A world well into its 21st century is not satisfied with merely being one of the nine planets of a star-studded universe. It wants star status for itself, to be a part of the star cast in every act of the universe. This is obvious if we take stock of the entertainment scenario that dominates the world. Love, hate, love-hate relationships, comedy, tragedy, tragicomedy, accidents, evolution, the creation of the universe, the destruction of the universe, extraterrestrials, Martians, the influence of other planets, curses, sex, horror, mystery, romance, violence, action, food, eviction drives, sanity, insanity, God, Satan……in short we have films on every possible topic in this universe, every aspect of life.

Cash & Tango

Hollywood has grown immensely from what it was some sixty or seventy years previously. Cinema production has off late become a major money-spinning industry that offers rich dividends to film producers, filmmakers and actors. Tinsel town is currently a glamorous stage, a red carpet, on which only the hottest performers are allowed to tread to showcase their talents to the world.

Apocalypse Now

As the arena of film production has undergone a dramatic metamorphosis, and as modern-day spectators comprise mostly smart city slickers and no longer the benighted crowds of the galleries and the pit who would cheer for every slapstick comedy, a careful examination of the present film industry as it stands will reveal certain startling facts.

Still Hogging the Limelight

Late 20th century and 21st century motion pictures are essentially of a new genre that is vastly different from the usual genres in which movies of the 1960s to the 1980s had belonged. The oldies largely consisted of dramatic renditions, historical events and romances that big families could happily watch without having to look away from the screens in cinema halls or stare at the floorboards of their homes when it came to the romantic scenes. The kissing scenes between Liesl and Ralph in the hot house and between Maria and Captain Von Trapp in the garden in the 1965 blockbuster, The Sound of Music, elicited no embarrassment whatsoever from grandparents, parents and children watching the film together. I remember having watched The Sound of Music with my family several times. The film is widely regarded as a family drama, that is capable of evoking unalloyed bliss amongst its viewers.

Much the same can be said about Roman Holiday. This 1953 creation of William Wyler continues to hold the stage even today with its bona fide and pristine charm. Though there are a few scenes towards the end of this cinema between actors Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn that are extremely romantic, the acts of osculation do not detract from the unspoiled nature of the romance. The humorous side of the cinema, such as when the princess is posing as a commoner when she is in the company of Joe Bradley and his friend, is as memorable as it is eternally heart-warming. The first time I watched Roman Holiday, I was only nine. I have watched the spellbinding film many times since then though not on cable television as cable television channels do not like to telecast old films. Roman Holiday can easily be dubbed as family entertainment as large families, in which the ages of members differ by eighty years, can easily watch the film together.

Forever Young

The fifties, sixties and seventies witnessed really creative directors getting their acts together so that they could set the stage for films that would come to be regarded as eternal, everlasting and all-time-greats. Aren’t Ben-Hur, The Sound of Music, Roman Holiday, The Guns of Navarone, To Kill a Mockingbird, My Fair Lady, Gigi, Scaramouche, How To Steal a Million, Gone with the Wind, Mary Poppins, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Return of the Pink Panther, Bridge on the River Kwai, Rebecca, Anne of Thousand Days, Becket, Limelight, and The Robe, immortal movies that can be watched tirelessly again and again? In fact, some of us have actually grown up watching such quality pictures. These films belong to a separate era altogether and prevail upon audiences of all ages notwithstanding the smattering of adult scenes that they contain. The few and far between adult scenes of some of the films cited above are interspersed with so many poignant and dramatic scenes, all of which have a meaning, that the adult scenes get obscured by the larger and all-encompassing message that the films send out. For instance, you will remember Ben-Hur for the scenes where Christ was featured, which depicted the torture that was inflicted on Judah Ben-Hur by the Romans, that showed many of Christ’s miracles taking effect immediately after he was crucified, rather than for the romantic and intimate scenes between Ben-Hur and Esther. No wonder the film received eleven Academy Awards, an honor that no cinema, other than Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King, has been bestowed with, since!

