CM presents: Nebular's st Annual Movie Awards (WINNERS ONLY!)

NEBULAR's

1st ANNUAL MOVIE AWARDS 2011

( No, I'm not taking myself seriously:) )

100% Subjective! Winners only!

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BEST PICTURE

• "The Social Network"

BEST DIRECTOR

• David Fincher, "The Social Network"
  

BEST ACTOR

• James Franco, "127 Hours"

BEST ACTRESS

• Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Christian Bale, "The Fighter"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

• "The Fighter"

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• "Tangled"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• "The Social Network"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• "The King's Speech"

BEST ART DIRECTION

• "Alice in Wonderland"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• "Let Me In"

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• "Alice in Wonderland"

BEST FILM EDITING

• "The Social Network"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

A) ASIAN

• "Jianyu" a.k.a. "Reign of Assassins"

B) NON-ASIAN

• "Trolljegeren" a.k.a. "The Troll Hunter"

BEST STRAIGHT-TO-DVD / MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE

• "Temple Grandin"

BEST REMAKE / REBOOT / SEQUEL / PREQUEL

• "Let Me in"

BEST MAKEUP

• "The Wolfman"

BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE

• "The Social Network"

BEST SONG

• "If I Rise" ("127 Hours")

BEST SOUND EDITING

• "Inception"

BEST SOUND MIXING

• "Inception"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• "Inception"

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Buried movie review (2010)

Buried (2010)

When Paul Conroy awakens six feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver contracted to work in Iraq instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time. Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Cortés' second full-length feature film is, hands down, the most utterly claustrophobic movie ever made, as it's entirely shot in a single narrow wooden coffin! "Buried" is super uncomfortable to watch and a nightmare-come-true for people, like me, who have issues with claustrophobia. "Buried"'s 'limited space' settings create an atmosphere of claustrophobic intensity, leaving the viewer unable to take a deep breath, literally gasping for air. Plus, the impasse that the character finds himself in, contributes to the film's overall effectiveness. "Buried" is single-handedly driven by Ryan Reynolds's exceptional performance as the doomed truck driver Paul, who does everything he can to save his life, fighting panic and frustration. Reynolds's acting skills have improved tremendously over the years, and it really shows here. He carries the whole movie on his shoulders, and performs terrifically - he's believable, emotionally expressive, and very convincing in portraying genuine fear and desperation .Moreover, Raynolds brings a true fighting spirit to his character and makes him consistently engaging, earning and retaining audience sympathy throughout. "Buried" is very hard to shoot movie, due its limited scope and settings, but Rodrigo Cortés does an outstanding job. His direction is highly competent, providing a great variety of camera angles, with all of the movements paced excellently. Rodrigo Cortés' creativity and incredible shooting versatility compensates for the film's lack of various set pieces, and the result is rather impressive! All in all, "Buried" can be considered as an experimental type of film, but a very good one - it's an inventive, unpredictable, gripping and super-tense thriller, that possesses an undeniable originality.

• My Rating: 7.50/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (7.2/10)
• IMDb: 7.7/10

Despicable Me movie review (2010)

Despicable Me (2010)

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru, planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad. The world’s greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes. With Dreamworks' "How to Train Your Dragon", Pixar's "Toy Story 3" and Disney's "Tangled", 2010 has proven itself an exceptionally strong year for animation, and "Despicable Me" is no exception. Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud's first full-length animated feature is yet another jewel in the crown of animated filmmaking. "Despicable Me" is an adorable, hilarious, truly imaginative and beautifully-animated feature, that never fails to entertain the audience with its gripping story and witty homorous script, and to blow their minds with its dazzling CGI visuals. In terms of storytelling, this flick doesn't break any new grounds, but it's hugely entertaining nontheless, as it's filled with hilarious situations, amusing characters and plenty of action and clever jokes that work very well. "Despicable Me" is never boring or inert, as it moves briskly from one great scene to another at a very dynamic pace. The characters are "Despicable Me"'s main strength. Steve Carell's Gru is a terrific a villain - he seems tough and vicious on the outside, but he's soft as a cotton on the inside and quite emotional, without being too sappy. The three little girls - Margo, Edith, Agnes are smart, sweet and delightfully engaging, with Agnes in particular being my absolute favorite. Vector is wicked, yet somewhat sympathetic and geniously clever. Miss Hattie's not a very likable character, but she's hilarious to watch nonetheless. Animation-wise, "Despicable Me" is a true visual treat. The animation is richly textured, very detailed, and wonderfully-inventive. The CGI backgrounds are beautifully-crafted, and the graphics are vivid, colorful and eye catching. All the character are also very well-drawn, especially the endlessly adorable yellow minions, who are so sweet and likable, they bring an absolute joy everytime they appear on screen. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to see it in 3D, but the film looks stunning enough in 2D as well. The voice acting from everyone involved is just excellent. Russell Brand in particular does an incredible job in breathing life into his character, Dr. Nefario. Steve Carell and Elsie Fisher also shine as Gru and Agnes. Although it doesn't shine with an enormous originality, with its consistently funny and gripping story, quirky yet multi-layered characters, and breathtakingly colorful animation, "Despicable Me" is an absolute winner!

