2009 the best of the decade?

I Know it's too early to tell but yet hasn't 2009 been a great movie year? Maybe the best of the decade?

In January no thrilling movie was released. "Taken" a surprise box office success and the US release of "The Class" the french movie may been the only movie that will be rememberd in the future but I doubt that "Taken" will be remembered.

But in February things started happen. The Animated picture "Coraline" opened with great reviews, so did the romance picture "Two Lovers", though "TL" was overshadowed by Joaquin Phoenix catastrofal singing debut.

Except the two mentioned aboe also "Gomorra" had a wide releaee in US.

In March more things came "Watchmen" was the talk of Internet during the weeks of it release but was some days after the release forgotten. The Movie failed at box-office and the reviews were mixed with some calling it great and some a disaster.

Some comedies also got good reviews this year Sunshine Cleaning, Duplicity and I Love You Man. The Animated Feature Monsters Vs. Aliens got good reviews and a big box-office gross.

In April it didn't happen many things. Adventureland, State of Play and The Soloist all came without much noise though the first two was great reviewed. The Informers was also released and i still haven't made up my mind if it was a success or disaster with critics and audience since IMDB gave it a pretty good rate.

But then in May things suddenly happened Star Trek, Drag me to Hell and UP all got phenomenal reviews. Also the drama Julia was released.

And we've got many movie looking forward too. And recently the trailer of "Nine" was released and made me anticipate it even more. I've also strangly looking forward to Agora.

I'm ready for my closeup

State of Play

I saw "State of Play" some days ago and I must say I was pleasantly suprised. I thought it would be another B-Movie with star cast, but it proved me wrong. Of course I could tell by the reviews that it would be at least decent, but it was more than just decent. The movie never got boring or tiresome and it kept the pace all the time.

Russell Crowe was flawless, Helen Mirren was great, Rachel McAdams proves the she can be the next Julia Roberts, Robing Wright Penn was moving, Ben Affleck proves that he can act (for the 2nd time in the decade).

My Top list of 2009 (yet):
1. Everlasting Moments
2. State of Play
3. The Edge of Love
4. Easy Virtue

Best Actress 1937

Now I finally has the time for a new edition of My Best Actress Serie.

Now my rankings of the nominees 1937 (The majority of the performances is based on clips i've seen):

1. Greta Garbo - Camille
2. Janet Gaynor - A Star Is Born
3. Barbara Stanwyck - Stella Dallas

4. Luise Rainer - The Good Earth

5. Irene Dunne - The Awful Truth

This Line-Up is GREAT, even better than the legendary 1939 lineup. This is the best of the year, but ofcourse we shall not forget to mention Katharine Hepburn in "Stage Door", Nova Pilbema in "Young and Innocent" and Bette Davis in "Kid Galahad". And let's not forget Garbos second performance of the year in "Conquest".

Who's Your Favourite of these 5 mesmerzing ladies.

Academyawardtalk 1929 & 1930

1929:
Best Picture - Pandora's Box
Best Director - G.W. Pabst - Pandora's Box
Best Actor - Maurice Chevalier - The Love Parade
Best Actress - Louise Brooks - Pandora's Box
Best Supproting Actor - Fritz Kortner - Pandora's Box
Best Supporting Actress - Dorothy Burgess - In Old Arizona
Best Screenplay - Pandora's Box

1930:
Best Picture - The Blue Angel
Best Director - Josef von Sternberg - The Blue Angel
Best Actor - Charles Farrell - City Girl
Best Actress - Marlene Dietrich - The Blue Angel
Best Supporting Actor - Arnold Lucy - All Quiet on the Western Front
Best Supporting Actress - Marie Dressler - Anna Christie
Best Screenplay - City Girl

Acadameyawattalk Awards 1928

Here are the awards for 1928
Best Picture - The Crowd
Best Director - King Vidor - The Crowd
Best Actor - James Murray - The Crowd
Best Actress - Lillian Gish - The Wind
Best Supporting Actor - Eugène Silvain - The Passion of Joan of Arc
Best Supporting Actress - Dorothy Cumming - The Wind
Best Screenplay - The Crowd
Best Cinematography - The Crowd
Best Film Editing - The Crowd
Best Art Direction - The Passion of Joan of Arc
Best Costume Design - Our Dancing Daughters
Best Special Effects - The Wind
Best Score - The Crowd

Academyawardtalks Award 1927

Now I've stopped watching movies from 1927 and is going to give out my awards

Best Picture - Sunrise
Best Director - F.W. Murnau - Sunrise
Best Actor - Charles Farrell - Seventh Heaven
Best Actress - Janet Gaynour - Sunrise (& Seventh Heaven)
Best Supporting Actor - Brandon Hurst - Love
Best Supporting Actress - Priscilla Bonner - It
Best Screenplay - Metropolis
Best Cinematography - Sunrise
Best Editing - Wings
Best Art Direction - Sunrise
Best Costume Design - Love
Best Special Effects - Wings
Best Score - Sunrise

Mata Hari

I watched Mata Hari a while ago. The movie is good but not great. And the thing i began to wonder about is how this can be Garbos most famous performance, of coure a mysterious person playing a mysterious person draw crowd. But she has done so many better roles in "Camille", "Queen Christina" and "Love".

