It's All Over...Finally!- Final Oscar Predicitons

I've been watching or covering the Oscars with varying degrees since 1998. And I can say with certainty, this is the most wide open race I've ever seen.
The amount of blood on the floor, the amount of money and mud thrown around, and the sheer numbers of different frontrunners has been startling. And with each new revelation or each new award we start to think of the possible scenarios. At this point, our fingernails are chewed clean off.


Sure there have been other tight races: 2009's "The Hurt Locker" vs. "Avatar," 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" vs. "The Aviator," and 1998's "Saving Private Ryan" vs. "Shakespeare in Love," but this year is seems different.
This year there are an endless array of possibilities from who will win Best Director and Best Actress to which films people love compared to what they merely respect.
Will Ben Affleck and "Argo" continue their sweep of public sympathy for the Director "snub," or will "Lincoln" outsmart its way to the top? Can "Life of Pi" dominate the awards like its quietly been dominating the world wide box office? Actors love "Silver Linings Playbook," but will the rest of the Academy?
Will a James Bond theme song finally win an award? There are tight races from top to bottom from production design to sound editing.

So here's my guesses and ideas about what may happen on Sunday night. Will some of them be wrong? Yes! And thank god for that because without the surprises....things get boring.

See picks on the next page....

2012 Mini Review Catch Up Session- The Lightning Round

The Lucky One-Adaptations of Nicholas Sparks' novels have always been a grating endeavor. All that perfect golden lighting; all those doleful looks of romantic longing; all that disease. With the exception of the  "The Notebook" (a glorious bit of cheese that's surpassed by huge lush emotions at every turn), none of his films have ever felt like more than a cheap excuse to stare at Hollywood's latest couple of it-kids with their perfect six pack and super shiny hair fall in love and then have it complicated by war, fate, or whatever the new hip malady-of-the-moment is.
     "The Lucky One" starring Zach Efron might have hit an all-time low. Set in the bayous of Louisiana, the film chronicles Logan a Marine just home from a third tour of Iraq. He's trying to hunt down this mysterious woman he saw in a picture that he found while overseas that he calls his "guardian angel." Turns out this angel is Beth (Taylor Schilling) a dog trainer with her own slew of emotional and personal troubles including a geeky son and his easily-tempered sheriff father and a dead Marine brother. Throw in the wise elder (Blythe Danner) schilling her sage advice, the down home spirit of Sarah Palin's America, ooh and dogs, and you have a painful, molasses-covered hunk of every cliche possible stuffed into a bad fruitcake of a movie. Grade: D (Available now on DVD)

The Dictator- When this project was first announced, I had hoped (maybe naively) that Sacha Baron Cohen would be making his own send-up of Chaplin's classic "The Great Dictator." Unfortunately, what we got was another Cohen film filled with the same slightly racist, slightly sexist, slightly controversial comedy. Cohen and his team never seem to push any of the beats far enough for them to be truly daring or witty enough to make a flash of a crotch or an joke about Islamic misogyny anything more than what it is.
     Cohen is fine as the out-of-touch northern African dictator. He certainly has comic chops, but this doesn't quite showcase how flavorful it can be. Anna Faris is wasted as his feminist, free-trade loving, politically correct "love interest?" and I kept thinking poor Ben Kingsley obviously must be going broke....because otherwise, why would he be in this. It's not until the final five minutes do we see Cohen's real intelligence, but at that point it's too late. Another missed opportunity. Grade: C- (Available now on DVD)

Battleship- This movie makes a "Transformers" movie look like "Citizen Kane." This clunky, asinine action flick has about as much to do with the board game that inspired it as a hand grenades have to do with tea parties. It certainly has its patriotic hat squarely on its head though. Between the supporting performance by the double amputee, the WWII veterans, and the multiple fly overs in Navy bombers, you'd think you were watching the pre-game festivities at the Super Bowl rather than shoot-em-up, maritime, alien flick. Taylor Kitsch (of "Friday Night Lights" fame) starts the film like a meth addict (all twitchy-eyed and jittery) then, suddenly half way through it feels like the personality vacuum came through and sucked his charisma dry. Poor Liam Neeson is- forgive me- left out to sea by a concept that is just too terrible for words. The only reason this isn't an F is because the plot points and the disgusting dialogue are too awesomely bad not to chuckle at....unintentionally of course. Miss. Grade: D- (Available now on DVD)

