The Academy Awards are commonly referred to as the gay Super Bowl, and for good reason: they each represent the culmination of months of grueling, bone-crunching competition, tend to feature misguided musical numbers, and are ultimately about impossibly wealthy people fighting over trophies while the rest of us cheer from the breadlines. In short: it’s the best thing that happens all year. My post-Oscar depression is far more devastating than even the worst case of post-Christmas blues. Such emptiness. The nominations for this year’s 84th Academy Awards will be announced in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, January 24. After the jump, check out my picks for what should be nominated and what we’re likely to read about on Tuesday.
Category: Films
Film Review: “Haywire”
starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, Michael Angarano
written by: Lem Dobbs
directed by: Steven Soderbergh
MPAA: Rated R for some violence
Film Review: “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
starring: Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Max von Sydow, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Jeffrey Wright
adapted by: Eric Roth
directed by: Stephen Daldry
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for emotional thematic material, some disturbing images, and language
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Film Review: “Joyful Noise”
starring: Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan, Dexter Dardin, Courtney B. Vance, Jesse L. Martin, Kris Kristofferson, Dequina Moore
written and directed by: Todd Graff
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some language including a sexual reference
Film Review: “The Iron Lady”
starring: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Alexandra Roach, Olivia Colman, Harry Lloyd, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Head
written by: Abi Morgan
directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violent images and brief nudity
The Spinning Platters Guide to the Best Films of 2011
Welcome to our list of the best films of 2011! I’m Jason LeRoy, the film editor of this fine website, and I’ll be your guide to the most excellent cinema this year had to offer. I have to say, this is a pretty exciting moment for me. While I’ve been writing about film in one form or another since 1995, 2011 is the first year I’ve managed to see just about everything. It is with no small amount of consideration (or afternoons and evenings spent slumped over in theaters around town) that I’ve compiled this list. So look after the jump for my top 10 films of the year, some honorable mentions, and a handful of staff-pick rebuttals for Best Film of 2011. And especially since this year was uncommonly lacking in unifying critical favorites, please leave your own picks in the comments below.
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Film Reviews: “War Horse” / “The Adventures of Tintin”
War Horse
starring: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Tom Hiddleston, David Kross, David Thewlis
written by: Lee Hall and Richard Curtis
directed by: Steven Spielberg
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of war violence.
The Adventures of Tintin
starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
written by: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish
directed by: Steven Spielberg
MPAA: Rated PG for adventure action violence, some drunkenness and brief smoking.
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Film Review: “We Bought A Zoo”
starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, John Michael Higgins, J.B. Smoove
written by: Cameron Crowe and Aline Brosh McKenna
directed by: Cameron Crowe
MPAA: Rated PG for language and some thematic elements.
Film Review: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright, Joely Richardson
written by: Steven Zaillian
directed by: David Fincher
MPAA: Rated R for brutal violent content including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, and language.
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Spinning Platters Interview: Gary Oldman on “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when it seemed like maybe we’d already seen the best of Gary Oldman. After establishing himself as a fearlessly intense and committed film actor with Alex Cox’s seminal British indie, Sid and Nancy (1986), he spent the next decade delivering unforgettable performances in roles ranging from Lee Harvey Oswald to Dracula to Beethoven, pivoting nimbly from blockbusters like Air Force One and The Fifth Element to cult favorites like The Professional and Romeo is Bleeding. But after the disastrous Lost in Space (1998), he seemed to vanish into an infrequent series of TV appearances and little-seen films.
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