Kick Ass Little Girls Rule the Silver Screen!

Las year I went to see  Kickass with a friend and I didn’t know what to expect, as I’m not a hardcore comic based movies, but to my surprise I enjoyed it very much, as did many people on Rotten Tomatoes.

But, what made the movie supercool is that there was a little girl who was awesome!  Played by Chloë Grace Moretz, she was very entertaining to watch, kicking butts left and right.  The film was refreshing and fun, and Chloe added a nice layer to the film.

This year’s Kickass movies is Hanna, which I saw this past weekend and throughly enjoyed as well.  I knew I wanted to see it when I first saw the preview for it and because I like the cast that includes: Saoirse Ronan, who I first saw in Atonement and was very impressed by her performance, and the great Cate Blanchett of course.  Hanna reminded me of what going to the movies was all about, as it had all the winning ingredients: beautiful cinematography and jaw-droping vistas, excellent cast, strong directing, interesting and exhilarating story, full of action and suspense, and simply perfect music by The Chemical Brothers, which added a nice ambiance to the experience.  The movie was not perfect, as it was a bit slow at the beginning while setting up, but that happens with many movies.  But all in all, I give the film a 4 out of 5 stars and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Interestingly enough Hanna also had a very similar rating to Kickass on Rotten Tomatoes, with users having a higher liking on them than critics.

And one last point to note is that both films did very well at the box office during opening weekend, with many fans interested in a similar experience, so the audience for these type of films is out there.  Hanna played in over 2,500 screens in North American Theaters, collecting a relatively impressive $12.4 million and taking the number 2 spot under the Disney film Hop.  Hanna beat the other new releases for last week, which is impressive in itself.  Arthur and Your Highness were playing at more theaters and had a wider appeal because of their budgets, cast and directors.

Hanna was brought to us by Focus Features, who usually focus on smaller artsier films; except for this year with the releases of The Eagle and now Hanna.  Nevertheless, both of their films still managed to keep an independent film flavor and quality to them, which I like.  Hanna was a film that was carried by a little girl, who seems to be getting better and better as an actress as she gets older, and like Chloe, Saoirse is paving the way for many other little girls to rule the world in the silver screen!

Here is Hanna’s trailer for your enjoyment:

Have you Heard of These Films: “I Am Love”, “Fish Tank” or “Biutiful”? ICINE Proudly Announces The Best In 2010 Films!

It’s the time of the year again to wrap-up the year with the best in film; thus, it’s my turn to announce my choices for the best in 2010.  The past year was by a large margin a much better year for movies and performances, just when I was about ready to throw in the towel!  It was the first year in a while that I saw an increase in numbers of films seen, with almost over 100.

This was also a very good year for actors and independent films, so good that most of my choices are either independent and foreign, and both supporting categories have six nominees each–they were that good!  Not to mention Javier Bardem’s formidably hunting performance.  Plus two special categories: Best Musical Score and Rolling Credits nominees and winners.

OK, without further ado, here is the list of nominees and winners for the 2010 Rammy Awards–drum roll please:-):

2010 RAMMYS
Top 10 Films
10.  127 Hours
9.  I Am Love
8.  Fish Tank
7.  Nora’s Will
6.  Another Year
5.  The Town
4.  Black Swan
3.  The Ghost Writer
2.  Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1
1.  Biutiful 

Best Picture
Biutiful *
Black Swan
The Ghost Writer
Mesrine: Public Enemy No 1
The Town

Best Actor
Ben Affleck for The Town
Javier Bardem for Biutiful * (tie)
Vincent Cassel for Mesrine: Killer Instinct and Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 * (tie)
Colin Firth for The King’s Speech
James Franco for 127 Hours

Best Actress
Maricel Alvarez for Biutiful
Annette Bening  for The Kid’s Are All Right *
Katie Jarvis for Fish Tank
Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Tilda Swinton for I Am Love
Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale for The Fighter
John Hawkes for Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner for The Town *
Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech
Dylan Riley Snyder for Life During Wartime

Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo for The Figher
Lesley Manville for Another Year *
Ann Morgan Guilbert for Please Give
Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit
Jacky Weaver for Animal Kingdom
Olivia Williams for Ghost Writer

Best Original Score
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
Social Network *

Best Rolling Credits
Blue Valentine

Golden Globe Nominations: What They FAILED to Include!

