Cinemazov's 1st Annual Film Awards Part Three

Best Re-Release

The Great White Silence/Days of Heaven 

There have been quite a few top notch re-releases this year: The Big Sleep, Les Diaboliques, Akira, Taxi Driver and some choice Ealing comedies to name but a few. However as aware as I am that these films are awesome there are only a few I enjoyed in the glorious surroundings of a cinema. Terence Malick’s sumptuously sublime Days of Heaven. A film that can be summarized in its tag line: "Your eyes... Your ears... Your senses... Will be overwhelmed." A phenomenal experience, expertly restored, it looked like a work of art on screen. Every vista, scene, set up and shred of colour snapped with love and accentuated the romantic heart of the film. Complete with a charming voice over and thrilling final act, one of Malick's finest films was not to be missed. The incredible restoration of Herbert Ponting’s seminal record of Captain Scott’s heroic journey to the south pole The Great White Silence was given a cracking new score and visually restored to its deserved glory this year by the BFI. The film oozed of atmosphere, the breathtaking experiences and views shot by Ponting were sublimally complemented by a newly commissioned score and had one of the most haunting conclusions I've ever seen to a documentary. It's also nearly 100 years old. Two absolutely thrilling re-releases that are both oh so worthy of this acclaim.

Honorable Mentions

-This year also saw a restoration of Last Year in Marienbad. Whilst the film is celebrated for its “assault on [the] ingrained assumptions of narrative film" and was personally a fine thing to behold, Mother Cinemazov didnt care for it that much citing that "I could just picture French and Saunders making fun of it" which made her giggle and splutter throughout. Seminal piece of french cinema or comedy of the year? You decide. 

Character We'd Most Like To Party With

Thor, God of Thunder

Partying with the Norse God Thor would be awesome. He can hold his drink, weald a hammer and will be so gloriously uproarious as to make you the talk of the town. Also he would be continually providing you with laughs due to the way he beautifully opines. Plus his Asgardian mates would turn up and kick that party off right. 

Honorable Mentions

-Ernest Hemingway and most of the 1920’s alumni in Midnight in Paris. They are so good at partying and having a laugh that Owen Wilson leaves his b*tch of a wife for their shenanigans. Epic.

Character We'd Least Like To Party With

Jay

There are quite a few people who I would be very keen to not attend any of my shindigs but Jay from Kill List takes the biscuit. His antics at the dinner party alone would put me off putting him on the guest list, but factor in as well his short fuse, aggressive temper, proclivity towards hammer based violence and his, how should I put it, eagerness. Also, he’d probably just sulk the whole time and yell at any Christians I invited.

Honorable Mentions

-Driver in Drive, Quiet, sombre, reflective and face smashingly violent. 
-Bobby Fischer, as he would just talk about chess, get annoyed and then get a bit anti-Semitic. 

-The entire cast of Snowtown, fine actors and performances all but the vast amount of violence, cursing, torture and incest would not a fine party make.  

Best Cameo

Wolverine in X-Men First Class

Make an X-Men movie without me, why I outtah!

Nothing really needs to be said about this one. If you saw the film you know how awesome it was and if you didn't, well chances are you don't really care for X-Men. Let's put it this way, I saw this in reasonably full screen and couldn't stop laughing to the point where at least seven people were giving me judging looks. I can only assume they looked away when the funniest moment in cinema happened.....Fools.

Honorable Mentions

-Scott Bakula in Source Code, A very very subtle nod in a film so transparently based on Quantum Leap. It's an impossibly easy thing to miss but that's what makes this reference so brilliantly refreshing.

-Ben Stiller in Submarine, Ben Stiller's job in regards to Submarine was to put his name on the poster so American's would go and see it. Apparently Richard 'Man to Man' Ayoade's name doesn't have the same (if any) pull in the states. It's not like Stiller didn't know this in fact he played up to this joke in many respects and his tiny cameo in Submarine is pretty silly.

Coolest Moment

Baseball on the Radio - Drive

Dozens of insanely cool things happened in films this year. From the fact to the fiction cool stuff was always down. But for pure cinematic majesty the start of Drive was the definition of cool. It introduces us the the sheer smarts and skill of the protagonist and as all the pieces come together it is as impressive and clever as it is insanely cool.

Honorable Mentions

-The King's 'Speech' - The King's Speech, Over coming demon's is one thing but empowering a nation is another.

-Passing Out in Brazil - Senna, It's kinda hard  to describe how awesome this moment was especially considering I know so little about cars but I'll try. Having never won the Brazilian Grand Prix (Senna was born in São Paulo) he was so determined to win that he broke  his car and had to complete the final laps never leaving the high gear he was in. He was so exhausted when he finally reached the finish line and won he just totally flipped out and consequently passed out in the car and had to be pulled out.

Most Shocking Moment

The World Ending - Melancholia

Apocalyptic events have been somewhat trivialized by films in the past. We gawk at the deaths of thousands of Tibetan monks in a giant tsunami instead of feeling the terror of impending global doom. That's fair enough, those films are meant to be fun and a showcase of the special effects we can achieve. However Melancholia showed only three people in a field cowering at a giant blue mass slowly approaching them and I was completely shaken. It wasn't just the visual, the sound built and built to an almost unbearable level making the final moments incredibly uncomfortable viewing. That's a complement, it was truly shocking.

Honorable Mentions

-Arm Off and Escape - 127 Hours, incredible direction, sound/music and editing plus the fact that this all actually happened made this a dead cert for my winner until the world ended.

Biggest Divide of Film Opinion

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Sam

 To any regular readers of Cinemazov opinion (Gavin) this will not come as a surprise but the film that came closest to tearing we two brothers asunder was the second part of that final film that they did about that Boy Wizard and his mates. SPOILER ALERT: It’s Crap. and I’ve decided I’m not going to go into a big spiel about it suffice to say that Grandmother Cinemazov agreed that it is pants.

Joe

There is no point in hiding my love for these fabulous films. They are unlike any other series and in some ways could be considered flawless. It is a fact, not opinion that they are brilliant and like any good fact I can fight any complaint against them. I sympathize with anyone who doesn't feel the warming glow of these eight films and can say only this, it is your loss. What does Sam know anyway, he loves Inception (or how I learned to stop worrying and get my story line from 5 minute conversations rather than exposition and smart storytelling)