Oklahoma Film Critic Circle Announces Best of 2010

Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Names The Social Network Best Movie of 2010

The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle has announced its fifth annual list of awards for achievement in film in 15 categories, giving top honors to The Social Network as the best motion picture of 2010.

Chronicling the creation of Facebook, The Social Network also won three other awards from OFCC members: Best Director for David Fincher, Best Actor for Jesse Eisenberg, and Best Screenplay (Adapted) for Aaron Sorkin.

Rounding out the group’s 10 Best Films of 2010 list were Inception, Black Swan, The Fighter, Winter’s Bone, True Grit, The King’s Speech, Toy Story 3, The Kids Are All Right and 127 Hours.

In the three other performance categories, Black Swan danced away with two of them, with Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress honors going to Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, respectively. The Fighter‘s Christian Bale won Best Supporting Actor.

“We’ve heard all year that 2010 had fewer great movies than usual, and the voting was so close in most every category that there may be some truth to that,” said Rod Lott, OFCC president. ”There were only two instances in which the results were landslides, and one of them was Christian Bale’s win. It’s no wonder he’s favored to win the Oscar.”

The other was Toy Story 3’s clear victory in the category of Best Animated Film.

Best Documentary went to guerilla graffiti artist Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop.

“We’re not 100-percent convinced it’s a true documentary,” Lott said, “but if the Oscars consider it to be one, that’s good enough for us. Either way, it’s an excellent film.”

Not every OFCC year-end award is worth bragging about, however. The summer sequel flop Sex and the City 2 was cited as the year’s Obviously Worst Film, while Tim Burton’s massively successful 3-D adaptation of Alice in Wonderland was named the Not-So-Obviously Worst Film.

“Many critics expected Sex and the City 2 to be bad,” Lott said, “but arguably an equal number had hopes for Alice, given Tim Burton’s involvement. That it proved so disappointing even with all the talent behind it is why it ‘wins’ our award for the Not-So-Obviously Worst Film.”

Not all the films named as award winners opened in Oklahoma before voting took place; studios arranged press screenings and provided DVDs of many of their films so OFCC members could consider them for year-end honors.

“One of our goals as a critics’ group is to make people in this state aware of quality films that don’t have millions and millions of dollars to spend on advertising like the major studios,” Lott said. “Many times, an indie movie or one that’s simply under the radar may play here only a week — if that — and be gone before word of mouth has a chance to kick in. But there is an audience here for sophisticated, intelligent films that challenge and entertain. The stereotype of Oklahomans perpetuated by Hollywood films is just not true.”

OFCC promotes film in Oklahoma and strives to increase the visibility of the state’s film-viewing and filmmaking communities. Its members are Oklahoma-based movie critics who write for print and online outlets that publish or post reviews of current film releases. Among the media outlets represented are Oklahoma Gazette, The Oklahoman, Tulsa World, Edmond Life & Leisure and others.

For more information, plus past winners and links to individual reviews, visit the OFCC website at www.ofccircle.org.

 

Complete List of OFCC’s 2010 Awards

Top 10 Best Films

The Social Network

Inception

Black Swan

The Fighter

Winter’s Bone

True Grit

The King’s Speech

Toy Story 3

The Kids Are All Right

127 Hours

Best Film

The Social Network

 

 

Best First Feature

Chris Morris, Four Lions

 

 

Obviously Worst Movie

Sex and the City 2

 

 

Not-So-Obviously Worst Movie

Alice in Wonderland

 

 

Best Director

David Fincher, The Social Network

 

 

Best Actor

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

 

 

Best Actress

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

 

 

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Fighter

 

 

Best Supporting Actress

Mila Kunis, Black Swan

 

 

Best Screenplay (Original)

Christopher Nolan, Inception

 

 

Best Screenplay (Adapted)

Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

 

 

Best Documentary

Exit Through the Gift Shop

 

 

Best Foreign Language Film

A Prophet

 

 

Best Animated Film

Toy Story 3

 

Grown Ups Winners!

Congratulations to Christine and Koreilly, who are winners of the GROWN UPS prize pack!

Both winners liked Kevin James best.