The Recent Golden Globe nominations are a true statement of how this has become more of a popularity contest than a true award show.   I was thinking of writing an article about this the other day and just came across an excellent piece by Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times, covering this very same topic. She covers so many of the big omissions the Hollywood Foreign Press failed to include in this year’s list of nominees, as in the case of Olivier Assayas’ Carlos, South Korea’s Mother, Tilda Swinton’s I Am Love, among many other.  What it is interesting is to note is that it’s the same Hollywood Foreign Press who is snubbing many of these great international/foreign films, that one would think would be automatic shoe-ins.

One of this foreign films that I enjoyed so much this year was Biutiful, a film starring Javier Bardem and directed by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu.   Javier Bardem–the same way Hye-Ja Kim from Mother and Tilda Swinton in I Am Love–was profoundly affecting in his role as a dying father and Inarritu’s directing merely profound, work that most certainly deserves some sort of recognition.  There are so many other films that I can think of that were also excluded, such as: True Grit, Please Give, Nora’s Will, Fish Tank, Barney’s Version, The Town and the list can go on.   But, instead the same eighty plus Foreign Press members found it necessary to recognize a film like The Tourist and their leading actors for their performances–Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp?  This is exactly when you know that there is something REALLY wrong with this picture, it’s just a joke!  Shame on you Hollywood Foreign Press!!!

These aforementioned films deserve to be seen and it’s a shame the their distribution and studios’ marketing haven’t really done them well by making sure voters see and vote for them.   Let’s hope that come Oscar time, the academy members won’t make the same mistake and do justice to good films and good work from actors that truly invest themselves into their characters and recognize them.  For those people like me and Betsy from the LA Times, keep seeing and supporting these quality films and spread the word about them among your friends.  Often times, these are small independent/foreign films that need be discovered by more people and the only way for that to happen, sometimes is through good word of mouth.  Let’s spread the word folks!

Read more about the common ground I share with Betsy on her article from the LA Times below…

Critic’s Notebook: Where the Golden Globe nominations went wrong.  Johnny Depp with two nominations, Tilda Swinton with none, ‘True Grit’ shut out? An on-looker could go on — and does.

By Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times Film Critic
December 15, 2010

That was quite a performance by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. on Tuesday morning — it had sort of an Alice in Wonderland quality about it, though maybe “quality” isn’t exactly the right word.

Johnny Depp, who is having an off year at best, gets two nominations? Seriously? Angelina Jolie picks up one for that laugh riot “The Tourist”? Meanwhile Tilda Swinton, incomparable in “I Am Love,” Kim Hye-ja stunning in “Mother,” Hailee Steinfeld remarkable in “True Grit” are nowhere to be found. For that matter “True Grit” gets nada, and Roman Polanski’s exceptionally smart “The Ghost Writer” also comes up empty.

If this is Wonderland, even Alice wouldn’t want to live here any more.

The Globe nominations have often been little more than a popularity contest among those who throw the best parties, but with its 2011 nominations, the HFPA has reached a new low. (Yet no “Get Low’s” Robert Duvall.)

Here’s an idea: Recognize an actual comedy in the comedy-musical category. How about Nicole Holofcener’s wonderfully dark “Please Give” with Catherine Keener, or “Cyrus” with John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill? Even “The Ghost Writer” had a lot of great irony attached to Ewan McGregor’s Ghost, and irony is still funny, right?

And while we’re getting animated here, if the rules can be stretched so thinly as to qualify “Tourist” as a comedy, and Depp’s performance therein as a funny ha-ha one (versus a funny-weird one) — why not include Tom Hanks or Tim Allen? As Woody and Buzz Lightyear in “Toy Story 3,” both were definitely funnier than several of the actors who made it in.

Meanwhile, in the darker recesses of the Globes’ rabbit hole, why not Mia Wasikowska if we’re giving a shout-out to Depp in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”? Why wasn’t Aaron Eckhart’s searing pain of “Rabbit Hole” enough to make the supporting actor cut?

Another confusion, “Inception” walks off with nominations for best picture, best director and best screenplay, but apparently all that greatness happened without the help of actors. Nothing for Leonardo DiCaprio or Marion Cotillard. Were they asleep? (And by “they,” I mean the HFPA).

The 80 plus one (this is a plus-one town, you know) took notice of Annette Bening and Julianne Moore in “The Kids Are All Right” but missed Mark Ruffalo’s seductive charm, and went on to completely overlook Dustin Hoffman, excellent opposite Paul Giamatti in “Barney’s Version,” to make room for Michael Douglas in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.” Huh?

Director Olivier Assayas’ exceptional “Carlos,” carried to great heights on the broad shoulders of actor Édgar Ramírez, premiered at the Cannes FILM Festival, has made many Top 10 FILM lists, yet the HFPA excludes it from the foreign film category, instead it’s relegated to TV for its “pay the bills” run there. Really?

I tell you, crimes, serious crimes, have been committed. There are more, too many to mention. I’m with the Queen of Hearts on this one: “Off with their heads.”

The 2010 Gotham Independent Film Award Nominations Announced: Who Made The Cut?

The Film Award Season has officially began with the nominations announcement of the 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards , ceremony that will take place on Monday, November 29th at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, where winners will be announced.

Indie film “Winter Bones”, “The Kids Are All Right” and Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” led the nominations with each garnering two total.  “Bone” took three nominations, including best feature, best ensemble performance (for Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, and Kevin Breznahan), and best breakthrough performance (Lawrence).  In the best feature category, the film was joined by Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan,” Derek Cianfrance’s “Blue Valentine,” Lisa Cholodenko’s “The Kids Are All Right,” and Matt Reeves’ “Let Me In.”

The big snubs were Annette Bening for “Kids” and Portman for “Swan”, both of which are said to be front runners for the Academy Awards.

The 2010 nominees for the 20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Film Awards are:

Best Feature
Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky, director; Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver, Scott Franklin, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Blue Valentine
Derek Cianfrance, director; Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell, Alex Orlovsky, producers (The Weinstein Company)

The Kids Are All Right
Lisa Cholodenko, director;  Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Jordan Horowitz, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Philippe Hellmann, producers (Focus Features)

Let Me In
Matt Reeves, director; Simon Oakes, Alex Brunner, Guy East, Tobin Armbrust,  Donna Gigliotti, John Nording, Carl Molinder, producers (Overture Films)

Winter’s Bone
Debra Granik, director; Anne Rosellini, Alix Madigan-Yorkin, producers (Roadside Attractions)

Best Documentary
12th & Delaware
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, directors/producers (HBO Documentary Films)

Inside Job
Charles Ferguson, director; Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)

The Oath
Laura Poitras, director/producer (Zeitgeist Films and American Documentary/POV)

Public Speaking
Martin Scorsese, director; Martin Scorsese, Graydon Carter, Margaret Bodde, Fran Lebowitz, producers (HBO Documentary Films)

Sweetgrass
Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Ilisa Barbash, directors; Ilisa Barbash, producer (Cinema Guild)

Best Ensemble Performance
The Kids Are All Right
Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson (Focus Features)

Life During Wartime
Shirley Henderson, Ciarán Hinds, Allison Janney, Michael Lerner, Chris Marquette, Rich Pecci, Charlotte Rampling, Paul Reubens, Ally Sheedy, Dylan Riley Snyder, Renée Taylor, Michael Kenneth Williams (IFC Films)

Please Give
Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Ann Guilbert, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele, Thomas Ian Nicholas (Sony Pictures Classics)

Tiny Furniture
Lena Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Grace Dunham, Rachel Howe, Merritt Wever, Amy Seimetz, Alex Karpovsky, David Call,  Jemima Kirke, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Garland Hunter, Isen Hunter (IFC Films)

Winter’s Bone
Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, Kevin Breznahan (Roadside Attractions)

Breakthrough Director
John Wells for The Company Men (The Weinstein Company)

Kevin Asch for Holy Rollers (First Independent Pictures)

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa for I Love You Phillip Morris (Roadside Attractions)

Tanya Hamilton for Night Catches Us (Magnolia Pictures)

Lena Dunham for Tiny Furniture (IFC Films)

Breakthrough Actor
Prince Adu in Prince of Broadway (Elephant Eye Films)

Ronald Bronstein in Daddy Longlegs (IFC Films)

Greta Gerwig in Greenberg (Focus Features)

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone (Roadside Attractions)

John Ortiz in Jack Goes Boating (Overture Films)

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
Kati With An I
Robert Greene, director; Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, producers

Littlerock
Mike Ott, director; Frederick Thornton, Laura Ragsdale, Sierra Leoni, producers

On Coal River
Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood, directors; Jillian Elizabeth, Adams Wood, Francine Cavanaugh, producers

Summer Pasture
Lynn True and Nelson Walker, directors/producers; Tsering Perlo, co-director/co-producer

The Wolf Knife
Laurel Nakadate, director/producer

Have you seen any of these films?

Check out “The Kids Are All Right” and my review below, definitely worth seeing!

Pasadena’s Movie Going Treasure A+: Movie Choice D- (“I’m Still Here”)

Pasadena is one of those cities that has it all, particularly when it comes to entertainment, it has among the best movie theaters in all of Los Angeles.   It boasts boutique movie houses that show mainstream films, as well as specialized ones. It also has two art houses that show rare films that once could only be seen in the west end of town in the old days.   The Laemmle Theater Group, perhaps the oldest and only surviving family-run cinema house in Los Angeles, is one of those cinema halls that has been in Pasadena for the longest time and where rare independent and foreign films are exhibited. So, while in a night out in the town, why not check out a film at one of these cinemas?

Joaquin Phoenix’s “I’m Still Here” Reality Show Stunt

I’m Still Here is one of the most recent films that released exclusively in selected theaters nationwide in early September, including the Laemmle Theaters.  The film is a mockumentary directed by Casey Affleck–Ben Affleck’s little brother.  The film stars Joaquin Phoenix–Casey’s brother-in-law and his best friend–and follows the life of Phoenix, from the moment he announced retiring from show business after being of an acting ensemble benefit play in the Bay area, to the actors pursuit to becoming a hip hop artist.  The film is a reality show that follows him during that very moment in 2008 to the current year.

The actor decision to leave Hollywood shocked everyone and many didn’t believe it, as the whole thing looked like a hoax.  A hoax indeed was as it turns out. The fact that the events of the film had been deliberately staged was not disclosed until after the film had been released.  The actor was so entrenched into his character that he looked like a cavemen junkie, as throughout the film and publicly humiliated on the David Letterman show as we all remember.   During the show, Phoenix seemed to be in another planet altogether; giving shorts incoherent answers, not remember anything about the film he was promoting–Two Lovers–nor the name of actors he share the screen with, and of course chewing gun and taking it out of his mouth and sticking it under Letterman’s desk. How are we to sympathize with this guy?

The film goes on tediously showing Phoenix at his lowest: doing drugs, having sex with prostitutes, getting into a fight in a club in Miami, falling from stage in Las Vegas, witnessing Antony Langdon–Spacehog guitarist and musician–defecate on his face while asleep as a result of a feud between them that loses Joaquin’s trust.   The scene where he finally meets rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs in his studio, he was able to be there on time for their meeting and bring his demo CD for “Diddy” to listen and at after listening to the third and last song Phoenix says: “So when do we record?” Then “Diddy” looks a him with a look of pity and tells him: “The first two songs were good, I liked them, but the last one brought it downhill…you can’t record with me, not under my name”.   This scene was one of those few moments in the film where one feels for the guy.

The film is only one hour and six minutes, but it dragged on forever, and it followed the typical hollywood formula: it ended at the same place where it began.   One is suppose to sympathize with the guy and his trials and tribulations, but the film does very little to do that.   Instead we are reminded that Joaquin is ‘still here’, as the title says: “I Am Still Here”.  He duped us all.

For everyone’s amusement, here are a couple of images of Joaquin’s appearances at the Dave Letterman show before and after the stunt…it really makes one vomit at the snobbery of calling a reality stunt ART!

If really bored and have nothing else to do than going to a movie, be sure to read up on this film before being stuck in a theater watching what happened to the once promising Joaquin Phoenix; instead, check out the theater marquee for other film options and save the trouble.  The film gets one star out of four, and that’s being quite generous!

Luckily the Laemmle Playhouse is a multiplex cinema that can offer movie lovers many other good options.

This movie is more about the local cinema treasures we have in Pasadena, more than about this film that just happened to be playing at the given date and time. For more information on what’s playing at Pasadena Laemmle Playhouse theaters go to the Laemmle.

The Kids Are All Right – A Film Far Better Than All Right!!!

So far this year, it has become the year I have seen the least number of films since I started going to the movies—age 14.  Nevertheless, I don’t give up completely, as there are those little movies that from time to time pop-up, as it’s the case of the following films: The Kids Are All Right, The Disappearance of Alice Creed and Life During Wartime.  Each of these films have released over the last several weeks, but even those I am being a bit cautious about seeing.  I have heard great things about all three of them and Todd Solondz is the director of Life During Wartime, whose films I enjoy very much.

