Oscar Recap 2011

Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

Last night marked the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, and for those of us sitting at home, it was a fairly tiresome affair. Although James Franco can pull off comedy and Anne Hathaway is a generally skilled actress, the two of them were not entertaining during the evening. Hathaway overdid it, and Franco looked like he’d just come back from a Grateful Dead concert.

Maybe Ricky Gervais can take over this gig, too.

Although none of the winners were particularly shocking, this was a year in which some categories were still open for debate. We knew that Colin Firth was going to take home the trophy for Best Actor, but there was still a chance that “The Social Network” would steal the Best Picture award away from “The King’s Speech.” Alas, it was not to be.

Depending on what kind of person you are, you may have at least been pleased with the even spread of awards over the course of the evening. It wasn’t a year where a big film like “Titanic” came along and claimed all of the major honors. “The Social Network” earned almost its fair share, taking home awards for Editing, Original Score and Adapted Screenplay.

“Inception” got the well-deserved technical awards. The Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories may have meant very little to the average viewer, but the Visual Effects award is significant. In an age where most filmmakers assume that visual effects ought to be computer generated, Christopher Nolan had the intelligence to incorporate practical effects that were legitimately more impressive than any of the CGI wizardry in a “Transformers” picture. Hopefully more directors take note.

It was a little surprising to see that Nolan didn’t win for Best Original Screenplay, although it’s difficult to insist that he was robbed. True, the concept itself was, well, original, and you’d be hard-pressed to find another script this year that required as much attention and rigorous revision, but it suffered from expository dialogue and a general lack of humor. “The King’s Speech” may truly have deserved this award, depending on how you judge a film’s script.

“The Fighter” earned awards in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role categories. Melissa Leo’s enthusiastic profanity was a highlight of the evening, and it is good to see Christian Bale get the kind of respect that fans have been showering him with for years now.

As was mentioned before, Colin Firth won for Best Actor, but he may have deserved it. Playing a character with a pronounced disability may indeed be the quickest way to an Oscar—“Tropic Thunder” was pretty insightful in its explanation of the “full retard” problem—but Firth has always been a skilled artist who brought genuine sensitivity to his role. Then again, so did Jesse Eisenberg, but his part was the kind that doesn’t allow its actor to show off as much. Jeff Bridges was good, but he always is.

Another obvious choice was Natalie Portman for “Black Swan.” We all saw that coming, but to her credit, Portman pretended to be genuinely surprised during her acceptance speech.

Oscars Bore Viewers, Winners are Predictable

Now, Best Directing. Did Tom Hooper deserve it? Maybe. But in a relatively short period of time, David Fincher has already established himself as a legend. Maybe he’ll be someone like Kubrick—a master of his craft who never takes home this particular award. He did a remarkable job with “The Social Network” and should be proud of his achievement.

In fact, everyone did a remarkable job on “The Social Network,” and while time will tell if this becomes another year that we look back on the way we do when we reference “Dances With Wolves” beating “GoodFellas,” it had tough competition. True, “The King’s Speech” is pure Oscar-bait, but it’s also good Oscar-bait. Strong performances throughout and an emotionally engaging story assure that it is a quality film.

And in the end, what is more important--winning an Oscar, or being remembered? Nolan fanboys may be upset over the fact that “Inception” never had a chance, but out of the ten nominees, it is the only one that is guaranteed to go down in history as a cinematic classic. It wasn’t the best film of the year, but it was a sci-fi milestone.

Will “The Social Network” endure, or does it owe its popularity to the zeitgeist? It’s a tough call. But, like Spielberg reminded us before opening the envelope, “Citizen Kane” and “Raging Bull” never won Best Picture. And we still kind of like them, anyway.

Oscar Recap 2011

Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

Last night marked the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, and for those of us sitting at home, it was a fairly tiresome affair. Although James Franco can pull off comedy and Anne Hathaway is a generally skilled actress, the two of them were not entertaining during the evening. Hathaway overdid it, and Franco looked like he’d just come back from a Grateful Dead concert.

Maybe Ricky Gervais can take over this gig, too.

Although none of the winners were particularly shocking, this was a year in which some categories were still open for debate. We knew that Colin Firth was going to take home the trophy for Best Actor, but there was still a chance that “The Social Network” would steal the Best Picture award away from “The King’s Speech.” Alas, it was not to be.

Depending on what kind of person you are, you may have at least been pleased with the even spread of awards over the course of the evening. It wasn’t a year where a big film like “Titanic” came along and claimed all of the major honors. “The Social Network” earned almost its fair share, taking home awards for Editing, Original Score and Adapted Screenplay.

“Inception” got the well-deserved technical awards. The Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories may have meant very little to the average viewer, but the Visual Effects award is significant. In an age where most filmmakers assume that visual effects ought to be computer generated, Christopher Nolan had the intelligence to incorporate practical effects that were legitimately more impressive than any of the CGI wizardry in a “Transformers” picture. Hopefully more directors take note.

It was a little surprising to see that Nolan didn’t win for Best Original Screenplay, although it’s difficult to insist that he was robbed. True, the concept itself was, well, original, and you’d be hard-pressed to find another script this year that required as much attention and rigorous revision, but it suffered from expository dialogue and a general lack of humor. “The King’s Speech” may truly have deserved this award, depending on how you judge a film’s script.

“The Fighter” earned awards in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Actor in a Supporting Role categories. Melissa Leo’s enthusiastic profanity was a highlight of the evening, and it is good to see Christian Bale get the kind of respect that fans have been showering him with for years now.

As was mentioned before, Colin Firth won for Best Actor, but he may have deserved it. Playing a character with a pronounced disability may indeed be the quickest way to an Oscar—“Tropic Thunder” was pretty insightful in its explanation of the “full retard” problem—but Firth has always been a skilled artist who brought genuine sensitivity to his role. Then again, so did Jesse Eisenberg, but his part was the kind that doesn’t allow its actor to show off as much. Jeff Bridges was good, but he always is.

Another obvious choice was Natalie Portman for “Black Swan.” We all saw that coming, but to her credit, Portman pretended to be genuinely surprised during her acceptance speech.

Oscars Bore Viewers, Winners are Predictable

Now, Best Directing. Did Tom Hooper deserve it? Maybe. But in a relatively short period of time, David Fincher has already established himself as a legend. Maybe he’ll be someone like Kubrick—a master of his craft who never takes home this particular award. He did a remarkable job with “The Social Network” and should be proud of his achievement.

In fact, everyone did a remarkable job on “The Social Network,” and while time will tell if this becomes another year that we look back on the way we do when we reference “Dances With Wolves” beating “GoodFellas,” it had tough competition. True, “The King’s Speech” is pure Oscar-bait, but it’s also good Oscar-bait. Strong performances throughout and an emotionally engaging story assure that it is a quality film.

And in the end, what is more important--winning an Oscar, or being remembered? Nolan fanboys may be upset over the fact that “Inception” never had a chance, but out of the ten nominees, it is the only one that is guaranteed to go down in history as a cinematic classic. It wasn’t the best film of the year, but it was a sci-fi milestone.

Will “The Social Network” endure, or does it owe its popularity to the zeitgeist? It’s a tough call. But, like Spielberg reminded us before opening the envelope, “Citizen Kane” and “Raging Bull” never won Best Picture. And we still kind of like them, anyway.

One Blogger's Academy Award Predictions

Awards Commentary

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

Best Picture

"The King's Speech," "True Grit," "Inception," "The Social Network," "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "The Kids Are All Right," "Toy Story 3," "127 Hours," "Winter's Bone"

Breakdown:  It's really hard to argue against any of these nominees, but it's clearly a two-horse race between "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network," although it wouldn't be a major surprise at all to see box-office favorite "True Grit" pick up the award.

Who Should Win: "The Social Network." There's just something about this movie that I can't shake. David Fincher's directing, Aaron Sorkin's writing, Trent Reznor's score, and the acting of Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake all combine together to create what in my opinion is the best all around movie of the year. While some people have called the film "The Facebook Movie," it's really about much more than Facebook.  It's about culture and the generation we live in now.

Who Will Win: "The King's Speech." At the beginning of awards season, it looked as if "The Social Network" could not be stopped. It seemingly was winning every critics award imaginable and was starting to have the feel of an Oscar lock. But the race got interesting late in the game as "The King's Speech" started to rack up awards and after winning the award for director Tom Hooper from the DGA, the historical drama looks to be the front-runner.

Snubs: "The Town." While I think "Winter's Bone" is completely deserving of its nomination, Ben Affleck's Boston crime drama easily could have slid in to (what was most likely) the tenth slot.

Best Director

David Fincher ("The Social Network"), Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech"), Darren Aronofsky, ("Black Swan"), David O. Russell ("The Fighter"), Joel and Ethan Coen ("True Grit")

Breakdown: It's hard to argue with any of the five nominations in this category, but it's a two-horse race again, this time with Fincher and Hooper. Both films, "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech," have enjoyed high praise everywhere, and if one of these two didn't win the award, I would be surprised. While the Coens have past pedigree in the category, I think it's between Hooper and Fincher.

Who Should Win: David Fincher has directed some truly great films in the past, including "Seven," "Fight Club" and "Zodiac," and I think he made the best picture of the year in "The Social Network." It should be his award.

Who Will Win: Fincher has it. His film and his work on it have earned widespread praise and although Hooper won the DGA Award (making him sort of a frontrunner), I still think Fincher will pull away with it.

Snubs: Christopher Nolan! "Inception," In one of the most glaring snubs in recent memory, Nolan was shut out of this category again (after another snub for "The Dark Knight). Conspiracy theories abound, but I think the reason for the snub is because some voters just didn't understand "Inception" (which means they are dumb), but whatever the reason, he deserves to be miffed. Hopefully with "The Dark Knight Rises," Nolan will get his due.

Best Actor

Colin Firth ("The King's Speech"), Jeff Bridges ("True Grit"), Jesse Eisenberg ("The Social Network"), James Franco ("127 Hours"), Javier Bardem ("Biutiful")

Breakdown: While all five actors gave amazing performances, this feels like its Firth's award to lose. He won the Golden Globe and his performance has been unanimously praised for its realistic portrayal of a character suffering from a stammer. Both Franco and Eisenberg were fantastic, and if not for Firth, either of them would be deserving.

Who Should Win: Whenever an actor is nominated two years in a row for Best Actor, I think that is truly an amazing accomplishment. Both Firth and Bridges pulled it off this year (Bridges won for "Crazy Heart" last year, while Firth was in "A Single Man") and while I think Bridges was great as Rooster Cogburn, it's Firth's year.

Who Will Win: Firth is the frontrunner and he will take it home.

Snubs: You name it.  From Robert Duvall of "Get Low" to Ryan Gosling of "Blue Valentine" to Mark Wahlberg of "The Fighter." All three have legitimate beef with the Academy, but I can't argue with any of the five nominated. That said, Gosling was exceptional.

Best Actress

Annette Bening ("The Kids Are All Right"), Natalie Portman ("Black Swan"), Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone"), Nicole Kidman ("Rabbit Hole"), Michelle Williams ("Blue Valentine")

Breakdown: Another category that seems as if it's down to two nominees: Annette Bening and Natalie Portman are the frontrunners. Portman was previously nominated as a supporting actress for 2004's "Closer" and Bening has been nominated four times without winning.

Who Should Win: I thought both Bening and Portman were fantastic, but I think it's Portman who should win this year, because "Black Swan" totally fell on her shoulders and she was great in it. It was a physically and mentally demanding role, she took it head on--and she nailed it.

Who Will Win: While I think Portman could easily take this, I actually think the Academy will finally call on Bening for the first time.

Snubs: Hailee Steinfeld of "True Grit."  I should call this the "Sort Of Snub." While I think it's great that she was nominated for Supporting Actress (which she has an actual chance to win), her character was more of a leading role, and I think she deserved a nomination for Best Actress, although I understand the voters reasoning.

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale ("The Fighter"), Geoffrey Rush ("The King's Speech"), Jeremy Renner ("The Town"), Mark Ruffalo ("The Kids Are All Right"), John Hawkes ("Winter's Bone")

Breakdown: While obviously every Oscar category is "deep" in the sense that the nominees are all deserving, this category is probably the strongest of any from top to bottom this year. While Bale was a knockout in "The Fighter" and is the front-runner, in any other year each four of these actors could take home the award. Ruffalo gave an amazing performance in "The Kids Are Alright,"and while I don't think he'll win this year, he was fantastic.

Who Should Win: I do think Bale was amazing, and he should win the award, but for the sake of it, and because I am a huge fan, I'll say John Hawkes should win. He has been spinning great performances for years (including in "Deadwood" among many others) and after seeing "Winter's Bone," I was floored by his performance.

Who Will Win: Bale is the frontrunner and after a slew of great career roles, he deserves this award.

Snubs: Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield ("The Social Network").  Each snub shows just how much voters liked "Winter's Bone," which I admit I was a fan of, as well. Although I loved Hawkes in the film, I think both these actors could have received a nomination. Timberlake was great and Garfield was even better--he played the emotional and sympathetic center of the year's best film.

Best Supporting Actress

Melissa Leo ("The Fighter"), Amy Adams ("The Fighter"), Helena Bonham Carter ("The King's Speech"), Hailee Steinfeld ("True Grit") Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom")

Breakdown: When a film has two nominations in one category, it says a lot. While Carter gave an amazing performance, as did Weaver, it seems to be Leo's award to lose (apart from her strange Oscar campaign photos).

Who Should Win: Steinfeld was amazing in "True Grit" and based on pure performance, she should win.

Who Will Win: Leo most likely will take home the award for her loud and realistic portrayal of boxer Micky Ward's mother.

Snubs: Mila Kunis ("Black Swan") and Julianne Moore ("The Kids Are All Right"). Both were absolutely deserving but were shut out in a strong year for the category. Kunis was great in "Black Swan" and has a definite gripe here.

Other thoughts and observations:

-Snub: Lee Smith - Editing - Inception. Come on, that last act when the movie is jumping through three different levels of dreaming isn't Oscar worthy? Please.

-I hope Christopher Nolan wins for Best Original Screenplay for "Inception." The film was fantastic and do you get a script more original than that? Don't think so.

-Snub: Daft Punk - Score - Tron: Legacy.  I'm probably biased because I am a Daft Punk fan, but their electronic and transy soundtrack to the new "Tron" film definitely deserved a nomination. But if Trent Reznor loses the award, it's an injustice.

-I don't care if they thought the film wasn't that great overall, but "Tron: Legacy" getting shut out of an Effects Oscar just doesn't make sense.

The Academy Awards air tonight on ABC.