After the jump....Friends with Kids, Prometheus, and The Five-Year Engagement

One Sentence Film Reviews: 2012 Films

Trying to cover every film with a 200 word review seems overly complicated, and not that interesting considering neither were some of these films. Enter the Twitter length posts. For a closer look at any one of these particularly, feel free to ask in the comments.

Wanderlust: Game line readings from a rowdy band of misfits + Aniston, but story wears thin and jokes feel too much like work. Grade: B- (now on DVD)

Jeff, Who Lives At Home: Sweet & sad comedy about fate and family buoyed by smart turns esp. Sarandon, but sunk by indecisiveness. Grade: B (now on DVD)

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Nimble jokes and good stop-motion. Missing some of the cheek of Chicken Run or Wallace & Gromit. Grade: B- (now on DVD)

Haywire: Tense, muscular, and sobering action flick with a fine-looking cast but zero resonance or effort involved. Seems like auto-pilot. Grade: B- (now on DVD)

Chico & Rita: Beautiful music, sensual story with some unique animation. Arcs still feel been-there-done-that despite the palpable heat. Grade: B (on DVD 9/18)

2 Days in New York: Delpy is a savvy lady and Rock's subtlety a treat, but comedic beats feel pushed too far and drama feels hollow. Grade: C+ (in theaters and VOD)


More including Dark Shadows, Men In Black 3, and American Reunion after the cut.

Two 80s Ladies and their Boys- Mini Reviews of "Broadcast News" and "The Fabulous Baker Boys

Broadcast News- Set in the realm of high-powered and fast-paced network news, “Broadcast News” plays as both workplace love triangle but also a comedic, cannily-detailed indictment of that late 80s news climate. Written and directed by James L. Brooks, the film presents the lives of the pretty boy anchor Tom (William Hurt), the principled yet abrasive reporter Aaron (Albert Brooks), and the basket-case producer Jane (Holly Hunter) and how they try to balance work, personal relationships, and the behind-the-scenes network shuffling.

                Back in the 80s, Brooks really could do no wrong. His timing, his ability to find comedy and pathos in such different situations was really superb, and “Broadcast” is his best. Here he writes these three characters with such distinct dynamics. They can have dialogue that’s intelligent and not solely based on their relationships; work can be interesting too. It’s a refreshing adult romantic comedy.

Holly Hunter, in her breakthrough role, is a wonder as Jane. Watching her try to grasp desperately onto her set-in-stone workplace principles despite her heart being pulled another way is as captivating for the audience as is it excruciating for her.

 Brooks does his best to find his dark sardonic humor in the material and his prickly self-deprecation fit right in to the milieu.  Hurt, riding his mid-80s career high, does small nuanced work as the slightly out-of-touch Tom who’s willing to do anything to get ahead. All three leads play well off of each other too. Whether it’s the oil and water like Brooks and Hurt, or the rising heat between Hunter and Hurt, the sparks fly between every duo. The open-ended conclusion to this tale does feel a bit hasty, but that’s probably more a credit to Brooks for moving the story along so swiftly. Grade: A

Michelle Pfeiffer and her Bridges Boys after the cut.

Something to Believe In- "Brave" Review

Ever since a cowboy doll named Woody stood up and started walking and talking around Andy’s room, Pixar has asked us to believe.

They want us to believe there are still monsters in our closets, and that superheroes are living amongst us just like everybody else.

 They’ve asked us to relate to a rat who aspires to be a chef in a French restaurant, and they’ve even asked to believe a curmudgeonly old man with a heart ready to burst could fly his house to South America carried by balloons.

