Cinemazov's 1st Annual Film Awards - Part One

Video Game Most Deserving of a Remake
 Directed by Robert Rodriguez

Shadows of the Damned

She's as freaked out as you are

I don't know if you have played this game but after about 10 minutes you will realize why this is a clear winner. A protagonist called Garcia Fucking Hotspur, a side kick that turns into a giant gun, crazy Mexican accents and more dick jokes (some that are actually funny) than you can shake a.......thing at. He has had his break with this years Spy Kids 4 time to kick it back up to Machete levels of awesome. 

Honorable Mentions 
-L.A. Noire: Reefer Madness, This game is already as close to a film as it could hope to be but throw Rodriguez at this and we can expect to see Cole take some bad stuff and freak out, shouting at more old ladies than Nick Cage in Bad Lieutenant could ever shout at.
-Mortal Kombat, Danny Trejo as Shao Kahn and Quentin Tarantino as Johnny Cage. Seriously if that doesn't do it for you we could never hope to be friends.

Most Pleasant Surprise

Safety Last and Georges Méliès Films in Hugo

When I first spied Harold Lloyd climbing up that clock tower on the big screen I audibly squeaked. I never expected a big budget Hollywood family film would contain such passion for classic cinema. That being said it was Scorsese. 

Honorable Mentions

-Senna, I’ve watched Formula 1 and find it dull so was massively pleased when I saw, loved and really dug an Formula 1 documentary. 

-Cedar Rapids, Ed Helms is awesome in The Hangover and ever better in The US Office, but I still wasn't expecting much from this Ed Helmed (pun) comedy, however it was sincerely funny.

Best Film Score

Drive - Cliff Martinez

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV_3Dpw-BRY

For a film that echoed many tenants of eighties action cinema, the soundtrack was surprisingly cool and had less synth drums than I personally expected. It was a film that felt like it was made by someone who remembers films like Top Gun and The Cannonball Run with a very thick layer of nostalgia. Sweeping minimalist electro murmurs peppered with a few eighties-esque pop songs, Drive sounded indescribably cool.

Honorable Mentions
-The Great White Silence - Simon Fisher Turner, Writing a score for a film that's 100 years old is one thing but writing a score that enhances the film is such an evocative and emotional way is beyond amazing.
-Hanna - The Chemical Brothers, Much like Daft Punk the year before with Tron: Legacy, The Chemical Brothers didn't just write some new songs and slap them on a film, they created an electronic contemporary powerhouse with one of the most memorable jaunty tunes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE4_XlnNCcs) since the whistling in Twisted Nerve (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JsaNjEMdA4)

Most Inappropriately Named Animal

We two brothers went to go see The Great White Silence at a very cool independent non-mainstream cinema in Sheffield called The Showroom (check it out, it’s dope). Joining us in the viewing were a great number of scholarly arty types so when it was revealed the name of Scott’s Crew’s Cat we had to try super duper hard to stifle our chuckles. The Crew’s cat’s name I hear you cry!? N***er. That’s right Li’l N***er was the name of their little black cat. Highly inappropriate I think you’ll agree. 
Honorable Mentions
-Li’l N***er wins easily hands down.

Best Interpretation of a Historical Figure

Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cMOWzZflgE

Midnight in Paris was one hell of a film. It celebrated literature, art and fruitful lifestyles whilst warning us of the dangers of yearning for a different time. It drenches you in detached nostalgia in a terrifically stylish manner and for anyone who wants to live in the era it depicts it was truly a joy. It contained many brilliant cameos from artists such as Dali and Picasso, Director Luis Buñuel and authors F. Scott Fitzgerald and  Gertrude Stein. They were all depicted with a sense of humor and yet grounded reality but none more than the divine Ernest Hemingway. I am maybe slightly biased as I adore the man and his prose but I think anyone can appreciate the ridiculous humor is Hemingway's scenes. He is always talking about hunting or how you can't live until you have made proper love. It is the most I have laughed all year making Corey Stroll (and the writing talents of the immortal Woody Allen) best historical performance, screw you Meryl Streep.


Honorable Mentions

-Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali, For the same reasons as Hemingway. All that talk or Rhinos

Best Comic Book Movie

Thor/X-Men First Class

It’s been a damn good year for comic book movies but for sheer gleeful comic book joy the winner has to be Thor. It really shouldn’t have worked, on paper an origin story for an obscure marvel character based on a norse god directed by Kenneth Branagh hardly screamed excellence. But excellence it delievered, a fun, funny, fast-paced, clever, balls-to-the-wall slice of comic book movie brilliance. Plus Thor was so damn manly he double kicked a man in the chest while fighting in the mud, whilst it was raining. Top that! Having said all that, picking up the X-Men series after it's been tossed in the mud twice was one hell of a feat. After the failure of an origins story that Wolverine was it's nice to finally get some X-Men back story that's actually interesting.

Honorable Mentions

-Captain America was ace and the double whammy of new avengers origin films this year got levels of excitement for The Avengers to almost unbearable levels. 

Best Trailer

The Hobbit

The Hobbit kinda cheated. It played the smallest section of some Lord of the Rings music and I was already bouncing off the walls. It also put one of those annoying songs the Dwarves sing and made it sound awesome. It's been a rocky road for The Hobbit but this trailer let everyone know "S'all good"

Honorable Mentions

-The Dark Knight Rises pulled the same tricks as The Hobbit but gave a grand impression, I can't wait to see the Bat break

-The Muppets ad campaign was hilarious

-Prometheus, an Aliens prequel directed by Ridley Scott, awesome. A trailer that mimics the slowing building font of Aliens, double awesome.

-The Girl With The Dragon tattoo, Pure cool.