Ida: Past, present and future revelations

In the haunting "Ida", Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) plays a novice nun in 1960's Poland who as an orphan has spent her life raised in a convent.  Before she goes to take her vows, her Mother Superior encourages that she meet with a relative, a stranger to Anna.  Her aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza) becomes the family she has never known.  Wanda is a judge and Communist Party member, an alcoholic and promiscuous woman whose troubles seem deeply embedded.  Wanda's life has positioned her worlds away from her young niece, but she holds shattering secrets and reveals to Ida stark truths about their family history.  "Ida" unfolds slowly and with stretches of little dialogue, but is incredibly affecting.  Sometimes it is even the slightest look that conveys the deepest meaning to what a character is feeling.  This is most on display in Anna's meetings with a young saxophone player at a nearby jazz club.  

It is no wonder that "Ida" has been noted (and Oscar nominated) for its haunting black and white cinematography, exposing a Polish countryside where you almost feel the bitter cold through the screen.  The film does an exquisite job in illustrating that life is a journey of discovery and that we must often venture into the unknown to fully uncover our own beliefs.  Director Pawel Pawlikowski has crafted a film that asks questions about how one processes and handles the truth about the past in order to decide a future path.     

"Ida" is now available for viewing in the U.S. on Netflix.  

Finding Vivian Maier - Hidden treasures

After finding out Tuesday that "Finding Vivian Maier" was nominated by the Academy for Best Documentary, I was excited to discover that it was available for viewing on Showtime.  Directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, the film is a fascinating story that unravels like a life mystery as we are introduced to former employers of Vivian Maier, a woman who worked as a nanny for most of her life.  After buying a chest at an auction house, John Maloof acquires around 100,000 photographs that Maier took over the course of her life.  Her photos comprised a stunning collection of street photography that she never developed.  Other personal items left behind after her death included clothes, several short films, and small trinkets.

The best way to view this film is to go in with little revealed ahead of time.  Vivian Maier's life seems to have contained large spans of sadness and anger, but also moments of joy in France and with the children she took care of.  Throughout her life, there was clearly a true love of taking photos of a world that she was wary of in a lot of respects, yet also intrigued by.  A brilliant artist was there, either not wanting to have her art displayed publicly, or not having the means to make her lifelong passion a career.  "Finding Vivian Maier" made me think about all the brilliant talent and work in the world that lies waiting to be discovered or even hidden from exposure forever.  I highly recommend you seek out this film.

Thoughts on this year's Oscar nominations

Oscar nominations were announced this morning and you can find the full list here.

Let's start with the positive.  I was delighted to see Laura Dern recognized this morning for her work in "Wild".  Although her screen time was limited, she was able to give the character surprising depth.  Her impact was truly felt which is so important for Reese Witherspoon's Cheryl Strayed character.  It was also nice to see Wes Anderson get his first directing recognition for his wildly inventive "The Grand Budapest Hotel".  Many who even haven't been fans of Anderson's previous work had a blast going on the adventure with Ralph Fiennes and company.

"American Sniper" was clearly a big hit with the Academy, showing us that late breaking films shouldn't always be counted out.  Clint Eastwood has been here before in a similar position with "Million Dollar Baby".  I'm really looking forward to catching Marion Cotillard's nominated performance this month in "Two Days, One Night".  She was the talk of Cannes and I'm glad to see that a lack of nominations throughout the year didn't impact her chances later on in the season.

What hurts?  Quite a bit.  "The LEGO Movie" missing was the shocker today.  It really makes you wonder what the Animation branch didn't like.  Did it come down to - "I didn't like the way LEGO people move?"  Let's hope not.  The wonderful documentary on Roger Ebert "Life Itself" missing out was also unfortunate.  I really thought the Academy would find the love for it.  I was hoping that Jake Gyllenhaal would show up in Best Actor for his work in "Nightcrawler".  Many would consider it career-best work and the film only found recognition in Best Screenplay.  Aside from that nomination and Rosamund Pike's Best Actress nod, it seems "Gone Girl" and "Nightcrawler" just didn't connect as much as expected after faring well with many of the guilds and critics groups.  Two of the best pictures of the year in my mind.

