Now on DVD & Bluray: "Another Year", "True Grit", & More

I don't always get the chance to catch films while they're in theaters, either by choice or by unfortunate circumstance. The ignorance of today's modern culture scorning the theatrical experience as something lesser is something I've commented on numerous times. Yet there is merit in the home viewing experience as well, because it's the ultimate test for any film. While blockbusters are usually better suited to the big screen, they often are diminished by the transition to the small, as Inception fell most victim to this past year. So, I introduce this weekly segment where I bring in the DVD/Bluray releases that are most worth checking out.

On the top of my list is Another Year, which is one that I had the unbelievable good fortune of seeing before it came to home video. However, I still feel a stroke of bad luck for having not seen it in time to slide it into my "Best of 2010" list, because the way things are stacking up, it would've landed somewhere near the top. It's a film that devastated me in the theater, and that continues to affect me upon renewed viewings. This is something you should make an effort to see.

A film that did make it on my end of year list for 2010, much higher than it should have been in retrospect, is True Grit. Joel and Ethan Coen are two of the best working directors out there right now, and they're work as a duo has been immaculate thus far, for all I know. I haven't seen Ladykillers, so that's probably the biggest gap in my knowledge of the two. This one, after months of recall, sits proudly below A Serious Man in terms of excellence. That may sound bad since I like Burn After Reading and No Country for Old Men better, but it's still a badge of honor, and an aesthetically pleasing film I'd gladly see again.

Film Review: Another Year

I really didn't put in enough effort to see this movie before writing up my "Best of 2010" list in January. There are only a few films that really deserve that sort of extra effort, or that warrant an extensive trip to see. I haven't exactly been a follower of director Mike Leigh, having ditched out of an attempt to see Happy-Go-Lucky at the last minute. He certainly isn't a household name, even if he has earned it with a track record more flawless than Christopher Nolan's. I've been saying before that the only reason Another Year wasn't nominated for Best Picture this year was because it missed out on the final rush of nominations voting, given its late release date. I can't quite say that to be true now, because in a society that is currently inexorably rotating around The King's Speech, it baffles me that this could go unnoticed.

I can see why audiences don't find immediate appeal in it. That can be summed up in a simple synopsis: It's about old people. In each of the Best Picture nominated films this year, the protagonist is of reasonable age. The closest we get to old is with Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right, and they don't quite milk that for all that it's worth, do they? Even more than the characters, the central theme of Another Year is being old or growing older. The opening scene of the film, which could strike some viewers as being peculiar, shows a hopelessly depressed female insomniac, not ready to tell a psychiatrist about her family life. On a scale from 1 to 10, she's at a 1.

You see this character in very stark contrast to the other characters in the film at this time. There's Tom and Geri, two very happily married people, their positive son Joe, and their seemingly perky-as-bright-sunshine friend Mary. What could there possibly be to be so upset and depressed about. The film takes place in four acts, and the first act ends with a reveal of what kind of person Mary is. She drinks a lot, is very much in denial about her level of happiness, and her emotions are wild in frantic. She's a bit of a slut, thinking of a possibility with nearly every man she meets. You get to thinking, why are Tom and Geri even friends with her? She's that sort of friend that you're stuck with, and you very much don't want to just get rid of them. That would be just too cruel.

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Original Screenplay

Here is yet another case of determining what should win in opposition to what actually will win. The only film nominated for Best Original Screenplay that I haven't seen is Another Year, and as things are right now, most people haven't gotten around to it. That's probably the main reason it didn't get any more nominations than this, and that's clearly a shame. However, we can't really do anything about that now, so we can only deal with what we've been given. The film that's undoubtedly going to win is The King's Speech, which is prepping to tie with Inception and The Social Network for most wins next Sunday. Going over the film again, things are rather predictable, and the dialogue a bit forced. It has the touch of experience from a former stammerer, but not much more than that.