One Blogger's Academy Award Predictions

Awards Commentary

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

Best Picture

"The King's Speech," "True Grit," "Inception," "The Social Network," "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "The Kids Are All Right," "Toy Story 3," "127 Hours," "Winter's Bone"

Breakdown:  It's really hard to argue against any of these nominees, but it's clearly a two-horse race between "The King's Speech" and "The Social Network," although it wouldn't be a major surprise at all to see box-office favorite "True Grit" pick up the award.

Who Should Win: "The Social Network." There's just something about this movie that I can't shake. David Fincher's directing, Aaron Sorkin's writing, Trent Reznor's score, and the acting of Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake all combine together to create what in my opinion is the best all around movie of the year. While some people have called the film "The Facebook Movie," it's really about much more than Facebook.  It's about culture and the generation we live in now.

Who Will Win: "The King's Speech." At the beginning of awards season, it looked as if "The Social Network" could not be stopped. It seemingly was winning every critics award imaginable and was starting to have the feel of an Oscar lock. But the race got interesting late in the game as "The King's Speech" started to rack up awards and after winning the award for director Tom Hooper from the DGA, the historical drama looks to be the front-runner.

Snubs: "The Town." While I think "Winter's Bone" is completely deserving of its nomination, Ben Affleck's Boston crime drama easily could have slid in to (what was most likely) the tenth slot.

Best Director

David Fincher ("The Social Network"), Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech"), Darren Aronofsky, ("Black Swan"), David O. Russell ("The Fighter"), Joel and Ethan Coen ("True Grit")

Breakdown: It's hard to argue with any of the five nominations in this category, but it's a two-horse race again, this time with Fincher and Hooper. Both films, "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech," have enjoyed high praise everywhere, and if one of these two didn't win the award, I would be surprised. While the Coens have past pedigree in the category, I think it's between Hooper and Fincher.

Who Should Win: David Fincher has directed some truly great films in the past, including "Seven," "Fight Club" and "Zodiac," and I think he made the best picture of the year in "The Social Network." It should be his award.

Who Will Win: Fincher has it. His film and his work on it have earned widespread praise and although Hooper won the DGA Award (making him sort of a frontrunner), I still think Fincher will pull away with it.

Snubs: Christopher Nolan! "Inception," In one of the most glaring snubs in recent memory, Nolan was shut out of this category again (after another snub for "The Dark Knight). Conspiracy theories abound, but I think the reason for the snub is because some voters just didn't understand "Inception" (which means they are dumb), but whatever the reason, he deserves to be miffed. Hopefully with "The Dark Knight Rises," Nolan will get his due.

Best Actor

Colin Firth ("The King's Speech"), Jeff Bridges ("True Grit"), Jesse Eisenberg ("The Social Network"), James Franco ("127 Hours"), Javier Bardem ("Biutiful")

Breakdown: While all five actors gave amazing performances, this feels like its Firth's award to lose. He won the Golden Globe and his performance has been unanimously praised for its realistic portrayal of a character suffering from a stammer. Both Franco and Eisenberg were fantastic, and if not for Firth, either of them would be deserving.

Who Should Win: Whenever an actor is nominated two years in a row for Best Actor, I think that is truly an amazing accomplishment. Both Firth and Bridges pulled it off this year (Bridges won for "Crazy Heart" last year, while Firth was in "A Single Man") and while I think Bridges was great as Rooster Cogburn, it's Firth's year.

Who Will Win: Firth is the frontrunner and he will take it home.

Snubs: You name it.  From Robert Duvall of "Get Low" to Ryan Gosling of "Blue Valentine" to Mark Wahlberg of "The Fighter." All three have legitimate beef with the Academy, but I can't argue with any of the five nominated. That said, Gosling was exceptional.

Best Actress

Annette Bening ("The Kids Are All Right"), Natalie Portman ("Black Swan"), Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone"), Nicole Kidman ("Rabbit Hole"), Michelle Williams ("Blue Valentine")

Breakdown: Another category that seems as if it's down to two nominees: Annette Bening and Natalie Portman are the frontrunners. Portman was previously nominated as a supporting actress for 2004's "Closer" and Bening has been nominated four times without winning.

Who Should Win: I thought both Bening and Portman were fantastic, but I think it's Portman who should win this year, because "Black Swan" totally fell on her shoulders and she was great in it. It was a physically and mentally demanding role, she took it head on--and she nailed it.

Who Will Win: While I think Portman could easily take this, I actually think the Academy will finally call on Bening for the first time.

Snubs: Hailee Steinfeld of "True Grit."  I should call this the "Sort Of Snub." While I think it's great that she was nominated for Supporting Actress (which she has an actual chance to win), her character was more of a leading role, and I think she deserved a nomination for Best Actress, although I understand the voters reasoning.

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale ("The Fighter"), Geoffrey Rush ("The King's Speech"), Jeremy Renner ("The Town"), Mark Ruffalo ("The Kids Are All Right"), John Hawkes ("Winter's Bone")

Breakdown: While obviously every Oscar category is "deep" in the sense that the nominees are all deserving, this category is probably the strongest of any from top to bottom this year. While Bale was a knockout in "The Fighter" and is the front-runner, in any other year each four of these actors could take home the award. Ruffalo gave an amazing performance in "The Kids Are Alright,"and while I don't think he'll win this year, he was fantastic.

Who Should Win: I do think Bale was amazing, and he should win the award, but for the sake of it, and because I am a huge fan, I'll say John Hawkes should win. He has been spinning great performances for years (including in "Deadwood" among many others) and after seeing "Winter's Bone," I was floored by his performance.

Who Will Win: Bale is the frontrunner and after a slew of great career roles, he deserves this award.

Snubs: Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield ("The Social Network").  Each snub shows just how much voters liked "Winter's Bone," which I admit I was a fan of, as well. Although I loved Hawkes in the film, I think both these actors could have received a nomination. Timberlake was great and Garfield was even better--he played the emotional and sympathetic center of the year's best film.

Best Supporting Actress

Melissa Leo ("The Fighter"), Amy Adams ("The Fighter"), Helena Bonham Carter ("The King's Speech"), Hailee Steinfeld ("True Grit") Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom")

Breakdown: When a film has two nominations in one category, it says a lot. While Carter gave an amazing performance, as did Weaver, it seems to be Leo's award to lose (apart from her strange Oscar campaign photos).

Who Should Win: Steinfeld was amazing in "True Grit" and based on pure performance, she should win.

Who Will Win: Leo most likely will take home the award for her loud and realistic portrayal of boxer Micky Ward's mother.

Snubs: Mila Kunis ("Black Swan") and Julianne Moore ("The Kids Are All Right"). Both were absolutely deserving but were shut out in a strong year for the category. Kunis was great in "Black Swan" and has a definite gripe here.

Other thoughts and observations:

-Snub: Lee Smith - Editing - Inception. Come on, that last act when the movie is jumping through three different levels of dreaming isn't Oscar worthy? Please.

-I hope Christopher Nolan wins for Best Original Screenplay for "Inception." The film was fantastic and do you get a script more original than that? Don't think so.

-Snub: Daft Punk - Score - Tron: Legacy.  I'm probably biased because I am a Daft Punk fan, but their electronic and transy soundtrack to the new "Tron" film definitely deserved a nomination. But if Trent Reznor loses the award, it's an injustice.

-I don't care if they thought the film wasn't that great overall, but "Tron: Legacy" getting shut out of an Effects Oscar just doesn't make sense.

The Academy Awards air tonight on ABC.

SAG Awards Bring Few Surprises

Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

This past weekend marked the SAG awards.  While we may criticize the Oscars for being little more than a big party in which celebrities tell each other how awesome they are, the SAG awards are way worse. This involves major actors explicitly telling other major actors that they are the coolest. But hey, it’s awards season, and this year, there actually were a few great performances that deserved recognition.

Christian Bale took home the supporting male actor award for his work in “The Fighter.” He won the equivalent at the Golden Globes, and it is certainly nice to see one of the most commercially successful actors of our time start to receive some well-deserved attention for his skills as an artist. We knew he could play stoic, but it was invigorating to see him return to the manic energy he had in “American Psycho.”

Melissa Leo also took home the supporting female actor award for “The Fighter.” Her transformation into a frightening Boston mother for that film was nothing short of remarkable, and she fully deserves this award.

As is to be expected, Colin Firth took home the male lead actor award for his work in “The King’s Speech,” and Natalie Portman was once again recognized for her performance in “Black Swan.” As far as movies go, it was the Golden Globes all over, with the cast of “The King’s Speech” also getting an award for best overall cast of a motion picture.

As far as television goes, Betty White’s return to stardom was recognized when she was given an award for her work in the show “Hot in Cleveland.”

Overall, there weren’t too many surprises, but we should remember that this continued attention that “The King’s Speech” has been receiving means that “The Social Network” will have some real competition at the Oscars.

SAG Awards Bring Few Surprises

Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

This past weekend marked the SAG awards.  While we may criticize the Oscars for being little more than a big party in which celebrities tell each other how awesome they are, the SAG awards are way worse. This involves major actors explicitly telling other major actors that they are the coolest. But hey, it’s awards season, and this year, there actually were a few great performances that deserved recognition.

Christian Bale took home the supporting male actor award for his work in “The Fighter.” He won the equivalent at the Golden Globes, and it is certainly nice to see one of the most commercially successful actors of our time start to receive some well-deserved attention for his skills as an artist. We knew he could play stoic, but it was invigorating to see him return to the manic energy he had in “American Psycho.”

Melissa Leo also took home the supporting female actor award for “The Fighter.” Her transformation into a frightening Boston mother for that film was nothing short of remarkable, and she fully deserves this award.

As is to be expected, Colin Firth took home the male lead actor award for his work in “The King’s Speech,” and Natalie Portman was once again recognized for her performance in “Black Swan.” As far as movies go, it was the Golden Globes all over, with the cast of “The King’s Speech” also getting an award for best overall cast of a motion picture.

As far as television goes, Betty White’s return to stardom was recognized when she was given an award for her work in the show “Hot in Cleveland.”

Overall, there weren’t too many surprises, but we should remember that this continued attention that “The King’s Speech” has been receiving means that “The Social Network” will have some real competition at the Oscars.

Thoughts on the Oscar Nominations; Where are Kunis and Timberlake?

Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

The official Oscar nominations were announced yesterday, and while there were few surprises to be found, as always, there are some insights to be made regarding the choices the Academy made.

The first issue that springs to my mind is the fact that although “127 Hours” was nominated for Best Picture, Danny Boyle was not nominated for Best Director. True, this is an award he won recently for “Slumdog Millionaire,” and I’ll be honest--although I found “127 Hours” to be perhaps the most entertaining and emotionally effective movie of the year, as far as Oscar fare goes, it didn’t get a tremendously positive reaction from the overall critical community. It certainly was well-reviewed, but not to the same degree that “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech” were.

OK, fair enough. But the task of taking the story of a hiker trapped in a canyon for five days and turning that into entertainment represented a massive challenge, and Boyle pulled it off superbly. He deserves recognition.

As far as the Best Picture nominees go, there aren’t any major surprises, and most of us can agree that this year, the race is between “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech,” anyway. There are several other fantastic films on that list, but it’s unlikely that any of them have a chance of winning. My money is on “The Social Network,” but that may simply be because I’m a dedicated Fincher fanatic.

As far as Best Original Screenplay goes, I’d like to see Christopher Nolan take home the prize. “Inception” may have occasionally suffered from some clumsy exposition, but overall, it was a brilliant script, the kind Hollywood needs to film more often.

Aaron Sorkin might as well already find a place for his Best Adapted Screenplay trophy.

Mila Kunis was passed over for “Black Swan,” which is a shame, but she probably wouldn’t have won anyway. Still, it would have been nice for the Academy to recognize that she’s actually a skilled actress. Oh well, she’ll hopefully have another shot.

As far as overlooked actors are concerned, it is a little disappointing to see that neither Justin Timberlake nor Andrew Garfield were recognized for their work in “The Social Network.” You could argue that Garfield didn’t belong among the nominees anyway—personally, I think his emotional breakdown when he confronts Mark should have scored him a nod, but hey, that’s just one man’s opinion.

But Timberlake, well he delivered the goods. And not just in a “oh, we didn’t know he could actually act” way. No, he did fantastic work in that movie--his absence is bizarre.

Other than that, there isn’t too much to complain about. It was a fairly predictable year, but with two movies equally capable of taking home the big prize, it should be an interesting night when the Oscars arrive.

Thoughts on the Oscar Nominations; Where are Kunis and Timberlake?

Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

The official Oscar nominations were announced yesterday, and while there were few surprises to be found, as always, there are some insights to be made regarding the choices the Academy made.

The first issue that springs to my mind is the fact that although “127 Hours” was nominated for Best Picture, Danny Boyle was not nominated for Best Director. True, this is an award he won recently for “Slumdog Millionaire,” and I’ll be honest--although I found “127 Hours” to be perhaps the most entertaining and emotionally effective movie of the year, as far as Oscar fare goes, it didn’t get a tremendously positive reaction from the overall critical community. It certainly was well-reviewed, but not to the same degree that “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech” were.

OK, fair enough. But the task of taking the story of a hiker trapped in a canyon for five days and turning that into entertainment represented a massive challenge, and Boyle pulled it off superbly. He deserves recognition.

As far as the Best Picture nominees go, there aren’t any major surprises, and most of us can agree that this year, the race is between “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech,” anyway. There are several other fantastic films on that list, but it’s unlikely that any of them have a chance of winning. My money is on “The Social Network,” but that may simply be because I’m a dedicated Fincher fanatic.

As far as Best Original Screenplay goes, I’d like to see Christopher Nolan take home the prize. “Inception” may have occasionally suffered from some clumsy exposition, but overall, it was a brilliant script, the kind Hollywood needs to film more often.

Aaron Sorkin might as well already find a place for his Best Adapted Screenplay trophy.

Mila Kunis was passed over for “Black Swan,” which is a shame, but she probably wouldn’t have won anyway. Still, it would have been nice for the Academy to recognize that she’s actually a skilled actress. Oh well, she’ll hopefully have another shot.

As far as overlooked actors are concerned, it is a little disappointing to see that neither Justin Timberlake nor Andrew Garfield were recognized for their work in “The Social Network.” You could argue that Garfield didn’t belong among the nominees anyway—personally, I think his emotional breakdown when he confronts Mark should have scored him a nod, but hey, that’s just one man’s opinion.

But Timberlake, well he delivered the goods. And not just in a “oh, we didn’t know he could actually act” way. No, he did fantastic work in that movie--his absence is bizarre.

Other than that, there isn’t too much to complain about. It was a fairly predictable year, but with two movies equally capable of taking home the big prize, it should be an interesting night when the Oscars arrive.

Ricky Gervais Just Said What We Were All Thinking

Television/Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

Last night’s Golden Globe Awards were memorable, to say the least. Not because of the winners--there weren’t any big surprises, and the acceptance speeches tended to be short, to the point and not terribly emotional. True, De Niro won the C.B. DeMille award, but for a person who has made a living performing, he’s not a great public speaker and his speech consisted of several awkward jabs at the Holly Foreign Press that fell pretty flat.

