It’s Oscar Season!
This is the time of year that the studios roll out theirOscar contenders; oh sure, there will be some trite junk for sure (you can’tpay me to go see ‘Jack and Jill’), but for the most part, the upcoming slate ofOscar bound pictures is one of the strongest I have seen in some time. Sorry Twiheads,the new ‘Twilight’ movie did not make the list – when I do my clunker list,maybe then! So, here, in order of release date, is my list of Oscar contenders.Try and go see them and let me know what you think!
11/16: ‘The Descendants’ – George Clooney is Matt King, ahusband and father on a tragic journey of discovery from Alexander Payne, whowon an Oscar for ‘Sideways’. After his wife suffers a boating accident, Matt isleft alone to deal with his two indifferent daughters and the revelation of hiswife’s infidelity. Early buzz, Clooneygives the performance of a career.
11/23: ‘Hugo’ – If anyone can make an Oscar worthy 3D movie,Martin Scorsese can! ‘Hugo’ is the story of an orphan living a secret lifewithin the walls of a Paris train station where he becomes caught up in amagical and wondrous adventure. Based on the bestselling novel ‘The Inventionof Hugo Cabret’, this is Scorsese first attempt at a family film as well as a3D film.
11/23: ‘A Dangerous Method’ – Can a movie that pits CarlJung against Sigmund Freud possibly win an Oscar? With Michael Fassbender isJung, Vigo Mortensen is Freud and Keira Knightley is the unbalanced yetseductive patient they are battling over, I think they have a good shot!
12/9: ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ – Based on the novel byJohn le Carre, Gary Oldman is back in rare form as George Smiley, a disgracedBritish spy who is bought back into the fold by his government during theheight of the Cold War.
12/21: ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ – The first novelin author Stieg Larsson’s trilogy to be released by Columbia Pictures featuresDavid Fincher at the directing helm and Daniel Craig as an investigator lookinginto a mysterious death. While the trailers practically reveal the entire movie,anything from David Fincher has my vote! Be sure to try and Redbox the originalSwedish version of the films!
12/25: ‘War Horse’ – Steven Spielberg ventures into war tornEngland and Europe during World War I for this study of the bond between ahorse and a young boy in what is sure to be an emotionally charged as well asbeautiful piece of film making.
12/25: ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’ – Oskar (ayoung and very talented Thomas Horn) is convinced that his father (Tom Hanks),who died in the 9/11 attacks, has left him a message hidden within the city.With a mother (Sandra Bullock) who has been distant and unapproachable sincethe loss of her husband, Oskar sets out on a journey of discovery and healing.Sure to strike an emotional cord along with Academy favorites Hanks and Bullock,this is sure to garner more than a few nominations.
12/30: ‘The Iron Lady’: Meryl Streep is back in this portraitof Margaret Thatcher, arguably one of the most powerful women of the 20thcentury and the only female Prime Minister of England. In a role perfectlysuited for Streep, this could be the gold statue she has been waiting for.
There are a few more worth mentioning: ‘Garbo: The Spy’, ‘Rampart’,‘Shame’, ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’, ‘Tin Tin’, ‘Albert Nobbs’, ‘We Bought aZoo’ and ‘Shame’. There are a few youmay have missed as well, so either run out to Redbox or to the theater this weekendto catch these: ‘Moneyball’, ‘Drive’, ‘Anonymous’, and maybe ‘Ides of March’although I thought that film could have been better.
I am going to be bringing back the Oscar contest as wellthis year – so you better study up!