87% Winner: The King's Speech 118 min, R, [Biography, Drama, History] [Tom Hooper] [25 Dec 2010]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 80%, Rotten Tomatoes: 94%, Metacritic: 88%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 4 Oscars. Another 102 wins & 194 nominations.
Actors: Colin Firth, Derek Jacobi, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Robert Portal
Writer: David Seidler (screenplay)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English Country: UK, USA, Australia
Plot: England's Prince Albert must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth hires Lionel Logue, an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence.
Rotten Tomatoes: After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle. Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING'S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch's quest to find his voice. -- (C) Weinstein
83% Nominee: 127 Hours 94 min, R, [Adventure, Biography, Drama, Thriller] [Danny Boyle] [28 Jan 2011]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 76%, Rotten Tomatoes: 93%, Metacritic: 82%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 141 nominations.
Actors: Amber Tamblyn, James Franco, Kate Mara, Sean Bott
Writer: Danny Boyle (screenplay), Simon Beaufoy (screenplay), Aron Ralston (book)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English, Italian Country: USA, UK, France
Plot: 127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he can be rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the two hikers he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet?
Rotten Tomatoes: "127 Hours" is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolate canyon in Utah. Over the next five days, Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the last two people he ever had the chance to meet? A visceral thrilling story that will take an audience on a never before experienced journey and prove what we can do when we choose life.
81% Nominee: Black Swan 108 min, R, [Drama, Thriller] [Darren Aronofsky] [17 Dec 2010]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 80%, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%, Metacritic: 79%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 1 Oscar. Another 91 wins & 257 nominations.
Actors: Barbara Hershey, Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel
Writer: Mark Heyman (screenplay), Andres Heinz (screenplay), John J. McLaughlin (screenplay), Andres Heinz (story)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English, French, Italian Country: USA
Plot: Nina (Portman) is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.
Rotten Tomatoes: A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, BLACK SWAN stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company (Mila Kunis). A Fox Searchlight Pictures release by visionary director Darren Aronofsky (THE WRESTLER), BLACK SWAN takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect. BLACK SWAN follows the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter,s professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her. -- (C) Official Site
82% Nominee: Inception 148 min, PG-13, [Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller] [Christopher Nolan] [16 Jul 2010]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 88%, Rotten Tomatoes: 86%, Metacritic: 74%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 4 Oscars. Another 152 wins & 204 nominations.
Actors: Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy
Writer: Christopher Nolan
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English, Japanese, French Country: USA, UK
Plot: Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible - inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.
Rotten Tomatoes: Visionary filmmaker Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight) writes and directs this psychological sci-fi action film about a thief who possesses the power to enter into the dreams of others. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) doesn't steal things, he steals ideas. By projecting himself deep into the subconscious of his targets, he can glean information that even the best computer hackers can't get to. In the world of corporate espionage, Cobb is the ultimate weapon. But even weapons have their weakness, and when Cobb loses everything, he's forced to embark on one final mission in a desperate quest for redemption. This time, Cobb won't be harvesting an idea, but sowing one. Should he and his team of specialists succeed, they will have discovered a new frontier in the art of psychic espionage. They've planned everything to perfection, and they have all the tools to get the job done. Their mission is complicated, however, by the sudden appearance of a malevolent foe that seems to know exactly what they're up to, and precisely how to stop them. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
82% Nominee: The Fighter 116 min, R, [Biography, Drama, Sport] [David O. Russell] [17 Dec 2010]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 78%, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%, Metacritic: 79%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 2 Oscars. Another 72 wins & 116 nominations.
Actors: Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Melissa Leo
Writer: Scott Silver (screenplay), Paul Tamasy (screenplay), Eric Johnson (screenplay), Paul Tamasy (story), Eric Johnson (story), Keith Dorrington (story)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English Country: USA
Plot: The Fighter is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer on the verge of being KO'd by drugs and crime.
Rotten Tomatoes: Mark Wahlberg stars in Paramount Pictures' inspirational docudrama exploring the remarkable rise of Massachusetts-born, junior welterweight title winner "Irish" Micky Ward. A determined pugilist whose career in the ring was shepherded by his loyal half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale) -- a hard-living boxer-turned-trainer whose own career in the ring was nearly sent down for the count due to drugs and crime -- perennial underdog Irish Micky rebounded from a disheartening series of defeats to win both the WBU Intercontinental Lightweight title and the WBU Light Welterweight title thanks to a fierce combination of determination and hard work. David O. Russell directs from a script by 8 Mile's Scott Silver and Paul Attanasio (The Bourne Ultimatum). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
83% Nominee: The Kids Are All Right 106 min, R, [Comedy, Drama, Romance] [Lisa Cholodenko] [30 Jul 2010]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 70%, Rotten Tomatoes: 93%, Metacritic: 86%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 28 wins & 120 nominations.
