jack as an adult. The trailer highlights Malick’s majestic style and will enthrall you.

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