Oscar nominations out in Zero Dark Thirty?

It's that time of the year again - Oscar nominations will shortly be announced. This annual event is like Christmas to movie awards watchers like me! Here are my final predictions for the nominations for the 6 major categories of the 85th Annual Academy Awards.



Best Picture
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
John Hawkes - The Sessions
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Denzel Washington - Flight

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - The Master
Sally Fields - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Maggie Smith - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin - Argo
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Best Director
Ben Affleck - Argo
Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty
Tom Hooper - Les Miserables
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln

For every category, I can think of other contenders that could very well make it onto the shortlist in place of my predictions but these are my final predictions and I will stick to them! They do not reflect what I think the nominations should be, just what I think they will be. The actual nominations are being announced in less than an hour by Emma Stone and this year's host Seth MacFarlane so I will update this post once they have been released.

Update

My Best Picture nominee predictions lined up with the actual nominees perfectly...except for the fact that the Academy went with nine nominees while I had predicted ten nominees. The only one that I had predicted which ended up being omitted from the Academy's list is 'Moonrise Kingdom'.

We can all look forward to Adele belting out the theme song from 'Skyfall' on the Oscar telecast next month! The Grammy winner is now an Academy Award nominee, as a co-writer of the song.

I didn't think that it would happen but Quvenzhané Wallis has made history as the youngest ever nominee for Best Actress for her debut performance in 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'. At the tender age of 9, Wallis beats the previous record holder Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was nominated in the same category at the age of 13 in 2004 for 'Whale Rider'. She takes the spot that I had predicted was 2008's Best Actress Ocar winner Marion Cotillard's, for her bold performance in 'Rust and Bone'. Cotillard was already a nominee at the Golden Globes, th SAG Awards and the BAFTAs whereas Wallis was not nominated at these other precursor awards at all (although, to be fair, she was not eligible at the SAG since her movie was non-union). This goes to show that the Academy does make these unexpeted, independent choices on their own will.

Another record was broken in the Best Actress category today. At 85, Emmanuelle Riva becomes the oldest Best Actress nominee ever for her performance in Best Picture nominee 'Amour'. Jessica Tandy previously held this record, when she was nominated for playing the title role in 'Driving Miss Daisy' at the age of 80.

Meanwhile, I did pretty badly in the Best Director category, getting only 2 out of 5! The two eventual nominees that I had predicted were Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg. The Academy is usually a fan of actors who emerge as credible directors so it is a bit of a shock that the directors' branch has snubbed Ben Affleck for 'Argo'. Kathryn Bigelow, who became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar in 2010 for 'The Hurt Locker', was also a shock omission considering the level of acclaim the film has garnered. Perhaps, the controversy surrounding the film's torture scenes and the Senate investigation into the filmmakers' acccess to confidential CIA files made some voters uneasy. Tom Hooper, who won this category just two years ago for 'The King's Speech', was also snubbed for his work on 'Les Miserables'. These three directors' loss were the gains of David O. Russell (perhaps, 'Silver Linings Playbook' is the real threat to 'Lincoln' for that Best Picture Oscar!), Michael Haneke (for one of my personal favourites of 2012 'Amour') and Benh Zeitlin for 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'. This nomination, along with the film's nods in Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay, goes to show that no matter how small your film's budget, you can still capture the hearts and imagination of even the most discerning of audiences.

For the first time in 31 years, a movie has achieved a nomination in all four acting categories. 'Silver Linings Playbook' sees leads Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence nominated along side supporting players Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver. This is the first time that this has happened since 1982, with Warren Beatty's 'Reds'. This was predicted by some award watchers but it was not a given since De Niro had not been nominated at the Golden Globes or the BAFTAs. Meanwhile, this is the first time that Weaver had been cited by anybody. If you're going to be nominated for just one award, how great that it should be an Academy Award!

Click here to get the full list of nominees!

Burlesque!!

OMFG!!! I am so excited about 'Burlesque', the original movie musical that's coming out in America around Thanksgiving. It's going to be Christina Aguilera's big screen debut and it's about a small town girl who moves to the big city to become a star...not the most original storyline but who fucking cares. The movie costars Cher....fucking Cher! Cher won the Oscar for 'Moonstruck'....and don't you forget it!!! I really love that Cher got top billing over Christina, too...it's all about respect!

