BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT of 2009

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT of 2009

WINNER: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I loved the first two X-Men films, and still really liked the third one. I know it had its problems, but it was nothing on this. How could a series fall so far so quickly. There are so many flaws, the main one being that there are a stupid amount of characters that each get about 3 minutes screen time each. The CG wasn't up to scratch, the music was poo. Everything about the film just feels a bit meh. What a disappointment.


RUNNER UP: Bruno

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy Bruno. It was disappointing however. It was nowhere near as funny as Borat, and he just felt sometimes like he was trying too hard. The other problem is that they showed all the best moments in the trailer. I just hoped for more, and didn't laugh as hard as I expected to. Shame really.


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Transformers 2, Where the Wild Things Are

BEST ANIMATED FILM of 2009

BEST ANIMATED FILM of 2009

WINNER: Up

Of course this would win. Pixar always does. I have just done a whole dissertation on DreamWorks vs Pixar... and Pixar always come out on top. It's the way that the use characters, and that the story is always so rich yet so simple. Also, the opening montage is one of the best scenes of 2009. Really emotional stuff.


RUNNER UP: Monsters vs Aliens

I loved Kung Fu Panda last year, this wasn't quite as good but was still pretty brilliant at points. Not only did it look fantastic, but the characters were all great fun to watch. Kiefer Sutherland as the General was a stroke of genius. And the amount of sci-fi references were really fun to find. Bring on the sequel.


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Bolt

BEST ACTRESS of 2009

BEST ACTRESS of 2009

WINNER: Zoe Saldana for Avatar

Ooooo. Now this is a controversial decision. How dare I put a motion capture performance as the best of 2009?! Well, I really do think she gave the best performance of the year. Motion capture is just a way of showing a character, it would be nothing without the actress behind it. Zoe Seldana blew me away with her character in this. I LOVED how she reacted when her home was destroyed and finding her Father. Brilliant. For me, the best of the year.


RUNNER UP: Zooey Deschanel for (500) Days of Summer

Okay, I admit it... I have a serious soft spot for Zooey Deschanel. However, I really do think she deserves this spot for her turn in 500 Days. She made all the male audiences feel exactly like Tom. She built us up, and then smashed us down. Yet at the end, you can't still help liking her a little... even though she has down such a horrible thing.


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Emma Watson for Harry Potter 6, Cate Blanchett for Benjamin Button.

BEST ACTOR of 2009

BEST ACTOR of 2009

WINNER: Sam Rockwell for Moon

Moon was definately a one man show. And Sam Rockwell was that man - and he was AWESOME! Not only was he brilliant and giving a wide range of emotions, but he played two versions of the same character too, talking to himself all the time. I really want him to get an Oscar nod for this, but I doubt he will... which is a real shame.


RUNNER UP: Christoph Waltz for Inglorious Basterds

Everyone agrees that whilst Brad Pitt is great in Inglorious, Christoph Waltz steals the show. His "Jew Hunter" character is constantly unpredictable. You never know if he is going to jump across the table and kill the characters, or whether he will change into a raving homosexual as he often does. The performance is flawless.


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Robin Williams for World's Greatest Dad, Brad Pitt for Inglorious Basterds, Robert Downey Jr for Sherlock Holmes.

BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD for 2009

BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD 2009

WINNER: Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman for Star Trek

I know that a blockbuster is a weird choice for best screenplay, as often they are about getting to the next big action scene. However, it is my belief that Star Trek is the best written film of the year. Not only have the writers given tribute to each of the characters, they have also given new life to a nearly dead franchise. Plus the whole concept of two realities for the reboot was a stroke of genius in my eyes.


RUNNER UP: Quentin Tarantino for Inglorious Basterds

Love it or hate it, the script for Inglorious Basterds was the true star of the picture. The amount of dialogue was bordering on ridiculous at times with its length, but people didn't complain because it was written so well and was always interesting. Tension is built so well, simply from words. Brilliant script.


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Scott Neustader and Michael H. Weber for (500) Days of Summer, Bobcat Goldthwait for World's Greatest Dad.

BEST DIRECTOR AWARD for 2009

BEST DIRECTOR AWARD 2009

Normally, there is a stand out director per year. However, this year I have really struggled because of the high quality of a lot of the films. This is my personal opinion on which director has emerged at the top in my eyes this year.


