The Worst Movies of 2000 - 2010

In honor of this past historic weekend at the box office, I present a list of a type that I normally don't do... one that's a tad bit negative. But what the hell, sometimes you've got to celebrate the bad so you can better appreciate the good, or something like that.

In case you're out of the movie loop, the box office history I speak of goes like this:

Two films, Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star and Creature, debuted with two of the lowest opening weekend totals for wide releases in box office history. Bucky Larson is also the worst reviewed film of 2011 (so far, but I don't see anything on the horizon that might take that crown away) with a whopping 0% Rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Way to go Bucky! Creature on the other hand had what is being called the worst opening of all-time for a wide release. What's a wide release, you ask? Well, it means the producers of Creature were stupid enough to try to release the indie-creature feature on 1,507 screens across the country. For comparison, the indie-horror film Hatchet was released on 93 screens. So, when the numbers are crunched and data entered and the producers find out how much each theater made on their film over the weekend, they found that Creature made an average of $262 per theater... which is terrible. The film Hatchet, for example, had a $1,079 per theater average on its opening weekend. One site commented that a single row of people seeing a major release spend more than that on just their popcorn. So way to go Creature for not realizing that you're just a glorified Syfy movie, and instead trying to play in the big leagues! Nice job!

Anyway, the list below is for The Worst Movies of 2000 - 2010. This is not my opinion, this is fact. These films are the lowest rated and worst reviewed (and not just by professional critics, but by anyone that has shared their opinion on the matter) of them all. I've scraped the bottom of the barrell, and these films are what was left in the grime. None of them should really come as a surprise, although I found it interesting that a few notable bombs (such as Gigli) weren't as unliked as previously thought. I think that's because, and this is important, there's a big difference between a bad movie, or a poorly made movie, and a complete and utter disaster of a movie. I can sit through a bad movie, and in fact sometimes I enjoy watching them for the fun I have poking fun at them... but some movies are just unwatchably bad. The kind of movie you groan through rather that laugh at. The ones that give you a headache, make you scream obscenities at the screen like "Why the #$@& was this movie even made?!" or in some cases, make you fear for the very survival of our species.

So without any further ado, I bring you...

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The Worst Movies of 2000 - 2010:

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2010 - - Vampires Suck (Average Review Rating: 1.8 out of 10)

2009 - - Transylmania (Average Review Rating: 1.5 out of 10)

2008 - - The Hottie and the Nottie (Average Review Rating: 1.0 out of 10)
   
2007 - - Daddy Day Camp (Average Review Rating: 1.3 out of 10)

2006 - - Date Movie (Average Review Rating: 1.4 out of 10)

2005 - - Alone in the Dark (Average Review Rating: 1.1 out of 10)

2004 - - Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (Average Review Rating: 0.8 out of 10)

2003 - - House of the Dead (Average Review Rating: 1.3 out of 10)

2002 - - The Master of Disguise (Average Review Rating: 1.5 out of 10)

2001 - - Glitter (Average Review Rating: 1.4 out of 10)

2000 - - Battlefield Earth (Average Review Rating: 1.2 out of 10)

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A few additional comments, thoughts and ramblings about the list...

- Just because a lot of people hate Twilight doesn't mean that an endless barrage of infantile humor directed at the modern vampire craze is any better. In fact, I'd rather watch a bad movie and make fun of it myself than have a bunch of morons attempt to act out a farcical version of the bad movie. Now instead of just one bad movie, there's another really, really, really bad movie. Plus, the Twilight hatred is all a matter of opinion, because there are plenty of people that like the films, or at least can forgive the series for a few of its problems. There's no way the films make the kind of money they do without a wider fan base than just pre-teen girls. What if a bunch of girls were to make a parody film of The Dark Knight only because their boyfriends dragged them to see it, would that make for a good movie? I think not.

- Paris Hilton is not an actress. She's not even a celebrity for any real reason, other than she's from a rich family, and she shows some skin whenever it proves convenient for her. That's it. That's her life in a nutshell. Please stopping putting her in films. Thank you.

- The idea that grown men can't take care of kids used to be funny... back in 1983's Mr. Mom with Michael Keaton, for instance. Times have changed, and just as women now have a heel firmly planted in the workplace, so do men in the home. If a grown man in the 21st century doesn't know how to deal with taking care of a kid, then that man is an incompetent moron. Also, while we are on the subject of 80's films, the camp-comedy sub-genre is over, and the subject has been played out by many a Meatballs sequel. Camps today aren't the same, anyway. What I'm trying to say is, none of it's funny anymore, it's just embarrassing.

- These so-called parody films made by people who don't understand the difference between satire and just pointing at something and making fun of it, well, they don't work, have never worked, and should cease and desist immediately. If you're a director and your last name happens to be Zucker or Abrahams, you are no longer allowed to work on projects on your own. You either work as a group (where you always shined) or you take a hint from Mel Brooks and stay out of it from now on. Your recent films remind me of a parent trying to adopt the language of their kids to try to seem hip, all the while coming across as out-of--depth and completely misguided.

- Don't make sequels to films that themselves are of highly questionable quality. If a movie comes out that's not very good, but for some reason does okay and people forgive it a little because it has, for instance, cute kids or a talking dog or something, be glad you got that little bit of success out of your little turd. Please, don't confuse your luck, (which could have more to do with when your film came out, and what competition it had at the box office, than anything else), with having a film or idea that needs to be expanded upon. You might find that if you try to milk it, instead you create one of the worst monstrosities ever unleashed upon mankind, and then what will you have to say for yourself?

- Aging comic actors that used to be a hit and need desperately to stage a comeback should do so in small doses, like cameos or bit parts, before jumping head-first into a starring role. Try out the gags, get back into the timing, begin to feel it again like you used to. The worst mistake you could make would be to assume that you're just as funny as you used to be. What if you aren't?

- Pop-musicals about pop-stars starring pop-stars are corny and pretentious. Whether it be Glitter or the almost-on-the-list From Justin to Kelly, if a filmmaker wants to craft a story around a pop-star, take a cue from Curtis Hanson's 8 Mile and find the character and the meaning underneath the music and words, or if nothing else make sure there's a story to tell in the first place. If there's not, leave it be and let the pop-star remain just that.

- If you're going to create a multi-million dollar recruitment video for your religion that poses as entertainment, at least make sure it's well-made, tells some sort of cohesive story, has interesting characters that when they speak make some sort of point or sense, and doesn't paint your religion as idiotic, goofy, or flat-out bonkers. Otherwise, people may laugh at your religion, because they will think it, like the movie, is really stupid.

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- Special Achievement Award in Horrible Filmmaking: Producer/Writer/Director Uwe Boll.

Creating not one but two of the worst films of the last decade, and quite possibly of all-time, without any filmmaking skills, talent, creativity or vision. (He sure has persistence, though, I'll give him that). Boll has seemingly done the impossible, having had a directing career that has spanned 11 years and 21 films, and every single one of them is as bad as bad can get (both BloodRayne and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale almost made the list). His films are sloppy and devoid of any value, and while there are brief mildly amusing aspects in his films (unintentionally humorous moments), as quickly as a smirk or giggle may come it is soon replaced with the knowledge that the film is going to kill some part of your soul if you continue to watch it.

