Picture Show Pundits

06 April 2010

General News & Announcements:

Fourth (and Third!) Annual Silver Cine Nominations

by Boxman [Nate Zoebl]

As Ray Bonilla astutely said: "An awards Ceremony where YOU, dear reader, decide? Who the hell do we think we are trying to make you remember movies from fifteen months ago? We're the Picture Show Pundits, that's who. And punctuality is not really our forte. At any rate, despite the fact that I and others on this site do our own little year-in-review or awards schticks, we really enjoy letting our visitors have their say about any particular year in movies and so that's why we've got the Silver Cine Awards. It's simple enough. We have a slew of categories including standard Oscar fare, along with additions we have found are fun and make for great competition including Best Scene and Best Protagonist and the like. Our staff submit their own nominations for the categories, the editors trim it down to the appropriate number of nominations per cat through a combination of preference, well-rounded representation, and taking stabs at what you guys might like voting for."

We have a record-setting 70 different movies nominated this year. I think it's cool that we have stuff like Antichrist, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, Black Dynamite, Away We Go, and Drag Me to Hell balencing out the more familiar awards circuit fare like Avatar, The Hurt Locker, and Up in the Air. Seriously, where else are you going to find Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li side-by-side with Food Inc.? I think we have a varied yet deserving mix of nominees.Now, if you're ready and willing, get voting! It's marginally more stress free than the other elections looming on the horizon I assure you. Following is a little reminder of the films nominated with images, sound clips, and descriptions where needed. One vote per registered PSP user or non-registered IP only. The 2008 nominees are at the bottom of the article so don't forget about them as well. Enjoy!

Best Films of the Year:

Best Film of the Year:

Best Artistic Film of the Year:

Best Entertainment Film of the Year:

Best Documentary:

Best Animated Film:

Best Foreign Film:

Biggest Surprise Film of the Year:

Best Performances:

Best Leading Male Performance:

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

Nicolas Cage - Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

George Clooney - Up in the Air

Sharlto Copley - District 9

Ben Foster - The Messenger

Best Leading Female Performance:

Zooey Deschanel - 500 Days of Summer

Malanie Laurent - Ingloruious Basterds

Carey Mulligan - An Education

Zoe Saldana - Avatar

Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Male Performance:

Jackie Earl Haley - Watchmen

Woody Harrelson - The Messenger

Alfred Molina - An Education

Zachary Quinto - Star Trek

Christoph Waltz - Ingloruious Basterds

Best Supporting Female Performance:

Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air

Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air

Mo'Nique - Precious

Samantha Morton - The Messenger

Rachel Weisz - The Brothers Bloom

Breakthrough Male Performance:

Zack Galifiankas - The Hangover

Chistian McKay - Me & Orson Welles

Chris Pine - Star Trek

Max Records - Where the Wild Things Are

Christoph Waltz - Ingloruious Basterds

Breakthrough Female Performance:

Abbie Cornish - Bright Star

Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air

Carey Mulligan - An Education

Maya Rudolph - Away We Go

Gabourey Sidibe - Precious

Best Vocal Performance:

Ed Asner as Carl Fredrickson - Up

George Clooney as Mr. Fox - The Fantastic Mr. Fox

James Gandolfini as Carol - Where the Wild Things Are

Neil Patrick Harris as Steve the Monkey - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Bob Peterson as Dug the Dog - Up

Best Protagonist:

Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White) - Black Dynamite

Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) - Taken

Carl Fredickson (Ed Asner) - Up

Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) - Ingloruious Basterds

Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) - Zombieland

Best Antagonist:

Kyle (Daryl Sabara) - World's Greatest Dad

Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) - Ingloruious Basterds

Mr. Harvey (Stanley Tucci) - The Lovely Bones

Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) - Avatar

Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) - Coraline

Best Walk-On/Cameo:

CGI Arnold - Terminator: Salvation

Bill Murray as Himself - Zombieland

Leonard Nimoy as Spock Prime - Star Trek

Michael Sheen as Aro - New Moon

Emma Thompson as Headmistress - An Education

Best Creative Achievements:

Best Direction:

Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker

Neill Blomkamp - District 9

James Cameorn - Avatar

Sam Raimi - Drag Me to Hell

Quentin Tarantino - Ingloruious Basterds

Breakthrough Achievement in Direction:

Ramin Bahrani - Goodbye Solo

Neill Blomkamp - District 9

Duncan Jones - Moon

Lynn Shelton - Humpday

Marc Webb - 500 Days of Summer

Best Cinematography:

