New Predix: Best Picture/Director

BEST PICTURE

1. Atonement-I know everyone is predicting it, but seriously...they've got good reason. Just look at the reviews...

2. There Will be Blood-After a few months, I have a feeling that the buzz will reach the level of the above.

3. No Country for Old Men-Another one to watch out for. I sincerely think that this is the return of the Coen brothers...

4. Juno-...because I need a comedy in the lineup until it's impossible.

5. Charlie Wilson's War-I thought that the trailer was very underrated, and I still forsee this as a hit.

IN THE RUNNING

6. The Kite Runner-I've still got a good feeling, but the buzz is fleeting.

7. Sweeney Todd-My prediction: a hit with audiences and critics, but not the Academy.

8. The Savages-The once sure-thing comedy is now being overshadowed by Juno. And its lack of festival submission is bewildering.

9. Into the Wild-Seriously, where is this buzz coming from?

10. American Gangster-The buzz has vanished. At last.

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Paul Thomas Anderson-There Will be Blood-I have a strong feeling that this will be the film of 2007, but I'm not ready to predict it for BP yet. So we'll go with Best Director.

2. Joe Wright-Atonement-The buzz is really too strong to resist in any way.

3. Joel and Ethan Cohen-No Country for Old Men-Dual directors have it tough, but if this film is as successful as I think it will be...

4. Marc Forster-The Kite Runner-I have a feeling that the loss of buzz is only temporary. Let's hope so, because Forster really deserves a nomination.

5. Mike Nichols-Charlie Wilson's War-Am I the only one that still has confidence in this project?

IN THE RUNNING

6. Tim Burton-Sweeney Todd-Reviews will tell...

7. David Cronenberg-Eastern Promises-Despite the fantastic reviews, the buzz has not lasted.

8. Jason Reitman-Juno-I actually think he has a pretty good chance, but sleeper comedies are rarely rewarded in Best Director.

9. Todd Haynes-I'm Not There-The film will probably be rewarded as a whole in the Best Supporting Actress category.

10. Tamara Jenkins-The Savages-I'm losing my faith quickly...

New Predix: Best Actor

BEST ACTOR

1. Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will be Blood-The reviews have been outstanding, and everyone knows that this man is amazing. Still, does he deserve another statuette yet?

2. James McAvoy-Atonement-His nomination is almost inevitable when you consider how likely it is that Atonement will be a huge hit.

3. Tom Hanks-Charlie Wilson's War-I, for one, liked the trailer, and I think he has a great chance.

4. George Clooney-Michael Clayton-The reviews have been great, but seriously...where is the buzz?

5. John Cusack-Grace is Gone-Just because I have a good feeling about it.

IN THE RUNNING

6. Johnny Depp-Sweeney Todd-The trailer was both horrible and not baity. Still, it's been a hit for fans.

7. Benicio del Toro-Things We Lost in the Fire-The reviews for him have been very positive, but the Academy could just view this as a comeback vehicle for his co-star.

8. Emile Hirch-Into the Wild-The internet buzz has been fantastic, but in reality, it seems unlikely.

9. Tommy Lee Jones-In the Valley of Elah-I seriously do not get why so many people are including him in their predix. The film has been basically forgotten.

10. Joaquin Phoenix-Reservation Road-His chances are looking slimmer every day.

London Film Festival: First Update

As I said before, I'm going to be attending the London Film Festival and I'll be seeing Grace is Gone, Rescue Dawn, I'm Not There, The Savages, Juno, Bee Movie, and (as of about an hour ago) Eastern Promises (the Opening Night gala). Although Rescue Dawn and Eastern Promises have already been released in the United States, I'll still be sure to give the best review possible for those two. The festival officially starts this Wednesday with, as I said earlier, Eastern Promises. After that, my next film that I have tickets for is on the 27th of October so there will be a large gap in between Eastern Promises and my next film, Grace is Gone. I may get to go to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford or an exclusive session with Steve Buscemi on the 19th so, if I do, there will be coverage on those as well.

I'm extremely excited to represent Oscar Obsession at the LFF and I hope you are all looking forward to coverage of this great event.

The Official "Charlie Wilson's War" Trailer

The trailer for Charlie Wilson's War can be seen here.

I'm much more optimistic now then I was when I saw the ET exclusive (which, to be completely straightforward, sucked). Philip Seymour Hoffman looks great as does Tom Hanks.

What are your thoughts?

