Sundance Film Festival 2012

With 21 films under my belt from their year’s Sundance Film Festival I am happy to report that there are some excellent films heading our way in the near future. Below is a list of the good, the OK and the bad…you’ve been warned!

The good stuff:

• Goats (Filmed in Tucson, a Tucson story!)

• West of Memphis – Documentary

• Queen of Versailles – Documentary

• The Pact – Horror flick

• The Raid – Action flick

• Wrong (My favorite narrative film)

• Save the Date

• Bachelorette (Really great comedy, like Bridesmaids)

 

So-So films I saw:

• Wish You Were Here

• Madrid, 1987

• Nobody Walks

• Black Rock

• Detropia – Documentary

 

AVOID these films:

• I am Not A Hipster

• Lay The Favorite

• Simon Killer

• The End of Love

• Red Lights

• The Perception of Moving Targets (So Bad…)

 

Other Films I heard good buzz about:

• Beasts of the Southern Wild

• Liberal Arts

• For A good time Call

• Arbitrage

• Robot and Frank

• Celeste and Jesse Forever

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Spring Film Release Dates

Check out the “Film Release” page for the latest updates on winter and Spring film releases in Tucson. Release dates for films from February through April are now on line!

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This Week’s Arts & Culture Picks!

• “Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps” Arizona Theatre Company New comedic play that’s part Hitchcock and part Monty Python www.ArizonaTheatre.Org January 14 – Feb. 4

• “Maurice Sevigny & Chuck Albanese” Mensch, Clark & Rothschild New art exhibit by two former UA Deans 520-624-8886 to schedule a tour Now through March

• “International Jewish Film Festival” Jewish Community Center Dozens of films from around the world on a variety of topics JCC auditorium & other locations www.TucsonJCC.Org January 12-21

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This Weekend’s Arts & Culture Picks

• “Drivescapes” Jeff Smith @ Temple Gallery

New photo exhibit By Tucson Photographer

January 6 – Feb. 21

 

• “Shipwrecked: An Entertainment” Rogue Theatre

New production of a play that blurs the line between fact & fiction

Rogue Theatre

January 5-22

 • “MasterWorks Concert: Variations on Tchaikovsky” TSO

Guest cellist Mark Votapek performs with TSO

Catalina Foothills High School Auditorium

January 7 & 8 

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My Top 15 films of 2011

Here in no particular order are my favorite films in 2011. See the previous post for my top documentary picks….Out of 175-200 films it’s hard to keep to just 15…..

Tree of Life

The Descendants

The Artist

Albert Nobbs

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Sound of My Voice

Beginners

Margin Call

Take Shelter

Brighton Rock

Melancholia

Coriolanus

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Ides of March

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

 

 

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Best Documentary films of 2011

I saw more documentary films in 2011 than ever before and here is a list of some of my favorites this year:

Inside Job

Senna

Circo

Tabloid

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Project NIM

Buck

Page One

Bill Cunningham New York

Kumare

Anatomy Of Vince Guaraldi

Being Elmo

Look for them on Netflix, well worth your time…

 

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Phoenix Film Critics Society Nominations

I’m a member of the PFCS and our year-end nominations are now out, see below:

Top 10 Films of 2011
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Moneyball”
“My Week With Marilyn”
“Super 8″
“The Tree of Life”

Best Director
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Michael Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Tate Taylor, “The Help”

Best Actor
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist
Michael Fassbender, “Shame”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Best Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
Albert Brooks, “Drive”
John Hawkes, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

Best Supporting Actress
“Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
“Bryce Dallas Howard, “The Help”
“Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
“Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
“Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best Ensemble
“Bridesmaids”
“Contagion”
“Margin Call”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Super 8″

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Descendants”
“The Help”
“Hugo”

Best Original Screenplay
“The Artist”
“Beginners”
“Midnight in Paris”

Best Cinematography
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
“Tree of Life”

Best Costume Design
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
“Jane Eyre”

Best Film Editing
“The Artist”
“Super 8″
“Tree of Life”

Best Original Score
“The Artist”
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
“Moneyball”
“Super 8″

Best Original Song

“Star-Spangled Man” from “Captain America:

The First Avenger”

“The Living Proof” from “The Help”

“I Believe In You” from “Johnny English Reborn”

“Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”

Best Production Design
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″
“Hugo”

Best Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

Best Animated Film
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Rango”
“Winnie the Pooh”

Best Documentary
“African Cats”
“The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”
“Page One: Inside the New York Times”
“Project Nim”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Incendies”
“Point Blank”
“The Skin I Live In”

Best Live Action Family Film
“Dolphin Tale”
“Hugo”
“The Muppets”
“We Bought a Zoo”

The Overlooked Film of the Year
“A Better Life”
“The Conspirator”
“Texas Killing Fields”

Best Stunts
“Drive”
“Fast Five”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″

Breakthrough Performance on Camera
Elle Fanning, “Super 8″
Thomas Horn, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Breakthrough Performance Behind the Camera
Sean Durkin, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Michael Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Tate Taylor, “The Help”

Best Performance by a Youth (Male)
Asa Butterfield, “Hugo”
Joel Courtney, “Super 8″
Thomas Horn, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”

Best Performance by a Youth (Female)
Elle Fanning, “Super 8″
Amara Miller, “The Descendants”
Chloe Grace Moretz, “Hugo”
Saoirse Ronan, “Hanna”

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