The 4th Annual GEeK Awards (2010)

This was a light year for my film viewing. Despite my best efforts, I was only able to take in 48 films that I had not previously rated. It was a tremendous mix though, hitting all but two of my rating levels. If you were following the Tour de Reviews, you know about half of the films I saw last year. But the Tour only included 23 films. That means there are 25 films in contention against those featured in the Tour.

Click the button below to view the full list of 2010's contenders. Nominees will be unveiled on Wednesday!

28 Weeks Later (2007)
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Avatar* (2009)
Bedtime Stories (2008)
The Blind Side* (2009)
Calendar Girls (2003)
Cinderella (1950)
Coco avant Chanel (2009)
Coraline (2009)
The Corpse Vanishes (1942)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* (2008)
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008)
Far and Away (1992)
Get Smart (2008)
The Hangover (2009)
The Happening (2008)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1(2010)
He's Just Not That Into You (2009)
Hostel Part II (2007)
The Hurt Locker** (2008)
Inception* (2010)
Invictus (2009)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
It's Complicated (2009)
The Jazz Singer (1927)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Lady and the Tramp
Made of Honor (2008)
Milk* (2008)
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
No Country for Old Men** (2007)
One Day in September (1999)
Peter Pan (1953)
Prince of Space (1959)
Rent (2005)
Rescue Dawn (2006)
Rocky Balboa (2006)
Rocky V (1990)
The Room (2003)
Seven Pounds (2008)
Showgirls (1995)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans** (1927)
Toy Story 3* (2010)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
The Wizard (1989)

AND THE NOMINEES ARE...

There was a little contraction with the awards this year. Having only watched 48 films, the field of nominees is slimmer and some categories were removed altogether (short films). We did add a new category for this year though- Best Documentary Film.

Once again, all films receiving a 3 out of 5 rating or higher automatically get nominated for the Genre awards. None of this year's crop broke the record for most nominations (Enchanted, during the 2008 awards) but one film certainly did come close to tying it.

On Monday, August 1st, the winners of the Genre and Overall awards will be posted.

Nominees for Best Action/Adventure Film
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Avatar* (2009)
Coraline (2009)
Far and Away (2008)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)
Inception* (2010)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Peter Pan (1953)
Rescue Dawn (2006)
Toy Story 3* (2010)
Tropic Thunder (2008)


Nominees for Best Animated Film
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Cinderella (1950)
Coraline (2009)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Peter Pan (1953)
Toy Story 3* (2010)


Nominees for Best Children’s or Family Film
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Bedtime Stories (2008)
Cinderella (1950)
Coraline (2009)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Peter Pan (1953)
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Toy Story 3* (2010)


Nominees for Best Comedy Film
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Bedtime Stories (2008)
Calendar Girls (2003)
The Hangover (2009)
It's Complicated (2009)
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Toy Story 3* (2010)
Tropic Thunder (2008)


Nominees for Best Documentary Film
Expelled: No Intellgience Allowed (2008)
One Day in September (1999)


Nominees for Best Drama Film
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
The Blind Side* (2009)
Calendar Girls (2003)
Coco avant Chanel (2009)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* (2008)
Far and Away (1992)
The Hurt Locker** (2008)
Invictus (2009)
The Jazz Singer (1927)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Milk* (2008)
No Country for Old Men** (2007)
Rescue Dawn (2006)
Rocky Balboa (2006)
Sunrise** (1927)
Toy Story 3* (2010)


Nominees for Best Foreign Film
Coco avant Chanel (2009)


Nominees for Best Musical Film
Cinderella (1950)
The Jazz Singer (1927)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Peter Pan (1953)


Nominees for Best Romance Film
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Cinderella (1950)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* (2008)
Far and Away (1992)
It's Complicated (2009)
The Jazz Singer (1927)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Sunrise** (1927)


Nominees for Best Sci-Fi or Fantasy Film
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Avatar* (2009)
Bedtime Stories (2008)
Cinderella (1950)
Coraline (2009)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* (2008)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)
Inception* (2010)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Peter Pan (1953)
Toy Story 3* (2010)


Nominees for Best Thriller Film
The Hurt Locker** (2008)
Inception* (2010)
No Country for Old Men** (2007)

A total of 32 films were nominated for awards. Two out of three ain't bad! But which films missed out on Genre awards? Find out below...