There is a chance that Inception could come in for the win here, seeing as it already won the WGA award about two weeks ago. That was the greatest glimmer of light in this predictable awards season, and if anything's going to upset The King's Speech, it will be Nolan's film. That's something I'm desperately hoping for. If the world were to go by my own specific plan, as I sometime imagine it should, The Kids Are All Right would walk away with this specific prize. Across the past several months, the one thing that has stayed a constant is Lisa Cholodenko's suburban comedy, and I remain steadfastly in love with the film. The only lacking bit of the script is Julianne Moore's still heart-rendering confession to the family at the end of the film, but everything other than that is gold.

The only other contender in this race, and the one that doesn't stand a single chance in hell, is The Fighter. Since seeing the film, I have greatly lightened up on it, and it's been making its way up the ranks over the past few weeks, but the predictable story remains predictable. I would much rather have had Black Swan be nominated here, because there are some wonderfully original ideas employed in Aronofsky's latest work of art. It's a pity that isn't nominated.

1. The Kids Are All Right
2. Inception
3. Another Year
4. The King's Speech
5. The Fighter

Will Win: The King's Speech
Should Win: The Kids Are All Right
Potential Upset: Inception
Should Have Been Nominated: Black Swan

Awards 2010: BAFTA Nominations

\Amongst the last major nominations before the Academy Award nominees are announced, the BAFTA didn't really pull any surprises with their announcements, and if they did, they were mild. Javier Bardem made it into the Best Actor race, while Hailee Steinfeld was actually nominated for Best Actress, instead of being lumped in the supporting race. So we've proved that Steinfeld does have enough weight to be legitimately nominated amongst Portman and Bening. Pete Postlethwaite was given a farewell nomination for his work on The Town. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 had minimum presence in the technical categories compared to other films in the franchise. Black Swan got an insane amount of nominations, and it's slowly becoming more and more possible for it to take the big prize if all the dominoes align for it.

Best Film
“Black Swan”
“Inception”
“The King’s Speech”
“The Social Network”
“True Grit”

Best British Film
“Another Year”
“Four Lions”
“The King’s Speech”
“Made In Dagenham”
“127 Hours”

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”)
Christopher Nolan (“Inception”)
Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech”)
Danny Boyle (“127 Hours”)
David Fincher (“The Social Network”)

Oscar 2010: As It Should Be

The Oscar season has really calmed down in terms of tension and excitement, and I at the moment it would be pretty easy to take a solid guess at who would win. As for the nominees, I think we've gotten pretty well settled on who will make the cut. The Social Network, The King's Speech, True Grit, Inception, and Toy Story 3 are all locks based on critical acceptance and their success with the precursors. As a matter of fact, in a field of five nominations, those would be the films most would predict. Inception and Toy Story 3 are closest to the edge of that range, and there would be some serious doubt on whether or not they'd make it in if we were still operating on a five nomination basis.

The Fighter is also a pretty safe bet on being nominated, but it would have a much tougher time being one of five nominees. If I have an enemy in this race, that would probably be it, as I find it too familiar, even if the performances are spectacular. Black Swan's chances are slightly better, and I would be surprised if the nominations were announced and Darren Aronofsky's film was not in the pot. 127 Hours and The Kids Are All Right are pretty unanimous nominations, though neither of them have gotten much awards buzz recently so that's slightly up in the air.

Another Year isn't really much of a contender anymore, so the two films in a dog fight for the final slot are The Town and Winter's Bone. My guess and favoritism lies with latter, but they both have shown strong presence in the precursors. However, by now we're far past the argument of who will be nominated, and we're in the heat of who should ultimately win. A lot of people are hoping for a backlash against The Social Network, and after seeing it a few more times, I think that would be horrible. The film is fully deserving of the honor, and I certainly wouldn't be in opposition. I'm not sure if I'd say that it's my horse in this race, but I definitely have a massive fondness for it. The King's Speech seemed like it was the main competitor in the Best Picture race, but it has only secured a few precursors and it'll take something huge to change the tides.

True Grit doesn't have much chance outside the Supporting Actress and Cinematography races, and it deserves to do well in those races. I wouldn't count it as a horrible thing if it went home with only two. It would be a tragedy if it went home with nothing at all, like Up in the Air did last year. It's not fitting of such an authentic and textured western to earn nothing in return. I can't say I'm one of the people who thinks that Toy Story 3 should be considered more of a frontrunner in the top race, because I just don't think we've reached that point of acceptance for it to have a chance. As for Inception, I don't think Christopher Nolan will get his major win with this piece. He'll probably do much better in 2012 with The Dark Knight Rises.