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- The Worst Film of the Decade Award - 2000-2009: Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)

With an average review rating of 0.8 out of 10, it came in the lowest of the low of the low. The final film from director Bob Clark (A Christmas Story, Porky's), this piece of $@#& should have been set on fire before it ever left the editing room. Universally damned by critics, it sits at the bottom of every list there is, and rightfully so. One critic noted that he'd "rather be tortured for twenty-years with searing iron than have to sit through even a minute of this again," while yet another claimed that, "It is perhaps the most incompetent and least funny comic film ever made." This is a failure of a movie on every level. Period. All those involved should not only be shamed of themselves, but have to perform some sort of community service to make it up to the people of the world.

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On a personal note, I'd like to point out that 7 of the 10 films that made the list are stupid comedies. I've told people plenty of times, when asked if I'm going to see some comedy film when it opens, that I don't go see many comedies in theaters. People are always weirded out, taken aback. It's not that I don't like comedies, it's that an abysmal comedy film is, in my opinion, the worst kind of bad movie.

Bad horror, action and sci-fi movies can still be fun, bad dramas are usually just dry, boring or brought down by bad acting, but aren't necessarily horrible all around, bad animated movies are usually just poorly made and overly corny or simplistic, but again aren't always horrible... But comedies, with the delicate balance of humor, possibly adding a helping of raunch without going too far, awkwardness without being too awkward, lines that have to not only further some basic story and character arc but also land a joke just right, it's very, very easy to fail miserably. Almost all of the films I went through when going through the bad films, on all the lists and all the critic's bottom choices and every Joe-Schmo bad movie site, were comedy films. That's why I don't go see them in theaters. I'll give them a chance on TV or DVD, where I can easily turn it off and try something else, but I have sometimes a greater than 50% chance going in to a theater that the film is gonna suck, despite who's making it, who wrote it, and who stars, and I don't like those odds.

So, in closing, the next time you're watching a stinker of a movie and you think to yourself, "Man, how much worse can this get?" just remember, you could be watching one of the movies on this list. I'll leave you with this: If you haven't seen one, a few, or all of these films... don't. Seriously. Don't take this as a list of films you should watch for any reason other than to die a little bit inside.

- gARTh -

gARTh's 2010 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2010

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Beginning in 2008, the winners were chosen by user voting via Myspace and Facebook, with the exception of in a few categories added later. These are marked with an *.

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Film:

The Social Network

Director:

David Fincher - The Social Network

Actor:

Colin Firth - The King's Speech

Actress:

Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Supporting Actor:

Christian Bale - The Fighter

Supporting Actress:

Melissa Leo - The Fighter

Adapted Screenplay:

Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network

Original Screenplay:

Christopher Nolan - Inception

Editing:

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Cinematography:

Inception

Stuntwork:

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Art Direction:

Inception

Costume Design:

Black Swan

Make-Up:

The Wolfman

Visual Effects:

Inception

Sound Mixing:

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Music - Original Score:

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network

Music - Original Song:

A.R. Rahman & Dido - "If I Rise" - 127 Hours

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (Edvard Grieg) - "In the Hall of the Mountain King" - The Social Network

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:

Johnny Cash - "God's Gonna Cut You Down" - True Grit

Animated Feature Film:

Toy Story 3

Documentary Feature Film:

Waiting for "Superman"

Foreign Language Film:

Enter the Void - France

Animated Performance:

Ned Beatty - Toy Story 3

Villainous Performance:

Mark Strong - Kick-Ass

Comedic Performance:

Steve Carell - Dinner for Schmucks

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:

Crispin Glover - Hot Tub Time Machine

Breakthrough Performance:

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

Breakthrough Filmmaker:

Joseph Kosinski - TRON: Legacy

Cast:

The Social Network

Scene:

Inception - Arthur (Joseph-Gordon Levitt) fights a projection while losing gravity in the hotel hallway.

Quote:

The Social Network - "I think if your clients want to sit on my shoulders and call themselves tall, they have the right to give it a try, but there's no requirement that I enjoy sitting here listening to people lie. You have part of my attention, you have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention is back at the offices of Facebook, where my colleagues and I are doing things that no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing. Did I adequately answer your condescending question?"

Tagline:

The Social Network - "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies."

Poster Art: (select link to view)

Inception (One Sheet  12)

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*Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

Leaves of Grass - Written and Directed by Tim Blake Nelson.

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Special Achievement Award:

Chloë Grace Moretz (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kick-Ass, and Let Me In)

At 13 years old, Chloë Moretz is set to take Hollywood by storm as only a handful of young actresses before her have been able to do. Drew Barrymore, Anna Paquin, Natalie Portman, Dakota Fanning... the list of recent female child stars able to make the transition into mature roles isn't very long. Already, Moretz has shown the world acting abilities far beyond her years, and her choice of roles reflects a desire to be taken seriously. She's not just another cute-faced kid. She's a smartass middle-schooler with an interesting eye on what's what and who's who in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. She's a lethal assassin in a purple wig Hell-bent on tearing down a druglord's empire with a tongue as sharp as the knives she wields in Kick-Ass. She's a lonely vampire trying to survive in a cold, modern world who makes friends with a bullied boy she feels a strange kinship with in Let Me In.

As supporting character Angie Steadman in Thor Freudenthal's adaptation of the acclaimed novel Diary of a Wimpy Kid, she acts as guide to sixth grader Greg and his nerdy best friend Rowley, giving them lessons on the inner-workings of middle school. While she's not the center of the film, Angie is always around and always a part of Greg and Rowley's lives, and Moretz injects an energy and playfulness so that Angie doesn't come across as too weird or too smart, just smart and weird enough. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which only cost $15 million to make, made over $75 million at the box office, (The sequel will be released March 25, 2011, although Moretz is not attached).

As Hit-Girl in Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of the Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. graphically violent graphic novel Kick-Ass, Moretz trained with martial arts legend Jackie Chan's stunt crew for three months, and performed almost all of her acrobatic stunts on location. Besides the action, stunts, and foul-mouthed humor that's delivered with a quick acid-tongue, Moretz brings a sense of sadness and brevity when the action slows adding a dimension of realism and consequence that enhances not only her performance but the entire film, as well. Made for $28 million (raised by director Matthew Vaughn himself due to the Studio's hesitancy over the violence and language of the film... he later sold it to Universal, one of the Studio's that had originally turned him down), Kick-Ass earned $96 million at the box office and instant 'cult movie' status. The sequel, Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall has been announced, with all (surviving) cast and crew returning, to be released in 2012.

And, as Abby in Let Me In, Matt Reeves' adaptation of the novel Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvis and the 2008 Swedish film of the same name directed by Tomas Alfredson, Moretz adds a spin to the role originated by Swedish actress Lina Leandersson so as to make it her own. The reserved, quiet subtleties and nuances of the character remain intact, but Moretz seems more inviting and accessible, more rewarding with what she gives her audience in her performance, and that small tonal change makes all the difference in the American version. Moretz plays the role phenomenally, bringing a wisdom beyond her years that can be read in her eyes and the sense of primal ferocity lying just beyond the reach of light.