Michael Clayton: In Review

Michael Clayton: In Review

"Michael Clayton" is, certainly, one of the best films that we've seen from 2007 so far. That being said, it is not completely perfect but it isn't too far off either. To keep this brief, the actors are what make this film as great as it was. George Clooney turns a career best performance, surpassing his Academy Award winning role in "Syriana" by at least a mile, that may or may not end up making the cut. Best Actor is pretty open for a new contender and Clooney isn't that bad of a choice. Tom Wilkinson steals the show as Arthur Edens, an attorney who strips naked in a meeting room and professes his love to the plaintiff in the case he has been working on. Wilkinson's performance is one of the best supporting roles of the year. To put this into perspective, if this film were released last year then he would have gotten a nomination for sure. He is spectacular. Tilda Swinton, although gathering lots and lots of buzz, does a great job but it is not necessarily, in my book, worthy of a nomination. That being said, I seem to be alone on this. I wouldn't be disappointed at all if she ended up with one but she won't be making my end of the year list. The screenplay is full of jargon and great diction which proves to work for the better as it creates an undeniably strong screenplay that deserves to be honored. It's a great film that I most definitely recommend, it is very worth seeing. B+

Atonement: In Review

Atonement: In Review

Fortunately for me, the best film of the year, so far, has been in England since exactly a month ago. I must admit, I was not interested in the film whatsoever when it was first announced and even when the trailer was released. This weekend, I came to the realization that one of the top Oscar buzzed projects of the year was within my grasp and I had not yet taken the liberty to go and see it. So, I decided that this weekend I would go out and see three different films. I saw Ratatouille, finally, at an advanced screening (it doesn't come out in the UK until next week), Michael Clayton (it has been here since the 28th of September, review to come at a later time), and Atonement. Atonement is currently 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and rightfully so. When I saw this figure before I saw the film, I laughed. I couldn't believe that this film that I was so sure would be all visual delight and no depth was getting such outstanding reviews. So, as I walked into the theatre today expecting nothing more than a frivolous period piece, I was very pleasantly surprised. As I said earlier, this is the best film of the year so far. When the film starts, the first five minutes or so resemble a "Pride and Prejudice 2". About ten to fifteen minutes later, I realized that it was anything but. You are thrown into this brilliantly weaved story about lies, deception, misunderstandings, sex, lust, war, violence, love, hate, redemption, and so much more. This is the first film that I've seen in a long time that I have genuinely wished that it would not end.

Keira Knightely and James McAvoy are both fantastic. While I can't say that either of them are likely to win, they are both extremely worthy of at least being nominated for Academy Awards, McAvoy being the more likely for a win. As far as the acting goes, though, the film belongs to Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai as Briony, at ages 13 and 18 respectively. They both deserve Oscar nominations although the sad reality is that there is a better chance of just one being nominated. I would say that Ronan, who is the better of the two, would get the nomination over Garai. Vanessa Redgrave also has, although it is basically a cameo, a small role as the much older Briony. In her very limited scene(s), she is brilliant. While there aren't really any other possible contenders who could come out of this film, the whole ensemble really is terrific.

The technicalities of the film are just as good. The score used in Atonement is one of the best that I have heard in a very long time...it uses a typewriter as an instrument. That's highly original and also gives the film a very cool tone. I assure you, the score is a major contender at the Oscars. The editing is crisp, the cinematography is wonderful, the sets are gorgeous...every technical aspect of the film is fantastic. One particular scene that is engraved in my mind is, during the portion of the film that deals with Robbie (McAvoy) in the war, a scene at the beach in Dunkirk. There are soldiers all over the beach, some are laughing and playing around on abandoned carnival rides while some others are crying on the beach and miserable. In the background, you see a ferris wheel and a pavilion of soldiers singing. It captures the mood of this part of the film unbelievably well and I was completely moved.

Atonement is a fantastic film in all aspects whether it be the superb direction of Joe Wright, the masterful score, or the exceptional performances from the cast. The film is a triumph and completely deserves the title of Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards at the beginning of next year. Congratulations Atonement, you not only exceeded my expectations but went so far beyond what I expected that you might as well be in outer space. A

Helena Bonham Carter is Going Lead

I win.

The Trailer Has Landed!

The trailer for "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" can be seen here

It's about damn time.

Predictions: Best Actress

BEST ACTRESS

1. Keira Knightley-Atonement-There is no frontrunner whatsoever so far, so we'll just go with Keira because of Atonement's popularity.

2. Ellen Page-Juno-The support from Ebert and other top critics could be enough.

3. Laura Linney-The Savages-We need at least one dependable actress here, and who is more dependable than Ms. Linney? Well, Cate Blanchett, but...well...you know...

4. Nicole Kidman-Margot at the Wedding-The reviews have been strong enough for her to make the cut...probably.

5. Julianne Moore-Savage Grace-Like Linney, Moore always gives a good performance. However, the film has hardly any buzz.

IN THE RUNNING

6. Cate Blanchett-The Golden Age-Though her performance has been one of the most loved this year, it doesn't overshadow how much critics disliked this film. Still, there is time...