So, I went to the local theater to check out one of these films to end my curiosity, and I got tickets for Lisa Cholodenko’s new film “The Kids Are Alright“. Not to be confused with the 1979 musical documentary by The Who, also called: The Kids Are Allright or their single by the same name.  Interestingly enough I don’t recall noticing this song being played during or after the film, which would have been perfect.  I did hear a couple of David Bowie songs however, which I enjoyed very much.

To my delight I ended up liking the film very much!  The film was poignant and felt very personal to the director, as Lisa herself had gone through something very similar herself, as she became pregnant in 2006 by the way of an anonymous sperm donor.

The film officially released to the general public following the LA Film Festival on July 31^st, where it premiered locally.  The story centers around a lesbian couple, Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening), who each give birth to a girl and a boy respectively using the same anonymous sperm, donated by Paul (Mark Ruffalo), as we find out in the film.

Nic and Jules are in committed relationship until Paul comes back into the picture via the kids (Joni and Laser) desire to find out who their biological father was.  Their relationship is put to test indeed, as Jules—who is very insecure and dependent on Nic—realizes that something is missing in her life and that she’s bored, so she decides to just let go.  Nic on the other hand is a doctor who believes in rules and controlling the family, the breadwinner in the house.  Nic’s “exhaustingly controlling” behavior as Joni calls it becomes overbearing and begins pushing everyone away from her.  Jules’ stay-at-home mom life changes as she decides to begin her own landscape design business to start being more independent from Nic, and follow a new passion, as her children are all grown-up.  Joni is turning 18 and will be leaving for college and her little brother Laser isn’t so little anymore, as he is finishing high school soon, and will follow her shortly after.

Although Nic and Jules don’t want Paul to come into the picture, they are influenced by the kids to eventually all meet and make friends.  Little does Nic know of how much trouble this would really bring to her life?  Paul, a late 30s co-op farmer and restaurant owner comes into the picture, and the kids and Jules become very fond of him.  Nic and Jules’ relationship come to a to a point where it is fully compromised and they realize how much pain is causing one to the other once everything comes to light.  The climactic scene at the dinner table just when Nic was just beginning to feel comfortable with Paul is masterful.

Cholodenko’s subtlety is stirring, as one expects an all-out war at the dinner table, Nic just sits there in slow motion and just watches.  What the director is able to do here with this script is pure magic.  Her story is very compelling and the actors beautifully tell the story to the audience in a very organic way.  Annette Bening’s performance is a knockout!  She becomes Joni very convincingly, and mark my words; if there is any justice in Hollywood this performance should at least guarantee her a place on the Best Actress Academy Awards short list.  Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo were also very strong and delivered very solid performances.  And the kids were better than all right; they were perfectly casted, as at one moment—at the beginning of the film—they made the entire family feel like the perfect family.

The film is without doubt one of the few best films I’ve seen this year and highly recommended to anyone.  The film was released to universal acclaim since it premiered on January 25, 2010 at the Sundance Film Festival and at the 60th Berlinale festival, where the film was awarded with a Teddy award.  The nation’s top critics rate the film 96 out of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes, which says a lot about the film.  I rated 90% on my Icine book and highly recommend it to anyone to go see it!

I am also going to set away some time this summer to go see Solondz film: Life During Wartime and The Disappearance of Alice Creed, so stay tuned for reviews for those films to follow soon…

The Action on Film Festival Returns to Pasadena – July 23-30

For those film lovers in the Pasadena area searching for something different with a bit more action and substance then big Hollywood summer blockbusters, there is a new film festival I have recently discovered and recommend, called: Action on Film International Film Festival.

This year’s edition will bring nearly 400 low-budget films that promise to be for everyone’s liking, and will attract well-known actors who will be rewarded for their bodies of work, such as: Talia Shire (from the Godfather and Rocky) and Deborah Kara Unger (from White Noise and Silent Hill). I love independent films and going to see them in my city–the crown city–and just hope that the festival is a big success in town, so that the city can attract and host more events like this promoting smaller niche films.  I hope to catch a few worthwhile films at this year’s festival, as Movie Maker Magazine suggests: “It’s one of the top 25 film festivals worth the fees…”

The festival kicks-off Friday, July 23 and will play for a week.

