Marshall and the Movies

Good choice, readers.

For the first time in the history of “Marshall and the Movies,” I can give my readers a pat on the back for choosing an excellent movie as their most anticipated movie of the month.  Thanks to the Houston Cinematic Arts Festival, I got a chance to see “Black Swan,” December’s top pick, about four weeks ago.  In case you didn’t read my overwhelmingly positive review, let me pick out a few quotables:

“At 18, I’m probably a little young to be using the phrase ‘they don’t make ‘em like this anymore,’ but I can’t help but have it come to mind when talking about ‘Black Swan.’  Simply put, Darren Aronofsky’s brilliant directorial artistry has culminated in a stunning masterpiece that is unmatched in vision or ambition by anything that cinema has churned out in a long time.

It’s so bold and daring that to call it wowing simply doesn’t do the experience justice.  Aronofsky weaves together the beauty of ballet with the terror of psychological meltdown with such nimble grace that it leaves you reeling long after leaving the theater.”

So needless to say, YOU NEED TO SEE “BLACK SWAN!”  Every minute until you do is wasted.  As for the other movies people wanted to see in December, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” took second place with two votes.  “True  Grit,” “Rabbit Hole,” and “Another Year” each garnered one vote as well.

We are looking at a great month for movies, so enjoy all the options – there are plenty of movies that didn’t receive a vote that still look fantastic!

As for what you can expect from “Marshall and the Movies” this month, let me lay it all out for you:

Awards, awards, AWARDS!!! I’ve been building up to Oscar Season since March … and now it’s finally here!  To keep you updated on the trends, I will begin a weekly round-up of major trends involving critics groups, guilds, and everything else that plays a part in influencing the Oscar every Friday – starting December 3.  The “Oscar Moment” column focusing on individual movies will die down a little bit now that most movies have been covered, only popping up here and there to cover those that I have missed.

Reviews, reviews, REVIEWS!!! If you thought there were a lot of reviews in November, just brace yourself for December.  In addition to covering the multitude of December release, I’m also going to try to include my reviews of all the other 2010 releases I’ve seen this year.  The “Classics Corner” column will cover an old movie pertinent to December releases, and the “F.I.L.M. of the Week” column will tie into many things, including Christmas and the DVD release of “Inception.”  Also exciting – “Save Yourself!” returns with a warning against a movie you may be tempted to watch this month.

Year-end wrap-up. Just like any critic, I’ll wrap up what I’ve learned about the movies in 2010, culminating in my year-end top 10 list (and most likely an honorable mention list as well).

So look forward to a great month to cap off a great year?  (P.S. – Because I can’t find anyplace else to put this video, you should check this great YouTube video out.)