Winners, please check your e-mail shortly! Congratulations!

Are you Grown Up enough?

Are you grown up enough to handle this awesome prize pack?

GROWN UPS opens in theatres nationwide today, and stars some of Hollywood’s best funny guys: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider. The female side of the cast includes the lovely Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph.

So here’s the deal: Leave a comment and tell me who your favorite member of this all-star cast is, and tell me WHY! For example, my favorite is David Spade. For some reason, I think the dude is freaking hysterical in everything he does, from being Chris Farley’s little sidekick to voicing a talking llama.

On Monday, June 28th, I will draw two lucky winners who will receive GROWN UPS prize packs, including a swim ring, mini basketball hoop, and a t-shirt.

Please note this contest is open to anyone in the United States. Please only enter once as duplicates will NOT be counted. No cheating, please!

Finally! Trailers out for Easy A!

Earlier today the first trailer for Easy A made its debut:

There is also a great video that’s really more of a teaser than a trailer, as it gets you interested in the film but doesn’t tell you a whole lot about it (Except that Emma Stone is pretty funny!)

Here’s the synopsis: After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne’s in “The Scarlet Letter,” which she is currently studying in school – until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

Critics are already likening this movie to a “high school classic.” And if the trailers are any indication, this movie promises unique humor with pop culture (and literary culture) references and a charming lead character played by Emma Stone.

Some of the other big names in the cast are Amanda Bynes, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Stanley Tucci, Penn Badgley, Patricia Clarkson, and more.

The movie doesn’t come out until September 17 this year, but you can bet Screen Gems is going to be putting out more things like the dancing video to build up the buzz throughout the summer! Keep a look out in OKC, too, because we at Moroch will be working on some fun events and giveaways for the movie!

Joaquin Phoenix: From Letterman to Documentary?

Who can forget Joaquin Phoenix’s February 2009 appearance on David Letterman’s show…Scraggly beard, sunglasses and a look on his face that seems to be saying periodically, “Where am I?” Joaquin Phoenix’s interview had a lot of people asking, “Is this a joke?”

Well, people are asking themselves that question again about Joaquin Phoenix. Casey Affleck, brother of Ben Affleck debuted a documentary titled I’m Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix to independent film distribution companies about a week ago. You might remember that Joaquin told Letterman he quit acting in order to pursue a rapping career. This documentary follows his quest to get signed by a record label.

Hollywood Insiders Nicole Sperling says, “The film shows Phoenix snorting cocaine, having sex with prostitutes and simply falling apart in his quest to land a record deal. It shows him meeting with Sean Combs in a desperate plea to get him to produce his record album. Phoenix also meets with Ben Stiller who’s trying to persuade the Gladiator star to join his indie film Greenberg, despite Phoenix’s protest that he’s no longer acting.”

Does anyone else find it ironic that he claims to have quit acting while starring in a film production? There is definitely merit in speculation that this is all a hoax. The Letterman interview—watching a talented actor crash and burn or the perfect publicity set up?

The film is definitely getting a lot of publicity because no one can figure out its agenda!

What do you think? Mockumentary or documentary? If this film does get picked up by a distribution company (which is likely thanks to all the buzz) would you go see it?

I (Intern) have to say I would. The whole thing puts me off but draws me in at the same time! I suppose it’s like how people always slow down and stare at car accidents on the side of the road…

Box Office Battle of the Superheroes

Iron Man 2 is kicking off summer blockbusters this Friday after topping the International box office after its overseas release last week. The Marvel Studios film grossed $121.1 million internationally so far and debuted in 6,764 locations—beating the first Iron Man’s international release profit by an average of 26 percent.

A lot of numbers just to say, basically, the film is doing great in the box office, making lots of money and has a large following already.

Iron Man 2’s US release will continue its success by having the widest initial release in Hollywood history of 4,380 venues, beating The Dark Knight’s 2008 record of 4,366 venues. But that’s not the only record it’s trying to break. Analysts are expecting an opening weekend profit somewhere between $150 million and $160 million—threatening The Dark Knight’s record of 158.4 million!