WINNER: Marc Webb for (500) Days of Summer

I chose Marc Webb because not only did I love 500 Days, but it simply a fantastic debut film. I absolutely cannot wait to see what he gives us next. He gave 500 Days lots of touches which made it stand out from the crowd, no doubt because he is a music video director. Name me a scene better and more original than the Reality-Expectations scene. Genius.



RUNNER UP: J.J. Abrams for Star Trek

This was very hard to put as a runner up. Abrams gave Star Trek in my opinion the best reboot since Batman. He gave it a sense of fun, but also danger that was never felt in the original series. He blew this one out of the water, due to his fantastic direction and relentless pace that he gives the film. Also, he found the new cast - all of which were brilliant.



HONOURABLE MENTIONS: James Cameron for Avatar, Quentin Tarantino for Inglorious Basterds.

TOP SOUND DESIGN AWARD for 2009

TOP SOUND DESIGN AWARD 2009

I love sound design just as much as CG in the big blockbusters, and in a year dominated by sci-fi... it's been extremely difficult to decide which has the best! I would have said Avatar had amazing sound design, but to be honest I could tell a lot of it was recycled from Jurassic Park which annoyed me. So I looked at what sound design made a big impression on me, and didn't annoy me at all.


WINNER: Star Trek

Of course Ben Burtt's sound design would once again take the gong. It always does. It was the sound design in Star Trek though that made me fall in love with the film instantly. In the opening battle in space when the woman gets sucked out into space and instantly hits a wall of silence. That was some fantastic sound design and the film continued its great soundscape all the way through.


RUNNER UP: District 9

Another sci-fi, this one too had great (and a lot of very original) sound. Everything from the sound of the prawns, to the weapons to the actual ship was pretty much perfect. I remember the blast from the ship that nearly made me fill my pants. Awesome.


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Transformers 2, Terminator Salvation, Watchmen, Avatar.

TOP SOUNDTRACK AWARD for 2009

TOP SOUNDTRACK AWARD 2009

Often my favourite part of a film, soundtrack is very important to me. I can't say there have been that many soundtracks that absolutely blew me away this year, but all these are definately worth a listen.


WINNER: (500) Days of Summer

I always expected a score to be my number one soundtrack of the year, but this year the record has been broken. The 500 Days of Summer soundtrack is a collection of brilliant songs, each one as good as the next. Some are great fun to listen to whilst others evoke a great sense of sadness when thinking about what it represents within the film. I can't stop listening to it, and if you haven't checked it out by now, you need to very soon!


RUNNER UP: Angels and Demons

Definately the best score of the year. Hans Zimmer does it again. The Da Vinci Code score was very good, but for the sequel he has turned everything up to 11. It's incredibly powerful stuff. Just the opening titles have such strong music that I knew I was going to be in for something good. Great themes and loud music, just the way film soundtracks should be.


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Star Trek and Up.

TOP CG AWARD for 2009

TOP CG AWARD 2009

CG is getting really, really good now and therefore this category is getting much harder to judge. However, there is one clear winner this year.


WINNER: Avatar

Even though not the 100% photo realistic creatures we were promised, there is absolutely no denying that what James Cameron has done is create hyper believable characters. You truly believe that they exist. And as for the planet of Pandora, to think that the whole thing is CG just boggles my brain because it looks so real. This film kicked everyone's butts in this category this year.



RUNNER UP: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

The film was a bit of a disappointment considering how much I did enjoy the first one but the CG is better in every way. I'm looking forward to seeing this on Blu-Ray soon, as I know it will probably melt my eyes. What this film lacks in story, it makes up for with its intense and amazing computer generated Transformers.


HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 2012, Star Trek and District 9.

MOVIE REVIEW : The Hurt Locker

THE HURT LOCKER

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

Starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie

PLOT

Iraq. Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.

REVIEW

+ Brilliant sense of tension created throughout. +

+ All of the bomb defusals were some of the most nail biting scenes I'd seen in a long time. +

+ Jeremy Renner makes for a great leading man, very funny and watchable. +

+ Often shocking, and always surprises. +

+ I love how they killed off the main actors, so no one feels safe in the story at all. +

+ Brilliant use of slow motion often. +

+ Excellent script and great direction too. +

+ Really nice editing and shooting style, made it feel just like a documentary at times.. +

- The second half just wasn't as good as the first half. -

- It all seemed to slow down as the film progressed. -

BEST MOMENT

Any of the bomb defusals, but my favourite is when we see the main character in action for the first time, completely calm and collected.

MY RATING
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