• My Rating: 8.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 82% (6.8/10)
• IMDb: 7.6/10

We Need to Talk About Kevin movie review (2011)

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

QuickRating: As emotionally exhausting as it's utterly horrifying, Lynne Ramsay's latest is every parent's nightmare. Focusing on the deeply complicated relationship between а long-suffering mother and a cruel monster child, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is more shocking, sinister and unsettling than any other movie this year that dares to call itself a horror. Besides, Tilda Swinton is nothing short of sensational here!

Jaw-Dropping First Trailer for Ching Siu-Tung's "The Sorcerer and the White Snake"

Jaw-Dropping First Trailer
for Ching Siu-Tung's
The Sorcerer and the White Snake

It has finally arrived! The first trailer for Ching Siu-Tung's martial arts fantasy flick "The Sorcerer and the White Snake" starring Jet Li has been released, and from what we can see, the movie looks nothing short of stunning! Heavy on CGIs and spectacular action, it promises to be a true martial arts extravaganza and a dream-come-true for all fans of Jet Li and kung fu cinema in general. Check out the trailer below the synopsis.

Synopsis: White Snake (Huang Shengyi), in the incarnation of a beautiful lady, falls in love with a young herbalist by the name of Xu Xian (Raymond Lam). With the help of Green Snake (Charlene Choi), she ventures into the human world and gets married to Xu Xian. In a twist of fate though, Fa Hai (Jet Li), a sorcerer from Jin Shan Temple, crosses path with White Snake. A fiery battle is about to begin...

Alone movie review

Alone (2007)

Short review: Thai horror film "Alone" tells the story of the surviving half of a conjoined twin who starts to see her dead sister when she returns home to Thailand to visit her dying mother. "Alone" had some nice cinematography and beautiful art direction, yet unfortunately, the plot was a standard horror fare, and the film wasn't neither scary, nor creepy enough. The acting was average at best. Marsha Wattanapanich did a decent job as Ploy/Pim. Vittaya Wasukraipaisan as Ploy/Pim's boyfriend played his part well most of the time, and he was the only likable character in this film. The twist at the end wasn't shocking or suprising... actually, it wasn't much of a twist. "Alone" didn't provide any heart pounding excitement or inventive scares, simply because we've seen it all before.

• My Rating: 5.25/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
• IMDb: 6.4/10

Tangled D movie review (2010)

Tangled [3D] (2010)

Walt Disney Animation Studios put a cool and modern twist on Brothers Grimm's popular fairy tale, "Rapunzel", to bring their 50th animated feature - "Tangled" - a lavish, vivid and thoroughly delightful 3D animation, that's not only wildly imaginative and visually-spectacular, but also super-engaging, hugely engrossing and laugh-out-loud hilarious! While the story is in some ways familiar, "Tangled" never fails to entertain and wow the audience with its creativity. It follows Flynn Rider, a rouge who chooses an isolated tower for his latest hideout, having no idea, that the tower is already occupied by a princess, named Rapunzel, who was kidnapped as an infant. Rapunzel, who can use her magical hair to heal, sees the devil-may-care bandit as her escape from the tower and a chance at a life of adventure – one that may reunite her with her long-lost parents and restore her royal heritage. There are not enough superlatives to express how magnificently enjoyable this 3D animated feature is. "Tangled" has everything and even more - it's joyous, exciting, action-packed and consistently entertaining, as its story moves along at a nicely brisk pace, without a single dull moment. It's full of wit, clever jokes and great tongue-in-cheek humor. In fact, "Tangled" is so funny and enjoyable, it will make you laugh every five minutes. Furthermore, "Tangled" is filled with likable and engaging characters. Rapunzel's is sympathetically naive, yet she has a true fighting spirit and great sense of humor. Plus, she's adventurous, funny and as sweet as a lollipop. Oh, and her hair's shiny, sparkly and breathtakingly beautiful! Flynn Ryder is no less interesting or likable, and he's overloaded with charm, energy and joy. However, it's Pascal, the chameleon, and Maximus, the horse, that absolutely steal the show! Pascal has to be the cutest and most adorable animated character ever, while Maximus is so hysterically funny, you can't help but laugh hard every time he's on screen. Mother Gothel is the villain, and she's narcissistic and selfish, yet delightfully evilicious. The voice acting by Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and all the other actors involved is incredible and completely satisfying. Visuals-wise, this Disney flick is nothing short of mind-blowing, as the animation is slickly-crafted, rich in detail and stunningly colorful. "Tangled" is filled with bright and striking imagery, and its CGI scenery, in particular, is so lush and jaw-droppingly gorgeous, you won't believe your eyes. The 'flying lanterns' sequence deserves a special mention, as it's very impressive and truly eye-candy. "Tangled"'s brilliant and flawlessly-executed 3D effects make for an even more atmospheric and magical experience. Also, the songs are meaningful, emotional, moving and beautifully-performed, bringing back memories of Disney classics like "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin". Filled with smart and witty dialogues, hilarious characters, eye-popping visuals and stunning 3D effects, "Tangled" is, arguably, the best non-Pixar Disney film, since their 1991 masterpiece, "Beauty and the Beast", and, hands down, the funniest animated flick I've seen in my life. Absolutely glorious!

• My Rating: 9.50/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (7.6/10)
• IMDb: 8.3/10