Jezebel

"Last Night I Went to Menderley Again"

There's going to be a Top 25/50/100 (I haven't decide how many) Movie Quotes soon, and this quote is certainly going to be on the list.

Tara

1938-1940 Best Actor

1938-1940 Best Actress

It's a wonderful life isn't it

James Stewart and the lovely Donna Reed

Best Actor 1938

Oscar Nominees (My Ranking):

1. Leslie Howard - Pygmalion

2. Spencer Tracy - Boys Town

3. Charles Boyer - Algiers

4. Robert Donat - The Citadel

5. James Cagney - Angels With Dirty Faces

A Really weak line up with only the top 2 having some sort of good performances. The rest could be replaced Erroll Flynn in "The Adventures of Robin Hood", Cary Grant in either "Bringing Up Baby" or "Holiday" and James Stewart in "You Can't Take It With You".

Best Actress 1938

Oscar Nominnes (My Ranking)

1. Norma Shearer - Marie Antoinette

2. Bette Davis - Jezebel

3. Wendy Hiller - Pygmalion

4. Margaret Sullavan - Three Comrades

5. Fay Bainter - White Banners

A good year of actresses with Norma Shearer being my favourite, REALLY close runner-up is Bette Daivs, both of them gives two of their finest performances ever. Wendy Hiller is also good. If I got to choose I would replace Sullavan and Bainter with Hepburn for either "Bringing Up baby" or "Holiday".

Then the other candidate could be Joan Crawford in "The Shining Hour", Jean Arthur "You Can't Take It With You", Olivia de Havilland "The Adventures of Robin Hood".

Who's your favourite?

Another Classic Picture

It just doesn't have the right perspective

Good Night

Now i've seen Mrs. Miniver, a great movie with Garson as the star (Sorry for the unenthusiastic review). Now i'm tired and is going to sleep bye.

GG

Now I'm going to watch another classic "Mrs. Miniver" with another legend Greer Garson.

Romeo and Juliet

Now i've finally watched Romeo and Juliet from 1936. It's a good movie with some flaws. Like example it tends to get boring times to times, and Leslie Howard don't give us the presence of being young. Norma Shearer isn't as miscast as some people say she is.

The Verdict is it's a good movie, well deserving of your time.

La Shearer

Watching Romeo and Juliet (36) right now with the lovely La Reine Norma.

His Girl Friday

Aha! "His Girl Friday" is a great movie. Hilarious with great acting. Rosalind Russell overshadows everyone else in the cast, and is now on my ballot for Best Actress 1940.

Cary Grant makes a stellar performance, but I think he's better in "The Philadelphia Story".

Best Actor 1939

The Oscar Nominees (My Ranking):

1. Clark Gable - Gone With the Wind

2. James Stewart - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

3. Robert Donat - Goodbye Mr. Chips

4. Laurence Olivier - Wuthering Heights

5. Mickey Rooney - Babes In Arms



As for the actress it was a great year for actors, all except Rooney was well deserved nominees

Clark Gable gives his best performance ever in this movie, funny, witty, dramatique, he is everything and has great chemistry with Vivien Leigh.

There Were Some other memorable performances this year coming from Erroll Flynne in "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex", Charles Laughton in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", Charles Boyer "Love Affair", Henry Fonda in "Young Mr. Llincon". I Would replace Rooney with Fonda.





Who's your favourite?

Alice in Wonderland

The family movie "Alice in wonderland" is a classic that should get more attention. The actress that play Alice is brilliant and the art direction is superb. A Must watch.

Le Voyage de Gulliver À Lilleput Et Chez Les Géants

The Movie is candy for the eye but tends to get a little boring in some moments. Though Méliès once again makes something original in moviemaking.

Jeanne D'Arc

This is among one of the first "epics" I say. It's got a great story and beautiful art direction, top of it all the actress that plays Jeanne D'Arc is mesmererzing. It's great but not as great as "A Trip to the Moon". Worth seeing.

A Trip to the Moon

Now finally i've seen the first Sci-Fi movie ever "A Trip to the Moon". I Thought it was great, and now when I'm updating my Best Movie of all time it comes at #7.

So anytime you can WATCH IT

Who's the Best Actress of 1938?

Tomorrow's a new edition of Best Actress 1938

And I can promise that this two are my favourites but I just can't decide who's the best

Best Actress 1939

Now I take a look at 1939 Best Actress

Oscar Nominees (My Ranking):
1. Vivien Leigh - Gone with The Wind

2. Bette Davis - Dark Victory

3. Greta Garbo - Ninotchka

4. Greer Garson - Goodbye Mr Chips

5. Irene Dunne - Love Affair

This is the best year for Actress ever. All 5 are deserving nominees and would all be deserving winners too, but Vivien Leigh gives something extra in the role as Scarlett O'Hara.