While the movie wasn't a huge box office success (cost $20 million, made only $21 million) it was universally acclaimed by critics and audiences everywhere with review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes giving the consensus that it's "similar to the original in all the right ways, but with enough changes to stand on its own, Let Me In is the rare Hollywood remake that doesn't add insult to inspiration," and leading the novel's author (and writer of the screenplay to the Swedish film) Lindqvis to issue this statement about the film: "I might just be the luckiest writer alive. To have not only one, but two excellent versions of my debut novel done for the screen feels unreal. Let The Right One In is a great Swedish movie. Let Me In is a great American movie. There are notable similarities and the spirit of Tomas Alfredson is present. But Let Me In puts the emotional pressure in different places and stands firmly on its own legs. Like the Swedish movie it made me cry, but not at the same points. Let Me In is a dark and violent love story, a beautiful piece of cinema and a respectful rendering of my novel for which I am grateful. Again." Finally, acclaimed horror author Stephen King said of the film, "Let Me In is a genre-busting triumph. Not just a horror film, but the best American horror film in the last 20 years."

For her performances in Kick-Ass and Let Me In Chloë Moretz has received two Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Young Actress (alongside Let Me In co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee), was nominated for the Female Breakout Award at the Teen Choice Awards for her role in Kick-Ass, and was nominated for Best Fantasy Film Actress, Best Superhero, and won the award for Best Breakthrough Female Performance at the 2010 Scream Awards, also for her role in Kick-Ass.

Besides Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall in 2012, Chloë Moretz can soon be seen in Ami Mann's dark murder mystery set in the Texan bayou The Fields also starring Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and as a part of the ensemble cast, including Jude Law, Ben Kingsley, Sascha Baron Cohen and Christopher Lee, of Martin Scorsese's family adventure Hugo Cabret to be released in 3D Fall 2011.

gARTh's 2009 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2009

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Beginning in 2008, the winners were chosen by user voting via Myspace and Facebook, with the exception of in a few categories added later. These are marked with an *.

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Film:
Avatar

Director:
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker

Actor:
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

Actress:
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Supporting Actor:
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Supporting Actress:
Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Adapted Screenplay:
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner - Up in the Air

Original Screenplay:
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

Editing:
District 9

Cinematography:
Avatar

Stuntwork:
Sherlock Holmes

Art Direction:
Avatar

Costume Design:
Watchmen

Make-Up:
Star Trek

Visual Effects:
Avatar

Sound Mixing:
Avatar

Music - Original Score:
Michael Giacchino - Up

Music - Original Song:
Karen O and the Kids - "All Is Love" - Where the Wild Things Are

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
Metallica - "For Whom the Bell Tolls" - Zombieland

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
Nine Inch Nails - "The Day the World Went Away" - Terminator: Salvation

Animated Feature Film:
Up

Documentary Feature Film:
The Cove

Foreign Language Film:
The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte) - Germany

Animated Performance:
Ed Asner - Up

Villainous Performance:
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Comedic Performance:
Zach Galifanakis - The Hangover

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
Bill Murray - Zombieland

Breakthrough Performance:
Sharlto Copley - District 9

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
Neill Blomkamp - District 9

Cast:
Inglourious Basterds

Scene:
Inglourious Basterds - Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) visits the farm of Perrier LaPadite (Denis Menochet).

Quote:
(500) Days of Summer - "I don't know how to tell you this, but... there's a Chinese family in our bathroom."

Tagline:
The Men Who Stare at Goats - "No goats. No glory."

Poster Art: (select link to view)
A Christmas Carol (One Sheet 6)

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*Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

The Brothers Bloom - Written and Directed by Rian Johnson.

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Special Achievement Award:

James Cameron's Avatar

The idea, in some form or other, for the groundbreaking film Avatar lay dormant inside the head of director James Cameron since he was a child. In 1994 he wrote a treatment, outlying a basic story and characters. After his Oscar-winning 1997 feature Titanic, work was begun on Avatar for a 1999 release. Quickly, the director realized that the technology in which he wanted to create the world of Pandora and its inhabitants simply did not exist, and he spent the next decade helping to create that technology. From new techniques to better capture an actor's expression through "mo-cap," to creating new cameras that would yield more depth and higher resolutions than ever before, not to mention his work with digital 3D and the numerous computer effects leaps his Digital Domain effects house, among others, have made, Cameron was on his way to not only realizing his vision for a science-fiction epic, but changing the way films are made in Hollywood. If you doubt that the film's impact is that far-reaching, know that many of these technologies have been in practice for years by other filmmakers, effects houses, etc. as they've been developed. But only Avatar would show just how far the imagination-envelope could be pushed, and how beautifully realized it could be.

Production began in 2006, (although by this time much had already been filmed), with principle actors filming in New Zealand and around Los Angeles. Relatively unknown actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, whose film credits had not been star-making at this point, were cast as the leads. Supporting them would be stars Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Wes Studi, Stephen Lang and C.C.H. Pounder among others, with literally thousands of people working on the production. Almost four grueling years later, the film was ready to be unveiled. An epic science-fiction-action-romance that would blow all the competition away.

While the film will be most remembered for its game-changing visuals, the effects are not the only thing to be praised here. The plot, while some may find it contrived and simplistic, is actually a multi-layered story about a vast number of things presented as a timeless tale of boy-meets-girl. The most obvious is the story on the surface, of the grim machine-filled world of man invading the peaceful natural world of the Na'vi tribe. But there's more to it than that, if one were so inclined to look deeper; for example, the allusions to Hinduism, where the term 'avatar' originated. James Cameron and Dr. Paul Frommer, linguist and Director of the Center for Management Communications at USC, developed around 1,000 words of the Na'vi language, some based on pronunciations found in Ethiopia or the in New Zealand Maori, others created out of thin air. The actors in turn had to learn to speak, convincingly, a fictitious language. Then there's Pandora itself. Not just a backdrop, but a full ecological system, inhabited by creatures, plant life, and the jokingly-named element "unobtanium" that causes all the fuss in the first place. All of these things don't just make for an entertaining film, they are all linked by the fact that they were developed, down to the last detail, to fully immerse the viewer into another world. Pandora is now a real place, just as much as Tolkien's Middle-Earth, with its own past, present, and future.

The actors are as much to praise as Cameron, for it is their brave performances that help audiences connect with a film inhabited by mostly computer generated characters, creatures, and environments. Sam Worthington's dual turn as the wheel-chair bound soldier Jake and his avatar-likeness truly holds Cameron's story on its shoulders. Zoe Saldana turns in an equally important turn as the Na'vi princess Neytiri. Without her performance shining above and beyond the technology that provides the visual, audiences would not feel her pain for her people and be swept away by her growing feelings for Jake. It is a testament to these two above all others that Cameron's vision was such a success. Also of note is the sweeping dramatic score by veteran composer James Horner (honored for his work on Cameron's Titanic and Aliens), who brings a sense of hope in the face of doom, splendor in the face of devastation, and love in the face of war.

James Cameron has always been the sort of director that delivers entertaining films. They always push the limits of what a film can do, technologically and otherwise. However, for the first time, there's an actual message beneath the action and behind the beauty. So, for all it's technological breakthroughs and visual wonders, for all its adrenaline-pumping and awe-inspiring spectacle, Avatar becomes a full-on experience by being somewhat important, as well. Something that, after the lights have come up and you find yourself at home in your life, you can take with you.

gARTh's 2008 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2008

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Beginning in 2008, the winners were chosen by user voting via Myspace and Facebook, with the exception of in a few categories added later. These are marked with an *.

