2010 Calvin Awards: Best Director
February 12, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
The winner of this year's Calvin Award for Best Director is Kathryn Bigelow for her stellar work on The Hurt Locker. Yes, this is the first time that a woman has won the Calvin, though Sofia Coppola came close (unfortunately for her, she was up against Peter Jackson and his third win in a row). Bigelow, who previously brought us such great stuff as Near Dark and Point Break, delivered a film set around the conflict in Iraq, but the reason it succeeds is because its themes are universal and in the end, it's a taut, exciting thriller. From one scene to the next, we're never quite sure what is going to happen to the bomb disposal unit the film follows. We're perfectly willing to believe their lives are fraught with peril at every moment. She evinces stellar performances from stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty, and her filming techniques give the audience the feel of being right in the middle of the action. Bigelow has traditionally been very selective about her projects, but we can't wait to see what she does next.
Second place goes to Bigelow's ex-husband, James Cameron, who misses being King of the Calvins by eight votes. There really aren't enough superlatives to describe the impact this man has had on the movie industry. Simply taking a look at selections from his filmography is evidence enough. The Terminator. Aliens. Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Former box office champion Titanic. And now Avatar can be added to the mix. You've heard people talk about the film as an immersive experience, taking 3D technology to levels never before experienced. Indeed, now that studios have seen how much money is at stake ($2 billion and counting), there will be similar attempts to match what the man achieved, and yet one has to wonder if in ten years, we'll all still be talking about which movie might have the chance to break Avatar's box office record. Simply put, Cameron spent years dedicating himself to perfecting the technology necessary to make Avatar work. The film is a spectacle and a grand achievement, and I think we've all learned that the director's vision and ambition are not to be doubted.
Quentin Tarantino finishes in third place for his alternate history film Inglourious Basterds. Like all of his previous movies, Inglourious Basterds stands apart for its smart, crisp dialogue, but in the case of Basterds,Tarantino lets his scenes play out a bit more deliberately and languorously and it works extremely well. He pulls out excellent acting performances from a wide array of actors, including several virtual unknowns, inserts music to perfectly accompany the action, and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats with the climactic finish. It feels like the closest to a classic movie that Tarantino has ever done, and he really appears to be growing into his craft.
The directors of animated films don't often get the love they should. Sure, we all know the top three names on this list, but if you ask the average man on the street who Pete Docter is, he's probably not going to be able to tell you that Docter directed Monsters, Inc. and co-directed Up. BOP thinks that Docter and his cohort Bob Peterson deserve all kinds of praise for the art they created with Up, taking the audience from the simple home of a senior citizen to the jungles and rain forests of South America. The humans in the film (Carl Fredricksen, Russell and Charles F. Muntz) are all perfectly rendered to compliment their personalities, and the animals (Kevin the bird and Dug and the other dogs) are like no characters we've seen before. The opening minutes of the film tell a fully formed story in their own right – one that brought many people to real tears. What better vision could you ask for?
A similar fully formed world comes from our fifth place finisher, Neill Blomkamp. District 9 puts the audience in the middle of a South Africa that has moved some stranded aliens to a ghetto area where they are policed and monitored on a regular basis. He infuses the aliens – even though they look like bugs or "prawns" – with life and personality. He seamlessly blends drama, action and a political message. It's a highly original science fiction film from a director who has a bright future in the industry.
Sixth and seventh place go to Jason Reitman for Up in the Air and J.J. Abrams for his reboot of Star Trek. A lot of people have commented that Up in the Air is all about the performances, but it's a complete film that truly evokes the loneliness and sadness that comes over its lead character as he grows throughout the story. It's a movie I still think about a lot, in fact. As for Star Trek, Abrams had a tall order in front of him. It was going to be tough to make a new Star Trek that could appeal both to old fans and newcomers to the franchise, but he pulled it off completely, with room to grow.
Our final three spots in the top ten might surprise you, as they belong to Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox), Henry Selick (Coraline) and Todd Phillips (The Hangover). Anderson is known for the detail and precision he presents in his films, and he transitions that talent to the world of stop-motion animation with ease. Selick also operates in stop-motion, coincidentally, and Coraline deftly combines the every-day and mundane with the nightmare world where the Other Mother prevails. Finally, with The Hangover, Phillips has once again delivered a hilarious comedy that delivers from start to finish.
Just missing out on the top ten this year were Lee Daniels (Precious), Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are), Zack Snyder (Watchmen) and Lars Von Trier (Antichrist). While BOP is largely onboard with the critical favorites of the year, it's clear to see that we have our own unique picks that are worthy of praise. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Breakthrough Performance
Best Cast
Best Director
Best DVD
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Worst Performance
Worst Picture