If I have a horse in this race, it would be the unlikely contender of Black Swan. I've warmed up to the film so immensely since I first saw it. I guess I cherished the opportunity to pay complete attention to the film more than I did when my brother was chattering off for the entire duration. It would be something beautiful if this film ended up winning the main race, and I think that's the film I will be most promoting in the coming weeks. The odds are placed against it, but it was an uphill battle from the moment it premiered at Venice Film Festival. It's practically secured a nomination at this point, and I don't believe it's about to deflate, so there's nowhere else to go but up. So, while I adjust my Oscar predictions page to include winner predictions, please let me know what you think. Who is your horse in this race, and who is your chosen enemy?

Catching Up With 2010

As was obvious when I published my list of the best films of 2010, I still need to see quite a few films from last year. There are a few that I'm willing to leave behind like Cyrus, but I still missed out this year. Had I seen all the films I wanted to, Easy A, Winter's Bone, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 would've easily slid off my list. However, I am making the resolve to catch up with these films before they're lost to the wind. I've had some trouble seeking out Exit Through the Gift Shop, and I've missed out on A Prophet and The Secret in Their Eyes out of benign neglect. I'm hoping that doesn't happen again this year. I'll have no more missed opportunities this year, so here's the list of films I still need to catch up on.

-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
-Fair Game
-A Prophet
-The Secret in Their Eyes
-Blue Valentine
-Another Year
-I Love You Phillip Morris
-Rabbit Hole
-Exit Through the Gift Shop
-127 Hours

Awards 2010: WGA Rejects List

Once again, the Writer's Guild of America has composed their list of films that qualify for their screenplay categories. More often than not, the list is better defined by what it doesn't have than what it does. So what poor souls didn't make the cut this year? Well, the most notable omissions are Toy Story 3, Winter's Bone, The King's Speech, Blue Valentine, and Another Year. In other words, most of the films that'll dominate the Academy Award nominations for the two categories. Based on this, I'd say it's a pretty good guess to say that Inception and The Social Network will win Original and Adapted Screenplay respectively. The WGA has a very strict set of guidelines that a film has to be produced under in order to qualify. Other films that didn't make the cut are How to Train Your Dragon, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Never Let Me Go, Biutiful, The Way Back, Tangled, and Made in Dagenham. Although, if it is any consolation, Killers didn't make the cut either. For a look at the full list of eligible films, follow this link.

Films To See In 2011: January

The year is coming to a close, which means that we're now headed into the cold season. It's always a bit depressing to go from the rich and enjoyable films of Oscar season to the barren and irritating first few months of the year. There's a fair bit of doubt amidst us concerning exactly how 2011 will do in comparison to 2010. I haven't a doubt that the film industry will do well financially, with an extremely fertile slate of Summer films on the way. It's impossible to tell what will be the critically successful films of the year, especially this far before the festival circuit. That will take a fair bit of patience.

As for the start of the year, it's obviously going to be a long haul. It always is. January is the hardest in terms of new releases, which is why I rely mostly on the wide expansions of the late 2010 flicks that I didn't see before the year was over like Another Year and Blue Valentine. There is the obvious crap that lies in the marketplace, and for once I am going to indulge in that crap. I'll be skipping the obvious failures like Season of the Witch and From Prada to Nada. However, at the time being, it looks like I'll be settling in to see No Strings Attached when it is released. Keep hitting up the poll in the sidebar before it's too late. There are only two new releases that I can actively recommend for you to see. Take a look after the jump!

Awards 2010: London Film Critics' Circle Nominations

Draw your own interpretations from these nominations.