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Film:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Director:
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Actor:
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Actress:
Angelina Jolie - Changeling

Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress:
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Adapted Screenplay:
Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Original Screenplay:
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges

Editing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Cinematography:
The Dark Knight

Stuntwork:
The Dark Knight

Art Direction:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Costume Design:
The Fall

Make-Up:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Visual Effects:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Sound:
Cloverfield

Music - Original Score:
A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire

Music - Original Song:
Jack White and Alicia Keys - "Another Way To Die" - Quantum of Solace

*Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
Flo Rida & T-Pain - "Low" - Tropic Thunder

*Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
M.I.A. - "Paper Planes" - Pineapple Express

Animated Feature Film:
WALL-E

Documentary Feature Film:
Man On Wire

Foreign Language Film:
Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) - Sweden

*Animated Performance:
Jim Carrey - Horton Hears a Who!

Villainous Performance:
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Comedic Performance:
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder

Breakthrough Performance:
Bobb'e J. Thompson - Role Models

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges

Cast:
Tropic Thunder

*Scene:
The Dark Knight - The Joker (Heath Ledger) and his accomplices pull off a bank heist.

Quote:
Tropic Thunder - "First, take a big step back... and literally, FUCK YOUR OWN FACE! I don't know what kind of pan-Pacific bullshit power play you're trying to pull here, but Asia, Jack, is <i>my</i> territory. So whatever you're thinking, you'd better think again! Otherwise I'm gonna have to head down there and I will rain down in a Godly fucking firestorm upon you! You're gonna have to call the fucking United Nations and get a fucking binding resolution to keep me from fucking destroying you. I'm talking about a scorched Earth, motherfucker! I will massacre you! I will FUCK YOU UP!"

*Tagline:
The Dark Knight - "Why so serious?"

Poster Art: (select link to view)
The Dark Knight (One Sheet 4)

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*Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

Transsiberian - Directed by Brad Anderson. Written by Brad Anderson and Will Conroy.

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Special Achievement Award:

Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight

Ever since his mainstream breakthrough in 2000 with the film Memento, director Christopher Nolan has only gotten better at enveloping audiences in his vision. From his Alaskan take on the Skjoldbjærg cult classic Insomnia in 2002, to his first voyage into Gotham with Batman Begins in 2005, and then developing a world of mystery, magic, and thrills with The Prestige in 2006, he has taken what he's learned prior and expanded on it considerably. Therefore, it was no surprise that The Dark Knight was more than just another sequel, more than just another comicbook adaptation, and more than just another summer action film. The Dark Knight, as the late Heath Ledger explains in the film, "...has changed things."

Currently resting as the second-highest grossing film of all time at almost a billion dollars in world-wide box office receipts (in the middle of an economic recession), the film will be studied from here on out as an expertly executed masterpiece. Just as Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs and David Fincher's Se7en changed the way thrillers are viewed by audiences and created by filmmakers in the years after their respective releases, so will Nolan's directing choices be analyzed in the years to come. Nolan's solid directing is just the beginning, however, of The Dark Knight's ingenuity. Cinematographer Wally Pfiste's breakthrough use of IMAX film technology in all of the major action set pieces, to enhance the scope and create the largest possible viewing canvas, has already opened the door for Hollywood to use this technology in ways they'd never dreamed. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's breathtakingly subtle score embeds a sense of threatening madness and underlying bravery into the scenes instead of the standard pumping action cues, therefore adding to the suspense of The Joker's threat, the sadness of Harvey Dent's loss, and the monumental sacrifices our hero must make to ensure the betterment of the city and people he loves. Even the story and character development as written by screenwriters Jonathan and Christopher Nolan defy mainstream conventions, by having the hero take a backseat to what should be the supporting characters throughout the bulk of the film. With this, Nolan says to his audience that Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego Batman are not, in fact, the only story to be told here in Gotham City; his fate is intertwined with that of the city and the array of interesting characters that populate it. The continuing themes of whether or not Batman can, and more importantly why he should, continue to do what he does leaves the audience in the end with a greater sense of what it actually means to be a hero than any superhero film before it.

With outstanding performances by Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, and Gary Oldman, and supporting performances by Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Eric Roberts, Chin Han, Anthony Michael Hall, Joshua Harto, and Colin McFarlane, the film shines scene-to-scene with powerful emotion and intelligent dialogue. Heath Ledger's legendary performance as The Joker stands as a testament to the amount of dedication all those involved put into this film, and Aaron Eckhart's wonderfully powerful journey of a man of duty and honor's fall from grace as a result of tragedy will remain just as poignant ten or twenty years from now as it is in 2008.

Before the film's opening, the groundbreaking viral marketing campaign developed by 42 Entertainment brought fans into the world of Gotham City and let them participate in the story leading up to the film. Whether it was having an army of fans dressed as The Joker's minions search through cities around the country for clues or actively voting in the election for Gotham's new District Attorney Harvey Dent, fans were able to unlock trailers, images from the film, or more viral marketing websites with details bridging the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

With The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan and his wonderful cast and crew have proven that superheroes are more than just a pop-culture phenomena and that films based on comicbooks can be both entertainment and artform, both of the highest caliber. Of all the films of 2008, this will be the one that will be remembered not only for its mass appeal as a landmark in entertainment that broke box-office records, but for its accomplishments along the way that progressed the film industry as a whole even further into the new millennium.

gARTh's 2007 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2007

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Film:
Atonement

Director:
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men

Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood

Actress:
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose

Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There

Adapted Screenplay:
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men

Original Screenplay:
Diablo Cody - Juno

Editing:
Zodiac

Cinematography:
The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford

Stuntwork:
The Bourne Ultimatum

Art Direction:
Atonement

Costume Design:
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Make-Up:
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Visual Effects:
300

Sound Mixing:
Transformers

Music - Original Score:
Dario Marianelli - Atonement

Music - Original Song:
Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová - "Falling Slowly" - Once

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
Jason Freeman & Samuel L. Jackson (Traditional) - "Black Snake Moan" - Black Snake Moan

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
Nine Inch Nails - "Just Like You Imagined" - 300

Animated Feature Film:
The Simpsons Movie

Documentary Feature Film:
No End in Sight

Foreign Language Film:
Black Book (Zwartboek) - Netherlands

Animated Performance:
Ray Winstone - Beowulf

Villainous Performance:
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

Comedic Performance:
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
Tom Hanks- The Simpson's Movie

Breakthrough Performance:
Sam Riley - Control

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
Anton Corbijn - Control

Cast:
Zodiac

Scene:
Grindhouse - Zoë (Zoë Bell) hangs off the hood of a full-speed Dodge Challenger as Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) goes in for the kill.

Quote:
300 - "Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... For tonight, we dine in hell! "

Tagline:
The Simpsons Movie - "For years, lines have been drawn...and then colored in yellow."

Poster Art: (select link to view)
Grindhouse (One Sheet 3)

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Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

Trick 'r Treat - Written and Directed by Michael Dougherty.

