Oscar 2011 has a superb set of ten Best Picture nominees. Aside from certain content awareness advisories for most of the films, I can, without reservation, say that all ten are are worth seeing. This means that there are really none of them that are …more »»
Film Talks Tagged ‘Oscar nomination 2011’
127 Hours (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 1, 2010
127 Hours is an intense but important film. As basically a one-man show (with flashbacks involving additional characters), it provides an in-depth exploration of a person left alone with …more »»
Black Swan (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 19, 2010
Black Swan is dark, difficult, nuanced, intense, and strong. Searching the performer’s heart, the film finds joy and confusion, confidence and fear, passion and reserve, freedom and bondage, competitiveness and timidness. At the same time, Black Swan …more »»
The Fighter (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 28, 2010
While it’s true that The Fighter tells a familiar sounding story — boxer overcomes odds — still it finds important underexplored territory. Mixing scenes of trust, betrayal, family pressure, family pride, manipulation, forgiveness, fear, failure, …more »»
Inception (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 28, 2010
What do you remember? Or, was it in a dream? Do you have reality straight in your mind? In your subconscious? The confluence of such questions is the space Inception perceptively explores. Part of the genius of Christopher Nolan’s writing and directing is …more »»
The Kids Are All Right (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 20, 2010
Although some will immediately focus on the fact that The Kids Are All Right depicts a family headed by two married lesbians, I want to set that aside and consider the merits of the film on other concerns. Many of the questions the film explores are …more »»
The King’s Speech (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — January 5, 2011
The pace and energy of The King’s Speech is driven by characters and their relationships, not by events and action. On the surface, the film is about a powerful man overcoming a personal weakness, but what’s more important …more »»
The Social Network (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — November 30, 2010
It’s a engaging tale, The Social Network, and well-told: Jilted lover thinks of revenge, scramble for a good business idea, corporate intrigue, broken relationships. It all could be quite stereotypical, and …more »»
Toy Story 3 (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 18, 2010
Dodging the dangers of sequeldom, Toy Story 3 is plain fun to watch as it takes us through a familiar landscape of toys and joys and tears and fears. We know, from the first two films in the series, most of the characters and the general territory of …more »»
True Grit (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 31, 2010
In True Grit, the Coen brothers have created an engaging portrayal with themes of honor and expedience, justice and revenge, age and experience, and, well, okay I’ll say it: grit and determination. I’ll leave to others comparisons with the 1969 John Wayne version and …more »»
Winter’s Bone (2010)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — November 14, 2010
The opening of Winter’s Bone is exquisitely crafted to draw us slowly in from the lightness of country children playing on a trampoline to the core tension of the story. The contrast lends great effect …more »»