Best Film
- Black Swan
- The Kids Are All Right
- The King's Speech
- The Social Network
- Toy Story 3

Best British Film
- 127 Hours
- The Arbor
- Another Year
- The King's Speech
- Monsters

Best Director
- Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
- Ethan & Joel Coen (True Grit)
- David Fincher (The Social Network)
- Christopher Nolan (Inception)
- Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives)

Best Actor
- Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
- Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
- Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
- Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
- Edgar Ramirez (Carlos)

Best Actress
- Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
- Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
- Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
- Noomi Rapace (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
- Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

Best British Actor
- Riz Ahmed (Four Lions)
- Christian Bale (The Fighter)
- Jim Broadbent (Another Year)
- Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
- Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)

Best British Actress
- Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech)
Lesley Manville (Another Year)
Rosamund Pike (Barney’s Version)
Ruth Sheen (Another Year)
Tilda Swinton (I Am Love)

British Supporting Actor
- David Bradley (Another Year)
- Pierce Brosnan (The Ghost Writer)
- Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
- Tom Hardy (Inception)
- Peter Wright (Another Year)

British Supporting Actress
- Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland)
- Christine Bottomley (The Arbor)
- Minnie Driver (Barney’s Version)
- Rosamund Pike (Made in Dagenham)
- Olivia Williams (The Ghost Writer)

Best Screenplay
- The Kids Are All Right
- True Grit
- Four Lions
- The King's Speech
- The Social Network

Awards 2010: San Diego Film Critics Association

Continuing the fun trend of critics breaking mold of what is expected is the San Diego film critics, who put a distinct voice forward. Rather than go with the unanimously agreed upon opinion of The Social Network, they instead decide to give Best Film to Winter's Bone. As a matter of fact, Winter's Bone took a number of the awards in this race. However, there was a wide variety of films being appreciated here. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was rewarded for it's super-kinetic editing style, Shutter Island was observed for it's high production values, and even though I didn't shine to it, Never Let Me Go received attention for it's odd musical score.

Best Film: Winter's Bone
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
Best Actor: Colin Farrell (Ondine)
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Best Supporting Actress: Lesley Manville (Another Year)
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Best Original Screenplay: Four Lions
Best Foreign Language Film: I Am Love
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Cinematography: Inception
Best Editing: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Best Production Design: Shutter Island
Best Score: Never Let Me Go
Best Ensemble Performance: 44 Inch Chest

Awards 2010: AFI Top 10 List

Well, that was almost entirely predictable of them. The American Film Institute's Top 10 List almost exactly resembles my list of predictions for the Oscar for Best Picture, except that they have Black Swan in the place where I have Another Year. Nothing shocking, but still entirely agreeable. Now, what I don't agree with at all, is the television picks. I am heartbroken to see that three of my favorite shows did not make it onto this list: Fringe, Lost, and Cougar Town. I guess it makes sense to honor some show that's been on the air for only six weeks. Sure it's fantastic, but Fringe has done so much more. This is me being angry.

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
127 Hours
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
The Big C
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Glee
Mad Men
Modern Family
The Pacific
Temple Grandin
30 Rock
The Walking Dead

AFI SPECIAL AWARDS
The King's Speech
Waiting for "Superman"

Oscar 2010: Sight Unseen

It's been a slow news day, so consider this me trying to make up for the lack of activity. We have a good three weeks or so until the end of the year, so expect me to be flailing around to get to seeing all the films that are likely to be nominated for Best Picture. In terms of what I have predicted, I've seen about six out of ten. There are films that are still in competition for a slot in the top ten, and nothing's set in stone. Winter's Bone has been making it's way on and off my list for some time now. Its success at the Gotham Awards proved that the film still has a fighting chance, but how much so? I'll be renting the film again this weekend just so I can recollect my thoughts on it.

The Way Back is an outside presence at the moment, and I doubt it will be making much of a dent in the nominations this year. It's really hard to say seeing as we've seen so little of it. There hasn't been much talk about it, and the campaign for the film hasn't been too warm lately. I don't think it'll be one of the films making the cut this year, and I definitely won't be able to see it by the time the year is out. The final film that lies just outside the race is Black Swan, and I should be able to see it around Christmastime this year. It's been getting a few nominations here and there, most notably with the D.C. Area Critics Awards. However, it's going to have to fight genre conventions to make it in with the Academy.