But this time, with their Scottish, girl power, fairytale "Brave," Pixar has asked us something even more shocking. They asked us to believe in magic. And it’s through this magic, that this adventurous and sweet-natured film mines its biggest surprises and its biggest heart.

Set in ancient Scotland, during a time of warring clans and arranged marriages, Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) is not your typical princess. With her mane of manic red hair as wild as she is, she traipses about the kingdom bow at the ready practicing her target shooting, climbing mountains, and or riding her black horse Angus trying to find as much adventure as she can get her hands on. She’s never worried about being ladylike.

That is…until she gets home.

As soon as she walks into the castle, she’s quickly inundated by the ever-watchful, ever-present voice of her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). Elinor’s trying to raise her daughter as a well-born princess; she instructs her on proper attire, table manners, and of course, how to be presentable for an eventual husband. When the eldest sons of the other clans are brought to compete for her Merida’s hand in marriage, she’s obviously none too pleased.

More after the cut

Trailer Roundup- PTA, QT, Denzel, and some R-Rated "Magic Mike"

   
     Catch up on all the latest film trailers right here in the Trailer Roundup. Today we have cinematic snapshots from a couple summer releases looking for added buzz, the latest glimpses from Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Pixar's latest romp for next summer, and a couple of little movies that look pretty great.

Which ones are you excited for? Which ones will you skip? Feel free to comment galore.

Django Unchained- After rewriting the outcome of World War II, Quentin Tarantino turns his attention to the slave-era South where his latest bloody, pulpy revenge film filled with his trademark dialogue, complicated interesting characters and plenty of blood. "Django" stars Jamie Foxx as the titular Django, a slave freed by a German dentist-turned-bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). The two men are headed to find the infamous Calvin Candie (an overly coiffed Leonardo Dicaprio) and his plantation Candieland where Django's wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) is enslaved.
     Quentin loves his B genre films, and after making his noir, gangster, blaxplotation, and kung-fu films, it looks to finally be the spaghetti western is always hinted at making. Plus...Leo Dicaprio looks to be having more fun than he's ever had in at least a decade. (Dec. 25)



The Master- A new Paul Thomas Anderson film is always cause for celebration and excitement, and "The Master" is no exception. Closely resembling the story of the rise of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, the film set in a post-WWII film tells of a appealing intellectual (Hoffman) who launches a religious organization. A drifter (Phoenix) becomes his right-hand man, but as the faith begins to gain a fervent following, the drifter finds himself questioning the belief system and his mentor.
      The two different teasers are enigmatic and odd, but the Jonny Greenwood score is in full force as are the stunning visuals by Mihai Malaimare Jr.. Phoenix seems to finally gotten over his "I'm Still Here" and is back in a big way, and you can never count Phillip Seymour Hoffman out. Plus, Amy Adams!! (Oct. 12 in limited release)

Teaser 1


Teaser 2

Pitch Perfect- Taking advantage of the huge popularity of acapella as seen in "The Sing-Off" and in an even bigger way "Glee," this bitchy musical comedy stars Anna Kendrick ("Up in the Air" and "50/50") as a college freshman whose browbeaten into joining her college's all-female singing group. She injects some much needed energy into their act, and it's just in time for an annual campus competition against the rival boys' group. I think it looks fresh, silly, and funny, and after things like "Mean Girls" and "Easy A" hint at it with individual musical sequences, its nice to see the music front and center. I'm a huge fan of Anna Kendrick, and it'll be nice to see her take the lead in her first film of this nature. Plus a little nod to "No Diggity," and you can never go wrong with that. (Oct. 5)




After the cut, many more trailers including Denzel Washington's latest drama, a sweet little romance from Dayton/Farris, a promising phone sex comedy, and....an R-rated NSFW "Magic Mike" trailer you can't miss.

Focus unleashes "Anna Karenina"

     I was already excited, but now, I'm nearly foaming at the mouth.

     Focus Features has unveiled a first look at their giant adaptation of Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina." Featuring some awe-inspiring pomp and circumstance, it seems the novel is going to be given the lush and expansive treatment it richly deserves.