28 Weeks Later (2007)
The Corpse Vanishes (1942)
Get Smart (2008)
The Happening (2008)
He's Just Not That Into You (2009)
Hostel Part II (2007)
Made of Honor (2008)
Prince of Space (1959)
Rent (2005)
Rocky V (1990)
The Room (2003)
Seven Pounds (2008)
Showgirls (1995)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
The Wizard (1989)

The nominations were spread around pretty even and lightly for the most part. Only a handful earned more than three. Here are your nomination leaders:

6 Nominations: Toy Story 3* (2010)
5 Nominations: Peter Pan (1953)
4 Nominations: Alice in Wonderland (1951), Cinderella (1950), Coraline (2009), Lady and the Tramp (1955), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

AND THE GEeK AWARD GOES TO...

This year's winners were pretty easy to choose. The honorable mentions were a little trickier though. Overall, I'd have to say that 2010 was a pretty darn good year for movie watching, even if I did have to sit through some lousy ones. Here are the winners:

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM
Inception* (2010)

Not only is this movie intelligent, but it contains some truly awesome action sequences. The mind is the ultimate adventure and director Christopher Nolan really plays into that. Gunfights and car chases are standard in action films but Inception goes the extra mile. While I’m not normally a big fan of slow-motion sequences in the middle of intense action, the car chase scene, coupled with the zero-gravity it inflicts on the characters in the next stage of their shared dream world is amazing. Nolan also strives for realistic looking action, which leads to my favorite movie sequence in years- the hallway battle between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a few baddies. No strings or CGI- just choreography.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Rescue Dawn (2006)- POW escape films have a way of getting the adrenaline pumping. Christian Bale commits fully to all of the action, which is riveting and unnerving at the same time.

Coraline (2009)- I’m siding more on the adventure side than the action. This stop-motion picture is a fantastic trip into weirdness. Think Alice in Wonderland with sass.


BEST ANIMATED FILM
Cinderella (1950)

This is probably the last truly great Disney animated film. It contained the purity and lushness of Walt Disney’s vision for fairy tales. The animation is simplified a bit, a trend that would continue, but there is still enough ornate detail for this film to stand alongside Snow White and Pinocchio in the top tier of Disney’s work.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Peter Pan (1953)- Simpler animation than Cinderella takes away from its artfulness but it is still a colorful bunch of fun. Plus, the animators came up with a few tricks that wowed me even if the rest of the animation pales in comparison to the ‘glory years.’

Coraline (2009)- The blend of stop motion with some CGI effects is impressive. Unlike previous mainstream stop-motion films which used clay, you don’t notice any surface indentations with the models used here. At times its hard to tell which animation style is which- the sign of a great illusion.


BEST CHILDREN'S OR FAMILY FILM
Cinderella (1950)

It’s animated, full of cute characters, and it has several memorable songs. How could this film not win? Children love Cinderella for all of these things but they also love the story. What little girl doesn’t dream of becoming a princess? Boys will like this film for the rambunctious mice as well. Their parents and grandparents grew up loving this film, so the whole family will eagerly sit down to take this one in. It hasn’t lost any of the magic over the last 60 years, making it all the more worth watching.

HONORABLE MENTION:
Peter Pan (1953)- More kid-friendly than family-oriented but adults grew up with this film as well. Despite being politically incorrect by today’s standards, it’s flashy, fun and innocent.

Toy Story 3* (2010)- This one caters a little more towards older kids and adults, who will get more of the toy and cultural references, while also getting the double entendres. Colorful and heart-warming after all these years, the Toy Story gang has secured themselves as Disney classics for years to come.


BEST COMEDY FILM
The Hangover (2009)

Not only was this film hilarious but it was also a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t buying the hype nor the pre-release trailers (which made the film look dumb). After sitting through it, I stand corrected. In fact, don’t know that I have ever been so happy to stand corrected about a comedy. It’s got a heart amidst all the swearing and insanity, which sets The Hangover apart from the frat pack toilet humor we endured much of last decade.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
(500) Days of Summer (2009)- It’s clever, witty and fresh. It never stood a chance of beating The Hangover but when it turns on the funny, it delivers the goods.

Toy Story 3* (2010)- There’s a Venn diagram of funny going on here. There’s plenty of humor for the kids but there’s an equal, if not greater, amount of humor built in for grown-ups. Good times for all!


BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
One Day in September (1999)

I haven’t watched very many documentaries in my movie-rating lifetime, so this stands as the end-all be-all for documentaries in my mind for now. It claws away at your emotions without being manipulative and smacks you in the face with questions without trying to incite you to one ideology or another. Its straight and narrow approach seals the deal for me.

HONORABLE MENTION:
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008)- I need to watch it again to make sure it deserves the rating I gave it. It’s something of a guilty pleasure, which is totally unexpected from a documentary.


BEST DRAMA FILM
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans** (1927)

I have a soft spot for silent films. Without them, there would be no movies. Because they were first silent, films needed to have an added wow factor in the details to keep people fixated for over an hour. F.W. Murnau releases the camera from its static prison, making possible whole new levels of complexity, emotive capability, and a real sense of experiencing a film instead of just watching it. The story may seem simple, but it is one that many can connect to. A love story book-ended by intensity, Sunrise has enough human drama to merit this award.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Milk* (2008)- It’s such a powerful but honest story about the struggle for dignity. For a change, we get an underdog tale that doesn’t ham it up with clichés.

Rescue Dawn (2006)- You will be physically and mentally exhausted after watching this film. I love all the realism and lack of CGI that hurt most films in the war genre nowadays.


BEST FOREIGN FILM
Coco avant Chanel (2008)

The only reason it won is because I didn’t watch any other foreign films in 2010. It met the requirement for a nomination and I don’t have any rules pertaining to how many films must qualify in order for an award to be given out. It’s good but not what I would call enjoyable. If you like moody, European cinema, this is your bag. If not, steer clear because it will frustrate and deflate you.

BEST MUSICAL FILM
Cinderella (1950)

Just about every song in this film is memorable. Disney did the right thing by pulling out all the stops to have the best songwriters in the business working on this production. Some of the songs are designed for humor while others merely accentuate the emotions of the characters. Others yet are just rollicking good fun.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Peter Pan(1953)- “You Can Fly” is classic and “Following the Leader” is a sharp little tune in its own right. I was more impressed with the animation than the music but it is a solid blend.

Lady and the Tramp (1955)- One of Disney’s weaker films of the era, musically speaking, but the Siamese Cat song is fun and “Bella Notte” will always have us thinking of that spaghetti scene.


BEST ROMANCE FILM
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans** (1927)

Everyone goes gaga for films where characters fall in love for the first time. I think that may be part of why Sunrise is so impressive. The man and his wife have been married for some time but are given an opportunity to fall in love with each other all over again. All this before such a notion became more commonplace. The middle portion of the film is full of tender gestures, glances and touches that too many people miss in day-to-day observations of happy couples.

HONORABLE MENTION:
Cinderella (1950)- It’s may be cartoon love, but it’s still an undeniably heart-warming tale.

(500) Days of Summer (2009)- While the romance doesn’t end happily ever after, I like the fresh, realistic view of modern love and emotion from a guy’s perspective.


BEST SCI-FI OR FANTASY FILM
Inception* (2010)

It’s not way out there, futuristic sci-fi but getting into someone’s mind and sharing dream space is the essence of science fiction. The brain is also the source of all fantasy, making Inception a perfect fit for this category. It’s completely preposterous, but we are sold so convincingly from the start that what they’re doing is possible that we don’t doubt it for a second. Everything else feels normal and familiar, making it easier to believe.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Peter Pan (1953)- It’s one of the all-time classic children’s fantasy stories and Disney brings it to life beautifully.

Coraline (2009)- Also on the fantasy side of the spectrum, Coraline dazzles the eyes with its beautiful but dangerous other world.


BEST THRILLER FILM
Inception* (2010)

Not only is the action capable of keeping you on the edge of your seat, but you find yourself wondering to the end if the main characters are actually going to pull off what they’ve set out to do. All of this combines for a film that expands your mind while challenging your perception of reality. In the end, it boils down to one question- what will a man do to be reunited with his children? With stakes this high and emotionally resonant, you can’t help but tense up when the going gets tough.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
The Hurt Locker** (2008)- Several of the bomb-defusing sequences in this film will leave you nearly as breathless and sweaty as the characters on screen. It may not be perfect, but it helps hammer home the reality of these IED’s we hear about so casually on the news.

No Country for Old Men** (2007)- The cat and mouse game played by the morally ambiguous leads is fraught with tension. I didn’t care for it as much as some but it is undeniably gripping at times.

BEST OVERALL FILM
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans** (1927)

Someday there won’t be a clear-cut top film of the year and I’m actually going to have to make a difficult decision. Not this year though. The beauty and inventiveness of this film shines through to me. It’s a simple story brought to life by technique, form, and design. Silent films don’t get taken seriously anymore but had the sound era been delayed another decade, this film would still be talked about today.

WORST OVERALL FILM
The Room (2003)

I hate giving this film any recognition because the director is a louse, feeding off society’s disturbing love of all things terrible. But, this is something that film professors will likely be showing their classes for years to come in order to point out how not to make a film. Its incompetence knows no bounds- the writing, acting and directing are terrible. The only redeeming quality about this film is that parts of it are so bad that they’re funny.

BEST FILM FROM 2010 THAT I SAW IN 2010
Inception* (2010)

Surprised? Silly you! I’ve been raving about this film ever since laying eyes on it. It may not have been Academy material but it’s going to be remembered long after some of the recent Oscar victors have been forgotten about. Christopher Nolan continues to carve out quite a career for himself as an inventive and thought-provoking director. If you haven’t seen this film yet, do it now! Otherwise, I won’t stop bugging you.

BIGGEST GUILTY PLEASURE
Rocky Balboa (2006)

The plot of this film is so utterly silly but I can’t help but love it. Rocky Balbo is given the swan song he always deserved. Was it necessary after all these years? Not really. But Rocky fans can rest easy knowing that the champ finally got to end his life on film with some dignity. It’s not the stupid happy ending you might expect from a Rocky movie, but it’s fitting, given the Italian Stallion’s roots.

BEST REVIEW OF THE YEAR
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* (2008)

This was a difficult choice to make. As always, I feel weird giving an award to myself, technically speaking. Reading back through my reviews this year I did find a few things to improve on, which is the point of this award. My review for Benjamin Button had a lot of good things going on- it didn't reveal too much of the story while focusing very well on the details that matter to a film. Yes, I got a little snarky with it but I wasn't doing so just for the sake of being clever. The overall flow and content of the review just feels right, giving me something to build off of for my 2011 films.

Not much in the way of diversity this year. The 2010 GEeK Awards saw the fewest number of winning films than any other ceremony to date. Sometimes a couple of films hog all the glory. It doesn't mean it was a bad year for films, just that I watched some truly great films that span several different genres.

2010 GEeK AWARDS BREAKDOWN:

Films Winning 4 Awards:
Inception* (2010)

Films Winning 3 Awards:
Cinderella (1950)
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans** (1927)

Films Winning 1 Award:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* (2007)
The Hangover (2009)
One Day in September (1999)
Rocky Balboa (2006)
The Room (2003)