The Dark Knight was certainly a great movie with great success (but I’m a little biased, being a HUGE Christian Bale fan!). It makes me a little sad to think its place at the top might be taken over by another superhero movie.

In true summer cinema fashion, Iron Man 2 boasts a high profile cast and promises to fulfill all audience’s desires for action and explosions.

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., (you’d have to be under a rock to not know that one!) along with Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle and Mickey Rourke, small-time is definitely not in Iron Man 2’s vocabulary.

Besides explosions and gun fire, the cast is yet another way Iron Man 2 spices things up.

Director Jon Favreau told MTV News, “What I didn’t want to do is make this film episodic, like just another episode of a TV series. So one way to approach that is to shift the dynamic with the introduction of new characters.”

Most attention-getting of these new characters is probably Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, who from the looks of the trailer could be taking down men in more ways then one in her skin-tight black cat suit. Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned from movies, a beautiful woman always wears skin-tight sexy clothing when she fights. Duh.

Robert Downey Jr. tells us we could be surprised by the film’s direction: “Whatever [the relationship between Stark and Pepper] is supposed to be, we’re going to play with that and probably do something shockingly different.” There’s a teaser if I ever heard one.

Will Iron Man 2 dominate The Dark Knight’s records?

Will Tony Stark & kinda sorta girlfriend Pepper stay together despite Scarlett’s catsuit?

Only this weekend will tell…

Romantic comedy done “Wright”

This May check out the new film, Just Wright, starring Queen Latifah.

So what is this movie about?

Leslie Wright (Queen Latifah) is a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the gig of a lifetime working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight (Common). All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig and the tug-of-war inside her heart. Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie’s childhood friend Morgan (Paula Patton), who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife. Is Leslie destined to play the role of “best friend” forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him?

Before you make assumptions read this → The movie promises to be more than just another romantic comedy, according to its director Sanaa Hamri.

“A romantic comedy has a certain formula,” Hamri says. “Yeah, we know the couple always winds up together — unless it’s a French film. But I always say, ‘How do I go about making the journey more complex than it might be?’ That’s the question I ask every time I do a scene; that’s what I’m interested in.”

Interesting Fact: Just Wright was actually shelved at Disney 6 years ago! However, Fox Searchlight picked it up and is bringing the film to you now.

Just Wright will be in theaters May 14. Stay tuned for more info about possible chances to win related to this film!

New “Kid” Coming to Theaters!

Sony’s Columbia Pictures is bringing back the classic Karate Kid for a new generation June 11.

It’s rated PG, so it’ll be great to bring kids and families and get them into the Karate Kid movies, too!

The film stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan in a Daniel-Mr. Miyagi relationship, but in a different way than the original.

The original Karate Kid follows a young boy after he moves to a new town, deals with bullies, finds a love interest and masters karate. The 2010 version takes this same premise in a different direction. So no fears about watching the same movie with different characters; this movie promises to tell a new story (but include some tributes to the original film). Since the movie is set and filmed in China, cultural elements are sure to play a big part in the film.

Jackie Chan said about the film compared to the original: “It’s different. We do have ‘wax on/wax off,’ but in a funny way.”

Check out the synopsis:

Twelve year old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) is the most popular kid in Detroit until he and his single mother (Taraji P. Henson) move to Beijing because her job. There Parker falls for another student named Mei Ying. Their cultural differences threaten to keep them apart, and meanwhile his attraction is noticed by a bully, Cheng. Cheng dominates Parker in karate and nicknames him ‘The Karate Kid’ due to his lack of knowledge of the martial arts.

With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but the quirky maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

Watch the trailer here.

It will be exciting to see how this movie holds true and also grows out of the original!

Stay tuned throughout May and early June for any Karate Kid promotions and giveaways!

Hammer Films and Dark Horse Comics Announce LET ME IN Graphic Novel

Dark Horse Comics has announced a partnership with Hammer Films to release a graphic novel spin-off of the upcoming Overture Films release Let Me In.  The official press release states:

“While the storyline of the companion graphic novel is being kept under wraps, Dark Horse Comics and writer Marc Andreyko (Manhunter, Predators) are working with Hammer to create a chilling and exciting comic that will incorporate some of the film’s characters and mythology with some fresh themes. The Let Me In graphic novel will be distributed in stores in conjunction with its theatrical release from Overture Films in October 2010.”

