Too Little, Too Late

I swear I haven't watched the SAG Awards. I swear to Heaven I haven't, since I've been visiting my other favorite cousin all evening. These predictions aren;t just last-minute...they're downright late. I have recorded it, so I'm going to watch it before I read blogs and Twitter. But here's how I think it went down:

BEST ENSEMBLE: The Fighter
BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
BEST ACTRESS: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale, The Fighter
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
BEST STUNT ENSEMBLE: Inception

And, hey, who cares about TV? I will if I get a job with them, but since I can't come up with them off the top of my head, I won't bother predicting them. Let's see if I'm right an hour in the past.

And the Nominees Actually Are...

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

9/10

Toy Story 3 did make it, The Town got left off, making True Grit the only Best Picture nominee that did not make my Top 25 list.  Cool beans!

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
The Coen Bros, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter

4/5

I KNEW NOLAN WAS THE VULNERABLE ONE! I don't remember if I wrote it here, but I know I did on other blogs.  I mean, I still predicted him, but I knew if anyone was going to get left off, it would be him and not David O. Russell. Everyone underestimated that man. Not this guy.

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

3/5

Does this mean Biutiful will finally come out here? Wish Duvall was in there...and Wahlberg. I should have gone with Bridges, at least. That was a lock, but I did not belieeeeve!

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle William, Blue Valentine

4/5

Um, I can live with Steinfeld being bumped to supporting if it gets Michelle Williams her much-deserved nomination. Strong roster this year!

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

4/5

My hunch for John Hawkes paid off, BUT I thought it would be at the cost of Jeremy Renner. Alas, my own nominee Andrew Garfield misses out. You'll live to die another day, Andy.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham-Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

3/5

Kunis and Spacek (wild guess) left out for category fraud Steinfeld and Weaver. I know everyone in the blogosphere is having kittens for that Weaver pick.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

4/5

Mike Leigh got in over the writers for Black Swan. Again: does this mean the film gets a release here? Please?

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

5/5

Count it!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Black Swan - Matthew Libatique
Inception - Wally Pfister
The King's Speech - Danny Cohen
The Social Network - Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit - Roger Deakins

 4/5

The King's Speech triumphed over 127 Hours' double dose of DPs. Another strong group.

BEST SCORE
127 Hours - A.R. Rahman
How to Train Your Dragon - John Powell
Inception - Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
4/5
Alas, Never Let Me Go is left out in the cold this year. 127 Hours got in, though I for one really liked that score, too. I will never get over Powell's How to Train Your Dragon score getting a nom, though, because that movie is AMAZING.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
127 Hours - If I Rise
Country Strong - Coming Home
Tangled - I See the Light
Toy Story 3 - We Belong Together

3/4, predicted 5

No Burlesque? You lose, Academy!

BEST EDITING
127 Hours - Jon Harris
Black Swan - Andrew Weisblum
The Fighter - Pamela Martin
The King's Speech - Tariq Anwar
The Social Network - Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter

4/5

Wow. Ok, color me surprised that it's Inception, of all things, that is left off in favor of 127 Hours.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland
I Am LoveThe King's Speech 
The Tempest
True Grit

3/5

No Black Swan? No Burlesque? WHO CARES I AM LOVE GOT A NOMINATION! WHOOOOO!!!!


BEST MAKEUP
Barney's VersionThe Way Back
The Wolfman 

1/3

Thank Oscar the abysmal Alice in Wonderland is left out in the cold on this one. Didn't see Barney's Version coming, though I just left off The Wolfman.

BEST ART DIRECTION
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

3/5

Why did the abysmal Alice in Wonderland get in on this one?

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Hereafter
Inception 
Iron Man 2

3/5

Clint Eastwood flicks have to end up somewhere, I guess. I'm disappointed not to see Scott Pilgrim or TRON: Legacy here. The latter is the most surprising, for me.

BEST SOUND EDITING
Inception 
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy 
True Grit 
Unstoppable

2/5

Ah, how could I have forgotten the mainstream blockbuster slot for Unstoppable (TRON: Legacy, I don't think, really applies to that)! How could I have missed the TRON film, though? I knew the sound was incredible, what was I thinking?


BEST SOUND MIXING
Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network 
True Grit 

3/5

And again, Salt! How could I have forgotten? True Grit's really doing well in these tech categories, isn't it?

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3
3/3

But of course.

Unpredicted nominees in Foreign Language, Shorts and Docs after the jump....

The Nominees Are (Maybe, Perhaps?)

I am so excited for Oscar noms tomorrow, you have no idea. Well, scratch that; since you're here, you are probably either (a) looking forward to them as much as I am, or (b) tired of reading about my own anticipation. Which is CRAZY. Reading about my anticipation is one of the highlights of life! (Or...wait...am I thinking of Niagara Falls?)

Some people may tell you about their "gut feelings" or "instincts". I wish I had either of those things, but these are pretty much wild guesses. Shots in the dark. Russian roulette.

BEST PICTURE
127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, The Social Network, The Town, True Grit, Winter's Bone 
What? No Toy Story 3? I actually just kind of forgot about it and decided this looked fine, though I knew something was missing, so I re-read the Entertainment Weekly predix. Ah. Well, I'm more comfortable cutting an animated film than either 127 Hours or Winter's Bone. Toy Story 3 is certainly deserving, but I don't think that a 10-wide field means all animated, all the time.