Affairs to Remember

Most people remember the megahit motion picture of 1939, Gone with the Wind for the scenes that displayed the indomitable spirit of Scarlett O’Hara rather than for the steamy scenes between Scarlett, played by Vivien Leigh, and Rhett Butler, played by Clark Gable. Similarly, The Guns of Navarone is recalled fondly for the heroic actions of Captain Keith Malory (Gregory Peck), Cpl. Miller (David Niven), Colonel Stavros (Anthony Quinn), and Maria Pappadimos (Irene Papas) that still stir up hearts and emotions rather than for the love scenes between Captain Malory and Anna (Gia Scala) and Colonel Stavros and Maria Pappadimos. The scene in Scaramouche where Stewart Granger and Mel Ferror are engaged in an intense fencing combat, remains etched in indelible ink in the minds of many while the music of Amadeus enthralls audiences far more than Mozart’s vulgar habits, which have been portrayed realistically and to perfection by Tom Hulce.

A Titanic Blunder

Despite the phenomenal success of the golden oldies, the directors of today prefer to steer away from the course of making meaningful films with high drama content. The drama of yesterday has been replaced by the action of today that is power-packed, fantastic, and sometimes borders on the bizarre. In their attempt to experiment with new ideas, directors have created a novel genre of films that are stuffed with violence, sex, sci-fi, action and horror. Making money out of movies is the main intention behind movie making, not making films that have the potential to cast an impression. If playing to the galleries is the main wish of new-age directors, then they are certainly underestimating new-age audiences. Even though movie buffs of the 21st century are tech-savvy people who appreciate 3D movies such as Avatar, which can create an illusion because they are made using immersive technologies, they are under no illusion whatever, when they judge the quality of modern films. And that is why The Hurt Locker stole the show at the Oscar Night of 2010, bagging six Academy Awards while the much hyped-up Avatar had to be content with three.

This and the fact that in the heated competition between Avatar and Titanic, watched closely by fans of the respective films, Titanic ultimately emerged as the winner, though Avatar grossed much more in a span of a few months than what Titanic grossed over a span of some two years, should teach James Cameron and the other directors a lesson. They should learn that making hi-tech films where most of the work is done by computer and graphics experts rather than by actors and stunts people, can be a waste of effort if the films show more technology than humans in action. Look what happened in the case of Avatar. More than the performance of Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana as humans, the film showed the antics of Jake Sully in his avatar and Neytiri, the leading woman protagonist and Jake’s consort, who belonged to the Navi people of Pandora. Avatar was high on technology and gizmos, being the first of its kind to make the audience feel the effects of a three-dimensional film but lacked the grace and finesse of the epic romance, Titanic. Avatar thrilled for the moment but Titanic will thrill for many lifetimes. Avatar made you sit up and stare but Titanic makes you get up and dream. Avatar put on an act for the time being whereas Titanic is a tough act to follow. Automatically, Avatar will do a disappearing act pretty fast but Titanic will remain forever on stage.

James Cameron, however, is not the only one who has to clean up his act. On the other hand, James Cameron is perhaps one of the few directors who has less to clean up because barring Avatar, Cameron has always shown a keen insight into audience likes and dislikes. This is quite evident from his other successful films such as the The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and True Lies. The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, though based on hi-tech robotics, always had a human side to them, with the Terminator sometimes experiencing human feelings and emotions.

Evil Dead

The high incidence of horror and sex in modern films is what makes most of them loathsome. How do directors even hope to be remembered by just scaring people out of their wits? Watching modern horror films is like watching murder and mayhem being executed right in front of your eyes. The Evil Dead series (Director: Sam Raimi), A Nightmare on Elm Street (Director: Wes Craven), Orphan (Director: Jaume Collet-Serra), Drag Me to Hell (Director: Sam Raimi), the Halloween series (Director: Rob Zombie), Friday the 13th (Director: Sean S. Cunningham) are no doubt famous for the amount of fear and horror they helped to generate. But so also are the attacks on the twin-towers of the World Trade Center, the First and the Second World Wars, the holocaust of the Jews in the Nazi concentration camps that was initiated by Hitler, the effects of the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Gulf Wars, the Crusades, the Wars of the Roses, the Prussian War, etc. Do we think of these incidents of mass murder and genocide with nostalgia, pride and admiration? The answer is obviously NO. We all prefer to erase these black and bloody episodes from the annals of history forever. If that is the case, why exactly are horror films made? The answer to that continues to be shrouded in mystery. Film enthusiasts and critics feel that modern horror films are made to help depraved people give vent to their murderous and voyeuristic instincts in a way that is neither illegal nor illicit. An explanation right out of the books by Freud! But the problem with horror films is that they prey on idle and weak minds, are capable of causing negative and depressive feelings. They are poisonous and can vitiate the mind. Far from being timeless and ageless movies that inspire lofty thoughts and foster positive sensations, horror films negate the very existence of humankind.