     Directed by Joe Wright and adapted for the screen by god-among-men Tom Stoppard, from what we can glean from the trailer, the film detailing the search for love and happiness of a young woman and her embattled affair amongst Russian's aristocracy is going to oscillate between real live sets and a limbo-like set with a stage, amphitheater, and gilded ballroom. If the ambition on display pans out as well as it looks in these two and a half minutes, audiences are in for a real treat. (Plus it'll be absolute catnip for the Academy.)

Trailer after the jump

Pick Six Mini Reviews for 2012...so far

     After the Oscars, I did give myself a self-imposed hiatus from the movies. Reboot, relax, and try to recharge for yet another great foray into the year in cinema. I caught up on old things I love ("The Bridges of Madison County," TV's "The West Wing"), some guilty pleasures (the original "Beverly Hills 90210") things I like a whole lot more than when I caught them the first time ("The Fighter," Douglas Sirk's "Imitation of Life"), and new things I had never seen before that now I'm having a bit of a love affair ("Junebug," "Spirited Away," and "Before Sunset").

     But I'm finally ready to start giving the reviews of the things I've been seeing...the good, the bad, and the abominable.

The Hunger Games- With all that hype, all that fan girl anticipation, could writer/director Gary Ross and his team ever live up to the potential laid out by Suzanne Collins and her ever-popular trilogy? Yes and No. It's a thrilling film that does set up how high the stakes really are and what will inevitably follow as well as the colorful characters we will see. It has a sterling first hour, fully realized set pieces and some really touching moments as well. Jennifer Lawrence is able to find some of those layered emotions, and her portrayal of Katinss's uncomfortability with being the star is honed just right.
     The film eventually pulls its punches in the second half though. Especially in regards to the violence. We're witnessing children killing other children...for sport, yet we never seem to feel like anyone is willing to look into that and ask why? Or....how having to kill affects these kids. Plus the camera moves and cuts so quickly as to avoid the audience seeing the atrocity of the games (and an R rating) that we're left just jumbled rather than shocked. It's just too long too. Grade: B

Titanic 3D- I never had the opportunity to see Titanic in theaters back in the day. My mom felt it was not yet appropriate for her fourth grader. So the opportunity to see it was something I couldn't pass up. And I'll say after all these years multiple viewings on both DVD and television, the film is still a great piece of work. Sure there's some wonky dialogue, and Billy Zane is hysterically off (especially in that moment where he goes all Rambo, pulls the gun and chases Jack & Rose through the sinking ship), but the romance is great, and the final hour as the ship is going down is incredibly thrilling. James Cameron made "Titanic" like Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in that it's one of those great kitchen sink pieces. It has something in it for everyone. There's action, romance, cheesy melodrama, and Bill Paxton. The 3D transfer was a nice touch as well. Grade: A

21 Jump Street- What could have been a smug and overly violent action comedy ends up being very funny and had a bit of a heart. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are pitch perfect as these young-looking cops trying to crack the undercover drug world of high school. When they arrive and see that they live in a world where environmentalism is in, being a bully and a jock is out, and hipster is in, it throws them all off, setting up even funnier situations. Has a great 80s throwback vibe without being so slavish it can't move forward. The end does get a bit "Pineapple Express" excessive with the violence, and the villain is a bit lame. Channing Tatum is a real star though, and the film shows that. Grade: B+

After the cut, the latest from Studio Ghibli, The Vow, and the teen rager Project X
 

Spectacular! Spectacular! To Nicole on her 45th Birthday....

      To the risk-taking redhead from the land down under, Happy Birthday!

     In the last twenty-three years, she moved from fiery exotic, to the woman behind the man of the biggest power couple in Hollywood, to A-List star with ambition to burn.

In such varied work as "To Die For," "The Portrait of a Lady," "Moulin Rouge," "The Hours," "Dogville," "Birth," and "Rabbit Hole," amongst many more, she has continued to work with big name directors trying to push herself creatively. She's admittedly made some poor choices along the way, but she continues to be wiling to fall flat on her face.

Happy Birthday Nicole! Can't wait to see what you come up with next.