Lance Acord - Where the Wild Things Are

Larry Fong - Watchmen

Adriano Goldman - Sin Nombre

Daniel Mindel - Star Trek

Gary Shaw - Moon

Best Editing:

Alan Edward Bell - 500 Days of Summer

Julian Clarke - District 9

Chris Innis and Bob Murawski - The Hurt Locker

Sally Menke - Ingloruious Basterds

Geoffrey Richman - The Cove

Best Screenplay - Adapted:

Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach - The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Tony Roche - In the Loop

Neill Blomkamp and Teri Tatchell - District 9

Spike Jonze ad Dave Eggers - Where the Wild Things Are

Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner - Up in the Air

Best Screenplay - Original:

Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman - The Messenger

Ethan Coen and Joel Coen - A Serious Man

Pete Doctor, Bob Peterson, Thomas McCarthy - Up

Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, Scott Sanders - Black Dynamite

Qunetin Tarantino -Ingloruious Basterds

Best Score:

Stephen Barton and Theodore Sahpiro - Jennifer's Body

Michael Giacchino - Star Trek

Michael Giacchnio - Up

James Horner - Avatar

Adrian Younge - Black Dynamite

Best Original Song or Use of Song:

Click song titles for samples

"All is Love" by Karen O. and the Kids - Where the Wild Things Are

"Cat People" by David Bowie - Ingloruious Basterds

"Dynamite (Black Dynamite theme)" by Sir Charles Hughes - Black Dynamite

"Other Father Song" by they Might Be Giants - Coraline

"When You Find Me" by Joshua Radin featuring Maria Taylor - Adam

Best Costumes:

Jason Alper - Bruno

Colleen Atwood - Public Enemies

Patricia Field - Confessions of a Shopaholic

Janet Patterson - Bright Star

Monique Prudhomme - The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasuss

Best Make-Up:

Luisa Abel - Drag Me to Hell

Barney Burman - Star Trek

Sarah Mays - Zombieland

Frances Richardson - District 9

Krista Young - The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasuss

Best Art Direction:

Allan Cameron - Angels & Demons

Sarah Greenwood - Sherlock Holmes

Anatasia Masaro - The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasuss

Alex Mcdowell - Watchmen

Patrice Vermette - The Young Victoria

Best Special Effects:

2012

Avatar

District 9

Star Trek

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Collaborative Pair/Team:

Director Roland Emmerich and World Destruction - 2012

Neill Blomkamp and Peter Jackson - District 9

Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino - Ingloruious Basterds

Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock - The Proposal

Paul Rudd and Jason Segel - I Love You, Man

Best Scenes of the Year:

Best Action Elements or Scenes in a Film:

Avatar - The Na'Vi Fight Back (Jake Sully leads his new blue brethren against the mechanical might of the military.)

District 9 - Wikus’ Last Stand – (No longer a pencil pusher, Vikus now fights back in a full mech suit.)

G.I. Joe - Paris car chase – (Things go whoosh and boom and pretty fast when you're destroying the streets of Paris one block at a time.)

The Hurt Locker - Car Bomb – (We follow our ice-water-in-the-veins lead as he tries to defuse a car filled with dangerous explosives, all the while unsure whether the people collecting outside are friend or foe.)

The International - Guggenheim Museum Shootout (A standout sequence in an otherwise blah movie, Clive Owen shoots his way through the famous New York museum.)

Best Comedic Elements or Scenes in a Film:

Black Dynamite - Overall Tone (This could have been the third feature for 2007's Grindhouse - it's a perfect tongue-in-cheek ode to blaxploitation.)

Drag Me to Hell – Crazy Talking Goat (The demon jumps into an animal sacrifice, and the goat lets it be known its thoughts on those plans.)

The Hangover - Premise (Three guys trying to retrace their drunken footsteps leads to plenty of funny, weird revelations.)

The Invention of Lying - Explaining the "Man in the Sky" (How do you explain the divine? Ricky Gervais tries his best to give faith to the masses.)

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li - Chris Klein's Entire Performance (Seriously, this guy is a riot. He's so bad but he knows he's bad and has fun with it. Check out this YouTube compilation of some of his finer moments in the movie.)

Best Romantic Elements or Scenes in a Film:

500 Days of Summer - New Love Blooms ( Everything seems so alive and fresh and delightful with a new relationship.)

Away We Go - Checking Baby Heart Rate (Bert (John Krasinski) fake yells at his wife to raise the fetal heart rate. Yelling leads to goofy stethoscope faces. Adorable.)

An Education - Paris Getaway (Jenny gets swept off her feet by her older suitor in the City of Lights.)

He’s Just Not That Into You – Washing the Dishes (Jennifer Anniston is ignored by her self-involved brother-in-laws when it comes to time clean up after a wedding reception. Then she finds her man, doing the dishes without being asked, and she is beside herself with emotion. It's every woman's dream -- Ben Affleck doing your dishes.)

Up in the Air - On the Road Hook-Ups (Two lonely travelers find comfort in each other and a shared understanding of their lifestyles.)

Best Horror/Suspense Elements or Scenes in a Film:

Antichrist - The End (It's director Lars von Trier, so you know you're in for some pain. Talking foxes. Body trees. Female genital mutilation. Call us when it's over.)

Drag Me to Hell - The Seance (Where the demon is confronted and things get pretty weird, scary, and remember the talking goat?)

Ingloruious Basterds - In the Tavern ( Undercover in Nazi-occupied France, this game of cat-and-mouse ratchets up the tension as both sides play a game of "I know who you are, but what am I?" and with guns.)

Knowing - Plane Crash (Nicolas Cage deduces from a sheet of numbers a code predicting mass death. He then tries to prevent it. After watching a plane fall from the sky, and people leap out in flames, he might change his mind next time.)

Paranormal Activity – Nightly Videos (You were trained to dread whenever the night vision tapes came onscreen. The anticipation of what was to come could tie knots in your stomach.)

Best Dramatic Elements or Scenes in a Film:

The Cove - Saving Dolphins (Watching dolphins leap for their lives, bloody and screaming, well it's hard to be stone-faced.)

The Messenger - Delivering the Bad News (It's a film about Army officials informing new widos of their loss. You can expect some heavy stuff when these boys come knocking on those doors.)

Moon - Sam's Realization (Our lead discovers the depth of his employer's betrayal and how far removed from his happiness he thought he was moments away from.)

Star Trek - Taking the Helm ( Kirk's father must take control of the ship when it's under attack. He nobly gets everybody off before staying behind to sacrifice himself, ramming the ship into an enemy vessel. To top it all off, he gets to listen to his son being born in his last moments of life. This one made my wife cry.)

Up – Opening Montage (We go through the lives of Carl and Ellie with nary a line of dialogue, just a lovely piano trinkle that takes us all the way to Ellie's death.)

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Elements or Scenes in a Film:

Avatar - Planet Pandora (James Cameron created a living, breathing, lush world. Pandora felt more real than most places that actually exist.)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - The Food Generator (The catalyst gizmo made for some crazy weather, while this clever and rambuncitous movie took full advantage of the creative possibilities.)

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasuss - The Imaginarium (Terry Gilliam's head-trip offered a portal into other worlds.)

Watchmen - Alternate History (Imagine a world were costumed crimefighters exist, and Nixon is on his fourth term, and we won Vietnam, and all sorts of neat delineations from history. )

Where the Wild Things Are - The Wild Things and their World (Ferocious and huggable, sad and moody, the Wild Things and their strange world offered plenty to explore.)

Best Musical Elements or Scenes in a Film:

500 Days of Summer - Post-Sex Song and Dance (there's nothing like a little choreographed Hall and Oates dancing after you do the deed with Zooey Deschenal.)

Anvil! The Story of Anvil! - Anvil's Failed World Tour (You have to pity these guys, and as you witness their European tour go down in flames in bizarre fashions, it's hard not to root for Anvil's later triumph.)

Crazy Heart - Crafting the Song (Few movies showcase the creative process. With this one, we watch Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) spin straw into twangy gold.)

Nine - Saraghina's (Fergie) Song (Who would have thought that a movie crammed with Oscar-winners would have Fergie deliver its best performance? Her song, seen in flashback, is pure sex through and through.)

Watchmen – Opening Credits (Set to Bob Dylans “times Are a chaingin’” we brush up on the alternative timeline of the Watchmen universe, seeing famous pop-culture events playing out a bit differently.)

Best Ending in a Film:

Avatar (Jake becomes a Na’vi and presumably gets to continue mating with his blue girlfriend.)

Black Dynamite (The conspiracy goes all the way to the White House, where Black dynamite is forced to combat a kung-fu, nunchuk-twirling Richard Nixon.)

Ingloruious Basterds (Tarantino revises history for the better. We win.)

Paranormal Activity (All those late-night videos finally lead up to a ghastly confrontation that has bloody consequences.)

Up (Carl learns to let go of his grief and live in the present, enjoying life thanks to the presence of others, namely Russell and a talking dog.)

And now some belated 2008 nominees (try and remember)...

Best Film:

The Dark Knight

Iron Man

Slumdog Millionaire

WALL-E

The Wrestler

Best Artistic Film:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button