Sex, Lies and Videotape

At this stage, a mention needs to be made of modern films, which are not horror films. The films of the 1990s as well as those of the first decade of the 21st century that are not horrors are weighed down by lewd and nude content and too much of sex. Take for example American Beauty or The Piano. They may have bagged Oscars for the themes they projected, the former, sexual relationships between people with wide age disparities, the latter, mild pornography and an anthropomorphic piano. Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction also fall in this category of motion pictures that you will not want to see a second time and that will leave you squirming, coughing and looking away in your seat if you watch them with your parents or kids around.

A Comedy of Errors

Modern comedies are hinged on comic and gay sex. When Harry Met Sally, French Kiss, Walk the Line, You, Me and Dupee and I Love You Philip Morris are some modern romantic movies that are also humorous. But the hitch with all of them is that you will never want to watch any of them more than once.

The Wonderland and the Imaginarium

Fantasy films are about the only category of films that are doing better than they ever did in the past because they have the aid and support of modern technology at hand, something that they did not have before. Ultramodern animation techniques and superior computer graphics are responsible for the whopping success of Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3 while great sets combined with fantastic technology are responsible for the success of the Harry Potter series, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, the Lord of the Rings series and other films belonging to the Fantasy genre. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the third film in the Lord of the Rings series can be hailed as an all-time-great. The film tied with Ben-Hur and Titanic in receiving eleven Academy Awards.

Mission Impossible? Yes and No

We live in the age of action. Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13, Predator, Eight Legged Freaks, Wanted, Iron Man, Godzilla, Rambo, Star Wars, The Matrix, Air Force One, Gladiator, Braveheart, Batman, Indiana Jones, Diehard, Top Gun, Robocop, Speed, Enter the Dragon, True Lies, Lethal Weapons, Aliens, Saving Private Ryan, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Mission Impossible, Starship Troopers, Charlie’s Angels, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are some of the best action films of the late 20th and the 21st centuries. These films bear living testimony to the fact that modern directors have been able to get into the act from the wings at the side by making ‘high-wire act’ films. Action films have the power to make audiences cling to them just like the heroes and the heroines of the films who frequently cling to tightropes. Whether you are watching the adroit movements of Jackie Chan or the lithe grace of Cameron Diaz as she slides down a pillar or humans frantically shooting at aliens and monsters that refuse to succumb to bullets, action films can keep you on the edge as long as they last. Thankfully, most action films are family films. However, action films sometimes tend to sport with an inordinate amount of violence and may not be suitable for children. Still, modern action movies cannot be compared with all-time-great films because of the fact that you cannot watch an action film more than once. You will not feel like watching Ocean’s 11, 12 or 13, Predator, Eight Legged Freaks, Wanted, Iron Man, Godzilla, Rambo, Star Wars, Braveheart, Batman, Indiana Jones, Diehard, Top Gun, Robocop, Speed, Enter the Dragon, Lethal Weapons, Aliens, Saving Private Ryan, Mission Impossible, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Starship Troopers, Charlie’s Angels, or Terminator 2: Judgment Day for the second time unless you have forgotten the plot of the film, completely. Just like you will not feel like reading a whodunit after you have read it once and you know who the murderer is. However, some modern action movies may qualify as all-time-great pictures. These films are the ones that generally have a lot of drama in them. Thus, Gladiator and Air Force One may lure you in a way Predator and Starship Troopers won’t. Both Gladiator and Air Force One contain high drama that pushes action to the backdrop. So, it is chiefly because of their drama content and not because of their action content that these films are everlasting. The Matrix is an action film that is based on a new and interesting concept. If ever, The Matrix is to be classified with great films such as Ben Hur, Titanic, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it will be because of its intriguing concept and neither because of its drama content nor because of its action content. True Lies reeks of the unmistakable ‘Cameron effect’, a magic that is neither action nor drama nor romance but simply the genius of James Cameron.

Hollywood: Another Wall Street?