What are you favorite Nicole Kidman moments? Films? Performances?

After the jump are some of my Nicole moments including television appearances, film clips etc.

To Diablo on her 34th Birthday

In just three short films Diablo Cody has become not only an Academy Award winning screenwriter but also a brand. There's a quality of writing full of blog-ready catchphrases and pop culture-laden comebacks that has continued to enthrall and excite, and on today her 34th birthday....check out this quintessentially Cody clip from her latest, the divisive Young Adult.

Dream a Little Bigger, Darling- "The Avengers" Review

    There's a scene, early on in Christopher Nolan's "Inception," where Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character is using his assault rifle to fight against the army of projections trying to kill him. His weapon is dependable, it's sturdy, and it'll certainly get the job done, but his combatants keep firing back. That is until Tom Hardy sidles over and with a sly smirk and says "Mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger darling" as he raises a grenade launcher and fires towards them with a loud explosion.
     While watching Joss Whedon's giant superhero pot luck "Marvel's The Avengers," I had similar feelings throughout. It's fun. It's loud, and it's funny. It features all the flash, whiz, and bang one has come to expect from the best comic book films, but instead of raising itself to be about something greater, something more nuanced, it and its filmmaker are happy just making rollicking summer fare.
 

"Wreck-It Ralph" Trailer Arrives

     Just days after the first images arrived, Disney unveils what looks like a real winner to hurt their ailing bottom line. "Wreck-It Ralph is the story of the villain of the arcade game Fix-It Felix. After much soul searching, and one too many Game Overs, he abandons his game and seeks out other games to try to be happy in which you can imagine causes some havoc in the video game universe.

Trailer after the cut

Happy 41st Birthday Mark Wahlberg!

And in honor of his birthday, let's watch Andy Sandberg's great impersonation of him from SNL.

Fresh Links, Get Your Fresh Links Here

• InContention- Kris Tapley starts looking at a fairly full slate for the Best Animated Feature lineup. And speaking of animated features....Collider has new images from Disney's new feature, the video game-themed "Wreck-It Ralph."
• Two more big prestige projects get further on the road to being produced: director Andrew Dominik and producer Brad Pitt will take on Joyce Carol Oates' "Blonde" with star to be determined (fingers crossed for Naomi Watts). Plus Jon Favreau may take on the "Jersey Boys."

•  If there wasn't already enough reason to go see "Prometheus" on Friday CinemaBlend reported there will be special extended scenes from Ang Lee's ambitious "Life of Pi" adaptation before the film along with before "Madagascar 3" and "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter."
• Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, and Ezra Miller try to explain the "Perks of Being a Wallflower" in the new trailer based on the much-buzzed about novel on HitFix
• Michael C at The Film Experience dissects whether Wes Anderson has an unexpected dark side that we're all missing.
• And finally AwardsDaily shows us the first images from Nicholas Winding Refn's followup to "Drive" the other Ryan G osling starred "Only God Forgives"

Tale As Old As Time....With Some Smashing New Threads- Mirror, Mirror Review

  

  
     Some years ago, it became incredibly unhip to like sweet, charming fairytales. Everything had to be kissed by cynicism and touched by self-referential humor.  Gone was the literate sweetness and strong romance of Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" or Disney's mid-century princess films.

     Even the most earnest attempts at princess stories "Tangled" and "The Princess and the Frog," have fallen prey. Prince Charming is being swapped out for the ghostly pallor of Edward Cullen and fair maidens for Giselle from "Enchanted" who has to let her fairytale existence be shattered by the oppressive realities of the "real world" before she can fall in love.

   I blame "Shrek." The 2001 animated smash mined its comedy from mocking the fairy tale cliches and tropes making it more difficult for filmmakers to try to reinvent these classic stories with the grace and blithe they occasionally call for.

      So how does one construct "Snow White" nowadays?

      For Tarsem, the visual wunderkind and pop avant garde mastermind behind the journey into the mind of the pedophile in "The Cell" or the ass-raping of Greek mythology that was "Immortals," he went a route that seems almost diametrically opposed to his vision...he went earnest.

