The Year of the Docs

With 10 nominees this year, most experts, amateur bloggers (such as myself), and critics have started to look at a variety of movies they would have never considered before. Sci-fi, foreign, and animated films are now being talked about in terms of Best Picture like they never have before. Another group that strikes me as interesting are documentaries. This year has seen some good and popular documentaries. The question is: can one of them take one of the 10 slots? While I'm not currently predicting any to get in, I think this is a question worth keeping in mind. Here are a look at some possible Best Picture nominess from the documentary category.

Capitalism: A Love Story - Even my liberal self thinks Michael Moore is crazy. However, like most people I also think he is a talented filmmaker. While I think this movie is not even comparable to say Bowling for Columbine or Fahrenheit 9/11, I feel that his massive controversial nature and good reviews make this movie one to watch.

Good Hair - While there has been some backlash against this Chris Rock doc, the overall reception has been warm. While the Academy usually goes after the darker subjects, many may find it hard to resist the good nature, and interesting storytelling of this movie. I think it will still get a Documentary nod, but if its fan base is big, anything can happen.

Michael Jackson's This Is It - While it may have missed the mark for the Documentary category, this movie is getting rave reviews, and definitely still has a shot at making the top ten. Also, in the wake of Jackson's death, he is extremely popular, and many may feel that it is appropriate to give him one final honor. I'd keep an eye out for this one.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil/ The Cove - This earlier release got raving reviews, and while time has passed, I think both of them were pretty popular and have a great shot at at least a Doc nomination. If their fan base is passionate, there may be a push to get these into the bigger category, however, I think the three previously mentioned ones are just a little bit newer, and a little bit more exposed, which is a key in Oscar voting.

State of the Race: Best Actor

While there are still some question marks on this year's docket, this race is starting to see some frontrunners emerging. The newest addition is Colin Firth in A Single Man. Apparently both he and Julianne Moore are now considered not only locks for a nomination but potential winners as well. George Clooney is looking at another nomination with the high-flying Up in the Air now being considered the frontrunner for the win (Along with Precious). While the new Invictus trailer leaves much to the imagination, and the accent of Morgan Freeman seems to waiver, I still think he is in the top five simply for this reason: he's Morgan Freeman. The last two spots have been switched around and moved so much its hard to tell who stands where anymore. Right now I am sticking with my gut by saying that the Best Actor Race will include at least one newcomer (The Actress race is chocked full of them) in the likes of Jeremy Renner from The Hurt Locker. If the movie sustains its buzz, he could see his name called come Oscar morning. In the last spot I was going to put Daniel-Day Lewis, but it is my guess he will, like Gere in Chicago, be left in the dust by the female-centric cast which could see a plethora of nominations depending on the reception for the film. So in my last spot I am going with Robert DeNiro in Everybody's Fine, the trailer doesn't give us much, but word is DeNiro is fantastic (as is the rest of the cast), and if the movie is a big holiday hit, it could give him the boost he needs to get back into the Oscar ring. Other contenders include: Hal Holbrook "That Evening Sun", Micheal Sheen "The Damned United", Johnny Depp "Public Enemies", Matt Damon "The Informant", Viggo Mortensen "The Road", Michael Stuhlbarg " A Serious Man", Hugh Dancy "Adam", Sean Penn "The Tree of Life", and Ben Whishaw "Bright Star".

Colin Firth "A Single Man" (Winner)

George Clooney "Up in the Air"

Morgan Freeman "Invictus"

Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"

Robert DeNiro "Everybody's Fine"

Updates

1) Vera Farmiga has officially been bumped to supporting actress. Good news for her, could we see both her and Kendrick get in? Or is it one and done? We'll have to see, but I think this move really boosts her chances.

2) Ricky Gervais is hosting the Golden Globes! It's many many moons (long before I even knew what the Globes were) since they've had a host, and what a better choice than Ricky Gervais. He's quirky, hilarious, and hip, something all awards shows need to try to master a little bit better. I can now say that I can't wait till the Golden Globes!

State of the Race: Best Actress

Now that Hilary Swank has been officially eliminated, this means that there is an opening in the spots. I think 2 newcomers are starting to solidify themselves as locks. Of course I am speaking of Carey Mulligan for "An Education" and Gabourey Sidibe "Precious". Critics are hailing them as breaths of fresh air, and serious contenders for the top prize. While I still think Meryl Streep could go either way, most are still considering this a lead performance, either way (Lead or Supporting) her role in Julie & Julia is in. Abbie Cornish is still a distinct possibility, but her odds are less likely, because although it got great reviews, the buzz seems to had calmed down a lot, which hurts an unknown's chances. The last spot is a toss up. I am going with previous nominee, and the girl Steven Spieldberg predicted would win the Oscar, Saoirse Ronan, for The Lovely Bones. The verdict is still out on whether she'll be pushed as lead or supporting, but if the movie gets the reception I am expecting, she could be a sure-fired contender. Some other contenders include Annette Benning "Mother and Child", Marion Cotillard "Nine", Michelle Monaghan "Trucker", Tilda Swinton "Julia", Helen Mirren "The Last Station", Penelope Cruz "Broken Embraces", and Robin Wright Penn "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee".

Carey Mulligan "An Education" (Winner)

Gabourey Sidibe "Precious"

Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

Abbie Cornish "Bright Star"
Saoirse Ronan "The Lovely Bones"

State of the Race: Best Supporting Actor

Initially I thought this was going to be a a boring category, but a lot of interesting contenders are emerging. Unlike last year where the late, brilliant Heath Ledger was a shoo-in, this year seems to be pretty interesting, precursors will determine who comes out a frontrunner. Right now, we know a few are already contenders. Christoph Waltz was brilliant as a Nazi in Inglourious Basterds, and since day one has been a contender. I feel that he is the performance from the first half that stays with us the entire season. We also know from screenings that Robert Duvall in The Road, and Richard Kind in A Serious Man. Duvall has the legend status, and supporting roles tend to be havens for character actors and comedic performances a la Kind. Alfred Molina is getting rave reviews for An Education, but it remains to be seen whether Mulligan will outshine him so much that people forget; that goes for Peter Sarsgaard as well. Stanley Tucci has two big performances, and if The Lovely Bones proves to be as good as it looks, he is a shoo-in for a nomination, and there are a lot of people in Hollywood who have been waiting to give this guy the recognition he deserves. Right now, I am going with a guy, who although he is an Oscar winner, has never won an acting Oscar, and has two baity roles with a lot of potential. Of course I'm speaking of Matt Damon. If Invictus is loved by the Academy as previous Clint fare, I think he becomes the frontrunner. Other major contenders include Christopher Plummer for "The Last Station" (A huge possibility), Christian McKay "Me and Orson Welles", Paul Schneider "Bright Star", and Anthony Mackie "The Hurt Locker".

Nominees as of now:

Matt Damon "Invictus" (Winner)

Robert Duvall "The Road"

Alfred Molina "An Education"
Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

Stanley Tucci "The Lovely Bones"

Review: Paranormal Activity

There is something truly frightening about the things you can't see. This is where Paranormal Activity rises above the mundane, and places itself as one of the best underground hits of all time. Last night, I joined the hype with two of my friends and went to a late night showing of this little gem. To be honest, I had no idea what I was about to get myself into.

With 4 actors, $11,000, and little to no special effects, first time director Oren Peli shows us a mastery of the camera (A home video camera) that many directors never truly capture. You never see this demon (well, maybe once, technically), but somehow, the slience, the loud bass that thuds when it enters a room, the slamming of a door, the strange noises, and the creepy viloceraptor footprints amount to more shrieks and squeals than 90% of the horror movies out there today.

Part of this fear also stems from the fact that it feels so real, even much more so than its mockudocumentary predessor The Blair Witch Project captured. This feels like a real couple (It might actually be in real life), their lives are real, their house is real, and their fear/our fear is real as well. Peli also seems to have a nack for calming his audiences with scenes that are really funny, then scaring the shit of them, something most horror movies fail to even attempt.

I'll be honest, I'm not a huge horror movie fan, and maybe some who see them all the time will find this slow and boring. But for me, it was tense, shocking, and real. This viral hit shows us that small independent films are not dead, they are simply reinventing themselves.