The most disappointing moment of the morning for me was no nomination for "Selma" director Ava DuVernay.  Her work on that picture was incredible and she was able to make something so emotionally-charged and relevant to today's world.  Her astounding leading man David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr. also found himself without a nomination.  I was frankly relieved to see it in for Best Picture.  It's also disheartening to think that there was not a single Best Picture nominee this year led by a female.  There was also not a single person of color nominated for acting this year, the first time this has happened since 1998!  Anyone who was expecting a female writer to be nominated with Gillian Flynn's great and much talked about "Gone Girl" script were also left wondering what happened.

I found 2014 to be a great year in film, but I don't think this was reflected in the Academy's choices this time around.  Time to cheer me up Neil Patrick Harris!  We will see how it all shakes out on February 22nd.

Predictions for the 87th Oscar nominations!

Well, tomorrow is the big 87th Academy Awards nominations announcement!  For the the first time, all 24 categories will be announced live at 5:30 a.m. PT.  This year, there are still several categories where there seems to be a lot of wiggle room and have the potential for a surprise or two.  A few seem to have a 5th slot that could swing different ways.  Here are my predictions with some brief thoughts or alternates, excluding the shorts.  

Best Picture
01. American Sniper
02. Birdman
03. Boyhood
04. Gone Girl
05. The Grand Budapest Hotel
06. The Imitation Game
07. Selma
08. The Theory of Everything
09. Whiplash

If there are 10 nominees add: Nightcrawler
-I'm going with 9 like we have seen the past few years with the new voting system.  I don't imagine a big enough percentage of #1 votes needed for Nightcrawler to get in, but I would love to be wrong.  There is also a possibility it takes the place of Gone Girl.

Best Directing
01. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
02. Richard Linklater, Boyhood
03. Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
04. Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
05. Ava DuVernay, Selma

-I'm thinking that Ava DuVernay takes Clint Eastwood's DGA spot.  This is going to be a tight one though, and Damien Chazelle poses a real threat as well.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
01. Michael Keaton, Birdman
02. Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
03. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
04. David Oyelowo, Selma
05. Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

-Steve Carell could easily take the place of Oyelowo or Gyllenhaal after his SAG and Globe love.  Will the Academy consider him supporting like BAFTA did?

Best Actress in a Leading Role
01. Jennifer Aniston, Cake
02. Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
03. Julianne Moore, Still Alice
04. Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
05. Reese Witherspoon, Wild

-Aniston is in the vulnerable position.  If her name isn't called tomorrow, I think Amy Adams will be taking her place for Big Eyes.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
01. Edward Norton, Birdman
02. Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
03. Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
04. Robert Duvall, The Judge
05. J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

-This is the likely five.  If Josh Brolin (Inherent Vice) or Tom Wilkinson (Selma) show up here, it would probably be at the expense of veteran Duvall.  Carell could also show up here in supporting in agreement with BAFTA's placement.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
01. Emma Stone, Birdman
02. Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
03. Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
04. Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
05. Rene Russo, Nightcrawler

-Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year) looks to pounce on the 5th slot.  I'm predicting Rene Russo love in the Academy though and her first nomination.

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
01. Birdman
02. Boyhood
03. Foxcatcher
04. The Grand Budapest Hotel
05. Nightcrawler

-Mr. Turner and Selma could take that Foxcatcher or Nigthcrawler's spot.

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
01. Gone Girl
02. The Imitation Game
03. The Theory of Everything
05. Whiplash
05. Wild

-American Sniper could end up here in place of Whiplash or Wild.

Best Animated Feature
01. Big Hero 6
02. How to Train Your Dragon 2
03. The LEGO Movie
04. Song of the Sea
05. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

-Leaving out The Boxtrolls could be an extremely poor decision, but the Academy appreciates foreign animation and previously nominated Tomm Moore's The Secret of Kells.

