2010 Daveies Nominees

Best Poster

I'm Still Here
The Social Network
Black Swan
Never Let Me Go
The Fighter

Best Trailer


Tree of Life



A Nightmare on Elm Street



True Grit



Black Swan

The Social Network

'Social Network' Trailer from Tommy Wierper on Vimeo.




Best Cover
Private Eyes by The Bird & The Bee (Hall & Oates)
Never Tear Us Apart by St. Vincent, Beck and Liars (INXS)
Two Headed Boy by The Swell Season (Neutral Milk Hotel)
Faithfully by Clem Snide (Journey)
Confetti by Frightened Rabbit (The Lemonheads)
Idioteque by Amanda Palmer (Radiohead)


Best Video
Runaway by Kanye West



Thinking 'Bout Somethin' by Hanson



Tighten Up by The Black Keys



Go Do by Jonsi



This Too Shall Pass by OK Go 

Movie I Still HAVE to See

The Fighter

The Tempest

Tree of Life

Another Year

Barney's Version

Best Nerd Film

Tron

Kick Ass

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Best Movie for Popcorn Stuffing

Tron

A-Team

Legion

Best Local Album
Light Chasers by Cloud Cult
2 by Retribution Choir
The Reluctant Graveyard by Jeremy Messersmith
A Badly Broken Code by Dessa
Soundtrack to the End by Communist Daughter

Best TV Episode

Caprica “Ghosts In The Machine”
Mad Men "The Suitcase"
The Walking Dead "Days Gone Bye"
LOST "Ab Aeterno"
Sherlock "A Study In Pink"

Best Song
From Above by Ben Folds & Nick Hornby from the album Lonely Avenue
A Girl, A Boy, And A Graveyard by Jeremy Messersmith from the album The Reluctant Graveyard
Skip the Youth by Frightened Rabbit from the album The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Tightrope by Janelle Monae
Dance Yrself Clearn by LCD Soundsystem

Best Album

The Winter of Mixed Drinks by Frightened Rabbit
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
Brothers by The Black Keys
Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons
IRM by Charlotte Gainsbourg


Best TV Series
Mad Men (AMC)
LOST (ABC)
Sherlock (BBC)
Walking Dead (AMC)


Best Movie
The King's Speech
I Love You Phillip Morris
Black Swan
Red Riding: 1980

Broken Flowers

Critics are raving about Bill Murray's latest foray into minimalism. Apparently said critics are utter fools. The word to best describe this film is USELESS. The supremely slow pace kills an otherwise mediocre piece. The would be classic ending feels like an entirely different movie. Overall, Broken Flowers is brilliant in exactly zero ways. It is not visually stimulating, the characters are not interesting or well developed, the direction and editing are poor, the story does not draw you in or conclude itself, it makes no great statement about culture or the human condition and it is not amusing. Sure the soundtrack is alright, and Murray plays the best emotionless, uninterested lead around. But we've seen Murray do that before, and if i want an alright soundtrack i'll go to Best Buy and pick up whatever CD they've got on sale for 8.99

1 out of six neurotic x-flames
AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Lords of Dogtown

Sometimes a group of individuals affect the world around them to the point that their due esteem is recognized by all. They are consequently honored with endless praise and countless retellings of their story. These are not those people, and this is not that movie.

Based on the story of a group of young surfers who find their land legs and accidentally create modern skateboarding, Lords of Dogtown follows the boys of the Zephyr Skate Team from the slums of Santa Monica to world fame and back.