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter

BEST ACTOR
Robert Duvall, Get Low
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

Really, how are they going to nominate The Fighter for everything but Lead Actor? Does that make sense?

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham-Carter, The King's Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Sissy Spacek, Get Low

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
True Grit

BEST SCORE
How to Train Your Dragon - John Powell
Inception - Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat
Never Let Me Go - Rachel Portman
The Social Network - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
This was the hardest one, actually. Three sure things, plus Powell and Portman because...because.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
127 Hours - If I Rise
Burlesque - You Haven't Seen the Last of Me
Tangled - I See the Light
Toy Story 3 - We Belong Together
Waiting for Superman - Shine a Light

BEST EDITING
Black Swan 
The Fighter 
Inception 
The King's Speech 
The Social Network

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan 
Burlesque
The King's Speech 
The Tempest

BEST MAKEUP
Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
The Way Back

BEST ART DIRECTION
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
True Grit

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Inception 
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 
TRON: Legacy

These are the choices Andrew had at his blog...and I found them to be wise choices indeed.

BEST SOUND EDITING
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception 
The Town 
True Grit 

BEST SOUND MIXING
Black Swan 
Inception
The Social Network 
The Town 
True Grit 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Long Live the King

The PGA announced their winner this evening, and if you follow any Oscar pundits on Twitter, then you know that everyone was a-twitter (a-ha) about the results. Why?


The Social Network won the Golden Globes for Best Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Score. It won the Critics Choice Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. It's won more regional awards than any film in history (possibly because there are more regional awards now than ever before). It won LAFCA, National Board of Review, NYCC, etc., etc., etc. It's the favorite to win at the Oscars (though I've been telling my friends The Fighter BECAUSE I'M CRAZY).

But now the industry has actually started to chime in. And the PGA Award for Best Picture of the Year goes to....

THE KING'S SPEECH.

We won whaaaat?

Shock. Awe. And some bizarre foaming at the mouth. People who claimed to really admire The King's Speech and were surprised that it was a genuinely great film as opposed to just "Oscar bait",  are now back to slinging mud. It's right back to being an old farts' film, to being "an embarrassment", to reflecting how passe the tastes of the industry are. And all I can say is, "Come the FUCK on."

You know what? I think The Social Network is a better film. I really do. But I'm not going to suddenly hate on The King's Speech because it took away that film's shot at winning 1115 awards (now it's only 1114! the horror!). The King's Speech is more than just a solidly-made movie; it's a touching film capturing the bonds of friendship, bonds that transcend class, manners, upbringing, nationality, etc. I'm talking about a film that everyone labeled Oscar Bait until they saw it, and realized that the director had an actual vision, the actors had great chemistry, and the writer had a real fucking story.


The Social Network has all these things, too. I didn't nominate The King's Speech for Picture, Director, Screenplay, etc. But it's still one of my favorite movies of the year, because it really was one of the BEST of the year. Let it be recognized, just once, for more than Colin Firth's performance. And if it wins at the Oscars, I'll still be happy. If any of my Top Ten win best Picture, I'll be happy.

Congratulations to The King's Speech, a truly deserving winner. We've got a real race now, at least. It will only get trickier when The Fighter wins Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards.

My Nominees Are....

UPDATED: VFX, Sound, and Song categories now include nominated peoples.

Dear readers, some of you are friends of mine who've been reading since my days on Livejournal (newer readers: don't look for it). Some of you I've become "Blog Buddies" with, friends whose voices I've never heard, but whose writing, reading and commenting has formed a bond between us. The rest of you: WELCOME! Those of you familiar enough with this site know of my "prestigious" Hollmann Awards, honoring the year's cinematic best in my opinion! But did you know this is the FIFTH ANNUAL?!? It's true!


Five is a big number, so I'll have to think of a way to honor that, but first: let's have a look at the Nominees! After the jump!

The Suspense! The Drama! The Finalists!

The Golden Globes are done and gone, and the BAFTAs announce tomorrow. One week after that, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announces its nominees for the 83rd Oscars. Before we get too influenced by other awards shows, we ought to share some feelings of our own. Namely, which movies are being considered in what categories.

It's a tradition here to do as BAFTA does and provide a longlist: eighteen categories, fifteen finalists in each, selected from the 70+ films I've screened this year. Does it kill some of the suspense? Maybe, but so does a Top Ten when you think about it (and you shouldn't, not too hard). Besides, you're just itching to narrow it down, aren't you? The suspense is killing you, isn't it? Maybe not, but if you're into that sort of thing (that is, my opinion), then continue reading, dear friends. Presenting the Hollmann Longlist:

BEST PICTURE

Black Swan

Blue Valentine

Easy A

The Fighter

For Colored Girls

Get Low

I Am Love

The Kids Are All Right

The King's Speech

Mother

Never Let Me Go

The Runaways

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

The Social Network

Winter's Bone

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

Danny Boyle, 127 Hours

Lisa Cholodenko, The Kids Are All Right

Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine

Anton Corbijn, The American

David Fincher, The Social Network

Debra Granik, Winter's Bone

Luca Guadagnino, I Am Love

Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Bong Joon-ho, Mother

John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole

David O. Russell, The Fighter

Aaron Schneider, Get Low

Floria Sigismondi, The Runaways

Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Patricia Clarkson, Cairo Time

