National Board of Review 2010 Awards

The National Board of Review announced their awards for the top films of 2010. While giving highest praise to "The Social Network," the NBR completely shutout "127 Hours," "The Kids Are All Right" and "Black Swan," all of which are being considered huge award contenders. Some of their choices for their top films, especially in the independent category, seem a bit random, as well.

Best Picture: "The Social Network"

Best Director: David Fincher, "The Social Network"

Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"

Lots of love for "The Social Network" here.

Best Actress: Lesley Manville, "Another Year"

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"

Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

Best Foreign Language Film: "Of Gods and Men"

Best Documentary: "Waiting for 'Superman'"

Best Animated Feature: "Toy Story 3"

Best Ensemble Cast: "The Town"

Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"

Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparing, "Buried"

Here's a shock in my mind. I guess there really weren't as many original screenplays this year, but still, there's "Inception."

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"

Top 11 Films:

Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Top Independent Films:

Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt

In both lists for best films, "The Kids Are All Right," "127 Hours" and "Black Swan" are not even mentioned while films like "Youth in Revolt," "Buried" and "Hereafter" are. While I find that strange, I don't see it as any sort of premonition of what the Academy will do. In any case, this is the National Board of Review, and it at least seems they might be on the money giving "The Social Network" their top honor.

Now comes the waiting game for the announcement of more year-end nominations and awards.

The nominations for this year's Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning, and the little-known independent film "Winter's Bone" lead with a total of seven nominations followed by "The Kids Are All Right" with five. Although these do not usually have too much of a bearing on the Oscars, they do give some particular films and actors/actresses the small boost they might need for award season.

"127 Hours," "Black Swan," "Greenberg," "The Kids Are All Right" and "Winter's Bone" were the nominations for Best Feature. I'm placing my bets on "Winter's Bone" to take the top prize here though it could just as easily go to "The Kids Are All Right" or even "127 Hours" and "Black Swan."

It's curious to note that "The King's Speech" was nominated under the category of Foreign Film perhaps because it is based in the UK.

Nods for Best Director went to Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan," Danny Boyle for "127 Hours," Lisa Cholodenko for "The Kids Are All Right," Debra Granik for "Winter's Bone" and John Cameron Mitchell for "Rabbit Hole." Again, I see Granik taking the prize here.

The category of Best Female Lead got extended to six nominations as opposed to the usual five. It is clear that powerful female performances outweigh the male ones this year. The nominees included Annette Beining for "The Kids Are All Right," Greta Gerwig for "Greenberg," Nicole Kidman for "Rabbit Hole," Jennifer Lawrence for "Winter's Bone," Natalie Portman for "Black Swan" and Michelle Williams for "Blue Valentine." Again, I see another win for "Winter's Bone" with Lawrence's breakout performance.

Though Michelle Williams got nominated for "Blue Valentine," the film got snubbed everywhere else. Is this thanks to the MPAA's NC-17 rating?

The Best Male Lead nominees were Ronald Bronstein for "Daddy Longlegs," Aaron Eckhart for "Rabbit Hole," James Franco for "127 Hours," John C. Reilly for "Cyrus" and Ben Stiller for "Greenberg." I can't see anyone but Franco taking the win here.

Those are the most notable nominees, but here is a full list of nominations for the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

The 2011 Spirit Awards ceremony airs on Saturday, February 26, 2011.

It's been announced that James Franco and Anne Hathaway will host the telecast of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.

The first question that pops into my head: why?

Hathaway and Franco are both young, likable actors. I think the keyword in there is young. Picking them to host goes with the Oscar's recent efforts to attract a more popular and younger audience. But, how oh how are these two going to entertain us for the telecast's first 10 or 15 minutes? Are they going to crack jokes? I just, I worry. I worry that it could be dull and awkward.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are comedians. They could do it but just barely. The idea of co-hosting is just a bad one because it creates the tension of two people struggling to decide when it's the other person's turn to speak not to mention the painfully forced conversation between them.

