Utah Film Critics Association Annouces 2009 Award Winners

Up in the Air was recognized with two awards at the annual meeting of the Utah Film Critics Association, including Best Picture of 2009. The film’s director, Jason Reitman, also won for Best Achievement in Directing.

In the Male Lead Performance category, Viggo Mortensen was recognized for his work in The Road as a father leading his young son through a post-apocalyptic America. Carey Mulligan took Female Lead Performance honors as a teenager involved with an older man in An Education.

… Continue Reading

American Film Institue Names Best of 2009

The American Film Institute has rolled out its AFI Awards, an annual top ten list of the year’s best films. AFI’s 2009 list includes Coraline, The Hangover, The Hurt Locker, The Messenger, Precious, A Serious Man, A Single Man, Sugar, Up and Up in The Air. I can agree with all of those, however I haven’t seen The Messenger, A Single Man, Sugar or Up in The Air. I was hoping to see the latter, but apparently in the world of film critics there are no promises or friends. I will say I am surprised to see The Hangover on this list. Don’t get me wrong – great movie, but best of ’09? No way.

The Utah Film Critics Association will vote on its “best of” 2009 this Thursday and I’ll be sure to post the results Thursday evening. Last year The Dark Knight was the UFCA’s choice for best picture. Frankly, I have my leanings, but I am clueless as to what our group will pick for 2009. In the meantime, check out the video below to see a rundown of AFI’s Best of 2009.

Trailer Tuesday (Dan’s Pick): Up In The Air

Jason Reitman, director of Thank You for Smoking and Juno, is batting 1000. If early reviews for his next (Up In The Air) hold true, that’s not about to change.

Set in the world of airports and the corporate jet-setters who call them home, Up in the Air explores the life of a corporate hack-man (played by the uncannily charming George Clooney)– a guy who embodies the position based on his complete lack of roots to anything but himself and the fast-paced, disconnected world he thrives in. If all that sounds artsy-fartsy and hoighty-toity, you may be right. Still, Reitman’s shown he can execute movies like this with both heart and emotion and isn’t that what we go to the movies for in the first place? Well, that and explosions and violence without consequence.

Up In The Air comes to town on Christmas day (January 15, 2010 for you, Susan), when you can watch it and be one of the first to hop on its love train. That way, when the Academy Awards roll into town and Up In The Air nails a nomination, you can say you were on the bandwagon first.

Up in the Air also stars Twilight‘s scene stealing Bella-pal Anna Kendrick as Clooney’s buttoned up, emotionally roiled apprentice, with some fantastic cameos by the likes of J.K Simmons, Zach Galifianakis, Danny McBride and Jason Bateman.

I think Up In The Air looks fantastic. Agree with me, won’t you?

The Holiday Nine

The Holidays are here, meaning studios will trot out their best in an effort to garner Oscar attention as close to Oscar time as possible. It also means we’ll be treated to some “family friendly” pap, total misses and the stuff that’s somewhere in between. Here’s our first-impression on the upcoming season’s Must-See, Maybe’s and Must-Misses, all spiffed up and scrubbed by way of our Holiday Nine.

Must – See

Avatar (December 18) -Dan

If you’ve been following AATM or have been to the movies lately, you’ve probably–finally–heard of the otherworldly Dances With Wolves meets robots, monsters and aliens sci-fi fantasy Avatar. Promised to be the cinematic game-changer of the new century, Avatar is James Cameron’s return to the ridiculously budgeted (rumored to cost over $500 million), geeky fun he kicked to the curb after Titanic when he decided to go swimming for a decade. Initially, public perception for Avatar was non-existent outside the geek community, but thanks to some expositionary trailers and a promise of a 3D-immersive world experience, Avatar has morphed into the go-to movie of the season. Cameron’s yet to direct a film most people haven’t enjoyed from start to finish and with Avatar’s promise of xeno-zoology and their perforation exchange with space marines thrown in for good measure,  Avatar gets a full pass on cinematic event spectacle alone.

The Road (November 25) – Andy

The Road is a magnificent novel about a father and son traveling through a ruined and savage post-apocalyptic United States. Written by Cormac McCarthy, the book is one of my all-time favorites and it whipped me through a myriad of emotions – hope, sadness, fear, anger and happiness. It’s more a story of love and hope than it is an end-of-the-world tale. If director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and writer Joe Penhall can successfully translate McCarthy’s haunting prose to the big screen, then the movie should be equally emotional. It stars Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises), Charlize Theron (In the Valley of Elah), Robert Duvall (We Own the Night), Guy Pearce (The Hurt Locker) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (X-Men Origins: Wolverine).

… Continue Reading