As more and more directors are creating films only to sell them, the key question of the day focuses on the goal of the modern film industry. What is the objective of Hollywood now? Of the modern film industry? A careful investigation and scrutiny of the film promotion and marketing process will indicate that modern directors and producers want to gross as much as they can in the first week of the film’s showing. Producers and directors use clever promotional strategies and tactics to arouse the curiosity of prospective audiences so that people flock to the cinema theaters in droves during the first week of the film’s screening. The monies collected in the first week are generally well over and above the monies expended for making the film. So profits are large and filmmaking is a lucrative business. Never mind, if the film is not eternal, is not remembered by audiences fifty years down the line, does not have a message, does not serve as a guiding star to people groping in the dark. As long as well-known Hollywood actors star in it and it mints sufficient money in the first week of showing so that the producer can roll over the collections to sponsor some more films. Besides, the producer finds it fairly easy to achieve such an aim with 3D IMAX theaters and multiplexes sprouting around the world at a rate faster than directors are churning out movies. Movie watching has become akin to ‘pleasure shopping’ with more and more spectators opting for these big-ticket cinema halls over the traditional cinema halls in a way they would prefer a Versace or Gucci showroom over a local apparel or accessories store. Many people of the 21st century think of going to the cinema as an experience per se just like they think of going to a luxury hotel for a holiday. Even if the cinema is nothing to write home about, it is the experience of going to an expensive place, eating expensive food and being viewed by others as upwardly mobile and wealthy, that really counts. Therefore, you cannot really blame the producers, directors and the thespians if they cash in on such viewer desires and make cookie-cutter films with the usual dose of violence, sex and action.

Sense and Sensibility

The only redeeming factor is that the majority of the audience is still in their senses. However senseless the modern world of motion pictures might have become, this majority is sensible enough to differentiate good from evil, romance from trash, action from violence, drama from melodrama, and good acting from mere histrionics. These are the people who have the ability to spot a great movie, to bring the best out of a director, to celebrate creativity. Such people are the real film aficionados who can tear the mask off the faces of insincere play actors, who can catch the wrong people in the act. From such people have sprung great directors like William Wyler (Ben-Hur, Roman Holiday, How To Steal a Million), Charles Chaplin (Limelight, City Lights), Robert Wise (The Sound of Music), George Cukor (My Fair Lady), J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone), Victor Fleming (Gone with the Wind), Alfred Hitchcock (Rebecca, The Birds, Psycho, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, Spellbound), Milos Forman (Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Steven Spielberg (Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park), Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), James Cameron (Titanic, True Lies, The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Aliens, Avatar) and Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker).

Quo Vadis

As more and more films are made that make no impact on the public or provoke teenagers and people to violence or to have pre-marital sex, but are nevertheless box-office successes, it is up to directors such as the ones cited above and serious-minded members of the audience to change the face of modern cinema.

Damien Ghosh is a prolific writer of articles that focus on technology, places, psychology and people. Damien has worked in different industries such as the information technology industry, the travel and tourism industry and the retail industry. He has worked in several projects for blue-chip companies, that are part of the IT, travel and tourism and retail industries. His work and his passion for traveling has made him journey across the world. He has led large work-teams to accomplish business goals successfully. He is also an expert on psychology and has many degrees and diplomas in clinical and business psychology. He has successfully coached, counseled and mentored several people in the various organizations he has worked as a professional HR manager and psychologist. He has also counseled many people by holding counseling sessions in different parts of the world. His counseling sessions have been very helpful for motivating people and for enabling them to identify and set their goals. His rich experience undoubtedly helps him to write extensively. Damien writes for magazines, the web and for newspapers. He has also done several research papers on motivation, goal-setting, and human psychology and has contributed chapters to textbooks that deal with human resource management, human resource development, business and industrial psychology and clinical psychology. His articles, chapters and papers have received lots of accolades from critics, professionals, psychologists, HR managers, industrialists, help-seekers and readers in general. Damien Ghosh’s website is https://www.meetingdiary.com and his email is damienghosh@live.com.

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The short history of Hollywood hasn’t always had a place for films like these until the 1980s. In the 80′s and 90′s the best action movies were launched and set the stage for all of those to follow. Action films are a staple at any cinema you can go to today anywhere in the world. People often go to the movie theater to escape reality for a short while and nothing does that better in many cases than a testosterone filled action extravaganza.

Adventure Serials

In the early years of Hollywood, action films were mostly limited to westerns in short action films found before other feature presentations. The limited technology and special effects led to most films being more similar to drama or comedy stage productions rather than action spectacles. The seventies bought more advances in what could be accomplished on screen, but most filmmakers were concerned with political social commentary about drugs or war rather than transforming robots. In the late seventies, the French Connection featured an incredible car chase sequence that got many rave reviews

Cop Action

The most common type of action film found in the eighties usually dealt with police officers. Movies like 48 hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Die Hard, and the Lethal Weapon movies all had cops as the protagonists of the picture. The most notable difference with these films was that the main character was not a superhuman hero, but a flawed, realistic, everyman trying to survive. Action movie heroes quickly became more relatable and reignited the genre throughout the 80′s and 90′s. The stunts got progressively more and more elaborate along with the level of violence and mayhem that could be depicted on screen. Most of the movies accepted a restricted rating due to the violence and language used throughout.