No, the only thing really worth talking about in response to last night was the behavior of host Ricky Gervais, who didn’t pull any punches with the crowd in the room. Gervais is known for a particularly scathing style of humor, and he wasn’t going to tone things down just so the stars of Hollywood could feel safe.

In his opening monologue, Gervais went after the easy target of Charlie Sheen, who being both a major embarrassment to himself and, thankfully, not present at the show, was fodder for some good laughs. It was when Gervais decided to actually go after the people in attendance, that some people seemed to get angry.

Gervais made it a point to crack jokes about whichever presenter he was introducing, be it Bruce Willis, who he called “Asthon Kutcher’s dad,” or Sylvester Stallone, who he praised for having the acting skills to play both a boxer and Rambo.

Many at home probably enjoyed seeing Hollywood’s pampered stars get taken down a peg, but a few of Gervais’ targets were probably less pleased. He made the easy joke about Robert Downey Jr.’s history with drugs, and to be fair, that was a major personal struggle for the star and it could have been embarrassing to be reminded of it in front of a room of his peers.

But, speaking as a dedicated RDJ fan, I’ll say this--Ricky Gervais never crossed the line. I love movies and I love movie stars, but you can’t help feeling angry when these people commit crimes or fall into addiction but still get treated like royalty by countless yes-men. They have all the money anyone could ever need and, while with celebrity status comes the burden of sacrificing privacy, they get all the attention they crave. It’s about time someone had the guts to let them know that they aren’t perfect.

It was all in good fun, and if these stars lack a sense of humor, that is their problem.

Ricky Gervais Just Said What We Were All Thinking

Television/Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

Last night’s Golden Globe Awards were memorable, to say the least. Not because of the winners--there weren’t any big surprises, and the acceptance speeches tended to be short, to the point and not terribly emotional. True, De Niro won the C.B. DeMille award, but for a person who has made a living performing, he’s not a great public speaker and his speech consisted of several awkward jabs at the Holly Foreign Press that fell pretty flat.

No, the only thing really worth talking about in response to last night was the behavior of host Ricky Gervais, who didn’t pull any punches with the crowd in the room. Gervais is known for a particularly scathing style of humor, and he wasn’t going to tone things down just so the stars of Hollywood could feel safe.

In his opening monologue, Gervais went after the easy target of Charlie Sheen, who being both a major embarrassment to himself and, thankfully, not present at the show, was fodder for some good laughs. It was when Gervais decided to actually go after the people in attendance, that some people seemed to get angry.

Gervais made it a point to crack jokes about whichever presenter he was introducing, be it Bruce Willis, who he called “Asthon Kutcher’s dad,” or Sylvester Stallone, who he praised for having the acting skills to play both a boxer and Rambo.

Many at home probably enjoyed seeing Hollywood’s pampered stars get taken down a peg, but a few of Gervais’ targets were probably less pleased. He made the easy joke about Robert Downey Jr.’s history with drugs, and to be fair, that was a major personal struggle for the star and it could have been embarrassing to be reminded of it in front of a room of his peers.

But, speaking as a dedicated RDJ fan, I’ll say this--Ricky Gervais never crossed the line. I love movies and I love movie stars, but you can’t help feeling angry when these people commit crimes or fall into addiction but still get treated like royalty by countless yes-men. They have all the money anyone could ever need and, while with celebrity status comes the burden of sacrificing privacy, they get all the attention they crave. It’s about time someone had the guts to let them know that they aren’t perfect.

It was all in good fun, and if these stars lack a sense of humor, that is their problem.

Ricky Gervais Won’t Pull Any Punches at Golden Globes

Television/Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

After showing no mercy last time he hosted the show, it’s safe to assume that Ricky Gervais didn’t think he’d get another shot at hosting the Golden Globes. However, the comedian and creator of the original incarnation of “The Office” will be overseeing the ceremony once again this Sunday, and it doesn’t sound like he plans to tone down his act, which often involves skewering celebrities who are no strangers to the tabloids.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, in an interview which he taped for “The Ellen Degeneres Sow,” Gervais suggested that people like Charlie Sheen and Mel Gibson, who he referred to as “a gift from the comedy god,” will probably be potential targets for his jokes. Both of these stars have been in the spotlight in recent years for their less-than-savory behavior, and anyone who is familiar with Gervais knows that he won’t pass up the opportunity to take aim at them.

As always, he was willing to joke about his own act, saying that he only picks targets who he isn’t afraid of. He says he likes to steer clear of jokes about people like Russell Crowe and Mickey Rourke, but would have no problem going after Betty White.

For a lesser comedian, this kind of humor would be difficult to pull off when the audience in front of you consists of the very people you are making fun of. However, Gervais is one of the most talented men in his line of work, and the reaction he got from audiences at home was enough to bring him back to the Golden Globes this year.

After all, there are more than a few people in Hollywood who could probably benefit from a bruised ego. When you make that kind of money, don’t start crying because some jokes about how you spent it on cocaine.

Ricky Gervais Won’t Pull Any Punches at Golden Globes

Television/Awards News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

After showing no mercy last time he hosted the show, it’s safe to assume that Ricky Gervais didn’t think he’d get another shot at hosting the Golden Globes. However, the comedian and creator of the original incarnation of “The Office” will be overseeing the ceremony once again this Sunday, and it doesn’t sound like he plans to tone down his act, which often involves skewering celebrities who are no strangers to the tabloids.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, in an interview which he taped for “The Ellen Degeneres Sow,” Gervais suggested that people like Charlie Sheen and Mel Gibson, who he referred to as “a gift from the comedy god,” will probably be potential targets for his jokes. Both of these stars have been in the spotlight in recent years for their less-than-savory behavior, and anyone who is familiar with Gervais knows that he won’t pass up the opportunity to take aim at them.

As always, he was willing to joke about his own act, saying that he only picks targets who he isn’t afraid of. He says he likes to steer clear of jokes about people like Russell Crowe and Mickey Rourke, but would have no problem going after Betty White.

For a lesser comedian, this kind of humor would be difficult to pull off when the audience in front of you consists of the very people you are making fun of. However, Gervais is one of the most talented men in his line of work, and the reaction he got from audiences at home was enough to bring him back to the Golden Globes this year.

After all, there are more than a few people in Hollywood who could probably benefit from a bruised ego. When you make that kind of money, don’t start crying because some jokes about how you spent it on cocaine.

Chicago Film Critics Name “The Social Network” Best Film of the Year

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

“The Social Network” has been generating Oscar buzz since its release, when it became the most critically acclaimed film of the year. Although that particular awards ceremony is still a ways off, the movie has already been named Best Film of the Year by the Chicago Film Critics Association, an especially big honor considering the fact that legendary American film critic Roger Ebert is a member.

The Hollywood Reporter mentions that director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin also received awards for the picture. While there’s no guarantee that Fincher will take home the Best Director trophy when the Academy Awards roll around, it seems pretty safe to assume that Sorkin will emerge a winner. His fast-paced adaptation of “The Accidental Billionaires” is full of clever dialogue and makes us forget that we don’t really understand all that talk about computer programming. (Sorkin admits that he really doesn’t, either.) Sure, he had to fictionalize a lot of the material--no one has been able to find that Erica Albright character in real-life, and reports from those who were involved claim that Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t all that bad (and that Eduardo Saverin wasn’t as clearly in the right as the film makes him out to be, for that matter.)

But let’s face it--we can’t rely on our movies to tell us the truth about any historical event, be it something that happened seven centuries ago or seven years ago. Stories need clear heroes and villains, and life rarely ever supplies them. If we’re looking for an honest account of the creation of Facebook, it’s looking more and more like “The Social Network” failed to provide that.

If, however, we’re just looking for great storytelling and entertainment, “The Social Network” delivered, and as more and more critics groups name it the best film they’ve seen all year, its chances of winning big at the Oscars rise tremendously.

Chicago Film Critics Name “The Social Network” Best Film of the Year

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

“The Social Network” has been generating Oscar buzz since its release, when it became the most critically acclaimed film of the year. Although that particular awards ceremony is still a ways off, the movie has already been named Best Film of the Year by the Chicago Film Critics Association, an especially big honor considering the fact that legendary American film critic Roger Ebert is a member.

The Hollywood Reporter mentions that director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin also received awards for the picture. While there’s no guarantee that Fincher will take home the Best Director trophy when the Academy Awards roll around, it seems pretty safe to assume that Sorkin will emerge a winner. His fast-paced adaptation of “The Accidental Billionaires” is full of clever dialogue and makes us forget that we don’t really understand all that talk about computer programming. (Sorkin admits that he really doesn’t, either.) Sure, he had to fictionalize a lot of the material--no one has been able to find that Erica Albright character in real-life, and reports from those who were involved claim that Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t all that bad (and that Eduardo Saverin wasn’t as clearly in the right as the film makes him out to be, for that matter.)

But let’s face it--we can’t rely on our movies to tell us the truth about any historical event, be it something that happened seven centuries ago or seven years ago. Stories need clear heroes and villains, and life rarely ever supplies them. If we’re looking for an honest account of the creation of Facebook, it’s looking more and more like “The Social Network” failed to provide that.

If, however, we’re just looking for great storytelling and entertainment, “The Social Network” delivered, and as more and more critics groups name it the best film they’ve seen all year, its chances of winning big at the Oscars rise tremendously.

"Social Network" Dominates NBR Awards

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

Back when I first heard about "The Social Network," I admit I was fairly skeptical with the idea of a film about Facebook. But then David Fincher joined on as director and Aaron Sorkin as the writer, and I began to get intrigued about what it could be. After the cast came together with one of my favorite actors (Jesse Eisenberg) as the lead, I truly thought the film would be something special.

After seeing it in theaters, it did not disappoint, and now the National Board of Review seems to agree. With awards season upon us, the critics award races began last week and "The Social Network" pretty much dominated The Nation Board of Review awards, winning four of the main categories.

The film won awards for Best Film, Director (David Fincher), Actor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin). While there were a number of excellent nominees this year, including films such as "The Town" and "Inception," I can't disagree with any of the awards "Network" won.

When I saw it, I felt like it was a "Best Picture"-worthy movie, mainly due to the fantastic script and Fincher's excellent direction. On top of that, the entire cast was excellent alongside Eisenberg, including Andre Garfield and Justin Timberlake.

I'm glad Eisenberg picked up the award for Best Actor, because while I think he is worthy for an Academy Award nomination later on, I also think Colin Firth will take win for "The Kings Speech."

The National Board of Review has had a decent track record the past few years in predicting the Oscar outcome. In the past three years, the National Board of Review winner has twice gone on to win best picture at the Oscars--"No Country for Old Men" in 2007 and "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2008. Last year's winner was "Up in the Air."

The awards will keep coming as the year draws to a close, but it's clear that we'll be hearing a lot more about "The Social Network" in the coming months.

"Social Network" Dominates NBR Awards

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

Back when I first heard about "The Social Network," I admit I was fairly skeptical with the idea of a film about Facebook. But then David Fincher joined on as director and Aaron Sorkin as the writer, and I began to get intrigued about what it could be. After the cast came together with one of my favorite actors (Jesse Eisenberg) as the lead, I truly thought the film would be something special.

After seeing it in theaters, it did not disappoint, and now the National Board of Review seems to agree. With awards season upon us, the critics award races began last week and "The Social Network" pretty much dominated The Nation Board of Review awards, winning four of the main categories.

The film won awards for Best Film, Director (David Fincher), Actor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin). While there were a number of excellent nominees this year, including films such as "The Town" and "Inception," I can't disagree with any of the awards "Network" won.

When I saw it, I felt like it was a "Best Picture"-worthy movie, mainly due to the fantastic script and Fincher's excellent direction. On top of that, the entire cast was excellent alongside Eisenberg, including Andre Garfield and Justin Timberlake.

I'm glad Eisenberg picked up the award for Best Actor, because while I think he is worthy for an Academy Award nomination later on, I also think Colin Firth will take win for "The Kings Speech."

The National Board of Review has had a decent track record the past few years in predicting the Oscar outcome. In the past three years, the National Board of Review winner has twice gone on to win best picture at the Oscars--"No Country for Old Men" in 2007 and "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2008. Last year's winner was "Up in the Air."

The awards will keep coming as the year draws to a close, but it's clear that we'll be hearing a lot more about "The Social Network" in the coming months.

“The White Ribbon”

DVD, Blu-ray Movie Review

Written and directed by Michael Haneke, 145 minutes, rated R.

By Christopher Smith

Michael Haneke’s terrific film, “The White Ribbon,” is unshakably good, particularly at the end, when the disease destroying the core of the story (that would be humanity at its lowest depths of depravity) has gone on to fully reveal its dysfunction, its divisiveness, its backhanded brutality and its overall rotten awfulness.

The film observes the collapse of a small town on the eve of World War I. We’re in Germany. The film is shot in black and white. The images are bleak, cruel and stunning, not unlike the movie itself. Haneke (“Cache”) wrote the script, and just as his fans expect, he works by evasion, leading audiences to a well the reflects nothing back. Instead, we’re offered a deep sink into a bottomless darkness.

“The White Ribbon” is satisfying in its complexity, rich in its ambiguity. It’s a movie that demands you walk around it, circle it, trying to figure out exactly what’s going because there’s no way that Haneke is going to tell you. For those who like their movies spelled out for them, this isn’t for you, in spite of the subtitles. For those who appreciate the grace of a director who employs narrative discretion, this absolutely is for you.

The film opens with a man on a horse racing toward his house. Since the movie is told in flashback by way of the village’s now-elderly schoolteacher (Ernst Jacobi), we know the man is a doctor and that he breaks his arm when his horse trips over a hidden wire somebody strung between two trees. But who strung the wire? And why do they have it in for the doctor? Men show up in an effort to understand what happened, but there are no clues, no answers, and the doctor is taken away to a hospital far away so he can mend. Could somebody have benefited from his absence? Maybe. Maybe not.

To Haneke, it doesn’t matter. Braced against his own coldness, he presses on--there are others to undo in this village of grim-looking people. Look, for instance, at the dead woman ground up at the mill. What happened to her? Or look at young boy with Down’s syndrome who is savagely beaten and left to hang in a forest with a bag on his head. Why? Or the barn that is set ablaze in the middle of the night. Or the pet bird whose throat is slit. Or the doctor’s midwife, housekeeper, receptionist and mistress (Susanne Lothar), who is told by the doctor (Rainer Bock) while she’s masturbating him to stop. Finished with her, he delivers one of the most cutting rebukes caught on film this year.

“Why do you want me to stop?” she asks.

