While it hasn’t necessarily been a stellar year in film (watching Adam Sandler, Martin Lawrence, and Tyler Perry in drag was enough to sideline the most intrepid moviegoer), there have been some diamonds in the rough. Enough, at least, to make slogging through 185 movies feel worth it. From a fuzzy red Muppet to the dissecting of baseball stats, here are the best films Hollywood (and Iran,France, and the U.K.) had to offer.

10. Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Contrary to popular belief, “The Muppets” wasn’t the best Muppet movie this year. That distinction goes to this 80-minute documentary on puppeteer Kevin Clash, who has given voice and life to the widely popular “Sesame Street” character Elmo for almost 30 years.

9. The Tree of Life
Sean Penn still might be trying to figure out what the hell he was doing walking aimlessly amongst the hoodoos in Utah, but there is no denying the stunning work of art visionary director Terrence Malick has created on a sprawling and ambitious timeline that begins with a lyrical take on the creation of life.

8. Martha Marcy May Marlene
This indie thriller about a young woman (Elizabeth Olsen in a compelling breakout role) who escapes a rural cult becomes relentless and unnerving from the moment first-time feature filmmaker Sean Durkin exposes his nonlinear imagination and jolts the narrative into a haunting survival story. While the ending might frustrate some viewers, I was actually relieved knowing I didn’t know everything.

7. Tyrannosaur
With a story of redemption at the center of its cold, black heart, this independent drama from the U.K. introduces us to the most unlikely hero in a film this year. It’s not often I would root for a raging alcoholic (Peter Mullan) who kicks his dog to death in the opening scene, but actor-turnedwriter/director Paddy Considine does the impossible and finds a way to make him human. Someone please give actress Olivia Colman an Oscar already.

6. A Separation
As Iran’s official entry into the Academy Awards this year, this captivating marital drama could become only the second Iranian film to be nominated in the Best Foreign Language category after 1998’s “Children of Heaven.” Writer/director Asghar Farhadi delivers a complex and honest portrayal of two families in modern-day Tehran. It is a challenging and heartbreaking film that deserves an audience.

5. Hugo
Listen up Robert Rodríguez: Next time you make a movie for your kids because you want them to see what Daddy does for a living, here’s proof you can actually make it fun and enchanting. Case in point: Martin Scorsese’s family fantasy he made for his now 12-year-old daughter. Blending a beautifully imagined treasure hunt with a tribute to cinema’s early pioneers, Scorsese makes an impressive mark and soars into a genre that usually treats youngsters like morons.

4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Whether or not you enjoyed the 2009 Swedish adaptation of the Stieg Larsson novel isn’t important — just open your mind to the stylish and trippy investigative thriller director David Fincher has fashioned as his follow-up to “The Social Network.” For those who can handle both sides of Fincher’s storytelling talent — both the brutality and the meticulous craftsmanship — his version of the first book will prove “The Millennium Trilogy” can be hard-edged and fearless.

3. The Descendants
Much more dramatic than his previous films, writer/director Alexander Payne still finds a way to fuse the dark comedic moments of his script with the tragic ones and make it flourish. George Clooney has never been better as a father trying to keep his sanity as his dysfunctional little family faces an emotional meltdown in Hawaii.

2. The Artist
It’s French. It’s in black and white. It’s silent. And it’s brilliant. I can’t remember the last time I was charmed by a film as much as I was with this ode to the silent film era. From its pitch-perfect performances by actors Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo to the snappy and sentimental score by Ludovic Bource, when all is said and done “The Artist” will be as admired as Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights” and F.W. Murnau’s “Sunrise.”

1. Moneyball
An exceptionally entertaining look at the true story behind Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and the unconventional route he took in 2002 to transform his scrappy, penniless team into a competitive ball club. (Yes, math is involved.) While director Bennett Miller deserves an owner’s portion of the credit, it’s the clever screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian that confirms the entire production’s big-league worth.

15 honorable mentions: “Another Earth,” “Bridesmaids,” “A Better Life,” “Contagion,” “The Debt,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” “The Ides of March,” “Kung Fu Panda 2,” “Margin Call,” “Rango,” “Source Code,” “Super 8,” “Take Shelter,” “War Horse,” “Win Win”

Jerrod Kingery’s Top Ten Films of 2011

10. The Descendants
A funny, scraggly comedy/drama held together by a breezily assured performance from George Clooney. Shailene Woodley, freed from her melodramatic teen television prison, brings acidity to her role as Clooney’s rebellious daughter who eventually becomes his confidant in an effort to hold the family together in the face of infidelity and tragedy. Few moments in film this year carry more truth and hilarity than Clooney’s awkward, desperate sprint across his Hawaiian community to confirm one of his worst fears.

9. X-Men: First Class
Like the best movies in the series, “First Class” is rough around the edges, featuring great performances from lesser-known actors and wooden performances from the bigger stars. The alternate history plot, set in the swinging ’60s during the Cuban Missile Crisis, picks and chooses which parts of the established X-Men film continuity to use or toss aside, largely ignoring the much-reviled “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and the unjustly-reviled “X-Men: The Last Stand.” The show is stolen by Michael Fassbender’s Magneto, who uses his mutant powers to hunt down the Nazis who tortured him in a concentration camp.

8. Captain America: The First Avenger
Unlike “Thor,” its more than just a piece of the puzzle Marvel is building in next year’s “The Avengers.” Set in a pulp version of World War II, “Captain America” is a stylistic treat with a whiz-bang sci-fi plot and fun performances from Chris Evans and Tommy Lee Jones. Its too bad the coda eliminates the possibility of following Cap on more adventures kicking Nazi butt across Europe.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Finally, the frustrating build-up that plagued the fifth, sixth, and seventh movies in the series pays off in this action-packed, emotionally wrenching finale. Despite an unfortunately cutesy epilogue that echos the worst of the series (read: the Chris Columbus-directed entries), it makes for a thrilling conclusion to an ambitious film franchise.

6. Moneyball
A fun, seemingly effortless sports movie featuring a Brad Pitt who isn’t afraid to look old and a Jonah Hill that isn’t afraid to be unfunny. Add Philip Seymour Hoffman as an old school  manager clinging to tradition in the face of Pitt’s analytical approach and you’ve got a baseball movie that both respects the legacy of the game and exposes the flaws that come with romanticizing a business.

5. Bridesmaids
While “The Hangover Part II” dropped the ball by ripping itself off and trying to create a raunchy meta-comedy or something, “Bridesmaids” strode in and easily took the crown as the funniest movie of the year. Writer/star Kristen Wiig and director Paul Feig crafted a smart and raunchy comedy that’s far more than “The Hangover” for women. Its only glaring flaw? Casting Tim Heidecker of “Tim and Eric” in a non-speaking role.

4. Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
The final piece of a cross-media trilogy telling the tale of Conan O’Brien’s ouster from “The Tonight Show.” Best enjoyed by attendees of “The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television” tour and after reading Bill Carter’s “War For Late Night.” Essential viewing for members of Team Coco.

3. 50/50
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s journey through cancer is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking. The hilarity is thanks to co-star Seth Rogen, and the heartbreak comes at the hands of scenes like the one where Gordon-Levitt’s Adam has to say what might be his final goodbye to his mother (Anjelica Huston) before surgery. I’m not afraid to admit that the honesty of that exchange finally broke loose the tears that had been welling up in my eyes, even though I told everyone sitting around me that it was onions or something.

2. The Artist
I’ll confess, upon hearing that “The Artist” was a silent film shot in black-and-white, I rolled my eyes in dread. But then I watched it and couldn’t stop grinning. What could have been an art-house gimmick ends up being one of the most delightful movies of the year. Descriptions won’t do it justice. Just go see it already.

1. The Muppets
Ignoring everything since “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” writer/star Jason Segal’s love letter to the Muppets strikes the perfect balance between nostalgia and self-awareness. A return to “The Muppet Show” roots paired with wonderfully singable songs by Flight of the Conchord’s Bret Mackinzie left me smiling for days after I left the theater.

Cody Villafana’s Top Ten Films of 2011

Similarly to last year, I was a little disappointed with the films that came out in 2011. While I did see some very good films, I can’t quite say that anything blew me away. Still out of the 110 (and counting) films I saw this year, there were a list of 10 that stood out above the rest. As always, these are a reflection of what I’m feeling right now and are subject to change. Enjoy.

10. Senna
This spot will likely be a revolving door of films, as there were three very different movies that were in the running for the 10^th spot. At the moment, the spot belongs to the sports documentary “Senna,” which documents the career and life of Formula 1 racer Ayrton Senna. One of the more interesting about this film is that it is composed entirely of footage from the late 80’s and early 90’s. The footage is impeccably edited and paced and feels like it was crafted from fresh footage shot just for the purposes of this documentary. I should also make note that I am someone who has absolutely no interest in any form of auto racing, and yet I was completely gripped with this film right from the get-go.

9. Tyrannosaur
One of the more bleak films I’ve seen this year, “Tyrannosaur” is a British independent film that definitely going to be an acquired taste. The film OPENS with a man so belligerently drunk that he kicks his dog to death. Nice tone setter, huh? The film follows a drunken violent man and his unique relationship with a battered religious woman. Despite the fact that its main character appears to be totally despicable, “Tyrannosaur” features a pair of great performances from Peter Mullan and Oliva Colman. The best thing about “Tyrannosaur” is its script, which features some of the most venomous and cynical dialogue in any film this year. One suggestion for when you view the film; opt for subtitles. Mullan’s Scottish accent is so thick that you are certain to have some trouble understanding him.

8. Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen’s whimsical time-travel comedy was a very pleasant surprise this year. I was actually told by multiple people that I probably wouldn’t like this film, but I gave it a chance and I loved it. Allen’s charming script is whip-smart and I really enjoyed seeing all of the literary characters that Owen Wilson’s character Gil admired come to life and interact with Gil himself. One of my favorite performances in the film is a role played by Michael Sheen who hilariously thinks he knows it all, and Wilson can reply sarcastically to him. The scenery of Paris is beautiful, and the guitar waltz played throughout the film will be stuck in your head for days. I also believe this to be perhaps Owen Wilson’s best performance in a lead role in his career. He’s been good when he’s had someone to act with, or with an ensemble, but I love his performance here as the lead.

7. Another Earth
“Another Earth” is unique in that while the plot of the film very much takes the shape of a sci-fi movie, it is not one. In his big-screen debut, director Mike Cahill gives us a situation where another version of planet earth has been discovered, somewhere that your life could be totally different. “Another Earth” is cleverly written and this will most certainly be a stepping-stone for actress Brit Marling (already lined up for big roles in 2012).  It is a very human story of a girl who is tortured by an event of the past, and feels that she must repent for the things she has done. William Mapother should also get some accolades for his complex performance.

6. The Descendants
George Clooney is flat out one of my favorite actors working today, and “The Descendants” is business as usual. In “The Descendants,” Clooney takes on the role of a father who must juggle a hefty business transaction and looking after his rambunctious kids while his wife is in a coma after a boating accident. The film is equal parts humorous, dramatic and touching, as Clooney and his two daughters face their problems head on and grow closer together. Young Shailene Woodley is excellent in her role as Clooney’s oldest daughter and I hope she gets recognized with an Oscar nomination.

5. Shame
Slapped with the ultra-rare NC-17 rating, “Shame” is a film about a man who spirals out of control in his sex addiction. I love that Fox Searchlight decided to keep the NC-17 rating rather than edit it down for R, keeping director Steve McQueen’s vision intact. While it is not gratuitous in its sexuality, “Shame” definitely earns its rating. The way in which the sex addiction is portrayed is fascinating, with Michael Fassbender’s character Brandon needs to fulfill his urges in the most inappropriate of times and places. Fassbender gives an incredible performance, and the always-reliable Carey Mulligan is great as well.

4. Martha Marcy May Marlene
The alliteratively titled indie “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” follows a girl who struggles with adapting back to normal life after she flees from a cult. The narrative shifts between the past and present flawlessly, with incredible editing transitions between the two time periods. Elizabeth Olsen proves herself to be the most talented actress in her famous family, and will be a star in the very near future. John Hawkes plays a creep to the t for the second year in a row, and his musical performance following a “cleansing” is one of my favorite scenes all year. Also, the abrupt ending of this film was met with groans from the theater audience; there’s your warning.

3. The Artist
When I saw “The Artist” for the first time at Austin Film Festival, it was at the historic Paramount Theater in Austin. Built in 1915 and kept beautifully restored, it was a surreal experience to watch the film in the exact setting a film like this would have shown in back in the 20s. I was absolutely enamored with it, and it was one of the highlights of my film-going year. After seeing the movie again out of that context, it was still charming enough to crack my Top 3. Admittedly, “The Artist” is a hard sell. It’s a French, black and white, silent movie, powered by text cards and Ludovic Bource’s genius score. The performances from Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo are  perfectly played, and Uggy the dog is the unsung hero of the cast. Undoubtedly the most unique film of the year, “The Artist” is my early prediction for the Best Picture Oscar. Give it a chance.

2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
David Fincher is quickly becoming the next director whose style is so uniquely his that the word “-esque” attached to his name will soon become an adjective to describe films. Adapted from the Swedish book series (and Swedish films), Fincher brings his trademark style to a series that millions are familiar with. For a two hour and 40 minute movie, it is never boring. It is tautly paced, visually stunning, and most importantly, brilliantly acted. Daniel Craig is very good in his role, but the star of this film is Rooney Mara, who plays Lisbeth Salander. Undergoing a very extreme makeover that included piercings, eyebrow dying and drastic haircuts, Mara is unrecognizable as Salander. I was absolutely mesmerized by her performance. She plays Salander so aloof and calculated that she is impossible to keep your eyes off of during the movie, and impossible to get out of your head long after it ends. She’s a darkhorse to even get nominated, but Rooney Mara gave my favorite female performance of the year.

1. Moneyball
I liked “Moneyball” a lot the first time I saw the film, but only after multiple viewings did I truly appreciate its brilliance and its solidification as my top movie of 2011. It would be misleading to call “Moneyball” a baseball movie. Sure, there are little nuggets of behind the scenes looks into how the business of a baseball team operates and runs. But “Moneyball” is so much more than that. It is a movie about economics, about trying to build championship worthy team given money constraints. It is about being undervalued, and being given a chance based on the way you fit into the larger scheme of things. And even further, it is about trying to change something bigger than yourself.  It is one of Brad Pitt’s most mature and best acted roles of his career, and he will certainly be nominated for an Oscar. Jonah Hill gives a surprisingly strong supporting performance and could get nominated himself. Even if you don’t like baseball at all, I still believe “Moneyball” is a fascinating film that is well written and well acted and is well worth your time.

Honorable Mentions: The two movies that were also fighting for the 10^th spot on my list were “The Skin I Live In” and “Win Win”. Both of those movies are very well done (for very different reasons) and just barely missed out on my list. Other mentions include: “Bridesmaids,” “Contagion,” “The Ides of March,” “Everything Must Go,” and “Undefeated”

Like Crazy
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence
Directed by: Drake Doremus (“Douchebag”)
Written by: Drake Doremus (“Douchebag”) Ben York Jones (“Douchebag”)

When the Britain-born Anna (Felicity Jones) and American Jacob (Anton Yelchin) begin their relationship, they know that eventually Anna’s college career will be over and her school visa will run out, sending her back to England. When that day finally comes, she decides she can’t do it, and overstays until she returns to London briefly. When she tries to come back into America, she is denied entrance and Anna and Jacob must face the challenge of keeping their relationship intact when they can’t physically be together.

Jones makes her mark in her American film debut with a very strong performance, one that will lead to many major roles in the future. While her character is eccentric and quirky, her natural beauty and smile light up the screen, as she provides much of what makes these kinds of movies so charming. Her chemistry with Yelchin is also strong, and both portrayals of young adults in love are genuine and believable.

“Like Crazy” is an independent film in its truest sense. Most of the dialogue is improvised and the film was shot on a micro-budget using a Canon digital SLR any aspiring filmmaker could go out and purchase on their own. That doesn’t affect the movie, however, as it is mostly well composed. The improvisation of dialogue perhaps adds to the authenticity. The fights between Jones and Yelchin are very convincing.

As the film goes on, the relationship between Yelchin and Jones begins to feel more like an obligation, and the desire to see these two be together starts to wither. “Like Crazy” is a good relationship drama in many ways, one that deals with long distance relationships accurately and with sincerity. But the narrative stretches itself a little too thin and ultimately leaves audiences with a film that is solid, but unspectacular.

Marianna Palka and Christopher Denham get intense in "Restive."

Restive
Starring: Marianna Palka, Christopher Denham, Michael Mosley
Directed by: Jeremiah Jones (debut)
Written by: Jeremiah Jones (debut)

In his film debut, former Texas Longhorn football player Jeremiah Jones presents a twisted story of an abused woman who tries to escape the cycle of violence. When Jeva (Marianna Palka) decides she’s taken enough abuse from her husband Lott (Christopher Denham), she takes matters into her own hands. The film follows Jeva and her son as they try to escape from two men (Michael Mosley and Ivan Sandomire) who Lott has sent to hurt them.

One of the more unique things about “Restive” is the way the film unfolds. For the first ⅔ of the thriller, audiences must piece together the film as events happening out of order in small segments. “Restive” also has a very distinct visual style. First-time director Jones shows finesse with very interesting camera movement and angles and a very inspired decision to eliminate most colors, complementing the tone in the film.

There is very little talking in “Restive,” and we see things unfold rather than hear characters talk about them. Because of this, actors are forced to give strong performances without speaking. Nobody in the film does this as well as actress Palka. She strongly conveys reactions to gut-wrenching events and her brave and physical performance stands out above the rest of the cast.

“Restive” is unsettling, to say the least. The characters in the film have distorted moral compasses, and our protagonist spends half the movie being beaten, dragged around and mistreated by men. But somewhere along the line the tables begin to turn. That’s when the film becomes less about violence against women, and more of a game of survival with a new favorite to win.

With a unique style and a fearless narrative, “Restive” is a harrowing film that features a bold, powerhouse performance from Palka and marks the arrival of a truly talented visual director.

Director Jeremiah Jones and actress Marianna Palka at the Austin Film Festival for their film "Restive."

After watching the film, and at breakfast the next morning I worked to get questions prepared for my first interview. We met in the press room at the Driskill Hotel, and I was pretty nervous, but also very excited that I was getting to try this out. I didn’t let Jeremiah and Marianna know that this was my first interview until we ended, in a moment that I won’t soon forget.

You guys had your first screening on Thursday? How did that go?

Marianna Palka: It was sold out.

Jeremiah Jones: They had to add extra rows, which is always a good sign. And we had the cast in so Marianna was in and Ivan [Sandomire] and Christopher Denham and Connor Hill. It was great. It was great to see everyone and watch the movie with them.

One of the first things about the film I wanted to talk about was the non-linear storytelling style. What made you want to use that as your form of storytelling, kind of piecing it up like that?

JJ: It’s linear to me. That sounds a little off, but that’s how I saw the story. We’re kind of in two different perspectives because when [Jeva] came into town, she kind of needed know the chronological order. How’d you feel?

MP: Yeah, [I had to know] for the characters journey and to understand where she’s come from and how beaten up she is. So certain things –  like for make up – they needed to know at what point she has the chain around her neck and the blood coming out because then for the rest of the movie she has that. We talked to Jeremiah about when different things had happened and what the order was. It’s just amazing to me that in the initial moment he saw it the way it is when you watch it.

