Awards Discussion

http://shadesofcaruso.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/these-are-my-oscar-premonitions-just-like-that-sandra-bullock-movie-everyone-hated/

These Are My Oscar Premonitions (Just Like That Sandra Bullock Movie Everyone Hated)

Time is tight, and the Academy Awards are almost on us, so I’m putting this out unedited and without pictures. Apologies for the usual admiralneck nonsense: overuse of parentheses, repeated phrases, hyperbole, and cyclical arguments.

Best picture:

Who Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Who Should Win: Inglourious Basterds
Who Should Have Been Nominated: In The Loop / A Prophet

Purely personal choices here, with me dreaming of a Basterds win even though I know it doesn’t stand a chance in hell. I’d like to think its high number of nominations is because the cool critical opinion of it has mellowed as people realise what a deep, thrilling experience it is, or because the Academy is always happy to see films that celebrate cinema, but more likely it’s because the Weinsteins were doing their usual strongarm tactics. Nevertheless, it will win one award, probably nothing else. I’m not too bothered. The Hurt Locker is a worthy winner, and I don’t think Nicolas Chartier’s email campaign will hurt its chances that much. As long as Precious, The Blind Side or Up In The Air fail, I’ll be happy.

As for other nominees, I would have loved to see In The Loop get a surprise nomination, and A Prophet is good enough to get a Best Picture / Best Foreign Language Film double nomination a la Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (all it needed was a quick NY release in the week before Dec 31st and who knows what might have happened). Of course, both movies would have had as little chance of winning as any of the extra five nominees, but they are movies I love, and a man can dream.

Writing (original screenplay):

Who Will Win: A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen)
Who Should Win: Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Adventureland (Greg Mottola)

Yeah, I think Mark Boal will miss out for Hurt Locker: the attention is focused more on Bigelow and the thought of giving a small, serious movie a best picture award over the enormous monolith that is Avatar. Sad for him, but happy for the Coens, who will win their fourth Oscar for their excellent work here. Of course, I preferred Tarantino’s huge loops of dialogue and games with language, but that’s not to diminish the accomplishment of the Coens, for drawing on their own experiences (I assume, presumptuously) and their previous movies (Barton Fink in particular looms large), to create something that felt so vital and new. As I’ve said previously, it’s my favourite Coen Brothers film since Lebowski. It would have been nice for Greg Mottola to get a nod for his delicate and delightful script for Adventureland, but sadly no. He can content himself with the cult that will inevitably grow around it, as a new generation comes to adore it as much as previous generations have adored Say Anything, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Breakfast Club.

Actor in a supporting role:
Who Will Win: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Who Should Win: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Who Should Have Been Nominated: Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds)

Is there any doubt that Waltz has this wrapped up? Unless he has been goosing Academy members and sending erotic videos of himself to them and the Weinsteins have been able to keep the scandal out of the trade press, he’ll walk it, and with good reason. I can’t remember the last time an “unknown” actor just leapt out of the screen with such command. Seeing him create this incredible villain was possibly the most thrilling thing that happened in my film-going adventures last year, even more than walking past Steven Soderbergh when I went to see The Informant! (Oh the glamour). Wishing on another nomination seems silly, but I would have liked to see some recognition of Michael Fassbender’s work this year. Not only did he mesmerise the fair Daisyhellcakes, but he put in two of the best performances of the year, in Basterds and Fish Tank. Basterds might be his best in 2009, for dancing on the edge of parody for the first half of his screentime, and then becoming an almost totally believable Nazi in the second. Ah well, something tells me he’s going to be getting enough Oscar nominations after this year. Surely he’s on his way to being a huge star by now.

http://mattsmoviethoughts.blogspot.com/2010/03/oscars-2010-best-picture-run-down.html

Sunday, 7 March 2010
Oscars 2010: Best Picture run-down
This year ten films are vying for the title of Best Picture. For the first time Oscar voters are being asked to rate their choices from 1 to 10 in order of preference. The first film to get more than 50% of the combined votes will be the winner, that is why this year's winner might be a complete surprise. In honour of this I am ranking this year's Best Picture contenders from 10 to 1.

9. Inglourious Basterds
Those who know me know I was never a big fan of the film, but having been forced to sit through it a second time I've realised my main problem with it is that it never establishes a tone. Anytime the plot involving Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent comes on the screen this is pretty tense dramatic war film but then when Brad Pitt appears, or there's a scene with Mike Myers as a comedy British Captain or their very comedic Hitler's on screen then it's a whole different film. There are things to admire - Waltz especially deserves all the praise he is getting and Diane Kruger and Michael Fassbender are perfectly fine as well. It's just that Tarrantino just needs to learn to edit and not put in every little idea he has into his screenplay.

http://www.cinematical.com/2010/08/23/early-picks-for-the-2010-best-actor-races/

Early Picks For The 2010 Best Actor Race

by Erik Childress Aug 23rd 2010 // 9:03PM

This year's race for Best Actor is almost guaranteed to be formed in the final months of this year. Don't get me wrong there have been some terrific performances. But not the kind that are remembered by voters unless they appear late into the season. Besides, with one of the five slots possibly already reserved for the first appearance of Jeff Bridges as Marshall Rooster Cogburn, the very role that got John Wayne his Oscar. Did they give Bridges his lifetime achievement too soon? Or is he simply being setup to be the first guy since Tom Hanks to go back-to-back?

That's a long ways off though. We don't even have a trailer to look at. And per my own rules of prognostication, if we haven't seen the film nor a tiny glimpse of the performances in action, they are left off the list. For the moment. Not only is it unfair and disrespectful to some of the exceptional performers we have seen already but no scout is going to recommend a pitcher they haven't looked at. So who are the leaders in the race to date?

It begins with someone who may just ultimately be the winner. Call it a hunch, woman's intuition or whatever but Robert Duvall has not won since 1983's Tender Mercies and it's his only won. Without a nomination since 1998's A Civil Action, Duvall is primed for at least that as the grizzled hermit planning his own living funeral in Get Low. After him the only one who may still be in the conversation by October is Leonardo DiCaprio. With two terrific performances under his belt, it's only a question as to which one he will be contending on. Most of us are in agreement that his work in Scorsese's Shutter Island is the stronger work, but that often means nothing to voters. (See: Matt Damon getting the consolation nod in the supporting category for Invictus while his superior lead work in The Informant was forgotten.) DiCaprio was in this same boat in 2006 as well when got the nomination for Blood Diamond instead of his stellar work in The Departed. For my money, if they give DiCaprio a shot with Inception I am not going to complain too much.

