LeapBackBlog 2010 Film Awards – Part 1: Technical Achievements

Film in 2010 was fantastic, full of great performances, great directing and great work behind the camera (or in post-production). More so than the last few years, 2010 had a greater number of excellent films, which made choosing the best films, performances, directors, and technical achievements very difficult. The LeapBackBlog Film Awards are comprised of what I think were the best and most interesting films, the strongest performances (taking into consideration who the actor is and what else they have done, and 2010 features a lot of amazing breakthrough performances), the narrative style that drew me in (best directing), and exquisite craftsmanship (best technical achievements). But really, these are lists of my favorites from the year.

Part 2: Supporting Performances
Part 3: Directors
Part 4: Leading Performances
Part 5: Films

Technical Achievements: 

Jonathan Amos & Paul Machliss – Editing – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a fun film. Director Edgar Wright visually and sonically got everything just right. Technically, the film has a lot to praise from Bill Pope’s cinematography and Marcus Rowland’s production design to the great songs written by Beck. But the work of editors Amos and Machliss really is what stands out. And what is more amazing is that the film was their first feature, both having about a decade’s worth of experience cutting TV series though. So much of the flow and comedy of the film is dependent on the editing, which really needed to be perfect for the film to work – and it was.

Roger Deakins – Cinematography – True Grit

True Grit, much like all the films mentioned in this list, has great work throughout the film. Deakin’s cinematography however is mesmerizing. The prologue to the film features a slow push towards a body lying on the ground outside a saloon, slow falling snow caught by the beams of light escaping the building perfectly framing the body. It is beautiful and interesting – taken out of contest the snow looks a bit like ash, as if this were a shot out of a post-apocalyptic film. That shot alone will have fans of photography enchanted, but Deakins follows it up with well captured and picturesque landscapes perfectly fitting the classic western genre of the film.

Michael Giacchino – Score – Let Me In

Let Me In needed to have just the right mix of tension and love/friendship to work, making the score an essential part. Giacchino’s (who won a LeapBackBlog Film Award in 2009 as well for his score to Up) work is haunting and terrifying, yet in other moments sweet and touching – but still with a lingering sense of dread and tragedy. Certainly, and without even looking at the screen, audiences will be on edge. It is probably the best score of the year.

Rob Hardy – Cinematography – Red Riding: 1974

Red Riding: 1974 (the first of the trilogy) takes places in a cold and dungy Northern England (Yorkshire). The characters and situations are scary and gloomy. The photography needed to be gritty and dark to match the tone. Hardy’s work captures the essence of the tone perfectly. He uses light to its greatest effect in the film as well, mirroring the main character’s emotions – while most of the film is dark and cloudy, there are moments of joy for the character and Hardy is able to visually show that with (though still de-saturated) oranges and other light pastels. Aesthetically, it is the most interesting film of the trilogy and one of the most artistic of the year.

Adam Kimmel – Cinematography – Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go is an entire film of subtlety and nuance, and probably the most aesthetically brilliant work of the year. Kimmel’s photography is both beautiful and tragic – capturing the hope, desperation and complacency of the film’s characters, which was no easy task. The most emotionally charged scene is Ruth’s completion (at least from the viewer’s standpoint) – visually it is shocking both from the bright white light and production design juxtaposed to the darker and restrained tones of the rest of the film and from the nature of the scene. However photography wise, my favorite shot is of the lighthouse at dust. As a still, it is a perfect image for the tone of the film and journey of its characters.

Matthew Libatique – Cinematography – Black Swan

Black Swan is a kinetic piece, and Libatique’s camera dances with its players. The film’s prologue – Nina’s dream of Swan Lake – has the camera floating on air, engaged in a beautiful dance with her, whisking and twirling. It is powerful and erotic. That scene informs all that see it, that the film and Libatique’s cinematography (and Aronofsky’s directing) are something special. The film goes in and out of reality into fantasy being completely unreliable, yet the lighting stays steady, intensifying the illusion. Much like Therese DePrez’s wonderful production design, the lighting and look of the film is minimalistic, letting the performances shine, while matching the tempered and cold tone of the film.

Rachel Portman – Score – Never Let Me Go

 As stated above, Never Let Me Go is an aesthetic masterwork. Portman’s score plays with the film’s themes of sadness and despair, but there is also hope in there. Her work represents the emotional language of the film, as the direction and performances (and really the story) are so restrained. This film, more than any other in 2010, affected me and stayed with me, Portman’s score had a lot to do with that. It is desolate yet radiant (and even a little playful despite what is to come) – much like the film.

Atticus Ross & Trent Reznor – Score – The Social Network

The Social Network is a film all about power. Ross and Reznor’s score drives that theme with electronic music. The music feels very modern and cool, which perfectly fits the subject matter of the film – a bunch of kids revolutionizing social interacting in the midst of personal and business power struggles. The character of Zuckerberg is quite cold and cut off in the film, and the techno aspect of the score has the same feel to it, but the genius of Ross and Reznor is there are also moments of emotion and heart, if only for an instant. Maybe the great moment of is their cover of In the Hall of the Mountain King, it is so atmospheric and dramatic.