Sci Fi Action

Science fiction movies, or sci-fi, became much more popular as special effects and technology progressed in Hollywood. Early films were there, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, but became much more common in the seventies once Star Wars arrived on the scene. Star Wars took the action serial formula and placed it on top of a futuristic science fiction world that captured the minds of a generation.

Science fiction movies continued and got progressively darker and edgier with films like Blade Runner and Terminator. The next true resurgence in the genre came in the late 90′s with the matrix trilogy. The Matrix incorporated the new internet presence in the zeitgeist and examined what the future could hold for those that surrendered themselves to ‘the system.’

The current state of action movie affairs is the most popular it has ever been. In 2009, James Cameron’s Action sci-fi film Avatar became the all time record holder for box office revenue with over 2 billion in ticket sales worldwide. While some would argue that spectacle and 3D have become more important than basic storytelling and compelling characters, there has never been a better time to be an action movie fan.

Bestactionmovies.net is a website that dedicates itself to the love of best action films. On this site you can see lists of the best western movies, the best Sci Fi movies, the best war, suspense, action, adventure and thriller movies.

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Hollywood action heroes have always enthralled us with their lager than life actions and out of the world stunts. We have been fascinated by their charisma, valor and styles. It seems an amazing fact that action films never go out of style and thus action heroes live in our dreams for year after year. No one can ever forget Sylvester Stallone in the Rambo series. Or even, it is impossible to forget Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator. These are the Hollywood action movies, which made the heroes immortal.

In this article we will be discussing the top five Hollywood action heroes. It is not very easy to select five heroes from such a huge number. All of these heroes have their own charm, style and attraction. But some of them make a permanent place in the heart of the millions of action movie buffs.

The first action hero has got to be Clint Eastwood. The Good, bad and the ugly have made him the all time favorite action hero. Clint Eastwood is famous for making films, which are based on the backdrop of the Wild West part of America. Clint Eastwood is considered as almost a legend in the Hollywood Film Industry. His contribution in the Hollywood film industry is unfathomable. Some of the other most important films of Clint Eastwood are the Unforgiven, Absolute Power, Dirty Harry, and Where Eagle Dare.

Sylvester Stallone has created phenomenon when he played the role of Rambo. He played the role of an army officer who excelled in guerrilla warfare tactics. The secret life of the guerrilla warrior enthralled the audience world over. Other famous movies of Sylvester Stallone are Rocky, Specialist and many more. Rocky is the movie based upon the life of a boxer. This action packed movie became such a huge success that the producers kept on making 5 Rocky movies sequentially. The character played by Sylvester also became very popular which was named Rocky Balboa.

Arnold Schwarzenegger made history when he appeared in and as the Terminator. Terminator was a huge hit and people loved the action packed fiction movie. The emergence of a new era where man and machine co exists made a long lasting impact on the minds of the young generation. The sequel of this movie also made quite a successful business. After this movie Arnold Schwarzenegger became the ultimate action hero of all time. He was a body builder and also won the Mr. Universe title in his younger days. His other most watched films include True Lies, Total Recall and many more.

Jackie Chan came a long way from Honk Kong to make it big in Hollywood. He had a small time career as an action hero and a stunt director in Honk Kong. Later he came to Hollywood to pursue his biggest dream. His style of action combined with a fantastic sense of humor made him Jackie Chan. His most successful films include Armor of Gods, Rumble in the Bronx, Shanghai Knights, and Shanghai Noon.

Van Damm is considered as one of the most successful action heroes. His most successful films include Double Impact, Blood Sport and many more. Van Damms look and all his fans liked his style. His techniques and styles were fresh and created new genre of action movies.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for DVD, VCD, magnetic tape, used movies, and Action Heroes, Hollywood, Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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So, we have finally closed the book on 2010. Now, as we transition into the new year, this is when most people reflect back on the year before. In the movie world, this is also when critics and movie lovers take the time to review the past year. Not to mention, this is awards season. With the Critics’ Choice Awards in just a couple of weeks and the Oscars less than two months ago, suffice to say the red carpet is officially out.