Best Foreign Language Film
01. Ida
02. Force Majeure
03. Leviathan
04. Timbuktu
05. Wild Tales

-Tangerines from Estonia is another possibility here.  You never know with the Foreign Language branch.

Best Documentary Feature
01. The Case Against 8
02. CITIZENFOUR
03. Last Days in Vietnam
04. Life Itself
05. The Overnighters

-I think Virgunga or Finding Vivan Maier are definite possibilities if this isn't the five.

Best Music (Original Score)
01. Gone Girl
02. The Grand Budapest Hotel
03. The Imitation Game
04. Interstellar
05. The Theory of Everything

-Could Desplat get a THIRD score in with a nomination for Unbroken or could Thomas Newman get in for The Judge?  Both very possible.

Best Music (Original Song)
01. "Lost Stars", Begin Again
02. "I'm Not Gonna Miss You", Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me
03. "Yellow Flicker Beat", The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I
04. "Everything Is Awesome", The LEGO Movie
05. "Glory", Selma

-It's always hard to guess what the music branch is going to do here. "Ryan's Song" from Boyhood or "Big Eyes" from Big Eyes could be here.

Best Film Editing
01. Birdman
02. Boyhood
03. The Imitation Game
04. Nightcrawler
05. Whiplash

-Alternates: American Sniper or The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Cinematography
01. Birdman
02. The Grand Budapest Hotel
03. Mr. Turner
04. Nightcrawler
05. Unbroken 

-The branch may also take to the work in Ida or Interstellar

Best Production Design 
01. Big Eyes
02. The Grand Budapest Hotel
03. The Imitation Game
04. Into the Woods
05. Mr. Turner 

-Alternate: Interstellar

Best Costume Design
01. The Grand Budapest Hotel
02. The Imitation Game
03. Into the Woods
04. Maleficent
05. Mr. Turner

-Alternates: Inherent Vice or Selma

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
01. Guardians of the Galaxy
02. The Grand Budapest Hotel
03. The Theory of Everything

-Alternate: Foxcatcher for making Steve Carell's face haunt my dreams.

Best Sound Mixing
01. American Sniper
02. Birdman
03. The Imitation Game
04. Into the Woods
05. Unbroken

-Alternates: Interstellar, Transformers: Age of Extinction

Best Sound Editing
01. American Sniper
02. Birdman
03. Guardians of the Galaxy
04. Interstellar
05. Unbroken

-Alternate: Fury

Best Visual Effects
01. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
02. Godzilla
03. Guardians of the Galaxy
04. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
05. Interstellar

-X-Men: Days of Future Past or Maleficent could replace one of these

Diving back in to the blog in the eye of the storm!

It's back to the blog!  I enjoyed my little start in the past, and although life and my own silly mind got in the way, I'm happy to be back writing.  What a better time to dive in than right in the middle of the chaos this week, right?  Many call this week one of the busiest in Hollywood, with the Oscar nominations dropping early Thursday morning in addition to the Critics' Choice Movie Awards that evening.

2014 seemed to get some flack for not being a "great" film year in some circles, but I have to disagree.  The first half of the year didn't have a ton that truly popped for me personally, but once "Boyhood" hit, my brain woke up and I was ready to take on the rest of the year.  I'm catching up on a few more films before I make a final top ten favorite films list this week, but in a year with films like "Gone Girl" and "Selma" out there, I can't complain.  No matter what your taste is, I truly believe that if you dig down and look hard, you will find films to be seen that may contain something you connect with.  Go small, go forgotten, ask a friend what they liked.  There is stuff there.  I will post some final Oscar predictions tomorrow.  Who are you rooting for this year?

I will also be getting back and chugging along on Twitter.  You can follow me there @joshuamclement

The Oscars come and go and my most anticipated films of 2013

I got a kick out of the Oscars this year.  I felt the show moved along well, and as a musical theatre major, I thoroughly enjoyed the focus on music, although I would have loved to see more movie musicals represented.  I was happy with the winners and the films so I'll be one of the few who refuse to join the negative brigade.  I was thrilled to see Jennifer Lawrence win.  I think she is a shining star who has a wonderful career ahead of her.  It was also a joy to see Anne Hathaway win an Oscar for an incredible performance.  I am delighted that her "dream came true". 