Rebecca Hall, Please Give

Kim Hye-ja, Mother

Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone

Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right

Carey Mulligan, Never Let Me Go

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Kristen Stewart, The Runaways

Emma Stone, Easy A

Tilda Swinton, I Am Love

Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, The Fighter

Patricia Clarkson, Easy A

Loretta Devine, For Colored Girls

Dale Dickey, Winter's Bone

Whoopi Goldberg, For Colored Girls

Barbara Hershey, Black Swan

Keira Knightley, Never Let Me Go

Mila Kunis, Black Swan

Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Rooney Mara, The Social Network

Maria Paiato, I Am Love

Winona Ryder, Black Swan

Sissy Spacek, Get Low

Dianne Wiest, Rabbit Hole

Ellen Wong, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

BEST ACTOR

Russell Brand, Get Him to the Greek

Michael Caine, Harry Brown

Michael Cera, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

George Clooney, The American

Rob Corddry, Hot Tub Time Machine

Robert Duvall, Get Low

Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Patrick Fabian, The Last Exorcism

Colin Firth, The King's Speech

James Franco, 127 Hours

Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go

Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine

Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, The Fighter

Pierce Brosnan, The Ghost Writer

Vincent Cassel, Black Swan
Jackie Chan, The Karate Kid

Andrew Garfield, The Social Network

Josh Hutcherson, The Kids Are All Right

Michael Keaton, Toy Story 3

Bill Murray, Get Low

Jerry O'Connell, Piranha 3D

Guy Pearce, Animal Kingdom

Brandon Routh, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Jason Schwartzman, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Michael Shannon, The Runaways

Stanley Tucci, Easy A

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Black Swan - Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin, story by Heinz

Blue Valentine - Derek Cianfrance & Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis

Burlesque - Steve Antin

Cairo Time - Ruba Nadda

Easy A - Bert V. Royal

The Fighter - Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, story by Keith Dorrington & Tamasy & Johnson

Get Low - Chris Provenzano and C. Gaby Mitchell, story by Provenzano & Scott Seeke

Hot Tub Time Machine - Josh Heald and Sean Anders & John Morris, story by Heald

I Am Love - Barbara Alberti, Ivan Cotroneo, Walter Fasano & Luca Guadagnino, story by Guadagnino

Inception - Christopher Nolan

The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

The King's Speech - David Seidler

The Last Exorcism - Huck Botko & Andrew Garland

Mother - Bong Joon-ho & Park Won-kyo, story by Joon-ho

Tangled - Dan Fogelman

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

127 Hours - Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

The American - Rowan Joffe

For Colored Girls - Tyler Perry

The Ghost Writer - Roman Polanski & Robert Harris
How to Train Your Dragon - Will Davies and Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders

Never Let Me Go - Alex Garland

Rabbit Hole - David Lindsay-Abaire

The Runaways - Floria Sigismondi

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Edgar Wright & Michael Bacall

Shutter Island - Laeta Kalogridis

The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin

Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt, story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

True Grit - The Coen Brothers

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - Stephen Schiff and Allan Loeb

Winter's Bone - Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The American - Martin Ruhe

Black Swan - Matthew Libatique

Blue Valentine - Andrij Parekh

The Fighter - Hoyt von Hoytema
Get Low - David Boyd

Greenberg - Harris Savides

I Am Love - Yorick la Saux

Inception - Wally Pfister

The King's Speech - Danny Cohen

The Runaways - Benoit Debie

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Bill Pope

Shutter Island - Robert Richardson

The Social Network - Jeff Cronenweth

TRON: Legacy - Claudio Miranda
Winter's Bone - Michael McDonough

BEST EDITING

127 Hours - Jon Harris
The American - Andrew Hulm
Black Swan - Kristina Boden/Andrew Wiesblum
Blue Valentine - Jim Helton/Ron Patane
Easy A - Susan Littenberg
The Fighter - Pamela Martin
How to Train Your Dragon - Darren Holmes/MaryAnn Brandon
I Am Love - Walter Fasano
Inception - Lee Smith
The Last Exorcism - Shilpa Sahi
The Runaways - Richard Chew

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Jonathan Amos/Paul Machliss

The Social Network - Kirk Baxter/Angus Wall

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - David Brenner/Julie Monroe
Winter's Bone - Affonso Goncalves

