Welcome to the first ever Dommie Awards, named after all the wonderful movie actors and characters who bare the glorious moniker, Dominic. Or Dom. Can you identify all the Dommies in the banner above?
It is here that achievements both good and bad from the year in film will be highlighted. Without further hesistation…
The Toxic Waste Guy from Robocop Dommie For Most Inventive Death Scene: Final Destination 5 – the dismount
The form-reclaiming Final Destination 5 threw up a number of splendid deaths, but my favourite was when gymnast Candice (Ellen Wroe) flies off the bars after being distracted and lands in a sprawling heap on the floor. Emil would’ve been proud.
The Spider-Man Dommie for Best Comic Book Adaptation: Thor and Captain America
Marvel really stepped up to the plate with their one-two hit of kick ass adaptations, both of which felt cutting edge and old fashioned at the same time, perfectly encapsulating what work about the characters in the comics. It bodes extremely well for the film they were both leading up to: next year’s The Avengers…
The Batman and Robin Award for Worst Comic Book Adaptation: Green Lantern
…while DC/Warner Bros dropped the ball in a big way by messing up their mega-budget adaptation of Green Lantern, which suffered from a lack of focus, some bad acting (Blake Lively was anything but) and general crapiness. I’m sure The Dark Knight Rises will have DC back in form, but Green Lantern shows they lack Marvel’s knack for successfully introducing second-tier characters to a cinematic audience.
Dishonorable Mention: The Green Hornet. It just wasn’t a good year to be green.
The Not-Saw Dommie for Increasing Returns in Series Sequels: Paranormal Activity 3
Part two was better than part one. Then Catfish directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman got a hold of part three and it was one of the creepiest films of the year. The rotating fan dexerves a lot of the credit.
Honorable Mention: Fast and Furious 5. Better than the last two put together.
Dom DeLuise - the patron saint of all Dominics
The Jurassic Park Dommie for Best CGI: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
After setting the standard with Gollum, WETA took motion-capture CG to the next level with Caesar the genetically-enhanced chimp, once again portrayed by Andy Serkis. Plus that droll orangutan blew my mind.
Honorable Mention: Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Terrible movie, amazing CGI work.
The Mummy Returns Dommie for Worst CGI: Green Lantern
A lot of ambition here in the CGI here, very poor follow-through.
The Die Hard 4.0 Dommie for Most Conscending International Release Title. World Invasion: Battle: Los Angeles
Oh right I get it, it’s the world. So it’s about me. I’m in! What a stinker this movie was: the aliens sucked; the action sucked and the story sucked.
The Phantom Menace Dommie for Getting Our Hopes Up Then Dashing Them: Eddie Murphy
When Oscar producer Brett Ratner announced that Eddie Murphy was going to host the ceremony, it seemed like it could’ve been the beginning of a new phase in Eddie Murphy’s career, especially combined with the potential of Tower Heist, which purported to bring back the Eddie Murphy we knew and loved from Beverly Hills Cop et al. Then Ratner resigned and Murphy followed. Then Tower Heist was released and apparently wasn’t all that awesome. Oh well.
The Men In Black III Dommie for Film Least Able to Justify It’s Existence: Scream 4
Everyone involved talked up how much of a reinvention it was, but all we got was a shamelessly derivative rehash.
The Altered States Dommie for Most Inventive Special Effect: Limitless – the infinite zoom
This relatively basic effect had me utterly transfixed and falling forward in my seat. Functioned as a nice visualistaion of Bradley Cooper’s mindset.
The Clean & Clear Dommie for Best Breakout Performance: Ryan Gosling in Drive
He’s been acting for years, but something changed about Ryan Gosling during Drive. He took on levels of cool usually reserved for dead actors.
The Crater Face from Grease Dommie for Worst Breakout Performance: Taylor Lautner in Abduction
Lautner showed he’s a dear in the headlights outside of the Twilight franchise with his painfully stiff lead performance in this wannabe Bourne.
The Hitchcock Dommie for Remarkable Consistency in Filmmaking: Woody Allen
I can generally find something to like in all of Allen’s films, but Midnight In Paris was such a stellar piece of work (and incidentally the prolific writer/director’s most financially successful film ever), I feel like I’ve rediscovered him all over again.
The William H. Macy Dommie for Previously Appealing Actor Who Is Suddenly Annoying: Seth Rogen
I’ve been a Rogen fan since Freaks and Geeks, but he was so severely unlikable in The Green Hornet, I’m beginning to question everything I know.
The Mission: Impossible III Dommie for Excellence in Mission Impossibility: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
These films leave the Bond series in their dust. Cruise is still good in them. Brad Bird can direct live action. I was very satisfied.
The Dial M For Murder Dommie for Best Use of 3D: Pina and Cave of Forgotten Dreams
I couldn’t be less of a fan of 3D, but these two non-fiction projects finally made an argument for the technology that I could get behind by focusing on visuals where the spatial dynamics had a huge role to play.
The Mac and Me Dommie for Most Shameless Trend-Appropriation: I Am Number Four and Red Riding Hood.
Both of these films tried to apply the Twilight model to other genres, but neither film captured the tweens’ hearts and minds.
The Seltzer/Friedberg Dommie for Creative Vacuity: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Mermaids. The Fountain of Youth. Blackbeard. It could’ve been awesome. It was not.
The Enter The Void Dommie for Most Devisive Movie: The Tree of Life
Everyone I spoke to either hated or loved this film, there was no inbetween. In fact, I think most of the people I’ve asked hated it. Why is that? It ruled!
The Howard The Duck Dommie for Inevitable Fallibility: Cars 2
Pixar had to make a stinker sooner or later, and Cars 2 never felt like a film anybody was particularly hanging out to see.
The Ethan Hawke Dommie for Actor Who Should Stick To Just Acting: Tom Hanks
Larry Crowne, Hanks’ second directorial effort (after the not-awful That Thing You Do!) traded in a level of emotional complexity that sitcoms left behind in the late ’80s.
The Tron 2.0 Dommie for Unfulfilled Potential: Cowboys and Aliens
Something awesome could’ve come out of this concept, but the result felt sluggish, poorly conceived and plain boring.
The Terminator 3 Dommie for Breaking Dom’s Heart: Shark Night 3D
I was sooooo looking forward to this movie – I foresaw an unabashed exploitation-fest that might out-crazy Piranha 3D. But the film had no bite. Ahem.
The Skyline Dommie for Being Surprisingly Good: Footloose
I didn’t not expect to get onboard with this film. But hot damn if I wasn’t toe-tapping by the end.
The Polar Express Dommie for Dead-Eyed Characters: The Adventures of Tintin
I enjoyed watching the movie, but the suspension of disbelief with the photo real digital characters simply isn’t there yet.
The Dominic Corry Dommie For Best Film of the Year: Drive
So. Cool.
Am I way off mark here? Or am I on the money? Nominate your own Dommies from the year in movies! If you want. As a Dommie, I have final say. Merry Christmas!
