Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
Finally the moment most of us awards junkies have been waiting for: the Oscars! Well, not quite. It’s the nominations first, but that should keep most of us preoccupied for the month-long wait — be it scoffing because of the snubs (some of them quite ridiculous, to be honest, but such is awards), praising because some previously unknown actor/actress devoted to “the craft” was finally recognized, or accepting the track record of this, the Oscars, and how the chips fall regarding awards ceremonies. Whatever emotion you’re feeling, I’m just excited that the nominations are here, probably thankful that the wait and slightly tiresome awards season is coming to a conclusion, and both excited and thankful that there are those out there devoted to celebrating and encouraging the “best in film.” Continue reading
The nominees for the 7th International Cinephile Society (ICS) Awards:
PICTURE
• Another Year
• Black Swan
• Blue Valentine
• Carlos
• Everyone Else
• Exit Through the Gift Shop
• I Am Love
• Inception
• A Prophet
• The Social Network Continue reading
Kim Clijsters (3) def. Alize Cornet (7-63, 6-3). Every potential champion has a bad day, unless you’re Sharapova at the ’08 Aussie Open or Nadal at the ’10 French Open, and thus yesterday was Clijsters’. With 6 double faults to 0 aces (ugh) and 41 unforced errors to 13 winners (ugh ugh), Clijsters was lucky to escape. But, then again, Cornet is not one of those players that can overwhelm with power or guile; she simply doesn’t have the tools to do so. Clijsters made it hard on herself — as always — but she’s still the favorite in my mind.
Petra Kvitova (25) def. Sam Stosur (5) (7-65, 6-3). One of a surprisingly large amount of Croat lefties, Petra Kvitova made quite a statement last year by making it to the semifinals of Wimbledon, losing to eventual champion Serena Williams. Kvitova looked better than that yesterday, improving her two-handed backhand into a biting weapon. With 35 winners to 26 unforced errors and 79 total points won to only 63 by Stosur, Kvitova looked every bit the experienced veteran she isn’t when she took down the home favorite. Surprisingly collected, Kvitova strolled through the match with an 80% first-serve percentage and — this one’s an unusually sweet stat for baseliner Kvitova — a 72% success rate at the net. Kvitova showed off bullets from both wings, but also the precision from then net. She appears to have a very good future, with the mental fortitude of Wozniacki and raw power of Alisa Kleybanova. Continue reading
Eh, yeah, I kinda got a little behind and forgot that writing a daily post means you write one every day. Whoops. To make up for that I’m combining Day 4 and Day 5 into one post. I’m sure you’ve already seen the news, but perhaps not (all) the matches themselves. Here’s a recap.
One player I’m sure no one is talking about is the ever-inconsistent Nadia Petrova. Herself a giant with giant strokes and a massive serve, it seems a little ironic that she was dubbed the “giant-killer” for part of last year (due to the fact that she toppled some major players at the Slams, like Clijsters at the Aussie Open and Venus at the French). However she’s really been the “silent killer” this year, moving through her first three matches efficiently and without any drama. While I don’t see her making a huge impact on the tournament — though her fourth-round opponent could be Clijsters, the woman she took down last year — it’s good to see her use her tools without making needless ruckus in the process. Continue reading
I think I discussed the majority of the matches occurring on Day 2, except for the ones that ended the day. So, here goes.
Ana Ivanovic. Now there’s a name with which I continue to be on the fence. She makes a horrible mess of the first half of last year, then goes on a tear towards the season’s end and finishes in the top 20. Just when I think she’s back on the track to the top, she loses in the first round to one of those gazillion Russians in the draw. In her favor were the facts that she lost to a former top 30 player in Makarova and that the match went to 10-8 in the third set. Neither played a good match, as their abysmal winners-to-unforced-errors ratios and poor second-service winning percentages prove, but someone had to win and I guess it wasn’t Ivanovic’s day yet again. I never really cared for her playing style, but her absence from the sport made me miss her impact on the game. Maybe she can reclaim some glory come the spring clay season. Continue reading
Garrett
Mark
metapansy
INK 