As far as what I have seen that I believe will make it into the Oscar race this year, The Social Network is right at the top as of present. The King's Speech did seem like a rather solid bet, and it still does in some ways. Unfortunately, the solid ground it was standing on has unexpectedly given way, and critics haven't really been siding with British Drama too much. That's not to say that I have much trouble with David Fincher's film taking the top prize. On the contrary, I'd recommend it. The film has been growing more on me for the past week, and all the reasons why the film was so successful keep representing themselves in my mind. I think that the tides have changes in Fincher's favor.

Remember long ago when Inception was thought to be lingering on the tenth slot in terms of Oscar predictions? Well that time is irrelevant now, as many are placing Christopher Nolan's film as the #3 film in terms of this race. If the nominations were down to five this year, I think this one would have a better chance than The Dark Knight did two years ago. I'm not saying Inception is better than the famous Batman feature, but the Academy has grown a little friendlier in the past two years, and probably for the better. I'm still not quite sure if the ten nomination thing will last, but it's clear that Nolan is a constant presence in this race.

Toy Story 3 has been making the rounds and solidifying its status as a sure fire nomination. However, Bill Ross of Disney seems to think that it has the potential to win the race altogether, saying that if Pixar doesn't win the race this year, it never will. Perhaps that's a truth, and I'm surprisingly fine with it. The animated film genre has worked long and hard to get to the point where it is respected, sometimes more than live-action films. So I'm content with Toy Story 3 landing a nomination, and winning the Best Animated Feature race. The Town is a film that will be lucky if it gets a nomination, and that's an honor upon itself. I think Ben Affleck's film will make it in the end, so long as they keep the buzz and anticipation alive until January.

Another Year is also drifting on the verge of being snubbed, which is to be expected of a film that hasn't been released yet. It's surprising that True Grit was never on that verge, because everyone always had faith in the Coen brothers, except for me. I wasn't sure their latest would actually work, but according to critics it has, so expect it to have a presence in the awards race. I still don't have much faith in The Fighter, but let's face facts. That will probably change when I've actually seen the film. I'm still firmly against the film, but I want to be proven wrong, so that may be the key to my undoing.

I still have yet to see 127 Hours, but it's only a matter of time before it's playing in my area, and when it is, it should only take about 90 minutes to see it. I don't think Danny Boyle has ever made a shorter film. It will probably be the shortest film in the race this year. Finishing things off is the often overlooked The Kids Are All Right, which is on an unfortunate course to be ignored by the awards race. It will be nominated for plenty, but the only chance this film has at a win is Best Actress for Annette Bening, and if she doesn't win, it will be a huge disservice. So there are a few films I still need to witness, and when I do, you can trust me to have a review down quickly as possible.

Awards 2010: National Board of Review Honors "The Social Network"

The awards season is now off to an official start with the announcement of the winners in the eyes of the National Board of Review. We'll be getting plenty of surprising developments and changes as the weeks go by, so it's fine if we only have a few this time around. It's not that surprising that The Social Network took the top prize, given universal critical and commercial acclaim. It's going to be interesting looking at it and The King's Speech duke it out for attention over the next season. The biggest surprises came from the acting races, which decided to neglect the players for The King's Speech altogether, and went on to grant recognition to Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network and Lesley Manville for Another Year. This all reminds us that the awards season is something of a wake-up call for all of us, and so a few things are going to be tossed out the window in favor of unlikely contenders. We won't really know the full meaning of any of these winners until we have more. For now though, we have a rather nice beginning. In the meantime, please let me know what you think of the winners and losers. I haven't heard from any of you for a while now, and I'm feeling a little neglected.

Best Film: The Social Network
Best Foreign Language Film: Of Gods and Men
Best Documentary: Waiting for "Superman"
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Best Actress: Lesley Manville (Another Year)
Best Supp. Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Supp. Actress: Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)
Best Ensemble Cast: The Town
Best Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Best Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Debut Directors: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington (Restrepo)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)
Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparling (Buried)
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Special Filmmaking Award: Sofia Coppola (Somewhere)
Production Design Award: Dante Ferretti (Shutter Island)

Ten Best Films:

Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Five Best Foreign Films:

I Am Love
Incendies
Above All
Soul Kitchen
White Material

Five Best Documentaries:

A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story

Ten Best Independent Films:

Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt

3 To See In December

We're finally getting to the end of the year, and whatever hasn't been seen by the critical masses will soon be unveiled. It's definitely a worrying time of year, especially this year when we still could use more truly spectacular films to fill up the major slots in the Oscar competition. I'm still not sold on The Fighter, because I just can't shake my general dread that comes with the name of Mark Wahlberg. The actor does good whenever he's playing an edgy sort of character like the one he had in The Departed, but when he takes on a sympathetic character, he falls flat. On top of that, I'm just unsure that the premise will be something that's truly captivating.