Sex and the City: Sinking in Quicksand?

Tonight, I went to see 'Sex and the City 2' and I had a blast. The reviews for the sequel to 2008's smash hit silver screen adaptation of the long-running HBO series have been mostly negative. Criticism ranges from charges of racism (a large chunk of the movie is set in the United Arab Emirates and the way these American women view the traditional Muslim culture of their host country is surprisingly condescending considering that they are supposedly cosmopolitan New Yorkers), misogyny (due to references to Samantha's desperation to maintain her youthful vitality) and being cultural irrelevant (for a film that was conceived, written and produced during one of the worst global economic downturn in recent history, the film's blatant materialism could be viewed as either much needed escapism or a film about four white women with the kind of problems that the rest of us could only dream of having). Worst of all is the charge that the movie is completely lacking any genuine drama. Considering that the movie has already earned $14.2 million at the North American box office on Thursday alone (presumably from midnight screenings since the movie officially opened on Friday), it looks like what critics have to say won't affect the film's commercial success too much.

As someone who loves the legacy of the groundbreaking original series and was genuinely moved by the dark places the first film dared to go, I must confess that I found it slightly disappointing that this movie does not have the same emotional impact as its predecessors. Furthermore, it was not the smartest decision for Michael Patrick King, the writer and director of both films and the main creative force behind the latter, and arguably best, seasons of the show, to lose the so-called fifth lady of this group - Lady New York herself. When I saw the preview for the film for the first time, I thought that the trip to the desert would be a brief retreat from the Big Apple but I was wrong. Still, there is so much to enjoy. The movie is a visual feast with lush cinematography and production values truly worthy of an old Hollywood musical. What the movie has to say about the challenges of sustaining romance and 'sparkle' in a marriage when domesticity starts to take over is interesting and there are some very enjoyable moments that shine in their high camp appeal, like the four stars singing karaoke to 'I Am Woman', Liza Minnelli performing 'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)' at a gay wedding (the film's not so subtle wink to its gay audience) and a fun flashback sequence when we see what the women looked like in the 80s.

However, the film's biggest assets continue to be the four actresses who have brought these characters to life for almost 14 years. After all this time, these ladies can work miracles with even the most limiting of material. Sarah Jessica Parker is never less than engaging as the iconic Carrie Bradshaw (now Carrie Preston, as Stanford reminds her) while Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis are endearing in a scene where they discuss the pressures of modern motherhood. Best of all is Kim Cattrall as the insatiable Samantha Jones who refuses to give into both menopause and the conformities of a conservative society. Seeing these four women continue to be fabulous as they grow older is a testament to the lingering theme of female empowerment of the original tv series and honors what fans have always loved about this enduring cultural phenomenon.

Thai Palme d'Or

A Thai film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for the very first time on Sunday. As well as having the most original title amongst the competition at this year's festival, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's 'Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives' also won the top prize from the jury, which was headed by US director Tim Burton. The timing of this crowning achievement for Thai cinema comes as the country is reeling from months of civil unrest and bloodshed so it is particularly poignant that the people of Thailand have this source of pride to briefly distract them from the political turmoil that they have been enduring at home. The movie has been getting positive reviews from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety but it was still considered a longshot for the top prize, especially when there were more popular contenders like the UK's 'Another Year', directed by Cannes favorite Mike Leigh. Mr Weerasethakul is not exactly a newcomer to Cannes himself, having won a Jury Prize at the 2004 Festival for 'Tropical Malady'. This win is significant not just to Thai cinema but to Asian cinema as a whole as it is the first time that a film from Asia won the top prize in Cannes since 1997, when Japan's 'The Eel' tied with Iran's 'The Taste of Cherry'. Accepting the award, Mr Weerasethakul said: ' I would like to thank all the spirits and all the ghosts in Thailand who made it possible for me to be here. '

The actor and actress prizes went to European stars who are best known to international audiences for their respective Oscar-winning turns. France's Juliette Binoche was recognized for her performance in Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's film 'Certified Copy' while Spain's Javier Bardem shared his Best Actor award (for his work in Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu's 'Biutiful') with Italy's Elio Germano for 'Our Life'.