I'm not sure what form my blog thoughts will take in the next year as I focus on some other life changes.  I know that seeing film inspires me and has always brought me great satisfaction.  I hope those who read along here can see that love shine through.   

Below I have posted my most anticipated films of 2013 as well as the the full list of Oscar winners this year.  'August: Osage County' is my favorite play, so to say my expectations may be slightly high would be an understatement.  I'm looking forward to seeing the Aussie women Kidman and Watts' performances as Princess Diana and Grace Kelly.  I'm always looking forward to a new Kate Winslet role and what will be the year of Benedict Cumberbatch.  I'm beginning 'Parade's End' on HBO tonight and will see him in the 'Fifth Estate', the second Hobbit film, 'August: Osage County', 'Star Trek', and 'Twelve Years a Slave' all this year.  Another Scorsese film with 'The Wolf of Wall Street' should be one to look out for, in addition to 'Inside Llewyn Davis' from the Cohen brothers.  'Saving Mr. Banks' should also bring out the nostalgia for me, as I was raised watching Mary Poppins as a child.  I can't wait for what looks to be another exciting year in film.   

August: Osage County
The Butler
Dallas Buyers' Club
Devil's Knot
Diana
Elysium
Ender's Game 
The Fifth Estate
Grace of Monaco
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Inside Llewyn Davis
Labor Day 
Man of Steel
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Monuments Men
Out of the Furnace
The Place Beyond the Pines
Saving Mr. Banks
Serena
Star Trek - Into Darkness
Stoker
Trance
Twelve Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street


85th Academy Awards

Best Picture
"Argo"
Best Director
Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
Best Adapted Screenplay
"Argo"
Best Original Screenplay
"Django Unchained"
Best Cinematography
"Life of Pi"
Best Costume Design
"Anna Karenina"
Best Film Editing
"Argo"
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
"Les Misérables"
Best Music - Original Score
"Life of Pi"
Best Music - Original Song
"Skyfall" from "Skyfall"
Best Production Design
"Lincoln"
Best Sound Editing
(tie) "Skyfall" and "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Sound Mixing
"Les Misérables"
Best Visual Effects
"Life of Pi"
Best Animated Feature Film
"Brave"
Best Foreign Language Film
"Amour"
Best Documentary Feature
"Searching for Sugar Man"
Best Documentary - Short Subject
"Inocente"
Best Short Film - Animated
"Paperman"
Best Short Film - Live Action
"Curfew"

Under six weeks to push the Oscar baby out

Last week's Academy Award nominations definitely brought some shockers, which is always inevitable.  Most of the chatter has been all about Ben Affleck being left off the list for 'Argo' and Kathryn Bigelow for 'Zero Dark Thirty'.  Let's not forget they are still Academy Award-nominated producers for their films though.  Some say bad press for 'Zero Dark Thirty' may have hurt Bigelow's chances, as the director has come under fire for crafting a pro-torture film which she has been left to defend again and again, most recently in the Los Angeles Times.  Despite the snubs, it really was wonderful to see Michael Haneke and Benh Zeitlin recgonized for their work, allowing foreign and indie films a place at Oscar's table, a place that so many often complain should be there.  Throughout the year, I often hear friends talking about the great indie or foreign films that are being passed over for the mainstream critical hits.  As far as the Best Director nominations go, we do all have to remember that it is less than 400 people who decide those nominations.  It's a very small branch of the Academy that often likes to do their own thing, with results often very different from the DGA, Globes, BFCA, and other groups. 

Awards Daily's Sasha Stone posted a great piece yesterday stating the case for 'Lincoln'.  As someone who grew up cherishing Spielberg's films, I could very much to relate to her words.  For me, 'Lincoln' is the best film of the year and will be looked at in history classes to come and cherished by many, especially for its exceptional writing by Tony Kushner and standout performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, among others.  As Sasha Stone said in the above article, "Lincoln is a subtle, quiet, subdued, meditative masterpiece."

