Action: GenReview Awards

Best Picture: Watchmen

I wasn't sure if it would work, but Watchmen stayed true to the graphic novel and was also an action-packed movie. Plus, we get to watch Jackie Earle Haley kick all sorts of ass playing Rorschach.

Best Screenplay: Crank 2: High Voltage

There have been few action films as intentionally ridiculous as this. Some action films have indeed been more ridiculous, but they weren't trying to be, so they lose.

Best Actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes)

Like Tony Stark, Downey Jr. makes Sherlock Holmes a flawed and fascinating character. His charm cannot be denied, so stop trying. He really makes the movie.

Best Production: Avatar

Here, Avatar gets exactly what it deserves, which is credit for its amazing technical achievements. Despite being a live-action Pocahontas, Avatar really rocks the graphics, so well down James Cameron.

Best Director: Zack Snyder (Watchmen)

He may love slow motion, but Zack Snyder also likes making movies. He respects the source material of his adapted works, and has a genuine love for making film a truly spectacle medium.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy: GenReview Awards

Best Picture: District 9

What sci-fi films should be. District 9 made aliens and not-entirely-subtle racial discrimination issues fun again. It's got enough going on to hold the interests of those seeking only action, but it is also layered enough to appeal to those higher-minded sci-fi types.

Best Screenplay: Where the Wild Things Are

Because it made a 20-sentence book into a feature-length, heart-filled movie, that's why.

Best Actor: Sam Rockwell (Moon)

He was essentially the only actor and he played a number of different versions of himself. The man has some serious acting chops and he made Moon a delight. Or badass, whichever fits better.

Best Production: Star Trek

Here we have a reboot that pays respect to the original series, yet sets of in a new direction for a new generation. Everybody wins, and the special effects were pretty stunning. Stellar (of the star variety, but it works both ways) battles have been sorely missed.

Best Director: J. J. Abrams (Star Trek)

The man can do television and film in equal measures. J. J. Abrams makes space exciting again, as well as Star Trek. So thanks.

Comedy: GenReview Awards

Best Picture: A Serious Man

This exploration into a Jewish man's crumbling life is hilarious, even if that sounds cruel. The Coen Brothers based this loosely on their own father, and because Larry Gopnik doesn't really do anything to deserve the trouble that seems to seek him out, it allows us to sympathize him, while still laughing.

Best Screenplay: In the Loop

In the Loop is a political comedy that takes the concept of chaos and runs with it. It's an equally hilarious and twisting mess that is never fully understood by either the audience or the characters. But that feels real, doesn't it?

Best Actor: Zack Galifianakis (The Hangover)

Another surprise comedy in the sense that it didn't suck as much as it probably should have. And Zack Galifianakis deserves a lot of the credit, proving himself an actor that can be consistently funny and still pulls his own weight.

Best Production: (500) Days of Summer

If only for the scene where actual events play out against what is desired, showing how sad and miserable love can be. But it also shows how much love truly means, so there's that too. Also deserving for the post-coital dance number.

Best Director: Sam Mendes (Away We Go)

Here is an experienced director keeping a comedy from getting too heavy and bogged down in melodramatic pregnancy gunk. Mendes moves the story along briskly, letting the laughs develop organically rather than forcing them down the audience's throat.

Horror: GenrReview Awards

Best Picture: The House of the Devil

This one came out of left field, but it did so with style. There were higher profile horror films this last year, but The House of the Devil was far and ahead the best of them, despite not being all that well known.

Best Screenplay: Drag Me to Hell

Sam Raimi is back. Or so it seems. He went back to the horror well after spending nearly a decade on Spider-Man, and his love and appreciation of the genre is still there. He packs Drag Me to Hell with tons of jump scares, humor, and gross-out gags. If only we can get more like this from Raimi.

Best Actor: Stephen McHattie (Pontypool)

McHattie carries this small, Canadian thriller, set entirely in a remote radio station in the Great White North. It's an eerie film and McHattie's gravely voice would not only make an excellent radio host, but also serves the horror genre well.