After that, eight months worth of performances are likely to go by the boards. It's the shame of doing awards speculation so early. We practically create a memorium for films and actors that will be forgotten not because they should, but because voters have Memento Syndrome and studios brush off their chances. Who will stand up for Michael Douglas doing his best work since Wonder Boys in Solitary Man or Ben Stiller doing the most interesting dramatic work of his career in Greenberg? At least Douglas has the Wall Street sequel in his backpocket which would be a nice springboard to remember the earlier film. (Only Bing Crosby, Peter O'Toole, Paul Newman and Cate Blanchett have ever been nominated twice for the same character.)

Veterans have also generated some chatter. Put a gun in Michael Caine's hand in the kind of film people hoped Gran Torino was in Harry Brown and some started screaming Oscar in April. Will enough folks see Martin Landau in the upcoming Lovely, Still for him to be a blip or will he just be this year's Hal Holbrook from last year's little seen indie, That Evening Sun? Much like Fish Tank's Michael Fassbender who will be due for some Oscar attention in the coming years if he can stay away from dreck like Jonah Hex and Centurion. On the same side of that coin though, will horror ever get its due? Patrick Fabian's preacher of alternating faith in The Last Exorcism has to hold our attention around the scare scenes and does it so well that we would be OK to just leave the farmhouse altogether and follow him talking to us for another hour. And how about a little respect for Ryan Reynolds in the upcoming Buried? An entire performance that gives new meaning to acting one's way out of a wooden box. Well, just consider their competition on the horizon.

There's a young and cocky Viagra salesman (Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs), a young and cocky internet pioneer (Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network), as well as the young and confused (Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go & Keir Gilchrist, It's Kind of a Funny Story). Real-life leftovers from the Dubya years in Jack Abramoff (Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack) and Joe Wilson (Sean Penn, Fair Game). Killers both fictional (George Clooney, The American & Ben Affleck, The Town) as well as real and potentially innocent (Sam Rockwell, Conviction). And then trailers that are practically the first step to highlighting eventual Oscar campaigns (Jim Broadbent, Another Year; Stephen Dorff, Somewhere; John Malkovich, Secretariat)

Who will go lead and who will go supporting will factor in later as well and we're still waiting to get our first looks at Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Matt Damon (Hereafter), Johnny Depp (The Tourist), Colin Firth (The King's Speech), James Franco (127 Hours) and Christian Bale & Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter. Some we'll be seeing in full in Toronto next month, where I will also catch up with Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine. Alejandro González Iñárritu's Biutiful with Javier Bardem also screens there, but like Terrence Malick's Tree of Life currently has no scheduled release for 2010.

IF THE NOMINATIONS CAME OUT NEXT WEEK (IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE)
1. Robert Duvall "Get Low"
2. Leonardo DiCaprio "Shutter Island" or "Inception"
3. Michael Douglas "Solitary Man"
4. Ben Stiller "Greenberg"
5. Michael Caine "Harry Brown"

THEIR TOP COMPETITORS (BASED ON TRAILERS ONLY)
1. Stephen Dorff "Somewhere"
2. Sam Rockwell "Conviction"
3. Jim Broadbent "Another Year"
4. Jake Gyllenhaal "Love and Other Drugs"
5. Kevin Spacey "Casino Jack"

SUPPORTING ACTOR: IF THE NOMINATIONS CAME OUT NEXT WEEK (IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE)
1. Mark Ruffalo "The Kids Are All Right"
2. Bill Murray "Get Low"
3. John Hawkes "Winter's Bone"
4. Richard Jenkins "Eat Pray Love"
5. Ben Kingsley "Shutter Island"

SUPPORTING ACTOR: THEIR TOP COMPETITORS (BASED ON TRAILERS ONLY)
1. John Malkovich "Secretariat"
2. Bob Hoskins "Made In Dagenham"
3. Josh Brolin "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" or "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger"
4. Tom Wilkinson "The Debt"
5. Jeremy Renner or Chris Cooper "The Town"

Next week we shall examine The Screenplays. And the following week the rankings begin changing quickly at Toronto fest.

http://incontention.com/2008/12/17/if-i-had-a-ballot/

If I had a ballot
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:26 am · December 17th, 2008

Philip Seymour Hoffman in Synecdoche New York(Note: Because I’ve been getting some correspondence of confusion, let it be known that categories such as Best Foreign Language Film and Best Documentary contain films released in the U.S. in 2008 that I consider the best of those fields, regardless of Academy rules and regulations regarding country submissions and peripheral qualifications. This is more of an AMPAS/critics ballot hybrid. Hopefully that clears it up.)

As the year continues to wind down, I’ve come to an annual post here at In Contention that proves to be a lot of fun, no matter the quality of the year’s product. If I were a member of the 6,000-strong, what would my Oscar ballot look like?

Of course, I’m cheating a bit here. The way AMPAS balloting works is each branch votes for nominees in their representative categories, while everyone gets a crack at nominating the Best Picture field. I’m acting as lord of all, super-duper Academy member extraordinaire with nominations in each of the categories we’ll see contended on February 22. I subtract the short film fields, because I just can’t comment with any expertise, and as always, I add the category I annually plead for acceptance in the Academy’s proceedings: Best Ensemble.

So with that, I give you my list of the year’s best in an array of categories. The first five you know. More after the jump. (Check back Friday for a year-end list of superlatives. And in case you missed it, my top 10 and “best of the year” column here).

Best Picture
“Bolt” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Pineapple Express” (Columbia Pictures)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
“Synecdoche, New York” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Director
Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight”
Matteo Garone, “Gomorrah”
Steve McQueen, “Hunger”
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Charlie Kaufman, “Synecdoche, New York”

Best Actor
Robert Downey Jr., “Iron Man”
Michael Fassbender, “Hunger”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
Mark Ruffalo, “What Doesn’t Kill You”

Best Actress
Kate Beckinsale, “Nothing But the Truth”
Cate Blanchett, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, “Milk”
Gianfelice Imparato, “Gomorrah”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Eddie Marsan, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Gary Oldman, “The Dark Knight”

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Rosario Dawson, “Seven Pounds”
Rosemarie DeWitt, “Rachel Getting Married”
Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Samantha Morton, “Synecdoche, New York”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Eric Roth)
“The Dark Knight” (Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan)
“Gomorrah” (Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti, Gianni Di Gregorio, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Roberto Saviano)
“Let the Right One In” (John Ajvide Lindqvist)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Simon Beaufoy)

Best Original Screenplay
“Bolt” (Dan Fogelman, Chris Williams)
“Pineapple Express” (Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen)
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (Woody Allen)
“The Wrestler” (Robert D. Siegel)
“Synecdoche, New York” (Charlie Kaufman)

Best Animated Film
“Bolt”
“WALL-E”
“Waltz with Bashir”

