AFT Awards: Best Opening

This is the seventeenth category of the 1st Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by film title. Winners will be announced in late February.

Who cares if the movie was good? At least the first few minutes were great!

The nominees:
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
That grating song “Bad Day” was on the radio every single day for like a year and it got old instantly. Now, enough time has passed that the song can be played every once in a while without inciting hearing loss for everyone who listens to it. And what is more charming that the chipmunks singing the song while passing acorns amongst each other? That is the only time I can agree with my friends who kept nudging me during the movie and saying, “isn’t it cute?”

THE DARJEELING LIMITED
What is Bill Murray doing in this film, you may ask? Sure, he appeared in three out of four of Wes Anderson’s previous movies, but is he in this one? No, he is going to miss the train by just a few seconds, allowing for the priceless introduction of a sloppy Adrien Brody, who just beats him and grabs hold of the train shortly before it pulls away for good. This opening is great stylistically in relation to the rest of the film and prepares you well for it.

JUNO
A combination of both that couch on the grass and Juno chugging the jug mixed with those graphic novel-esque titles and drawings of Juno. This movie has its own independent spirit and this opening does a great job introducing the eccentric nature of the film. Bonus points for the comic book titles since that later becomes a part of the plot.

SUPERBAD
This movie is roaringly hilarious, but it is the opening titles that really got me into it. The silhouettes of Jonah Hill and Michael Cera dancing make for a surprisingly clean yet still completely awesome start to this raunchy comedy. It sends you back to earlier times before you realize that this is definitely hip, modern-day language once Hill opens his mouth for the first time.

SWEENEY TODD
I cannot describe the excitement that rushed through me when the gloomy neighborhood of Fleet Street appeared on screen to some decidedly wicked music. It is hard to get so into a movie without introducing any of the characters or showing any stars, but this is a perfect example of appropriate music set to some impressive titles. There is no way the movie can be quite as good after that pump-up right at the beginning.