Personally, I wish that the three films I'm most looking forward to were more commercial fare, but with most of the great limited release films still to be seen, I have to put my confidence in them. Still, I am going to be checking out some of the big budget films like TRON: Legacy, which looks like a success in terms of visuals and music, but could likely fail in most other areas. Voyage of the Dawn Treader doesn't look as bad as it did before, and I'll check it out on general principal. I'd like to see what they do with better visuals and a shorter runtime. The Tourist really doesn't look too interesting anymore, but depending on how critics react, I may see it for Johnny Depp's performance. For the record, I'm also highly anticipating Sofia Coppola's Somewhere and Jim Carrey in I Love You Phillip Morris, but you just can't fit everything into your list. For that reason I've decided that next year I'm going to be putting up an extended version of this list at the start of each trimester, showcasing everything I'm most anticipating in that given time period.

3. Another Year

In some ways, Mike Leigh's new drama is the first and last film out of the gate in terms of Oscar consideration. It debuted at Cannes to spectacular reviews and was the sole standout of the festival, whereas other films failed to captivate audiences. Another Year seems like your standard Mike Liegh drama, focusing on the everyday lives of slightly more than everyday people. A great handful of reviews have definitely caught my interest, but the film has recently been jumping in and out of the Best Picture race. The critical adoration has been almost universal, so I'm not sure why it's having so many problems. I think that once the film officially hits then people will take notice, but it doesn't hit until the last day of the year. So it's going to be a long wait.

2. True Grit

This is actually the only real contender in the Oscar race that has yet to be seen, and I'm not exactly sure why that is. It may be that the Coen brothers are simply trying to save the excitement until release, or it may be that the film isn't as good as what the famous duo usually bring out. I'm tempted to believe the latter, because the trailers pose this film as more mainstream and commercial than their films of the past, and that may work against them. It really depends on how well they convey the story and the emotion of it all. I personally don't believe it will do too well in the acting categories, but with some luck, it could do especially well in the Best Picture race. I don't think it will steal the spotlight, but it will get some attention.

1. Black Swan

I know that this won't be the film that takes home the top prize at the Academy Awards this year, and it's going to be an uphill battle for the film to even get nominated. It's very much a genre film, and that's the sort of picture that I take the most interest in. The film isn't going to get raves as big as The Social Network or The King's Speech, but I don't think anyone will be able to deny that they found it intriguing. The trailer for the film was so strange and captivating and when it came out, it was all anybody could talk about. It was disturbing and visionary, and it made me hope the film would be playing at Telluride by the Sea, which I consider something of a loss. Darren Aronofsky is one of the major contenders for a nomination in the director race for the same reason as Christopher Nolan. They both display distinct and powerful visions in front of their audiences. That and the amazing cast they've put together place Black Swan as the film I've been anticipating most this fall.

British Independent Film Awards Nominations!

I was beginning to worry that the powers that be were becoming content with our predictions, and that this awards season would be very predictable. Fortunately that is not the case, but it's still more than a little disappointing. Among the surprises of the British Independent Film Awards nominations is Another Year being snubbed out of the top race. What's even more surprising is what made it into that frame. Monsters just opened to mixed reviews, Never Let Me Go came and went with silence and dread, and I didn't even know Kick-Ass was a British film. On top of that, it seems a little out of character to nominate a superhero film, especially one such as this.

The King's Speech quite obviously made it into the majority of the races, so it's automatically the favorite to win. The only race it isn't in is Best Actress, and that's a complete toss up seeing as Leslie Manville was pushed into the Supporting Actress race for Another Year. What is your opinion of these nominations? Are you surprised, or have you just come to expect as much?

