The 2nd Anonymous Theatre 3000 Awards (Part I)

As the Oscars are approaching, I am doing my own awards. Inspired by the awards done by RopeOfSilicon, I am doing my own awards as a response to every insipid awards show. The Anonynous Theatre Awards are based on the best of movies... in literally every aspect of every movie. If a movie is listed, it won't be because of what I think about the movie, but what part of the movie work itself at their very and personal best.


Best Visual Effects

Rise of the Planet of the Apes 

If there was any breakthrough this year in film, it will be that Andy Serkis, a major powerhouse in motion capture delivers the greatest performance out of that bubble suit ever in the history of cinema. While its the greatest highlight of the effects, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is my pick for Best Visual Effects because most of the motion capture is perfectly rendered and used minimal CGI than I've ever expected. Obviously a blockbuster is so great when it has the biggest special effects directors would ever imagine with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Transformers: Dark of the Moon getting nods as well. Hugo presents their with great whimsy

Last Year's winner: Inception
Runner Ups: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Hugo

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Best Art Direction/Production Design

Hugo

It's rare for a kids movie to occur predominantly in one place and one place only, but Hugo takes place mostly in a Parisian train station, one that looks exquisitely visitable. The moment where Hugo's holding on the big hand of the clock tower, I wasn't focusing on him.  I was focusing on the tower not only because it paid tribute to a silent movie with some big man in the same situation, but because it's so inexplicably grand that it brings that moment it's climax. Paris is the city in movies of 2011 with Midnight in Paris with so much whimsy. For all the people in the dark side, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo sends a dangerously written letter from the gritty streets of Stockholm while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows destroyed part of Gringotts bank and Hogwarts. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has the most impeccable headquarters I've ever seen in a spy movie

Last Year's Winner: Inception

Runner Ups: Midnight in Paris, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

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Best Cinematography

Hugo (John Richardson)

This should be noted that as of today, no filmmaker would be using the 35mm celluoid to make their movies when digital cameras are dominant in the market. Hugo's color scheme reminds me of Scorsese's past film The Aviator (who had the same director of photography John Richardson) in which a certain color would saturate more on the screen and while The Aviator is mostly teal and light green for the first hour and a half, Hugo is shaded with tints of blue and copper brown bringing a stylish charm into what seems to be a kids film for adults. Jeff Cronenweth's use of the RedOne brings The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo a burst of cold ultra-realism. Same goes to Contagion. Drive's foreshadowing lighting gives itself some style while Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy gives itself an intricate geometry with its grainy lighting


Last Year's winner: The Social Network (Jeff Cronenweth)
Runner Ups: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Jeff Cronenweth), Drive (Newton Thomas Siegel), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Hoyte van Hoytma), The Artist

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Best Soundtrack/Score

Hanna (The Chemical Brothers)

There's a new wave of well known composers that's hitting the film music department. These people had been making music outside of film for the past decade including Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. The latter two had two of the best soundtracks of the year which I would probably put on my MP3 for Attack the Block and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo bringing us richer and edgier electronic scores that evokes tone away from the leitmotif of orchestral scores with instead a mix of chromatic and ambient piano motifs and dubstep. But The Chemical Brother's Hanna is more visceral and kinetic than the average Run Lola Run movie (which it is). I will never get The Devil has the Details whistle out of my head and when I decided to do a little jog, I put on the last three tracks (Hanna vs Marrisa, Electrical Wavefold, Container Park, Hanna's Theme). I listened to the 80s retro soundtrack of Drive  and all of the tracks had been played more than 15 times. That is a must-listen but Hanna is way jammed pack with exciting riffs of electrical plains.

Last Year's winner: The Social Network (Trent Reznor)
Runner Ups: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Trent Reznor), Attack the Block (Basement Jaxx), Drive (Cliff Martinez & Various Artists)

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Best Poster

Last year's winner: 127 Hours
Runner Ups: Attack the Block, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Tree of Life, Drive

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Best Hero

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe)

For a person who done nothing in his life other than being devoted to Harry Potter and bought books, films and merchandise of the franchise, the boy hero will always be his role model. And that being said, Potter had evolved from a boy who realized that he's a powerful wizard annihilating an evil lord without a nose to being a powerful wizard annihilating an evil lord without a nose. At the same time the actor Daniel Radcliffe also evolved as an all-form actor who works on Broadway and in his final appearance as the boy wizard, he delivers what seems to be a greater performance than anything he did in the previous movies. Another British hero I would chant for is Moses who's a leader of a street gang in South London and now he's leading a pack to protect a Council Estate from man infesting aliens more blacker by the next minute. Lisbeth Salander is a girl who will shove a dildo up a man's ass while  Driver is a quiet smooth looking kid who will pierce you with a deadly hammer and bullet but driving is what he does best... and he's so good at it.


Runner Ups: Lisbeth Salander (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Moses (Attack the Block), The Driver (Drive)

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Best Screenplay (Adapted/Original)

Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen)

You got to hand it to Woody. He knows his dialogue he wants to place into his films and what's frequently common is that they present to us his neurotic yet lovable persona played solidly by Owen Wilson. Lines such as you know how I get up in the morning and I write... It has so much wit that it's rare it appeals to a large audience. Some of the scenes have placed nostalgia perfectly especially the positioning of literary figures such as Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald. The scene featuring a conversation between Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody playing Salvatore Dali is gold (RHINOCEROS!). Midnight in Paris proves to be Allen back in top form. Alexander Payne's and Jim Rash's screenplay for The Descendents is hilarious but tragic with the constraints of family as its subject matter. The Artist proves that when a movie is entirely silent, it still pulls off one of the best screenplays of the year while the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo written by Steven Zaillian is the best adaptation Stieg Larson's bestseller could ever have.


Last Year's Winner: The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)
Runner Ups: The Descendants (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Dean Pelton!!! [Jim Rash]), The Artist, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Steve Zallian)

PART II IS COMING SOON