From AOF’s official website:

“The AOF Fest is one of these most progressive film festivals on the scene today. With writers, producers, directors and filmmakers from all over the globe, we are truly an International affair. We have assisted a number of filmmakers in starting their careers; Stan Harrington, Mark Mahon, Justin Owensby, and many others. We have helped people sell their films and projects and helped others gain the recognition and representation they deserved.

Celebrities like Costas Mandylor, Michael Madsen, John Savage, Maria Conchita Alonso, George Takei, Bill Duke, John Saxon, Frances Bay, David Carradine, Steven Williams and many others have found a home at the AOF Festival. And now, people behind the scenes like super producer Karen Kramer, the people from SONY, The Will Rogers Foundation, Independent Distribution Companies, and Industry Insiders etc., now mix and mingle with our independent filmmakers and writers to guide them along the path to success in their careers.

With our move to the beautiful city of Pasadena in 2008, the AOF Festival proved itself to be one of the top events in the world with beautiful theaters, star studded Black Tie Dinner and Award Shows, Writer’s Award Events and hundreds of screenings of the most provocative films, videos, documentaries and works of the written word being showcased today.

The Action on Film Festival is dedicated to filmmakers and to film making. We have developed a program that supports artists and creators and allows them a voice via their work. We have showcased and will continue to showcase, talent, innovation, edge, new voices and YOU.

Action On Film is more than just a film festival, it is a community with members from all over the globe. We extend to you, the filmmaker the opportunity to show your work and to share your dreams with an audience that is ready to stand up and put their hands together, for you.

Don’t forget the Free Events like the Sunday Symposium with Studio Executive Alan Bailey, the new Free Actor’s and Writer’s Symposium and a new event, the Anthony De Longis Making Action Count Seminar which is brought to you by the R.I.O.T. Act and sponsored by In Magazine and the Sheraton Hotel. Order Making Action Count Tickets Here.

Join the Executive Producer of Criminal Minds Ed Bernero when he hosts a very special evening, SWAN, to benefit the Lung Cancer Foundation of America and to honor the work of Andy Swan. Click Here to Learn More“.

For complete scheduling of the movies, visit the website.

Have You Ever Heard of ”Fish Tank” the Movie?

This little British gem of a film, released in theaters the United States early this year and it’s without doubt the BEST film so far this year on my book!

The film employs a Ken Loach and Mike Leigh’s style of filmmaking and portrays socio-economic themes and classes of a segment  of British culture, which proves to be in some cases, brutally honest.  And honest is what the leading character is, played by a newcomer young girl, who is virtually unknown and has never acted before.  Mia–as she goes by in the film–is truly a revelation!  I believed her as Mia and what she was going through in her life.

Katie Jarvis–Mia--was ‘discovered’ when she was having a heated argument with her boyfriend across the platforms at Tilbury Town railway station.  She had dropped out of school and was unemployed when she was cast in this film–her first motion picture.

The film’s title is a metaphor of Mia’s life, as her life feels like that of a ‘fish tank’, trapped.  She decides to break out of that and explore life in her own terms: through dance, trying to save a horse, rebelling against her friends and mother, and finally finding trust in unknown men.  The latter however, changes her life forever and where this experience leads her ends up forcing her to grow-up almost instantly.

Andrea Arnold, the writer and director of the film, remarkably succeeds in telling the story of a young teenager girl in working-class London, where life can be really harsh and people are forced to grow very fast and adapt to their conditions the best way possible to survive.  The film proves to be bleak, but hopeful and redeeming in the end.

The film won multiple awards early this year and last year leading up to its release in US art-house theaters.

It won the ‘Jury Prize’ at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009

British Independent Film Award – best promising new comer actress and director

BAFTA Film Award – Outstanding British Film 2010

The film has released in DVD in England, but it’s release in the US is yet to be announced.  As soon as it’s available I highly recommend anyone to watch it, as it’s REALLY worth seeing!

The DVD is currently available on Amazon UK for purchase.

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Mia is in a constant state of war with her family, her school and her neighbors, without any constructive creative outlet for her energies save a secret love of hip-hop dancing. When she meets her party-girl mother’s charming new boyfriend Connor, she is amazed to find him returning her attention, and believes he can help her start to make sense of her life and eventually they have sex, after which he disappears from all their lives. When Mia tracks him down she finds that he has not been wholly honest with them and decides to take revenge, which almost ends in disaster. However, she does find consolation with Billy, a young traveller, after making up with her family.