“To be truthful, you disgust me,” he says. “You’re ugly, messy, flabby and have bad breath. Don’t sit there looking like death warmed over. I can’t go on with this. I’ve really tried to think of another woman while making love to you--one who smells good, who’s young, less decrepit than you--buy my imagination can’t manage it. In the end, it’s you again, and then I feel like puking, and am embarrassed at myself. At the hospital, I forgot how tiresome you are. One grows sentimental when in pain.” He glares at her. “Why don’t you just die?”

Death is, in fact, everywhere in this movie--it’s alive and well and swallowing the living whole. People are ridiculed and reduced to nothing. Children are beaten and scorned, particularly the children of the village’s pastor (Burghart Klaussner), two of whom provide the film its title in that they are forced to wear white ribbons of purity until he believes that he can trust them again (just why we’ll leave for the screen). Those children are Klara and Martin (Maria-Victoria Dragus and Leonard Proxauf, each outstanding), and you’ve never seen such a mean-mouthed duo, the lot of which reflects their father’s own rage, which he repeatedly takes out on them.

And what about that? What does such abuse do to a child? Does it carry over to them? In this movie, the children move in marching groups; you’d swear they were a gang if they weren’t so polite to the adults they come upon in town. And yet there’s something about them the film only brushes against--are they the cause for the village’s atrocities? Could children be capable of such violent acts?

As a young man, the schoolteacher (Christian Friedel) questions Klara and Martin when something else happens to the boy with Down’s syndrome. Klara is older and smart and direct--she’s a force. Martin is younger and cagey. The schoolteacher’s questions are relentless, and soon they leach over to the children’s father, the pastor, who preaches God’s word and sips from his cup, but who is one of the most ruthless, unkind people in the movie.

He’s so defensive when the schoolteacher laces him with the same questions that he threatens to have him thrown out of his house and into prison. Could the pastor be responsible for all that has happened, or is he just protecting his children? And how about the doctor, who suddenly has rushed out of town? Why did he run off?

Who knows?

Shot superbly by cinematographer Christian Berger, “The White Ribbon” is stark and haunting, expertly acted and directed, morally corrupt and memorable for all of it. It’s framed as a mystery, but really, Heneke’s sights are on his characters, the evil inherent in people, and how that evil, when organized, has the potential to grow into something more repellent if left uncapped, as it is here. The white ribbons in this movie are meant to signify purity, but what we don’t see in this film is the power of another color--red--and how, years later, it would come to define another generation of Germans in another war waiting to bloom on another horizon.

Grade: A

View the trailer for "The White Ribbon" below. What are your thoughts?

“The White Ribbon”

DVD, Blu-ray Movie Review

Written and directed by Michael Haneke, 145 minutes, rated R.

By Christopher Smith

Michael Haneke’s terrific film, “The White Ribbon,” is unshakably good, particularly at the end, when the disease destroying the core of the story (that would be humanity at its lowest depths of depravity) has gone on to fully reveal its dysfunction, its divisiveness, its backhanded brutality and its overall rotten awfulness.

The film observes the collapse of a small town on the eve of World War I. We’re in Germany. The film is shot in black and white. The images are bleak, cruel and stunning, not unlike the movie itself. Haneke (“Cache”) wrote the script, and just as his fans expect, he works by evasion, leading audiences to a well the reflects nothing back. Instead, we’re offered a deep sink into a bottomless darkness.

“The White Ribbon” is satisfying in its complexity, rich in its ambiguity. It’s a movie that demands you walk around it, circle it, trying to figure out exactly what’s going because there’s no way that Haneke is going to tell you. For those who like their movies spelled out for them, this isn’t for you, in spite of the subtitles. For those who appreciate the grace of a director who employs narrative discretion, this absolutely is for you.

The film opens with a man on a horse racing toward his house. Since the movie is told in flashback by way of the village’s now-elderly schoolteacher (Ernst Jacobi), we know the man is a doctor and that he breaks his arm when his horse trips over a hidden wire somebody strung between two trees. But who strung the wire? And why do they have it in for the doctor? Men show up in an effort to understand what happened, but there are no clues, no answers, and the doctor is taken away to a hospital far away so he can mend. Could somebody have benefited from his absence? Maybe. Maybe not.

To Haneke, it doesn’t matter. Braced against his own coldness, he presses on--there are others to undo in this village of grim-looking people. Look, for instance, at the dead woman ground up at the mill. What happened to her? Or look at young boy with Down’s syndrome who is savagely beaten and left to hang in a forest with a bag on his head. Why? Or the barn that is set ablaze in the middle of the night. Or the pet bird whose throat is slit. Or the doctor’s midwife, housekeeper, receptionist and mistress (Susanne Lothar), who is told by the doctor (Rainer Bock) while she’s masturbating him to stop. Finished with her, he delivers one of the most cutting rebukes caught on film this year.

“Why do you want me to stop?” she asks.

“To be truthful, you disgust me,” he says. “You’re ugly, messy, flabby and have bad breath. Don’t sit there looking like death warmed over. I can’t go on with this. I’ve really tried to think of another woman while making love to you--one who smells good, who’s young, less decrepit than you--buy my imagination can’t manage it. In the end, it’s you again, and then I feel like puking, and am embarrassed at myself. At the hospital, I forgot how tiresome you are. One grows sentimental when in pain.” He glares at her. “Why don’t you just die?”

Death is, in fact, everywhere in this movie--it’s alive and well and swallowing the living whole. People are ridiculed and reduced to nothing. Children are beaten and scorned, particularly the children of the village’s pastor (Burghart Klaussner), two of whom provide the film its title in that they are forced to wear white ribbons of purity until he believes that he can trust them again (just why we’ll leave for the screen). Those children are Klara and Martin (Maria-Victoria Dragus and Leonard Proxauf, each outstanding), and you’ve never seen such a mean-mouthed duo, the lot of which reflects their father’s own rage, which he repeatedly takes out on them.

And what about that? What does such abuse do to a child? Does it carry over to them? In this movie, the children move in marching groups; you’d swear they were a gang if they weren’t so polite to the adults they come upon in town. And yet there’s something about them the film only brushes against--are they the cause for the village’s atrocities? Could children be capable of such violent acts?

As a young man, the schoolteacher (Christian Friedel) questions Klara and Martin when something else happens to the boy with Down’s syndrome. Klara is older and smart and direct--she’s a force. Martin is younger and cagey. The schoolteacher’s questions are relentless, and soon they leach over to the children’s father, the pastor, who preaches God’s word and sips from his cup, but who is one of the most ruthless, unkind people in the movie.

He’s so defensive when the schoolteacher laces him with the same questions that he threatens to have him thrown out of his house and into prison. Could the pastor be responsible for all that has happened, or is he just protecting his children? And how about the doctor, who suddenly has rushed out of town? Why did he run off?

Who knows?

Shot superbly by cinematographer Christian Berger, “The White Ribbon” is stark and haunting, expertly acted and directed, morally corrupt and memorable for all of it. It’s framed as a mystery, but really, Heneke’s sights are on his characters, the evil inherent in people, and how that evil, when organized, has the potential to grow into something more repellent if left uncapped, as it is here. The white ribbons in this movie are meant to signify purity, but what we don’t see in this film is the power of another color--red--and how, years later, it would come to define another generation of Germans in another war waiting to bloom on another horizon.

Grade: A

View the trailer for "The White Ribbon" below. What are your thoughts?

Oscars 2010: America's Most Serious Dress Contest

By our guest blogger, Marie Biondolillo

Let's face it--the Oscars are not about filmmaking. If they were, they'd just be a huge kegger for the people who actually shape movies--editors and gaffers. Also, according to the Academy, Sandra Bullock is apparently a better actress than Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sidibe and Meryl Streep. Even Sandra Bullock's mom doesn't believe that. Hell, Sandy herself spent most of her acceptance speech explaining that she didn't really deserve the award.

So, the Oscars are like a long, tiresome joke that your great uncle tells you, where you keep waiting and waiting for some kind of punch line before it finally dawns upon you that there will be no end to this joke--your great uncle just feels like talking, and he's going to keep talking until you pack him onto an ice floe, set him on fire, and push him out to sea. The difference with the Oscars is that instead of having to stare at your great uncle's weird hands and neck while you wait for him to die, you get to stare at some ladies and their dresses while you wait for the producers to run out the clock. These ladies know this, so they work pretty hard at getting totally sweet dresses for you to admire. Sometimes they are good at this; sometimes they are not.

Let's review them!

Helen Mirren looked pretty hot in a lavender Badgley Mischka and a loose updo. Even better, she was hanging out with Christopher Plummer on the red carpet, where they made fun of everybody who tried to interview them because they are older than God and totally over everything.

J. Lo is pretty old but she is not over anything. She was SUPER SERIOUS on the red carpet about carefully answering dumb questions about her dumb dress, which was some sort of Armani Prive napkin sculpture with a train as long as a boring long story, like that one your great uncle tells about the time that he was trying to find a certain kind of screw at the store, and he had to go to one aisle, but the screw wasn't on it, so then he went somewhere else, but they didn't know what he was talking about, so he had to find a manual with a picture of the screw, but they didn't have manuals with pictures of screws in them at the library, so . . . yes! That's how long the train was. The train was so long, it reached back in time to the last time J. Lo made a movie that anybody wanted to see, which was so long ago that Miley Cyrus's mom wasn't even born yet.

Speaking of Miley Cyrus, she was at the Oscars for some reason (maybe she thought there was going to be a barn raising?) and she looked . . . kind of amazing. Slutty, but pretty good. She was wearing a champagne-colored corset with a floor-length sparkly tutu by Jenny Packham, and somehow, it worked for her. Make-up, hair, and jewelry were all good. Granted, she looked about 35, but she's Miley Cyrus--she's lived hard, and loved hard.

Zoe Saldana wore a very questionable multi-colored flamenco dress with muppets on it by Givenchy. On the other hand, almost everybody else was wearing boring, safe dresses in boring neutral shades like "gunmetal" and "blush" and "ecru" and "black" and "more black," so Zoe deserves credit for at least attempting to keep us awake.

Kate Winslet is still trying to look like Veronica Lake. She wore a boring gunmetal sheathy thing by Yves St. Laurent that looked almost exactly like what she wore last year. I miss the days when she was crazy and had red hair and went around inducting Harvey Keitel into cults.

Meryl Streep wore a white drapey dress by Chris March of Project runway. It wasn't bad, and it wasn't thrilling. It's disappointing, because she could have shown up in a dress made of murdered people and everybody would have worshipped her anyway, because she is Meryl Streep and she was in, like, 10 hit movies this year.

Paula Patton wore a normal-looking orange dress. It was good because it was a color and it wasn't cut like a princess dress, unlike almost every other dress at the show.

Jeff Bridges looked wore Gucci, looked hot, said funny things, and was probably stoned.

Tina Fey looked sparkly and pert in black Michael Kors. She was mugging around with Steve Carrell in order to promote their upcoming rom-com "Date Night." By the way, for a pair of "edgy" comics, these two sure don't mind self-promoting like a couple of broke Avon moms, am I right?

Gabourey Sidibe wore a pretty dress in a good color by Marchesa. Unlike lots of attendees, she wasn't afraid to show that she was pumped to be at the Oscars, for which she gets 900 points.

All the bloggers are slavering over Penelope Cruz's kinda boring wine-colored Donna Karan dress, which she accessorized with bad hair. I do not get it. I thought it was another awkwardly-shaped, dull strapless gown on a night that was glutted with them. She should have worn one of her outfits from "Nine."

Vera Farmiga also had bad hair, but her dress was really interesting. It was a hot pink ruffled Marchesa that looked like a Technicolor orchid.

Cameron Diaz looked hot and boring in sparkly gold Oscar de la Renta. Seriously, her dress was like the mother of all the other boring neutral dresses, embracing every boring trend--big skirt, tight bodice, dull color. Also, her comic timing with Steve Carrell during their co-presentation was godawful.

Neal Patrick Harris had a dumb suit on, but his big song-and-dance number was probably the highlight of the night.

"Mean Girls" alums Amanda Seyfried and Rachel McAdams both wore boring princess dresses. One was by Elie Saab and the other was Armani Prive, but it doesn't really matter which was which.

Queen Latifah, on the other hand, looked glowing and awesome in a pink Badgley Mischka gown with silver accents. Probably the best-dressed woman of the night, and I'm not just saying that because I loved "Living Single."

Katherine Bigelow also looked fantastic in a gray sheath. And, of course, the fact that "The Hurt Locker" won a billion Oscars probably made her extra radiant. Is it wrong that I find it hilarious that the director of "Point Break" won a directing Oscar?

Kristen Stewart looked good in a midnight-blue Monique Lhuillier mermaid thing. Goth as heck, but good.

World's Greatest Actress Sandra Bullock was dressed up like an Oscar in gold Marchesa, perhaps because she thought it would hypnotize the Academy into picking her as Best Actress. Apparently it worked! Her lipstick was good.

Mo'Nique's dress was pretty good--a saturated blue Tadashi Shoji that she accessorized with gardenias. Her speech was fairly touching, so I don't feel like making fun of her. I will say that I thought co-star Mariah Carey's dress was surprisingly beautiful--a deep purple Valentino that was one of the few "movie star" dresses on the red carpet.

Sarah Jessica Parker wore Chanel. Again, the entire world seems pretty on top of criticizing SJP's fashion choices, so I'm not going to jump on the dog pile.

Finally, Charlize Theron wore a pink Dior gown that . . . emphasized her breasts. Everyone is extremely scandalized by this gown, clutching their pearls like a bunch of old church ladies. "Oh dear," they cry. "A movie star wore a dress that made you notice her boobs! Has she no decency?" To this I say--"Whatever. Charlize Theron is a hot blonde movie star who is nine feet tall. In other words, she can wear whatever she wants, including boob dresses that actually are really pretty once you accept the fact of Charlize Theron's boobs. And if that's the hardest thing you'll ever have to accept, all I can say is that you're living a charmed life.

View a gallery of some of the gowns below:

Oscars 2010: America's Most Serious Dress Contest

By our guest blogger, Marie Biondolillo

Let's face it--the Oscars are not about filmmaking. If they were, they'd just be a huge kegger for the people who actually shape movies--editors and gaffers. Also, according to the Academy, Sandra Bullock is apparently a better actress than Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sidibe and Meryl Streep. Even Sandra Bullock's mom doesn't believe that. Hell, Sandy herself spent most of her acceptance speech explaining that she didn't really deserve the award.

So, the Oscars are like a long, tiresome joke that your great uncle tells you, where you keep waiting and waiting for some kind of punch line before it finally dawns upon you that there will be no end to this joke--your great uncle just feels like talking, and he's going to keep talking until you pack him onto an ice floe, set him on fire, and push him out to sea. The difference with the Oscars is that instead of having to stare at your great uncle's weird hands and neck while you wait for him to die, you get to stare at some ladies and their dresses while you wait for the producers to run out the clock. These ladies know this, so they work pretty hard at getting totally sweet dresses for you to admire. Sometimes they are good at this; sometimes they are not.