The Ghost of Tony Blair

This weekend, I went to see Roman Polanski's 'The Ghost' and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Roman Polanski's very public legal troubles have almost overshadowed this fascinating thriller but I believe that it will stand as one of the most enthralling movies of 2010. Adapted for the screen by Polanski and Robert Harris, from the latter's own novel, the movie is about a ghost writer working on the autobiography of a once-popular former British Prime Minister named Adam Lang who now faces calls for indictment for his involvement in a very unpopular war. Sounds familiar? All similarities to Tony Blair are entirely intentional.
Pierce Brosnan is a formidable presence as our beleaguered former Head of State while Ewan McGregor is fantastically droll (there were certain moments when he reminded me of a younger, more handsome Ricky Gervais - no offense, Ricky) as the unknown ghost writer. I must also mention what a joy it was to see Kim Catttrall so engaging in a role other than Samantha Jones and to see Olivia Williams run away with the entire film for her portrayal of the fiercely intelligent and questionable wife of the former PM (a wonderful contrast to her lovely performance as a kind-hearted schoolteacher in the recent Best Picture Oscar nominee 'An Education').

While subtlety is the key to the success of the thriller element of the movie, it is the transparent allusions to Halliburton, Condoleeza Rice, Robin Cook and the Blairs themselves that make this film such a timely and entertaining political satire. Polanski has already won the Best Director award at this year's Berlin Film Festival. I sincerely hope that this film will be remembered come next year's movie awards season.

Less than two months to go!!!

The final version of the trailer for Sex and the City 2 was released today and boy, does it deliver!!! I love how just a month ago, John Corbett was telling the press that the return of Aidan Shaw in the sequel to 2008's smash hit big-screen adaption of the iconic HBO series was a false rumor and here he is, featured prominently in the trailer. Just when you thought, how are they going to make another movie when Carrie got married at the end of the last film...
Also, I gotta say that I'm lovin' the ladies being taken out of New York City and transplanted in Abu Dhabi rather than the obvious choices of going to London or Paris (mind you, they already did that, haven't they)...now, that's being truly cosmopolitan!

It's NOT Complicated!

Alec Baldwin's stunning performance in the hit comedy 'It's Complicated' finally got some awards attention today, with the veteran film and television star scoring a best supporting actor nomination from the British Film Academy. I am glad that the BAFTAs have the good sense to acknowledge his hilarious and touching work as the ex-husband of domestic goddess, Meryl Streep. On paper, the character is the archetypical alpha-male who follows his impulses as if blissfully unaware of the emotional repercussions of his actions, not just to himself but also, to others. It could have been an ordeal witnessing the trials and triumphs of this obnoxious man-child but Mr. Baldwin gives the character his unique charisma and a whole lotta heart. The seemingly spontaneous energy of his dynamite, vanity-free performance, no doubt, contributed to the loosey-goosey feel of Ms. Streep's equally phenomenal performance. After having been snubbed at both the Golden Globes (where 'It's Complicated' was nominated for best comedy/musical, best actress and best screenplay) and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, I am thrilled that Alec Baldwin is finally getting recognition for his beautiful work in this poignantly funny movie, which I have taken to my heart. Here's hoping that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will reward this amazing star for his star turn!

Oh, Mariah, noooooooooo......

Happy new year, y'all! To celebrate a new beginning and leaving your past behind, I have a little treat for you. It's a short clip of Mariah Carey accepting her award for Breakthrough Performance for her work in 'Precious' at the Palm Springs Film Festival. To say that Mimi's speech was a little incoherent would be putting it mildly....the girl was straight up drunk. Oh, dear.

They say that acceptance speeches given at lesser awards prior to the Oscars are a great opportunity for candidates to raise their profile to Academy members and to audition for a shot at the main golden boy! Jennifer Hudson accepted her Golden Globe for 'Dreamgirls' three years ago with an emotional speech that led to her eventual win at the Oscars. Well, if that's the case, I'm afraid Mariah did her campaign no favors by turning up without a prepared speech and talking out of her ass. Oh, Mimi, I had such high hopes for you and your lovely, subtle performance in 'Precious'....why did you go and ruin it!!! Or, could it be, that this was some sort of genius, subversive strategy on her part to draw an even bigger contrast between her no-nonsense character and her on-another-planet diva persona? If so, well played, Mimi....well played!

What I've been waiting for...

The teaser trailer for the second Sex and the City movie was just released on the internet.....oh....my....gawd....I cannot wait!

Sandra Bullock - Oscar Nominee?