Best British Independent Film
Four Lions
Kick-Ass
The King’s Speech
Monsters
Never Let Me Go

Best Director
Mike Leigh (Another Year)
Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass)
Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech)
Gareth Edwards (Monsters)
Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go)

Best Screenplay
Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell and Christopher Morris (Four Lions)
Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass)
David Seidler (The King’s Speech)
William Ivory (Made In Dagenham)
Alex Garland (Never Let Me Go)

Best Actress
Sally Hawkins (Made In Dagenham)
Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go)
Andrea Riseborough (Brighton Rock)
Ruth Sheen (Another Year)
Manjinder Virk (The Arbor)

Best Actor
Riz Ahmed (Four Lions)
Jim Broadbent (Another Year)
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
Aidan Gillen (Treacle Jr)
Scoot McNairy (Monsters)

Best Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham-Carter (The King’s Speech)
Tamsin Greig (Tamara Drewe)
Keira Knightley (Never Let Me Go)
Lesley Manville (Another Year)
Rosamund Pike (Made In Dagenham)

Best Supporting Actor
Andrew Garfield, (Never Let Me Go)
Bob Hoskins, (Made In Dagenham)
Kayvan Novak (Four Lions)
Guy Pearce (The King’s Speech)
Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)

Best Technical Achievement
Tim Barker: sound (The Arbor)
John Mathieson: cinematography (Brighton Rock)
Sylvain Chomet: animation (The Illusionist)
Eve Stewart: production design (The King’s Speech)
Gareth Edwards: visual effects (Monsters)

Best Foreign Film
Dogtooth
I Am Love
A Prophet
The Secret In Their Eyes
Winter’s Bone

Oscar 2010: The Blitz

This year's Oscar race is going to get intense within the next few months. Right now, most people are feeling quite confident in their predictions, despite the fact that they might change in a heartbeat if a monumental release comes and steals the show. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that the main conflict in this year's race is going to be between Tom Hooper's The King's Speech and David Fincher's The Social Network. 127 Hours was getting some good fuel from Telluride and Toronto and has a decent chance at snagging a nod, but it's nowhere near the potency necessary to take on the top two.


It is mostly a matter of filling up the seven remaining spots, which isn't at all an easy feat to accomplish. Winter's Bone is still an undoubtedly great film, but it just doesn't have the spark needed to hold onto it's position on the chart. Never Let Me Go doesn't have a chance, so if anybody's still talking about that film as a possibility, they're mistaken. Most people have Toy Story 3, The Kids Are All Right, and Inception locked for nominations, and I don't have any arguments on that point. They've worked hard to secure their spots, despite talk of them being too mainstream or being released in the summer.


That leaves a good four spots left, one of which easily goes to Another Year. The film has been hailed as magnificent and one of the best of the year, but it doesn't seem to have the strength to challenge any of it's top competitors. I've shown hesitation in putting Black Swan on my list, because it struck me from the beginning as a psychological horror film, which the Academy doesn't often respond enthusiastically to. Though, the film has been getting phenomenal reviews for both the direction and the performances, so it may just stick in there for a chance.


My last two predictions aren't on quite as solid ground as the rest, as they seem like two big question marks on the horizon. The first is the Coen brother's latest western, True Grit, which doesn't release until late December. It's a long way to wait out for this one, as most of the big contenders have made their names known already. Still, the Coens have been nominated several times before, and they could very easily do it again here. My last vote of confidence is, as you may have guessed, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. As we get closer to it's release, it seems like more and more of a possibility. The new trailer hints at some breathtaking action and scenery, as well as some of the most dynamic emotional scenes in the series (Ron leaving; _____ dying). If the film get's enough great reviews, we could easily see a nomination pick up this January.


There are definitely some other films that could pull a surprise nomination out of their pocket. I don't have much faith in The Fighter, but you really never know with this type of film. People are still talking about how Secretariat or Made in Dagenham could be "this year's The Blind Side" so we'll wait to see how those play out. The Town could turn out to be a bigger awards presence than originally though, depending on if any of the other films fall out. Finally, what ever happened to Blue Valentine. Could that film potentially come back out of nowhere and retake it's rightful place in the race?