Let's review them!

Helen Mirren looked pretty hot in a lavender Badgley Mischka and a loose updo. Even better, she was hanging out with Christopher Plummer on the red carpet, where they made fun of everybody who tried to interview them because they are older than God and totally over everything.

J. Lo is pretty old but she is not over anything. She was SUPER SERIOUS on the red carpet about carefully answering dumb questions about her dumb dress, which was some sort of Armani Prive napkin sculpture with a train as long as a boring long story, like that one your great uncle tells about the time that he was trying to find a certain kind of screw at the store, and he had to go to one aisle, but the screw wasn't on it, so then he went somewhere else, but they didn't know what he was talking about, so he had to find a manual with a picture of the screw, but they didn't have manuals with pictures of screws in them at the library, so . . . yes! That's how long the train was. The train was so long, it reached back in time to the last time J. Lo made a movie that anybody wanted to see, which was so long ago that Miley Cyrus's mom wasn't even born yet.

Speaking of Miley Cyrus, she was at the Oscars for some reason (maybe she thought there was going to be a barn raising?) and she looked . . . kind of amazing. Slutty, but pretty good. She was wearing a champagne-colored corset with a floor-length sparkly tutu by Jenny Packham, and somehow, it worked for her. Make-up, hair, and jewelry were all good. Granted, she looked about 35, but she's Miley Cyrus--she's lived hard, and loved hard.

Zoe Saldana wore a very questionable multi-colored flamenco dress with muppets on it by Givenchy. On the other hand, almost everybody else was wearing boring, safe dresses in boring neutral shades like "gunmetal" and "blush" and "ecru" and "black" and "more black," so Zoe deserves credit for at least attempting to keep us awake.

Kate Winslet is still trying to look like Veronica Lake. She wore a boring gunmetal sheathy thing by Yves St. Laurent that looked almost exactly like what she wore last year. I miss the days when she was crazy and had red hair and went around inducting Harvey Keitel into cults.

Meryl Streep wore a white drapey dress by Chris March of Project runway. It wasn't bad, and it wasn't thrilling. It's disappointing, because she could have shown up in a dress made of murdered people and everybody would have worshipped her anyway, because she is Meryl Streep and she was in, like, 10 hit movies this year.

Paula Patton wore a normal-looking orange dress. It was good because it was a color and it wasn't cut like a princess dress, unlike almost every other dress at the show.

Jeff Bridges looked wore Gucci, looked hot, said funny things, and was probably stoned.

Tina Fey looked sparkly and pert in black Michael Kors. She was mugging around with Steve Carrell in order to promote their upcoming rom-com "Date Night." By the way, for a pair of "edgy" comics, these two sure don't mind self-promoting like a couple of broke Avon moms, am I right?

Gabourey Sidibe wore a pretty dress in a good color by Marchesa. Unlike lots of attendees, she wasn't afraid to show that she was pumped to be at the Oscars, for which she gets 900 points.

All the bloggers are slavering over Penelope Cruz's kinda boring wine-colored Donna Karan dress, which she accessorized with bad hair. I do not get it. I thought it was another awkwardly-shaped, dull strapless gown on a night that was glutted with them. She should have worn one of her outfits from "Nine."

Vera Farmiga also had bad hair, but her dress was really interesting. It was a hot pink ruffled Marchesa that looked like a Technicolor orchid.

Cameron Diaz looked hot and boring in sparkly gold Oscar de la Renta. Seriously, her dress was like the mother of all the other boring neutral dresses, embracing every boring trend--big skirt, tight bodice, dull color. Also, her comic timing with Steve Carrell during their co-presentation was godawful.

Neal Patrick Harris had a dumb suit on, but his big song-and-dance number was probably the highlight of the night.

"Mean Girls" alums Amanda Seyfried and Rachel McAdams both wore boring princess dresses. One was by Elie Saab and the other was Armani Prive, but it doesn't really matter which was which.

Queen Latifah, on the other hand, looked glowing and awesome in a pink Badgley Mischka gown with silver accents. Probably the best-dressed woman of the night, and I'm not just saying that because I loved "Living Single."

Katherine Bigelow also looked fantastic in a gray sheath. And, of course, the fact that "The Hurt Locker" won a billion Oscars probably made her extra radiant. Is it wrong that I find it hilarious that the director of "Point Break" won a directing Oscar?

Kristen Stewart looked good in a midnight-blue Monique Lhuillier mermaid thing. Goth as heck, but good.

World's Greatest Actress Sandra Bullock was dressed up like an Oscar in gold Marchesa, perhaps because she thought it would hypnotize the Academy into picking her as Best Actress. Apparently it worked! Her lipstick was good.

Mo'Nique's dress was pretty good--a saturated blue Tadashi Shoji that she accessorized with gardenias. Her speech was fairly touching, so I don't feel like making fun of her. I will say that I thought co-star Mariah Carey's dress was surprisingly beautiful--a deep purple Valentino that was one of the few "movie star" dresses on the red carpet.

Sarah Jessica Parker wore Chanel. Again, the entire world seems pretty on top of criticizing SJP's fashion choices, so I'm not going to jump on the dog pile.

Finally, Charlize Theron wore a pink Dior gown that . . . emphasized her breasts. Everyone is extremely scandalized by this gown, clutching their pearls like a bunch of old church ladies. "Oh dear," they cry. "A movie star wore a dress that made you notice her boobs! Has she no decency?" To this I say--"Whatever. Charlize Theron is a hot blonde movie star who is nine feet tall. In other words, she can wear whatever she wants, including boob dresses that actually are really pretty once you accept the fact of Charlize Theron's boobs. And if that's the hardest thing you'll ever have to accept, all I can say is that you're living a charmed life.

View a gallery of some of the gowns below:

Academy Awards Recap

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

With the Oscars over and done with, awards season is over, and what a memorable one it has been. So, who went home with the biggest award in Hollywood?

For the most part, the 2010 Academy Awards were pretty by-the-book. The show started out with our typical opening musical number, performed here by Neil Patrick Harris. It was a traditional but charming opener to an entertaining (if a bit predictable) Oscar night. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin started out with a bang and made pretty excellent hosts overall--perhaps not quite as out there and darkly humorous and Ricky Gervais' Golden Globes hosting job, but certainly amusing nonetheless. They have a great rapport and Martin especially knows exactly how to entertain a large crowd.

So let's get right into it--who won? To start, the technical awards pretty much went as expected, with Best Editing, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing (the latter two of which got an especially nice presentation which explained the job of films sound technicians) going to "The Hurt Locker," Visual Effects, Art Direction and Cinematography going to "Avatar," and Best Makeup going to "Star Trek," and Best Costume Design going to "The Young Victoria." Ben Stiller turned out to be one of the funniest presenters when he appeared onstage for the Best Makeup award made up as a Na'vi from "Avatar" and spouting out gibberish to James Cameron in the audience.

A couple breaks from the awards came in the show for the traditional honorary segments, one of which honored the underappreciated genre of the Horror movie (presented, oddly, by Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner of "Twilight"). Another featured a large group of dancers performing to the multiple Best Original Score nominees, which was interesting, if a bit out of place in the context of the show. One of the best moments of the night came when Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick came out to honor the late John Hughes, and then every cast member of "The Breakfast Club" as well as Macauley Culkin came onstage to do the same. It was a sweet and suitable tribute to the outstanding and groundbreaking filmmaker.

One of the biggest surprises of the night came with the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film going to "The Secret in Their Eyes," coming out on top despite most people expecting the win to almost definitely go to either "A Prophet" or "The White Ribbon." Not as surprising was "Up" taking home both the award for Best Animated Film and Best Original Score, which brought composer Michael Giachinno his first Academy Award. He gave one of the best speeches of the night. Short but sweet, he simply told every child out there interested in doing something creative to never give up even when they're told it's a waste of time.

Best Documentary went to "The Cove," certainly one of the most critically acclaimed docs of 2009, but most surprising to me was seeing that one of its directors was none other than Fisher Stevens, who I've known since the age of four or five as one of the villains in the oft-despised 1993 "Super Mario Bros." film adaptation.

The acting awards went pretty much as expected. Mo'Nique and Christoph Waltz took the supporting performance awards, quite deservedly, I'd say, for "Precious" and "Inglourious Basterds," respectively. Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock received the awards for best leading performance, and though I wouldn't really call either of them the best performances of the year, the best actor award often tends to be a more career-spanning achievement, which seemed to be the case here. Bridges especially is an immense talent who has deserved the award for decades. His film, "Crazy Heart," also won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

The screenplay awards went to Mark Boal ("The Hurt Locker") for Best Original and Geoffrey Fletcher ("Precious") for Best Adapted. I was pretty disappointed to see "In the Loop" and "Inglourious Basterds" lose, but I suppose they could've lost to worse.

The big announcements came right at the end and in a row--"The Hurt Locker," which won four Oscars earlier in the night, took home both Best Picture and Best Director, right under James Cameron's nose, and Kathryn Bigelow, the humble director, was rightfully emotional. Not only is she the first female director to win the award, but such a small film beat all odds and managed to beat the highest grossing film of all time and the general frontrunner for both awards, "Avatar." You could just see the surprise on Cameron's face. Bigelow was in tears as she accepted both awards (joined by screenwriter and producer Mark Boal and the cast for the Best Picture award), and she dedicated her award to all of those fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and everywhere else in the world. I won't say "The Hurt Locker" was my favorite to win, but I certainly couldn't think of a more pleasing and feel-good winner. Kathryn Bigelow has been working a long time, and her very impressive direction made "The Hurt Locker" one of the best war films in ages.

So, despite it being a rather predictable night, it was still pretty enjoyable and it was nice to see a collection of mostly deserving wins compared to last year's rather underwhelming ones.

Now that awards season is all said and done, what do you think went criminally unnoticed? Who deserved the big prize--"Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds" or something entirely different?

Academy Awards Recap

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

With the Oscars over and done with, awards season is over, and what a memorable one it has been. So, who went home with the biggest award in Hollywood?

For the most part, the 2010 Academy Awards were pretty by-the-book. The show started out with our typical opening musical number, performed here by Neil Patrick Harris. It was a traditional but charming opener to an entertaining (if a bit predictable) Oscar night. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin started out with a bang and made pretty excellent hosts overall--perhaps not quite as out there and darkly humorous and Ricky Gervais' Golden Globes hosting job, but certainly amusing nonetheless. They have a great rapport and Martin especially knows exactly how to entertain a large crowd.

So let's get right into it--who won? To start, the technical awards pretty much went as expected, with Best Editing, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing (the latter two of which got an especially nice presentation which explained the job of films sound technicians) going to "The Hurt Locker," Visual Effects, Art Direction and Cinematography going to "Avatar," and Best Makeup going to "Star Trek," and Best Costume Design going to "The Young Victoria." Ben Stiller turned out to be one of the funniest presenters when he appeared onstage for the Best Makeup award made up as a Na'vi from "Avatar" and spouting out gibberish to James Cameron in the audience.

A couple breaks from the awards came in the show for the traditional honorary segments, one of which honored the underappreciated genre of the Horror movie (presented, oddly, by Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner of "Twilight"). Another featured a large group of dancers performing to the multiple Best Original Score nominees, which was interesting, if a bit out of place in the context of the show. One of the best moments of the night came when Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick came out to honor the late John Hughes, and then every cast member of "The Breakfast Club" as well as Macauley Culkin came onstage to do the same. It was a sweet and suitable tribute to the outstanding and groundbreaking filmmaker.

One of the biggest surprises of the night came with the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film going to "The Secret in Their Eyes," coming out on top despite most people expecting the win to almost definitely go to either "A Prophet" or "The White Ribbon." Not as surprising was "Up" taking home both the award for Best Animated Film and Best Original Score, which brought composer Michael Giachinno his first Academy Award. He gave one of the best speeches of the night. Short but sweet, he simply told every child out there interested in doing something creative to never give up even when they're told it's a waste of time.

Best Documentary went to "The Cove," certainly one of the most critically acclaimed docs of 2009, but most surprising to me was seeing that one of its directors was none other than Fisher Stevens, who I've known since the age of four or five as one of the villains in the oft-despised 1993 "Super Mario Bros." film adaptation.

The acting awards went pretty much as expected. Mo'Nique and Christoph Waltz took the supporting performance awards, quite deservedly, I'd say, for "Precious" and "Inglourious Basterds," respectively. Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock received the awards for best leading performance, and though I wouldn't really call either of them the best performances of the year, the best actor award often tends to be a more career-spanning achievement, which seemed to be the case here. Bridges especially is an immense talent who has deserved the award for decades. His film, "Crazy Heart," also won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

The screenplay awards went to Mark Boal ("The Hurt Locker") for Best Original and Geoffrey Fletcher ("Precious") for Best Adapted. I was pretty disappointed to see "In the Loop" and "Inglourious Basterds" lose, but I suppose they could've lost to worse.

The big announcements came right at the end and in a row--"The Hurt Locker," which won four Oscars earlier in the night, took home both Best Picture and Best Director, right under James Cameron's nose, and Kathryn Bigelow, the humble director, was rightfully emotional. Not only is she the first female director to win the award, but such a small film beat all odds and managed to beat the highest grossing film of all time and the general frontrunner for both awards, "Avatar." You could just see the surprise on Cameron's face. Bigelow was in tears as she accepted both awards (joined by screenwriter and producer Mark Boal and the cast for the Best Picture award), and she dedicated her award to all of those fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and everywhere else in the world. I won't say "The Hurt Locker" was my favorite to win, but I certainly couldn't think of a more pleasing and feel-good winner. Kathryn Bigelow has been working a long time, and her very impressive direction made "The Hurt Locker" one of the best war films in ages.

So, despite it being a rather predictable night, it was still pretty enjoyable and it was nice to see a collection of mostly deserving wins compared to last year's rather underwhelming ones.

Now that awards season is all said and done, what do you think went criminally unnoticed? Who deserved the big prize--"Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds" or something entirely different?

Academy Award Predictations 2010

Rhymes with "Pitch"

by Christopher Smith

When it comes to predicting the Academy Awards, which air Sunday night at 8 p.m. on ABC, William Goldman said it best--nobody knows anything--which is a good reason why most of Congress will feel right at home watching the show.

Sure, it's a bitch predicting the unpredictable, but in the spirit of the season, it's time to go for it, throw knives into the wind and fearlessly predict who will win--even if it means cutting my own throat in the process.

So be it. I’m on a horse.

Hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, this year’s event promises more tension than catching Angelina Jolie lurking around a playground with a duffel bag in hand. Or teens struggling to make it in a world where glittering vampires don’t exist. Or Tiger Woods signing balls and making fun of his last name in “therapy.”

I’m telling you, the tension is palpable.