Are there other films I enjoyed this year?  Very much so.  'Looper' was a incredible idea that seemed lifted out of an entirely original sci-fi universe.  'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' broke my heart and put it back together.  'Silver Linings Playbook' was full of great characters, and Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence gave their best performances with big careers still to come.  'Argo' was tensely paced and had me on the edge of my seat thoughtout, even if I already knew the ending.  'Life of Pi' was a visual wonder and prompted many discussions with friends and family after the viewing and having read the novel.  'Beasts of the Southern Wild' was a visual wonder and little Quvenzhané Wallis had me captivated throughout the beautifully sad film.

I still have a few films left to get to before the Oscars are handed out February 24th, including 'Amour', 'Zero Dark Thirty', 'The Master', 'The Sessions' and 'Django Unchained', but I can't wait to dig into them over the next month and keep the eye-opening 2012 film season going on into the beginning of 2013. 

85th Academy Award nominations

I'm back.  Here's the complete list of today's nominations.  More commentary on the season to come on Wednesday.

http://oscar.go.com/nominees

Academy sets Oscar dates

Looks like things are getting earlier.  No objections here!

 Academy moves Oscar nominations even earlier to January 10

via In Contention 

Summer breezes by

There wasn't a ton of big talk about movies this summer.  'The Dark Knight Rises' ended up being quite an impressive technical achievement, but maybe not quite on the level of 'The Dark Knight' in terms of being a hopeful Best Picture nominee.  We all remember the fans who were disappointed a few years ago, and I imagine they will be again.  I just don't see the Academy jumping into the superhero Best Picture thing this year.  I think it will mostly likely pop up in the sound categories.


The one film I'm beating myself up over that I haven't seen is 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'.  I've heard fantastic things from friends and family, and am looking forward to seeing the much talked about performance of Quvenzhané Wallis, who seems poised to become the youngest Best Actress nominee of all time.  It will be out on DVD next month where I will be sure to catch up with it.  

Judi Dench in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

Other possibilities in the summer that may carry over include the hugely successful 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel', 'Moonrise Kingdom', and 'Take This Waltz'.  "Take This Waltz" simply for Michelle Williams if she is campaigned.  She gives some of her best work in the film.

'The Best Exotic...' may strike a chord with the older Academy and I can see Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson jumping into weaker supporting categories if the back end of the year doesn't fill them up solidly.  'Moonrise Kingdom', a film which I enjoyed, but wasn't my favorite of Wes Anderson's work, is likely to be a contender for Best Original Screenplay.  I also thought the Production Design was wonderfully quirky and could be remembered.  I don't see it holding on for a Best Picture nomination despite stellar reviews.   I can't remember anything else from the summer which may factor in to awards season, but I'm always ready for a surprise. 

The Oscars almost a distant memory, anticipating what 2012 has in store...

The Oscars ended over a month ago and I guess I didn't really feel I had anything to say on the matter.  My usual excitement seemed to fade out about halfway through the ceremony.  Everything about the night seemed very safe.  The "was that a nipple?" moment with Jennifer Lopez and the Angelina Jolie leg thing definitely woke me up a little, however, and prompted a good laugh for all in the room.  'The Artist' inevitably won the big prize and the only real jolt of the night seemed to come in how poorly I did in some of the tech categories and Meryl Streep winning Best Actress.  Despite not finding the film particularly strong, I thought Meryl was phenomenal in 'The Iron Lady'.  Things just seemed to be going Viola's way with the SAG win.  It would have been wonderful to see Viola on the stage of the theatre formerly known as the Kodak, but it was not in the cards.  I expect she will have another chance at Oscar gold in the near future.  The comedown from the Oscars was surprisingly quick and I stepped away from the 2011 award season hoping that 2012 was going to hold a lot more in terms of films that would take my breath away and inspire me to think.  2011 just seemed to be lacking in some inexplicable way and I found it interesting to talk to many friends who had felt the same way this year.  So....c'mon film in 2012.  Bring it.  I'm ready for you.