7. Halle Berry-Things We Lost in the Fire-I've had a good feeling about this all year and it's finally getting some buzz, but I need hard evidence before I put Berry in the lineup.

8. Marion Cotillard-La Vie en Rose-The buzz is fading just in time for awards season. Predictable.

9. Julie Christie-Away From Her-See above.

10. Helena Bonham Carter-Sweeney Todd-Again, let's wait until they officially announce that she's supporting. And speaking of Sweeney Todd, are we EVER going to get a trailer??

Poor Cate...

Just look at these raves for her performance:

"Cate Blanchett in the title role lets out so much fury at the Spanish for their invasion, so much envy at her favorite lady-in-waiting."
-Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve

"Her [Blanchett's] Elizabeth is so indisputably flesh-and-blood that no further point need be made of it."
-Todd McCarthy, Variety

"Dominated by bravura, [an] Oscar-caliber turn from Cate Blanchett"
-Emanuel Levy, emanuellevy.com

And look at what the same critics said about the film:

"Bombastic music and lavish costumes cannot disguise the film's coming across as a ho-hum high-school lesson in historical fiction."
-Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve

"Production values most excel in the costume, makeup and hair departments, and least excel in the musical score, which almost never takes a break and bludgeons the ears in the worst modern manner."
-Todd McCarthy, Variety

"Using the same kitschy, hysterical, sensualist approach to the second chapter in what promises to be a multi-saga series, Shekar Kapur again proves that he is a superficial stylist."
-Emanuel Levy, emanuellevy.com

Sigh. Proof, again, that trailers mean nothing. And if that weren't enough, Rendition is flunking with critics, too. Unless The Golden Age's RT rating somehow goes from 33% to 80%, Cate will probably be left out. So sad. Does this not echo something that we heard...oh, say, two weeks ago with The Brave One?

London Film Festival

One of the less talked about film festivals of the year is coming up in a little less than a month. I live in the area so I purchased my tickets today (since I read The Times I got advance booking). So, I'm seeing six films and I may try and see some other ones by standing in lines the day of. These are the ones that I am attending-

(in order of viewing)

1. Grace is Gone
2. Rescue Dawn (hasn't come out in UK yet)
3. Bee Movie
4. I'm Not There
5. The Savages
6. Juno

I said earlier I was going to try and wait in line for some and those would be-

1. Steve Buscemi (doing an exclusive interview...not to be confused with his movie "Interview")
2. The Assassination of Jesse James...

Look forward to coverage and reviews for all of these films.

New Predix: Best Original Screenplay/Best Supporting Actress

This category DESPERATELY needed an update.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. The Savages
2. Margot at the Wedding
3. The Bucket List
4. I'm Not There (I've given in)
5. Juno

IN THE RUNNING

6. Ratatouille (seriously...where's the buzz?)
7. Knocked Up/Superbad (see above)
8. Waitress
9. Eastern Promises
10. In the Valley of Elah

Supporting Actress could use an update, too.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Jennifer Jason Leigh-Margot at the Wedding-She's so overdue for a nod that it hurts, and the raves are in. She looks solid.

2. Cate Blanchett-I'm Not There-Sigh. She got the reviews. My bomb-of-the-year prediction has failed.

3. Romola Garai-Atonement-The strongest looking contender so far this year, the Academy is likely to nominate it everywhere it can.

4. Evan Rachel Wood-In Bloom-Probably not, but this is a very slow category, so she'll act as our space filler.

5. Julia Roberts-Charlie Wilson's War-See above

IN THE RUNNING

6. Helena Bonham Carter-Sweeney Todd-Sadly, she'll probably be nominated in this category, but we'll leave her out until we're 100% sure.

7. Meryl Streep-Rendition-The reviews haven't been that good, so now she just has to rely on being Meryl (though that may be enough).

8. Saoirse Ronan-Atonement-A very meaty role, but she still has to overcome the youth factor.

9. Abbie Cornish-The Golden Age-Like "Rendition", the trailer was downright amazing, but the reviews have been pretty bad.

10. Susan Sarandon-In the Valley of Elah-It would be typical of Paul Haggis to campaign this to death, but the reviews haven't quite been good enough for that.

The Darjeeling Limited

Thanks to Awards Daily, formerly Oscar Watch, we have found a clip of Wes Anderson's upcoming film, The Darjeeling Limited.

Focus Features: This Year's Studio to Beat

I just found their YouTube page, and I gotta say that I was surprised. They've got three big contenders coming out this year, and it took me until now to realize it. Look at these trailers!

ATONEMENT


LUST, CAUTION


EASTERN PROMISES


Proof that they're the most dependable studio in Hollywood (along with Pixar). Not to mention that all of these have received rave reviews so far, and are in serious Oscar contention (well, maybe not with Eastern Promises, unless they campaign their asses off). Bravo!

