The Noah Castle Film Awards (Part III: The Big Awards Nominations)

Truth be told, the nominations have been uploaded on the main page for almost two weeks but with the Oscars, life and similar stuff I have not had the time or the will to comment... But I'm back! 

I wanted to use this post as an explanation to the question that must be burning in your minds... Why don't I give technical awards? Well, it is, as the best explanations in life, simple and embarrassing. I don't understand them. Well, I can talk of the costumes of a movie, I can discuss the make-up and I can appreciate cinematography and more or less I understand what editing means. 

But when it comes to aural categories I'm at a loss. I have the worst ear ever to identify scores because, for some reason, they don't register in my brain. I don't even know what the difference between sound and sound editing is so I think it would be hypocritical (not to say complicated) to give awards for those categories. I promise I'm going to learn about the technical aspects in film so I can include the categories in the next NCFA's. Nevertheless I have to say that I saw how wonderful the cinematography, costumes, make up and visual effects are in Black Swan, how great the score and the cinematography are in The Social Network, 

how gorgeous are the cinematography and costumes of I am Love 

and how good the make-up in Splice is. By the way, a special award for best costume design should have gone to Natasha Yarovenko's parents for creating that "suit".

A category I would like to comment further is Original Song because the four nominees at the Oscars were awful and tremendously boring. The following songs would have made my list had I made such a category:

"Sticks and Stones" by Jónsi for How to Train your Dragon

"Loving Strangers" by Russian Red for Room in Rome

"Kick Ass" by Mika for Kick-Ass

And speaking of sexy young man with curly hair, here is Xavier Dolan, one of my three runner-ups for Best Director of the year. 

The other two, in case you don't recognize them, are Sofia Coppola and John Cameron Mitchell. The three do a great job at directing their respective films but some of them had to stay out...

Coming soon: Acting Awards!!

The Noah Castle Film Awards (Wait, Hold On...)

Truth be told, I had thought to publish my awards for the best in the cinematic year towards the end of December. I already knew there would be tons of films I still would not have seen but I thought I could correct the awards somewhere in February, then again somewhere in April and most likely somewhere in September (could everyone take a moment to admire the Spanish release system? I do not understand it either.). Anyway, I have decided to skip this first December step because let's face it, I have a thousand movies left to see. And what could be more fun than anticipation?? (Maybe watching the films already but sadly that is not an option)

So here it is the list of 2010 films I haven't seen yet. It's obviously incomplete (but I'm probably never seeing The Bounty Hunter anyway) and it will most likely lack films I want to see and did not remember... Well, imperfection is so much easier to achieve than perfection. Actually, most of these films are the ones that have awards traction...

- 127 Hours: This movie opens the 25th of February, the Friday before the Oscars. It seems that now it's only about James Franco and its possibilities for picture are dying but still it looks like I will enjoy this a lot more than Slumdog Millionaire.

- Animal Kingdom: It opens the 14th of January.

- Another Year: I hope Lesley Manville doesn't get a Best Actress nomination because lately it seems that Nicole Kidman is the weakest link...

- Barney's Version: An exception to the awards traction rule but Rosamund Pike is so lovely...

- Black Swan: The film I most anticipate. Aronofsky! Portman! Ballerinas! I'm dying to see it!!! It opens in Spain the 28th of January, right in the middle of exams period, and yes, seeing it is more important than passing any stupid subject...

- Blue Valentine: This film still has not an opening date in Spain. We were very close to see it in a festival in Gijón but fate wouldn't have it.

- Conviction: This looks so terrible but Sam Rockwell is worth it (hopefully).

- The Fighter: Another important player without release date. Amy Adams playing against type!!

- Get Low: The premise in the trailer looks cool but the development not so much...

- How do you Know: Not very much relevance in awards either but... there was a time in which I loved Reese Witherspoon.

- The Killer Inside Me: It opens the 21st of January

- The King's Speech: I could have already seen this but since I live in Madrid I'm used to see basically everything in Original Version and I am spending the holidays in Zaragoza, my hometown which is considerably smaller and has about two films in Original Version at the same time. Sadly The King's Speech is not among those two, so I'm going to wait until I'm back in Madrid to see it.

- Love and Other Drugs: Anne Hathaway and a very much naked Jake Gyllenhaal? Yes, please! It opens the 14th of January.

- Made in Dagenham: Again, Rosamund Pike is lovely.

- Monsters: It looks like this year's District 9 (let's hope they don't share the disappointing second half...).

-Morning Glory: Is there anyone lovelier than Rachel McAdams? I recently rewatched Mean Girls and she was robbed a nomination...

- Rabbit Hole: The second film I most anticipate. JCM! Kidman!! Grief! Sandra Oh! When the film was announced I fantasised that Sandra Oh would play Kidman's sister and I even read the play imagining her in the role. Now I know that is not her character but wouldn't it have been great? It still has not a release date in Spain.

- Red: Three words. Mary Louise Parker. She could appear only in painting and I would still line up to see the film.

- Somewhere: It doesn't have a Spanish release date.

- Tangled: Reviews have been generally good and The Princess and the Frog was actually great. Now that Pixar smells like failure (Cars 2, seriously?) maybe Disney will take the room on the top...

- The Tourist: If it wasn't for the Globes nods I would stay away from this but I like to have a full picture in my head. It opens the day after tomorrow. Yay I guess...

- True Grit: The Coen's western looks very good. It opens the 11th of February. Plus Hailee Steinfeld looks like a lock more and more...

- The Way Back: It opens the 5th of January. I want to see Saoirse Ronan so badly! In fact the whole cast is great but the director... maybe not so much.

Anyway, I hope that towards the end of February I'll have a better picture to bestow some awards before March begins... After all March in Spain is like January in the States; if anything worthwile opens it can be considered a miracle.