JJ: Yeah, it wasn’t a stylistic choice or a storytelling choice.

And was it scripted like that as well?

JJ: Yeah, when it was written I wrote it just like that. There wasn’t like, “Oh, this had this backstory.” It just flowed like that for me. It was really difficult for me to break it back down and put it in order. I didn’t see it that way, but they all needed it.

MP: It was really fun to find out when things happen and know, “Oh this is where she’s at her wits end” or “this is when shes semi-hopeful.” The arc of the character is always super important in a feature film. Some actors write the arc on their wall in their trailer. I didn’t do that because I had Jeremiah every step of the way.

JJ: But there’s no right or wrong. We’ll do Q&As and people have their own idea and that’s the idea of the storytelling. To let them connect with it and then have questions about it. Then some of the Q&As they’ll be arguing in a good way. They’re like, “No, no, this happened” and they are like, “No, no, this happened,” which is good because I think that it’s having them think about what she went through.

So the idea that people are kind of having to piece the movie together as it’s going along…that was something that came as your vision of the film as far as putting it in order for them?

JJ: I enjoy a movie where you have to think. I enjoy a movie that challenges you. I’m hoping that “Restive” does that, but I think that is definitely one of the goals. Marianna is a Scottish actress, and so many of the movies that I call foreign, she doesn’t call them foreign.

MP: Yeah, they’re normal to me.

JJ: I think they challenge you. They are thinkers. I hope that “Restive” is in line with those films.

MP: We just premiered in London and they were freaking out over Jeremiah because they were like, “You’re like a European filmmaker!” and then here in Texas, because it’s his home state, everyone is so proud of him and they’re like, “You’re a Texan filmmaker!” because everyone wants to claim him.

JJ: (Laughs) I think it has an international feel because she’s Scottish and the composer is from Berlin, so the soundscape is from a Berlin composer.

And the music seems to be a really effective part of watching it. Is that something you knew you wanted going in, that style of music?

JJ: Well, I think the first challenge was there’s not a lot of dialogue so she has to talk without talking. So she has to step in and give a performance without talking, without dialogue. And then behind that you’re trying to provide her support in those moments, like just a bag hanging in a room without the (sound effect voice) is not going to be the same thing. And her moving towards it isn’t going to be the same thing. So it’s providing support to those moments.

This seemed like a physically taxing shoot for you, Marianna. How did you prepare for that?

MP: Well, it was amazing because the boys were really tired. The guys we’re like, “I’m so tired,” and I was like, “Really? I’m invigorated.”

JJ: She definitely rose to the occasion.

MP: I didn’t feel tired ever. I was never like, “Ugh, I can’t believe I have to do this!” I loved it. And it was great to work with Jeremiah because he is so physical. I mean he played football so he has this incredible background. He has this high pressure success earlier in his career so he had this understanding of what it really takes to achieve something. So he would come up to me and be like, “Just do it.”

JJ: Yeah, my directing style is “just do it.”

MP: His directing style is like, “You should do it…so you better do it.” It was amazing. And then I would just do it somehow.

JJ: When we were initially casting, Michael Mosley was first and he would ask, “Who’s Jeva?” And then when it all worked out I said, “Hey, Jeva’s gonna kick your ass.” She brings this physical presence, this physical dominance, this wonderful power on screen that’s very believable because she has to do battle with these physical men. I didn’t want a movie where they’re dragging this woman around. Not only does she fight back, but she really fights back. It had to be believable.

MP: They were like, “Whoa, okay, you’re Jeva.” They knew there was so much physical stuff.

JJ: And if you watch the progression, she kind of starts off below them. But as the movie plays on, even in the way she’s positioned, she’s gradually making that shift. That’s power.

MP: It’s so cool. It’s like a feminist film in a way, it’s a humanist movie, you know? It’s like everybody is equal, essentially. They don’t know that they are equal, and they don’t feel equal to one another, but from Jeremiah’s perspective and the way he illustrates it, these people are really equal. It’s a fair fight, it really is.

In addition to all that physical stuff, theres a really raw, emotional performance there, too. How did you tap into that and give that kind of performance?

MP: I felt like I was so connected to the material because of the way I saw her and read her. The way she was written was like a real woman with real problems. There are people in this country and other countries who are in domestic violence situations. So that was really easy for me to connect to, only because I feel for them. I’ve never been in a situation like that and I’ve never known anyone who is in a situation like that, but I can imagine. The way that it was written was so beautiful and authentic that it was really easy for me to get emotionally connected.

JJ: It’s great because it’s a true collaboration. I don’t give her anything to do. She connects to it on her own and she develops that character. There’s no, “Here, hold this…this turns you into that woman.” It’s a true collaboration where we get together and she finds it on her own and then that comes out. And I was amazed. I learned so much by just watching her.

One of the things I liked most about the movie was how it looked. I loved the style of it. I liked that you had some muted colors in there and I was wondering if this was something that you envisioned or if it was a collaboration with the cinematographer or what influenced the look of the film.

JJ: Well, it’s always a collaboration. That’s the goal, to find a team where we can put our heads together and do good work. I think the colors of this movie or the feel of this movie…I didn’t want anything to be warm. So there’s no orange or red or yellow. For me, I like blues, I like greens, any earthy tones, browns…and this fit “Restive.” There’s moments where we use red. I like to pool red, like pools of red in the kids room or in the kitchen, on the floor. But colors had a big part of it. [The film's colorist was] Parke Gregg. He did the color and cut on “Take Shelter.” We sat down for a month and he did a fabulous job. I told him to make it look like dirt. The characters were just so gritty and grimy and wrong and dirty, and we wanted to support that.

I’ve seen that you had a minor in social work that led into this. What parts of that led to developing the story or what did you use from that?

JJ: I didn’t even think about going through school until we really started to talk about domestic violence. It’s something that you studied but I didn’t sit down and go, “Okay, what did I study and now what can I write?” We just kind of wrote it and then we all worked on it together and then looking back it’s like, “Oh wow.” I knew the cycle of violence. I had studied the cycle of violence. And this movie is about a woman who is stuck in the cycle of violence.

MP: What did you call it when instead of killing herself, she acts out on others?

JJ: She suffers from “homicidal ideation.” So she’s stuck in a bad spot and some people consider suicide to remove themselves from that spot. She has the adverse choice to remove someone else and she does that twice in the movie. She thinks that she’s solving things by removing other people. So I would have learned that in school.

One thing I wanted to ask you about are the biblical reference in the film. Was that something you were trying to include as a part of their culture?

JJ: I think it’s definitely set in the south. I think if they had enough conversations it’s definitely gonna come up just being set in the south. But with Michael Mosley, who plays the short haired Braker, I think it’s a peek into his psyche and how he embraces his role. I think he thinks that role is that he has to give God something to forgive him for, which is scary. People would call them hicks or they’d call them rednecks, but they’re all very intelligent. And I think it’s his way of rationalizing his motives and what he does and what he likes to do. I think he knows what he’s doing is not right, but it’s himself justifying him, which is to me creepy.

What are each of you taking away from this film, for you Jeremiah, being early on in your film career and Marianna for such a big emotional role?

MP: Well, I made a film called “Good Dick” a couple years before we shot “Restive” and I remember feeling after I shot that movie that I got everything that I needed. It was my first feature film and everyone was like, “You’re going to lose this. You’re going to lose that. You’re probably not going to have enough money” and everyone was stressing me out so I thought, “Well we’re just not going to get everything” and then we’re going to have to figure it out. But it was funny because after “Good Dick,” the day we were done shooting I was like, “Oh, I got everything I needed.” I really did that well, you know? And the same thing happened with “Restive,” where I came home from being in Crawford for however many days that was and it was the most amazing experience. We got to stay with the producer’s family and we got to shoot guns on our day off. We just got to do lots of really awesome things around that part of Texas.

JJ: We really want to be part of a family.

MP: It felt like that. It felt like we were part of a family and it enabled us to trust everyone and to trust each other and immediately start working. We hit the ground running and so the day that I got back to Los Angeles, I remember having a similar feeling like, “I did it.”

JJ: For a month, it doesn’t get more demanding. She’s climbing up trees, she’s going off cliffs. She carried a child.

MP: [About Connor Hill] He’s a really professional actor. He’s a really amazing little kid actor, I love him. And he sometimes would be like “I’m tired. Can you just carry me back to the start?” So I would be like, “Yes” because I’m not going to say no. I’m in the zone. So anything that’s happening, I enable as much as possible. So I was like, “Yes, I will carry you back to the start if you carry me back to the start.” (Laughs) But I feel like it was more than just the experience of just making this film that has a purpose. This movie is really beautiful for people to watch and to understand the human condition and to understand what happens to a person when they’re put upon like that. It shows how that can be avoided in our society and how women can be more enabled or more informed. But the most amazing thing was just the entire ball of joy around that because we had so much fun making it. When you watch it, it’s a terrifying film. But the making of it was like bubblegum. 

JJ: The making of it for me is the best part. I obviously enjoy film. I love watching movies. I like watching this movie. But this weekend if you asked me what my favorite thing was, it’s hanging out with Marianna and Chris. Chris flew in and we hung out on the porch and watched my one-year-old walk around. We probably didn’t even talk about movies. It’s the people and the relationships that you build in these journeys, and that’s why I liked to do it or want to do it. And if I learned anything, we’ll find out on the next one.

MP: I think it’s amazing that he went from football, to coaching, to film directing.

JJ: They’re very similar though. The skillset is very similar. Directing is coaching. Casting is recruiting. And then you’re working with a team of people towards a common goal. You’re motivating them and supporting them to get there, to win. Filmmaking and football are one in the same.

So you learned a lot from football?