Carey Mulligan in 'The Great Gatsby'

Most anticipated films of 2012?  Right up there has got to be Alfonso Cuarón's 'Gravity', 'The Dark Knight Rises', 'The Master' and 'The Great Gatsby'.  The thought of Carey Mulligan playing Daisy Buchanan excites me, and I hope crazy Baz keeps things interesting.  I'm very interested in 'The Paperboy', mostly because of the intriguing cast and premise.  'Anna Karenina' and 'Great Expectations' are my adaptations that I'm most intrigued about, and as someone who studied musical theatre, I'm more than a little intrigued to see how the musical version of 'Les Misérables' fares on the big screen.  'Lincoln' should be another huge performance out of Daniel Day-Lewis and it will be nice to see Sally Field back in a buzzed about film.  On paper, 2012 looks as if it could hold some real gems and I look forward to diving in to what the year has to offer.  


I'm finally getting around to seeing 'The Hunger Games' this weekend.  Love that Jennifer Lawrence.

Oscar Weekend: Final winner predictions and my favorite films of 2011

So, it's been a while.  I think I may have disappeared because the thrilling nature of Oscar season never truly took hold of me this year.  My predictions for the nominations weren't great, but mostly because I didn't play it safe enough in the performance categories.  Next time Tilda!  I guess I have to work on thinking like an old, white man.  'The Artist' steam train on Sunday is inevitable.  I guess I didn't really feel like my brain had much to the add to the conversation.  Even in a seemingly predictable year, I have no doubt I will be just as excited as I always am on Oscar morning.  Below are my final predictions and some of my favorite films of 2011.  I'm not really going out on any crazy limbs this year, only if you think 'The Artist' will also take screenplay and cinematography home, which it very well could.  My winner predictions are below.  Bring on the upsets!

My favorite actress Kate Winslet winning
Best Actress for the "The Reader"

Best Picture:  The Artist
Best Director:  Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Actor:  Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Actress:  Viola Davis, The Help
Best Supporting Actor:  Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress:  Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Original Screenplay:  Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Best Adapted Screenplay:  Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, and Nat Faxon, The Descendants
Best Editing:  The Artist
Best Cinematography:  The Tree of Life
Best Costume Design:  Jane Eyre
Best Art Direction:  Hugo
Best Original Score:  The Artist
Best Original Song:  “Man or Muppet,” The Muppets
Best Makeup:  The Iron Lady
Best Sound Editing:  War Horse
Best Sound Mixing:  Hugo
Best Visual Effects:  Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Foreign-Language Film:  A Separation
Best Documentary Feature:  Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Best Animated Feature:  Rango
Best Animated Short:  The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Best Live-Action Short:  Tuba Atlantic
Best Documentary Short:  Saving Face

2011 offered a lot of great films, most which found themselves outside the scope of awards season.  I'm disappointed that I did not get around to see 'Win Win' and 'A Separation' among others before this post.  You're never going to get around to seeing everything and I will definitely catch up on Netflix, iTunes or on a movie channel down the road.  I did a pretty good job this year though.

Favorite Films of 2011

50/50 - In another world, Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be at the Kodak...er now the Hollywood & Highland Center for the time being.  Although I haven't numbered my favorites, this is probably my number one. 
Drive - This one will be remembered in the years to come.  So much can be said without words.  It may be violent, but if you can get past that, there is truly exquisite filmmaking going on.    

Weekend - The best gay film to come along in many years.  Incredible performances.  

My Week with Marilyn - Michelle Williams' performance has stayed with me.  The backstage stories and the price of fame will always be fascinating to watch.  

Jane Eyre - An incredible adaptation.  Wasikowska was born to play this role and Fassbender nails it yet again.

Bridesmaids - Such great laughs and performances from Wiig, McCarthy and Byrne and the whole ensemble.  My favorite comedy of the year.

Hugo - The history of cinema theme pops up once again and from one of my favorites directors.  Just lovely.    

The Help - The performances took this well known subject to new places.  Team Viola Davis for life. 

We Need To Talk About Kevin - Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller did wonders with this dark material.  Difficult to watch but hard to shake that kind of intensity and commitment.  

Poetry  -  An extraoridnary South Korean film I caught on Netflix Instant.  Aside from being anchored by a incredibly raw central performance, the film manages to say so much about the beauty in the world that can help us through truly dark times and circumstances.  

The Descendants  - A interesting rumination on life and death and the connections between our past and our future.  It's Clooney's best performance to date and features some of the most creative casting of the year.  

Final predictions - 2012 Academy Award nominations

Here are my final predictions in the major six categories.  It's one of those weird years where I wouldn't be shocked to see a few surprises in the nominations and things not matching up with Globe, SAG or Critic's Choice.  In categories I haven't predicted, I am rooting on Bill Cunningham New York and We Were Here in documentary and Winnie the Pooh in animated.  How has Pooh not been nominated so far this year?  Just sad.  :-)  I'm also hoping 50/50 gets in for Best Screenplay like it did with the Writer's Guild.  This year there can be anywhere from 5-10 nominees for Best Picture.  I am currently predicting 7 but have put down my other three guesses in case there are more.  Here we go!  Nomination morning is in mere hours.  

Best Picture
'The Artist
'The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
(If there are 8-10 nominees:  War Horse followed byBridesmaids and Ides of March)
Should have been a contender:  Drive

Best Director
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
(alt.  Tate Taylor, The Help)
Should have been a contender:  Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

Best Actor
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
(alt. Michael Shannon, Take Shelter)
Should have been a contender: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50

Best Actress
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
(alt. Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs or Charlize Theron, Young Adult)
Should have been a contender:  Mia Wasikowska, Jane Eyre

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
(alt. Jonah Hill, Moneyball)
Should have been a contender:  Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
(alt. Shailene Woodley, The Descendants)
Should have been a contender:  Carey Mulligan, Shame

Nomination morning looms

So here we are.  Oscar nomination morning is on Tuesday and a consensus seems to have been reached.  'The Artist' has become the clear front runner for Best Picture, with 'The Descendants', 'Hugo', 'The Help' and 'Midnight in Paris' in competition to be a second place finisher in some ways.  They always say the downside to being a front runner is backlash, though at this point it's hard to see anything mowing down 'The Artist' to take the top prize.  I always welcome a surprise though, especially as 'The Artist' doesn't personally rank in my top of the year, although I deeply admire the craftsmanship and the heart of the film quite a lot.

I can definitely see this being a year quite like the 'Brokeback Mountain'/'Crash' year (which I often don't like to think back on) where Best Director goes to the director of a film that doesn't win Best Picture.  I could easily see Alexander Payne or Martin Scorsese pulling this off.  As Dave Karger mentioned on GoldDerby with Tom O'Neil, only if the 'The Help' manages to pull off the Best Director nomination do things start to look a little more interesting.  But seeing as Tate Taylor was not recognized by the DGA likely in favor of David Fincher for that fifth slot, the chances of this happening appear to be slim.

Yes, I'm one of those crazy people here on the West Coast who voluntarily wakes up at 5:30 a.m. PT for the nominations and then promptly goes back to sleep.  For some reason, I find this exciting.  Also, it's kind of nice to see things as they happen live instead of immediately being greeted to the Facebook posts, Tweets and complaints about the nominations otherwise.

I will post my final predictions on Monday.  As far as those who could potentially be in danger on nomination morning, I'm rooting for Tilda Swinton, Melissa McCarthy and Michael Fassbender to get the nominations they deserve and keep their streaks going.  If AMPAS wants to give me something really out there and incredible like nominating Mia Wasikowska, or showering 'Drive' with love in any way, I'd be downright elated.