Today, I’m going to throw myself into that very ring as we bring you Couch Potato Club’s 2010 Movie Awards. Up front, though, I would like to go ahead and say, I’m going to do this different than those big award shows. For one, you’ll see some of the typical categories, but likewise there will be some off-beat ones. Also, call me crazy, but I believe the biggest factor in judging a movie is its entertainment value. Granted all of the other little facets of making a movie help to make a movie better, however I believe entertainment succeeds a movie’s technical prowess in order to define whether it is good or not. So, you won’t be seeing me awarding these “artsy” movies just because of their “cinematic achievement” (whatever the hell that is). Instead, I’ll be judging on good ole entertainment value (with acting, story, etc. playing factors).

So, without further ado, here are the winners of the first annual Couch Potato Club Movie Awards.

Best Film: Inception

For me this came down to Inception and Black Swan. I’ve honestly spent days mulling it over in my head which would be my movie of the year. However, in the end, Inception wins out. Inceptionwas also perfect in a sense. With intelligent writing, good acting, fun action, great cinematography and so on and so on, the movie proved to be awesome style with great substance. Nolan proved once again here why he is one of (if not THE) most sought after filmmakers today. A narrative genius. After watching this movie, it made me realize what a god-send Nolan is to Hollywood really. Everybody in Hollywood should be taking notes. This is exactly how a blockbuster movie should be done. Let’s not kid ourselves, blockbuster action movies will continue to be the bread and butter of Hollywood for some time to come. While this is alright, the problem usually lies in that they’re so shallow and cliche and just “eh”. They usually just rely on cool action sequences and awesome looking special effects. Not Inception, though. This movie provides all that, but then actually brings substance to that style giving us an engaging and mind-bending/intelligent storyline to go with it. This perfect blend makes Inception my movie of the year.

Best Actor: James Franco – 127 Hours

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you want to test the merit of an actor? Throw him in a movie where he is pretty much the only one ever on-screen and he has to carry the entire movie himself. Where the whole weight of the entire movie rests most assuredly on his shoulders. Will he shine? Will he crumble? This is the test. Others have proven themselves in the same way (Will Smith, Tom Hanks). And truly I believe this (and the “retard role”) is one of the biggest ways to test an actor and see if he’s one of the greats. So, enter James Franco and 127 Hours. Playing a mountain climber that gets trapped under a boulder and is all alone, Franco is left to carry an entire film on his own. Does he succeed? Damn right he does. With flying colors at that. Keeping it interesting, conveying a range of emotions throughout the film and sucking you in all on his own, Franco clearly shows he had the mettle to tackle such a daunting task and come out on top. For that reason, he’s my actor of the year.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman – Black Swan

Natalie’s performance in the Aronofsky psychological thriller is absolutely brilliant. Her best work to-date in my opinion. Playing a role that requires her to eventually transition from sweet little naive princess girl to girl-gone-wild (in a dark side kinda way), she hits every beat without missing a step. I believe the biggest factor for a good actor/actress is range. Anybody can shine in a part that was just made for them (in line with their natural persona), but range and playing different personas/characters is where an actor/actress can show their true prowess. In Black Swanalone, Natalie Portman has shown, in just the 2 hours, that she has more range than most actresses around. She exhibited more range in one performance than most do in their entire career. For such a brilliant performance Natalie Portman gets my vote as actress of the year. I don’t think this is even up for debate.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale – The Fighter

Here’s another that I feel is just a given and isn’t up for debate. Bale absolutely stole the show in every scene he appeared in The Fighter. The weight loss alone shows Bale’s dedication to his craft. Furthermore, the way he was able to lose himself in that crackhead persona and into the role of Dicky Eklund just further proved what an amazing actor Bale is. To really show you how brilliant his performance was, the video clip of real-life Dicky during the credits showed you just how well Bale nailed that performance. It had to almost be like looking in a mirror for Dicky.

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo – The Fighter

Yes, the supporting cast of The Fighter was just great. They’re the ones that kept this movie afloat. Leo’s turn as the “white trash” overbearing mother was great and was another (along with Bale’s performance) that really helped this movie shine. Without these two, The Fighter bombs.

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan

Like I said, best film was down to Black Swan and Inception for me. Aronofsky’s work here was damn near perfect. This was a brilliantly directed movie. From the camera shots to the music to the story-telling to what he got out of his cast, Aronofsky did a great job in conveying this thriller story very aptly on all levels. As one of my favorite modern directors, it’s no surprise that Aronofsky continues to impress year after year.