JJ: I learned everything. Well you know I had the opportunity to play for [UT head football] Coach Brown. And he’s done well. In that university, you’re around people that are really successful in their profession. They’re there because they’re good. And you go through that system. I was there five years. You learn how they take care of people and how they work to win.

MP: He’s a UT football letterman. They gave him a bunch of letters.

JJ: She’s like, “What letters do you mean?”

MP: Honestly, I said, “Which letters did they give you?”

JJ: (Laughs) It doesn’t work like that.

I purposely did not tell Marianna and Jeremiah that this was my first interview because I didn’t want expectations of the interview to change or give them any idea that I was really nervous. After it ended, I told them that it was indeed my first interview and Marianna made my week by being completely surprised and complimenting me on the interview. All and all, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience and it definitely loosened me up for the next interview. Next entry, I will be covering the French silent film “The Artist,” and the new Alexander Payne film “The Descendants.”

It’s pretty much impossible to see everything you want to see at a the Austin Film Festival (AFF), even if you block out the entire week for movies. I’ve found out that there’s always going to be two movies that you’d really like to see playing at the same time, so you have to pick your battles. Fortunately, I was able to get a screener of the film “Sironia” and watched it a few days before the festival. As soon as it ended, I sent off an e-mail to try to schedule an interview with the director and lead actor.

SIRONIA
Starring: Wes Cunningham, Amy Acker, Tony Hale
Directed by: Brandon Dickerson (debut)
Written by: Thomas Ward (debut), Brandon Dickerson (debut), Wes Cunningham (debut)

When Los Angeles-based musician Thomas Fisher (Wes Cunningham) has a major studio reject his second album and is told his style is not what is currently popular in the industry, he decides to drop his entire life in L.A. and move to the Texas town of Sironia (a fictional town based on Waco) where his pregnant wife Molly (Amy Acker) has family. Thomas takes a job at a local restaurant run by his wife’s brother Chad (Tony Hale) and fights his bitter feelings about not making it in the industry, all while dealing with the struggles of being a new father.

The film is based around true events, with director Brandon Dickerson dropping his career as a music video director in L.A. in order for him and his wife to be with her mother who was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in Waco. From there, Dickerson reunited with friend and musician Wes Cunningham, and eventually Baylor University professor Thomas Ward. Together they wrote a screenplay based on their experiences and on 40 of Cunningham’s songs. Shot and scripted in Waco, this is true Texas filmmaking.

The music in “Sironia” is outstanding. Cunningham’s songs bring out the emotional aspects of the film. While audiences might know that Cunningham is a very talented musician, his acting is a revelation. He has never acted before and earned the role by working with an acting coach, going through a standard audition, and screen testing for the part. Cunningham had an idea of what it was like to be a musician who was put through the grind of the music industry and he used it to his advantage, crafting a very strong debut performance. He even pulls off the difficult task of convincingly acting drunk, a skill even veteran actors consider to be very difficult.

The rest of the supporting cast is also strong, particularly with performances by “Arrested Development” favorite Tony Hale and a newcomer Stella Otto, who has a few hilarious scenes as Thomas and Molly’s niece Heather.

The script for “Sironia” is strong and delivers good commentary on how cutthroat the music industry is. If the industry wants to go in a certain direction, you might be left behind. Some of the more humorous scenes involve seeing an L.A. musician transplanted into Texas, where he marvels at culture quite normal to Texans. The struggle Fisher faces is interesting as we watch his disdain for the situation grow into the the neglect of his family.

The story, the people, the music, it was all so charming. First time director Brandon Dickerson has crafted an earnest and warm film that audiences, (especially those who enjoy a good soundtrack with their movies), should really take to.

During my interview with Brandon and Wes, we talked about the ever-changing music and film scenes and what it was like to work with actors who had never actually acted before.

If you’re in Austin, you have one more chance to see the film tonight, October 26 at 6 p.m. at the Rollins Theatre at the Long Center. If you can’t make it out, I strongly suggest going to the films website www.sironiafilm.com where you can listen to the entire soundtrack and download three of the songs for free.

First off, I had been reading a little bit about your premiere. You guys were really happy with it. Tell me more about that.

Brandon Dickerson: Sure, what was crazy was it just sold out beyond our wildest dreams, which is kind of cool. They put us into a larger venue and they’ve really been encouraging the Texas Independents and so they put us there, which is one of the larger theaters. But there were so many people there that they brought in 50 extra seats and they still turned away a huge line. So that was kind of humbling, the response to the whole thing. It was just a thrill to see it with an audience that was seeing it for the first time. Everyone enjoyed it. I think we didn’t make total idiots of ourselves afterwards. So yeah, it’s a success.

Wes, I had been reading that you had taken this movie from 40 of your songs. Were these songs from previously in your career that you had recorded already?

Wes Cunningham: Good question. Sort of like the character in the movie, I tried to give up music for about four years, like a cut-off-my-arm kind of thing. At the end four years, a publisher friend of mine called and said I should be making music and encouraged me to do it and offered me a little bit of money. We worked out an arrangement to where I could do it. For two or three years I was just writing songs in my basement. That’s just what I love to do. I’ve got a little recording [studio] set up. So no, in my wildest dreams I would never have thought this guy would move to my town and that we would even entertain the idea of making a movie. I was just writing songs because that’s what I love to do. And there’s songs about my life. I tend to write sort of autobiographically anyway. That was the fun part because they come from a real honest place, the music does. And so we built the story around those honest songs. I think that adds to the authenticity of a movie, as opposed to, “Hey, here’s a big budget. We got this great movie. Why don’t you write a song?” It’s a whole new, different thing. So it was pretty cool how it worked, but it was by no means something I set out to do. I was thinking about this today, the song “Should my luck run out,” is one of the songs in the movie and its sort of a comical sort of love song. It’s whimsical. One of the lines is, “Should you get old, should your teeth fall out, should your hair turn blue, yet will I still love you.” But that song totally informed the scenes in the movie. It was so cool how we wrote the scene around the song. So, that’s an example of how we did it. It was pretty cool.

BD: That one in particular seems so written for that scene. I think it’s really what’s fun about it because [as a music video director] I came from adding visuals to music. And yet, this was by far the most satisfying thing ever. I don’t think you could say, “We’re going to end that movie that way.” I just don’t think it’d be as pure and honest because you’d overthink it. You’d be like, “This is the final scene!” and all that.

WC: A big Bryan Adams number.

BD: (Laughs) Yeah, totally!

WC: Which I love Bryan Adams, by the way.

One of the things is that your character in the film seems to have some sort of contempt for the music industry and he has these conversations about how he’s not relevant and all that. I was wondering how much of that you’ve experienced. Have you had a conversation like that or been told that your stuff wasn’t what people were looking for?

WC: Yeah. That’s a very good question. I’ve got several different answers. Yeah, I think anytime you’re trying to make something that’s original or unique and it doesn’t necessarily fit in to an established pipeline, it’s hard. And I’m certainly not unique. I mean there’s so many people like me that make music and mean what they say and love to create. There’s no avenue for that in mainstream culture. But I do think things are changing so much now, especially in the last two years that it’s almost irrelevant. You can get your stuff out there and if it’s good enough, people will like it. So yeah, I think the character uses that contempt as a crutch. I think he’s sort of almost cynical and bitter towards the industry. I’ve certainlybeen like that in the past. It’s a convenient mantra if you’re not successful to be mad at the machine. But I also think that you get over that and you recognize the mainstream culture for what it is, you can either try to participate in that or you can do what your heart is telling you and hope for the best. And I think ultimately the character comes to terms with that and says – sort of like I did – “This is what I love to do. I’m going to do it regardless of who likes it or who doesn’t” and hope that someone likes it. It’s fun to make money doing what you love, but it’s not the end all be all either.

And Brandon, did you see anything like that within the film industry?

BD: Oh yeah, it’s interesting, the parallel there. The wild thing about this story, sort fo the story behind the story is that I was in L.A. just having good meeting after good meeting. When I moved to L.A. there were like three scripts I was attached to and meetings at studios. I thought it was going to happen for me and then it didn’t. There’s tons of that kind of up and down. It’s a different industry but similar disappointments.For me it would be like saying the studio system is flawed or something like that. But in the same way the film industry is changing just like the music industry. So, these opportunities to kind of do it yourself like we did with “Sironia,” it’s just kind of liberating. For me, life circumstances removed me from Hollywood and it turned out to be liberating. What sort of appeared to be this curse turned out to be this huge blessing. I wasn’t to that point where I was on my own like, “I’m out of here,” cause things were still cranking along and were exciting. It wasn’t until I walked away that I was like, “I’m just spinning my wheels.” I’m going to meeting after meeting. I almost got a feature. I’m attached to this script. I’m attached to that script. This person may have money, you know. I just piled up the exciting meetings and realized I just had a bunch of exciting meetings and nothing to show for it.

Yeah, and you kind of see that in the film when Thomas is thinking he’s finding the right thing that he’s gonna do, whether it’s on the farm or moving to Texas to begin with. So, I guess you guys kind of pulled those kind of experiences and turned them into the film itself.

BD: Yeah. Well, Thomas Ward, who we wrote with, and Wes and I, we just all had a similar worldview. We were all coming from the same kind of place in our lives, but each had a completely unique voice to it. Thomas has these great stage plays that he’s written about a husband and wife talking about marriage, this incredible dialogue stuff that he’s bringing to the party and doing such the heavy lifting of the script.  We were all just coming from a unique place. Because it’s a screenwriter’s conference, a lot of people have asked those questions and I think I realize now even more than when we did it just how rare three guys getting together to write could work out.