BEST SCORE

127 Hours - A.R. Rahman

Black Swan - Clint Mansell
Cairo Time - Niall Byrne

The Ghost Writer - Alexandre Desplat

How to Train Your Dragon - John Powell
Inception - Hans Zimmer

The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat

Let Me In - Michael Giacchino

Mother - Lee Byeong-woo 

Never Let Me Go - Rachel Portman 

Rabbit Hole - Anton Sanko

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Nigel Godrich

The Social Network - Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross

Toy Story 3 - Randy Newman

TRON: Legacy - Daft Punk

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Burlesque - Bound to You

Burlesque - But I Am a Good Girl

Burlesque - You Haven't Seen the Last of Me

How to Train Your Dragon - Sticks 'n' Stones

The Other Guys - Pimps Don't Cry

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Ramona

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Slick

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Summertime

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Threshold

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - We Are Sex Bob-Omb

Tangled - I Have a Dream

Tangled - I See the Light

Tangled - Mother Knows Best

Toy Story 3 - We Belong Together

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

The American - Suttirat Larlarb

Black Swan - Amy Westcott

Burlesque - Michael Kaplan

Easy A - Mynka Draper
The Fighter - Mark Bridges

For Colored Girls - Johnetta Boone

Get Low - Julie Weiss

I Am Love - Antonella Cannarozzi
Inception - Jeffrey Kurland

The King's Speech - Jenny Beavan

Mother

The Runaways - Carol Beadle

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Laura Jean Shannon

The Social Network - Jacqueline West

True Grit - Mary Zophres

BEST MAKEUP

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

Inception
Kick-Ass

Let Me In
Nanny McPhee Returns

Piranha 3D

The Runaways

Saw 3D

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Shutter Island

True Grit
The Wolfman

BEST ART DIRECTION

127 Hours

Black Swan

Burlesque

For Colored Girls

Get Low
The Ghost Writer

I Am Love

Inception

The Last Exorcism

Nanny McPhee Returns

The Runaways

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy

True Grit

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

127 Hours

The A-Team

Black Swan

The Ghost Writer

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

Inception

Iron Man 2

Kick-Ass

The Other Guys

Piranha 3D

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Shutter Island

The Social Network

TRON: Legacy
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

BEST SOUND

127 Hours
The A-Team
The American
Black Swan
The Fighter
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
The Last Exorcism
Machete
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The Town
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit

BEST ENSEMBLE

Black Swan
Easy A
The Fighter
For Colored Girls
Get Low
I Am Love
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Last Exorcism
Mother
Rabbit Hole 
The Runaways
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The Social Network
Winter's Bone

Golden Globes in a Crystal Ball

Ah, the Globes! I know everyone likes to diss the Golden Globes as meaningless, as starfucking at its worst, as a fake awards show made up of dubious choices by an organization no one seems to know much about (Hollywood Foreign Press Agency...what do they do?). These claims are often warranted, I'll grant you, especially when Alice in Wonderland, The Tourist and Red are nominated for Best Musical/Comedy, in a year that gave us Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Easy A, both of which made my Top Ten of the Whole Year (I don't segregate).

But who cares? The Globes are great fun, and to be honest, they march to the beat of their own drum more than people give them credit for. Remember when they awarded Atonement for Best Drama in 2007 over the Oscar favorite No Country for Old Men? It was the Globes awarding Avatar last year that cast doubt for The Hurt Locker's chances. They awarded The Aviator! They awarded The Hours! And as my friend Tom pointed out, they nominated four supporting actresses from the great Nashville. The Globes and I are friends.

Let me lay down some predictions for y'all, then.

BEST PICTURE - MUSICAL/COMEDY
Well, when you're nominating movies like Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist against masterpieces like Burlesque and The Kids Are All Right, then throwing in brainless fun like Red for good measure, predicting who will reign victorious can be a trifle...hard. But I usually like the Globes' choices in this category (The Hangover, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), so I'm going to go with The Kids Are All Right.

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA
Four of my Top Ten appear here, and five of my Top 25. Well-played, Globes. The Globes tend to go for love stories here, or for European films, or for both. The King's Speech -- with its central friendship, supportive wife, and Britishness -- should reign supreme here.

BEST ACTRESS - MUSICAL/COMEDY

Annette Bening, please. The only Oscar contender in a category that includes Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore and Angelina Jolie. Oscars for Best Actor are only for Drama films. However, the Globes likes to give love to both Actress frontrunners -- remember Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep, Julie Christie and Marion Cotillard, Sally Hawkins and Kate Winslet (before Hawkins wasn't nominated at Oscar and The Reader took Revolutionary Road's spot)? So, yeah, Bening here...

BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA
...which means Natalie Portman wins here. And good for her! I feel like the HFPA were the only ones who saw Frankie and Alice, and have probably earned Halle Berry's eternal devotion. Michelle Williams might be a dark horse here, actually. I could see it happening, but I don't think it will. The other two -- Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence -- are the only nominees for their respective films, suggesting that the HFPA just doesn't love their movies enough. Shameful, but true. Rabbit Hole especially grows better and better in my mind with each passing day.
 
BEST ACTOR - MUSICAL/COMEDY
Previous winner Johnny Depp is up for two films here, neither of which present his best, or even second-best, work. Then we have Paul Giamatti, Jake Gyllenhaal and Kevin Spacey. Hm. Tough choice, really, since previous winners I either loved (Colin Farrell), liked a lot (Robert Downey, Jr.), or admired enough (Johnny Depp). Here, we have performance I hate, performance I was bored by, and three performances I haven't seen. Let me just take a shot in the dark and say Paul Giamatti.


BEST ACTOR - DRAMA

As strong as the performances turned in by Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Gosling, James Franco and Robert Duvall are, Colin Firth is in it to win it.

BEST DIRECTOR
Oh, David Fincher, obviously. Look, they may love The King's Speech in all other things, but you should probably give the Best Director award to the best director of the year. Even the Globes know that (thus Cameron won). Now, it's admittedly a tough choice since they nominated all the Best Directors -- Fincher, Aronofsky, Russell -- but I have faith in Fincher.

BEST SCREENPLAY
Up in the Air...Slumdog Millionaire...No Country for Old Men...Brokeback Mountain. With the exception of The Queen, the Globe has been awarded to the Oscar frontrunner for Best Adapted Screenplay. Since I've been watching it, I mean. Inception keeps getting nods in this category, but I've no faith in its chances. 127 Hours, ditto. The Kids Are All Right would be a good win, actually, but the other two nominees are who it's really between. The Social Network? The King's Speech? Despite my feeling that they'll really go for The King's Speech, I think Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network wins here. It's the law of the adaptation.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
This is another category where I believe The King's Speech will topple the presumed frontrunner. I think Bale is a shoo-in for the SAG and Oscar, but Geoffrey Rush's  understated performance as Lionel Logue pulls the heartstrings and tickles the funnybone. Douglas, Garfield and Renner are just glad to be here.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Everyone would love to see Jacki Weaver take it, I know, but I just don't think it's going to happen. Mila Kunis is that odd nominee that will show up everywhere but not actually win anything. It's between the two girls from The Fighter and The King's Speech's Helena Bonham-Carter. Though they'll love The King's Speech and Bonham-Carter, her role is not enough to warrant an award. It's between Adams and Leo, either of whom could win...but I'm going with frontrunner and Critics' Choice Award Winner Melissa Leo.

The rest are just guesses and no-brainers. Determine amongst yourselves which are which.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", Burlesque
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Toy Story 3
BEST FOREIGN FILM: Biutiful
BEST COMEDY SERIES: "Glee"
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES: Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES: Toni Collette, "The United States of Tara"
BEST DRAMA SERIES: "Boardwalk Empire"
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES: Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES: Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
BEST MINISERIES/MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE: "Carlos"
BEST ACTOR IN A MINISERIES/MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE: Edgar Ramirez, "Carlos"
BEST ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES/MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE: Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR ON TV: Chris Colfer, "Glee"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS ON TV: Jane Lynch, "Glee"

Lovely Lensing

The American Society of Cinematographers have announced their own nominees. The news is already a day old, but there's no harm in being a little late for these things. It's not like the nominees will suddenly disappear because I didn't blog about them...right? Or are the precursors like the walking ad monsters in that Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" episode, where their survival depends on how many people find them relevant and are compelled to watch? Whatever the case may be, I for one love the precursors, and the cinematography one interests me more and more.

Danny Cohen, The King's Speech

Jeff Cronenweth, The Social Network

Roger Deakins, True Grit

Matthew Libatique, Black Swan

Wally Pfister, Inception

Ok, I honestly would've predicted The Fighter's Hoyt von Hoytema instead of Cohen, so that is a surprise. But not the bad kind! It's a nice surprise, actually, since the cinematography in The King's Speech is actually pretty classy, pretty well-done, pretty top-notch.

This is a pretty strong list, isn't it? Much like the directors, we've got a solid group of master craftsmen in contention. Personally, I feel it's between Deakins and Libatique, and I'm predicting Libatique for the win.  Great stuff, Black Swan.

Old News, But Good News

All right, here's the second-to-last Insider Precursor that I follow. Tomorrow: American Society of Cinematographers; Today: Directors Guild.

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

David Fincher, The Social Network

Tom Hooper, The King's Speech

Christopher Nolan, Inception

David O. Russell, The Fighter

About as expected, actually. I never believed those whispers that Russell would have a hard time getting in, and I expect him to show up at the Oscars, as well. People like him a lot more than the internet thinks. 

Aronofsky, Fincher and Hooper are safe as safe can be. I don't know why people expect Hooper to be the one left out in the cold. Have they seen The King's Speech? This isn't one of those "anyone could have directed it" royalty porn films, and it's just about the actors and screenplay. The direction and cinematography are ace, and those who think Hooper is at the fifth slot are sorely mistaken. 

No, the one that continues to surprise me, honestly, is Nolan. I like Inception, I like Nolan, but while I think all five of these films are visually striking and tonally solid, Nolan is the weakest when it comes to performances. He's solid, don't get me wrong, I love much of what the actors did with their characters, but how can you compare it to The Fighter's family dynamics, the warm friendship and in The King's Speech, the snot-nosed youth and elitist adults in The Social Network, the camp-undertone in the operatics of Black Swan?

Ida Is Love

This post is my contribution to this year's Supporting Actress Blog-a-thon, hosted by the gracious StinkyLulu. This year celebrates the Fifth Year of this always-anticipated tradition, and I just want to say thank you to Brian Herrera for coming back, even if it's just for one day, to keep the tradition alive.

When I first saw Maria Paiato in I Am Love, I knew she would be my contribution to the Supporting Actress Blog-a-thon. A second look reminded me why I fell in love with the role in the first place. And then I saw Malcolm's beautiful write-up over at My Last Oscar and thought, "Aw, shit." I knew I wouldn't be able to do it as well as Malcolm, he just put it all so beautifully, especially in his analysis of the finale. With video! Be sure to read that, too, or first.