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Special Achievement Award:

Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse (Shared with Eli Roth, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie)

Prior to 2008, I didn't write long-winded reasons why the film or person(s) won, but briefly:

If there's anyone in Hollywood that truly understands the horror genre, and all the exploitative, over-the-top excess and tomfoolery that comes with it, it's Tarantino and Rodriguez. Together with fellow horror-buffs Roth, Wright and Zombie they created a cinematic masterpiece out of a late-night schlock drive-in picture. With tongue firmly planted in cheek they delivered what few in Hollywood can anymore, a full-on theatrical experience. From the opening Machete trailer, to the ridiculous mayhem of Planet Terror, through the vintage intermission and the trailers for Don't, Thanksgiving, and Werewolf Women of the S.S. (that I hope will one day grace a screen near me as feature films, themselves), and straight into Death Proof (featuring a long-awaited return to form from genre-badass Kurt Russell), the entire Grindhouse experience brought horror fans what they wanted, what they craved, and despite its poor box office returns, was heralded by any and all who saw it as one of the best films of 2007. (Not bad for something that 20 years ago would have been relegated to VHS and USA Up All Night). People tend to throw around the phrase "An instant Cult Classic" a little loosely these days, but for once the phrase is dead-on accurate.

gARTh's 2006 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2006

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Film:
Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno)

Director:
Martin Scorsese - The Departed

Actor:
Forrest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

Actress:
Helen Mirren - The Queen

Supporting Actor:
Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond

Supporting Actress:
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel

Adapted Screenplay:
William Monahan - The Departed

Original Screenplay:
Rian Johnson - Brick

Editing:
The Departed

Cinematography:
Children of Men

Stuntwork:
Casino Royale

Art Direction:
Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno)

Costume Design:
Marie Antoinette

Make-Up:
Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno)

Visual Effects:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Sound Mixing:
Letters from Iwo Jima

Music - Original Score:
David Julyan - The Prestige

Music - Original Song:
Jack Black, Kyle Gass and Dave Grohl - "Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)" - Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
Dropkick Murphys - "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" - The Departed

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
Sufjan Stevens - "Chicago" - Little Miss Sunshine

Animated Feature Film:
Over the Hedge

Documentary Feature Film:
An Inconvenient Truth

Foreign Language Film:
Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno) - Mexico

Animated Performance:
Steve Buscemi - Monster House

Villainous Performance:
Mads Mikkelsen - Casino Royale

Comedic Performance:
Sacha Baron Cohen - Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
Tim Robbins - Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny

Breakthrough Performance:
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
Rian Johnson - Brick

Cast:
The Departed

Scene:
Azumi - Azumi (Aya Ueto) storms Kato's (Naoto Takenaka) compound.

Quote:
V for Vendetta - "Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you... and you may call me V."

Tagline:
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - "The story of a man who could only count to #1."

Poster Art: (select link to view)
V for Vendetta (One Sheet 2)

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Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

Factotum - Directed by Bent Hamer. Written by Bent Hamer and Jim Stark. Based on the novel by Charles Bukowski.

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Special Achievement Award:

Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond and The Departed)

Prior to 2008, I didn't write long-winded reasons why the film or person(s) won, but briefly:

Leonardo DiCaprio had already established himself as a bonafide actor, creating celebrated and memorable performances in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Basketball Diaries, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator and Gangs of New York, but it wasn't until 2006 that he was able to pull off (arguably) his two best career performances to date... both in the same year. This feat is not unprecedented, De Niro made both Heat and Casino in 1995, Pacino both Glengarry Glen Ross and Scent of a Woman in 1992,  Gary Oldman both Leon: The Professional and Immortal Beloved in 1994, Meryl Streep both The Hours and Adaptation. in 2002, and the list goes on and on. There are many, however, that wouldn't normally place DiCaprio, aged 32 in 2006, on a list with those actors. But his performances in both Blood Diamond and The Departed were two of the most noteworthy of the year. He was praised for his authentic South African Afrikaner accent in Blood Diamond, known to be a difficult accent to pull off, and his performance in The Departed was show-stealing (considering he was acting opposite Jack Nicholson and Martin Sheen for most of the film, and considering the diverse and accomplished ensemble cast of the film, that's saying something), and is in my opinion his best to date.

gARTh's 2005 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2005

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Film:
King Kong

Director:
Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain

Actor:
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Capote

Actress:
Felicity Huffman - Transamerica

Supporting Actor:
Mickey Rourke - Sin City

Supporting Actress:
Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardener

Adapted Screenplay:
Jeffrey Caine - The Constant Gardener

Original Screenplay:
George Clooney & Grant Heslov - Good Night, and Good Luck

Editing:
Crash

Cinematography:
The New World

Stuntwork:
The Protector (Tom yum goong)

Art Direction:
King Kong

Costume Design:
Memoirs of a Geisha

Make-Up:
King Kong

Visual Effects:
King Kong

Sound Mixing:
King Kong

Music - Original Score:
John Williams - Munich

Music - Original Song:
Al Kapone & Terrence Howard - "Hustle and Flow (It Ain't Over)" - Hustle & Flow

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
James Brown - "Get Up Offa That Thing" - Robots

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
The Servant - "Cells" - Sin City

Animated Feature Film:
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Documentary Feature Film:
Murderball

Foreign Language Film:
Paradise Now - Palestine

Animated Performance:
Andy Serkis - King Kong

Villainous Performance:
Ralph Fiennes - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Comedic Performance:
Steve Carell - The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
Will Ferrell - Wedding Crashers

Breakthrough Performance:
Q'orianka Kilcher - The New World

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
Garth Jennings - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Cast:
Batman Begins

Scene:
Sin City - Dwight (Clive Owen) races toward The Pits with the corpse of Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro) keeping him company.

Quote:
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - "Thanks for coming, please stay for the end credits. If you're wondering who the best boy is, it's somebody's nephew. Don't forget to validate your parking, and to all you good people in the Midwest, sorry we said 'fuck' so much."

Tagline:
Jarhead - "Welcome to the suck."

Poster Art: (select link to view)
Walk the Line (Teaser)

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Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

Everything Is Illuminated - Written and Directed by Liev Schreiber. Based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer.

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Special Achievement Award:

Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino's Sin City

Prior to 2008, I didn't write long-winded reasons why the film or person(s) won, but briefly:

For the first time fans of an original source were treated to a film adaptation that respected that source to the point of recreating it almost verbatim. From the complex angles of the shots, to the dialogue, to the obvious coolness of the color schemes (and the interesting reversals of black and white in certain shots that had never been used or seen outside of an inked drawing), to the look of the actors and the make-up and costumes used to bring Frank Miller's vision to life. Rodriguez is the man (to credit) for the vision coming to life as it did, and for bringing Frank Miller on as a co-director... even going so far as cutting up his DGA card to do so... and even letting friend Quentin Tarantino direct a stand-out scene. Fans have been clammoring for Hollywood to respect the source, to bring to the screen everything they liked in the first place while keep the changes to a minimum. These comicbook properties (and this actually applies to any film adapted from another source, from a remake of a previous film to a novel adaptation) are only made into films because they gained some notoriety, and that credit goes to the fans. It only makes sense to respect the original fanbase when creating the film version. If changes are made and the integrity of the original story is lost to appease mainstream audiences, that had nothing to do with bringing the property its fame, then the filmmakers are essentially spitting in the faces of the original fanbase. Rodriguez and co. proved that it could be done, and it could be successful. Sin City didn't make Spider-Man money, but it was never meant to, it's just not that kind of story. Three years later Jon Favreau's Iron Man made the leap to the big screen, also with minimal changes, and did bring in Spider-Man money at the box office, and so with the precedent set, hopefully moving forward more filmmakers will realize that to embrace your original fanbase is the most important thing you can do. Win them over, and they'll spread the good news like wildfire across the internet and across the world.