WC: Yeah, just to speak to that, we all found ourselves in Waco through various circumstances and we all got together and started throwing these ideas around. And it was a labor of love, it was just fun. And we never really thought that we would get a film made. But we were just going to tell a story. It was a real creative think-tank. It was unique because I had never been a part of anything where the best idea wins. There are always egos. I don’t like to write music with other people and somehow this worked. We all were able to come together and would just get excited about it and write it down and meet back again the next day. So, it was a real pure thing because there was no money no involved, no hope of anything. It was just for fun.

BD: And I think that’s what kept it pure too. Almost like, there’s a parallel between Wes writing the songs just because he had to write the songs. There was no release date, no film, no script. There was no hope of getting funding. There was no executive calling us looking for pages. It really was a blast.

WC: And then ultimately, when everything shifted and he became director and we got funding, all of a sudden we’re in the elevator and we’re like, “I can’t believe it!” It was a fantastic moment. At that point he has basically carte blanche to direct and to create the movie he wants to make without anybody looking over his shoulder, which is another amazing gift. It’s pretty special.

BD: I was given such freedom to make the film I wanted to make, it was unbelievable. I think the whole thing from writing the songs to the finished thing, there was no pressure. And it’s amazing what art outside of that pressure can do, right? It was awesome. But now we’ll have the pressure.

WC: Not if we fail miserably.

BD: That might be the best thing to happen!

You had talked about how you’ve been doing music videos most of your career. Are features something you’ve wanted to do for a while? What was the transition like?

BD: Yeah, what’s really interesting is I was that 8-year-old kid that wanted to be a director, a feature director. So I did music videos to learn the tools of feature directing. In fact, if you look at some of my videos they look like a really frustrated narrative director, packing way too much in. I would do music videos that look like trailers to films, you know? And maybe a good trailer for a film that doesn’t exist, but way too much to pack into a music video. So, interesting enough, whereas a lot of guys sort of get into music video and then evolve to features, I was the guy who since the beginning was all about features. That’s what I wanted to do the whole time. It’s been great to make a living doing commercials and music videos. That gave me the opportunity that once the film came along, I was very comfortable with all the technical aspects. There weren’t any questions like, “What’s this camera? What’s that?” And that’s why I chose to shooting on film, too. I had far more experience shooting on film. So one is, the purist idea of it. I thought the film needed the grain structure, but really it was just the paintbrush I knew. I think a lot of people think like, “Oh, I fell on my sword for a purist approach.” I had spent 15 years working with a paintbrush. Digital changes every 15 minutes. I’m really not as techy that way. Like wanting to use the latest technology. So that’s another thing that was great, just getting to shoot it on 35mm. It’s a long way of saying I’ve wanted to do this my whole life.

Wes, you haven’t acted before. How was doing this for the first time and how did you prepare for the role?

WC: Well it was awkward at first. I think it just all occurred to me at once that I really want to do this. So then I kind of had to prove it and I got some acting coaching. But I think it’s like, when you look at one of those pixilated posters and you can’t see it. You stare at it long enough and you kind of glaze over and then it comes to you in 3D. It was one of those kind of, “Oh, okay, I get it” moments for me because it’s really flexing the same muscle as performing music or even writing music because you have to be honest and say what you mean and sort of be in the moment. Once I figured it out it wasn’t about pretending and it was just about talking and being in the scene, it came pretty naturally. It was absolutely thrilling and I want to do it again. Let me say this too, on the record.

BD: (Points at recorder) Is this on?

WC: (Laughs) I just wanted to compliment Brandon…

BD: Oh, no! (Laughs)

WC: …because it was really an unpopular decision to cast me, being an unknown. And I think there were reasons why he ended up doing it ultimately. Hopefully it worked out for the best. But at the time, he was being encouraged to go with other known actors. So he really stuck his neck out. The same thing with another actress in the film: Stella Otto, who also never acted.  So you have a couple of unpopular decisions at the time, but I think it worked out for the better.

BD: You can imagine…they’re like, “OK, you’re a first time director,” and there were conversations where they’re like, “Let’s just calm down. I know you’re excited. You’re going to go with a first time actor who is not known and then you also want to cast a first time kid.” And I was like “Yes! That’s what I want to do.” Wes did a screen test and was obviously directable. So then there was no question because the authenticity of the music was already there. I mean, if you looked at that, there was nobody that came close. And then once Wes proved that he could really turn what he had done for years as a performer into a screen performer…that’s what is a little misleading. All these things are like the overnight success thing and all that…the first time actor thing. I think people are blown away. I’ve gotten people that tweet about it. They’re like, “Holy cow, this guy has never acted before?” which is true. However, he brought so much to the party because all his life he’d been a performer. So he was able to turn what is an amazing performance into an amazing performance. And he shifted in the same way he writes these songs. They went from storytelling here to screenplay. So he’s just super talented. He’s one of these guys who could be talented in these various things. It’s almost like getting back to that machine thing. I mean, wisdom would say that we were stupid, but we’re sitting here, you know, a movie that you’ve watched twice. You wouldn’t watch it twice if the acting stunk and the kid threw it away and the music was bad. I’m biased but I think all those choices paid off and I have zero regrets and some wonderful conversations with people who told me not to do that. (Laughs) That’s been really fun. I haven’t said, “I told you so,” but they’ve told me I’ve told them so. Now it just seemed like that’s where the story was going. It didn’t seem like this story about us writing it and then all of a sudden we look at what’s typical in Hollywood.  Everything was so organic and natural. Common wisdom would say you need a star and you can’t cast a kid, but I’ve worked with kids for years doing Disney stuff. So when I met Stella I was like, “That’s the kid.”

She was great. For me at least, she had the funniest moments in the film.

(Publicist mentions a scene where Stella falls while kicking a soccer ball.)

BD: The fact that she stayed in character when she fell, I mean obviously that wasn’t scripted. And the fact that she didn’t look at cameras. She just stayed in the moment. And it’s funny. That was just really natural. It’s fun to put those kind of moments in it. And what’s wild is she’s grown up, just cause kids grow up so much. She’s older now…

WC: Yeah, I read a quote where she saw herself and she’s like, “Ah, I look so young!” And when I saw myself I was like, “Ah, I look so old!”

BD: (Laughs) That’s great.

And Wes is playing drunk in the movie and I’ve heard that’s supposed to be one of the hardest things to do.

BD: All actors comment on that. And I told you when you were doing it…

WC: I had lots of experience. (Laughs)

BD: (Laughs) And then I realized as a director, “Oh man, there’s a lot of drunk scenes,” and that’s the hardest thing. It’s like working with kids and drunk and I have both those, and sometimes at the same time. That Skate World scene, we have a bunch of kids and somebody drunk, I was like, “Why did we write this?”

WC: Put in some ponies and stuff.

BD: (Laughs) Exactly, I needed animals. A dog needed to walk in and lick your face and we would have had all of the challenges.

WC: Somebody told me, and it really helped me out, to just be like everything’s funny and take it that way. Don’t try to be drunk but just approach it in a whimsical, this-is-hilarious-kind of way.

Since this film is so personal to all three of you who wrote it…there’s a lot of Texas charm in there that I really liked. I was wondering how important it was to put that in there to show the people that you only find that type of charm here it seems.

BD: Yeah. Well, I think that was very important. Specific to Waco, I think that in media and print and screen, Waco gets so beat up. I joked at the premiere, 20 years cult free or whatever. So I think all of us had this affection for Waco and also Texas in general. And in particular I was like a California boy in Texas. I think the way the three of us wrote was this affection for that and then just realizing when somebody comes into this environment from another environment, how do they view it? Everything from the mutton busting to the queso and the lawn mowing and all those kind of things. We were sort of acting as a foil. But it’s interesting people write about the charm of the town and I think that was super important to us, to kind of make the town a character. I think we succeeded in that. I think the town is a character.

WC: My favorite line is when he says, “Check it out, dude’s mowin’ his yard!”

BD: (Laughs) Which of course, nobody does in LA.

You had a really good cast, top to bottom. What were some of the processes of getting these people involved, like Tony Hale and others?

BD: Well, it’s interesting. Some characters we wrote for and then others that we just cast. As a director in commercials and music videos, casting has always been my thing. If I’m ever talking to anyone, it’s always about casting. There’s famous quotes about 80 percent of your job is casting. I knew that was important. I was attached to a script that Tony had written, still attached to a script called “Tread Water,” and I’ve worked with Tony before and know Tony well. So we actually wrote Chad with Tony in mind. That [role] was Tony’s to lose. I he didn’t want it, then we would’ve rewrote it. I had seen Tony in a film and I had directed Tony before in a music video. I had seen him not as Buster Bluth. I think all of us were fans of Tony’s work.

WC: Yeah, we wanted to see him get mad and throw down, which he did.

BD: Yeah, that scene outside of Skate World.

Yeah, I’ve never seen him do anything like that.

BD: Wasn’t that great? That was purely intentional. We were writing that scene saying, “We would love to see Tony Hale do this.” And then the other kind of funny one was Meaghan Jette Martin. She’s a really great actress who found herself doing music because of the industry’s desire to do that. So I literally showed the guys a video that I had done and we wrote this character to represent the industry’s desire to package. Cause I had seen Meaghan personally go through that. I kind of helped her do that. (Laughs) I’m in this, so there’s no judgment. I paid my rent that month doing such a thing. But anyway, I wrote it for her never thinking she’d do it and she got the joke and totally was into it. Amy (Acker) auditioned from a tape because she was in New York. So Robyn Lively walked in and owned it. Robyn Lively and John Billingsley. I told Emily Schweber, our casting director, “I don’t even have to see anyone else.” The two of them came in spot on. And then looked at a lot of people for Molly. Amy sent in this tape audition that was just amazing, just mind-blowing. So she and I did interviews over Skype, which was really interesting. So it was all over Skype that we talked about the role, talked about how I saw it. She talked about how she saw it, everything. She had a total disadvantage in that, and yet I knew she was it.

WC: And I met her for the first time the night before the shoot. “Here you go, here’s your new wife!”