Or maybe it could be great fun. Maybe these two have enough charisma and charm to make the pairing work. It also helps that Franco was recently seen in "127 Hours" and Hathaway--a whole LOT of Hathaway--was recently seen in "Love & Other Drugs."

I have to wonder, though. How uncomfortable will it be when James Franco stands there with his nomination for Best Actor when Anne Hathaway stands there with nothing? Will he make a crack about it? Or, better yet, will her hosting boost her chances in garnering a Best Actress nod?

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards will air on Feburary 27, 2011.

"Love & Other Drugs" (2010)

"Love & Other Drugs" needs medication for its own case of schizophrenia. The movie's distractingly abrupt tonal shifts aren't enough, though, to ruin the romantic couple at its center. It's a romantic comedy, but it's set to the backdrop of something more, a smart and zippy satire about the corporate pharmaceutical world. It's a movie in the hands of the capable director Edward Zwick ("Defiance," "Blood Diamond," "The Last Samurai") who is stuck working with sketchy writing. There's never a satisfactory balance of the two elements, the love and the drugs, but Zwick still manages to bring out key scenes and give them a necessary weight against bland placebos within the screenplay. These scenes are weighted on the side of love which sways the entire movie to drop the drugs side almost completely. Had it been the other way around, this would've been a very different movie.

It is 1996, and Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) casually slides into the career of a pharmaceutical rep when he gets fired from his job selling electronics. It's not much of a change for him because he carries his same charismatic, carefree attitude to both jobs. His charm works wonders as he works as a salesman for the drug company Pfizer selling samples of Zoloft. He slips into doctor's offices by talking up--and occasionally sleeping with--the female receptionists and befriending doctors to begin his domination with Zoloft over his adversary, Trey Hannigan (Gabriel Macht), whose drug of choice is Prozac. Cheered on by his supervisor Bruce Winston (Oliver Platt), Jamie paves his way through this business of bribes, gratuities and sleazy relationships between doctors and their reps.

Getting close with one doctor, Stan Knight (Hank Azaria), gives Jamie the opportunity to meet one of his patients, Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), and not only that but also a peek at her breast. Maggie notices, follows Jamie out to the parking lot scolding him for allowing her to expose herself to him and from there, Jamie is immediately entranced by her cold bitterness, asks her to coffee and their story as a couple unfolds from there.

The movie is at its best when scorching the screen. At the start of their relationship, all Maggie and Jamie want and need from each other is sex. And so, they are naked a lot and having sex, well, a lot. In these instances, the movie becomes the ideal modern R-rated romance. It's hot and steamy with two delightfully attractive leads. We love when they're together, and the most memorable moments come when they're romping around in bed. All of this raunchiness is never gratuitous because these characters' bodies speak for themselves, and the sex and nudity has meaning to it; this is the way they communicate upon first meeting.

As Maggie, Anne Hathaway is great. Maggie is only 26-years-old and dealing with the early stages of Parkinson's disease. Her way of controlling it on her own is to not let anyone get too attached to her, which is why Jamie is such a good choice for empty sex. Hathaway presents a range of vulnerability and strength in Maggie that is authentic and a very fine performance. Gyllenhaal's Jamie is not as complete but effective nonetheless alongside Maggie. Also admirable is Hathaway's openness to the movie's blunt sexuality. This could be considered her first mainstream adult role, another role that truly launches her into the limelight.

By the third act of "Love & Other Drugs," it does fall victim to tired rom-com tropes. In spite of this, we care too much about the two leads to let it become too bothersome. What is bothersome, however, is the supporting character of Jamie's obnoxious younger brother (Josh Gad) who brings a whole baggage of unnecessary subplot and comic relief with slapstick that gets too gross and ends up belonging in a lesser buddy movie. And though the drugs take a backseat by the second half, the introduction of Pfizer's Viagra is a winning addition since this really is a movie all about sex and sexiness.