And the Oscar goes to...

83rd Academy Awards

Actor in a Leading Role - Colin Firth
Actor in a Supporting Role - Christian Bale
Actor in a Leading Role - Natalie Portman
Actor in a Supporting Role - Melissa Leo
Best Picture - The King's Speech
Directing - Tom Hooper
Animated Feature Film - Toy Story 3
Cinematography - Inception
Art Direction - Alice in Wonderland
Costume Design - Alice in Wonderland
Film Editing - Inception
Sound Mixing - Inception
Sound Editing - Inception
Visual Effects - Inception
Makeup - The Wolfman
Music (Original Score) - The Social Network
Music (Original Song) - "We belong together" from Toy Story 3
Writing (adapted screenplay) - The Social Network
Writing (original screenplay) - The King's Speech
Documentary (Feature) - Inside Job
Documentary (short subject)- Strangers no more
Short film (animated) - The Lost thing
Short film (live action) - God of Love
Foreign language film - In a better world

"Queen's" speech at the BAFTAs (Helena Bonham Carter)

My favourite speech is this one...well...followed by Darren Aronofsky's speech accepting the BAFTA award in behalf of Natalie Portman.

"True Grit" by Ethan and Joel Coen

The Coen brothers present us this year with an atypical western based on the 1968 novel of Charles Portis, already transformed to the screen in 1969 (Henry Hathaway) featuring John Wayne. However this 2010 movie is more close to the novel and is indeed well adapted that received several nominations for its adapted screenplay. The story tells nothing more than an avenger's pursuit for payback. It seems trivial, however this avenger is no more than a 14 year-old girl avenging his father death . The film and novel are both narrated by her, (Mattie Ross) so its her point of view, so clear, so innocent but so incisive and determining. She's a resolute girl that seems to have now the command of her family and so made up her plan to hire someone to help her bring Tom Chaney (the assassin performed by Josh Brolin) to justice. She eventually have the help of US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) and they part in pursuit over the Choctaw Nation, a nice place for the bandits hide-out. This is no common Western, there is indeed shooting , accents, wild wild west scenarios, some indians but that's just the beauty of it because the storyline could be in any decade...because it's Mattie's story, it's her determination, it's her sense of justice and ultimately the bondage that she creates with those rude and strange men pursuing money rewards. Affection can come in strange ways...and in the end although her lack of age and experience she gives a lesson to all of us. Mattie is performed by Hailee Steinfeld and her acting is indeed to applause and it didn't pass unnoticed since she already had many nominations and in the 27th this month she'll be in the Oscars with her Best supporting actress nomination although she should be nominated in the Best Actress category since she is the principal character. Anyway she is well accompanied by Jeff and Matt, it was a great casting and Jeff Bridges is just so great and it seems to come so natural to him. Matt has proven to be able to do various types of characters and continues to do so. I just have to give a final praise to the Coen brothers, they are very good and I loved the cinematography, it was just like I imagined it when reading the novel. Many of you who don't seem to relate to this movie because you think the story it's pretty basic, go and see it, it's a must see, doesn't have the grandeur or the big drama of movies that everyone is talking about, but in the end it fill your spirit and it's even humorous. No wonder has 10 Oscar nominations.
8/10

BAFTA Awards 2011 - King rules!!!

Academy Fellowship – Sir Christopher Lee

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema – The Harry Potter Films

Best Film – The King’s Speech

Outstanding British Film – The King’s Speech

Outstanding Debut with a British Writer, Director or Producer – Four Lions

Director – David Fincher with The Social Network

Original Screenplay – David Seidler with The King’s Speech

Adapted Screenplay – Aaron Sorkin with The Social Network

Film not in the english language – The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo

Animated Film – Toy Story 3

Leading Actor – Colin Firth with The King’s Speech

Leading Actress – Natalie Portman with Black Swan

Supporting Actor – Geoffrey Rush with The King’s Speech

Supporting Actress – Helena Bonham Carter with The King’s Speech

Original Music - The King’s Speech by Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography – True Grit by Roger Deakins

Editing – The Social Network by Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Production Design - Inception by Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias and Doug Mowat

Costume Design – Alice in Wonderland by Colleen Atwood

Sound – Inception by Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A rizzo and Ed Novick

Special Visual Effects – Inception by Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Peter Bebb