Actors: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska
Writer: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Nic and Jules are in a long term, committed, loving but by no means perfect same-sex relationship. Nic, a physician, needs to wield what she believes is control, whereas Jules, under that control, is less self-assured. During their relationship, Jules has floundered in her "nine to five" life, sometimes trying to start a business - always unsuccessfully - or being the stay-at-home mom. She is currently trying to start a landscape design business. They have two teen-aged children, Joni (conceived by Nic) and Laser (by Jules). Although not exact replicas, each offspring does more closely resemble his/her biological mother in temperament. Joni and Laser are also half-siblings, having the same unknown sperm donor father. Shortly after Joni's eighteenth birthday and shortly before she plans to leave the house and head off to college, Laser, only fifteen and underage to do so, pleads with her to try and contact their sperm donor father. Somewhat reluctantly, she does. He is late thirty-something Paul, a co-op farmer and restaurateur. Despite his seemingly successful businesses, Paul has always shirked responsibility, most specifically in his personal life. After Joni and Laser meet with Paul, Nic and Jules learn what their children have done and, although they don't want Paul infiltrating their lives, want to meet him - especially as Joni and Laser seem to want to maintain some sort of relationship with him. As Paul's relationship with the entire family grows (which includes his hiring Jules to design and construct his backyard), they have an effect on what he wants in life. In turn, he affects their family dynamic as well as each person's relationships outside of it.
Rotten Tomatoes: Two teenaged children get the notion to seek out their biological father and introduce him into the family life that their two mothers have built for them. Once the donor is found, the household will never be the same, as family ties are defined, re-defined, and re-re-defined.
89% Nominee: The Social Network 120 min, PG-13, [Biography, Drama] [David Fincher] [01 Oct 2010]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 77%, Rotten Tomatoes: 95%, Metacritic: 95%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 3 Oscars. Another 165 wins & 168 nominations.
Actors: Andrew Garfield, Bryan Barter, Dustin Fitzsimons, Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara
Writer: Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Ben Mezrich (book)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English, French Country: USA
Plot: On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.
Rotten Tomatoes: "The Social Network" explores the moment at which Facebook, the most revolutionary social phenomena of the new century, was invented -- through the warring perspectives of the super-smart young men who each claimed to be there at its inception. The result is a drama rife with both creation and destruction; one that audaciously avoids a singular POV, but instead, by tracking dueling narratives, mirrors the clashing truths and constantly morphing social relationships that define our time. Drawn from multiple sources, the film captures the visceral thrill of the heady early days of a culture-changing phenomenon in the making -- and the way it both pulled a group of young revolutionaries together and then split them apart.
91% Nominee: Toy Story 3 103 min, G, [Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy] [Lee Unkrich] [18 Jun 2010]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 83%, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%, Metacritic: 92%, External Reviews
Awards: Won 2 Oscars. Another 58 wins & 91 nominations.
Actors: Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks
Writer: John Lasseter (story by), Andrew Stanton (story by), Lee Unkrich (story by), Michael Arndt (screenplay by)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English, Spanish Country: USA
Plot: Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it's all for one and one for all as they join Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear to plan their great escape.
Rotten Tomatoes: "Toy Story 3" welcomes Woody, Buzz and the whole gang back to the big screen as Andy prepares to depart for college and his loyal toys find themselves in... daycare! These untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice, so it's all for one and one for all as plans for the great escape get underway. A few new faces-some plastic, some plush-join the adventure, including iconic swinging bachelor and Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear.
84% Nominee: True Grit 110 min, PG-13, [Adventure, Drama, Western] [Ethan Coen, Joel Coen] [22 Dec 2010]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 76%, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%, Metacritic: 80%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 10 Oscars. Another 37 wins & 153 nominations.
Actors: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon
Writer: Joel Coen (screenplay), Ethan Coen (screenplay), Charles Portis (novel)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. Against his wishes, she joins him in his trek into the Indian Nations in search of Chaney. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who wants Chaney for his own purposes. The unlikely trio find danger and surprises on the journey, and each has his or her "grit" tested.
Rotten Tomatoes: Fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) joins an aging U.S. marshal (Jeff Bridges) and another lawman (Matt Damon) in tracking her father's killer into hostile Indian territory in Joel and Ethan Coen's adaptation of Charles Portis' original novel. Sticking more closely to the source material than the 1969 feature adaptation starring Western icon John Wayne, the Coens' True Grit tells the story from the young girl's perspective, and re-teams the celebrated filmmaking duo with their No Country for Old Men producing partner Scott Rudin. Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
85% Nominee: Winter's Bone 100 min, R, [Drama, Mystery] [Debra Granik] [16 Jul 2010]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 72%, Rotten Tomatoes: 94%, Metacritic: 90%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 63 wins & 120 nominations.
Actors: Ashlee Thompson, Garret Dillahunt, Isaiah Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Valerie Richards
Writer: Debra Granik (screenplay), Anne Rosellini (screenplay), Daniel Woodrell (novel)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Website Language: English Country: USA
Plot: With an absent father and a withdrawn and depressed mother, 17 year-old Ree Dolly keeps her family together in a dirt poor rural area. She's taken aback however when the local Sheriff tells her that her father put up their house as collateral for his bail and unless he shows up for his trial in a week's time, they will lose it all. She knows her father is involved in the local drug trade and manufactures crystal meth, but everywhere she goes the message is the same: stay out of it and stop poking your nose in other people's business. She refuses to listen, even after her father's brother, Teardrop, tells her he's probably been killed. She pushes on, putting her own life in danger, for the sake of her family until the truth, or enough of it, is revealed.
Rotten Tomatoes: Her family home in danger of being repossessed after her meth-cooking dad skips bail and disappears, Ozark teen Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) breaks the local code of conduct by confronting her kin about their conspiracy of silence. Should she fail to track her father down, Ree Dolly, her younger siblings, and their disabled mother will soon be rendered homeless. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi