What are the mid-season Oscar contenders?

[FormerBondFan]

www.dailycomet.com/article/20100704/ENTERTAINMENT/100629383/1275?p=all&tc=pgall

What are the mid-season Oscar contenders?

By Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

Published: Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 8:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, June 28, 2010 at 4:28 p.m.



Everybody wants to live in boom times, and just about everybody would like to live in an inspired period for movies, but those two things rarely go hand in hand. The Great Depression gave us a golden age, and so did the Vietnam-Watergate-malaise era of the late 1960s and the 1970s. By contrast, the economy was humming along for most the ‘80s and ‘90s, while those movie years were just average, with only the usual number of good and anomalously great movies.

Six months ago, two things pointed to a coming third golden age of film: 1) The economy, though not quite at the brother-can-you-spare-a-dime stage, was pretty miserable; and 2) 2009 was the best year for movies so far this century. Moreover, the ways in which 2009's movies were strong — their anxiety and dystopian vision — suggested a cinema tapping into the unconscious currents of its time.

Six months later, the economy is still anemic, and the movies . . . well, actually, the movies of 2010 have been fairly average, with no evidence yet on the horizon of a golden age. But it's still early. After all, January and February are generally a wasteland; then things get a little better in March and April. Then comes the cultural lobotomy known as the summer season, which goes on until Labor Day. Point being, we could actually be in the midst of the greatest movie year ever and not know it, just as film critic Otis Ferguson didn't know it, when he wrote in 1939, “This film year has been about the leanest in seven.”

He wrote that early in 1939. Things got better.

As it stands, our midterm report isn't bad. Regrets, we've had a few. “Sex and the City 2” was a disaster. “Shutter Island,” a Martin Scorsese film, played more like something by M. Knight Shyamalan, but without the wit. And in “The Last Song,” Miley Cyrus proved that she couldn't act — though come to think of it, that wasn't exactly a disappointment. That was more, like, funny.

There have also been some frustrating near misses. “The Green Zone” was almost a provocative drama about the Iraq war. “Winter's Bone,” which contains a brilliant performance by newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, was earnest but rhythmically glacial. And “Robin Hood,” Ridley Scott's fresh take on the green guy's origins, lacked compelling emotion.

What follows are 15 films released in 2010 that have some hope (or deserve to have hope) of awards consideration at the end of the year. We're not just talking about the Oscars or Golden Globes, don't forget. We're also talking about truly august groups such as the various film critic's circles and associations, which now blanket the country like an epidemic:

The Book of Eli (January): This futuristic, post-apocalyptic nightmare was good, not great, but Gary Oldman's performance as an opportunistic would-be dictator was perfection.

Edge of Darkness (January): Crime thrillers usually don't get much respect during award's season, but if anyone cares to pay attention, Mel Gibson gave the performance of his career as an aging cop whose life is destroyed when his daughter is murdered.

The Ghost Writer (March): Roman Polanski, who still isn't allowed to leave his house, won a much-deserved best director prize from the Berlin Film Festival, for this film about a ghost writer who kicks over a hornet's nest while collaborating on the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister. Ewan McGregor has a reasonable shot at best actor and Pierce Brosnan as supporting actor. But Polanski seems guaranteed to pick up some director prizes, and the film stands to be nominated for best picture.

Chloe (March): Erin Cressida Wilson deserves a prize for best adapted screenplay for this film about the relationship between a middle-aged wife (Julianne Moore) and the call-girl (Amanda Seyfried) she is paying to sleep with her husband. The only disadvantage Wilson has is that most people are unfamiliar with the source material, the French film, “Nathalie,” from director Anne Fontaine. But anyone who bothers to look will see that Wilson took a flat story and brought out all its latent and dormant elements, to create one of the best women's films of the year. Someone should also consider Moore for best actress.

Greenberg (March): American movies contain very few good supporting actress roles, which means that Greta Gerwig's charming turn as a professional nanny could be acknowledged.

The Girl On the Train (March): Andre Techine's film, starring Emilie Dequenne as a young confused woman who gets in trouble, is a possible best foreign film nominee.

The Runaways (April): This moody, accurate exploration of 1970s angst, focusing on the rise and fall of the seminal all-girl band, could yield nominations for Kristen Stewart (Joan Jett) and Dakota Fanning (Cherie Currie).

Vincere (April): Highlighted by Giovanna Mezzogiorno's on-fire performance as Mussolini's mistress, this historical drama from veteran Italian director Marco Bellocchio seems a probable best foreign film nominee.

Harry Brown (April): Michael Caine incarnates the disappointment and life weariness of an old man who picks up a gun, in a vigilante thriller highlighted by Caine's searing performance. This movie will get no respect, but Caine's performance will be acknowledged.

Get Him to the Greek (June): It's a longshot — comedies rarely win anything — but Nicholas Stoller's screenplay and Russell Brand's supporting performance deserve a look.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (June): It's one of the best showbiz documentaries out there, and if it doesn't pick up some best documentary prizes, something is very wrong.

Cyrus (June): Marisa Tomei's warm and charming performance as a woman caught between her lover and her son could pick up some supporting actress nominations.

Toy Story 3 (June): This may be the first movie with “3” in the title, as in “third installment,” that qualifies as a masterpiece. Best animated film is a lock — from the lowliest critic's group to the Oscars. But it's also a guaranteed best picture nominee. It should be a contender at the Oscars and will probably come in first with many critics' groups.

Yet to be released, but I've seen them, and I tell you everything:

The Kids Are All Right (July): This film has awards written all over it. First, the movie is excellent. Second, it deals, in passing, with gay marriage, which is topical. Third, it contains a fantastic performance by Annette Bening, who has been an inevitable Oscar winner for 20 years (and has deserved to win at least twice). Expect best screenplay and best actress nominations, for sure. Also possible: Best director, for Lisa Cholodenko, and best supporting actor, for Mark Ruffalo.

Mademoiselle Chambon (August or September): This lovely French film, about the love between an itinerant school teacher (Sandrine Kiberlain) and a married construction worker (Vincent Lindon), is all but guaranteed a best foreign film nomination. It might win, too. Moreover, it's a lean year for actresses, and if the film maintains its momentum (it racked up good numbers in New York), Kiberlain could easily get some best actress nominations.

[Cpt. Sir Dominic Flandry]

Jul 4, 2010 13:57:42 GMT -5 FormerBondFan said:

www.dailycomet.com/article/20100704/ENTERTAINMENT/100629383/1275?p=all&tc=pgall

What are the mid-season Oscar contenders?

By Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

Published: Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 8:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, June 28, 2010 at 4:28 p.m.



Everybody wants to live in boom times, and just about everybody would like to live in an inspired period for movies, but those two things rarely go hand in hand. The Great Depression gave us a golden age, and so did the Vietnam-Watergate-malaise era of the late 1960s and the 1970s. By contrast, the economy was humming along for most the ‘80s and ‘90s, while those movie years were just average, with only the usual number of good and anomalously great movies.

Six months ago, two things pointed to a coming third golden age of film: 1) The economy, though not quite at the brother-can-you-spare-a-dime stage, was pretty miserable; and 2) 2009 was the best year for movies so far this century. Moreover, the ways in which 2009's movies were strong — their anxiety and dystopian vision — suggested a cinema tapping into the unconscious currents of its time.

Six months later, the economy is still anemic, and the movies . . . well, actually, the movies of 2010 have been fairly average, with no evidence yet on the horizon of a golden age. But it's still early. After all, January and February are generally a wasteland; then things get a little better in March and April. Then comes the cultural lobotomy known as the summer season, which goes on until Labor Day. Point being, we could actually be in the midst of the greatest movie year ever and not know it, just as film critic Otis Ferguson didn't know it, when he wrote in 1939, “This film year has been about the leanest in seven.”

He wrote that early in 1939. Things got better.

As it stands, our midterm report isn't bad. Regrets, we've had a few. “Sex and the City 2” was a disaster. “Shutter Island,” a Martin Scorsese film, played more like something by M. Knight Shyamalan, but without the wit. And in “The Last Song,” Miley Cyrus proved that she couldn't act — though come to think of it, that wasn't exactly a disappointment. That was more, like, funny.

There have also been some frustrating near misses. “The Green Zone” was almost a provocative drama about the Iraq war. “Winter's Bone,” which contains a brilliant performance by newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, was earnest but rhythmically glacial. And “Robin Hood,” Ridley Scott's fresh take on the green guy's origins, lacked compelling emotion.

What follows are 15 films released in 2010 that have some hope (or deserve to have hope) of awards consideration at the end of the year. We're not just talking about the Oscars or Golden Globes, don't forget. We're also talking about truly august groups such as the various film critic's circles and associations, which now blanket the country like an epidemic:

The Book of Eli (January): This futuristic, post-apocalyptic nightmare was good, not great, but Gary Oldman's performance as an opportunistic would-be dictator was perfection.

Edge of Darkness (January): Crime thrillers usually don't get much respect during award's season, but if anyone cares to pay attention, Mel Gibson gave the performance of his career as an aging cop whose life is destroyed when his daughter is murdered.

The Ghost Writer (March): Roman Polanski, who still isn't allowed to leave his house, won a much-deserved best director prize from the Berlin Film Festival, for this film about a ghost writer who kicks over a hornet's nest while collaborating on the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister. Ewan McGregor has a reasonable shot at best actor and Pierce Brosnan as supporting actor. But Polanski seems guaranteed to pick up some director prizes, and the film stands to be nominated for best picture.

Chloe (March): Erin Cressida Wilson deserves a prize for best adapted screenplay for this film about the relationship between a middle-aged wife (Julianne Moore) and the call-girl (Amanda Seyfried) she is paying to sleep with her husband. The only disadvantage Wilson has is that most people are unfamiliar with the source material, the French film, “Nathalie,” from director Anne Fontaine. But anyone who bothers to look will see that Wilson took a flat story and brought out all its latent and dormant elements, to create one of the best women's films of the year. Someone should also consider Moore for best actress.

Greenberg (March): American movies contain very few good supporting actress roles, which means that Greta Gerwig's charming turn as a professional nanny could be acknowledged.

The Girl On the Train (March): Andre Techine's film, starring Emilie Dequenne as a young confused woman who gets in trouble, is a possible best foreign film nominee.

The Runaways (April): This moody, accurate exploration of 1970s angst, focusing on the rise and fall of the seminal all-girl band, could yield nominations for Kristen Stewart (Joan Jett) and Dakota Fanning (Cherie Currie).

Vincere (April): Highlighted by Giovanna Mezzogiorno's on-fire performance as Mussolini's mistress, this historical drama from veteran Italian director Marco Bellocchio seems a probable best foreign film nominee.

Harry Brown (April): Michael Caine incarnates the disappointment and life weariness of an old man who picks up a gun, in a vigilante thriller highlighted by Caine's searing performance. This movie will get no respect, but Caine's performance will be acknowledged.

Get Him to the Greek (June): It's a longshot — comedies rarely win anything — but Nicholas Stoller's screenplay and Russell Brand's supporting performance deserve a look.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (June): It's one of the best showbiz documentaries out there, and if it doesn't pick up some best documentary prizes, something is very wrong.

Cyrus (June): Marisa Tomei's warm and charming performance as a woman caught between her lover and her son could pick up some supporting actress nominations.

Toy Story 3 (June): This may be the first movie with “3” in the title, as in “third installment,” that qualifies as a masterpiece. Best animated film is a lock — from the lowliest critic's group to the Oscars. But it's also a guaranteed best picture nominee. It should be a contender at the Oscars and will probably come in first with many critics' groups.

Yet to be released, but I've seen them, and I tell you everything:

The Kids Are All Right (July): This film has awards written all over it. First, the movie is excellent. Second, it deals, in passing, with gay marriage, which is topical. Third, it contains a fantastic performance by Annette Bening, who has been an inevitable Oscar winner for 20 years (and has deserved to win at least twice). Expect best screenplay and best actress nominations, for sure. Also possible: Best director, for Lisa Cholodenko, and best supporting actor, for Mark Ruffalo.

Mademoiselle Chambon (August or September): This lovely French film, about the love between an itinerant school teacher (Sandrine Kiberlain) and a married construction worker (Vincent Lindon), is all but guaranteed a best foreign film nomination. It might win, too. Moreover, it's a lean year for actresses, and if the film maintains its momentum (it racked up good numbers in New York), Kiberlain could easily get some best actress nominations.

I hope Brosnan wins an oscar just to annoy Chuck.

[FormerBondFan]

Jul 5, 2010 5:57:32 GMT -5 Cpt. Sir Dominic Flandry said:

Jul 4, 2010 13:57:42 GMT -5 FormerBondFan said:

www.dailycomet.com/article/20100704/ENTERTAINMENT/100629383/1275?p=all&tc=pgall

What are the mid-season Oscar contenders?

By Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

Published: Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 8:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, June 28, 2010 at 4:28 p.m.



Everybody wants to live in boom times, and just about everybody would like to live in an inspired period for movies, but those two things rarely go hand in hand. The Great Depression gave us a golden age, and so did the Vietnam-Watergate-malaise era of the late 1960s and the 1970s. By contrast, the economy was humming along for most the ‘80s and ‘90s, while those movie years were just average, with only the usual number of good and anomalously great movies.

Six months ago, two things pointed to a coming third golden age of film: 1) The economy, though not quite at the brother-can-you-spare-a-dime stage, was pretty miserable; and 2) 2009 was the best year for movies so far this century. Moreover, the ways in which 2009's movies were strong — their anxiety and dystopian vision — suggested a cinema tapping into the unconscious currents of its time.

Six months later, the economy is still anemic, and the movies . . . well, actually, the movies of 2010 have been fairly average, with no evidence yet on the horizon of a golden age. But it's still early. After all, January and February are generally a wasteland; then things get a little better in March and April. Then comes the cultural lobotomy known as the summer season, which goes on until Labor Day. Point being, we could actually be in the midst of the greatest movie year ever and not know it, just as film critic Otis Ferguson didn't know it, when he wrote in 1939, “This film year has been about the leanest in seven.”

He wrote that early in 1939. Things got better.

As it stands, our midterm report isn't bad. Regrets, we've had a few. “Sex and the City 2” was a disaster. “Shutter Island,” a Martin Scorsese film, played more like something by M. Knight Shyamalan, but without the wit. And in “The Last Song,” Miley Cyrus proved that she couldn't act — though come to think of it, that wasn't exactly a disappointment. That was more, like, funny.

There have also been some frustrating near misses. “The Green Zone” was almost a provocative drama about the Iraq war. “Winter's Bone,” which contains a brilliant performance by newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, was earnest but rhythmically glacial. And “Robin Hood,” Ridley Scott's fresh take on the green guy's origins, lacked compelling emotion.

What follows are 15 films released in 2010 that have some hope (or deserve to have hope) of awards consideration at the end of the year. We're not just talking about the Oscars or Golden Globes, don't forget. We're also talking about truly august groups such as the various film critic's circles and associations, which now blanket the country like an epidemic:

The Book of Eli (January): This futuristic, post-apocalyptic nightmare was good, not great, but Gary Oldman's performance as an opportunistic would-be dictator was perfection.

Edge of Darkness (January): Crime thrillers usually don't get much respect during award's season, but if anyone cares to pay attention, Mel Gibson gave the performance of his career as an aging cop whose life is destroyed when his daughter is murdered.

The Ghost Writer (March): Roman Polanski, who still isn't allowed to leave his house, won a much-deserved best director prize from the Berlin Film Festival, for this film about a ghost writer who kicks over a hornet's nest while collaborating on the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister. Ewan McGregor has a reasonable shot at best actor and Pierce Brosnan as supporting actor. But Polanski seems guaranteed to pick up some director prizes, and the film stands to be nominated for best picture.

Chloe (March): Erin Cressida Wilson deserves a prize for best adapted screenplay for this film about the relationship between a middle-aged wife (Julianne Moore) and the call-girl (Amanda Seyfried) she is paying to sleep with her husband. The only disadvantage Wilson has is that most people are unfamiliar with the source material, the French film, “Nathalie,” from director Anne Fontaine. But anyone who bothers to look will see that Wilson took a flat story and brought out all its latent and dormant elements, to create one of the best women's films of the year. Someone should also consider Moore for best actress.

Greenberg (March): American movies contain very few good supporting actress roles, which means that Greta Gerwig's charming turn as a professional nanny could be acknowledged.

The Girl On the Train (March): Andre Techine's film, starring Emilie Dequenne as a young confused woman who gets in trouble, is a possible best foreign film nominee.

The Runaways (April): This moody, accurate exploration of 1970s angst, focusing on the rise and fall of the seminal all-girl band, could yield nominations for Kristen Stewart (Joan Jett) and Dakota Fanning (Cherie Currie).

Vincere (April): Highlighted by Giovanna Mezzogiorno's on-fire performance as Mussolini's mistress, this historical drama from veteran Italian director Marco Bellocchio seems a probable best foreign film nominee.

Harry Brown (April): Michael Caine incarnates the disappointment and life weariness of an old man who picks up a gun, in a vigilante thriller highlighted by Caine's searing performance. This movie will get no respect, but Caine's performance will be acknowledged.

Get Him to the Greek (June): It's a longshot — comedies rarely win anything — but Nicholas Stoller's screenplay and Russell Brand's supporting performance deserve a look.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (June): It's one of the best showbiz documentaries out there, and if it doesn't pick up some best documentary prizes, something is very wrong.

Cyrus (June): Marisa Tomei's warm and charming performance as a woman caught between her lover and her son could pick up some supporting actress nominations.

Toy Story 3 (June): This may be the first movie with “3” in the title, as in “third installment,” that qualifies as a masterpiece. Best animated film is a lock — from the lowliest critic's group to the Oscars. But it's also a guaranteed best picture nominee. It should be a contender at the Oscars and will probably come in first with many critics' groups.

Yet to be released, but I've seen them, and I tell you everything:

The Kids Are All Right (July): This film has awards written all over it. First, the movie is excellent. Second, it deals, in passing, with gay marriage, which is topical. Third, it contains a fantastic performance by Annette Bening, who has been an inevitable Oscar winner for 20 years (and has deserved to win at least twice). Expect best screenplay and best actress nominations, for sure. Also possible: Best director, for Lisa Cholodenko, and best supporting actor, for Mark Ruffalo.

Mademoiselle Chambon (August or September): This lovely French film, about the love between an itinerant school teacher (Sandrine Kiberlain) and a married construction worker (Vincent Lindon), is all but guaranteed a best foreign film nomination. It might win, too. Moreover, it's a lean year for actresses, and if the film maintains its momentum (it racked up good numbers in New York), Kiberlain could easily get some best actress nominations.

I hope Brosnan wins an oscar just to annoy Chuck.

Or at least nominated by one. Pierce has got to have a movie nominated by the Oscars since 1998's Quest For Camelot, which was nominated for Best Song. He totally deserve it.

[Cpt. Sir Dominic Flandry]

You never know what might happen.

[FormerBondFan]

In Pierce's career, only 3 of his films got nominated by the Oscars: 1993's Mrs. Doubfire for Best Makeup, 1996's The Mirror Has Two Faces for Best Supporting Actress (Lauren Bacall) and Best Song, and 1998's The Quest For Camelot for Best Song. Out of the 3, Mrs. Doubtfire took home the Oscar. If any of Pierce's upcoming films are not potential blockbusters, then I hope they get Oscar nominations. He may not need them, but he TOTALLY deserves it BIG TIME!!!!!!!

[009]

Some terrible films have won an Oscar down the years though.

[FormerBondFan]

Pierce has got to have to have new and/or recent movies to be nominated by the Oscars.

[FormerBondFan]

calitreview.com/11332

The Weekly Listicle: Oscar Buzz 2011 Unleashed!!!

by William Bibbiani
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:41 pm

Well, here we are… 3/4’s of the way through the year and the Academy Award nominees are almost completely up in the air. Sure, the major nominees are usually held off until the last few months, but with ten Best Picture nominations up for grabs you’d think there would have been a greater effort to find cream in the crop. Inception seems like a lock for Best Picture, as does Toy Story 3 and maybe a few acting nominations for Winter’s Bone, but seriously… it’s looking grim.


“Come on, guys! The other nominees have to be around here somewhere…!”

So while we have Sofia Coppola, David Fincher, The Coen Brothers and more coming up in the final stretch, we here at The California Literary Review thought we’d take this opportunity to promote a few potential nominees we don’t want to get lost in the shuffle. From gentle reminders of critically-acclaimed films to unlikely standouts, these picks are all worthy of Oscar Buzz. So start buzzing, hmm?

WILLIAM’S PICKS:

BEST PICTURE: MicMacs


True love, bullets and human cannonballs. MicMacs remains the best film that nobody’s talking about in 2010.

In my review of MicMacs for rival site Crave Online, I called Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s latest film “definitely the best film of the year so far.” It certainly was, and although Inception and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World have both ever-so-slightly edged MicMacs out of my #1 spot, Jeunet’s first film since A Very Long Engagement – and his best film to date – remains one of the 2010’s crowning accomplishments. It would be a shame to find such a wonderful piece of filmmaking snubbed by the Academy, particularly with ten Best Picture nominations ripe for the plucking.

Danny Boon stars as Bazil, whose father was killed by a landmine, driving Bazil’s mother mad with grief and forcing him into a Dickensian life of orphanages and loneliness. As an adult, Bazil is shot in the head by a stray bullet, which lodges itself so firmly into his brain that it cannot be removed without turning him into a vegetable. So the doctors leave it in, knowing that it could kill Bazil at any moment. Bazil could live to be a very old man, or die before he leaves the hospital. Repeatedly throughout the film Bazil suffers from a sudden seizure, which he alleviates by smacking himself upside the head and knocking the bullet back into place. Oh, and because he was in the hospital he loses his job and apartment. This is a feel good comedy about innocence and hope, incidentally.


On second thought, maybe MicMacs deserves an Art Direction nomination while we’re at it.

You see, Bazil falls in with a crowd of homeless eccentrics who take him in as family, the first he has known in perhaps his entire life. Bazil is poor but happy until one day he makes a startling discovery: The company that made the landmine and the company that made the bullet in his skull are both in his neighborhood, and right across the street from each other. He tries to confront the evil owners of these weapons manufacturers, but when he is kicked to the curb he begins an elaborate plan to exact justice on those who profit from human misery. His newfound family, comprised of people with unusual skills like contortionism and human bulletry, join him for the ride as Jeunet takes the audience on an unexpected and highly entertaining tale of imagination versus cynicism.

MicMacs feels at times like a companion piece to Amelie, Jeunet’s most popular film, without ever seeming like it entirely revisits the same territory. Once again the director depicts a world of beautiful dreamers forced who are forced to share the same planet as brutal monsters, and once again romanticism prevails. Jeunet’s iconic eye is in full display here as he peppers his landscapes with posters for his own film, and unforgettable scenes abound, like a sequence in which two characters are blindfolded and picture what’s going on around them in similar but distinctly different interpretations.

MicMacs is a remarkable film worthy of recognition come Oscar time. Hey Academy, remember when you snubbed Amelie for Best Foreign Film (and four other Oscars to boot)? This is your chance to make up for that.

BEST DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World


Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is “an epic of epic epicness.” And no other director could have brought it to life.

It would be nice to think that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, universally acclaimed but financially unsuccessful, has a place in the Best Picture nominees this year. Even with only five possible nominations, movies like The Shawshank Redemption have been able to hit the same criteria and boost their visibility via Oscar consideration. Scott Pilgrim may be able to ride the District 9 vote, where hip young Academy Members manage to prove how cool they are by sticking up for the pop cultural underdog. But the fact remains that no matter how many movies are nominated for Best Picture, only the five that also get nominated for Best Director will be considered the “real” nominees. And Edgar Wright deserves one of those spots.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World portrays a highly subjective view of a very humdrum reality, filtered the through videogame-addled minds of the target demographic. Much like (500) Days of Summer accurately conveyed young and modern views of romantic courtship rather than blindly hewing to traditions set forth in the 1930’s of what a romantic comedy should be, Scott Pilgrim dares to tell a unique story of courtship using broad entertainment as a primary weapon. Comic book flourishes are present but only foregrounded when they serve the story, not as some pathetic attempt be “hip” for hipness’ sake. Martial arts and special effects represent concepts that are otherwise familiar or uncinematic: overcoming one’s past to move on to a brighter future and a ho-hum battle of the bands are given an exciting makeover that amplifies dramatic content rather than distracting from a lack thereof.


Just one of countless unforgettable images, scenes and ideas from the instant classic Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, directed by the inimitable Edgar Wright.

All of this is expertly crafted by Edgar Wright, who admittedly toyed with every single one of these conventions in his television series “Spaced,” which remains ahead of its time in its humor, creativity and honest depiction of the life as perceived by modern youth, not by old fogeys pretending to know what young people are like. But if “Spaced” was Wright’s Mean Streets, then Scott Pilgrim is his Goodfellas. All the concepts he toyed with previously are now fine-tuned, carefully modulated, and cranked to 11. He’s too young a filmmaker to call Scott Pilgrim vs. The World his masterpiece, but it’s a masterpiece, that’s for certain. Vibrant, lively, meaningful and most importantly for the Academy, a work of exceptional craftsmanship. Edgar Wright proved himself one of the very best directors of the year, even if the Academy ignores him (philistines…).

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Pierce Brosnan, The Ghost Writer


Pierce Brosnan gives one of the best performances of his career in The Ghost Writer.

Hey, has anyone heard of this Roman Polanski guy? You have? And you know all about the bulls*** he pulled a few decades ago? Great. Let’s move on.

Early this year – so early the Academy could easily forget about it – Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer quietly infiltrated cinemas to rave reviews and audience indifference. It’s a slick production, and one of those rare thrillers that manages to engage without a single explosion or high speed car chase. In the film, Ewan McGregor plays a ghost writer hired to complete the memoirs of the former British Prime Minster after the original ghost writer dies under mysterious circumstances. Soon, McGregor finds himself embroiled in mystery, intrigue, seduction, and an Academy Award-worthy performance by Pierce Brosnan as Adam Lang, the Prime Minister who may be much more (or much less) than he seems.

The Ghost Writer may be an underdog in categories like Best Picture or Best Adapted Screenplay, but to date I’ve heard no buzz whatsoever arising from Pierce Brosnan’s exceptional portrayal of Lang. Brosnan plays off of his oft-used “suave” persona and Polanski cast him well: Take one look at this man and you can not only believe he’s a politician, but you also believe you could have voted for him. As Ewan McGregor learns more about Lang’s history and sordid present Brosnan’s performance never significantly changes; instead, it was layered enough in the first place to fit every interpretation of the character the audience can come up with, from sinister to pathetic, from a political mastermind to an average joe in tragically above his head.


If you’re making a movie about writing a character’s biography, you’d better get one hell of an actor. Pierce Brosnan may not have been everyone’s first choice in the “great actor” category, but this year he earned his place on that list in The Ghost Writer.

Brosnan doesn’t get many of the showstopping scenes other Academy Award-winning performances boast – he doesn’t get to belt “I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” or drink anyone’s milkshake – but that makes his work in The Ghost Writer all the more impressive, and all the easier to overlook. Without a performance as strong as Brosnan’s The Ghost Writer wouldn’t have held up to any kind of scrutiny, and it took a surprisingly deft hand from an often underrated actor to pull it off so effortlessly. So effortlessly, in fact, that it must have taken a lot of work.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ken Seng, Step Up 3D


If we don’t get the buzz going now, the single best shot of the year may be snubbed by the Academy entirely.

Stick with me on this.

Step Up 3D got a surprisingly glowing recommendation from me, even though I spent the entire week beforehand in full-on “snark” mode about the previous entries in the franchise. I found Step Up 3D to be an unexpectedly sweet and creative little movie, thoroughly at peace with its motives (which were kindhearted) and thoroughly capable of providing gleeful entertainment. But as much as I enjoyed this diminutive artistic success I am not naïve enough to think that it deserves Best Picture consideration. If the unions ever successfully lobby for a Best Choreography Oscar category this kind of accomplishment would be a lock, but that’s not going to happen any time soon. No, as a whole Step Up 3D is not Oscar material, but its cinematography sure is.

I’ve never been sold on 3D as a natural evolution of the cinematic medium, and frankly I’m still not, but alone amongst the recent crop of 3D spectacles Step Up 3D convinced me that there is at least a place for uncomfortable glasses in the world of film. Step Up 3D is one of the rare movies that actually uses this “new” technological advancement to contribute to the story, not just to boost ticket prices. Yes, some of the gimmicks are gimmicky, and there’s an unfortunate choice to display 2D video images in 3D (which took me out of the film a bit), but Ken Cheng – in alliance with director Jon Chu – nevertheless successfully crafted a new, successful take on dance choreography.


Of all the 3D movies released so far, Step Up 3D is the only one to utilize the addition of physical space effectively in an effort to make the audience feel something 2D was incapable of conveying. How is that not worthy of an Oscar nomination?

Cheng’s use of predominantly wide-angle lenses and high-key lighting successfully compensated for light loss (one of the many intrinsic problems with 3D filmmaking so far) and the audience’s ability to compensate for depth. Certain 3D films like Piranha often used shallow focal lengths like any normal movie, to direct the eye and create three-dimensional effects with a 2D image. With a 3D film this is unnecessary. The depth is automatic and the human eye will scan for what’s important in the film through alternate visual techniques like proper framing. But more importantly in the dance sequences in particular was Cheng and Chu’s decision to keep the action as close as possible without needing to rely on choppy editing and insert shots. This shooting style allowed the 3D to really shine and demonstrate people performing impressive physical movements in a perceived “real” space. Watching somebody backflip on-screen is one thing, but to be there and see that kind of movement up close and personal adds to the individual’s accomplishments and the audience’s involvement in the choreography.

In short (too late, blah blah), Step Up 3D may have some of the best cinematography of any dance movie ever. It would be nice to see that rewarded come Oscar time.

JULIA’S PICKS:

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right


Moore as Jules and Bening as Nic in The Kids Are All Right.

Julianne Moore has been nominated for Academy Awards in Leading and Supporting Actress categories four times. She’s one of those rare, magical actors capable of immersing herself so completely in a role that she almost disappears. In P.T. Anderson’s Magnolia, her shrilly hysterical, miserable character had audiences straddling that fine line between horror and pity. In Todd Haynes’s Far From Heaven, her gorgeous, soft-spoken suburban housewife had us all falling head over heels. I only mention these roles because well, the Academy’s politics don’t always make complete sense, but after all those noms, they surely recognize Moore as one of the best of her generation. She was snubbed last year for her role in A Single Man (in which her desperate, lonely counterpart to Colin Firth’s complex George could hardly have been played more artfully), and that means the Academy is might be prepped to award her for Supporting Actress in The Kids Are All Right.

Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right features Moore and Annette Bening as a lesbian couple who each had one child from the same sperm donor, then raised them together. When the kids (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) reach legal age, they contact the sperm donor, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). Paul, a free-spirited, self-absorbed ladies’ man, wreaks complete havoc on the family when he begins an affair with Moore’s character, Jules.


Moore adds complexity, emotion, and depth to her characters, including Jules.

Played by anyone else, Jules would be sort of hateable (Moore often seems to choose complex, sympathetic and sometimes ugly roles). She’s self-centered and sort of aimless, but her loneliness is palpable. Once Bening’s Nic finds out about her affair, Jules’s guilt and pain are apparent in her every facial expression. When Nic confronts her, Moore’s face is difficult to watch—you can see her emotions right beneath the surface. Near the end of the film, she makes an impromptu speech to her family about how sometimes you f*&# up, sometimes you hurt the ones you love, and there’s nothing that can take it back…and that scene alone should garner her a nomination, if not a win. People screw up, sometimes really badly, and if you still find yourself feeling sorry for them, that’s a good performance. Bening and Moore have beautiful chemistry as mothers, as lovers, and as partners; my guess is that both will be nominated this year.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Inception


Bouncing off the walls as the audience holds its breath: Gordon-Levitt sans gravity in Inception.

Christopher Nolan’s Inception is the biggest hit of the summer… and probably the year so far. 2010 has been pretty dull—but of course, it’s only September and Oscar season hasn’t quite picked up yet. Nonetheless, Inception will almost certainly receive a whole bundle of nominations. I wrote in my review that Inception redefines the psychological thriller genre—and though this is due in large part to sheer creativity and skill in the writing, it also owes to the fantastic visual effects.


An effects team that can literally turn the world upside down in such a breathtaking way has my vote: Inception.

I went to see Inception for a second time last week, and was still blown away by how seamlessly the visual effects team integrated computer graphics, sets, and live actors. When Leonardo DiCaprio’s Cobb and Ellen Page’s Ariadne sit on the sidewalk at a French café, the world begins to explode around them bit by bit, leaving the actors untouched. When the physics of the dream-world endure a massive upset—when the world folds in on itself, in short—I still found myself lifting my head to peer up at the magnificent change happening to the city streets. Joseph Gordon Levitt’s Arthur performs a number of anti-gravity fights that are completely flawless, to the degree that I (granted, not an effects junkie) wondered if they’d rigged the actors up or even if they’d filmed parts underwater. The point here is that as farfetched as Inception really is, everything appears completely real. You know, like dreams do.

BEST DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan, Inception


Nolan behind the camera on the set of Inception.

Nolan has been on the scene for almost fifteen years, but he’s not terribly prolific, appearing instead to prefer quality over quantity. The Academy took notice of Memento in 2000, and granted Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar for his unbelievably spooky take on the Joker in Nolan’s The Dark Knight in 2008, but Nolan himself hasn’t been nominated for Best Director. He’s a dark horse in the running who performs multiple roles on each of his films (usually writer, producer, and director), and Inception is likely the tipping point in his favor.

Nolan’s films extract fantastic, career-making performances from his actors, and truly magnificent work from his crew. I know little about his directorial style, but it’s easy enough to see he’s brilliant at what he does. It may be a few more years before he wins, but considering the past nominations his films have garnered, it’s about time the Academy worked up to giving him his due.

DAN’S PICKS:

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Roman Polanski and Robert Harris, The Ghost Writer


Originally named for its parent novel, evidently changed so people would not expect the undead.

Sometimes it’s best for filmmakers to play it simple. This year it’s been especially true. Quality at the movies has been hard to come by, and Inception notwithstanding, most of the really good work has come from fairly low-profile projects.

With public opinion of the always controversial Roman Polanski at an all-time low, it is no surprise that his latest feature did not make much of a splash in America. However, he’s lost not one bit of his knack for drama and suspense. Fortunately, plenty of good actors are still willing to work with him (though you have to wonder which ones have refused outright). In this tense thriller about false memoirs, state secrets, and assorted intrigue, Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, and Olivia Williams all circle one another with the paranoid ferocity of starving dogs. Kim Cattrall gets to flex some muscles beyond the reach of her her infamously oversexed TV persona, and Tom Wilkinson steals one of the film’s most uncomfortable scenes as sinister academic with more than a few things to hide.


Here’s to the manuscript: McGregor as The Ghost Writer

But an able cast and a skilled director only bring a picture half the way. There must be a script, and a good one. Polanski and novelist Robert Harris adapted the screenplay from Harris’s novel The Ghost. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this film so much that I went straight out to find and read the book. What we have here is a straight, faithful adaptation of an engaging and cleverly crafted story. It may not be a novel destined for greatness, but it is a page turner, and the film is the moving picture equivalent. Minor details were changed here and there, but the spirit and impact of the tale remain intact. Nothing fancy, just good execution. Enjoy it yourself if you have the chance.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Michael Shannon, The Runaways


A lad. Insane. Indeed. Shannon does Fowley in The Runaways

This film came and went rather quickly and quietly, but many of the few people who saw it in its first run seemed to like it. Myself included, and that was a pleasant surprise. The trailer didn’t make it look like anything special. But it was, just a little bit – a stylish tidbit of history about the real-life Runaways, rock and roll’s original bad girls. As Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart had big shoes to fill, and she managed that all right, I suppose. Dakota Fanning was a bigger surprise, in a strong and sobering performance as torubled frontgal Cherie Currie. I really enjoyed Scout Taylor-Compton in her just plain mean turn as Lita Ford. I don’t know what the real Lita had to say about it, but it was convincing, and in its own hateful way, kind of charming.

To anchor and exploit their youthful fury, along comes ruthlessly eccentric producer Kim Fowley, because of whom (and in spite of whom) the Runaways rose to prominence by harnessing the power of the teenage sex drive and blasting it back at everyone who would listen. Michael Shannon, veteran of the bizarre, and one of my own favorite character actors, radiates eerie charm and edgy menace all at once in this role.


It all started with a lesson in Cherry Bombs. Doesn’t it always?

Shannon’s Fowley embodies an unsettling tension between mentor and antagonist. He toughens the girls up with abusive tirades, which seem as much a source of cheap amusement for himself as they are practical lessons in rock and roll. Once the band mines sufficient wisdom and influence from his teachings, the next priority seems to be finding away out from under his oppressive thumb.

Fowley is a fashion chameleon as well, transforming along with “the scene” every time we see him. His avant-garde ramblings and quick-change temperament are a near-perfect metphor for the instability of art and fashion. When we last see him, he is alone, alienated by the Runaways, presumably transformed and primed for the next big thing. Juggling charisma and the creeps is no easy task, but Shannon is a pro. As a bonus, even the real Kim Fowley expressed his approval of the performance.

BEST ART DIRECTION: The Wolfman


Think of The Wolfman as The Elephant Man‘s no-good cousin.

The Wolfman arrived with reasonable fanfare, but due to production delays it also arrived several months behind schedule. This is rarely a good start for a film, and can overtax the anticipation of fans and critics alike. The reviews were mixed, but make no mistake. The Wolfman was a perfectly respectable summer scare flick, especially considering some of this year’s dreadful alternatives.

A remake of the 1941 “definitive” Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney Junior, this film weaves its own angle on a poignant story of lost humanity and dark family secrets. Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins square off as a father and son faced with terrible wolfish mayhem on the English moor near the end of the 19th century. This is a period piece, and a very stylized one. Victorian England is a wonderful setting for nightmares, and every frame in this film is sooty and ominous.


The Gothic atmosphere budget for The Wolf Man is through the roof!

From spooky manor houses to eerie crypts to turn-of-the century madhouses, every surface in the film oozes dread and foreboding. Rick Baker’s wolf makeup is great, as are the costumes. But the total look is what sells this film. It won’t change the way you see movies, but it might make you nostalgic for your favorite horror classic. In many ways, and especially in its seamlessness of style, The Wolfman is one of the purest and most traditional horror film to come along in years.

I hope Pierce and The Ghost Writer gets the attention from Academy. Since his unfair dismissal from Bond, I have been longed to see him to do movies that have potential to get nominated by the Oscars. He TOTALLY deserves it BIG TIME!

[Greg Haugen]

It would be a nice moment for the Brozzer if he got a nomination.

[FormerBondFan]

He has four movies that came out in theaters this year: The Greatest, Percy Jackson, The Ghost Writer, and Oceans. The Greatest seems unlikely to be nominated. As for the other three, I hope any of them gets an Oscar nomination.

[Jake]

He's keeping busy anyway.

[FormerBondFan]

Pierce TOTALLY deserves movies that has potential to get nominated by the Oscars.

[FormerBondFan]

www.deadline.com/2010/10/oscar-contenders-part-3-long-distance-run/

Oscar Contenders, Part 3: A Long Distance

By PETE HAMMOND | Friday October 8, 2010 @ 4:37pm PDT

Previous installments of my 2010 Oscar contenders rundown have included Part 1 about Oscar race films that played the Big 3 Fall Festivals: Venice, Toronto, and Telluride. And then Part 2 about Oscar race films set for release in the final three months of the year that skipped those fests or simply weren’t ready in time. Now in Part 3, I'll look back at films from the first eight months of the year that have reason for awards hopes, and, in some cases, may have to struggle against the odds just to be remembered. If I left any film out, it was purely intentional. I am not listing pics that don’t have a rat's chance. Here they are, in order of release date. And, remember, these are just titles from the first 8 months of the year:

THE GHOST WRITER (Summit - Feb 17) Roman Polanski earned strong reviews for this Hitchcock-style drama in which Ewan MacGregor ghostwrites the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister played by Pierce Brosnan. It has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 84% fresh and did well by indie film standards. Oscar Chance: Summit will have to step up to the plate in order to revive it. Insiders at the distrib have special hopes for a Brosnan supporting bid.

SHUTTER ISLAND (Paramount - Feb 19) Paramount had initially penciled in this fine Martin Scorsese thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio for last season’s awards race. But financial considerations led them to move to the very unfriendly Oscar territory of February. Yet it became the legendary director’s most successful film ever at the box office, earning $292 million worldwide and receiving good critical notice. Oscar Chance: The studio intends to campaign it and has already sent out screening notices to Guilds and Academy members. But it will be competing with Par’s two year-end entries True Grit and The Fighter for attention from the front office.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Walt Disney Pictures - March 5) Tim Burton’s take on the classic tale remains one of the biggest success stories of the year with a whopping billion dollar take at the worldwide boxoffice. Critical response was right down the middle with a 51% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Oscar Chance: This would seem a natural bet for the Golden Globes Comedy/Musical categories and lots of technical nods at the Academy, too.

CITY ISLAND (Anchor Bay - March 19) Andy Garcia’s finely-honed comic turn in this New York-centric family comedy could -- and should -- be remembered at Golden Globe time. Oscar Chance: Slim, but the tiny distributor has hired a PR firm to make sure it’s not forgotten. Awards pundits got a DVD in the mail this week.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Music Box - March 19) The first in the Swedish trilogy became the most successful foreign language release of the year and has created Best Actress buzz for star Noomi Rapace. Oscar Chance: Music Box will have to spend to reap rewards. Problem is, Rapace has become so hot that she’s now filming the Sherlock Holmes sequel in England and likely won’t be around to promote the final chapter, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest when it opens at the end of the month. She'll miss valuable face time in front of voters.

GREENBERG (Focus Features - March 19) Focus has set up some screenings and includes it in their Academy ads. But it's not likely to give much support beyond that to this Ben Stiller/Noah Baumbach passion project which never quite caught on the way they hoped. Oscar Chance: Uh, probably not.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (Dreamworks Animation - March 26) Rapturous reviews gave it a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes placing it between Toy Story 3 and The Social Network for bragging rights. Top box office doesn’t hurt, either. Oscar Chance: An animated feature nod is a given. But Dreamworks is aggressively going for the gold with this one, starting with a big DVD launch party next week to renew the fire. Suggestions of not only an animated category nom but also Best Picture mean they dream big there. But is there room for two toons on that list of 10 which will include Disney's Toy Story 3?

PLEASE GIVE (Sony Pictures Classics - April 30) Writer/Director Nicole Holofcener’s quirky comedy was well received and sparked buzz of an Original Screenplay nomination upon its release last spring. But that seems to have faded. Oscar Chance: It’s still deserving as is Ann Morgan Guilbert’s nifty supporting turn as the tenant who just won’t die. SPC will be asking members to please give the DVD a play.

MOTHER AND CHILD (Sony Pictures Classics - May 7) Rodrigo Garcia’s multi-character drama came and went in theatres, so wisely SPC made sure the screener was the very first one Academy voters got this season. Oscar Chance: On the DVD box, they are suggesting Annette Bening for Best Actress but, great as she is here, there’s no way she gets it for this over the higher profile The Kids Are All Right.

IRON MAN 2 (Paramount - May 7) The first Iron Man in 2008 only landed nominations for Visual Effects and Sound Editing. Oscar Chance: Visual Effects and Sound Editing.

LETTERS TO JULIET (Summit - May 14) This chick flick did pretty well at the box office. Oscar Chance: Vanessa Redgrave was terrific in a supporting role. And, in a 14 month span during which she lost her daughter, sister, and brother, she could use some good news. Long shot.

ROBIN HOOD (Universal - May 14) Ridley Scott’s take on the legendary Robin Hood tale starring Russell Crowe opened Cannes and did better internationally than in the U.S. where it just barely crossed $100 million. Oscar Chance: Even Universal doesn’t think it has one. Maybe a tech category or two.

SOLITARY MAN (Anchor Bay – May 21) Michael Douglas received some of the best reviews of his career in this highly unsympathetic role. Oscar Chance: There is a lot of good will for the cancer-stricken star. And Anchor Bay is making sure the DVD gets circulated to press who can remind voters of this performance. An indie spirit nomination is a definite possibility.

WINTER’S BONE (Roadside Attractions – June 11) A critical darling and surprise indie hit at $6 million and counting, this could be the sleeper awards success of the season. Oscar Chance: Roadside needs to do everything it can to put it front and center with critics groups who could champion it. Could be forced into the Best Picture race this year a la The Hurt Locker. With some precursor awards, newcomer Jennifer Lawrence could crack the tough Best Actress group.

I AM LOVE (Magnolia Pictures - June 18) A sumptuous showcase for Scottish Oscar winner Tilda Swinton who speaks Italian with a Russian accent and gets to wear great clothes. Oscar Chance: Italy killed the film’s chances for a Best Foreign Language nod by submitting something else. But Magnolia is going to try to put it into other races like Cinematography, Art Direction, Costumes, and Actress where Tilda’s awesome language feat could gain traction with her fellow actors.

TOY STORY 3 (Disney/Pixar - June 18) A worldwide smash and, with 99% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, it's the highest rated movie of the year that isn’t a French documentary about Henri-Georges Clouzot. Oscar Chance: The frontrunner for animated feature and on just about everyone’s list for a Best Picture nomination as well. Is 3 the charm? Neither of the other two Toy Story's were around when the animated category was created. But the first one got a special Oscar for John Lasseter.

DESPICABLE ME (Universal - July 9) Call it the toon that saved Universal this year. It had strong reviews and great box office. Oscar Chance: In a field of five animated nominees, it’s a given. But if there are only three, its chances become one in a minion.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus Features – July 9) It's THE focus for Focus this year. They hope to turn this $20 million grossing movie about lesbian parents who encounter the birth father of their kids into that rare comedy that cracks Best Picture. Oscar Chance: Parlaying a Golden Globe Comedy/Musical win into a Best Picture nomination seems doable with screenplay. And acting nominations for Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo very likely. The deserving Julianne Moore competing with Bening for Best Actress recognition could be a tougher sell in that overcrowded field. Both women are overdue.

INCEPTION (Warner Bros – July 16) Christopher Nolan was snubbed for The Dark Knight so will the Academy make it up to him for this audacious and original fever dream of a movie that has made three-quarters of a billion at the worldwide boxoffice and inspired love letters from critics? Oscar Chance: How can voters deny this achievement even if they don’t quite get it? Best Picture and loads of tech noms while iffier is the always great Leonardo DiCaprio who has to compete with himself in Shutter Island for a Best Actor nod. Hey, he can dream can’t he?

THE CONCERT (The Weinstein Company – July 30) This French comedy sleeper surprised and delighted members who saw it at the official Academy screening. And they've been talking about it ever since. Oscar Chance: Not eligible for Foreign film, plus it didn’t hang around long and Harvey’s got bigger fish to fry. But it could turn up some place where you least expect it. Golden Globes, for sure.

GET LOW (Sony Pictures Classics - July 30) Nice-sized indie hit for SPC is now going strong in its third month and has special appeal for older voters. Oscar Chance: Robert Duvall is a good bet in the Best Actor race and Sissy Spacek might squeak into Best Supporting Actress. Original Screenplay is possible together with a long shot shot for Picture if later entries fizzle.

CAIRO TIME (IFC Films - August 6) This quiet adult drama received nice notices for its talented star, Patricia Clarkson, in a romance about an ill-fated brief encounter set in Egypt. Oscar Chance: In a weaker year for actresses, Clarkson could have scored. But the competition is too tough and the film is just too small. Indie Spirits, anyone?

ANIMAL KINGDOM (Sony Pictures Classics - August 13) This tough Australian crime drama joined Mother and Child as the first DVD screener sent to Academy members this season, but its box office has been spotty. Oscar Chance: If those voters pop this thing in their DVD player, they will see a classic supporting actress turn from Jacki Weaver who deserves the recognition. (And the T-shirt SPC sent to bloggers promoting her performance.)

EAT PRAY LOVE (Sony Pictures – August 13) A bestselling book, some decent if not spectacular box office, and a starring role for Julia Roberts on global locations should add up to something worth awards attention, right? Well, she did get a Golden Globe nomination last year for the flop Duplictiy so... Oscar Chance: Pray.

LOVELY, STILL (Monterey Media - September 10) A small little gem of a drama about two old people who find romance near the end of their lives features brilliant performances from Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn. They both deserve awards recognition even though the movie came and went without a whimper and has little hope of being seen by voters. Oscar Chance: Fortunately Landau and Burstyn already have one.



I hope The Ghost Writers gets the nomination. Pierce deserves a movie that gets nominated by the Oscars....something he doesn't have since 1998's The Quest For Camelot.

[mh4213]

Let's hope Pierce gets a nomination at least.

[FormerBondFan]

It would better if The Ghost Writer released later this holiday season. The movie would have high chances of getting multiple Oscar nominations.