A Heart Full of Love- Les Miserables Teaser Trailer Released

After much ballyhooed casting choices, little screen stills here and there, and those paparazzi photos of a newly shorn Annie Hathaway, we're all going to finally get some kind of idea of what we're getting this Christmas in the much-anticipated screen adaptation of "Les Miserables" in the form of a teaser trailer.
Obviously it's full of stark and beautifully shabby period art direction and costumes, the faces of the cast (Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne etc) as well as stern-faced Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, but we also get some singing.
Unlike the past few movie musicals first trailers, they don't seem to be hiding that it's a musical. We get to see the gaunt and dejected Fantine (Anne Hathaway) singing one of the show's greatest songs "I Dreamed A Dream."

Teaser after the jump

Film Grades and Reviews: 2011

Can't Miss
A/A-
The Tree of Life
Melancholia
Moneyball
Weekend
Drive
We Were Here
Beginners

Great with reservations
A-/B+
Buck
50/50
Young Adult
Warrior
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
Shame
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse
The Artist

Good, but...
B+/B
Bridesmaids
Jane Eyre
Take Shelter
Rampart
Bill Cunningham New York
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
A Dangerous Method
Crazy Stupid Love.
Pariah
Super 8
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Rango
Fast Five

Why not?
B/B-
The Skin I Live In
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
The Muppets
The Ides of March
The Descendants
Midnight in Paris
The Adventures of Tintin
Hanna
Higher Ground
Anonymous
Bad Teacher

Take Me or Leave Me
B-/C+
Gnomeo & Juliet
George Harrison: Living in the World
Page One
Being Elmo
Martha Marcy May Marlene
X-Men: First Class
The Adjustment Bureau
Source Code
Extremely Loud, and Incredibly Close
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Real Steel
Captain America: The First Avenger


Feh
C+/C
Like Crazy
My Week With Marilyn
Limitless
The Beaver
Friends with Benefits
Conan O'Brien: Can't Stop
Our Idiot Brother
Carnage
Horrible Bosses
Thor
No Strings Attached
Winnie the Pooh
The Mechanic

Not Recommended
C/C-
Immortals
Hugo
The Iron Lady
Larry Crowne
The Whistleblower
Albert Nobbs
Take Me Home Tonight
One Day

Cinematic Ebola Virus
D+ thru F
Rio
Happy Feet 2
Cars 2
Water for Elephants
Just Go With It
The Change-Up
Green Lantern
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Sucker Punch
Beastly
Going Down in La-La Land

Here We Go Again- Final Oscar Predictions

    

 The time has come my little friends to think of how will win. FINALLY! After the continual steamrolling, The Artist is looking like more and more like a surefire winner, and like Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 no one seems to be bucking it. But Hugo has 11 nominations, where will it show up? Can Jean Dujardin charm his way past the A-listers? Will Viola finally vanquish La Streep? Let us find out.

Best Picture- The Artist

                      The Descendants

                     Extremely Loud, and Incredibly Close

                     The Help           

                     Hugo

                     Midnight in Paris

                     Moneyball 

                     The Tree of Life

                     War Horse

Will Win: The Artist
Should Win: The Tree of Life/ Moneyball

It's The Artist. Done. Book it. Not really a contest anymore. Despite some really stellar other options (the flawed glory of "The Tree of Life" or the amazing storytelling of "Moneyball"), the film has the magical mix of well-made charm, old Hollywood glory, and that all-powerful warlock Harvey Weinstein running the show. It's the one to beat, and any the other film would be a huge surprise.

Best Director- Woody Allen “Midnight in Paris”

                     Michel Hazanavicius “The Artist”

                     Terrence Malick “The Tree of Life”

                     Alexander Payne “The Descendants”

                     Martin Scorsese “Hugo”

Will Win: Michel Hazanavicius "The Artist"
Should Win: Terrence Malick "The Tree of Life"

In most cases, picture and director match, and this year will be no exception. The charming Frenchman will win because he made a great movie, and reintroduced silent films in such a cute and smart way. There's certainly love for Marty and his sumptuous "Hugo," and Alexander Payne and "The Descendants," but the Artist train is leaving the station and everyone else is standing on the platform watching them chug by. 