Best Production: Last House on the Left

This is home invasion flick turned on its ear. The film has subject matter most mainstream horror wouldn't touch, but Last House on the Left handles it well and delivers some exciting scenes that seemed to appeal to a broad audience... or as broad as horror audiences get.

Best Director: Ti West (The House of the Devil)

Ti West's breakthrough belongs to the 80's and I couldn't mean that as more of a compliment. It's a slow builder and the payoff is exciting, making The House of the Devil an atmospheric thriller. Truly fantastic work.

Drama: GenReview Awards

Best Picture: Inglourious Basterds

Tarantino long ago promised a WWII-era film and he finally delivered. While there are plenty of the directors key trademarks, Inglourious Basterds proves to be thrilling and exciting. It may very well be one of his best films.

Best Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds

Again. Because he's a damn good writer and made WWII fresh and new, even if he had to twist a few of the facts.

Best Actor: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

There was no one better than Waltz this year. Call him a supporting actor, or just plain ol' actor, but Waltz delivered an amazing performance, playing a clever, heartless Nazi known as the Jew Hunter.

Best Production: Up In the Air

Jason Reitman managed to make a dramatic comedy seem less formulaic than the typical dramatic comedy. Sure, the beats are all there, but the film is funny and the story is engaging enough to separate it from the usual. It also is shot beautifully, so being easy on the eyes doesn't hurt.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)

The Hurt Locker was a great film, and while Inglourious Basterds did outshine the Iraq War drama, it does deserve some credit. Bigelow did a great job directing, and despite the argument that she won awards because she is a woman, it's hard to argue she didn't earn it.

Kick-Ass

Already there is controversy surrounding Kick-Ass, complaints about the excessive and sometimes brutal violence, about young Chloe Moretz's foul-mouthed character Hit Girl, and even possibly about the less-than-family-friendly superhero deconstruction. And because Kick-Ass is meant to drive this kind of conversation and disgust, I think it will work in its favor. Controversy sells, and I think most audiences will understand that Kick-Ass is doing something more with its violence than simply being gratuitous.

Based on the graphic novel of the same name, Kick-Ass comes from the creator of Wanted, and while I haven't it, the film failed to impress me as it did others (but from what I hear, the graphic novel featured a much darker and interesting story than its silver screen adaptation). Like Wanted, I haven't read Kick-Ass, but the violence and profanity wasn't toned down in Matthew Vaughn's adaptation, at least in any imaginable way. Kick-Ass sets out to deconstruct and mock some of the cliches that often plague superhero stories. The film is funny, examining a world where a few "ordinary" people try to become superheroes, resulting in some truly entertaining scenes. And the violence, as excessive as it can be, works because to be a hero, or more appropriately a vigilante, would require that level of violence. It's not gratuitous for the sake of being gratuitous. These people are sick, in the sense that they are damaged enough to dress up and hurt people, for the greater good or not.

As for Moretz's role, which is upsetting all manner of uptight, overprotective parent groups, she does a great job and sells the hard-edged little girl perfectly. Even Nicolas Cage, who hasn't had the best streak of late, does some wonderful things as Big Daddy. Those two, along with Aaron Johnson's Kick-Ass, make a great trio. The introduction of Hit Girl, Big Daddy's warehouse massacre, and the debut appearance of Kick-Ass are all excellent scenes to showcase each actors strength.

Kick-Ass may stir up some controversy, and some won't bother seeing it, but I can imagine, as was my experience in the theater, that the film will play well with crowds. It's fun and the lightness of the film will make it one easy to come back to.

Genre - Action (3.5)

Screenplay (3)

Acting (4)

Production (3)

Directing (4)

Triangle

There is a shot in Triangle that perfectly sums up the film, yet is so damn good that I wouldn't dare ruin it for anyone. Sadly, it would work as an amazing selling point, but those who venture into Triangle will certainly know what I'm referring to once they see said scene. Luckily, there are others scenes and aspects to discuss, which will hopefully push people to see the film.

