The King Bulletin

For this article, I have compiled a list of awards to honor once more what were my favorite things about the cinematic year of 2009. Feel free to share your personal favorites as well, as this will most-likely be my final reflective piece on 2009. If you haven't already, you can browse my favorite films of the year right here (more after the cut):

Considering that my film class is studying Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront this week, I thought it would be fitting to share this legendary clip from the film. Marlon Brando (playing Terry Malloy) delivers one of the most quotable monologues in the history of cinema, and Rod Steiger -- who plays his disloyal brother Charley-- matches him note-for-note. Brando won the Oscar for his performance, while Steiger had to settle for a supporting nomination. For those of you who want to see it in writing one more time, here are the famous lines that will forever define Brando's young career:

Charley: Look, kid, I - how much you weigh, son? When you weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds you were beautiful. You coulda been another Billy Conn, and that skunk we got you for a manager, he brought you along too fast.
Terry: It wasn't him, Charley, it was you. Remember that night in the Garden you came down to my dressing room and you said, "Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on Wilson." You remember that? "This ain't your night"! My night! I coulda taken Wilson apart! So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors on the ballpark and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville! You was my brother, Charley, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-end money.
Charley: Oh I had some bets down for you. You saw some money.
Terry: You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley.

"Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards® will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and Oscar-nominated actress and Academy member Anne Hathaway. Sherak and Hathaway will unveil the nominations in 10 of the 24 categories at a 5:30 a.m. news conference at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where hundreds of media representatives from around the world will be gathered."

• To see the interview with Spencer Susser, the writer/director of Hesher, click here. 
• To see the interview with "How I Met Your Mother"'s Josh Radnor, the star, writer, and director of HappyThankYouMorePlease, click here.

One of the more intriguing projects of 2010 is John Wells' motion picture debut The Company Men. The teaser trailer embedded below, a minute and a half montage with dialogue nowhere to be found, does a lot to peak my interest of the film. It revolves around three men trying to deal with the repercussions of corporate downsizing at a major company. Given the subject matter, I'm sure comparisons will be made to 2009's Up in the Air, although it doesn't seem this film will have the same comedic touch. 


Shot largely in Boston, MA, Wells' film stars Ben Affleck, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Maria Bello, Chris Cooper, Craig T. Nelson, and Rosemarie DeWitt. A terrific cast it is, and I've been dying to see a follow-up performance from DeWitt after her stunning turn in Rachel Getting Married. 


John Wells wrote, produced, and directed this film, which does not currently have an official release date. Here's hoping we get one soon. 

"This is the biggest challenge I’ve taken on to this point,” said Nolan, who may return to Gotham City for his next feature. “We’re trying to tell a story on a massive scale, a true blockbuster scale – the biggest I’ve ever been involved with. We tried to make a very large-scale film with ‘The Dark Knight’ and with this one we wanted to push that even further."

Check out Ryan Bingham performing his original song "The Weary Kind" on the Late Show with David Letterman. It's my favorite original song of the year, and you can read up on my entire recap of that category right here.

One of the more widely-anticipated movies of 2010 comes in the form of Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass. Vaughn has been more successful as a producer than a director thus far, but this film looks like it could be his most ambitious effort to date. Aaron Johnson stars as a high school misfit named Dave Lizewski. Dave is an avid comic book reader and becomes inspired to the point where he decides to becomes a superhero himself. 


A solid supporting cast surrounds Johnson, including Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. The film is based upon the comic book written by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. Check out the trailer below or in HD over at Apple. 


Kick-Ass will be released on April 16, 2010. 

A trailer for Joe Carnahan's The A-Team has made its way online. The film is based on a television series of the same name that ran from 1983-1987. This updated version will switch the location from Vietnam to the Middle East. The noteworthy cast includes Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Jessica Biel, and Patrick Wilson. 

The film is produced by Ridley and Tony Scott, Jules Daly, as well as the television series creator Stephen J. Cannell. The film will be released on June 11, 2010.