Several key races are proving difficult to call, particularly since the Best Picture category has been expanded from five to 10 films because, you know, Hollywood likes what the Academy has to offer--its stamp of approval.

Beyond that, who knew that in the Best Actress race, Meryl Streep would be staring down Sandra Bullock, of all people, and that Bullock would be staring back just as hard--only with a knife clenched in her teeth? Or that in the Best Director race, Kathryn Bigelow would be going head-to-head against her ex-husband, James Cameron? Or that Pixar, for the first time in years, is seriously threatened by another film. While their movie “Up” is favored to win, nobody could have conceived that Wes Anderson would come out of nowhere with “Fantastic Mr. Fox” to provide them with their stiffest competition yet.

But there you have it. It’s a bizarre year, to say the least, but what year isn’t bizarre when Joe Jackson is still kicking it? And so, without further ado, here’s my list of the predicted winners:

For Best Picture, the nominees are the Iraq War drama “The Hurt Locker,” the groundbreaking “Avatar,” the beautifully complex “Inglourious Basterds,” as well as “Up in the Air,” “Precious,” a nice surprise in “District 9,” “A Serious Man,” “An Education,” “The Blind Side” and another surprise in “Up.”

While the nominees have been expanded, the race comes down to three. Who’s going to win? Take your pick. With the Weinsteins publicly swearing they will push “Inglourious Basterds” through to a win, nobody should bet against them--they’ve done it before and the movie, by the way, is deserving. But by the same token, nobody should underestimate how much voters can be turned off if they are pushed too hard--by the Weinsteins or especially by Nicolas Chartier, the producer of “The Hurt Locker” who sent out emails asking voters to vote for his film and thus breaking Academy rules and being banned from the night’s events as a result.

If there is an elephant in the room, it’s the $2.5 billion “Avatar” has made worldwide. Some will say that’s a large enough award, but this is Hollywood, where no award or ego is too large. It’s also difficult to discount just how fabulous the movie looked, which is why it’s more likely to win for Best Art Direction than for Best Picture. So, the movie that has the best chance to win? In spite of everything, and that fact that I think “Inglourious Basterds should win, it’s “The Hurt Locker” for the win.

In the race for Best Actor, the nominees are Jeff Bridges for “Crazy Heart,” Colin Firth for “A Single Man,” George Clooney for “Up in the Air,” Jeremy Renner for “The Hurt Locker” and Morgan Freeman for “Invictus.” This one isn’t even close. Look for Bridges to take it for his terrific performance in “Crazy Heart,” a career highlight in a career that deserves recognition in the form of a golden exclamation point.

The award for Best Actress features one of the more unlikely events in years, and everything you’ve heard is true. Sandra Bullock’s work for “The Blind Side” is going to be enough for a win. She’s not only going to trump Carey Mulligan for “An Education,” the wonderful Gabby Sidibe for “Precious” and Helen Mirren for “The Last Station,” but also--bang a drum, please--the great Meryl Streep for “Julie & Julia.” Is Bullock deserving? Not for me, but she did have her best box office year ever, her performance was very good, she’s likable, and Hollywood, in turn, sometimes likes to share the love. Expect her to win. That said, I’m hoping for Streep or Sidibe.

As for Best Supporting Actor, Woody Harrelson stepped up his game in a major way in the underseen “The Messenger,” but this year will find him and Stanley Tucci (“The Lovely Bones”), Matt Damon (“Invictus”) and Christopher Plummer (“The Last Station”) all losing to the year’s best supporting performance. That belongs to Christoph Waltz’s fiercely memorable turn as “the Jew hunter” in “Inglourious Basterds.” Anyone who saw the movie knows why he should win, and likely will be cheering when he wins.

In the Best Supporting Actress category, Mo’Nique will win for her fearless, unrelenting performance in “Precious” over Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”), Vera Farmiga ( Up in the Air”), Penelope Cruze (“Nine”) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Crazy Heart”). If anyone could offer an upset, it’s Farmiga, whose sophistication and seamlessness linger. But if that does happen, it will be one hell of an upset, which is sort of fitting. When it comes to upsets, they almost always occur in this category.

One of the night’s great delights will be the award for Best Director: In Hollywood, which likes to think of itself as liberal (it’s not), there still are barriers to smash through, such as a female winning this very award. If you don’t know your Academy history, no female director ever has won in this category, which is unthinkable but true. That said, this will end when Kathryn Bigelow wins for “The Hurt Locker.” In doing so, she will trump her ex-husband James Cameron for “Avatar,” Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds,” Jason Reitman for “Up in the Air” and Lee Daniels for “Precious.” Each director gave us five gifts, but what Bigelow pulled off in “Locker” is something so raw, insightful and powerful, she must win.

Rounding out the evening is the race for Best Foreign Language Film, and here is where the going gets tense. Among the nominees, which include Israel’s “Ajami” and Peru’s “The Milk of Sorrow,” the race is between three movies--Argentina’s beautifully realized “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” France’s mob film “Un Prophete” and Germany’s unshakable movie, “The White Ribbon.” While I’ll toss back a martini if either film wins--each is a must-see on DVD--I’m going against convention and choosing “The White Ribbon” for the gold even though “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” might take it.

Meanwhile, there’s Best Animated Picture, with Pixar’s “Up" up against “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Coraline,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “The Secret of Kells.” Look for “Up” to win, though I’d prefer it if “Fox” or “Coraline” ran away with the award.

In the writing categories, Best Adapted Screenplay will go to Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for “Up in the Air,” while Quentin Tarantino will win Best Original Screenplay for his superb work on “Inglourious Basterds,” thus narrowly besting the favorite, Mark Boal, for “The Hurt Locker.” Best Documentary Feature will go to “The Cove,” Best Song will go to “The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart,” Best Original Score will go to Michael Giaccino for “Up,” Best Art Direction will go to “Avatar,” and Best Editing will go to Chris Innis and Bob Murawski for their terrific work in “The Hurt Locker.”

So, is any of this correct? Some of it is, some of it isn’t, but let’s at least hope for upsets--they give the night an electrical jolt and make the proceedings interesting. “Inglourioust Basterds” might just win for Best Picture. After being snubbed for 28 years, Streep deserves some overdue recognition for her performance in “Julie & Julia.” Cameron has the highest-grossing movie of all time, so nobody should rule out “Avatar” for Best Picture. Beyond its billions, his movie features technology that will forever change movies--and make Hollywood even more bank because of it.

What’s clear is this: When it comes to predicting the Academy Awards, remember, nobody knows anything (I likely just proved that), which is why it's good to have an Academy Awards party, which I am--in a big way. Celebrating your triumphs and drowning your sorrows with a house filled with good friends can almost be as entertaining as the show itself.

Academy Award Predictations 2010

Rhymes with "Pitch"

by Christopher Smith

When it comes to predicting the Academy Awards, which air Sunday night at 8 p.m. on ABC, William Goldman said it best--nobody knows anything--which is a good reason why most of Congress will feel right at home watching the show.

Sure, it's a bitch predicting the unpredictable, but in the spirit of the season, it's time to go for it, throw knives into the wind and fearlessly predict who will win--even if it means cutting my own throat in the process.

So be it. I’m on a horse.

Hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, this year’s event promises more tension than catching Angelina Jolie lurking around a playground with a duffel bag in hand. Or teens struggling to make it in a world where glittering vampires don’t exist. Or Tiger Woods signing balls and making fun of his last name in “therapy.”

I’m telling you, the tension is palpable.

Several key races are proving difficult to call, particularly since the Best Picture category has been expanded from five to 10 films because, you know, Hollywood likes what the Academy has to offer--its stamp of approval.

Beyond that, who knew that in the Best Actress race, Meryl Streep would be staring down Sandra Bullock, of all people, and that Bullock would be staring back just as hard--only with a knife clenched in her teeth? Or that in the Best Director race, Kathryn Bigelow would be going head-to-head against her ex-husband, James Cameron? Or that Pixar, for the first time in years, is seriously threatened by another film. While their movie “Up” is favored to win, nobody could have conceived that Wes Anderson would come out of nowhere with “Fantastic Mr. Fox” to provide them with their stiffest competition yet.

But there you have it. It’s a bizarre year, to say the least, but what year isn’t bizarre when Joe Jackson is still kicking it? And so, without further ado, here’s my list of the predicted winners:

For Best Picture, the nominees are the Iraq War drama “The Hurt Locker,” the groundbreaking “Avatar,” the beautifully complex “Inglourious Basterds,” as well as “Up in the Air,” “Precious,” a nice surprise in “District 9,” “A Serious Man,” “An Education,” “The Blind Side” and another surprise in “Up.”

While the nominees have been expanded, the race comes down to three. Who’s going to win? Take your pick. With the Weinsteins publicly swearing they will push “Inglourious Basterds” through to a win, nobody should bet against them--they’ve done it before and the movie, by the way, is deserving. But by the same token, nobody should underestimate how much voters can be turned off if they are pushed too hard--by the Weinsteins or especially by Nicolas Chartier, the producer of “The Hurt Locker” who sent out emails asking voters to vote for his film and thus breaking Academy rules and being banned from the night’s events as a result.

If there is an elephant in the room, it’s the $2.5 billion “Avatar” has made worldwide. Some will say that’s a large enough award, but this is Hollywood, where no award or ego is too large. It’s also difficult to discount just how fabulous the movie looked, which is why it’s more likely to win for Best Art Direction than for Best Picture. So, the movie that has the best chance to win? In spite of everything, and that fact that I think “Inglourious Basterds should win, it’s “The Hurt Locker” for the win.

In the race for Best Actor, the nominees are Jeff Bridges for “Crazy Heart,” Colin Firth for “A Single Man,” George Clooney for “Up in the Air,” Jeremy Renner for “The Hurt Locker” and Morgan Freeman for “Invictus.” This one isn’t even close. Look for Bridges to take it for his terrific performance in “Crazy Heart,” a career highlight in a career that deserves recognition in the form of a golden exclamation point.

The award for Best Actress features one of the more unlikely events in years, and everything you’ve heard is true. Sandra Bullock’s work for “The Blind Side” is going to be enough for a win. She’s not only going to trump Carey Mulligan for “An Education,” the wonderful Gabby Sidibe for “Precious” and Helen Mirren for “The Last Station,” but also--bang a drum, please--the great Meryl Streep for “Julie & Julia.” Is Bullock deserving? Not for me, but she did have her best box office year ever, her performance was very good, she’s likable, and Hollywood, in turn, sometimes likes to share the love. Expect her to win. That said, I’m hoping for Streep or Sidibe.

As for Best Supporting Actor, Woody Harrelson stepped up his game in a major way in the underseen “The Messenger,” but this year will find him and Stanley Tucci (“The Lovely Bones”), Matt Damon (“Invictus”) and Christopher Plummer (“The Last Station”) all losing to the year’s best supporting performance. That belongs to Christoph Waltz’s fiercely memorable turn as “the Jew hunter” in “Inglourious Basterds.” Anyone who saw the movie knows why he should win, and likely will be cheering when he wins.

In the Best Supporting Actress category, Mo’Nique will win for her fearless, unrelenting performance in “Precious” over Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”), Vera Farmiga ( Up in the Air”), Penelope Cruze (“Nine”) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Crazy Heart”). If anyone could offer an upset, it’s Farmiga, whose sophistication and seamlessness linger. But if that does happen, it will be one hell of an upset, which is sort of fitting. When it comes to upsets, they almost always occur in this category.

One of the night’s great delights will be the award for Best Director: In Hollywood, which likes to think of itself as liberal (it’s not), there still are barriers to smash through, such as a female winning this very award. If you don’t know your Academy history, no female director ever has won in this category, which is unthinkable but true. That said, this will end when Kathryn Bigelow wins for “The Hurt Locker.” In doing so, she will trump her ex-husband James Cameron for “Avatar,” Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds,” Jason Reitman for “Up in the Air” and Lee Daniels for “Precious.” Each director gave us five gifts, but what Bigelow pulled off in “Locker” is something so raw, insightful and powerful, she must win.

Rounding out the evening is the race for Best Foreign Language Film, and here is where the going gets tense. Among the nominees, which include Israel’s “Ajami” and Peru’s “The Milk of Sorrow,” the race is between three movies--Argentina’s beautifully realized “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” France’s mob film “Un Prophete” and Germany’s unshakable movie, “The White Ribbon.” While I’ll toss back a martini if either film wins--each is a must-see on DVD--I’m going against convention and choosing “The White Ribbon” for the gold even though “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” might take it.

Meanwhile, there’s Best Animated Picture, with Pixar’s “Up" up against “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Coraline,” “The Princess and the Frog” and “The Secret of Kells.” Look for “Up” to win, though I’d prefer it if “Fox” or “Coraline” ran away with the award.

In the writing categories, Best Adapted Screenplay will go to Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for “Up in the Air,” while Quentin Tarantino will win Best Original Screenplay for his superb work on “Inglourious Basterds,” thus narrowly besting the favorite, Mark Boal, for “The Hurt Locker.” Best Documentary Feature will go to “The Cove,” Best Song will go to “The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart,” Best Original Score will go to Michael Giaccino for “Up,” Best Art Direction will go to “Avatar,” and Best Editing will go to Chris Innis and Bob Murawski for their terrific work in “The Hurt Locker.”

So, is any of this correct? Some of it is, some of it isn’t, but let’s at least hope for upsets--they give the night an electrical jolt and make the proceedings interesting. “Inglourioust Basterds” might just win for Best Picture. After being snubbed for 28 years, Streep deserves some overdue recognition for her performance in “Julie & Julia.” Cameron has the highest-grossing movie of all time, so nobody should rule out “Avatar” for Best Picture. Beyond its billions, his movie features technology that will forever change movies--and make Hollywood even more bank because of it.

What’s clear is this: When it comes to predicting the Academy Awards, remember, nobody knows anything (I likely just proved that), which is why it's good to have an Academy Awards party, which I am--in a big way. Celebrating your triumphs and drowning your sorrows with a house filled with good friends can almost be as entertaining as the show itself.

Jeff Bridges will indeed become the cactus cock of the walk come this year's Academy Awards.  He'll win for "Crazy Heart," and he deserves to.

Jeff Bridges will indeed become the cactus cock of the walk come this year's Academy Awards.  He'll win for "Crazy Heart," and he deserves to.

By our guest blogger, Hillary Weston

The Oscars are an American tradition, a staple in the film industry for the last 82 years. I cannot deny that come Oscar night, I will be on my couch with a bottle of champagne and waiting in anticipation for the winners to be announced.

Be that as it may, sometimes the Oscars infuriate me. Stars who deliver baseline performances find themselves in the nomination categories in place of brilliant actors who are not yet on Hollywood’s radar. This year alone, there were quite a few actors snubbed by Oscar (Julianne Moore, Sam Rockwell, etc.), but if you witnessed the sick pleasure that was "Bronson," you are fully aware that Tom Hardy takes the cake when it comes to this year’s snubs. With tomorrow’s DVD release of "Bronson," it makes me tear up a bit to realize that such a phenomenal performance is going unrecognized.

