Tues Top Ten: Best of Year (Thus Far)

We're not technically halfway through the year (oops. missed that opportunity) but let's say January releases don't really count. That's not a stretch to say. If the year ended today here's what my top ten would like like (alpha order) with the Best Picture nominees in red. This isn't really the warm up to TFE's awards (unless the remainder of the year is hugely disappointing) it's more like lacing up your gym shoes before heading out to the warm-up. We hope.


Top Ten as of July 14th
larval stage

• (500) Days of Summer
• Coraline
• Duplicity
• Hunger
  
• The Hurt Locker
• Moon
  
• Julia
• Prodigal Sons
• Star Trek
  
• Up

I bent my usual roles (no documentaries -- since the goals are so different than regular feature films. How does one compare?) because I love Prodigal Sons so very much and want to keep reminding you about it before it premieres. This is the last "best of year (thus far)" post you'll get before the awards in January. Here's everything I've seen thus far. The three films I most regret missing and shall try to catch up with are Sin Nombre, Drag Me to Hell and Summer Hours.

And now the acting categories... my preferences NOT how Oscar might view them. That's an important distinction (Hunger for instance is not eligible at the Oscars this year due to a one week run in LA last year). Obviously the heavyweight Oscar hopefuls have not yet entered the room. Hollywood saves them for the holidays.

Best Actress

• Amy Adams, Sunshine Cleaning
• Emily Blunt, Sunshine Cleaning
• Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer
• Michelle Pfeiffer, Chéri
• Tilda Swinton, Julia

Only one of these women (Pfeiffer) can be expected to see awards season traction. But unless Chéri gets a significant Golden Globe or DVD boost, we might not have seen any of the eventual nominees yet.

Best Supporting Actress

• Patricia Clarkson, Whatever Works
• Marion Cotillard, Public Enemies
• Alicia Delmore, Humpday
  
• Carrie Preston, That Evening Sun / Duplicity
  
• Kristin Scott Thomas, Confessions of a Shopaholic

This category is a wasteland thus far. That's not to knock these performances but they're mostly minor pleasures: Clarkson is typically strong but the character is a caricature. Cotillard handles the big emotional scenes very well but can't make sense of the nonsensical screenplay (in regards to her character Billie) and the voice is wrong. Etcetera. Silver lining: I will be watching Carrie Preston's career closely. Those are two very different performances and both detours from her Arlene character in True Blood. Well done.

Best Actor

• Michael Fassbender, Hunger
• Hal Holbrook, That Evening Sun
• Joseph Gordon Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
• Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
  
• Sam Rockwell, Moon

In case you're wondering, the only 2009 man with an actual shot at Oscar's shortlist so far (Johnny Depp, Public Enemies) would be my runner up here (give or take Ciarán Hands in The Eclipse). I liked what Depp was doing as John Dillinger but I needed him to do more of it. If someone decides to release Holbrook's vehicle, That Evening Sun, there's a chance he could be in the Oscar race, too, playing a defiant old codger who knows his time is winding down. It's not a grossly sentimental work (thank you!) but it definitely has an emotional current that the Academy could get pulled along with given the proper campaign and release.

Best Supporting Actor

• Jim Broadbent, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
  
• Paul Giamatti, Duplicity
• Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
• Ray McKinnon, That Evening Sun
• Tom Wilkinson, Duplicity

And just for fun a few craft categories...

Best Art Direction

• Laura Fox, (500) Days of Summer
• Alan McDonald, Chéri
• Henry Selick, Coraline
• new Stuart Craig, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (eek. I forgot this the first time through. sorry)
  
• Alex McDowell, Watchmen
• Ricky Nierva, Up
  

Best Cinematography

• Dairus Khondji, Chéri
• Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker
• Sean Bobbitt, Hunger
• Yorick Le Saux, Julia
• Dante Spinotti, Public Enemies

Best Costume Design

• Colleen Atwood, Public Enemies
• Consolata Boyle, Chéri
• Hope Hanafin, (500) Days of Summer
• April Napier, Julia
• Michael Kaplan, Star Trek

Best Original Score

• Bruno Coulais, Coraline
• Alexandre Desplat, Chéri
• Jordan Lehning, Make-Out With Violence
• Clint Mansell, Moon
• Michael Giacchino, Up
  

What are your favorite filmthings of the year thus far ?
Talk me into loving something else or something more. Do you expect your favorites will be washed away by the greatness of the fall / winter movies?