The Golden Globe Awards nominations were announced Tuesday morning, reminding me that it”s time to get out to the movie theater and catch most of 2010”s good movies.
I”m quite the movie buff, having minored in cinema studies in college and written my share of movie reviews. And when it comes to movie trivia and knowledge, few people are better than me.
That being said, I feel confident in discerning between the good and bad movies released throughout the year.
Picking the right movie is always important because no one enjoys wasting $20 to $40 on a bad movie at the theaters. The end of the year can be the trickiest time to make those selections because there are so many movies released during the holidays and prior to the awards season.
I tend to look at which movies have the biggest award buzz and which appear to have the most engaging plots while avoiding those that sound plain awful.
Some consider me kind of a film snob, but the truth is I don”t have much tolerance for unoriginal and unentertaining movies. And neither should you.
Here are my suggestions for the five upcoming releases to see:
“127 Hours”
Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) directed this story of Aron Ralston (played by James Franco), the hiker who, in 2003, found himself literally lodged between a rock and a hard place while rock-climbing in Utah.
“Black Swan”
Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star as competing ballerinas vying for the lead in a production of Swan Lake. This should another dark one from Darren Aronofsky (“Requiem for a Dream”).
“The King”s Speech”
Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush star in this story of King George VI and his struggle to overcome a speech impediment.
“Rabbit Hole”
No doubt will be a downer, but should be filled with great performances and an engaging story. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart are parents who recently lost a son because of a car accident and the mother (Kidman) soon befriends the teenager who hit the boy.
“TRON: Legacy”
This sequel to the 1982 Disney original stars Jeff Bridges as the creator of a digital world, in which he has been trapped for decades. His now-adult son is suddenly transported into the world. Appears to be the only family movie worth seeing.
Here are five new releases to avoid:
“Casino Jack”
Kevin Spacey stars in this story of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. More often than not, a movie made about such a recent news event falls flat because it doesn”t have a proper perspective on the issue.
“Gulliver”s Travels”
Jack Black stars in the third big-screen adaptation of the Jonathan Swift novel, which from the trailers, clearly seems to be one too many.
“Little Fockers”
The third film in the “Meet the Parents” series looks like a case of producers beating the proverbial dead horse. The original was a classic and the sequel was so-so; why waste our time with a third?
“True Grit”
The buzz has faded as the film gets closer to its release. It appears the Coen brothers shouldn”t have tried to reinvent the 1969 John Wayne classic.
“Yogi Bear”
The trailers simply make it look terrible and combination live-action/animation films rarely work. It will probably entertain the kids, but they won”t get anything out of it.
This time of year, the rental options can be even more immense than the theater choices. Here”s a list of five movies, including some mainstream, animated and little-known gems, to grab off the shelves (or have delivered in the mail, as the case may be):
“Inception,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “The Social Network,” “Toy Story 3” and “Winter”s Bone.”
Enjoy the movie-watching portion of your holiday season.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. He can be reached at 263-5636 ext.37 or jwalsh@record-bee.com.