For those who did not have the chance to see "Bronson," the film chronicles the real-life story of Michael Peterson, better known as Charles Bronson, and to many, England’s most violent criminal. Peterson was a petty thief who, after robbing a post office, was sent to jail for seven years. Instead of quietly serving out his sentence, he realized that prison was where he belonged in the world, the place where he could make a name for himself. He did everything he could to extend his sentences and was the epitome of brutality, stripping himself down to his darkest, most primal emotions and desires while wrecking havoc on every institution he bounced between.

Hardy, if known at all, was known for such roles as Heath Cliff in "Wuthering Heights." And yet here, he had to undergo a complete transformation from the inside a out to take on the part of Peterson. Here, this slim pretty boy is hardly recognizable on the screen--he envelopes the character so completely, it’s hard not to be transfixed by his performance from the first shot to the last frame. In the role, Hardy is brutal and unapologetic; the fervor in which he plays it makes it difficult to imagine anyone else being capable of encompassing the same intensity and devotion to character.

By no means is "Bronson" your typical prison film. It teeters more on the border of the surreal.  It's an insight into the man whose life revolved around art and violence, where the world was reduced to a stage, and where all the people around it were just faceless audience members along for the ride. The film proves too bitter a taste for some; it plays like a twisted nightmare in which you have no escape as your emotional landscape flutters between nausea, laughter, and an absurd sense of wonder. Yes, the story is intriguing and Nicolas Winding Refn does a fantastic job directing, but the film would be so much less if it was not for Tom Hardy. His performance was one of the best I have seen all year, if not in years.

As mentioned before, the DVD comes out tomorrow, so if you did not have a chance to catch the movie in theaters, consider doing so. It’s not for the faint of heart or stomach, but be prepared to be taken by Hardy’s performance. Watch the DVD extras as well to see just how spot-on Hardy’s acting was when paired up with the real Michael Peterson.

By our guest blogger, Hillary Weston

The Oscars are an American tradition, a staple in the film industry for the last 82 years. I cannot deny that come Oscar night, I will be on my couch with a bottle of champagne and waiting in anticipation for the winners to be announced.

Be that as it may, sometimes the Oscars infuriate me. Stars who deliver baseline performances find themselves in the nomination categories in place of brilliant actors who are not yet on Hollywood’s radar. This year alone, there were quite a few actors snubbed by Oscar (Julianne Moore, Sam Rockwell, etc.), but if you witnessed the sick pleasure that was "Bronson," you are fully aware that Tom Hardy takes the cake when it comes to this year’s snubs. With tomorrow’s DVD release of "Bronson," it makes me tear up a bit to realize that such a phenomenal performance is going unrecognized.

For those who did not have the chance to see "Bronson," the film chronicles the real-life story of Michael Peterson, better known as Charles Bronson, and to many, England’s most violent criminal. Peterson was a petty thief who, after robbing a post office, was sent to jail for seven years. Instead of quietly serving out his sentence, he realized that prison was where he belonged in the world, the place where he could make a name for himself. He did everything he could to extend his sentences and was the epitome of brutality, stripping himself down to his darkest, most primal emotions and desires while wrecking havoc on every institution he bounced between.

Hardy, if known at all, was known for such roles as Heath Cliff in "Wuthering Heights." And yet here, he had to undergo a complete transformation from the inside a out to take on the part of Peterson. Here, this slim pretty boy is hardly recognizable on the screen--he envelopes the character so completely, it’s hard not to be transfixed by his performance from the first shot to the last frame. In the role, Hardy is brutal and unapologetic; the fervor in which he plays it makes it difficult to imagine anyone else being capable of encompassing the same intensity and devotion to character.

By no means is "Bronson" your typical prison film. It teeters more on the border of the surreal.  It's an insight into the man whose life revolved around art and violence, where the world was reduced to a stage, and where all the people around it were just faceless audience members along for the ride. The film proves too bitter a taste for some; it plays like a twisted nightmare in which you have no escape as your emotional landscape flutters between nausea, laughter, and an absurd sense of wonder. Yes, the story is intriguing and Nicolas Winding Refn does a fantastic job directing, but the film would be so much less if it was not for Tom Hardy. His performance was one of the best I have seen all year, if not in years.

As mentioned before, the DVD comes out tomorrow, so if you did not have a chance to catch the movie in theaters, consider doing so. It’s not for the faint of heart or stomach, but be prepared to be taken by Hardy’s performance. Watch the DVD extras as well to see just how spot-on Hardy’s acting was when paired up with the real Michael Peterson.

By our guest blogger, Lita Robinson

Recently, after enduring what some have described as an all-out snub at the Golden Globes, director Kathryn Bigelow was awarded the Directors’ Guild of America’s top prize for helming one of this year’s critical favorites, Iraq war drama “The Hurt Locker.”

Oscar predictions are now split between “Avatar” director James Cameron, who took home statues for both best director and best motion picture (drama) at the Golden Globes, and Bigelow, whose win at the DGA puts her squarely back in contention for the March 7, 2010 awards.

What makes this rivalry extra intriguing is the Billy Wilder-like connection between Bigelow and Cameron--they used to be married. Just imagine Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable bickering about the best new editing techniques and most lifelike CGI software, and you can almost smell the remake--call it “It Happened in 3-D.” Whatever the outcome at the Academy Awards, it’s sure to be a Hollywood ending one way or the other.

By our guest blogger, Lita Robinson

Recently, after enduring what some have described as an all-out snub at the Golden Globes, director Kathryn Bigelow was awarded the Directors’ Guild of America’s top prize for helming one of this year’s critical favorites, Iraq war drama “The Hurt Locker.”

Oscar predictions are now split between “Avatar” director James Cameron, who took home statues for both best director and best motion picture (drama) at the Golden Globes, and Bigelow, whose win at the DGA puts her squarely back in contention for the March 7, 2010 awards.

What makes this rivalry extra intriguing is the Billy Wilder-like connection between Bigelow and Cameron--they used to be married. Just imagine Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable bickering about the best new editing techniques and most lifelike CGI software, and you can almost smell the remake--call it “It Happened in 3-D.” Whatever the outcome at the Academy Awards, it’s sure to be a Hollywood ending one way or the other.

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

As with all awards seasons, this year's long and heated one must come to an end. The Academy Awards are right around the corner, and the nominations have finally been announced.

BEST PICTURE

For anyone still unaware, the Academy decided to nominate 10 films for Best Picture this year instead of five. Their reasons vary, but whatever the case, there are definitely some nominations this year that are extremely unexpected and that we wouldn't see were there only five nominees.

First off, we've got the big five contenders: "Avatar," "Precious," "Up in the Air," "The Hurt Locker," and "Inglourious Basterds." Those were certain to be nominated, the rest were really--pardon the expression--up in the air. The other five nominees are "An Education," "A Serious Man" and the very surprising and relatively groundbreaking nominations "District 9" and "Up," the latter of which is the first animated film nominated for Best Picture since the Best Animated Film category was added in 2001. Also nominated is "The Blind Side." Don't ask me why. It's a charming film and all, but it's far from something I'd consider Best Picture-worthy.

At this point, it's really between "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker," both of which have been competing big time at the Guild awards.

BEST ACTOR/ACTRESS

Not too many surprises here. The nominations for Best Actor are Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart"), George Clooney ("Up in the Air"), Colin Firth ("A Single Man"), Morgan Freeman ("Invictus"), and Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker"). Renner was probably the one I least expected to get a nomination, but it's nice to see him recognized. Though the award seems to be between Bridges and Firth, it'd be awesome to see Renner pull an upset.

Sandra Bullock ("The Blind Side"), Helen Mirren ("The Last Station"), Carey Mulligan ("An Education"), Gabourey Sidibe ("Precious"), and Meryl Streep ("Julie & Julia") got the nominations for Best Actress. Of those I've only seen Bullock and Sidibe, the latter of which would definitely be my choice for the winner. It's still a shame Charlotte Gainsbourg hasn't received any awards recognition for "Antichrist."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/ACTRESS

Christoph Waltz has secured his nomination for "Inglourious Basterds," and he's likely to go home with the prize, but nominated along with him are Matt Damon ("Invictus"), Woody Harrelson ("The Messenger"), Christopher Plummer ("The Last Station"), and Stanley Tucci ("The Lovely Bones"). Tucci's performance is really one of the best I've seen in a long time, but Waltz is pretty deserving. I'm kind of baffled by Damon's nomination, especially when he actually deserved a nomination for "The Informant" but got one for "Invictus" instead.

As with Best Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress is pretty much a lock as well, in this case with Mo'Nique for "Precious." Also nominated are Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, both for "Up in the Air," Penelope Cruz for "Nine," and Maggie Gyllenhaal for "Crazy Heart." Mo'Nique was terrifying and powerful, but I'd love to see the prize go to Kendrick, despite all signs pointing elsewhere. She really was great.

BEST DIRECTION

This is another pretty predictable category. Nominated are Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker"), James Cameron ("Avatar"), Lee Daniels ("Precious"), Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air") and Quentin Tarantino ("Inglourious Basterds"). I'm pretty split on this one. I really don't want Cameron to win--I feel as if he's been dominating all the awards ceremonies and he seemed pretty smug at the Golden Globes (not to mention I just don't find him the best here). I'd really like to see the Academy make up for their mistake of not giving Tarantino the prize for "Pulp Fiction" in '94 and give him the prize, but I don't see it happening. It's definitely between Bigelow and Cameron--former husband and wife--and between them, I'm with Bigelow.

BEST WRITING

Some very interesting nominations here. The nominations for Best Original Screenplay are "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "The Messenger," "A Serious Man" and "Up." I'm so happy to see the Coens get recognized for "A Serious Man"--it's by far the most sophisticated and thematically dense writing of their careers. "Basterds" is great as well, but I'm all for the Coens winning this one, though they probably won't. I see it going to either "Basterds" or "The Hurt Locker."

The noms for Best Adapted Screenplay are "District 9," "An Education," "In the Loop," "Precious" and "Up in the Air." I'm both shocked and immensely satisfied at "In the Loop" getting a nomination. It's a brilliant film with a nearly flawless screenplay, and though "Up in the Air" will probably take the gold, "In the Loop" is definitely among the best writing this year.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

A couple pleasant surprises here. "Avatar," "The White Ribbon," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds" and, really out of the blue, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" have been nominated for Best Cinematography. Hey, I can't deny that the sixth "Harry Potter" film is by far the most well-made of the series, and I really enjoyed it, but it's really surprising that it's being recognized instead of "A Serious Man." Still, pretty solid nominations, and I'd like to see "The White Ribbon," whose cinematography seems like a pretty gorgeous homage to Sven Nykvist (Bergman's regular DP), take home the Oscar.

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Pretty good stuff here. "Up" has surprisingly received a nomination both here and for Best Picture. Also nominated are "Coraline," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog," and "The Secret of Kells." I'd love to see Wes Anderson win for "Mr. Fox." It's not his best film, but it's definitely the best animated film of the year and one well-deserving of the prize. I have a feeling Pixar will continue their streak, however.

BEST FOREIGN FILM

As with most years, a lot of the nominations here still haven't been released in the United States. "The White Ribbon," easily one of the best films I've seen this year, has fortunately secured a nomination, as have "Ajami," "El Secreto de Sus Ojos," "The Milk of Sorrow," and "A Prophet." I've only seen "Ribbon," so it's obviously my pick, but I know "Prophet" is supposed to be pretty brilliant as well.

Those are all the major nominations, and as expected "Avatar" has received nominations in nearly all of the technical awards and will easily win Best Visual Effects, at the very least.

Overall, this is honestly one of the best years for the Oscars for the past decade. The awards last year suffered a great deal from mediocrity, I though, and most of the best films didn't receive much attention, but this year with "A Serious Man," "The White Ribbon" and "Up in the Air" all getting nominated, I'm pretty pleased. Can't wait to see how this turns out.

The Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 7, 2010 and will be hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

Source.

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

As with all awards seasons, this year's long and heated one must come to an end. The Academy Awards are right around the corner, and the nominations have finally been announced.

BEST PICTURE

For anyone still unaware, the Academy decided to nominate 10 films for Best Picture this year instead of five. Their reasons vary, but whatever the case, there are definitely some nominations this year that are extremely unexpected and that we wouldn't see were there only five nominees.

First off, we've got the big five contenders: "Avatar," "Precious," "Up in the Air," "The Hurt Locker," and "Inglourious Basterds." Those were certain to be nominated, the rest were really--pardon the expression--up in the air. The other five nominees are "An Education," "A Serious Man" and the very surprising and relatively groundbreaking nominations "District 9" and "Up," the latter of which is the first animated film nominated for Best Picture since the Best Animated Film category was added in 2001. Also nominated is "The Blind Side." Don't ask me why. It's a charming film and all, but it's far from something I'd consider Best Picture-worthy.

At this point, it's really between "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker," both of which have been competing big time at the Guild awards.

BEST ACTOR/ACTRESS

Not too many surprises here. The nominations for Best Actor are Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart"), George Clooney ("Up in the Air"), Colin Firth ("A Single Man"), Morgan Freeman ("Invictus"), and Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker"). Renner was probably the one I least expected to get a nomination, but it's nice to see him recognized. Though the award seems to be between Bridges and Firth, it'd be awesome to see Renner pull an upset.

Sandra Bullock ("The Blind Side"), Helen Mirren ("The Last Station"), Carey Mulligan ("An Education"), Gabourey Sidibe ("Precious"), and Meryl Streep ("Julie & Julia") got the nominations for Best Actress. Of those I've only seen Bullock and Sidibe, the latter of which would definitely be my choice for the winner. It's still a shame Charlotte Gainsbourg hasn't received any awards recognition for "Antichrist."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/ACTRESS

Christoph Waltz has secured his nomination for "Inglourious Basterds," and he's likely to go home with the prize, but nominated along with him are Matt Damon ("Invictus"), Woody Harrelson ("The Messenger"), Christopher Plummer ("The Last Station"), and Stanley Tucci ("The Lovely Bones"). Tucci's performance is really one of the best I've seen in a long time, but Waltz is pretty deserving. I'm kind of baffled by Damon's nomination, especially when he actually deserved a nomination for "The Informant" but got one for "Invictus" instead.

As with Best Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress is pretty much a lock as well, in this case with Mo'Nique for "Precious." Also nominated are Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, both for "Up in the Air," Penelope Cruz for "Nine," and Maggie Gyllenhaal for "Crazy Heart." Mo'Nique was terrifying and powerful, but I'd love to see the prize go to Kendrick, despite all signs pointing elsewhere. She really was great.