Make up & Hair – Alice in Wonderland by Valli O’Reilly and Paul Gooch

Short Animation – The Eagleman Stag by Michael Please

Short Film – Until the River Runs Red by Paul Wright and Poss Kondeatis

Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award – Tom Hardy

"Black Swan" by Darren Aronofsky

Aronofsky author of titles as "Requiem for a Dream"(2000), " The Fountain" (2006) and the latest "The Wrestler" (2008) brings now a compelling story of human duality. Black Swan tells a story about a ballerina who has the chance to perform a life masterpiece of ballet,(Swan lake - Tchaikovsky), interpreting both the white and the black swan. This particular ballerina, Nina Sayers, interpreted by Natalie Portman, is consumed by perfection as she trains everyday harder for the role she must perform...though she is perfect she cannot be so brilliant as a black swan than she is as white. Here comes the duality she must outburst to her dance, to her movements, to her way of being. While she struggles inside she has an oppressing mother and a very competitive environment. She is so obsessed she becomes paranoid and fighting with her one self. This is mostly a one person movie, as Natalie performs almost every take and it's breathtaking the way all the movie is directed and how it burst into the end with our eyes fixed and amazed by all its intensity of scenes and emotions. It is mainly a movie of emotions, reflecting a lot about perfection and obsession about ones performance. Nowadays this is so common as we all are stressed to be the best we can, just like Nina. In all her innocence she start a chain of events in which she can't recognize herself, the process is raw and so appalling from her normal life, which is not normal at all, is nothing but a confined existence to one wanted success. She says she just want to be perfect, even though she can be, perfection comes always at a cost because one cannot be perfect. Quoting from the film " Perfection is not just about control. It's also about letting go. Surprise yourself so you can surprise the audience".
I very much enjoyed this film (9 in 10), it has an overwhelming effect and we should all listen very carefully to it...
Natalie is brilliant and she will win the Oscar and every award there is to win, it's just such a transformation and it's of such high intensity it's hard to ignore, she got lucky to have the part but she well keep up the task!!!
The film also has Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder and Barbara Hershley but that really doesn't matter Black swan is Natalie Portman!!!

My favourite quote:
Thomas Leroy: The only person standing in your way is you.

Indeed, we can be our best and worst friends, how much we try that's not going to change.

"The King's Speech" by Tom Hooper - We all have a voice!

Oscar's night is coming and everyone wants to know whose going to be the Best Picture of 2010! I sure want to... Beliefs apart I really enjoyed this movie about King George VI and his stammering problems. Tom Hooper is not very well known except for being the Englishman responsible for the outstanding two episodes series of Elizabeth I (2005 ). This gave him at that time an Emmy award for Best director and emmys and golden globes for its main characters portrayed by Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons. Anyway, today is the day where BAFTA awards are announced and The King's Speech is already a winner if not for the great performance of Colin Firth as the main character.
King's Speech is a movie about people, real people who in spite being above all else are humans with problems and fears like any other. Even so it's a movie about how we are so deeply afraid of ourselves, hiding in our own fears, never knowing what is possible and believing all the worst. It proves us that it's possible to overcome fears just by having someone who believe in us or believing in itself, by really being what we never thought possible but in truth it was already there.

The portrait of the King it's perfect and Colin is just so well cast for this role, his elegance and Britishness it just fits him as a glove...He's probably going to win the Oscar, and I really think he is superb but even though I really enjoyed this movie I can't stop wondering about last year..he was perfect with " A single man" being beyond his natural self...

Helena Bonham Carter is also very nice and I can't look at her and not see the late queen mother...it's all there, and Geoffrey is like a nice breeze keeping all so smooth and endearing.

Cinematography speaking maybe it's not great but everything else is worth every minute.
The soundtrack is also lovely, Alexandre Desplat of course :)
I rate this movie according to my own taste naturally and I'm just swept away with this kind of movies.... I give it 4 1/2 stars in 5!!!

My favourite quotes:
King George VI: [Logue is sitting on the coronation throne] Get up! Y-you can't sit there! GET UP!
Lionel Logue: Why not? It's a chair.
King George VI: T-that... that is Saint Edward's chair.
Lionel Logue: People have carved their names on it.
King George VI: L-listen to me... listen to me!
Lionel Logue: Why should I waste my time listening to you?
King George VI: Because I have a voice!
Lionel Logue: ...yes, you do.