Let Me In is a re-imagining of the critically acclaimed 2008 Swedish film, Let the Right One In, and will be directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield).  The film is being produced by one of the greatest horror houses of all time (and personal fave of mine), Britain’s newly reborn Hammer Films, and will be distributed by Overture Films.

Word on the street is that this will be just the beginning of a series of “co-branded original graphic novels and comic books” from Dark Horse and Hammer Films.  It even sounds promising that Dark Horse would even look to classic Hammer horror films for new comic and graphic novel materials.  Dark Horse Publisher, Mike Richardson states:

“From the beginning, Dark Horse has always eyed the most inventive stories and creators.  The existing Hammer Films library represents some of the most exciting horror stories ever told.  ‘Let Me In’ is easily one of the most chilling and exciting horror stories to come along in years. As we have learned time and time again, comics provides the perfect place to expand on the storyline.”

Let’s see, Dark Horse Comics paired with the studio that gave us Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing horror films?  I’m in, I’m in, I’m ALL IN!

And just in case you are unfamiliar with the storyline, Let Me In tells a terrifying tale about an alienated 12-year old boy named Owen (Kodi Smith-McPhee) who is viciously bullied by his classmates and neglected by his divorcing parents. Achingly lonely, Owen spends his days plotting revenge on his middle school tormentors and his evenings spying on the other inhabitants of his apartment complex. His only friend is his new neighbor Abby (Chloe Moretz), an eerily self-possessed young girl who lives next door with her silent father (Oscar nominated actor Richard Jenkins). A frail, troubled child about Owens’s age, Abby emerges from her heavily curtained apartment only at night and always barefoot, seemingly immune to the bitter winter elements. Recognizing a fellow outcast, Owen opens up to her and before long, the two have formed a unique bond.

Be on the lookout for the Dark Horse graphic novel and the Hammer Films release of Let Me In later this year.  In the meantime, enjoy the trailer for the original Swedish film, Let the Right One In, directed by Tomas Alfredson:

Not Your Typical Superhero

If you’re like me, you might be feeling a little sick of super hero movies and comic book adaptions. This was one reason I went into the theater a little iffy.

But—

Kick-Ass is an entertaining, original, well-written movie with quirky, interesting and lovable characters…and, oh yeah, violence.

Maybe it was the contrast of the film’s bright, colorful comic book look as dark, twisted violence took place that made it stand out. Or maybe it was the shock of seeing a little girl shoot men, slice legs off and engage in much more creative ways to kill without so much as blinking. Yeah, it was probably that one.

Don’t get me wrong, I was blown away by the talented actress Chloe Grace Moretz’s portrayal of the character Hit Girl/Mindy Macready, and I loved the movie. But the film definitely engages in a unique type of violence that sticks with you.

Writer and Director Matthew Vaugn said he “was aware they were in treacherous territory; when he had originally tried to obtain financing for ‘Kick-Ass,’ many studios blanched.” He said, ‘”Most of them said they liked the concept but only if it was done in a PG-13 manner, with no Hit Girl.”

Thank goodness he stuck with her. Without Hit Girl, the movie would not have nearly as much of its originality or entertainment.

Moretz addressed the violence and language the role requires saying, “It’s a movie. It’s a character—a great character—and a role that challenged me and stretched me as an actor.”

Many are saying the film’s violence (and suitable R-rating) is hurting ticket sales. All I can say is the film is definitely worth checking out for yourself. The movie’s gaining a lot of buzz, and I’d love to see it get the attention and profits it deserves. This year’s Big Fat Greek Wedding anyone? That movie is notable proof that word of mouth has the power to cause any small, deserving movie to blow up!

Some interesting related articles:
Teen Actress Flexes Muscles in “Kick-Ass”
Starlets Who Tackled Mature Roles
When a Kid’s Movie Isn’t For Kids