February 2nd, 2010 is when the nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards will be announced. That's more than six weeks away but already, I feel confident in predicting that Sandra Bullock will be one of the five women nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. This prediction is a rather obvious one to make now that Sandra Bullock has been nominated for both a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for her career-shifting performance in 'The Blind Side'. The Screen Actors Guild Award nominations were announced today and they pretty much reflected the Golden Globe nominations and whom I believe will be nominated on February 2nd. I shall make my predictions today and when the time comes, check back and see how many I got right.

Best Actor:

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

George Clooney - Up in the Air

Colin Firth - A Single Man

Morgan Freeman - Invictus

Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

If anyone of these men is at risk, it would be Jeremy Renner. He is the least well-known name on this list and it's possible that Daniel Day-Lewis (Nine), Ben Foster (The Messenger) or Tobey Maguire (Brothers) could take his spot.

Best Actress:

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side

Helen Mirren - The Last Station

Carey Mulligan - An Education

Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

All of these ladies are looking like surefire bets. If anyone of them is snubbed, it'll likely to make room for Emily Blunt (Young Victoria), Abbie Cornish (Bright Star) or Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones).

Best Supporting Actor:

Matt Damon - Invictus

Woody Harrelson - The Messenger

Christopher Plummer - The Last Station

Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones

Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds

This line-up is another one that looks like it won't be changing come Feb. 2nd.

Best Supporting Actress:

Penélope Cruz - Nine

Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air

Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air

Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Julianne Moore - A Single Man

Of the five names here, I think that Julianne Moore might be the only who might not be nominated. If she isn't, I wouldn't be surprised if it was to make room for Samantha Morton (The Messenger) or Mariah Carey (Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire). However, I would be very surprised if SAG award nominee Diane Kruger (Inglorious Basterds) manages to remain on the same list at the Oscars, although pleasantly so! I thought that her performance was absolutely glorious (pun intended) but who knows what the Academy will like. The whole guessing game is absolutely pointless, I know, but boy, do I enjoy it or what!

Double your Golden Globe chances!

The Golden Globe nominations were announced today and several stars emerged double nominees. Those reaping multiple nominations included Meryl Streep (who's a double nominee in the Best Actress - Musical or Comedy category for 'It's Complicated' and 'Julie & Julia'), Sandra Bullock (Best Actress - Musical or Comedy for 'The Proposal' and Best Actress - Drama for 'The Blind Side') and Matt Damon (Best Actor - Musical or Comedy for 'The Informant!' and Best Supporting Actor for 'Invictus'). Meryl Streep's performance in 'Julie & Julia' has already turned the veteran actress turned current box office queen the frontrunner for next year's Best Actress Oscar but it's entirely possible that having two nominations in the same category could end up costing her the Golden Globe, if votes end up being split between the two. Sandra Bullock's nominations top off what has been the most successful year of her career, with both movies that she's nominated for already hugely profitable hits.

Many titles that have generated award buzz for the past few months emerged even stronger contenders in Oscar's Best Picture race, especially now that the field has been expanded from the traditional five nominees to ten nominees. 'Precious' continues to be the little film that could in this upcoming race, with nominations in the Best Drama, Best Actress - Drama (Gabourey Sidibe) and Best Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique) but curiously, no nominations for Best Director (Lee Daniels) and Mariah Carey for Best Supporting Actress. 'Nine' will seems to have Best Musical or Comedy locked up, even though its director, Rob Marshall, was snubbed. Interestingly, Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly noted that in the Best Director race, two of the nominees, Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and James Cameron (Avatar), are former spouses, which must be a Golden Globe first!

On the TV side, I was so happy to see some of my favorite show, 30 Rock, nominated in multiple categories, as well as seeing several new shows that have caught my attention gain recognition, i.e. 'Cougar Town', 'Modern Family', 'Glee' and 'Nurse Jackie'. Actually, that's what I have planned for Christmas day - a marathon of 'Glee' followed by a marathon of 'Nurse Jackie'! Now, that's what I call quality time alone!