Best Art Direction
“Appaloosa” (Waldemar Kalinowski; Linda Lee Sutton)
“Cloverfield” (Martin Whist; Robert Greenfield)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Donald Graham Burt; Victor J. Zolfo)
“The Fall” (Ged Clarke; Riccardo Pugliese, Cynthia Sleiter)
“Synecdoche, New York” (Mark Friedberg; Lydia Marks)

Best Cinematography
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Claudio Miranda)
“The Dark Knight” (Wally Pfister)
“Hunger” (Sean Bobbit)
“Let the Right One In” (Hoyte Van Hoytema)
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (Javier Aguirresarobe)

Best Costume Design
“Appaloosa” (David C. Robinson)
“Changeling” (Deborah Hopper)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Jacqueline West)
“The Dark Knight” (Lindy Hemming)
“The Fall” (Eiko Ishioka)

Best Film Editing
“The Dark Knight” (Lee Smith)
“Milk” (Graham Elliot)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Chris Dickens)
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (Alisa Lepselter)
“Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father” (Kurt Kuenne)

Best Makeup
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
“Synecdoche, New York”

Best Music (Original Score)
“Appaloosa” (Jeff Beal)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Alexandre Desplat)
“The Dark Knight” (James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer)
“The Reader” (Nico Muhly)
“The Wrestler” (Clint Mansell)

Best Music (Original Song)
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (M.I.A., A.R. Rahman)
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Peter Gabriel)
“The Wrestler” from “The Wrestler” (Bruce Springsteen)

Best Sound Editing
“Cloverfield”
“The Dark Knight”
“Defiance”
“Iron Man”
“WALL-E”

Best Sound Mixing
“Cloverfield”
“The Dark Knight”
“Defiance”
“Let the Right One In”
“WALL-E”

Best Visual Effects
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Incredible Hulk”
“Iron Man”

Best Ensemble Performance
“Che”
“The Dark Knight”
“Milk”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“Synecdoche, New York”

Best Documentary Feature
“Bigger, Stronger, Faster”
“Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father”
“Man on Wire”
“Song Sung Blue”
“Taxi to the Dark Side”

Best Foreign Film
“The Baader Meinhof Complex”
“Gomorrah”
“Let the Right One In”
“Mongol”
“Waltz with Bashir”

Tally:

“The Dark Knight” — 13
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” — 8
“Synecdoche, New York” — 7
“Slumdog Millionaire” — 6
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” — 5
“Gomorrah” — 4
“Let the Right One In” — 4
“WALL-E” — 4
“The Wrestler” — 4
“Bolt” — 3
“Cloverfield” — 3
“Defiance” — 3
“Hunger” — 3
“Iron Man” — 3
“Milk” — 3
“Appaloosa” — 2
“Changeling” — 2
“Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father” — 2
“The Fall” — 2
“Happy-Go-Lucky” — 2
“Pineapple Express” — 2
“Rachel Getting Married” — 2
“Waltz with Bashir” — 2
“The Baader Meinhof Complex” — 1
“Bigger, Stronger, Faster” — 1
“Che” — 1
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” — 1
“The Incredible Hulk” — 1
“Man on Wire” — 1
“Mongol” — 1
“The Reader” — 1
“Song Sung Blue” — 1
“Taxi to the Dark Side” — 1
“Nothing But the Truth” — 1
“Seven Pounds” — 1
“What Doesn’t Kill You” — 1

http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/12/07/oscars-screenplay/

The Alternative Awards: Considering the Screenplays
By Erik Childress (Subscribe to Erik Childress's posts)
Posted Dec 7th 2010 7:22PM

The Alternative Awards is a weekly column that highlights actors, actresses and films that are flying way under the awards radar, but still deserve a second glance. It will run on Tuesdays throughout awards season.

The Screenplay categories are among the most fun to watch for a variety of reasons. It is the one category where one of our personal favorites have the strength of getting in on the pure merit of its writing, with no interference of the chances of its other contributors. On the flip side it is one to keep an eye on as far as Best Picture is concerned. Only twice since 1965 ('The Sound of Music' & 'Titanic') has the big winner not been nominated for its writing. And in those 45 years, the Best Film's script also won an Oscar 33 times (10 Originals, 23 Adaptations).

Start in my favorite Oscar category, Best Original Screenplay, the favorites for a nomination are also likely Best Picture nominees - 'Inception' (by Christopher Nolan), 'The Kids Are All Right' (by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg) and 'The King's Speech' (by David Seidler). The five likely in the best position to snag one of the two remaining slots are: 'Another Year' (by Mike Leigh), 'Black Swan' (by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz & John McLaughlin - three people to write that, really?), 'Blue Valentine' (by Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis & Cami Delavigne), 'The Fighter' (by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson) and 'Get Low' (by Chris Provenzano & C. Gaby Mitchell).

The film that was originally going to make this article's list of alternatives, Chris Sparling's 'Buried', actually got a boost from the National Board of Review last week. In a welcome head-scratcher of a victory, the group actually recognized this clever script as the year's best. And since introducing this category into their ranks, five of their seven choices have received a nomination. Not terrible odds for a film that Lions Gate seems to have forgotten about after its first week of platform.

I would like to also include James L. Brooks' 'How Do You Know' as a potential competitor here. Three of the man's five directorial efforts have also been nominated for screenplay. But seeing as how Sony is dragging its heels on showing it to people and response from the junket crowd over the weekend has been less than enthusiastic, it is hard to take seriously at this point. Even if it has potential to be the best romantic comedy of 2010. What a sad year.

And that's only half of the potential nominees. The beautiful thing about the Oscars that so many critic groups have yet to adopt is that there is a difference between an original piece of work and something cherry-picked and expanded upon from another medium. This year's adapted frontrunners include 'The Social Network' (by Aaron Sorkin), 'Toy Story 3' (by Michael Arndt) and 'True Grit' (by Joel & Ethan Coen). And if we had to look at seven more to round out a list of five, we would have to go with '127 Hours' (by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy), 'How to Train Your Dragon' (by Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders), 'Rabbit Hole' (by David Lindsay-Abaire), 'Shutter Island' (by Laeta Kalogridis), 'The Town' (by Ben Affleck, Peter Craig & Aaron Stockard), 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' (by Allan Loeb & Stephen Schiff) and 'Winter's Bone' (by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini).

Since many of the precursors still only have room for one Screenplay category, we will still only choose five great scripts likely to be overlooked by all of them. And as much as I admire some of the year's adaptations (including 'The American' and 'Never Let Me Go'), the list is still full of original works. Imagine that, in a rather lackluster year for originality and good films in general there are still more writers in the discussion for starting from scratch and worthy of being in that discussion for award consideration.

'Fish Tank' (by Andrea Arnold) - A film that got a lot of festival play in 2009 seems to be the film everyone has forgotten about in 2010. Probably because it opened in early January and isn't going to make its DVD debut in the states until February 2011. Perhaps Criterion knew they had something special and wanted to take their time. Hell, it took them 24 years to do 'Broadcast News'. Fish Tank is special though, a coming-of-age story in the sticks of the UK about breaking free and cautionary sexuality.

Sure, you're thinking, name me a coming-of-age film that isn't. There's a wonderful fluidity to Arnold's tale though, peppered by one of the year's very best performances by newcomer Katie Jarvis and an increased reminder that we need to see Michael Fassbender in more roles like this and 'Inglourious Basterds' and less in ones like 'Jonah Hex' and 'Centurion'. Andrea Arnold never oversells her metaphors (like 'Black Swan') and never rushes any of the key relationships into false moments just to move the plot along. It is a shame IFC did not include this amongst their award screeners to critic groups and a huge shame on the voters of the Independent Spirit Awards for failing to give this film a single nomination in either 2009 or 2010. Huge shame.

http://incontention.com/2010/12/09/the-long-shot-critical-mass/

THE LONG SHOT: Critical mass
Posted by Guy Lodge · 7:26 pm · December 9th, 2010

Guy’s updated Oscar predictions here.

Just one week on from the first formal awards announcements of the season, the Oscar season may still be taking its first steps, but my personal interest in the precursor trail is nonetheless set to peak this very weekend.

That, of course, is when the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association weigh in with their selections of the year’s best, showing up the likes of the nominee-naming Washington group as the pretenders they are, while classing up the season with some unapologetically idiosyncratic film smarts.

Or so we hope – for as much as the major critics’ groups often delight us by throwing caution (and Oscar-soothsaying cred) to the wind with rebellious left-field picks, they are equally capable of falling dully into line behind pre-anointed favourites. I was recently chased by Tom O’Neil’s resurrected Gold Derby site for my NYFCC and LAFCA predictions, and while I’m as game as anyone for a spot of light-hearted, consequence-free punting, the irony of the exercise still nagged away at me: the day I predict either group’s set of winners accurately is the day they’ll cease to matter to me.

For while the term “precursor” may imply a kind of predictive or even pre-emptive effect on the rest of the season, many of the two groups’ most memorable calls did no such thing. The New Yorkers’ infamous crowning of Cameron Diaz as Best Actress for “There’s Something About Mary” in 1998 (the amusing compromise drawn between rival camps of support for two tonier actresses) was hardly intended to influence any other voting bodies to do the same, and duly didn’t; on the opposite end of the spectrum, the Los Angelenos’ championing of then-unknown “Down to the Bone” star Vera Farmiga in the same category in 2005 was a nobly, knowingly lost cause.

A glance down the list of past NYFCC and LAFCA winners only emphasises the already well-known fact that the gap between critical darlings and Academy fare can be gratifyingly vast: the list of films that snagged top honors from either group only to miss the Oscar dartboard ranges from “Brazil” to “Topsy-Turvy,” from “Mulholland Drive” to “Do the Right Thing.” Joined by their more esoteric sister in the holy trinity of US critics’ awards, the National Society of Film Critics, the groups also share an awareness of foreign-language cinema that collectively dwarfs that of the Academy: it’s regrettably easy to forget that only a year ago, French actress Yolande Moreau was the dominant critics’ choice for Best Actress, while the LA crowd has recently surfed the Romanian New Wave with awards for actors Vlad Ivanov and Luminita Gheorghiu.

As an actor, you needn’t even have an exotic-sounding name or tongue to fall into the aforementioned gap: Sally Hawkins and Bill Murray share the unenviable, but perversely honourable, distinction of being the only thesps in history to take prizes from all three major US critics’ groups without earning so much as an Oscar nomination for their pains. Let their names serve as bitter reminders to any naïve awards-watchers assuming this weekend’s awards are an automatic shot in the arm for the lucky winners’ Oscar chances.

And yet, and yet, and yet. Just as one is tempted to relieve the critics of their supposed influence on the season—granting them the freedom to reward any difficult, subtitled AMPAS-repelling obscurity they happen to take a shine to—something happens to remind us that their announcements aren’t made into a void, and that the critics’ groups themselves are cannily aware of the power they wield.

It’s exactly 25 years since LAFCA purposefully changed the path of Terry Gilliam’s then-unreleased “Brazil” by handing it their Best Picture prize, prompting doubtful Universal bosses to let audiences see it. The impact of that win on the Academy was minimal (though the film at least earned two Oscar nods it wouldn’t otherwise have received), but the same can’t be said of last year’s choice: shrugged off by audiences and boasting no heavyweight industry names, “The Hurt Locker” became the most critic-steered Best Picture winner in Oscar history, as every major critics’ group in America lined up behind the indie Iraq drama to raise its profile in the face of the threatening populist shadow cast by “Avatar.”

The last time the critics’ awards converged on one film to such an extent was in 1997, when they rallied behind “LA Confidential” as the discerning voter’s alternative to “Titanic” – it didn’t work that time, of course, but let it never be said that critics aren’t as collectively calculating as the savviest Hollywood publicists.

We should not be surprised, then, if this weekend sees both the Los Angeles and New York groups throwing their weight behind “The Social Network”—already cast, despite the patronage of a beleaguered middlebrow institution like the National Board of Review, as the cooler, more credible alternative to “The King’s Speech”—in a concerted effort to keep the ball in its court. And if they do, fine: it’d be a respectable winner under any circumstances.

Except I want to be surprised by these awards: as appreciative as I am of the helping hand they gave Team Bigelow last year, I nonetheless value the likes of LAFCA and the NYFCC more for their independent inclination to celebrate the uncelebrated than their modest ability to manipulate glossier awards institutions. This, critics, is the moment to remind movie fans of the singular achievements of “Dogtooth” and “The Illusionist,” of Emma Stone in “Easy A” and Michael Fassbender in “Fish Tank,” of anything you damn well please, whether or not the Academy can be persuaded to like them too. In the heartless sport of Oscar-watching, critics’ awards may be regarded, for better or worse, as precursors, but they’re their own prizes first.

[Photos: Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, AMPAS]

http://blogs.fredericksburg.com/filmscript/2010/12/16/reactions-to-the-golden-globe-nominations/

Reactions to the Golden Globe Nominations

For whatever reason, I enjoy the Oscars. Not the glitz or the glamour, or even the show itself really, but more of what it represents for film. Outside of all the campaigning and movies that seem green lit for no greater purpose than to try to swallow up awards, when a film I see as one of the best of its year gets recognized, I appreciate it. Maybe I’m foolish, but I like looking back and seeing No Country for Old Men, The Departed and The Hurt Locker recognized as Best Picture winners instead of nonsensical flavor-of-the-month decisions like Crash or the forgetful Chicago. In a way, the best picture winner is a reflection of our times.

That said, the Golden Globes tend to be a no-win scenario for me. Largely looked at as a barometer for how the Oscars might vote the following month, their categories tend to be blockbuster-heavy with a premium on celebrity. They tend to vote for recognized names, trending movies and honestly, in retrospect the only lasting impression for Golden Globe winners goes to the actors who’ve yet to win an Oscar in upcoming movie campaigns.

Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Christian Bale for The Fighter, Michael Douglas for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Andrew Garfield for The Social Network, Jeremy Renner for The Town and Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech

Looks like an uninspired slate here. Loved Andrew Garfield in The Social Network, but honestly would have rather seen Timberlake get a nod. Renner was great but had a pretty straightforward “wild card” role in The Town. And the Hollywood Foreign Press must have mistakenly thought they were voting for Michael Douglas’ original Wall Street performance again. Where’s Mark Ruffalo from The Kids Are All Right? You could also throw John Hawkes from Winter’s Bone here, Michael Fassbender from Fish Tank or how about Nic Cage’s Kick-Ass Adam West turn?

http://seriousfilm.blogspot.com/2011/01/category-close-up-supporting-actor.html

Sunday, January 2, 2011
Category Close-Up: Supporting Actor

PREDICTION

Christian Bale for The Fighter - Iron-clad lock for his washed up, cracked out ex-fighter. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he's got the win pretty well wrapped up too. You could charge category fraud in that he is actually a co-lead, but there are so many worse examples (See: Steinfield, Hailee) I can let this one slide. At least Bale is off screen from time to time.

Andrew Garfield for The Social Network - He missed out on the SAG nomination, which makes his spot here very shaky. But being in the frontrunner has its benefits and I think Network will have the coattails to carry Garfield into the top five.

John Hawkes for Winter's Bone - All year long Hawkes looked like one of those worthy causes that critics would champion, but who would come up short for the nomination. Think Peter Sarsgaard in Shattered Glass. But Winter's Bone has shown unexpected muscle in the precursors, so much so that I feel safe predicting him here. Momentum counts and Winter's Bone has got it.

Jeremy Renner for The Town - Oscar loves to nominate big commercial hits and Jeremy Renner's hair-trigger bank robber was the standout from Ben Affleck's hit movie. Renner is also riding a wave of good will from his work in The Hurt Locker.

Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech - The other lock along with Bale this a textbook example of the kind of work that wins nominations. Rush has the added advantage of being a lead nominated in the supporting category. Ironically the only thing that could trip him up is that he might be a bit too good. He gives an surprisingly subtle performance and Oscar usually goes for big ACTING!

CONTENDERS

Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right - If anyone is going to dislodge one of the above five it's going to be Ruffalo. The so far unnominated actor should be going on his third nod by my count. Eventually voters are going to have to notice his consistent excellence. Still, something tells me his lack of flashy acting moments makes his work here too easy to snub.

Ed Harris for The Way Back - People have been talking up Harris's chances for The Way Back all year and Harris is on that list of people who are beyond due. Unfortunately, the release of The Way Back has been so ham-handed that there are still people unsure if it's a 2010 release, so Way Back has gathered zero buzz.

Bill Murray for Get Low - Murray's amusing performance was looking a lot better before the year end rush of competition. Duvall is barely holding on to the fifth slot as it is so Murray's chances are pretty slim.

Matt Damon for True Grit - Bridges and Steinfeld are dominating the film's buzz, but both Damon and Grit are popular and he has a meaty part, so it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Justin Timberlake for The Social Network - The precursors have spoken and Garfield is the supporting performance of choice from Social Network. There doesn't appear to be room for two, although you can't count out a star turn with so many memorable moments courtesy of Sorkin.

Michael Douglas for Wall Street 2 - The movie fizzled but Douglas is still reprising an iconic, Oscar-winning role and the Globe nomination keeps his name in the conversation. Competition is probably too stiff for a sentimental nod this year.

Sam Rockwell for Conviction - Was getting talked up as a potential winner until the movie was DOA, though an unexpected SAG nom for Swank shows that people are watching the screeners. Could surprise.

WORTHY BUT WITHOUT BUZZ

Vincent Cassel for Black Swan - Swan dominated the discussion in December but none of that buzz managed to trickle down to Cassell's multi-faceted work as the impresario pushing Natalie Portman to the breaking point. Shame.

Nigel Lindsay for Four Lions - Imagine Big Lebowski's Walter Sobchak as an incompetent British terrorist and you get an idea of Lindsay's hilarious standout work from the outrageous terrorism satire Four Lions.

Pierce Brosnan for The Ghost Writer - Before this performance audiences could be forgiven for thinking they had Brosnan figured out. Who knew he could bring so many shades to a role like this, at turns befuddled, sharp, statesman-like, and raging. Brosnan makes all the different sides part of the whole and keeps us guessing until the end.

Ben Mendelsohn for Animal Kingdom - The sociopathic villain is a staple of the supporting actor category, but Mendelsohn's chilling work as the deadly Uncle 'Pope' in this Australian crime drama is going unnoticed because of how close to the vest he plays it. Yet it's this very quality that makes his character riveting.

Michael Fassbender for Fish Tank - Fassbender was overlooked last year for his dashing undercover British agent in Inglourious Basterds. It's safe to say his work as a deceptively charming house guest that captures the attention of an out-of-control teen will meet the same fate.

Guy Pearce for The King's Speech - Rush's co-lead is hogging the plaudits but Pearce's is the supporting performance from Speech that stuck with me. His callow, rebellious King Edward perfectly sets the stage for the main conflict.

http://antcomic.com/blog/?p=4910

Previewing the Films of 2011: Oscar Hopefuls and Foreign Language

Oh No They Didn't!

Here we are, the final installment of my 2011 preview and I have 36 new films to discuss, which means in the last four days I have brought you information on 133 different films opening (or expected to open) in 2011. I’d say that’s one hell of a comprehensive preview. Today’s installment brings you a look at potential Oscar contenders and a dozen foreign language films I decided to single out. First we’ll begin with the Oscar Contenders. Below I’ve listed 39 films I feel will mark the start of the Oscar conversation for the new year. Fifteen of these films I’ve mentioned in my previous installments in some capacity and 24 of them are brand new to the preview. Each is discussed individually with a link to their official page here on RopeofSilicon.com if you want further information such as synopsis, full cast listings and pictures and trailers where available. As we all realize, it’s very early and this is just a matter of speculation on my part, but you have to start some time. So once the Oscar winners for the movies released in 2010 are announced you better believe these are the films that will quickly make up the list of Contenders in my "The Contenders" section, so no better time than now to get acquainted.

A Dangerous Method [TBA 2011]: I expect big things from David Cronenberg‘s A Dangerous Method, the cast, which includes Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel is too impressive not to.Image and video hosting by TinyPic (If it lives up to its potential with its amazing director and cast, I really hope the Academy really gives it its due recognition. It hasn’t always been kind to Cronenberg films)

Haywire [TBA 2011]: It’s another Steven Soderbergh flick and this one is more likely to fall in the bin alongside The Girlfriend Experience, but personally I liked that film so perhaps if Soderbergh keeps making films of that sort someone will finally stand up and take notice. Outside of the unknown lead actress Gina Carano, the film features some serious talent in Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Michael Angarano, Antonio Banderas and Bill Paxton.

Jane Eyre [March 11]: Cary Fukunaga impressed a lot of people with Sin Nombre and his latest brings a Charlotte Bronte’s classic to the big screen with talent that includes Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins and Imogen Poots. The only problem? The release date. Just like Sin Nombre, Focus is sending Jane Eyre to theaters in March… will the Academy’s short term memory be able to remember a 9-month-old film come December? (Another amazing director + cast combo)
Larry Crowne [July 1]: Tom Hanks co-wrote Larry Crowne with Nia Vardalos. He’s directing and starring as the title character alongside Julia Roberts, Taraji P. Henson, George Takei, Peter Scolari, Bryan Cranston, Cedric the Entertainer, Wilmer Valderrama, Jon Seda, Nia Vardalos, Natascha McElhone, Maria Canals, Pam Grier, Rami Malek and Rob Riggle. This is only Hanks’s second time in the director’s chair after 1996′s That Thing You Do! How will he do this time?

Shame [TBA 2011]: Steve McQueen‘s Hunger was highly recognized by critics, but roundly ignored by the Academy. Don’t expect the same for his follow-up, which again has McQueen teaming with Hunger star Michael Fassbender as well as bringing in Carey Mulligan. This film could do big things this year.

http://reesefilmreview.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/if-i-chose-the-oscars-acting-nominations/

If I chose the Oscar’s acting nominations…

Best Performance by an Actor in Leading Role

01. Stephen Dorff. in Somewhere
02. Xavier Dolan. in I Killed My Mother
03. Tahar Rahim. in A Prophet
04. Joaquin Phoenix. in I’m Still Here
05. Casey Affleck. in The Killer Inside Me

Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role

01. Birgit Minichmayr. in Everyone Else
02. Emma Watson. in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
03. Natalie Portman. in Black Swan
04. Patricia Clarkson. in Cairo Time
05. Kim Hye-ja. in Madeo

Best Performance by an Actor in Supporting Role

01. Michael Fassbender. in Fish Tank
02. Filippo Timi. in Vincere
03. John Hawkes. in Winter’s Bone
04. Sullivan Stapleton. in Animal Kingdom
05. Hristos Passalis. in Dogtooth

Best Performance by an Actress in Supporting Role

01. Mila Kunis. in Black Swan
02. Blake Lively. in The Town
03. Thandie Newton. in For Colored Girls
04. Greta Gerwig. in Greenberg
05. Amanda Seyfried. in Chloe

http://sushiandseitan.blogspot.com/2011/01/top-2010-academock-award-nominations-as.html

Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The 2010 Academock Award Nominations (as of 1/11)
I still need to see the following films: The American, Another Year, Biutiful, Blue Valentine, Enter the Void, Get Low, Inside Job, Let Me In, Rabbit Hole, The Way Back, White Material

Best Picture
127 Hours
Black Swan
Catfish
Dogtooth
Everyone Else
The Ghost Writer
Inception
Shutter Island
The Social Network
Winter's Bone

Honorable Mentions: Animal Kingdom, Carlos, Easy A, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Fish Tank, Four Lions, Greenberg, Kick-Ass, The King's Speech, The Last Exorcism, Mother, Mother and Child, Never Let Me Go, Ondine, Paranormal Activity 2, A Prophet, Red Riding Trilogy, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Secret in Their Eyes, Splice, Tangled, The Town, True Grit

Directing
Maren Ade, Everyone Else
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Olivier Assayas, Carlos
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
David Fincher, The Social Network
Debra Granik, Winter's Bone
Giorgos Lanthimos, Dogtooth
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island

Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island
Lars Eidinger, Everyone Else
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Farrell, Ondine
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ewan McGregor, The Ghost Writer
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
Ben Stiller, Greenberg

Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Annette Bening, Mother and Child
Katie Jarvis, Fish Tank
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Birgit Minichmayr, Everyone Else
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Emma Stone, Easy A
Tilda Swinton, I Am Love

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Vincent Cassell, Black Swan
Matt Damon, True Grit
Michael Fassbender, Fish Tank
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Mark Ruffalo, Shutter Island
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Actress in a Supporting Role
Helena Bonham Carter, Alice in Wonderland
Marion Cotillard, Inception
Greta Gerwig, Greenberg
Barbara Hershey, Black Swan
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Michelle Williams, Shutter Island
Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer

Young Performer
Alison Barry, Ondine
Elle Fanning, Somewhere
Ruby Jerins, Remember Me
Chloe Grace Moretz, Kick-Ass
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Writing - Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours
The Ghost Writer
Shutter Island
The Social Network
Winter's Bone

Writing - Original Screenplay
Black Swan
Everyone Else
Greenberg
Inception
The King's Speech

Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
Shutter Island

Cinematography
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
Shutter Island

Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
True Grit

Film Editing
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
Shutter Island
The Social Network

Makeup
Alice in Wonderland
Jonah Hex
The Wolfman

Music - Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, The Ghost Writer
Danny Elfman, Alice in Wonderland
A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Hans Zimmer, Inception

Music - Original Song
"If I Rise" from 127 Hours
"Kick-Ass" from Kick-Ass
"Little One" from Mother and Child
"I See the Light" from Tangled
"Eclipse: All Yours" from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Sound Editing
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
Shutter Island
The Town

Sound Mixing
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
Shutter Island
The Social Network

Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Inception
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Animated Feature Film
How to Train Your Dragon
Tangled
Toy Story 3

Documentary Feature
Catfish
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Prodigal Sons
Waiting for Superman

Foreign Language Film
Carlos
Dogtooth
Everyone Else
Mother
A Prophet
Posted by Jason at 9:58 AM

http://feedmeacat.blogspot.com/2011/01/if-i-could-make-up-my-own-awards.html

Monday, January 10, 2011
If I could make up my own awards
Once the Oscar noms come out, I'm sure I'll gleeful about some inclusions, pissed at some snubs, outraged at the undeserving noms, and wistful for those that never had a chance. And then I'll pick the ones I think will win, and which I think should win, and root for my favorites.