gARTh's 2004 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2004

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Film:
The Aviator

Director:
Mel Gibson - The Passion of the Christ

Actor:
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Aviator

Actress:
Uma Thurman - Kill Bill: Volume 2

Supporting Actor:
Morgan Freeman - Million Dollar Baby

Supporting Actress:
Natalie Portman - Closer

Adapted Screenplay:
Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor - Sideways

Original Screenplay:
Charlie Kaufman - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Editing:
Collateral

Cinematography:
House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)

Stuntwork:
House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)

Art Direction:
The Aviator

Costume Design:
House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)

Make-Up:
Hellboy

Visual Effects:
Spider-Man 2

Sound Mixing:
The Incredibles

Music - Original Score:
John Debney - The Passion of the Christ

Music - Original Song:
Trey Parker - "America, F**k Yeah" - Team America: World Police

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
Frou Frou - "Let Go" - Garden State

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
Immediate Music - "Lacrimosa" - Spider-Man 2

Animated Feature Film:
The Incredibles

Documentary Feature Film:
Fahrenheit 9/11

Foreign Language Film:
House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu) - China

Animated Performance:
Antonio Banderas - Shrek 2

Villainous Performance:
Tom Cruise - Collateral

Comedic Performance:
Nick Frost - Shaun of the Dead

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
Matt Damon - EuroTrip

Breakthrough Performance:
Eva Green - The Dreamers

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
Zack Snyder - Dawn of the Dead

Cast:
Shrek 2

Scene:
Spider-Man 2 - Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) and Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) take their fight from the side of a building onto a passing subway train.

Quote:
Team America: World Police - "We're dicks! We're reckless, arrogant, stupid dicks. And the Film Actors Guild are pussies. And Kim Jong Il is an asshole. Pussies don't like dicks, because pussies get fucked by dicks. But dicks also fuck assholes: assholes that just want to shit on everything. Pussies may think they can deal with assholes their way. But the only thing that can fuck an asshole is a dick, with some balls. The problem with dicks is: they fuck too much or fuck when it isn't appropriate - and it takes a pussy to show them that. But sometimes, pussies can be so full of shit that they become assholes themselves... because pussies are an inch and half away from ass holes. I don't know much about this crazy, crazy world, but I do know this: If you don't let us fuck this asshole, we're going to have our dicks and pussies all covered in shit!"

Tagline:
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - "His news is bigger than your news."

Poster Art: (select link to view)
The Passion of the Christ (One Sheet 4)

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Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

Spartan - Written and Directed by David Mamet.

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Special Achievement Award:

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ

Prior to 2008, I didn't write long-winded reasons why the film or person(s) won, but briefly:

The biggest and highest grossing independent film (not made in, and by doing so going against, the traditional Hollywood Studio system) of all time, Gibson, despite what he's said and done since, created a momentous, groundbreaking film unlike any before or since. The level of detail, historical accuracy and raw emotional power involved in both its making and its handling of its subject is both amazing and staggering. The film was able to bring in an audience that generally feels forgotten by mainstream Hollywood, and was able to reach others that aren't even followers of the Christian faith as they simply enjoyed a great emotionally driven story.

gARTh's 2003 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2003

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Film:
City of God (Cidade de Deus)

Director:
Peter Weir - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Actor:
Bill Murray - Lost in Translation

Actress:
Charlize Theron - Monster

Supporting Actor:
Tim Robbins - Mystic River

Supporting Actress:
Maria Bello - The Cooler

Adapted Screenplay:
John August - Big Fish

Original Screenplay:
Sophia Coppola - Lost in Translation

Editing:
City of God (Cidade de Deus)

Cinematography:
Irréversible

Stuntwork:
Kill Bill: Volume 1

Art Direction:
Cold Mountain

Costume Design:
The Last Samurai

Make-Up:
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Visual Effects:
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Sound Mixing:
Kill Bill: Volume 1

Music - Original Score:
Danny Elfman - Big Fish

Music - Original Song:
Fran Walsh, Howard Shore & Annie Lennox - "Into the West" - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
Tomoyasu Hotei - "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" - Kill Bill: Volume 1

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
Red Tape - "Agent Provocateur" - Underworld

Animated Feature Film:
Finding Nemo

Documentary Feature Film:
The Fog of War

Foreign Language Film:
City of God (Cidade de Deus) - Brazil

Animated Performance:
Albert Brooks - Finding Nemo

Villainous Performance:
Geoffrey Rush - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Comedic Performance:
Jack Black - School of Rock

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
Rowan Atkinson - Love Actually

Breakthrough Performance:
Keisha Castle-Hughes - Whale Rider

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
Wayne Kramer - The Cooler

Cast:
Love Actually

Scene:
Kill Bill: Volume 1 - The Bride (Uma Thurman) fights her way through the Crazy 88.

Quote:
Kill Bill: Volume 1 - "I am finished doing what I swore an oath to God 28 years ago to never do again. I've created, 'something that kills people.' And in that purpose, I was a success. I've done this because, philosophically, I am sympathetic to your aim. I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest sword. If on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut."

Tagline:
Mystic River - "We bury our sins, we wash them clean."

Poster Art: (select link to view)
Identity (One Sheet)

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Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

The Shape of Things - Written and Directed by Neil LaBute.

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Special Achievement Award:

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and the cast and crew of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Prior to 2008, I didn't write long-winded reasons why the film or person(s) won, but briefly:

This should be obvious, but the task of filming three back-to-back epic-scale film adaptations of one of the most celebrated literary works of the 20th century is a feat never before attempted in the history of film (the closest precedent was the filming of Back to the Future Parts II and III). The planning, foresight, effort and endurance it must have taken to complete these films is unimaginable.

gARTh's 2002 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2002

: : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - : :

Film:
Hero (Ying xiong)

Director:
Roman Polanski - The Pianist

Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs of New York

Actress:
Julianne Moore - Far from Heaven

Supporting Actor:
Chris Cooper - Adaptation.

Supporting Actress:
Catherine Zeta-Jones - Chicago

Adapted Screenplay:
Charlie Kaufman & Donald Kaufman - Adaptation.

Original Screenplay:
Todd Haynes - Far from Heaven

Editing:
The Hours

Cinematography:
Road to Perdition

Stuntwork:
Hero (Ying xiong)

Art Direction:
Gangs of New York

Costume Design:
Frida

Make-Up:
Gangs of New York

Visual Effects:
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Sound Mixing:
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Music - Original Score:
Thomas Newman - Road to Perdition

Music - Original Song:
Eminem - "Lose Yourself" - 8-Mile

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
Moby - "Extreme Ways" - The Bourne Identity

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
Elton John - "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" - Moonlight Mile

Animated Feature Film:
Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi)

Documentary Feature Film:
Bowling for Columbine

Foreign Language Film:
Hero (Ying xiong) - China

Animated Performance:
Andy Serkis - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Villainous Performance:
Dwight Yoakam - Panic Room

Comedic Performance:
Bruce Campbell - Bubba Ho-tep

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
John Travolta - Austin Powers in Goldmember

Breakthrough Performance:
Marshall "Eminem" Mathers - 8 Mile

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
D.J. Caruso - The Salton Sea

Cast:
Catch Me If You Can

Scene:
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - The battle begins at Helm's Deep.