And yet, when I look at my list of Best Supporting Actresses, this is the one I want to talk about. So, sorry for the redundancy, but a great performance is always worth mulling over.

From her first entrance, we know two things about Ida, head housekeeper to the Recchi family. First, we know that she likes the Russian-born wife of the Recchi heir, Emma (played with great subtlety and urgency by Tilda Swinton); we can tell by their easy way of talking, by the silent looks they give each other throughout. Second, we know that Ida knows everything that goes on in the house, better than anyone else in family; we can tell by the fact that she's the first to know about son Edoardo's new girlfriend, informing Emma so that they may arrange the seating for dinner. To her, this is natural. She is the perfect servant, it is her job to know everything...even the things she doesn't know.

When Emma returns from her first rendezvous with Edoardo's friend, Ida is the only one in the house. She goes about her chores, ironing sheets, when Emma looks up and invites her to dinner. I love Paiato's face here.

 
She's obviously caught off guard, but I think it's the same gob-smacked expression of flattery, and when Emma explains that it's because there's no one else home, her self-deprecating laugh and refusal breaks my heart. Of course that's why. She's just lonely. Ida returns to her maid face, but looks up again at the distracted Emma. Ida knows something is up,but there's also a trace of sadness there. I feel like she's wishing she hadn't refused, but it's too late to say anything now, and besides, that's just not the way things are done.

Her next big scene is comforting a sobbing Edoardo. Disillusioned with the way his father and business partners run the family company, Edo returns home to seek solace in his mother's arms; instead, he finds Ida, sits with her, and breaks down. I assume he did this before when he was a child, and surely Ida's been with them that long. You can see it by the way Paiato looks at him, with the affection and familiarity of a mother, but with the distance of an employee. And again, the surprise of his tears, followed by her having to mother him.

Paiato's mostly silent here, but her face and body language register everything. It's a nice contrast to the later hospital scene, when Betta finally arrives. She is the first to get up and rush to the girl's side, stopping just short of a comforting embrace. Instead, she stands aside when grandmother Rori and brother Gianluca rise to take on that responsibility. Ida just watches, and you can see that she wants to reach out, just as she was able to comfort Edo.

This is usually when most fans would talk about that big finale. I shan't, though, because there's something else I want to focus on. There's a scene where Emma is dreaming, and she hears a voice calling her by her Russian name, than a voice saying, "Emma. Emma." In her POV, it's at first a little girl...then, suddenly, Ida, waking her up like a mother would a daughter.

Cut to: reality. Ida walks in after this dream, calls Emma "signora", and wakes her up for real. It's a brief scene, mostly a wide, but it's important because of how Ida's character is presented to us. Emma, let us remember, was a Russian who the Italian Tancredi Recchi fell in love with and married, bringing her home; she has never returned to Russia, but she is still an outsider. Long before she begins an affair with the chef, she seems detached from things, though she does love her children. In various scenes, though, we see the affection between her and another outsider, the housekeeper. For her to dream of her servant calling her by her given names, a maternal figure, is significant. It establishes Ida as not just an employee, but the rock of this family. Edo goes to her, Betta almost goes to her, and now Emma wishes she could go to her; Ida, too, wishes there was something more she could do for Emma.

Paiato sells it. She is watchful, but not sneaky; loyal, but longing for more. Her face, her body language, everything tells us about this efficient, warm woman who has dedicated her life to taking care of people who see her as a servant. It's what makes this scene so resonant, the fact that Emma sees her as much more, and it makes that Big Finale all the more wrenching. Paiato's Ida is the very definition of a supporting turn, a true "actress at the edges", as StinkyLulu would say. In her subtle and beautiful performance, she gives us a complex portrait of a devoted housekeeper and friend. Remember Viola Davis in Far From Heaven, Frances E. Williams in The Reckless Moment, and Helen Mirren in Gosford Park? Well then you should remember Maria Paiato in I Am Love. She joins the Pantheon of Cinematic Servitude.

Here We Go Again...

The Producers and Writers Guilds announced their nominees for the Best/Most Outstanding/Most Well-Publicized [Blankety Blank] of the Year. The former stayed the course, though there was one entry that made me go, "Hm." Not shocked, mind you, and very pleased to see it, but I was expecting something else.

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King's Speech

The Social Network

The Town

Toy Story 3

True Grit

I guess I have to buckle down and face facts: True Grit is a true blue contender. Not that I hated the movie, I'm just surprised. I really didn't think it was going to go anywhere besides screenplay and cinematography, and yet here we are, one PGA and two SAG noms later.

Now, the surprise for me was seeing 127 Hours instead of Winter's Bone. I thought the first would be more vulnerable, but I guess not. Now, is this slate going to repeat itself at the Oscars? Probably, actually. That's fine by me: 127 Hours made it to my Top 25, after all. I'd rather see Winter's Bone in there than The Town, though.

Ok, now the WGA always manages to toss in a surprise or two, especially considering how films like The King's Speech and Winter's Bone were deemed ineligible due to Guild membership requirements and whatnot.