Best Actor- Demian Bichir “A Better Life”

                 George Clooney “The Descendants”

                 Jean Dujardin “The Artist”

         Gary Oldman “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

                 Brad Pitt “Moneyball”

Will Win: Jean Dujardin "The Artist" 
Could Win: George Clooney "The Descendants"
Should Win: Brad Pitt "Moneyball"

Hey! It's actually still a race. Early on, it looked as if it was going to be the battle of the A-List studs as George Clooney and Brad Pitt battled it out for the win. But then...as seems to be case in most categories this year, a pesky Frenchman who is just as studly and maybe even more charming than Clooney, Jean Dujardin has emerged not as some Roberto Benigni-like anomaly but as a genuine star ripe for a victory. Clooney still has his ardent supporters for sure, as does "The Descendants," so it still could be him, and I still think an Adrian Brody-like dark horse win could happen for Pitt too (especially after the year he just had). Oldman and Bichir nominations are their victory. It's still Dujardin...but it'll be close.

Best Actress- Glenn Close “Albert Nobbs”

                    Viola Davis “The Help”

                    Rooney Mara “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

                    Meryl Streep “The Iron Lady”

                    Michelle Williams “My Week with Marilyn” 

Will/Should Win: Viola Davis "The Help"
Could Win: Meryl Streep "The Iron Lady"


Her performance in "The Help" is one of those moments to cherish and just behold with glory, and in this case, with golden statuettes. The Best Picture nomination for the film assures her victory because the film itself has more overall support. Acting's First Lady Streep is certainly still a contender and has her supporters and ardent fans who are anxious for her to win her third Oscar, but the film's quite tepid response doesn't bode well. In another year, Michelle Williams might have been more of a contender, but not this year.

Best Supporting Actor- Kenneth Branagh “My Week with Marilyn”

 Jonah Hill “Moneyball
 Nick Nolte “Warrior”

Christopher Plummer “Beginners”

Max Von Sydow “Extremely Loud, and Incredibly Close”

Will/Should Win: Christopher Plummer "Beginners"

After a string of victories from critics prizes through to the Golden Globe, the SAG award, the BAFTA, and the Indie Spirit, a Plummer victory looks more than assured. Finally!! 
And unlike other years, where this could feel like a "feel bad for the old guy" life achievement type prize, Christopher Plummer deserves it fully. His fully emotive, wistful performance is just stupendous. Can't wait for his speech. There are possible outliers who think Max Von Sydow has a chance, but the film (despite a Best Picture nomination) seems all but forgotten. 

Best Supporting Actress- Bernice Bejo “The Artist”

                                    Jessica Chastain “The Help”

                    Melissa McCarthy “Bridesmaids”

                                    Janet McTeer “Albert Nobbs”

                                    Octavia Spencer “The Help”

 Will Win: Octavia Spencer "The Help"
Could Win: Bernice Bejo "The Artist"
Should Win: Jessica Chastain "The Help"


The Oscars do love their feisty female sidekicks, and Octavia Spencer's mix of repressed fury and fierce funny is too good to pass up. I feel like if there's going to be a giant upset though, it could be here. If the Academy goes for "The Artist" in as big a way as they could...which could be momentous I think Bernice Bejo could easily Juliette Binoche in "The English Patient" herself to a victory. Personally though, after a string of amazing work last year in "The Tree of Life," "Take Shelter," and her nominated portrayal in "The Help," I'd love to see Spencer's costar Jessica Chastain win. Octavia seems like a landslide though.