(Oh, and we'll be getting some prediction updates soon. Sorry it took so damn long!)

Important Film Openings This Week

What a busy weekend!

THE BRAVE ONE
44% on Rotten Tomatoes
56/100 on MetaCritic

The film won't get anywhere, that's for sure, but even the most negative reviews have praised Jodie Foster. Hard to believe she hasn't been nominated since 1994. A win is totally out of the question, but she can easily get a Globe nod, and if she gets the SAG nomination, then perhaps she can snag a spot in Oscar's top 5, too. Not likely, but, at this point, it's possible. Time will tell.

EASTERN PROMISES
84% on Rotten Tomatoes
83/100 on MetaCritic

It's been very well received, but not in an Oscar-friendly way. It comes off as more of a straight-up thriller, rather than a political/psychological thriller. And the reviews aren't quite positive enough for a movie of that type to become a major Oscar contender. But if critics include it on their Top 10's come January, it could happen.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
46% on Rotten Tomatoes
59/100 on MetaCritic

The trailer make it look amazing. Maybe even amazing enough that the Academy could overcome how offbeat it is. But, with reviews like these, that's not likely. Even technical nods are starting to seem unlikely.

SILK
10% on Rotten Tomatoes
37/100 on MetaCritic

I briefly considered that Keira Knightley may get a nod for this. Now I know otherwise. But don't worry, Kiera fans. She's still got Atonement.


IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
67% on Rotten Tomatoes
64/100 on MetaCritic

Paul Haggis and his ultra-campaigning ways may not be enough for this one. Too bad that the film didn't live up to the trailer (which means that The Golden Age had better be amazing!).


Well it's about time that some of the predicted contenders fall. I was sick of hearing all of the Atonement, Lust, Caution, Charlie Wilson's War and There Will Be Blood raves. Nothing makes it feel like Oscar season more than seeing top contenders not living up to the hype. We're only a few months away from that time of the year!

Jon Stewart Likely to Host 2008 Oscars

From The New York Times:

The Academy Awards haven’t exactly turned into a yearly show with Jon Stewart. But Mr. Stewart, the political satirist and star of “The Daily Show,” is getting another shot at the Oscar podium.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which bestows the Oscars, is expected to bring back Mr. Stewart, who was host of the ceremony in 2006. An announcement is scheduled for Wednesday, according to two people involved with the plan who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to the news media.

A spokesman for the academy declined to comment.

And a publicist for Mr. Stewart declined to comment. The show, scheduled for Feb. 24 on ABC, will be produced by Gil Cates, who was also the producer when Mr. Stewart made his appearance in 2006.
------------

Yay!

LUST, CAUTION wins the Golden Lion!

Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" takes the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Perhaps the subject matter isn't a turn off...

Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt(how did this happen?) pick up the two acting awards.

Newest MPAA Ratings

Persepolis Animation	SPC	12/25/07	PG-13	mature thematic material including violent images, sexual references, language and brief drug content
Bonneville Drama	SenA	2/29/08	PG	some mild language and innuendo
Control Music Drama	Wein.	10/10/07	R	language and brief sexuality
The Hunting Party Drama / Thriller	MGM/W	9/7/07	R	strong language and some violent content
The Good Night Fantasy Drama	YFG	10/5/07	R	language and some sexual content
Pathology	MGM	11/30/07	R	disturbing and perverse behavior throughout, including violence, gruesome images, strong sexual content, nudity, drug use and language
Stop Loss War Drama	Par.	3/28/08	R	graphic violence and pervasive language
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Fantasy Drama	Fox	11/16/07	G
Alien Vs. Predator 2 Sci-Fi Horror	Fox	12/25/07	R	violence, gore and language
Shoot 'Em Up Action	NL	9/7/07	R	pervasive strong bloody violence, sexuality and some language
Bee Movie Animation	P/DW	11/2/07	PG	mild suggestive humor, and a brief depiction of smoking

The R for Alien vs. Predator 2 is somewhat surprising, but the first one had all the violence it needed to be R. But don't be surprised if they cut it down to a PG-13. And does anyone else think that Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium will be the best live action family film of the year?

Awesome Trailer for Sweeney Todd!

Too bad it's fake.

GOD! I really need an official one.

"Once" in Review

Um...wow. I have just seen one of the smartest, most original, simplest, best acted and downright best films of the decade. The acclaimed indie features a practically unknown cast, all of whom give great performances, as well as some of the best songs I've heard in a long time--in a movie or otherwise. I really cannot express how highly I recommend the film. I'm not sure if I would call this the best of the year so far, but we'll see soon. If it continues to have such a profound impact on me, it's well on its way. A