Best Screenplay: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin – Black Swan

For me, screenplay/story is probably the biggest factor in determining whether a movie is entertaining. Afterall, without an intriguing and entertaining story, then your movie is just going to suck. That being said, it’s no surprise that this, for me, came down to Black Swan and Inceptionagain; the two movies vying for my Best Film award. However, in the end I have to go with Black Swan edging out in this category. The story was great in my opinion. Very thrilling and intriguing story that left you on your seat the whole while through. To top it off, though, was all the subtext present throughout the film. From the “life imitates art” to the “greed can consume us all” to the commentary of how much pressure can be put on an entertainer and the risks they ensue when losing themselves in a performance in order to be “perfect”. This script had it all and fired on so many cylinders. Truly was a great story and I loved how the main character’s life began to mirror the very character she was attempting to play on stage.

Best Ensemble Cast: The Fighter

I guess after the previous supporting awards, this should come as no surprise. However, I will say I was also seriously considering The Town for this award which had a very good all-around performance from its entire cast. However, the cast of The Fighter performed well in all areas. Even Mark Wahlberg was decent enough (and I don’t particularly care for him). Though, he was the weak link and his actual character was boring. However, everyone else turned in fine performances that, as a whole, really pulled you into the family in the film. Then the performances of Bale and Leo really just pushed the overall ensemble over the top. Meanwhile, Amy Adams delivered a very good performance as well standing out.

Breakout Performance of the Year: Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone

The movie itself, I found was fairly overrated. However, Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone did an absolutely wonderful job of playing the role of Ree Dolly. If not for her, the entire movie would have been a wash. However, her performance was very nice to watch. It made it even more worthwhile as I got to witness that this girl is actually a very adept actress. Before this, I had only seen her in ‘The Bill Engvall Show’ where she plays the typical cliche ditzy teenage girl. Which, honestly, there are a million and one girls in the nation that could pull that off. Watching her go from that ditzy teenager to this gritty and convincing performance was definitely a treat for me and showed me her worth. For that, she receives my Breakout Performance of the Year award.

Best Action Movie: Inception

Inception wins here. Of course being my Best Film of the Year, it’s going to also win in its specific genre category. The movie fires on all cylinders for an almost nonstop joyride, especially for the last half of the film. The last half especially, with the gun fights and chases and fights, etc. prove to be an adrenalin rush of action. Again, this is pretty much the Hollywood-action-blockbuster film perfected.

Best Comedy: Get Him to the Greek

Ok, here’s where some might disagree with me (if they haven’t already). However, it’s my belief that Best Comedy movie should mainly be based on which movie was the funniest. Granted, there were movies I liked better overall that fall into the comedy category (Scott Pilgrim), but on the laugh scale they didn’t touch Get Him to the Greek. Russell Brand is just hilarious. And his part as the typical rock star was great and hilarious. Even “P Diddy” (who I hate) had me cracking up during this movie. For me, it really was the funniest movie of the year.

Best Animated Movie: How to Train Your Dragon

Yep, I’m doing it. I’m kicking Pixar to the curb this year and letting someone else have Best Animated prize. Granted, I really enjoyed Toy Story 3, but for me How to Train Your Dragon was just the better movie and was more fun. It was cute, funny, inspiring in its own way and refreshing. I really enjoyed the movie. How to Train Your Dragon was one of those that had heart and depth and was really beautiful (both story-wise and animation). One that truly appeals to both adults and kids alike.

Best Horror Movie: Paranormal Activity 2

I loved the first one and the sequel proves no different. Paranormal Activity has been something of a savior for the horror genre I believe. And part 2 makes it a saving grace for Hollywood as the franchise goes mainstream. With good pacing and ‘storytelling’, Paranormal Activity 2, like its predecessor, brings the art of tension and suspense back to a seemingly hollowed out genre. It does a great job of really getting into your imagination and letting it run wild, in turn terrorizing yourself. Really a refreshing movie in the genre, I can’t wait for part 3 this fall.