 Best Adapted Screenplay- The Descendants

                                          Hugo

                                          The Ides of March

                                          Moneyball

                                          Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Will Win: "The Descendants"
Should Win: "Moneyball"

In many cases, the Oscars are a way to spread the wealth around to a number of other films that they like. They think...where can I honor that movie rather than giving everything to one film. So, if George Clooney doesn't get their vote in Best Actor, maybe they feel they'll give it to "The Descendants" here with this sturdy script by Alexander Payne and his co-writers. Similar feelings could be shared upon "Moneyball" a film that is based on a non-fiction book about statistics and created a narrative of pace and fervor. "The Descendants" recently won the Writers Guild Award in the same category, so I'm giving it the edge, despite "Moneyball" being a just plain better script. 

Best Original Screenplay- The Artist

                                      Bridesmaids

                                      Margin Call

                                      Midnight in Paris

                                      A Separation 

Will Win: Midnight in Paris
Could Win: The Artist
Should Win: A Separation

Woody Allen owns this category. With 15 nominations in original screenplay he is their king, and with a film they really enjoy, "Midnight in Paris," seems like a winner. But those pesky French...they could easily just punch another win for "The Artist" despite not having any dialogue. If there's any justice though, "A Separation" really deserves it. It juggles so many different balls in the air at once without any of them feeling contrived or ignored. But I think it's still Woody.

Best Art Direction- The Artist

                             Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

                             Hugo

                             Midnight in Paris

                             War Horse
Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: The Artist
Should Win: Harry Potter 7.2

Best Cinematography- The Tree of Life

                                   The Artist

                                   War Horse

                                   The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

                                   Hugo
Will Win: "Hugo"
Could Win: Any of them sans "The Girl w/ The Dragon Tattoo"
Should Win: "The Tree of Life" 

Best Costume Design- Anonymous

                                 The Artist

                                 Hugo

                                 Jane Eyre

                                 W.E.
 Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: The Artist
Should Win: Jane Eyre

Best Film Editing- The Artist

                           The Descendants

                           The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

                           Hugo

                           Moneyball
Will Win: The Artist
Could Win: Hugo
Should Win: Moneyball 
 

Best Makeup- Albert Nobbs

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

The Iron Lady
Will Win: The Iron Lady
Should Win: Harry Potter 7.2

Best Original Score- The Adventures of Tintin

                                   The Artist

                                   Hugo

                                   Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

                                   War Horse
 Will/Should Win: "The Artist"

Best Original Song- “Man or Muppet” The Muppets

                                 “Real in Rio” Rio
Will Win: The Muppets "Man or Muppet"
Should Win: None of them...the category is just pathetic.

Best Sound Mixing- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

                                 Hugo

                                 Moneyball

                                 Transformers: The Dark of the Moon

                                 War Horse
Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: War Horse
Should Win: Moneyball

Best Sound Editing- Drive

                                 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

                                 Hugo

                                 Transformers: Dark of the Moon

                                 War Horse
Will Win: Hugo
Could Win: War Horse
Should Win: Drive

Best Visual Effects- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

                                 Hugo

                                 Real Steel

                                 Rise of the Planet of the Apes

                                 Transformers: The Dark of the Moon
Will Win/Should Win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Could Win: Hugo 

Best Animated Feature- A Cat in Paris

                                       Chico & Rita

                                       Kung Fu Panda 2

                                       Puss in Boots

                                       Rango
Will/Should Win: Rango

Best Documentary Feature- Hell and Back Again

         If a Tree Falls: The Story of the Earth Liberation Front

         Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

         Pina

         Undefeated
Will Win: Hell and Back Again
Should Win: Pina

Best Foreign Language Film- Bullhead-Belgium

Footnote – Israel

In Darkness- Poland

Monsieur Lazhar – Canada
A Separation – Iran     
Will/Should Win: A Separation
Could Win: Monsieur Lazhar     
 

Best Documentary Short Subject- God is the Bigger Elvis

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
Will Win: Saving Face
Could Win: The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
 

Best Animated Short Film-Dimanche/Sunday

     The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life
Will Win: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Could Win: La Luna/ A Morning Stroll 
 

Best Live Action Short Film- Pentecost

                                                Raju

                                                The Shore

                                                Time Freak

                                                Tuba Atlantic
Will Win: Tuba Atlantic
Could Win: Time Freak, The Shore