TITLE: District 9
NOMINATIONS: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Editing
RATED: R (for bloody violence and pervasive language)
GENRE: Sci Fi/Action
LANGUAGES: English / Nyanja / Afrikaans
STARS: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt
NOTABLE CREW: Director/Writer - Neill Blomkamp, Writer - Terri Tatchell, Editor - Julian Clarke, Producer - Peter Jackson
SUMMARY: A race of aliens called the "Prawns" have crash landed in Johnnesburg, South Africa and have no hope of returning home. Segregated to a ghetto-like refugee camp, the Prawns are only trying to stay alive. When the corporation that owns the camp decides to evict the Prawns to an even worse ghetto, Wikus (Copley), a mild-mannered paper pusher, is given the job of carrying it out. But something goes wrong which forces Wikus to change both in his predudices and in his biology. Now he is on the run with a new Prawn friend to help him get back into his ship and find a way home.
WHAT I REALLY THINK: Between the gorgeously bug-like aliens, the tangible style of the story-telling technique, and the weighty moral commentary reminiscent of classic sci fi, I absolutely loved it! This is how science fiction is supposed to be. It is supposed to mean something!
COOL FACTOIDS: Contrary to popular belief, this movie is the brain child of director Neill Blomkamp, not Peter Jackson. The idea came from Blomkamp's short film "Alive in Joburg" made in his hometown of Johannesburg.
WHO SHOULD WATCH IT: All my science fiction comrades out there, as well as anyone interested in the (not too subtle) moral commentary about how we as a species treat people (or aliens) who are 'different' from ourselves.
SHOULD IT WIN?: It definitely should have been nominated, but I don't think I foresee gold in its future, as cool as that would be.
NICELY DONE AWARD: Actor Sharlto Copley! A friend of the director, it was never intended for Copley to be a star. But after playing Wickus for a few screen tests Blomkamp decided he was perfect for the role. Copley brings Wickus' unbelievable metamorphosis to life with his very believable every-man attitude. Nicely done, Sharlto!
TITLE: Inglourious Basterds
NOMINATIONS: Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
RATED: R (for graphic violence, language, and brief sexuality)
GENRE: Drama / Thriller / War
LANGUAGES: English / German / French / Italian
STARS: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger
NOTABLE CREW: Writer/Director - Quentin Tarantino, Cinematographer - Robert Richardson, Editor - Sally Menke
SUMMARY: In Nazi-occupied France, a small band of Jewish-American solidiers led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Pitt) reek brutal revenge on every Nazi they can find. Meanwhile, Shosanna (Laurent), a Jewish woman orphaned by the war, plans a special kind of revenge of her own. Their paths converge on the path of Col. Hans Landa (Waltz), resulting in an evening of brutal, bloody mayhem.
WHAT I REALLY THINK: A good half-hour of overly drawn out suspense could have been edited out, and I don't think anyone would notice. You know that moment where suspense holds on just long enough that if a fly landed on the wall you would jump clear out of your seat? Well, a lot of the scenes in this movie pass that moment without saying hello so that when something DOES happen, you wake up from your nap and cry out FINALLY! They're cool moments, don't get me wrong, but boy could this have used a new editor!
WHO SHOULD WATCH IT: Tarantino fans. Bloody war movie fans. Dark comedy enthusiasts. History buffs... you might want to skip this one.
SHOULD IT WIN?: Probably not. So many good moments, but not cohesive enough as a complete picture.
NICELY DONE AWARD: Actor Christoph Walz! Waltz's portrayal of the infamous "Jew Hunter" was both refined and terrifying. There is absolutely no wonder that he's been nominated for Best Supporting Actor this year. He deserves it. Nicely done, Christoph!
TITLE: A Serious Man
NOMINATIONS: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay
RATED: R (for language, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence)
GENRE: Comedy / Drama
LANGUAGES: English / Yiddish / Hebrew
STARS: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick
NOTABLE CREW: Writers/Directors - Joel & Ethan Coen
SUMMARY: A black comedy about the life of Larry Gopnik, a Jewish physics professor who watches his life unravel before his eyes and looks to God and science to decifer what it all might mean.