Best Thriller: The Town

Yes, I realize Black Swan is a thriller, and I absolutely agree that it’s the better movie. However, like the comedy movie, I feel the Best Thriller movie should be judged pretty much solely on the “thrill” aspect. And while Black Swan did engulf me and keep in thrilled, The Town pulled that aspect off a bit better. Maybe because the action of it catered to that, I don’t know. However, The Town just had me really on the edge of my seat from start to finish pretty much. The action was good, the movie was so intense and the whole of it just never let up once it took off running, that I couldn’t help but be enthralled as I went on that thrill ride.

Best Docudrama: The Social Network

Social Networking has been spreading like wildfire in the past years, so it comes as no surprise that it would eventually become the basis of a film. The Social Network isn’t just any film though. Becoming one of the most talked about movies of the year and making a real movie to be movie of the year, the movie is a great all-around film that everybody should see. And it might be one of the most significant films of modern day (that or its counterpart ‘Catfish’).

Best Indie Film: Buried

Another thriller that just keeps you enthralled throughout (yes it seems I have a thing for thriller type movies). With such a minimal set and minimal story and cast, Buried just seems like it’s set to disappoint. Despite all these risks though it manages to succeed and become a very thrilling and captivating movie, with Reynolds carrying it well.

Best Fight: Zero-Gravity Hallway Fight – Inception

The visuals and special effects was just one facet of what made Inception so awesome for me. And this fight scene was one of those that stood out above the rest. Creative, cool to watch, action-packed, it really was just a really fun fight and pretty awesome.

Tearjerker of the Year: Toy Story 3

Did I personally cry? No. However, Toy Story 3 I feel is the movie of the year that will most likely make someone cry. Maybe it’s the connection after having grown up with the series. Maybe it’s just the depth of emotion created in some scenes that hit home for most people in a real-life way. Whatever it is, Toy Story 3 is sure to get the waterworks running for quite a few people. With scenes like the incinerator scene and Andy’s final time with the toys (especially when he realizes Woody is in there and he ends up parting with the toy that started it all), Toy Story 3 definitely has its moments that truly tug on those heart-strings.

Best On-Screen Couple: Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine

Both of these actors are some of the better young actors around today (Gosling being my choice for best actor under 30 even). They really show their worth here in this movie as well. Giving great and powerful performances the two shine on the screen together. The chemistry between them is absolutely marvelous and the genuine/real emotion they convey over the course of the movie provides for a good watch.

Best Villain: Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman) – Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Jason Schwartzman is just unconventionally hilarious most every time I see him. His appearance in Scott Pilgrim was just icing on the cake for a very good movie. Classic Schwartzman provided humor and intelligence to the role, standing out as my favorite villain of a movie filled with villains.

Worst Movie of the Year: The Last Airbender

I’m not even going to say anything. Everybody knows it sucks. Shyamalan again proves, that despite his last movie (The Happening being horrible) that he can still outdo himself and make a surprisingly worse film than he ever has. The guy is spiraling out of control straight down the drain.

Most Overrated Movie of the Year: The Kids Are All Right

I’m sorry. It wasn’t that good. The acting was decent. Mark Ruffalo was pretty much the saving grace of the movie. Other than that the movie was so pretentious and contrived and just flat out boring. Not nearly as good as people made it out to be (not even the performances). Wasn’t funny or humorous at all. And the movie definitely does not deserve even being considered as a Best Film nominee.

Most Underrated Movie of the Year: Kick-Ass

Sure, the movie got decent reviews, even did moderately well in its opening weekend. However, I feel Kick-Ass was just underappreciated for the year. Quite frankly, the movie, well….kicked ass. In fact, it may go down as one of my Top 10 or 15 favorite movies of the year. It’s one of the best comic book adaptations I’ve seen in a long while. For me, it was even better than it’s competitorScott Pilgrim. A truly awesome and fun movie that should have been given more credit. Very entertaining and more people should give it a shot.

Best TV Show (Drama): The Walking Dead

Admittedly, my typically TV show viewing consists of sitcoms/comedies. However, there are a few dramas I watch here and there. This year’s The Walking Dead proved to be one of those new shows that drug me in and made me love it. Making me eager to see the next season, and disappointed I’ll have to wait so long.

Best TV Show (Comedy): Modern Family

With a funny ensemble cast and very funny writing, Modern Family has proven to be one of my favorite new TV shows recently. And with ‘The Office’ being hit or miss anymore, Modern Familyis the one that consistently has me laughing the most. Most notably, Eric Stonestreet as “Cam” always makes me laugh and really steals the show almost every time he appears. His performance is what puts this one over the edge for me. Though, Big Bang Theory and Jim Parsons performance do come in a very close second for me.

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