A quick thing on Tony, and this is just for me. When they first come up and Amy goes up to him and she gives him a “Heyyyy brother,” was that…

BD: Totally intentional.

That makes me so happy.

BD: (Laughs) I literally did it in ADR. It was literally done later, as a complete inside gag. Absolutely intentional, added in post, as an inside joke for people like us.

WC: The thing about Tony is he’ll walk up and he’ll be like, “Heyyy brother, what’s goin’ on?” and he’s being serious. That’s kind of his thing.

BD: Which is great because he is her brother. So in hindsight I was like, I’ve gotta put this in as just a little nugget for fans.

I was going to believe that’s what it was even if it wasn’t intentional.

BD: I love that you saw that because I didn’t know if anyone ever would get that. So I feel like that was all worth it now that you saw that.

I wanted to ask if Wes, you’re going to continue acting from here and what kind of direction you want your career to go in now that you’ve tried acting and had a successful run into it.

WC: Yeah, I would love to continue auditioning. It was absolutely thrilling. I want to do it again and I want to play characters. It’s a blast. I’d love to do it again. I’ll always do music. I’ll always just do that. I’m kind of open to be honest with you. I don’t really have a 5-year plan. I’m very much a one-day-at-a-time kind of guy.

Oh, are you going to release the soundtrack anywhere like iTunes?

WC: Yeah, hopefully. I’m hopeful to get that squared away soon. It would be great to have a record-record. So I think we’re working on it.

And lastly, the way you’ve been doing it here for the Festival, you’ve been having Wes perform and then having the screening and then a Q&A. Do you find that that’s the best way to present this movie and do you plan on taking it around in that format?

BD: Yeah, great question. I actually do think that’s the best. First off, going out for a night at the movie, a film like ours, if you’re going to spend a night on a babysitter or you and your buddies are going to go out or whatever, there’s a lot of bigger films out there. So when you add the idea of sort of an event, like you can go see the film, you can see Wes play, you can hear the filmmakers talk about it, it just becomes a little more special, you know? And it’s fun because I think we enjoy the story behind the story as much. Then there’s also songs that are not in the film. There’s songs on the soundtrack that are equally a part of the film, even though they’re not in the film proper. So when you get to see Wes live, it’s still kind of this “Sironia” event type of thing. A lot of movies go on tour, so we’re going to regroup after this. I feel like we’re getting an opportunity to show what this looks like. Cause we did a show here, then we did a screening and a Q&A. Wes is playing tonight (Oct. 26) at the Highball and then we’re doing the Wednesday thing. The response to it has been so positive that the audience is seeing that this is a really cool thing. You can go see a movie, you can hear about how it was made, and then you get to see Wes live. Cities like Nashville, L.A., Austin, Dallas, make a lot of sense for us, especially since we can just get in our car and go. That’s what “Once” did.

WC: Let’s do it twice.

BD: (Laughs) Ohhhhhhhhhhhh! Nice!

And one last message to San Antonio from Wes Cunningham: “Give my love to the Blanco Café. That’s my spot. I like The Cove, too. “

After getting checked in and taking care of some paperwork, a friend and I decided to go eat in the restaurant at the hotel, since we were too late to catch the Duplass brothers panel. There in the restaurant, I had my first celebrity sighting of the weekend: David Boreanaz from the TV show “Bones.” Now, I’ve never seen even a second of “Bones” in my life, but one of the most fun things to do when just walking around the festival is to play “spot the celebrity.” So to find one within 15 minutes of attending the festival was a treat.

From the restaurant, we walked down to the Austin Convention Center where after some minor confusion, found our way to the correct room and got in line to kick off my film festival experience with “The Stand Up.” The attendance was a little spotty for this one, and getting there a little over an hour early was PLENTYof time to assure us our choice of seats. The room itself was a hall of a convention center, so it was just a few chairs in front of a makeshift screen and sound system, but I was actually quite impressed with the video and sound quality. But anyway, onto the film…

Jonathon Sollis (left) stars as Zoe Hardwick in "The Stand-Up."

THE STAND UP
Starring: Jonathon Sollis, Margarita Leviva, Aidan Quinn
Written by: David Wexler (“Evil Weed”)
Directed by: David Wexler (“Evil Weed”) 

“The Stand Up” tells the story of Zoe Hardwick (Jonathon Sollis), a NYC based stand-up comedian who begins to spiral into a depression after his girlfriend is tragically murdered. While struggling to get back on his feet, Zoe takes a temporary job as a kindergarten teacher at the elementary school his father (Aidan Quinn) runs. There, he forms a new bond with a straight-laced teacher named Veronica (Margarita Leviva).

For a movie about a stand up comedian, “The Stand Up” is decidedly sparse on actual stand-up comedy material. When they do show bits of Zoe’s act, it is mildly amusing, but you can clearly see that he’s a comedian who is still struggling to find his voice. The film is constructed in a way where we skip ahead a year after the death of Zoe’s girlfriend, and then watch the next few weeks unfold in front of our eyes. While there is nothing wrong with the narrative style in itself, every transition from one day to another is punctuated with a fade to black, a trend that almost makes the scenes feel like vignettes and keeps the movie from having a smooth pace.

“The Stand Up” works best when we see Zoe interacting with his kindergarten class. Sollis has a natural warmth and jovial quality that makes it a joy to watch him interact with children, particularly in a battle of wits he has with one way too smart child. Unfortunately, the rest of the film didn’t pull me in enough to truly have any attachment to the characters. Sollis has good chemistry with Leviva, but their relationship is a little rushed to give it a true emotional impact. While “The Stand Up” has a few great moments of both comedy and drama, I mostly found myself unmoved by the story and distracted by the structure of the editing.

Even though it was not even 7 p.m. yet, I had been monitoring the FestivalGenius webpage for my AFF scheduling and found that approximately 250 people planned on seeing “Shame.” The problem? The theater it was showing at holds about 150 people.  Since “Shame” is a movie with huge buzz and potential Oscar nominations, we made the executive decision of skipping the Duplass Brothers’ new film “Jeff Who Lives at Home” (which I really wanted to see) and opted to assure ourselves a spot in line for “Shame.” Well, when we got there, we walked up and were happy to find that there were only a handful of people in line…for the movie before “Shame,” which hadn’t even started yet. That’s right, we were there about 2.5 hours early. After patiently waiting at the front of the line for a couple of hours, and watching the badge, film pass, and single ticket lines grow, we finally made our way into the theater.

Since we were at the top of the line, we had our choice of seats, but that wasn’t the same for the people behind us. Nobody from the festival was keeping a headcount and they let WAY too many people into the theater. As the seats began to fill up, badge holders began roaming by every row, asking if seats were available. It got so bad that they had to make an announcement that they were booked to capacity and everyone not in a seat had to vacate the auditorium immediately. I felt bad for the film pass holders and ticket holders who were there just as early as we were and didn’t even step foot in the theater. It is still a mystery to me why AFF would choose to host one of the most buzzed about films of the entire festival in one of the smallest venues…but I digress.

(From left) Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender star in Steve McQueen's "Shame."

SHAME
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale
Written by: Steve McQueen (“Hunger”)
Directed by: Steve McQueen (“Hunger”)

Shame follows a New Yorker named Brandon (Michael Fassbender) and his struggles with a sex addiction that reach their peak when his sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in with him. I can’t wait to see what audiences think of this film. It is easily one of the most sexually graphic movies in recent memory. There is gratuitous nudity, both male and female, and just the nature of the film alone will cause some audiences to be uncomfortable. Over the past week, Fox Searchlight has stated that they plan on releasing the film as NC-17, which is something that is rarely done in the industry these days. Many movie theater chains won’t even show NC-17 films. Usually if a film is given the NC-17 rating they will cut it down for an R rating (“Blue Valentine,” “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” etc), but Fox Searchlight is choosing to leave the film as is, a decision that I very much admire.

As far as the movie itself, it is an absolutely brilliantly-crafted study into the life of a sex-addict. Director Steve McQueen shows that he is a rising filmmaker with beautifully constructed shots, none better than in long, single take scenes with camera movement and unique angels. Fassbender gives a riveting and emotionally-driven performance that puts him in serious contention for an Oscar nomination.

While his character’s sex addiction is evidently severe from the start, dominating all aspects of his life both professionally and socially, it is fascinating to watch Fassbender spiral out of control when his sister comes into the picture. Mulligan continues to show why she is one of the great young film actresses in a role that causes her to step out of the sweet girl audiences have come to be familiar with. The film will undoubtedly be controversial among wider audiences, but expect heavy awards buzz to surround this unique and daring picture, especially for Fassbender.

All and all it was a really fun first day at a film festival. I can see why people advise to plan ahead and to make sure you don’t overload yourself, but for me, that’s part of the fun. I feel like I’m not taking in the whole experience unless I’m trying to cram as many films into a one week period as I possibly can. As a side note, when I was waiting in line for “Shame,” I was able to secure an interview with the filmmaker and lead actress for the film “Restive,” so I rushed back to the hotel room and watched it. More on that in the next entry.

From the creators of “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” everybody’s favorite talking Chihuahuas are back in a comedy that’s a pack of outrageous fun for the whole family. Puppy mayhem turns the lives of newlywed Chihuahua parents, Papi and Chloe, upside down when their playful puppies present one challenge after another. But, when their human owners find themselves in trouble, the tiny pups will stop at nothing to save them—because in good times and hard times, the family always sticks together. Papi, Chloe and the puppies embark on a heroic adventure, proving once again that big heroes come in small packages.

Featuring an all-star cast, including George Lopez (voice of Papi), and complete with a litter of bonus features, this heartwarming tale of the meaning of family, friendship and loyalty is a special breed of fun—times five.

The “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 Blu-ray” Combo Pack has a U.S. suggested retail price of $39.99 and the 1-Disc DVD set has a U.S. suggested retail price of $29.99. Additionally, the Digital Download/Electronic –Sell Through (EST) has a U.S. suggested retail price of $19.50.

“Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2″ Puppies Take East L.A.:

Papi and Chloe visit Miami:

THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THE KING’S SPEECH
BLACK SWAN
INCEPTION
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
THE FIGHTER
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
WINTER’S BONE
127 HOURS

10 for 10
Perfection. I thought The Town might’ve snuck in there at the last minute, but I stuck to my gut and 127 Hours prevailed in that final spot I was leery about. Right now, my favorite film of 2010 The Social Network looks like an unstoppable force, but we’ll see how things pan out in the coming month.

Best Director

DAVID FINCHER, The Social Network
DARREN ARONOFSKY, Black Swan
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN, Inception JOEL AND ETHAN COEN, True Grit
TOM HOOPER, The King’s Speech
DAVID O. RUSSELL, The Fighter

4 for 5
Wow, Christopher Nolan snubbed again. I mean, personally I would have gone with Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit, too, but I thought the Academy might make up a little for not giving him a Dark Knight nod. Again, almost everything Social Network is brimming with confidence right now, so David Fincher is easily the frontrunner.

Best Actor

COLIN FIRTH, The King’s Speech
JAMES FRANCO, 127 Hours
JESSE EINSBERG, The Social Network
JEFF BRIDGES, True Grit
ROBERT DUVALL, Get Low JAVIER BARDEM, Biutiful

4 for 5
Ah, hell. That’s why you have to stick with your gut! I had Javier Bardem in that fifth spot until the 11th hour and then switched it back to Robert Duvall. I feel sorry for Ryan Gosling for not getting the nod for Blue Valentine since Michelle Williams got hers. Those two would not have worked without each other. Nevertheless, it’s Colin Firth’s to lose.

Best Actress

NATALIE PORTMAN, Black Swan
ANNETTE BENING, The Kids Are All Right
NICOLE KIDMAN, Rabbit Hole
JENNIFER LAWRENCE, Winter’s Bone
MICHELLE WILLIAMS, Blue Valentine

5 for 5
Perfection. This was probably one of the easier categories to predict, so I won’t pat myself on the back too much. Right now it’s a two woman race between Natalie Portman and Annette Bening.

Best Supporting Actor

CHRISTIAN BALE, The Fighter
GEOFFREY RUSH, The King’s Speech
MARK RUFFALO, The Kids Are All Right
JOHN HAWKES, Winter’s Bone
ANDREW GARFIELD, The Social Network JEREMY RENNER, The Town

4 for 5
Meh. Jeremy Renner is deserving, yes. I’m more disappointed none of the Social Network supporting boys (Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Justin Timberlake) got more love. This category is lead slightly by Christian Bale, but anyone can win it right now.

Best Supporting Actress

MELISSA LEO, The Fighter
HAILEE STEINFELD, True Grit
HELENA BONHAM CARTER, The King’s Speech
JACKIE WEAVER, Animal Kingdom
AMY ADAMS, The Fighter

5 for 5
Perfection. I loved Black Swan, but Mila Kunis didn’t deserve the nod this year, so I’m glad she didn’t get it. Everyone on this list looks solid. It’s anyone’s statue at this point. What I would love to see is Amy Adams and Melissa Leo split their votes and Hailee Steinfeld come out victorious. That little girl was amazing.

Best Original Screenplay

The Kids Are All Right
Inception
The King’s Speech
Black Swan Another Year
The Fighter

4 for 5
The Academy loves Mike Leigh. Should have seen this one coming. Maybe the Academy makes it up to Christopher Nolan for leaving him out of the director’s category and gives him the win here for his complex script? We won’t hold our breath. Right now it’s anyone’s prize.

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
127 Hours

5 for 5
Perfection. There is no way screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (“The Social Network”) loses this (and I’m not just saying that because it was my favorite movie last year).

Animated Feature

Toy Story 3
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist

3 for 3
Perfection. I really wish they would have nominated five animated features like they did last year. But in the end does it really matter? They should have just nominated Toy Story 3 since there is no way it’s not going home as the Best Animated Feature of the year especially with the Best Picture nod.

Art Direction

The King’s Speech
Inception
True Grit
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

4 for 5
Stuart Craig and Stephanie McMillian (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1) were nominated before for two other Harry Potter movies, so this isn’t a big surprise. They both won the Oscar in this category for The English Patient back in 1997. Craig has received a total of eight nominations for his art direction and has won three (The English Patient, Gandi and Dangerous Liaisons).

Cinematography

True Grit
Inception
127 Hours The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Black Swan

4 for 5
I guess there’s not enough sweeping cinematography when you’re stuck in a hole in the ground.

Costume Design

Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
The King’s Speech
Burlesque The Tempest
Black Swan I Am Love

3 for 5
I should have known Sandy Powell (The Tempest) who has been nominated eight times before this (and won 3 times) would have gotten another nod. I don’t hold myself accountable for overlooking I Am Love, however. That pick came out of nowhere.

Editing
  
The Social Network
Inception 127 Hours
The King’s Speech
Black Swan
The Fighter

4 for 5
Wow, I really thought Inception was the only film on this list that could’ve given The Social Network a good fight in this category. Nevertheless, all the films are worthy of nomination.

Make Up

Alice in Wonderland Barney’s Version
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 The Way Back
The Wolfman

1 for 3
I haven’t seen either Barney’s Version or The Way Back so I can’t say if the make-up is amazing. The only reason I went with The Wolfman is because Rick Baker is a genius, but even then I thought there was too much CGI.  Anyway, surprises, yes, but nothing I’ll lose sleep over.

Visual Effects

Inception
TRON: Legacy Hereafter
Iron Man 2
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

4 for 5
After all that talk from everyone about TRON: Legacy being the most visually-stunning movie they’ve seen all year and then it doesn’t even make the cut? And to make matters worse, it loses its spot to a drama with only one really big special effects scene? Still, I have to admit, that tsunami in Hereafter was pretty freaking sweet.

Original Score

The Social Network
Inception
The King’s Speech
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 How to Train Your Dragon
127 Hours

4 for 5
Congratulations John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon). You won’t pull out the upset, but at least your there. This is either going to Social Network, Inception or King’s Speech right now.

Original Song

“Shine” from “Waiting for Superman” “Coming Home” from “Country Strong”
“I See the Light” from “Tangled”
“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3″
“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from “Burlesque” N/A
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours”

3 for 4
Now this is interesting. The Academy could have nominated five but they decided only to nominate four. Sorry Cher and John Legend. Guess there is a mandatory country song that has to be picked every year now. Note to the Academy: Just give the Oscar to Tangled and save us from having to watch all four songs performed (especially if one of those performers is Gwyneth Paltrow).

Sound Editing

Inception
127 Hours Unstoppable
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit

4 for 5
Runaway trains beat breaking bones.

Sound Mixing

Inception
127 Hours The King’s Speech
Toy Story 3 Salt
TRON: Legacy The Social Network
True Grit

2 for 5
Eeesh, I need to take some sound mixing classes.

Documentary Feature

Inside Job
Waiting for Superman Waste Land
The Tillman Story Gasland
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Restrepo

3 for 5
There’s going to be some disappointed people out there because of the Waiting for Superman snub. I haven’t seen Gasland or Waste Land, so I better get on the ball ASAP. Restrepo was solid, but not great. Exit Through the Gift Shop was great, but I’m still not convinced it’s a documentary. If you’re going to nominate Gift Shop, then why not Catfish? And Inside Job…it’s one of those talking head documentaries that gives so much interesting information, but left me cold at the end. And it’s probably going to win.

Foreign Language

Biutiful
Even the Rain Dogtooth
In a Better World
Life Above All Outside the Law
Incendies

3 for 5
Biutiful is overrated. The only other film I’ve seen on this list is Dogtooth, which is beyond bizarre. I liked it a lot, but it’s not for everyone.

Animated Short

The Cow Who Wanted to be a Hamburger Let’s Pollute
Day & Night
Coyote Falls The Lost Thing
The Gruffalo
Urs Madagascar, a Journey Diary

2 for 5
The only thing on this list I’ve seen is Day & Night and that’s because it came out as the opener for Toy Story 3. Yes, it’s Pixar, so that makes it the frontrunner for now. Now, I must search out the rest.

Documentary Short

Born Sweet Poster Girl
Killing in the Name
One Thousand Pictures Strangers No More
The Warriors of Qiugang
Living for 32 Sun Come Up

2 for 5
This was a crapshoot. I just guessed based on the synopsis.

Live-Action Short

Ana’s Playground Na Wewe
The Confession
Wish 143
The Crush
The Six Dollar Fifty Man God of Love

3 for 5
This was a crapshoot. I just guessed based on the synopsis.

Total: 90/120 correct for 75%

Most of the time, when I bring up the worst movies I’ve seen in any given year to a fellow critic I’ll get responses like “You sat through that?” or “Eh, I thought I’d skip that one,” which is perfectly fine. There are tons of movies that come out every year and no one has time to see everything that hits theaters. But I still try.

Nevertheless, it was a painstaking process to have to sit through the movies I have listed below. Out of the 195 movies I saw in 2010, here are the ones that can be easily referred to as the bottom dwellers:

10. Grown Ups
Since first forming Happy Madison Productions in 1999, Adam Sandler has single handedly kept his closest – and least talented – friends employed for a good part of the last decade. It’s painful and awkward to watch these men lounge around with goofy smiles and nothing interesting to say. While most of the dialogue is improvised, the only ones that seem to be entertained at their stupidity are the actors themselves.

9. Saw 3-D
There have been some terrible horror movies this year, but this seventh installment of this franchise is the worst of the bunch because it refuses to die. More traps. More torture. More Tobin Bell. Even if you are a glutton for this stuff, skip it and watch “The Human Centipede” instead. At least it’s original.