WHAT I REALLY THINK: Thought provoking and funny as the downward spiral of a man's life can be. Very well done but, like many of the Coen brothers' recent films, left me walking away thinking, 'Well, what was the point of that?' The little prolouge myth at the beginning (which has nothing to do with the rest of the film except to set the tone) was my favorite thing.
COOL FACTOIDS: There are many biblical allusions laced throughout the film, including Larry's Job-like life and his encounter with a naked bathing neighbor, resembling David and Bathesheba.
WHO SHOULD WATCH IT: Film buffs everywhere. Action or slapstick junkies: stay at home.
SHOULD IT WIN?: Maybe. Who knows?
NICELY DONE AWARD: The screenwriters who are, of course, Joel and Ethan Coen! They seem to have a nack for making even the simpilest life seem overwhelming and complex. Their research and thought can be easily seen in the rich, period details, heavy yiddish, and complicated physics concepts portrayed in the film. Nicely done, Coens!
TITLE: Up in the Air
NOMINATIONS: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor (George Clooney), Best Supporting Actress (Vera Farmiga), Best Supporting Actress (Anna Kendrick)
RATED: R (for language and some sexual content)
GENRE: Comedy / Drama / Romance
LANGUAGES: English
STARS: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman
NOTABLE CREW: Director/Writer - Jason Reitman, Screenwriter - Sheldon Turner, Novel Author - Walter Kirn
SUMMARY: Ryan Bingham (Clooney) lives to fly. When he's not traveling around the country firing people, he's having romantic trists with his new 'friend' Alex (Farmiga). But then his company does the unthinkable, outsource his job to computers and threatens to ground him for good. Now accompanied by Natalie (Kendrick), a young overachiever, he must answer the question, 'What is really worth holding on to in life?'
WHAT I REALLY THINK: Funny, but not too funny. Dramatic, but not too dramatic. It goes down smooth, but leaves your brain a rolling over the all too easy to relate to themes.
COOL FACTOIDS: With the exception of the famous actors, every person portraying a person being fired is not an actor, but a real person who has been recently laid off. They were instructed to use the camera like a confessional.
WHO SHOULD WATCH IT: Anyone, but I particularly recommend it for anyone in a state of transition in your life, such as finding or losing a job. This film was made for you.
SHOULD IT WIN?: You know, I think so. But its laid-back, light handed touch on its topic might be no match for the heavy dose of reality brought on by its competitors. We shall see.
NICELY DONE AWARD: Actress Anna Kendrick! You know what you know her from but can't quite seem to place? Twilight. That's right, she was Jessica, the annoying best friend in Twilight. She's come a long way in a short time, and has done an amazing job raising her character of Natalie from the standing of cardboard college graduate to a sympathetic, funny, and likeable human being. Nicely done, Anna!
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Okay, I admit I have not seen every Best Picture nominee. (What? They're not all on DVD yet!) But here are the final nominees. I will update them later with my reviews after I've seen them. Hey, by then we'll know who won!
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TITLE: The Blind Side
NOMINATIONS: Best Picture, Best Actress (Sandra Bullock)
RATED: PG-13 (for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references)
GENRE: Drama / Biography / Sport
LANGUAGES: English
STARS: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron
NOTABLE CREW: Director - John Lee Hancock, Book Author - Michael Lewis
SUMMARY: Michael Oher (Aaron), a homeless african-american youngster, is taken in by Leigh Anne (Bullock) and her family, a well-to-do white family. As they help him achieve his dreams, his presence in their lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own.
COOL FACTOIDS: Julia Roberts was offered the lead role of Leigh Anne Tuohy before it was given to Sandra Bullock.
TITLE: An Education
NOMINATIONS: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress (Carey Mulligan)
RATED: PG-13 (for mature thematic material involving sexual content and for smoking)
GENRE: Drama
LANGUAGES: English / French
STARS: Carey Mulligan, Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour
NOTABLE CREW: Director - Lone Scherfig, Screenwriter - Nick Hornby, Memoir Writer - Lynn Barber
SUMMARY: Jenny, an intelligent London youth, dreams of being accepted into Oxford. But her life changes when an older man named David enters her life and exposes her to a new type of life and new friends, Danny and Helen. But as she learns more about David and his friends, the more she begins to question which sort of life she should be leading.
COOL FACTOIDS: The author of the original memoir stipulated in her contract that she would be allowed to see and comment on every draft of the screenplay. She mostly approved.
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