Quote:
Gangs of New York - "I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. So because you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth. You can build your filthy world without me. I took the father. Now I'll take the son. You tell young Vallon I'm gonna paint Paradise Square with his blood. Two coats. I'll festoon my bedchamber with his guts. As for you, Mr. Tammany-fucking-Hall, you come down to the Points again, and you'll be dispatched by my own hand. Get back to your celebration and let me eat in peace."

Tagline:
Gangs of New York - "America was born in the streets."

Poster Art: (select link to view)
Adaptation. (One Sheet)

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Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

Interstate 60 - Written and Directed by Bob Gale.

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Special Achievement Award:

David Fincher, Conrad W. Hall, and Darius Khondji (Panic Room)

Prior to 2008, I didn't write long-winded reasons why the film or person(s) won, but briefly:

The cinematography, the use of computer generated shots and how they intergrate into the real ones, and the indescribable amount of time and effort put into the art direction so that the camera could flow freely through walls, floors and other obstructions creates a look and feel unparralelled in a film like this. The work paid off, and while the film itself may pale in comparison to the technical acheivements involved in its creation, I commend those technical achievements wholeheartedly.

gARTh's 2001 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2001

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Film:
A Beautiful Mind

Director:
David Lynch - Mulholland Drive

Actor:
Russell Crowe - A Beautiful Mind

Actress:
Nicole Kidman - Moulin Rouge!

Supporting Actor:
Jude Law - A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Connelly - A Beautiful Mind

Adapted Screenplay:
Todd Field & Robert Festinger - In the Bedroom

Original Screenplay:
Christopher Nolan & Jonathan Nolan - Memento

Editing:
Black Hawk Down

Cinematography:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Stuntwork:
Black Hawk Down

Art Direction:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Costume Design:
Moulin Rouge!

Make-Up:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Visual Effects:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Sound Mixing:
Black Hawk Down

Music - Original Score:
Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Music - Original Song:
Randy Newman - "If I Didn't Have You" - Monsters, Inc.

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
José Feliciano, Nicole Kidman, Jacek Koman, Ewan McGregor & Richard Roxburgh (Sting) - "El Tango de Roxanne" - Moulin Rouge!

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
Billy Corgan - "Reflect (Time)" - From Hell

Animated Feature Film:
Monsters, Inc.

Documentary Feature Film:
Murder on a Sunday Morning

Foreign Language Film:
Amelie (Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) - France

Animated Performance:
Mike Myers - Shrek

Villainous Performance:
Alan Ford - Snatch

Comedic Performance:
Will Ferrell - Zoolander

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
David Duchovny - Zoolander

Breakthrough Performance:
Dakota Fanning - I Am Sam

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
Richard Kelly - Donnie Darko

Cast:
Ocean's Eleven

Scene:
Training Day - The neighborhood turns their back on Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) after his fight with Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke).

Quote:
Memento - "I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. Do I believe the world's still there? Is it still out there?... Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different."

Tagline:
Hannibal - "The silence will be broken."

Poster Art: (select link to view)
Blow (One Sheet)

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Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

The Cat's Meow - Directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Written by Steven Peros.

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Special Achievement Award:

Baz Luhrman and the cast and crew of Moulin Rouge!

Prior to 2008, I didn't write long-winded reasons why the film or person(s) won, but briefly:

This movie (even if it's not your thing), is one of the most ambitious and creative films in modern film history. It is quite possibly the most artistic mainstream film I've ever seen. The ideas involved are original, and unique (doubt you'll ever see anything like this again), and (even if it's not your thing) all those involved, from the director to the stars to the choreographers to the sound editors to the costumers to the production designers to the composer to the lighting techs, give 110%, bringing audiences something they truly had never seen before. Most people I know that don't enjoy the film either don't enjoy musicals in general or don't enjoy the songs used. That's all well and good and it's their opinion, but one cannot deny the creative genius and, well, balls it takes to pull a film like this off, much less make it as good as it is. To Baz Luhrman, I thank you for bringing back film musicals (two years before "Chicago" took all the credit) and for bringing them back in a way that celebrates not only the art of telling a story through song, but songs that are relevant to modern culture and in a style that celebrates the cinema, pop music, the theater, and the arts.

gARTh's 2000 Movie Awards

WINNERS: 2000

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Film:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long)

Director:
Steven Soderbergh - Traffic

Actor:
Geoffrey Rush - Quills

Actress:
Joan Allen - The Contender

Supporting Actor:
Willem Dafoe - Shadow of the Vampire

Supporting Actress:
Frances McDormand - Almost Famous

Adapted Screenplay:
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Original Screenplay:
Cameron Crowe - Almost Famous

Editing:
Requiem for a Dream

Cinematography:
Sunshine

Stuntwork:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long)

Art Direction:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long)

Costume Design:
Gladiator

Make-Up:
The Cell

Visual Effects:
X-Men

Sound Mixing:
Gladiator

Music - Original Score:
Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet - Requiem for a Dream

Music - Original Song:
Bob Dylan - "Things Have Changed" - Wonder Boys

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Feature:
Elton John - "Tiny Dancer" - Almost Famous

Music - Use of Previously Recorded Song; Trailer:
Control Machete & Ely Guerra - "Amores Perros" - Amores Perros

Animated Feature Film:
Chicken Run

Documentary Feature Film:
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport

Foreign Language Film:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long) - Taiwan

Animated Performance:
Patrick Warburton - The Emperor's New Groove

Villainous Performance:
Michael Caine - Quills

Comedic Performance:
Jim Carrey - Me, Myself & Irene

Cameo / Bit-Part Performance:
Bruce Springsteen - High Fidelity

Breakthrough Performance:
Jamie Bell - Billy Elliot

Breakthrough Filmmaker:
Alejandro González Iñárritu - Amores Perros

Cast:
Traffic

Scene:
Almost Famous - The band Stillwater and their traveling entourage are brought closer together by the power of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer."

Quote:
High Fidelity - "What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"

Tagline:
Traffic - "No one gets away clean."

Poster Art:
U-571 (One Sheet 2)

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Most Underrated Film:

Films that did not receive a wide release, were unsuccessful at the box office, were not nominated for any major awards or receive acclaim at any major film festivals, and were generally unknown to most audiences at the time of their release... but were well-liked by most critics and audiences that did happen to see them.

Animal Factory - Directed by Steve Buscemi. Written by Edward Bunker and John Steppling. Based on the novel by Edward Bunker.

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Special Achievement Award:

Bryan Singer's X-Men (Shared with Hugh Jackman)

Prior to 2008, I didn't write long-winded reasons why the film or person(s) won, but briefly:

Bryan Singer, with the help of the screen presence of the previously unknown actor Hugh Jackman, helped save Marvel Films from themselves by finally delivering a previously established Marvel comics property as a film that was actually a hit. Technically, "Blade" came out 2 years before this, but the success of that film wasn't based on it's comic fanbase, it was also a Wesley Snipes action vehicle, and a vampire horror film, and many other things that would make for a successful film besides its comic book roots. "X-Men" was the first Marvel Comics film that the public recognized as a comic film, that was a box office smash, and paved the way for the comic book adaptation phenomenon that would come in 2002 with "Spider-Man." It's also helpful to note that the last few comic book related films that were 'superhero' films, were the DC Comics films "Batman & Robin" and "Steel" which were box office poison, so it also helped revitalize the superhero film genre for other studios, as well.

gARTh's Movie Awards: A Brief History...

I recently went back through and filled in some holes, gaps and years-off in my Movie Awards lists. At first it was just for my own overly-attentive and geeky organization purposes, but then it evolved so that I might share the results of all the years I've been keeping up with it.

The history of my desire to do an end-of-year "Awards" list came from my disdain for the major film awards shows and their lack of consistency, their politiking, and the fact that they leave off great films that were either unprofitable (not necessarily a telling sign of a film's quality) or that simply came out too early in a year to be remembered by the time the lists began to be tallied (which is ridiculous in the digital age, by the way... I mean, if I can look online to see what films came out in the first quarter of a year, why can't The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or The Hollywood Foreign Press? Do these people not own a computer?).

Anyway, so in 1999 I'd had enough, and while sitting in my Trinkle Hall dorm room at Radford University I created a list of nominees that reflected my and my friends' personal tastes, and catered to underdog films and performances usually deemed unworthy of any artistic recognition. In my experience, the films that I love are generally not the ones that win Best Picture (and I don't think I'm alone on this), so why not create something that would place a film like "The Matrix" as an equal to a film like "The Cider House Rules," instead of relegating such a film to just Visual Effects and Sound Mixing awards. Anyway, I ran off copies and handed 'em out to my friends and we all voted and it was just a bit of fun. I remember thinking then that the next time I'd put more effort into it to create a more thorough and comprehensive list. And that I did, for the next few years anyway.

By that time I was running my movie-related website Salty Cracker Pictures (R.I.P.), and so from 2000-2003 the Salty Cracker Movie Awards were posted on that site. I'd laid out a full range of categories that took their cues from a multitude or places, from the Oscars to MTV's Movie Awards (I've always thought the Best Villain award was a cool idea). As the website became harder to keep up with, so did I slack on keeping up with the awards. I kept up with movies, of course, just not the end-of-year accolades I'd generally give out.

In 2008, amidst the popularity of Myspace, I began the 'voting' thing. It made sense that with the advent of social networking I didn't have to narrow down these films on my own anymore, I could invite other opinions into the mix, thus making my Awards list something more official, more real. And that's what I've been doing ever since.

So I now present to you the winners of the years 2000-2010. From 2008 forward they were voted on (except for categories that were added later than the year in question), and all the years prior were tallied up by me (I put a lot of work into these, pondering and deciding and such, so if you don't like the results: eat me).

For this list, I also added a new category, The Most Underrated Film category, which is essentially films that received good reviews and were well-liked by audiences, but bombed at the box office or barely got a limited theatrical release. Films that, in short, should have been bigger and more recognized than they were.

There are a few Winners on these lists that I know aren't going to go over well with those of you that now have the Oscar winners burned into your memories, but I tried to do what I always do, which is balance out the awards a bit. I don't choose films or performances based on popularity. In fact, there are plenty of films I give a lot of credit to that are widely viewed as being 'garbage.' I have a personal hatred for the more recent 'jumping on the "hate this movie" bandwagon' disease that infects online movie buffs that read too many reviews written by morons that pretend to be experts, and I can only hope that one day people will regain their freedom to judge a movie on their own without all of these outside opinions clouding their vision. (I mean, if you go to see a movie on opening night and you've been sitting around all day reading reviews about the film that attack it and point out flaws and so on, what are you going to be paying attention to when you watch the film? You sure as hell aren't going in with an open mind, that's for sure. And you can try to convince yourself that these outside opinions don't influence your own at all, but you'd be lying). Anyway, to get back on point... I try to include movies that I feel are unfairly viewed as inferior films right next to the ones that are critically acclaimed.

That's it. I'll be posting up one a day, or something like that, so check back regularly so you can yell at me because I didn't pick your favorites. (I actually feel that I corrected some grievous errors made by the Oscars over the years, but maybe that's just me).

- gARTh -

My Top 50 Favorite Songs: Epilogue

The Top 50 are songs that represent some particular time in my life and could, if put in chronological order of when I started listening to it, sort of tell the "Story of Garth." To completely tell that story, I'd have to include damn near every song I've ever heard (my original list was almost 300 songs, and that was before I had put a lot of thought into it, so obviously I had to whittle it down a bit). These 10 'Honorable Mentions' are songs that still stand out and are still an integral part of 'Me,' but just not as much as the Top 50.

A Few Honorable Mentions (Listed alphabetically):

1. BLACKstreet's "No Diggity" (Featuring Dr. Dre) - Don't judge me! I like this song; always have, always will.
2. Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" - Liked it before, have come to love it the older I get.
3. Dire Straights' "Money for Nothing" - Every time I hear that guitar lick kick in, it's like hearing it for the first time.
4. Eminem's "'Till I Collapse" - My favorite song my Mr. Mathers, where he proved he could make a rhyme out of anything, even phlegm-hocking noises.
5. Foo Fighters' "Tired of You" - I love everything they do, but this one strikes an emotional chord with me.
6. Gonzo's "I'm Going to Go Back there Someday" from The Muppet Movie - Always brings a tear to my eye.
7. Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry" - Another song that I've come to appreciate more and more as the years go by.
8. Gerard McMann's "Cry Little Sister" - A powerful goth-rock anthem, it's become much more to me than just the theme to an 80's vampire movie.
9. Procal Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale" - Heard this when I was young and thought it was beautiful, and it's stuck with me ever since.
10. Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" - Never fails to bring a smile to my face, and it's so infectious that I can't help but sing along.

At the end of the day, this list wasn't about songs that I think are great songs, or songs that will go down in history as the best these artists have done, or songs that represent the music of the latter half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. These are just 50 songs that I like, that have in some way shaped who I am and what I like to listen to. Some of them speak to me on personal levels, some I owe a debt of gratitude to for making me the person I am today, but most are just songs that I think are fun. I get tired of reading lists that include the "essentials" by bands that are obviously revered and artists that have obviously made an impact.

I find it hard to believe that everyone out there that really listens to music, when it comes down to their Top 50 trapped-on-a-desert-island must-haves, all choose the same songs by the same artists from the same list that Rolling Stone Magazine picks as the best songs of all time. There are plenty of songs that I know aren't very important in the scheme of things, but I personally can't live without. That's all this list is. I decided very early on to choose songs that I regularly listen to, and have regularly listened to for a little while, despite the popularity of the artist or the impact their careers have had. Judging solely on how much I personally like a song, and that's it.

A friend of mine helped inspire this list with a list of his own (that I think another list of mine had helped inspire... inspiration is a beautiful thing), and I've noticed that, true to his nature, he's choosing songs that he likes despite (or in spite, sometimes) of what others may think of that choice. And I liked that honesty, that 'sticking to your guns and not caring what anyone will think" nature of his list of songs. If editors working for Spin Magazine or Rolling Stone had that sort of constitution when creating their "official" lists, then those lists might mean more to more people.

Hope you enjoyed this, and I hope at one point during this list I sparked a conversation or two.

- gARTh -