Tag Archives: oscars

OSCAR FORECAST: Best Actor 2013

Current Predictions (09/05/12): John Hawkes, THE SESSIONS Denzel Washington, FLIGHT Daniel Day-Lewis, LINCOLN Joaquin Phoenix, THE MASTER Richard Gere, ARBITRAGE Word out of the Venice Film Festival is that Hoffman and Phoenix give dual lead performances of equally stunning proportions … Continue reading

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John Hawkes in The Sessions

With two recent, staggering performances in Winter’s Bone and Martha Marcy May Marlene, John Hawkes has emerged as one of the most important, if still somewhat unrecognized, actors working today. His newest film, The Sessions, has Oscar material written all over … Continue reading

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Can a Doc Compete for Oscar?

When former Academy president Tom Sherak announced that the Oscars would move to a ten-film format, he stated the reasoning was to include “other types of films,” such as “animated films, blockbusters, and documentaries.” The former was immediately awarded a … Continue reading

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OSCAR FORECAST: Best Picture 2013

Best Picture Predictions (08/27/12): Lincoln Les Miserables Anna Karenina Promised Land Beasts of the Southern Wild Argo Life of Pi We’re on the precipice of another awards season and the system has started to syphon out its usual contenders. You … Continue reading

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REVIEW: Savages

The first act of Savages does the unthinkable for a contemporary American picture: takes it’s time to establish characters and interpersonal relationships. The patience shown by director Oliver Stone was a nice way to wash away the one-shot-at-a-time energy of … Continue reading

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FINAL 2012 OSCAR NOMINATIONS PREDICTIONS

For me, the months leading up to the Oscar nomination announcement are generally the most fun. At that time you can scramble to see what’s taken seriously, what’s coming out, what little film has mainstream potential and, inevitably, what classic … Continue reading

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GEMS OF 2011: A Separation

With A Separation, filmmaker Asghar Farhadi throws his storytelling back to a time and style where political statements had to be buried not-so-obviously (a la, say, Mad Men) within the context of a deeply textured, metaphorical plot. Here we get … Continue reading

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REVIEW: The Descendants

Years ago I came across a documentary special about Elephants, the kind of late night viewing that you stumble upon and in your tired stupor become absolutely fascinated by. The one moment that stood out was an extended emotional sequence … Continue reading

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UPDATE: Documentary Feature Shortlist & Predictions

Current Predictions (11-18-11): Pina Bill Cunningham New York We Were Here Buck Project Nim Best Documentary Notes: Well, looks like I was way, way off on my shortlist predictions. The fifteen in the running are below. “Battle for Brooklyn” (RUMER … Continue reading

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REVIEW: We Need to Talk About Kevin

We Need to Talk About Kevin appears under the guise of an emotional view of what makes a school shooter exist. This assessment couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, reports that the film follows a mother’s journey into … Continue reading

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