The plot thickens: Oscar precursors

On the awards circuit, it's been a quite a few days which began to pick up speed over the weekend with the LA Film Critics announcement where their top prize went to "The Descendants".  Pile on every single critics group in every major city and already there seemed to be momentum building for "The Aritst", "The Descendants", and performances from George Clooney, Viola Davis and Meryl Streep. This week alone saw the Broadcast Film Critics Association announce, the Screen Actors Guild (the first of the major guilds to announce their nominations) and this morning, the Golden Globe Awards nominations.

What is there really to make of this year?  That's a good question.  It appears that the Weinstein Company looks to strike it big again as "The Artist" seems to have emerged as a real frontrunner.  I'm always a believer that anything can happen down to the very last minute though.  We saw it happen last year as "The Social Network" seemed to coast through awards season, winning everything in its path before losing the Academy Award to "The King's Speech", undoubtedly much more Academy friendly and pulling on the heartstrings when it was needed in the final stretch.  I really do admire the love letter to Hollywood that "The Artist" so wonderfully exemplifies, I just can't say that it's the film that has touched me the most emotionally so far this year.  For me, that film is "The Descendants", a heartfelt rumination on life and death and the many facets of forgiveness.  It's been an odd year, as I've found myself talking to friends who also haven't found a ton of films that they have truly been blown away by.  Even though I thoroughly enjoyed "The Artist", I've found myself more drawn to the movie magic of films like "Hugo" and "My Week with Marilyn", which carry similar themes.

Although in some ways this year seems predictable already in terms of Best Picture, a lot can change in the month before Oscar nominations, as members now have the time during their winter breaks to sit down and take in all of the films.  Films like "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close", which were recognized by the BFCA but ignored by SAG and the HFPA, may be given new life in the coming weeks, especially seeing as the film was screened far too late to make much of an impact according to many top Oscar prognosticators.  Perhaps actors who were left off by a major group or two will find love with the Academy.  Patton Oswalt in "Young Adult", Carey Mulligan in "Shame", Charlize Theron in "Young Adult" and Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock and Max von Sydow from "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" are just some of the names who come to mind.  The changes in acting category nominations over the past few days may be the key to what will make this Oscar race exciting.  It's brought a smile to my face to see truly exceptional dramatic work recognized from the likes of Tilda Swinton and Michelle Williams.  It's also been nice to see those who have been in the business a long time, yet have rarely garned attention, nominated for their work, actors like Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  I have a lot to catch up in the coming month, but I have no doubt that this year is going to keep me guessing in a lot of ways.  I'm ready for it and bring on the surprises please!

You made me laugh. Where's your award?

It has been quite the prevalent discussion topic recently in the online world.  Why don't the Oscars recognize comedies or comedic acting performances more than they do?  Dramas make us well up with emotion if done well and can slam us with a powerhouse performance.  Comedies can make us die laughing and see the humor in the serious.  Should one necessarily be better or more respected than the other?  Judd Apatow recently took to Twitter, tweeting that it makes sense to have a Academy Award category honoring comedies.  The only problem with this of course is going against what has become the standard and expanding an already always lengthy Oscar show.  It seems reasonable that new ground could be broken and with the constant shuffle of how many Best Picture nominees there should be in addition to campaigning on the part of studios to honor motion capture performances, it would appear that reform is indeed possible, or at least not far off.

Maybe it won't be today or even three years from now, but when I look back on some of my favorite films of 2011, I think of the work turned in by Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne and Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids", and how it had me roaring in the aisles.  I also think of films like "50/50", which perhaps because it was marketed as a comedy, now sits in that weird place in awards season chatter (although I am ecstatic with recent recognition from the Indie Spirits and National Board of Review).  Anyone who saw the film, however, can attest it covers truly dramatic ground, bringing many audience members to tears by its conclusion.  The comedy that is layered throughout the film gives it delightfully unique levels and should not be dismissed.  Perhaps in a year where comedy was more embraced by critics groups, skilled actors like Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be the ones really reaping the deserved recognition.

I'm a huge fan of a well-crafted drama, but maybe we should give the skilled comedic actor or actress a bit more praise for their work.