BEST DIRECTION

This is another pretty predictable category. Nominated are Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker"), James Cameron ("Avatar"), Lee Daniels ("Precious"), Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air") and Quentin Tarantino ("Inglourious Basterds"). I'm pretty split on this one. I really don't want Cameron to win--I feel as if he's been dominating all the awards ceremonies and he seemed pretty smug at the Golden Globes (not to mention I just don't find him the best here). I'd really like to see the Academy make up for their mistake of not giving Tarantino the prize for "Pulp Fiction" in '94 and give him the prize, but I don't see it happening. It's definitely between Bigelow and Cameron--former husband and wife--and between them, I'm with Bigelow.

BEST WRITING

Some very interesting nominations here. The nominations for Best Original Screenplay are "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds," "The Messenger," "A Serious Man" and "Up." I'm so happy to see the Coens get recognized for "A Serious Man"--it's by far the most sophisticated and thematically dense writing of their careers. "Basterds" is great as well, but I'm all for the Coens winning this one, though they probably won't. I see it going to either "Basterds" or "The Hurt Locker."

The noms for Best Adapted Screenplay are "District 9," "An Education," "In the Loop," "Precious" and "Up in the Air." I'm both shocked and immensely satisfied at "In the Loop" getting a nomination. It's a brilliant film with a nearly flawless screenplay, and though "Up in the Air" will probably take the gold, "In the Loop" is definitely among the best writing this year.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

A couple pleasant surprises here. "Avatar," "The White Ribbon," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds" and, really out of the blue, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" have been nominated for Best Cinematography. Hey, I can't deny that the sixth "Harry Potter" film is by far the most well-made of the series, and I really enjoyed it, but it's really surprising that it's being recognized instead of "A Serious Man." Still, pretty solid nominations, and I'd like to see "The White Ribbon," whose cinematography seems like a pretty gorgeous homage to Sven Nykvist (Bergman's regular DP), take home the Oscar.

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Pretty good stuff here. "Up" has surprisingly received a nomination both here and for Best Picture. Also nominated are "Coraline," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog," and "The Secret of Kells." I'd love to see Wes Anderson win for "Mr. Fox." It's not his best film, but it's definitely the best animated film of the year and one well-deserving of the prize. I have a feeling Pixar will continue their streak, however.

BEST FOREIGN FILM

As with most years, a lot of the nominations here still haven't been released in the United States. "The White Ribbon," easily one of the best films I've seen this year, has fortunately secured a nomination, as have "Ajami," "El Secreto de Sus Ojos," "The Milk of Sorrow," and "A Prophet." I've only seen "Ribbon," so it's obviously my pick, but I know "Prophet" is supposed to be pretty brilliant as well.

Those are all the major nominations, and as expected "Avatar" has received nominations in nearly all of the technical awards and will easily win Best Visual Effects, at the very least.

Overall, this is honestly one of the best years for the Oscars for the past decade. The awards last year suffered a great deal from mediocrity, I though, and most of the best films didn't receive much attention, but this year with "A Serious Man," "The White Ribbon" and "Up in the Air" all getting nominated, I'm pretty pleased. Can't wait to see how this turns out.

The Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 7, 2010 and will be hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

Source.

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

"The Hurt Locker" beat out "Avatar" to win the big award at the PGA Awards this past weekend.

Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq War drama took home the Best Picture award, besting her ex-husband, James Cameron’s epic moneymaker, “Avatar,” to breathe some fire into this year’s Oscar race.

“Avatar” took home the big prize at the Golden Globes, and had it won this award as well, it would be the clear-cut favorite to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Two out of every three winners of the PGA award in the past two decades have won the 'Best Film' award at the Academy Awards.

Having said that, “Avatar” still will be one of the heavy favorites come Oscar time. It’s very possible that two other sci-fi films that were nominated (“Star Trek,” “District 9”) for the PGA award stole some votes that may have went to “Avatar”.

As we stand now, so far “The Hurt Locker” has swept most of the critic’s prizes, while the Golden Globes anointed "Avatar" their winner. “Inglourious Basterds” was the favorite with the Screen Actors Guild, and the PGA has now brought the momentum back to “The Hurt Locker.”

“Avatar” will most likely score the most Oscar nominations (with some help from the technical awards) with “The Hurt Locker” and “Basterds” not far behind.

It’s strange how momentum can help a movie during award’s season. I mean, is that movie any different just because it won the PGA award? Either way, it’s great to see the race heating up--and it’s never fun when George Clooney comes up to announce the award for Best Picture when you already know what it is.

Other winners include "Up," which scored best-animated film while "The Cove" took home best documentary.

The Academy Award nominations will be announced February 2, 2010.

The full list of winners:

BEST PICTURE: The Hurt Locker

BEST DOCUMENTARY: The Cove

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Up

STANLEY KRAMER AWARD: Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

BEST TV COMEDY: 30 Rock

BEST TV DRAMA: Mad Men

BEST TV LONG FORM: Grey Gardens

BEST NON-FICTION TV: 60 Minutes

BEST LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COMPETITION: The Colbert Report

DAVID O. SELZNICK AWARD: John Lasseter

VANGUARD AWARD: Joss Whedon

MILESTONE AWARD: Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

"The Hurt Locker" beat out "Avatar" to win the big award at the PGA Awards this past weekend.

Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq War drama took home the Best Picture award, besting her ex-husband, James Cameron’s epic moneymaker, “Avatar,” to breathe some fire into this year’s Oscar race.

“Avatar” took home the big prize at the Golden Globes, and had it won this award as well, it would be the clear-cut favorite to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Two out of every three winners of the PGA award in the past two decades have won the 'Best Film' award at the Academy Awards.

Having said that, “Avatar” still will be one of the heavy favorites come Oscar time. It’s very possible that two other sci-fi films that were nominated (“Star Trek,” “District 9”) for the PGA award stole some votes that may have went to “Avatar”.

As we stand now, so far “The Hurt Locker” has swept most of the critic’s prizes, while the Golden Globes anointed "Avatar" their winner. “Inglourious Basterds” was the favorite with the Screen Actors Guild, and the PGA has now brought the momentum back to “The Hurt Locker.”

“Avatar” will most likely score the most Oscar nominations (with some help from the technical awards) with “The Hurt Locker” and “Basterds” not far behind.

It’s strange how momentum can help a movie during award’s season. I mean, is that movie any different just because it won the PGA award? Either way, it’s great to see the race heating up--and it’s never fun when George Clooney comes up to announce the award for Best Picture when you already know what it is.

Other winners include "Up," which scored best-animated film while "The Cove" took home best documentary.

The Academy Award nominations will be announced February 2, 2010.

The full list of winners:

BEST PICTURE: The Hurt Locker

BEST DOCUMENTARY: The Cove

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Up

STANLEY KRAMER AWARD: Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

BEST TV COMEDY: 30 Rock

BEST TV DRAMA: Mad Men

BEST TV LONG FORM: Grey Gardens

BEST NON-FICTION TV: 60 Minutes

BEST LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND COMPETITION: The Colbert Report

DAVID O. SELZNICK AWARD: John Lasseter

VANGUARD AWARD: Joss Whedon

MILESTONE AWARD: Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

So, the ceremony's over, the winners are in, and it's less than a month away until the nominations are announced for the Academy Awards. Plenty of the winners last night will undoubtedly be making an appearance at the Oscars. So, without further ado, what films and television series were honored with a Globe?

As for the big awards, "Best Picture - Drama" and "Best Picture - Musical or Comedy," the winners were certainly among the most popular nominations. James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar" (perhaps you've heard of it?) brought home the prize for the Drama category, and in a rather surprising turn, "The Hangover" took the gold for the Comedy category, overcoming another nominee and its primary competitor, "(500) Days of Summer."

Cameron also managed to grab the trophy for Best Director. Few surprises there, and it's all the more appropriate as "Avatar" draws closer and closer to overcoming Cameron's other box office smash and Best Picture winner, "Titanic." As much as I would've liked to see "Up in the Air" or "Inglourious Basterds" get both Picture and Director, it's hard to deny the impact Cameron's film had on the industry in 2009. Pixar proves once again to have a hold on awards season with "Up," taking home the award for Best Animated Feature.

In the film acting categories, there weren't many surprises. Chrisoph Waltz received the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the sinister Hans Landa in "Inglourious Basterds," Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of a real monster of a mother in "Precious," Meryl Streep won Best Actress - Comedy for her role in "Julie & Julia" (for which she gave a heartwarming and wonderful speech thanking her mother for inspiring her), Jeff Bridges beat out George Clooney for the Best Actor - Drama award for "Crazy Heart," and Robert Downey Jr. won the Best Actor - Comedy award for his portrayal of "Sherlock Holmes" in the film of the same name, beating out my personal favorites Matt Damon ("The Informant") and Michael Stuhlbarg ("A Serious Man").

The most appropriate award for acting, however, went to Sandra Bullock, who won the Best Actress - Drama award for "The Blind Side." 2009 was a killer comeback year for the actress, and it's only suitable that she receive the award for one of the films that did it for her.

The award for Best Screenplay went to the very deserving Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for "Up in the Air," and Reitman gave an excellent speech describing his revelatory experience working with George Clooney, who received particular attention at the ceremony due to the generous work he's doing for relief in Haiti.

The TV drama "Dexter" took home the awards for both Supporting Actor and Best Actor - Drama for John Lithgow and Michael C. Hall, respectively. Alec Baldwin wasn't present to accept his award for Best Actor - Comedy for "30 Rock," which lost the best TV Series - Comedy award to "Glee," which has rapidly grown in popularity since its debut.

Probably the greatest moment during the show came when Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio came onstage to present their friend and collaborator Martin Scorsese with the honorary Cecil B. Demille award for overall career excellence. Scorsese receiving his award from the two extraordinarily talented actors who have proven to be among his greatest muses was truly a sight to behold, and the master director's brilliant speech describing the wonders and importance of cinema alone made the entire ceremony worth watching. There are few filmmakers I can respect as highly as Scorsese, and this one simple, beautiful speech conveyed what is so great about cinema moreso than I ever could.

The ceremony was hosted by first-timer Rickey Gervais, and it would be an understatement to say his performance will be a controversial one. Throughout the whole ceremony, he made sardonic but painfully hilarious jokes about NBC, the Jay Leno controversy, celebrities, the Golden Globes themselves, and every single presenter he brought onstage. With a knife, you could cut the tension caused by his comedy, so much so that it's no surprise that Gervais himself announced multiple times, "Well, I won't be coming back next year." Regardless, it was one of the funniest and most entertaining hosting jobs I've seen in a long while, and was very typical of the comedian's typical humor.

The awards won are a definite indication of what we'll be seeing come March for the Academy Awards, and I'm sure now more than ever that "Avatar" will be the one coming out on top when we finally see Oscar winners.

Overall, this was one of the more swift and amusing Golden Globes in recent years, with some surprising winners, both deserving and otherwise.  More importantly, it was a celebration of the entertainers that keep us in good spirits even in the hard times our world continues to face.

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

So, the ceremony's over, the winners are in, and it's less than a month away until the nominations are announced for the Academy Awards. Plenty of the winners last night will undoubtedly be making an appearance at the Oscars. So, without further ado, what films and television series were honored with a Globe?

As for the big awards, "Best Picture - Drama" and "Best Picture - Musical or Comedy," the winners were certainly among the most popular nominations. James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar" (perhaps you've heard of it?) brought home the prize for the Drama category, and in a rather surprising turn, "The Hangover" took the gold for the Comedy category, overcoming another nominee and its primary competitor, "(500) Days of Summer."

Cameron also managed to grab the trophy for Best Director. Few surprises there, and it's all the more appropriate as "Avatar" draws closer and closer to overcoming Cameron's other box office smash and Best Picture winner, "Titanic." As much as I would've liked to see "Up in the Air" or "Inglourious Basterds" get both Picture and Director, it's hard to deny the impact Cameron's film had on the industry in 2009. Pixar proves once again to have a hold on awards season with "Up," taking home the award for Best Animated Feature.

In the film acting categories, there weren't many surprises. Chrisoph Waltz received the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the sinister Hans Landa in "Inglourious Basterds," Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of a real monster of a mother in "Precious," Meryl Streep won Best Actress - Comedy for her role in "Julie & Julia" (for which she gave a heartwarming and wonderful speech thanking her mother for inspiring her), Jeff Bridges beat out George Clooney for the Best Actor - Drama award for "Crazy Heart," and Robert Downey Jr. won the Best Actor - Comedy award for his portrayal of "Sherlock Holmes" in the film of the same name, beating out my personal favorites Matt Damon ("The Informant") and Michael Stuhlbarg ("A Serious Man").

The most appropriate award for acting, however, went to Sandra Bullock, who won the Best Actress - Drama award for "The Blind Side." 2009 was a killer comeback year for the actress, and it's only suitable that she receive the award for one of the films that did it for her.

The award for Best Screenplay went to the very deserving Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for "Up in the Air," and Reitman gave an excellent speech describing his revelatory experience working with George Clooney, who received particular attention at the ceremony due to the generous work he's doing for relief in Haiti.

The TV drama "Dexter" took home the awards for both Supporting Actor and Best Actor - Drama for John Lithgow and Michael C. Hall, respectively. Alec Baldwin wasn't present to accept his award for Best Actor - Comedy for "30 Rock," which lost the best TV Series - Comedy award to "Glee," which has rapidly grown in popularity since its debut.

Probably the greatest moment during the show came when Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio came onstage to present their friend and collaborator Martin Scorsese with the honorary Cecil B. Demille award for overall career excellence. Scorsese receiving his award from the two extraordinarily talented actors who have proven to be among his greatest muses was truly a sight to behold, and the master director's brilliant speech describing the wonders and importance of cinema alone made the entire ceremony worth watching. There are few filmmakers I can respect as highly as Scorsese, and this one simple, beautiful speech conveyed what is so great about cinema moreso than I ever could.

The ceremony was hosted by first-timer Rickey Gervais, and it would be an understatement to say his performance will be a controversial one. Throughout the whole ceremony, he made sardonic but painfully hilarious jokes about NBC, the Jay Leno controversy, celebrities, the Golden Globes themselves, and every single presenter he brought onstage. With a knife, you could cut the tension caused by his comedy, so much so that it's no surprise that Gervais himself announced multiple times, "Well, I won't be coming back next year." Regardless, it was one of the funniest and most entertaining hosting jobs I've seen in a long while, and was very typical of the comedian's typical humor.

The awards won are a definite indication of what we'll be seeing come March for the Academy Awards, and I'm sure now more than ever that "Avatar" will be the one coming out on top when we finally see Oscar winners.

Overall, this was one of the more swift and amusing Golden Globes in recent years, with some surprising winners, both deserving and otherwise.  More importantly, it was a celebration of the entertainers that keep us in good spirits even in the hard times our world continues to face.