Eduardo Serra – Cinematography – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is a film that is full of moments of torment and anguish. Thus, visually the cinematography needed to fit the tone of the narrative (i.e. dark and gloomy). Serra’s work captures it amazingly well. Muted colors and vast landscapes filled with jagged and uninviting terrain make up most of the photography. However, the sheer brilliance of Serra’s work is in the beauty of his photography. Despite the depressing and dark nature of the piece, it is presented in a stunning manner. The landscapes are breathtaking to behold. The lighting captures perfectly the tension and emotion of the characters’ faces. (In my opinion) it is the best cinematography of the year, no question (and that is saying a lot, both as this year featured tons of excellent work and Serra took over from Bruno Delbonnel, whose work on Half-Blood Prince was arguably the best of 2009 – big shoes to fill indeed).

Hans Zimmer – Score – Inception

With Inception (and building on his score for The Dark Knight), Zimmer changed movie scores forever (or at least for the time being), or more specifically music used menacingly in trailers. The strong notes that indicate impending jeopardy and threat like booming thunder highlight Zimmer’s work on the film and make it unforgettable (just listen to the trailer for examples). The score is also riving with emotion and passion, much like the film. It is big and action-packed on the outside, but what makes it great is the deeper drama within. Everything in the film is spellbinding and stunning, it is Zimmer’s score though that snares the viewer and in accompaniment with the performances and directing taps not just into the need for spectacle but the need for something real and relatable – something to care about and get behind, making this the extraordinary film it is.

Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 (2010) – Review

Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 (from now on being referred to as Red Riding: 1974) is the first in the Red Riding Trilogy (based on the book by David Peace). The film is dark, cryptic and unflinching – yet beautifully shot, directed and acted. Director Julian Jarrold’s narrative does not seem reliable throughout, as it jumps around in time, between dream, perception and reality. The viewer is not quite sure what they are seeing. But by the end of the film, everything comes together and the journey feels satisfying – albeit emotionally draining. The film is structured as a mystery following an investigator, Eddie Dunford, as he looks into the disappearance of a young girl, but this is only the surface of the narrative. It delves deep into the emotions of persecution, love, anguish – human tragedy in different forms is always at the core. Devastatingly bleak and violent imagery is juxtaposed to rays of light breaking through gloomy clouds. This is a motif that Jarrold uses many times in the film, and it is quite striking and beautiful. As if, this one reporter, trying to uncover the truth, even at the highest cost, delivers humanity from the corruption that plagues it – the devil triumphs when good men do nowt. The transformation of Eddie is profound – is it love and loss that compels him, or is it finding the truth – probably a bit of both. He is a character defined by love and loss, but thought of by his friend as a good person. Naivety, ambition and inexperience may have led him to his journey, but these petty characteristics fade as deeper emotions take hold.  As a viewer, Eddie does not make decisions that we understand or would replicate – and what does that say about us. When façade is stripped away, all we have left is base instinct dictated not by social laws but by internal (call it spiritual or core) moral personal laws that bind us to do what we must, and for Eddie, above all else, the truth will out – at any cost. And this, like the depravity juxtaposed to beams of light erupting from dark clouds, is cut against seemingly absolute corruption. While Eddie does what he believes to be his highest moral calling, when all other avenues are closed, society and those set in place to govern and protect us reject truth utterly. Jarrold’s film looks at evil in society as almost the crushing and overwhelming norm; something that cannot be overcome and thus excepted for what it is, and while serial murderers may seem out of the norm to us, does police and government corruption?  Why is it that those that strive to be good and fight the evil that surrounds them find that they are not championed by society, rather they are wilted and restrained. The film starts and ends in seemingly the same place, society unaffected, unmoved – but good striking out does not go unnoticed on a more personal and specific level. Slowly others take notice. And as this is only the first film in the trilogy – good has taken a foothold, evil not as steady as it was – and much like the light punching through, this story of struggle shows that while we cannot eradicate evil in one fell swoop, evil can be defeated slowly step by step. And once in motion, truth will come to light. Red Riding: 1974 is visually uncompromising, both in its beauty and in its gritty and stark look at the corruption of humanity.

On to the technical achievements: Julian Jarrold has made his best directorial effort with this film – his use of the camera is profound, focusing the attention of the viewer on very specific elements, both visually and thematically. He pulls focus on the foreground and background, fixates on emotional visual clues rather than just straightforward convergence on the characters’ faces. He wants to tell the narrative in a precise manner, only giving visuals that will forward the journey that he wants the viewer to take, both from a story and emotional standpoint. Chief in his success is the astounding work of cinematographer Rob Hardy, whose other work is not well known or seen, especially for those outside the UK (I hope that this film gets him lots of work on good projects in the future, because he is clearly a rare and gifted talent). Their collaboration is along the same vein as French director Jacques Audiard and his cinematographer Stephane Fontaine stylistically. Production designer Cristina Casali and composer Adrian Johnston both do very good work on the film, capturing the world and atmosphere of the film. Red Riding: 1974 also serves as a breakout/take notice film for actor Andrew Garfield, who is brilliant. His work carries a seemingly convoluted narrative, anchoring it and giving it a moral core. The film is designed to center around his performance, and he does not let it down. Sean Bean and Rebecca Hall are also standouts among a cast that is good across the board. This is a film that tackles a difficult subject and comes at it through a complicated narrative structure, yet the quality of all those involved see it succeed in being a very aesthetically interesting and emotional provocative film.

Red Riding: 1974 sets the bar high for the rest of the series, as it is a visually remarkable and intensely engaging work. 8/10

The series is available on Blu-ray and DVD at Amazon.com and currently streaming on Netflix.