Original

Black Swan - Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin, story by Heinz

The Fighter - Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, story by Keith Dorrington & Tamasy & Johnson

Inception - Christopher Nolan

The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

Please Give - Nicole Holofcener

Adapted

127 Hours - Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy, from Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

I Love You Phillip Morris - John Requa & Glenn Ficarra, from the book by Steven McVicker

The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin, from The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

The Town - Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stoddard, from Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan

True Grit - Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, from the novel by Charles Portis

I mean, those inclusions for Please Give and I Love You Phillip Morris are quite the how-do, don't you think? Actually, the latter has thrown off my game, making it the only nominee here that I haven't seen. Which means that I've got to find a way to get to Boca if I want to keep things consistent. I believe there's a separate animation branch, too, which explains the absence of Toy Story 3 from the adapted list; it worries me not.

I just want to point out this: this is the second career nomination for Ben Affleck by the WGA, and he's about to get a second person an acting Oscar nom. Maybe Affleck was the brains behind Good Will Hunting after all? Because according to every spoof show I watch, there's no way Affleck and Damon could be equally talented!

My 25 Most Anticipated of 2011

Well, it was nice to take a few days off! I've got a lot of reading to catch up on, but first, as per tradition, we must look at the year ahead to see what goods Lady Cinema has in store for us.

25. Thor

Norse god becomes Marvel superhero.

DR: Kenneth Branagh (ahahaha)

WR: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz & Don Payne, from a story by J. Michael Straczynski & Mark Protosevich, adapted from the comic book by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby

STARS: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard

This is...I just have to see it. I think it looks terrible, but I just have to see if it's real.

24. This Must Be the Place

Retired rocker hunts down the Nazi war criminal that killed his father.

DR: Paolo Sorrentino

WR: Sorrentino & Umberto Contarello

STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Sean Penn, Hollmann Award Nominee Frances McDormand

What kind of lunatic sees a premise like this with a picture like that and doesn't rush out to see this movie? No irony here, it just seems awesome.

23. Cowboys & Aliens

Sci-fi western. Kind of self-explanatory.
DR: Jon Favreau
WR: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof, adapted from the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Paul Dano, Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford
The next couple of entries will make it clear that I am a sucker for blockbusters. It's the boy in me. Awesome trailer!

22. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Jack Sparrow and Barbossa find the Fountain of Youth, go up against Blackbeard.
DR: Rob Marshall
WR: Ted Elliot & Ted Rossio, from characters created by Elliot, Rossio, Stuart Beattie & Jay Wolpart, suggested by the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Johnny Depp, Hollmann Award Nominee Penelope Cruz, Hollmann Award Nominee Judi Dench, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane
It looks like a damn good time. The addition of Cruz and Dench to the cast makes me giddy. Giddy, I say!

21. Captain America: The First Avenger

Synopsis unnecessary.
DR: Joe Johnston
WR: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely & Joss Whedon, adapted from the comic book by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Samuel L. Jackson, Hollmann Award Nominee Stanley Tucci, Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones
This is purely based on my love for this cast. Look at that group. Tucci, Jones and Jones!

20. Quartet

Four retired opera singers prepare for their annual tribute to Verdi.
DR: Dustin Hoffman
WR: Ronald Harwood, adapted from his play
STARS: Albert Finney, Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay
The directorial debut of Dustin Hoffman is intriguing on its own, but the return of my favorite actress, two-time Academy Award Winner Dame Maggie Smith, to a starring role is too delicious to be believed.

19. Scream 4

A new Ghostface wreaks havoc on Sydney and co.
DR: Wes Craven
WR: Kevin Williamson
STARS: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Mary McDonnell, Hayden Panettiere
Well, I'm no Glenn Dunks, but I do love the Scream franchise.

18. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Ensemble about a retirement home in Bangalore.
DR: John Madden
WR: Ol Parker & Deborah Moggach, adapted from the novel by Moggach
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Bill Nighy, Hollmann Award Nominee Judi Dench, Maggie Smith,  Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel
Oh my god oh my god Dench and Smith together again for the first time in six years oh my god pinch me!

17. War Horse

World War I as seen through the eyes of a Devon boy's horse.
DR: Steven Spielberg
WR: Lee Hall & Richard Curtis, adapted from the novel by Michael Morpurgo
STARS: Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, David Kross, David Thewlis, Toby Kebbell, Niels Arestrup
I read the play adaptation by Nick Stafford and was deeply moved. I can't wait to see Mullan in this; his was my favorite character.

16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Harry's journey finally comes to a head in a final battle with Lord Voldemort.
DR: David Yates
WR: Steve Kloves, adapted from the novel by J.K. Rowling
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ciaran Hinds, Maggie Smith
I didn't expect Part I to be that spectacular. Egg on my face. Ciaran Hinds, one of my favorite actors, joins the cast, and oh look! Maggie Smith!

15. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Young adventurer and his dog go on globe-trotting adventures, I think.
DR: Steven Spielberg
WR: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish, adapted from the comic book by Herge
STARS: Jamie Bell, Simon Pegg, Daniel Craig, Toby Jones, Andy Serkis, Nick Frost
See, it doesn't matter what the plot is. I watched the television show on Nickelodeon when I was a kid, because it was awesome. So here I am, super excited for a mo-cap adventure directed by one of the greats. Bring it! On!