But what if I could pick all the nominees myself?

I certainly haven't seen everything that has come out this year. There are many films which I'm sure are some of the best of the year that I never got to; White Material, I Am Love, the Tillman Story, Restrepo, Get Low, Rabbit Hole, Vincere, Ghost Writer, A Prophet, Dogtooth, Applause, Mother, Another Year, Incendies, Beyond.

I mean, if you look at every picture which has received a nomination for Best Picture from a critics guild, that's 47 different films right there, excluding docs and foreign films.

So, given what I have seen, here's what I'd pick (nominees, alternates for your consideration, and notable omissions of the films I have yet to see):

Best Picture
Winter's Bone
Inception
The Social Network
Black Swan
The Fighter
Girl with a Dragon Tattoo
Fish Tank
Red Riding: 1974 (hey, Carlos is getting foreign film nods from a bunch of guilds. Although, yes, it is ineligible for an Oscar. But these are MY awards.)
Never Let Me Go
Animal Kingdom

Notable Omissions; Blue Valentine, True Grit, 127 Hours, Ghost Writer, The Town

Best Popcorn Film (those genre flicks worth your time, if not critical love)
Cell 211
Perrier's Bounty
Red, White and Blue
Predators
The Killer Inside Me
The Crazies
Red Hill
Kick Ass
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Notable Omissions; Red, Machete.

Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Katie Jarvis, Fish Tank
Noomi Rapace, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go

Notable Omissions; Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), Lesley Manville (Another Year), Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs), Hye-Ja Kim (Mother), Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole).

Best Actor
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Farrell, Ondine
Andrew Garfield, Red Riding: 1974
Noah Taylor, Red, White, and Blue

Alternates; Jim Carrey (I Love You, Philip Morris), Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In).

Notable Omissions; James Franco (127 Hours), Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Tahar Rahim (A Prophet), Edgar Ramirez (Carlos), Robert Duvall (Get Low), Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Jim Broadbent (Another Year), Aaron Eckhart (Rabbit Hole), Ciaran Hinds (the Eclipse), Vincent Cassel (Mesrine). *phew*.

Best Supporting Actress
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Juliette Lewis, Conviction
Dale Dickey, Winter's Bone

Alternates; Chloe Moretz (Kick Ass), Amy Adams (The Fighter), Marion Cotillard (Inception).

Notable Omissions; Olivia Williams (Ghost Writer), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Dianne Wiest (Rabbit Hole), Rosamund Pike (Barney's Version).

Best Supporting Actor
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Michael Fassbender, Fish Tank
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Armie Hammer, The Social Network

Alternates: Brendan Gleeson (Perrier's Bounty), Tom Hardy (Inception), Kieran Culkin (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Michael Shannon (the Runaways), Geoffrey Rush (the King's Speech), Sam Rockwell (Conviction), Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom).

Notable Omissions; Jeremy Renner (the Town), Matt Damon (True Grit), Edward Norton (Stone), Pierce Brosnan (Ghost Writer).

[Ed. note: I know, I know. I didn't include Sam Rockwell in my top 5. Quelle Horreur. He was good. He's always good. He wasn't given as much material to work with as one would have hoped. So when it comes down to the last spot, Armie Hammer had a more impressive role overall.]

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Debra Granik, Winter's Bone
Andrea Arnold, Fish Tank

Alternates; David O. Russell (the Fighter), Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture).

Notable Omissions; the Coens (True Grit), Danny Boyle (127 Hours), Roman Polanski (Ghost Writer), Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), Mike Leigh (Another Year).

Best Screenplay - Original
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
Ondine
Fish Tank

Notable Omissions; Buried, Blue Valentine, The Square, Four Lions, Another Year.

I almost want Four Lions to win as a write-in, just for its audacity.

Best Screenplay - Adapted
The Social Network
The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Winter's Bone
Red Riding: 1974

Alternates; I Love You Philip Morris, Never Let Me Go, The Killer Inside Me.

Notable Omissions; True Grit, The Town, Rabbit Hole

Best Foreign Film
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Cell 211
(both ineligible for oscars).... and....um. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest?

I may not have seen enough films in this category this year. Let's say Dogtooth, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, and A Prophet (nominated last year) for the other nominees and Simple Simon, Beyond, Incendies, Mother, I Am Love (ineligible for the Oscar), Hadewijch, Of Gods and Men, White Material, Carlos (ineligible), Applause, The Edge, Life Above All, and Undertow as the alternates.

Best Animated
Nada. Despite my deep love for animation, I have seen none of these films. I... don't know what happened this year.

Best Documentary
Ditto as foreign films. Marwencol FTW!

So let's go with Exit Through the Gift Shop, the Tillman Story, Restrepo, and A Film Unfinished, with Winnebago Man, Gasland and Last Train Home as alternates. I can't watch Inside Job. I just can't.

Best Visual Effects
Inception
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
TRON
Harry Potter 7a
Alice in Wonderland

Notable Omissions; Monsters, Narnia, Prince of Persia.

I have yet to see any shorts (hmmm.... when do those group showings occur?), so let's skip those.

Best Costumes
Black Swan
Alice in Wonderland
King's Speech

Surely other people wore costumes. Hmmm... TRON? Can I give an award for getting Garrett Hedlund into that getup? Inception? People wore pretty things in that.

Notable Omissions; True Grit, Burlesque (SEQUINS!!!), I Am Love, the Tempest, Agora, Made in Dagenham.

Best Art/Production Design
Bunny and the Bull
Inception
Black Swan
TRON
King's Speech

Alternates; Harry Potter 7a, Shutter Island

Notable Omission; I Am Love

Best Makeup
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Harry Potter 7a

Notable Omissions; True Grit, Splice, the Wolfman, the Tempest, Burlesque? Who wore makeup this year? I can't fill this category.

Best Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
Never Let Me Go
Harry Potter 7a
Winter's Bone

Alternates; The Fighter, The Social Network, Shutter Island, Let Me In.

Notable Omissions; True Grit, I Am Love, 127 Hours, Sweetgrass, Monsters.

Best Editing
Inception
The Social Network
Black Swan
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Shutter Island

Notable Omissions; 127 Hours, The Town.

