Best Actor: 1970s

1970: Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces

Oscar winner: George C. Scott, Patton

Was he nominated?: Yes

Best Actor: 1960s

1960: Jack Lemmon, The Apartment

Oscar winner: Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry

Was he nominated?: Yes

I Saw "Casablanca" on the Big Screen...

...and it was amazing! Turner Classic Movies has re-released the film in theaters for one day only (today) in honor of its 70th anniversary. Not only is the restoration gorgeous, but the screening also features a brief documentary on the film, as well as an introduction by none other than Robert Osborne. I'm lucky I even got to see it, because I actually forgot all about it until I just happened to check the theater's showtimes. Anyway, the film is universally hailed as one of Hollywood's best offerings and should be seen in theaters if possible. Check it out if you can. You won't be disappointed. More details here.

Update: TCM is presenting the film again on April 26th at 7 p.m.

2011 CinSpec Awards

Hugo (dir. Martin Scorsese)

Best Actor: 1950s

1950: William Holden, Sunset Blvd.

Oscar winner: Jose Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac

Was he nominated?: Yes

2011 Reviews Archive

The Adjustment Bureau - ***
The Adventures of Tintin - ***1/2 
Another Earth - *** 
Arthur Christmas - ***
The Artist - ****
Attack the Block - *** 
The Beaver - ***1/2
Beginners - ****
A Better Life - **1/2
The Big Year - **
Bridesmaids - *** 
Captain America: The First Avenger - ***
Carnage - ***1/2
Cars 2 - **
Certified Copy - ****
Cold Weather - ***1/2
Colombiana - **
The Conspirator - ***1/2
Contagion - ****
Coriolanus - ****
Cowboys & Aliens - **
Crazy, Stupid, Love. - ***
A Dangerous Method - ***
The Debt - ***
The Descendants - ***1/2 
Drive - ****
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - **1/2 
Fast Five - ***
50/50 - ***
The Flowers of War - **1/2
Friends with Benefits - **1/2 
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - ***1/2 
Gnomeo and Juliet - ***
Green Lantern - * 
The Guard - ***1/2 
The Hangover Part II - ***
Hanna - ***1/2
Happy Feet 2 - **
Happythankyoumoreplease - *** 
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - ****
Heartbeats - ****
The Help - ***
Horrible Bosses - **
Hugo - ****
The Ides of March - ***1/2
Immortals - ***
In Time - ***
The Iron Lady - *1/2
J. Edgar - ***
Jane Eyre - ***1/2
Kung Fu Panda 2 - **1/2
Larry Crowne - **1/2 
Last Night - *** 
Like Crazy - **
London Boulevard - ***  
Margaret - ****
Margin Call - ***1/2 
Martha Marcy May Marlene - ***1/2
Meek's Cutoff - ***
Melancholia - **** 
Midnight in Paris - ****
Miss Bala - ***1/2 
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - *** 
Moneyball - ****
The Muppets - ***
My Week with Marilyn - *** 
Mysteries of Lisbon - ***
New Year's Eve - *1/2
Newlyweds - ***1/2
No Strings Attached - **
One Day - **1/2
The Other Woman - **1/2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - ***
Poetry - ****
Puss in Boots - **1/2 
Rango - ***
Real Steel - **1/2 
Restless - **1/2
Rio - **1/2 
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - *** 
The Rum Diary - **** 
Scream 4 - ***
Senna - **** 
Shame - ***1/2
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - ***1/2 
The Skin I Live In - ***1/2 
Sleeping Beauty - **** 
Source Code - ***
Submarine - ** 
Super 8 - ***
The Swell Season - *** 
Thor - ***
The Three Musketeers (2011) - **1/2 
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - **** 
Tower Heist - ***
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - **1/2
The Tree of Life - ****
The Trip - *** 
Unknown (2011) - **
War Horse - ***1/2
Warrior - ***1/2 
Water for Elephants - ***
We Need to Talk About Kevin - ***1/2
Win Win - ***
Winnie the Pooh - **1/2
X-Men: First Class - ***
Young Adult - ***1/2

Best Actor: 1940s

1940: Cary Grant, His Girl Friday

Oscar winner: James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story

Was he nominated?: No

Top 10 Movies of 2011

Last year was good year for movies. Nostalgic efforts like Best Picture-winner The Artist and nominees Hugo and Midnight in Paris were popular with critics, and the art-house crowd was given films like The Tree of Life, Melancholia, Certified Copy, Take Shelter, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. There were cult-driven movies like Drive, Hanna, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and edgier fare, such as Shame and Sleeping Beauty. While three Marvel films opened, Harry Potter ended, and breakout hits like Bridesmaids and Moneyball were released. Sadly, some brilliant films, such as Beginners, Contagion, Senna, and Margin Call, were largely ignored by audiences. Last but not least were guilty pleasures like The Rum Diary and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which added a bit of levity to the 2011 slate. On the whole, it was a solid year for the movies. My list of favorites is located after the cut.

Best Actor: 1930s

1930: Emil Jannings, The Blue Angel

Oscar winner: George Arliss, Disraeli ('29/'30)

Was he nominated?: No