8. Furry Vengeance
Brendan Fraser Vs. woodland animals. I would have rather seen “Encino Man 2: Still Weezin’ the Juice.”

7. Jonah Hex
Every actor wants to try something different at least once in his or her career. Josh Brolin went from making great films like “No Country for Old Men” and “Milk” to slummin’ it with Megan Fox. My guess is that he’d like to have this one back.

6. The Last Song
Miley Cyrus takes a dramatic turn for the worst as an unhappy teenage piano virtuoso depressed by her parents divorce. Cyrus makes fellow songstress Taylor Swift’s laughable performance in “Valentine’s Day” look worthy of an MTV Movie Award. Scoff.

5. Sex and the City 2
Even as lightweight and cloaked in hypocrisy as the first film was, at least it felt like an offshoot to the TV series. With this sequel, the foursome can’t fill a bloated 145 minutes of ridiculous dialogue and politically-incorrect Muslim humor. I’m not sure how much longer Carrie can continue to pretend like she’s the voice of female empowerment (Until she’s 50 years old? Sixty?!) but let’s just be relieved to know Manolo Blahnik has yet to design their version of a therapeutic shoe.

4. Valentine’s Day
Doing a shameless impersonation of director/writer Richard Curtis’ 2003 witty and warm romantic comedy “Love Actually,” this Hollywood-star-laden rom-com is a movie that’s all dressed up with nowhere to go. This doesn’t sit well for next year’s “New Year’s Eve.”

3. The Bounty Hunter
Chalk this one up with “P.S. I Love You” and “The Ugly Truth” as another romantic comedy dud for Gerard Butler. While Jennifer Aniston is 10 times more charming than Katherine Heigl, it doesn’t help matters when the script is this pathetic.

2. The Spy Next Door
Jackie Chan’s surprisingly entertaining remake of “The Karate Kid” could have been overshadowed by this family-friendly exercise in futility if anyone actually remembered it.

1. Vampires Suck
Until directors/writers Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (“Epic Movie,” “Disaster Movie,” “Meet the Spartans”) realize they have no talent and stop making parodies they will forever have a place reserved somewhere on this list. As much as I dislike the “Twilight Saga,” I’d rather watch the teeny-bopper franchise on a loop for the rest of my life than watch “Vampires Suck” once more.

Dishonorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):

• Alpha and Omega
• The Back-Up Plan
• Case 39
• Cop Out
• Daybreakers
• Dinner for Schmucks
• The Expendables
• Gulliver’s Travels
• Killers
• The Last Airbender
• Legendary
• Legion
• Little Fockers
• Marmaduke
• My Soul to Take
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Our Family Wedding
• Predators
• Resident Evil: Afterlife
• Skyline
• Tooth Fairy
• The Warrior’s Way
• When in Rome
• Why Did I Get Married Too?
• You Again

10. Carlos
Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez (aka Carlos) is given rock star treatment in this absorbing and ambitious 5½-hour “fictional” biopic, which was actually first made for TV by French filmmaker Olivier Assayas before being picked up by IFC Films for a limited theatrical release. As Carlos, Edgar Ramirez epitomizes fearlessness and sophistication all while ruling with an iron fist and shedding innocent blood for his political cause.

9. Lebanon
A harrowing, unremorseful drama centered on four Israeli soldiers manning a tank across hostile battlefields during the first day of the Lebanon War in 1982. Samuel Moez’s debut film takes us beyond the crosshairs where a devastating narrative delivers plenty of war-is-hell moments. Through detailed close ups, eerie silences and gripping mechanical sounds from the tank, this Israeli film is an aesthetic and poetic combat piece that places us in the confines of the most nightmarish of scenarios.

8. Black Swan
Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky adds an extreme sense of paranoia to a classic ballet  creating a hypnotic, psychosexual suspense that plays like high-art horror and rivals David Cronenberg’s 1986 film “The Fly.” While not nearly as graphic, the disturbing drama is just as chilling. Natalie Portman has never been better. It’s a convincing performance in a stunning and unnerving film that examines destructive ambition and what someone will sacrifice to reach perfection.

7. The Kids Are All Right
Filmmaker Lisa Cholodenko gives so much depth and realism to this modern-day-family dramedy, you can feel the love pouring out of her for each one of these unconventionally authentic characters. Cholodenko has written some of the most sharp and original dialogue of the year and in the hands of Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo they make it fresh, funny and truly heartfelt.

6. Winter’s Bone
Beautifully shot across the vast, bleak landscapes of the Missouri Ozarks, director/writer Debra Granik’s minimalistic tale of strength and determination is a deeply-moving experience propelled by the amazing performances of Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes. Granik bring the region to life and does it without relying on stereotypes to portray these tragic characters.

5. 127 Hours
Based on the true story of adventurer Aron Ralston, who cheats death in a canyon by amputating his own arm to free himself from a boulder, director Danny Boyle allows us to become transfixed by our hero’s need to escape and his acceptance of his own mortality. James Franco is compelling through an emotionally-charged performance and shows what an actor can do with an intense screenplay and so little physical room to operate.

4. True Grit
While the Coen brothers have dabbled with western themes in a few of their past films including “The Big Lebowski” and “No Country for Old Men,” the duo has finally tightened up their boot straps and given us their own dusty, old-fashioned take on the genre with such craftsmanship you would think they’ve been doing it for years. Without comparing the film to John Wayne’s original of 1969, the Coen’s version stands on its own with noteworthy performances by Jeff Bridges and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld.

3. Toy Story 3
The relationships fostered in the Toy Story franchise over the last 15 years have come full circle in a sentimental and clever, but also dark and profound narrative that clearly defines unconditional love and conveys it through a computer-generated boy and his pull-string toy. From moments of pure delight to one of the most heartbreaking goodbyes in recent movie memory, the trilogy wraps up in a masterful way and once again proves Pixar is on a level all its own.

2. The King’s Speech
Directed by Tom Hooper, this little-known true story of King George VI and his battle with a debilitating speech impediment is charming, humorous, and engaging throughout. With all of Britain watching, the film builds toward the monarch’s first wartime radio broadcast to the nation. As the ineloquent king, Colin Firth is simply mesmerizing, as is the rest of the talented cast who bring to life this fascinating footnote in British history.

1. The Social Network
David Fincher’s internet epic is an incisively-written and impressively-controlled biopic where captivating legal drama meets new-media ambition. Adapted by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, the film is a near-perfect narrative centered on the most prevalent online phenomenon of the past decade. Jesse Einsberg exudes a scary confidence and insensitivity in this relentless character study. It’s “There Will Be Blood” for the tech generation.

15 Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order): “Animal Kingdom,” “Catfish,” “Cyrus,” “Exit Through the Giftshop,” “Fair Game,” “Inception,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work,” “Micmacs,” “Mother and Child,” “Please Give,” “The Square,” “Tangled,” “Waiting for Superman,” “Vincere”

In case you didn’t know, not every movie is made available to critics prior to the release date. Sometimes studios hold movies back to keep negative reviews from showing up on the morning of opening day. Other times, the studio won’t screen a film because there is a limited release (and usually in this case San Antonio is one of the last major cities to open the film).

Anyway, no matter why I don’t get a chance to see certain movies, I do try to catch up with everything I miss the following week. But with a brand new batch of movies coming out that week, I, unfortunately, really don’t have time to write a full review of the things that went under the radar. “CineStrays” was supposed to remedy that and give me a place where I could write shorter reviews just to let visitors know what I thought about the movie.

Alas, I fell behind and could never catch up. Although I continued to screen these “cinestrays,” even writing caption reviews became difficult. Then, before I knew it, I was behind 30 films…then 40…and so on.

Well, enough excuses. Starting next year, I promise to keep up with the “CineStrays” section and make sure I post a short review of any film that I see that isn’t screened for me in advance.

Until then, let me go ahead and just list the CineStrays I missed this year and give you my grade for each. The higher on the list, the better…

The Kids Are All Right   A-
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  A-
The Square     B+
Waiting for Superman    B+
City Island     B+
Vincere     B+
Catfish      B+
Get Low     B+
Exit Through the Gift Shop   B+
Greenberg     B+
Nowhere Boy     B+
Best Worst Movie    B+
Restrepo     B+
The Human Centipede   B+
Ramona and Beezus    B
Megamind     B 
Ondine      B
Pelada      B
The Last Exorcism    B
Monsters     B
Nanny McPhee Returns   B
Oceans      B
Unstoppable     B
Mid August Lunch    B
Cairo Time     B
Countdown to Zero    B
Soul Kitchen     B
A Surprise in Texas    B
Devil      B-
Date Night     B-
Harry Brown     C+
Secretariat     C+
Buried      C+
The Good, the Bad and the Weird  C+
It’s Kind of a Funny Story   C+
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps  C
Burlesque     C
Piranha 3-D     C
Diary of a Wimpy Kid   C
The Virginity Hit    C
Cool It      C
Walt & El Grupo    C
Knight and Day    C-
The Next Three Days    C-
Jack Goes Boating    C-
A-Team     C-
The Losers     C-
South of the Border    C-
La Mission     C-
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest C-
Love and Other Drugs    C-
Just Wright     C-
Charlie St. Cloud    C-
For Colored Girls    C-
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice   D+
Predators     D
Resident Evil: Afterlife   D
A Nightmare on Elm Street   D
You Again     D
The Warrior’s Way    D
The Expendables    D
Alpha and Omega    D
Barry Munday     D
Marmaduke      D
Killers      D
Case 39     D-
My Soul to Take    D-
Furry Vengence    D-
Skyline     D-
Legendary     D-
Saw 3D     D-
The Bounty Hunter    D-
Jonah Hex     D-
Vampires Suck    F