14. Butter

The wife of a former butter-carving champion is determined to win same competition this year, but is threatened by a new entrant: an eleven-year-old butter-carving prodigy.
DR: Jim Field Smith
WR: Jason A. Micallef
STARS: Jennifer Garner, Hugh Jackman, Alicia Silverstone, Yara Shahidi, Ashley Greene, Olivia Wilde
I hear that all this is a metaphor for the last presidential Democratic primaries. If so, turning it into a butter-carving competition is quite inventive. Alicia Silverstone is another actress whose comeback I'm championing, by the way.

13. Sucker Punch

DR: Zack Snyder
WR: Snyder & Steve Shibuya, from a story by Snyder
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Abbie Cornish, Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm
I can't wait to find out just what the hell those awesome trailers are advertising! Snyder: I love your work. Always.

12. Everybody Loves Whales

A government worker and an activist work to free whales trapped under the Arctic Circle.
DR: Ken Kwapis
WR: Jack Amiel & Michael Begler
STARS: Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson
The most beautiful woman in showbiz is finally working with Krasinski, who should be the go-to guy for leading man roles. Always.

11. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Remake of the Swedish thriller in which a journalist and a punk hacker team up to solve a decades-old missing persons case.
DR: Hollmann Award Nominee David Fincher
WR: Steven Zaillian, adapted from the novel by Stieg Larsson
STARS: Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright
1) Two of these casting choices are perfect. 2) The Swedish film is...imperfect. If only it had a solid, masterful director who is adept at both thrillers and human dramas OH LOOK DAVID FINCHER. Ace.

10. Hugo Cabret

Adventure about a boy who lives in a train station.
DR: Hollmann Award Nominee Martin Scorsese
WR: Hollmann Award Nominee John Logan, adapted from the novel by Brian Selznick
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Christopher Lee, Emily Mortimer, Jude Law, Ben Kingsley
Scorsese.

9. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

George Smiley seeks a Russian agent within MI-6 during the Cold War.
DR: Tomas Alfredson
George Smiley seeks a Russian agent within MI6 during the Cold War.
WR: Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan, adapted from the novel by John le Carre
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Gary Oldman, Hollmann Award Nominee Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Ciaran Hinds, Mark Strong
They're making me wait for another Bond, so I have to get my sophisticated British espionage fix from somewhere. Oldman getting the rare lead role is a nice bonus, as is the inclusion of Hinds. I love Ciaran Hinds.

8. The Iron Lady

Margaret Thatcher must deal with the Falklands War.
DR: Phyllida Lloyd
WR: Abi Morgan
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent
British politics and Meryl Streep, from the director of Mamma Mia!. I am intrigued.

7. Jane Eyre

Governess, secrets, don't go into the West Wing, love story, pre-feminist movement feminism.
DR: Cary Fukunaga
WR: Moira Buffini, adapted from the novel by Charlotte Bronte
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Sally Hawkins, Hollmann Award Nominee Judi Dench, Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell
I hate the book, but I tend to like adaptations of it. Go figure! The Dench beckons...

6. Water for Elephants

A young vet joins a circus.
DR: Frances Lawrence
WR: Richard Lagravenese, adapted from the novel by Sara Gruen
STARS: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Hal Holbrook
Maybe it was the use of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis's score from The Assassination of Jesse James. Maybe it's the cinematography. Maybe it's the fact that I just like to watch Hal Holbrook. I don't know what it is, but that trailer did its job, and now I eagerly await this movie's release.

5. The Help

A Mississippi belle befriends her black housekeeper in the 1960s.
DR: Tate Taylor
WR: Taylor, adapted from the novel by Kathryn Stockett
STARS: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek, Cicely Tyson
I love all of these women, and stories that take place in the South. It's nice to see Tyson getting away from the Tyler Perry movies -- I mean, I love love love his movies, but it'd be disheartening to think he was the only director making use of her talent.

4. Contagion

International team of doctors deals with the outbreak of a deadly virus.
DR: Steven Soderbergh
WR: Scott Z. Burns
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law
People. Do I have to explain my love of large all-star casts? I feel like its clear at this point on the list.

3. The Ides of March

A campaign staffer for a presidential hopeful learns about the seedy side of politics.
DR: George Clooney
WR: Clooney & Grant Heslov, adapted from the play by Beau Willimon
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Ryan Gosling, Hollmann Award Nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Giamatti, George Clooney
Clooney returns to directing in a drama that sounds right up his alley. I am so excited about the cast, the material, Clooney, everything!

2. My Week with Marilyn

Olivier's assistant witnesses the tension between the actor and co-star Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl.
DR: Simon Curtis
WR: Adrian Hodges, adapted from the memoir by Colin Clark
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Judi Dench, Eddie Redmayne, Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Watson
Call me a sucker for an Old Hollywood tale. No, really, do it. You'd be right!

1. Midnight in Paris

An American family travels to Paris for business.
DR/WR: Woody Allen
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Alison Pill
Early set photos made it look like a 20s-set film, and I think Allen always excels in period pieces. Hell, I love The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, don't understand at all the hate against it. He's one of my favorite filmmakers of all time, definitely my favorite screenwriter, and this looks like one of the strongest ensembles he's assembled.