Triangle is written and directed by Christopher Smith, most likely "known" for his horror/comedy Severance. That film was a pleasure to watch and had fun with its slightly touched upon meta humor. The characters know enough about the ideas behind horror films (though never actually referenced, to avoid Scream comparisons, that it makes watching it so much fun; it keeps you guessing. But Triangle isn't like that, and while not an out-and-out horror film, it has its fair share of thrills, which tend to be more psychological than anything. Smith, and here I'll say *spoiler alert* for those hoping to go in blind, plays with the idea of time travel/time looping to move our main character through the story. It's cleverly done, and because it is complex and layered, Triangle has you unraveling the story after it's over.

Smith does a fantastic job writing and directing, building tension slowly and keeping the majority of the thrills psychological, so it never delves too much into cliched slasher material. Due to the nature of the film, and as mentioned at the beginning of this review, there are some really incredible shots. Too bad this low-budget flick didn't see a wider release, but I'm sure it will find its audience on DVD. Triangle twists and turns, not waiting simply for the end to wow viewers. And once the final twist is revealed, it sends you reeling, trying to understand exactly what has happened and how.

The acting is good, yet the majority falls onto the shoulders of lead star Melissa George. She does a great job, filling a variety of roles and emotions. You can certainly admire just how much she had to do for this film and it really pays off. And her co-stars all do what they need to to make her plight more real, more gripping.

If the film has any faults, it's probably in the time shifts, though from my viewpoint everything worked out well. I haven't figured everything out yet, so I'll keep the possibility open. But this is a little horror flick that subverts the usual fare, which was welcome enough. I thoroughly enjoyed Triangle and hope that it will find an audience further down the line.

Genre - Horror (3.25)

Screenplay (3)

Acting (3)

Production (3)

Directing (4)

Hot Tub Time Machine

Do we need to thank Snakes on a Plane for Hot Tub Time Machine existing? It seems ridiculous to ask, yet SOAP grew from Internet buzz and love, the title grabbing attention before we even knew what the movie was about (well, kinda...I mean, it didn't take much brainpower to figure it out). Hot Tub Time Machine also grabbed peoples attention, yet the film wasn't overhyped or talked about to death months before its release like SOAP. Did it all work out? For the most part, I would say it did.

The premise was simple and the film embraced what it was from the start, which made the whole thing easier to swallow. Hot Tub Time Machine, as a title, conveys exactly the kind of movie it is. There is a time machine in the form of a hot tub, and our characters go back through time in it. And because it is a comedy, the fun can move forward without slowing, trying to make sense of its plot, which is rather thin and exists only for the jokes. And there are plenty of them.

Delving into the writing, we get a solid mixture of crude humor and 80s references, which was a nice balance, maintained nicely the whole way through. The script moves at its own, crazy little pace, as it moves from point to point without slowing, some hitting the larger "plot," others just for fun. Hot Tub Time Machine handles its time traveling fine, as it never really gets into the science of it, which is smart. The coked out explanation of the time travel is summed up nicely by Craig Robinson's character. And because his face is covered in the fine, white powder, you can accept what he has to say because it really isn't all that important how the time travel functions. It's a device, just go with it, and watch Primer if you want the real deal.

The cast all rocked their parts, and I really enjoyed Craig Robinson and John Cusack, who proved he can still be quite funny. Rob Corddry and Clark Duke also kept the funny going, and this odd mixture managed to make the film funny throughout. Plus the blend of old and new really made the movie a lot more interesting than jam packing it with actors we see in every major comedy these days.

Hot Tub Time Machine won't appeal to everyone, but those looking to turn of their brains and enjoy some quality comedy will be in luck. Now expect to see more Internet sensations finding their way to the big screen, and if they all manage to be as successful as Hot Tub Time Machine, we should be all right.

Genre - Comedy (3.25)

Screenplay (3)

Acting (4)

Production (3)

Directing (3)