Best Song
(AKA: who do I want to watch during the show - it's like who gets a grammy nomination!)
You Haven't Seen the Last of Me (Burlesque). CHER!!! PLZ WEAR BOB MACKIE, K? THNKS.
Eclipse (Eclipse). Much as I hate to nominate anything having to do with Twilight, I really do like Metric.
Bound to You (Burlesque). (Christina Aguilera)
Life During Wartime (Life During Wartime). (Devendra Banhard & Beck)
What Part of Forever (Eclipse). (Cee-Lo Green)

Your other song options (FYI); If I Rise - 127 Hours (Dido - I like this one alright), I See the Lights - Tangled (Mandy Moore), There's a Place for Us - Narnia (Carrie Underwood), Better Days - Eat Pray Love (Eddie Vedder - ditto; also not bad), Chanson Illusionist - The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet). The last one isn't a Belleville Rendezvous, but it's cute.

I almost wish I could throw on Avril Lavigne's song from Alice in Wonderland or Gwyneth Paltrow's Coming Home from Country Strong, just to see them both get schooled by Cher and Cristina Aguilera. Because I'm cruel like that.

Best Score
TRON: Legacy - Daft Punk [Ed: WHY is this not getting more attention? I LOVED it.]
The Social Network - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
The Fighter - Michael Brook
Inception - Hans Zimmer
Black Swan - Clint Mansell

Alternates; King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat, Alice in Wonderland - Danny Elfman, Harry Potter 7a - Alexandre Desplat, Never Let Me Go - Rachel Portman.

Notable Omissions; True Grit - Carter Burwell, Ghost Writer - Alexandre Desplat, 127 Hours - A. R. Rahman.

Best Sound Mixing & Editing (I know the one has to do with recording sound effects and background, and the other has to do with volume/mixing/etc., but.... I'm grouping them.)
Inception
Black Swan
The Social Network
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Shutter Island

Alternate; Iron Man 2.

Notable Omission; True Grit.
Posted by Jessica at 10:25 PM

http://picturesportal.blogspot.com/2011/01/oscars-2011-who-was-robbed.html

Oscars 2011: Who Was Robbed?

by Pictures Portal | 4:10 AM in 'King's Speech' leads Oscar noms, Oscars 2011: Who Got Snubbed?, Oscars 2011: Who Was Robbed? |

There's no pleasing everybody, but these films & performances should have been Academy Award contenders. See our list of Oscar snubs & oversights. .

Christopher Nolan, Noomi Rapace and 'The Ghost Writer' top our list of near misses.

After eighty-some years of Academy Awards, it should be clear to almost everyone that Oscar nominations are a measure of the moment, not a marker for the ages. And you could say that the films of the moment are "The Social Network" and "Inception," both scoring 8 nominations. "Network" channels the pulse of the modern world of virtual relationships and communication breakdown and it downloads into Oscar season with dozens of wins from awards associations and critics groups, while the cerebral action thriller "Inception" piles on the technical nominations for its marriage of conceptual ingenuity and visual invention.

In terms of sheer numbers, however, the comfort of tradition triumphs over the discomfort of the contemporary: "The King's Speech," this year's feel-good triumph-over-adversity drama, dominates with twelve nominations, followed by the ten nominations from the Coen Bros.' most popular film to date, "True Grit," an old-fashioned western infused with their sly sensibility.

In other words, no surprises in this year's announcements. It pretty much came down as predicted: the final prom of the absurdly overcrowded awards season with the homecoming kings and queens pretty much sorted out. But just because it followed the script doesn't mean it was the right script. Here is our scorecard on Oscar's slights and oversights: they shoulda been a contender.

'King's Speech' leads Oscar noms

The nominees for the 83rd annual Academy Awards have been announced."The King's Speech" received the most nominations, including best picture. The best picture nominations were also given to "Toy Story 3," "Black Swan" and "True Grit." The Oscars will be televised live on ABC.Jessica Alba was nominated for the most Razzies in the worst actress category this year.

Supporting Actor
Geoffrey Rush got his nod for resisting his penchant for overacting (and simply for appearing in the feel-good success story of the 2010 Awards season), taking the spot that Sam Rockwell might have snagged had "Conviction" been a film worthy of his performance. Jeremy Renner earned his nomination as the season's unrepentant criminal wild card with a neighborhood code in "The Town" but what about Michael Fassbender's more reckless creation in the edgy "Fish Tank." Rising star-of-the-moment Andrew Garfield is a surprise omission for his wounded turn in "The Social Network" and Matt Damon was overlooked for his easy-going support in "True Grit," while Pierce Brosnan's cagey performance as a restlessly indignant Prime Minister trying to rehabilitate his legacy with a memoir was so slippery it slipped right out of contention.

http://stillsearching.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/oscar-nominees/

And the Nominees Should Have Been…
Posted on January 25, 2011 by Brett

The 2011 Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and as is typically the case, there are some hits and some misses. By and large I think the Academy got it pretty right, with a few good surprises (Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom) and some bad (no Andrew Garfield supporting actor nom?). If I were to have a say in the nominations, they would have gone something like this:

Best Supporting Actor: Andrew Garfield, The Social Network; Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech; Christian Bale, The Fighter; Jim Broadbent, Another Year; Michael Fassbender, Fish Tank.

http://cinemaandpopcorn.blogspot.com/2011/01/11-movies-of-2011-that-may-get-academys.html

27.1.11
11 Movies of 2011 that may get Academy's love

2011 has some good reasons to go to the theatres and watch a couple of movies and I'm not talking about that Summer flicks for which ones we pay a ticket just "to see". In fact, 2011 seems to have a lot of "quality-movies", so here's my list of "potentitial-Oscar-quality-movies" (in alphabetical order):

A Dangerous Method

Synopsis: "A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis."
Release date: (?-?-2011)
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: Christopher Hampton
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Vincent Cassel

Oscar potential: David Cronenberg has a great body of work and is one of the most respectful director working today, so every movie he does is always an Oscar contender before being seen, at least. Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud seems weird, but it may be different enough to get all the attentions and maybe an Oscar nomination for portraying such a legendary man and Michael Fassbender may have a chance of getting a nod in the Best Supporting Actor category, specially after being recognized for his work in Hunger and Inglorious Basterds. Knightley may get an Oscar nod too for portraying the "lony" Sabrina. In the end, A Dangerous Method can be seen as an Oscar contender in all the categories, including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenlay and in Best Costume Design and Art Direction (the usual categories of a period piece).
Publicada por Ed. P. em 12:33 PM

http://inwidescreen.blogspot.com/2011/02/widescreen-awards-supporting-actor.html

Thursday, February 10, 2011
Widescreen Awards: Supporting Actor

Make no mistake: Michael Fassbender's Connor, in Fish Tank, has been and always will be a monster. Fassbender seduces the audience along with his 15-year-old Lolita, and he does so while pretending to be a good, well-meaning guy. Even after his secret life -- behind a picket fence, no less -- is revealed, you can't help but think of him only as a pitiful misguided fool. It's a performance within a performance within a performance, and a stunning one at that.