Basically just one thing works for Dogtown. It's so freaking fun. First, it's skateboarding, and watching skateboarding is just a blast. It's as violent as the Coliseum and as graceful as ballet. Watching someone bail makes you squirm with excitement. And the only thing better than watching them bail, is seeing them land that asinine (from the Latin asinus) trick. Second, you can't beat the soundtrack. Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, Ted Nugent, Deep Purple, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, etc. Third the camera shots are magnificent. Fourth, is the acting. Ok, so overall it was just better than par, but Heath Ledger's loser shaman portrayal of Skip Engblom was priceless. His bucktoothed rendition seems over the top, until you hear Skip speak for himself. And lastly, this movie contains one of the top five cameos of all time. Now the cameo is a tricky thing. How do you make it just cheeky enough to let everyone know you can have a little fun, with out annoying the heck out of me (yes, of course moviemakers worry about annoying me. don't you know who I am?)? But when ???? ???? shows up as an ????????? who ???? ????? I about died.

If you're looking for a documentary on the history of skateboarding or a look into the minds of early skaters this isn't it. What you will find is a great summer-fun movie with tantalizing shots and soundtrack to knock your britches off. And if that's what it is, then it is great.

5 of 6 ruined swimming pools

If this selection interests you also check out: Dogtown and Z-Boys

Pieces of April

Sometimes families forget what that means. Sometimes they remember. Sometimes they remember while there is still time.

This family is a wreck. April (Katie Holmes) has a shady past, her mother is vindictive and dieing, her sister tries to be perfect at the expense of everyone else, her grandmother has Alzheimer’s and her father (Oliver Platt) is just trying to keep it together. So if you're April in this situation, what do you do? You invite them all to thanksgiving dinner. But of course nothing goes right. Her oven won't work, her boyfriend disappeares for several hours and she finds out that no one really likes cranberry sauce from a can?

Meeting all of April's neighbors is a joy. Some are good, and some are bad. Some are weird and some are creapy. Some speak english and others not so much. But each one adds to the franticness or the hope of the day.

This movie if proof that ageless favorites can be bought off the $5 rack at best buy. The story was wonderful. My only problem with the acting was Holmes character seemed an awful lot like every other character I've seen her play.

My scene to remember. April is explaining thanksgiving to an immigrant Asian family. she tries once, telling of the mayflower and Plymouth Rock, but then starts over. She begins again, talking about the injustices that would befall the Native Americans, but again must start over. She finally gets to what it means over how it came about and the circumstances that followed it. And the best part, she's realising the truth of what she's saying while she's saying it.

Overall a great flick. You should check it out

Five of six shards

Cidade de Deus (City of God)

The story of the world's most notorious slums, Rio de Janeiro's "City of God". The story of a young man wanting to survive, which means getting out. It is violent, bloody and disturbing, but you can't stop watching. You can't stop watching . . . because it's true.

Based on the life of photographer Wilson Rodrigues, City of God portrays the violent nature of these slums while he was growing up. But it's not just the story of Rodrigues, a.k.a. Rocket, but also Carrot, Lil Zi, Nockout Ned, Benny, the Tender Trio and many others.

The story takes a couple of risks. Spanning 3 decades and many lives, it isn't just one story, but several all coming together and culminating into one moment with a thousand meanings. Also, it uses an all knowing narrator, Rodrigues, looking back on his days as Rocket. But where using these techniques could have made the story disjointed or too revealing of itself, you found these tools pulling you in, giving you more and more of a need to know what's happening. The other great thing about the story was that it is honest. Rocket doesn't get the girl of his dreams, his photography doesn't make his life pristine and unproblematic, and the slums aren’t saved. There is no Hollywood ending, which leaves you still feeling for the people in the slums, because they are still there, and the same problems still exist.

Visually, the movie was dynamic. Vivid colors bring this hell on earth to life. Fast moving cameras, still shots, shotgun (matrix style) shots all bring you along on this emotional roller-coaster of shock and compassion.

There is one particular scene at the end of the movie, which shows that this was not just a violent period for these people, but a culture that has been created for them. I will never forget it.

All in all this was a brilliant movie. An incredible story, we directed and acted (as well as I can judge the acting while reading subtitles), beautifully shot. It's not a movie for the faint of heart, but if you watch it, it will affect you. 5 out of 5 cameras.