Grade: A-

State of the Race: Best Supporting Actress

A couple of weeks ago, this was a one woman show: Mo'Nique's. I still think she is the frontrunner, and I definitely think she is a lock for a nomination. But now, a slew of women are starting to put the heat on her, making this a really interesting category to watch. Julianne Moore is getting raves for her role in A Single Man with Colin Firth, and after missing out so many times, this could be the year they choose to bypass the newcomer and reward an Oscar veteran. Early word about Nine says that its going to be a good one, and two names in the supporting category are popping up: Penelope Cruz and Judi Dench. They have both won Oscars and are really respected in the industry, look for their names. Another duel possibility comes from the team of Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon in The Lovely Bones. Again, two Oscar winners playing in one of the biggest contenders of the year. This must be the year of two, becasue the Up in the Air duo are also in contention, but now word is that Vera Farmiga is going lead, which paves the way for newcomer Anna Kendrick. Some earlier contenders such as Marion Cotillard from Public Enemies, and Melanie Laurent for Inglourious Basterds are definitely in contention. Other contenders include: Rosamund Pike and Emma Thompson "An Education", Nicole Kidman and Kate Hudson "Nine", Sigourney Weaver "Avatar", Drew Barrymore "Everybody's Fine", and Mariah Carey "Precious". Of course the biggest question mark is Meryl Streep. If she goes supporting, there will be a three way blood bath for the crowm

Current Predictions:

Mo'Nique "Precious" (Winner)

Susan Sarandon "The Lovely Bones"

Penelope Cruz "Nine"

Judi Dench "Nine"

Julianne Moore "A Single Man"

State of the Race: Animated Feature

Yesterday, it was announced that one of the 16 potential animated films was deemed ineligible. This is significant because in this incredible year of animation, now we will most likely have only 3 nominees instead of 5 (maybe something out of nowhere will save the day!) So in terms of three nominations here are my current predictions:

Up

The Princess and the Frog

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Maybes: Ponyo, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Coraline, Astro Boy, and Mary and Max.

Up I feel is a lock, at least for a nomination, and I think it is the best chance for an animated film to get nominated for Best Picture. The next two slots are tricky. I'll probably regret not including Ponyo considering the Academy's love of Hayao Miyazaki, but for now, I feel it may be swallowed up by bigger contenders. Coraline was an incredible movie, but it's early release date (Up has Pixar behind it, early release date means nothing) may really hurt its chances. Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs was a surprise critical favorite and box office hit, and it may be rewarded with a spot. However, I feel that the quirky Fantastic Mr. Fox (which has good early word), which has names like George Clooney and Meryl Streep behind it, could see itself in the finals. The final spot, in my opinion may go to The Princess and the Frog. Disney's return to classic animation combined with an old-fashioned story with a new twist, and chocked full of upbeat Randy Newman songs, might just be the perfect combination.

Those Who Didn't Make the Cut

I would like to start off saying...I personally apologize for the exlusion of Ingmar Bergman.

Now that that's out of the way, here is a short list of other potential directors that didn't make the cut....Maybe soon I will revise my list, tweak it, etc. But for now I wanted to recognize these directors for being finalists.

Ingmar Bergman
John Cassavetes
Joel and Ethan Coen
Roger Corman
Cameron Crowe
George Cukor
Michael Curtiz
Cecil B. De Mille
Jonathan Demme
Walt Disney
Howard Hawks
Ron Howard
Peter Jackson
Stanley Kramer
David Lean
Spike Lee
Jerry Lewis
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Michael Mann
Lewis Milestone
Mike Nichols
Alexander Payne
Tyler Perry
Sydney Pollack
Ridley Scott
Peter Weir
Sam Wood

Top 30 Directors of All Time: Part 7

1. Alfred Hitchcock - Was there really ever any question of who was going to be number 1? With most horror movies being considered absolute failures nowadays (This year Drag Me to Hell and Paranormal Activity were the exceptions), it makes us want to go back and be in the glory days of film, especially with the horror movies of Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock has many nicknames to his greatness such as, "British Master of Manipulative Terrors and Thrillers", "Master of Suspense", and "The Most Imitated Director of All Time". But for me, I'll go with the Tina Turner song, "[Simply] the Best". His classics include the greatest thriller/horror movie of all time, Psycho. No one, with the exception of Hitchcock, could have created such a widely popular, and psychotic character as Norman Bates, and none have ever since. Combined with that brilliant masterpiece, you have the greatest collection of films. These include: The Lodger, Blackmail, Murder!, Rich and Strange, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Thirty-Nine Steps, Sabotage, Secret Agent, Young and Innocent, The Lady Vanishes, Jamaica Inn, Foreign Correspondent, Rebecca, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Suspicion, Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Lifeboat, Spellbound, Notorious, The Paradine Case, Rope, Under Capricorn, Stage Fright, Strangers on a Train, I Confess, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, To Catch a Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Wrong Man, Vertigo, North by Northwest, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy, and Family Plot. To put it simply, No one has done more for cinema and popular culture than Alfred Hitcock, and to think, he never won an Oscar....