'Precious' Spirit Award nominations

It's the beginning of December and I feel like 2009 just flashed by me. Truth be told, I absolutely love this time of year because my version of Christmas is watching the unfolding of the movie awards season. As the year draws to an end, the road to Oscar unofficially begins, even though Oscar nominations aren't announced until early February and the actual ceremony isn't until March 7th, 2010. Actually, for an Oscar fan like me, someone who enjoys handicapping the entertainment industry's highest honors, Oscar season is all year round but it's around this time every year that contenders start to come into focus and pretenders fall by the wayside. On Tuesday, the nominations for the 2010 Spirit Awards were announced. These awards honor achievements in independent, US-funded cinema.

'Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" and 'The Last Station' lead the field with five nominations each. 'Precious', the story of an abused and illiterate Harlem teenager who struggles to find a better life, is the frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar. The movie has been collecting accolades and great acclaim ever since it was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. 'The Last Station' is an account of the battle over the estate of Russian literary giant Leo Tolstoy between the man, played by Christopher Plummer, and his wife, played by Helen Mirren, who has already won the Best Actress prize at the Rome Film Festival for her performance. Both are nominated, with the latter competing against Gabourey Sidibe, the young lady making her professional acting debut playing the eponymous role in 'Precious', in the Best Actress category.

Because the Spirit Awards specifically recognize lower-budget films, success here doesn't necessarily translate to success at the Oscars...but it certainly doesn't hurt a leading contender's Oscar chances and, if anything, only adds to the momentum of award frontrunners. Furthermore, there tends to be quite a number of overlapping in the acting categories between the Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards, ever since Oscar got more hip and wiser to the quality of independent film, especially in telling stories that are character-driven; the kind of meaty opportunities that every actor craves. Just last year, Spirit Award nominee Sean Penn, for Best Actor for his work in 'Milk', went on to win the Oscar. This year, there are several nominees at the Spirit Awards who will likely contend at the Oscars. They include the aforementioned Gabourey Sidibe and her co-star Mo'Nique, who portrays the title character's abusive mother, one of the most horrific parental figures ever committed to celluloid, for 'Precious', Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer for 'The Last Station', Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton for the Iraq war on the homefront movie 'The Messenger', Colin Firth in iconic fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut 'A Single Man' and the current frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar, Jeff Bridges for 'Crazy Heart'.

One performance that was surprisingly omitted from these nominations is Mariah Carey's performance as the social worker who helps the title character to confront her domestic hell in 'Precious', which has been generating a great deal of Oscar buzz for the diva, due to the transformative nature of her role and the revelatory potency of her subtle turn. Carey has already won one award for her work in 'Precious', the Breakthrough Performance Award from the Palm Springs Film Festival. I believe that her journey from making one of the worst-received film debut of all time in 'Glitter' to Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee for 'Precious' will continue because it is clear that the Oscar momentum for 'Precious' will continue to grow in the next few months. No doubt, Mariah will benefit from all the attention the movie is getting. If there is one thing that the Academy loves more than recognizing a good, deserving performance, it's recognizing a good, deserving performance given by someone with a personal trajectory of redemption and triumph over adversity. Now, that's definitely our Mimi!

Ready to 'Scream'...

...all over again?

After the initial announcement that Courtney Cox Arquette and her husband, David Arquette, will be returning to the Scream franchise, where they first met as co-stars almost a decade and a half ago, it was speculated that the fourth installment of the hit horror series would be built around them, as Neve Campbell was unlikely to return....well, guess what, folks? It has been announced that Neve will now be returning, too, and Kevin Williamson, the writer of the original trilogy is now penning a whole new trilogy. It is also reported that Wes Craven, the director of the first three Scream movies, is also in negotiations. Personally, I loved the first Scream movie like nobody's business. Maybe coz it came out when I was still in high school and watching the movie when it came out made me appreciate that my high school experience was not as wanton and violent as the one depicted in the movie. After all, this was the late 90s, the time of the Columbine high school massacre.

I don't know what they are gonna do with the original characters when a whole new story is being written...I mean, it's kinda stretching credibility way too thin to put these poor (albeit, fictional) souls through more hell...still, I'm curious to see what Mr. Williamson will come up with. More than anything, I am thrilled that Neve Campbell is back. I was not a fan of Ms. Campbell when she was on Party of Five and The Craft. It was only after the original Scream trilogy finished that I became a huge fan of hers, when I saw her in Robert Altman's The Company, in 2003...but back to Scream. Let's hope Mr. Craven signs on to direct because it won't be the same without his expert touch! Boy, that's when you know you're getting old....when the period when you were in high school gets a nostalgic revival!