If i got to choose I would include some other great actresses this year. Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz", though not her best performance it's her most memorable (Notice she won a Juvenille Award the same year). We also have some other memorable performances by Bette Davis in "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" and to lesser degree "Juarez" and "The Old Maid". Then we have all the women from "The Women", with Norma Sherar as the highlight of the cast. There's also Merle Oberon in the best picture nominated "Wuthering Heights" and a breakthrough role for Ingrid Bergman in "Intermezzo: A Love Story". There's Also Barbara Stanwyck for either "Golden Boy" and "Union Pacific"

Who's your favourite of the nominees and what is your ballot sounding like?

Best Actor 1940

The First Edition of Best Actor is in 1940:



Oscar Nominees (My Ranking):

1. James Stewart - The Philadelphia Story

2. Charles Chaplin - The Great Dictator

3. Laurence Olivier - Rebecca

4. Raymond Massey - Abe Lllincoln

5. Henry Fonda - Grapes of Wrath



A weeker than usual year for actors, James Stewart made a fine performance but not anything groundbreaking. I usually love Laurence Oliviers performance, but this was not his strongest performance. Charles Chaplin is the only one who gives a memorable performance you remember in the 21st Century, but I think Jimmy was better.



I would replace either one of Massey and Fonda with Cary Grant In "The Philadelphia Story" and with the clips i've seen from "His Girl Friday" he's also deserving for that performance. Both Laurence Olivier and James Stewart has other performance Oscar worthy too in "Pride and Prejudice" (Maybe some people call it a supporting performance but I'm not) and "The Shop Around the Corner" respective.

Top 20 Actors of all Time

I think it's unfair I do a Top 20 Actress when I'm not doing a Top 20 actor!

So here it Comes

1. Jack Nicholson
2. James Stewart
3. Daniel Day-Lewis
4. Paul Newman
5. Marlon Brando
6. Clark Gable
7. Ralph Fiennes
8. Robert DeNiro
9. Cary Grant
10. Laurence Olivier
11. Humphrey Bogart
12. Henry Fonda
13. Peter O'Toole
14. Anthony Hopkins
15. Dustin Hoffman
16. Spencer Tracy
17. Harrison Ford
18. Anthony Perkins
19. Robert Redford
20. Alec Guiness

Today's Schedule

Today's (& tomorrow) schedule is:

- Watch Romeo and Juliet (36), and maybe His Girl Friday (40)

- Best Actress 1939

- Top 20 Actor of all Time

- Best Actor 1940

Good Night Dear Readers

Good Night dear readers of the Academyawardtalk. Now I am tired and i'm going to bed, I thought first of seeing "Romeo and Juliet" from 1936 with Norma Shearer, but I found it too late to watch a 2 hour long movie, even though it contain Norma.

I shall watch it tomorrow so I can get a view of my beloved Norma

Best Actress 1940

The First Edition of Best Actress 1940:

The Oscar Nominees in my Ranking:
1. Katharine Hepburn - The Philadelphia Story
2. Joan Fontaine - Rebecca
3. Bette Davis - The Letter
4. Ginger Rogers - Kitty Foyle
5. Martha Scott - Our Town

If I Got to Choose the nominees i would replace Rogers and Scott with either Vivien Leigh for her heartbreaking performance in "Waterloo Bridge" or the charmy Greer Garson in "Pride and Prejudice" or Rosalind Russell in "His Girl Friday".

This was a GREAT year with except the mentioned above there also was Margaret Sullavan in "The Shop Around the Corner". There was also another Bette Davis performance in the Best Picture Nominated "All This, and Heaven Too".

Who's your favourite from the Oscar nominees and what are your nominee list?

Next Time I look upon 1939

My Favourite Top 20 Actresses of all time

A little bit too late, but in The Film Experience for some time ago they wanted top 20 actress list from blogs so here comes mine in order and Favourite performance

1. Bette Davis - All About Eve

2. Vivien Leigh - Gone With the Wind
3. Katharine Hepburn - The Philadelphia Story
4. Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice
5. Greta Garbo - Camille
6. Ingrid Bergman - Casablanca
7. Norma Shearer - Marie Antoinette
8. Audrey Hepburn - My Fair Lady
9. Michelle Pfeiffer - The Age of Innocence
10. Carole Lombard - To Be Or Not To Be
11. Barbara Stanwyck - The Lady Eve
12. Nicole Kidman - Moulin Rouge!
13. Deborah Kerr - The King and I
14. Olivia de Havilland - The Heiress
15. Julie Andrews - The Sound of Music
16. Greer Garson - Mrs. Miniver
17. Lillian Gish - The Wind
18. Judy Garland - Meet Me In St. Louis
19. Claudette Colbert - It Happened One Night
20. Marilyn Monroe - Some Like It Hot