For more details about this great indie film check out it’s website, become a fan of Facebook and follow it on Twitter for updates.

2009 RAMMYS: ICINE’S BEST in Motion Picture Announced

In what it was the worse year for good films in recent memory, 2009 proved to be a very difficult year to come up with some decent films that stood out from the rest.  Nevertheless, award season is coming to an end with the last two major awards being unveiled this coming weekend: The Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards.  Thus, it’s time to announce the BEST OF 20o9 in Motion Pictures and this time around it’s Icine’s turn to announce its choices with the RAMMY’S.  In it’s 13th edition, the RAMMYS are awarded every year to the excellence of film and acting, and this year marks it’s first year that they will actually be published to the public.

Here is the short list of best films, best actors, and all the winners–in bold–in each category :

2009 RAMMYS

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges  for Crazy Heart

Colin Firth for A Single Man

Tahar Rahim for A Prophet

Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker

Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man

Best Actress

Penelope Cruz for Broken Embraces

Charlotte Gainsbourg for Antichrist

Helen Mirren for The Last Station

Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Tilda Swinton for Julia

Best Supporting Actor

Niels Arestrup for A Prophet

Brian Geraghty for The Hurt Locker

Woody Harrelson for The Messenger

Christopher Plummer for The Last Station

Christoph Waltz for Inglorious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress

Grace Coddington for The September Issue

Vera Farmiga for Up the Air

Mo’Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Samantha Morton for The Messenger

Blanca Portillo for Broken Embraces

Best Director

Jacques Audiard for A Prophet

Katrhyn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

James Cameron for Avatar

Quentin Tarantino for Inglorious Basterds

Lars Von Trier for Antichrist

Best Motion Picture

Antichrist

Avatar

Broken Embraces

The Hurt Locker

Inglorious Basterds

Top Ten Films

10.  The Cove

9.  A Serious Man

8.  Mancora

7.  Tokyo Sonata

6.  A Prophet

5.  Open Embraces

4.  Antichrist

3.  Hurt Locker

2.  Avatar

1.  Inglorious Basterds

Stay tuned for the release of the RAMMYS Awards Retrospective coming soon…

2009 Golden Globes Winners Revealed [Monday Report]

This year’s NBC’s Golden Globes broadcast ratings got a nice boost according to Nielsen numbers released today.

“The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards” had 14 percent more viewers than last year’s show.  The three-hour shindig won its time slot and drew 16.9 million viewers, beating an audience of 14.9 million viewers in 2009.

Having British actor-comedian Ricky Gervais as the host must have helped!

If you missed the show, here is a recap of who won in each category:

2009 GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS

Best film drama:

“Avatar”

Actor in a drama:

Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”

Actress in a drama:

Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”

Best comedy or musical:

“The Hangover”

Actor in a comedy or musical:

Robert Downey, Jr. “Sherlock Holmes”

Actress in a comedy or musical:

Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia”

Supporting Actor:

Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”

Supporting Actress:

Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated film:

“Up”

Foreign Language film:

“The White Ribbon,” Germany

Director:

James Cameron, “Avatar”

Screenwriter:

Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, “Up In the Air”

Original Score:

Michael Giacchino, “Up”

Original Song:

T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham, “The Weary Kind,” from “Crazy Heart”

TELEVISION

Best TV drama:

“Mad Men”

Actor in a drama:

Michael C. Hall, “Dexter

Actress in a drama:

Julianna Marguiles, “The Good Wife”

Best comedy or musical:

“Glee”

Actor in a comedy or musical:

Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Actress in a comedy or musical:

Toni Collette, “United States of Tara”

Best movie or mini-series:

“Grey Gardens”

Actor in a movie or mini-series:

Kevin Bacon, “Taking Chance”

Actress in a movie or mini-series:

Drew Barrymore, “Grey Gardens”

Supporting actor, series, movie or mini-series:

John Lithgow, “Dexter”

Supporting actress, series, movie or mini-series:

Chloe Sevigny, “Big Love”

CECILE B. DEMILLE AWARD (career achievement):

Martin Scorsese

For complete coverage on the awards visit: http://www.goldenglobes.org/