2011 Calvin Awards: Best Picture
February 18, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com

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While it wasn’t a close race to the finish for our Best Picture award, we did have five films that were clearly so well-loved that our staff had no trouble coming to a consensus on them. 2010 was a year that offered up movies about nerdly tech dudes, trippy dream cons, vengeance, ballet and toy nostalgia. With such a diverse slate, everyone could find a movie to champion. 51 films received votes, with 12 of those movies getting first place votes.

Our Calvin for Best Picture goes to The Social Network, and anyone who has followed this site for the past several years can probably ascertain some of the reasons this is the case. Many staff members at BOP are big fans of screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, the man who previously was responsible for such stuff as A Few Good Men, The American President, “Sports Night,” and “The West Wing.” His crackling dialogue and deft hand at storytelling helped the film to be suspenseful and engaging, but that’s only part of the story. Director David Fincher pulls it all together with masterful pacing and a stylishness that cannot be denied.

Of course, much of The Social Network’s success also relies on an amazing group of young actors who bring to life characters most people would never care about watching in other circumstances. It would have been so easy for any one of the cast members to let the movie down, but each actor involved in the film seems to rise to the occasion. The partly true/partly false story of how Facebook came into existence is far more fascinating than it has any right to be, and it’s thanks to the fact that this talented group of people was able to come together to create a singular film that defines an era – even as that era hasn’t quite ended. The Social Network tied for the most first place votes of any film, and appeared on 22 out of 26 ballots.

The runner-up, missing the top spot by 14 points, is Inception, the movie that made us all think. Who would ever have believed that a movie so complex it begs to be watched multiple times would be such a popular choice, both among critics and visitors to the box office? Inception is a movie so intriguing, so layered and nuanced, that we all are compelled to discuss its intentions. We’ve all been talking about Christopher Nolan’s stellar directorial career for years now – heck, Memento is actually a nice bookend with Inception, but it bears repeating that there probably isn’t a writer/director working today who crafts such original, intricate stories that are intelligent and never dumbed down for a mass audience.

On top of its smart plotting, Inception is also a gorgeous, sumptuous film to watch, full of amazing special effects and fabulous set pieces. The cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe and Cillian Murphy, is exemplary, making us believe that they are truly enmeshed in the opaque landscape of dreaming. Inception received only two first place votes, and was on 18 out of 26 ballots – but it consistently placed highly for every person who included it.

Third place goes to True Grit, the Coen brothers’ western that brought Rooster Cogburn into the 21st century. Rather than remake the movie that won John Wayne an Oscar for Best Actor, the Coens instead went more strictly to the source material, a novel by Charles Portis. The result is a movie that explores vengeance and culpability, and possibly the most accessible film the brothers have ever made. What is particularly remarkable about True Grit is the fact that it has a true old-time feel – the music is based on old time hymns, and the dialogue is such that it feels as though we’ve been transported back to the late 1800s, when men with hats rode horses to preserve the law and to mete out justice. All of the performers in the film are outstanding, from newcomer Hailee Steinfeld (whose diction is head-turning) to veteran Jeff Bridges, who remakes Rooster Cogburn in an image that is an amalgam of every crusty old coot you’ve ever seen in a movie of this genre. What’s best about True Grit is that it surpasses expectations – not only is it lushly filmed, it’s also funny in surprising ways. Like Inception, True Grit received two first place votes. It showed up on 17 ballots.

Just three points behind True Grit in fourth place is Black Swan, a movie that made us say, “Holy crap! Ballet is awesome!” Well, maybe that’s a stretch, but a lot of us were thoroughly impacted by the Darren Aronofsky mind-bending thriller. Of course, pigeonholing the film into a genre feels almost criminal – trying to constrain the movie by defining it seems wrong, somehow. Black Swan is different things to different people. Some see it as a horror film. Others find it to be a taut psychological character study. No matter what the film may be to you, we can all agree that it’s a tour de force performance by Natalie Portman, with elements of suspense and trepidation that will keep audiences white-knuckled throughout. Black Swan actually received four first place votes, but appeared on 12 ballots only. Obviously, it had a strong groundswell of support from a smaller number of devotees.

We’ve been accused of being marks for Pixar. For the past two years, a Pixar film has won best picture in the Calvin Awards, with Up taking last year’s award and WALL-E preceding it. For that reason, readers of this site might have just assumed that Toy Story 3 would come on the scene and take the trophy for Pixar once again, and it did in fact receive five first place votes. However, it didn’t quite have the same support as its predecessors, as there were some among us who found the film to be a retread of some of the storylines in the first two films. Even so, 12 of us loved the movie enough to place it in our top ten, and it was just a few points behind Black Swan. I dare anyone who watches the scene with Andy, Bonnie and the toys to not cry. Although we might not feel Toy Story 3 has the strength of Up or WALL-E, it’s still yet another Pixar experience that delivers on every level.

After the top five, we have a pretty large amount of fall-off. The King’s Speech, our sixth place finisher, as it winds up a full 40 points behind Toy Story 3. A decent number of us agree with the notion that this is the film that should be the front-runner for the Oscar, but it doesn’t quite have the overwhelming support that it does amongst people from that organization. Our voters in this case find the heartwarming story of a royal who overcomes adversity to be inspiring and heartfelt, and also recognize some masterful directorial touches that aren’t obvious on the surface. Colin Firth won the Calvin for Best Actor, so we’re clearly all in agreement that his performance helps to set The King’s Speech apart, and Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter also offer much to the film’s success.

Seventh and eighth go to two treasures, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and How to Train Your Dragon. There are those of us on BOP who have been fans of writer/artist Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels for years now, and the prospect of seeing director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) putting his touch on the story was tantalizing. He delivered a kinetic, hilarious tale of love and music that is conveyed through means that members of our short attention span generation will appreciate – it’s shiny, videogame-y and chock full of lines we’ll quote from now until the end of time. As for How to Train Your Dragon, the reason we love it is simple. A lot of us are pet lovers, and this gentle, colorful film from DreamWorks completely understands that unique relationship a person has with a pet that loves unconditionally. It might not have beaten out Toy Story 3, but How to Train Your Dragon definitely has ardent supporters.

We close out the top ten with the two smallest box office performers on our list – Exit Through the Gift Shop and Winter’s Bone. Exit Through the Gift shop is our winner in the Overlooked Film category, and is definitely deserving of a viewing if you haven’t caught it. Ostensibly a documentary about street art, the movie actually turns the tables and begins to explore what is and is not art – and who should be “allowed” to create it. It’s funny and crafty and ambiguous, just as Banksy probably wants it to be. Winter’s Bone is far from funny. Indeed, it’s a stark, bleak portrayal of a young girl’s difficulties in her rural community in the Ozarks, and the steps she must take to help her family. It’s a quiet film, but it packs an emotional wallop.

We list our top 25 vote receivers for Best Picture below. A couple that just barely missed the top ten were The Town, Easy A and The Fighter.

The Calvins Introduction
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture