Trailer for Moneyball, in theaters September 23rd.

This. Looks. Fantastic.

The most prestigious award given at the festival, the Palme d’Or, was awarded to Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life.  The award recognizes the best film of the festival, putting Malick’s film above those by Lars Von Trier, Lynne Ramsay, Julia Leigh, Nicolas Refn, and others

Congrats to Malick, and all who worked on the film!

Other awards distributed at the ceremony are as follows:

Kirsten Dunst won Best Actress for her role in von Trier’s Melancholia, the only award given to the film, potentially due to von Trier’s expulsion from the festival for comments made earlier last week.

Jean Dujardin won Best Actor for his role in the silent, black and white film The Artist.

The Kid with the Bike and One Upon a Time in Anatolia tied for the Grand Prix, considered “second place” after the Palme.

Third place, or Prix du Jury, went to Polisse.

Nicolas Refn won Best Director for his film Drive starring Ryan Gosling.

Joseph Cedar won Best Screenplay for his work in Footnote

Missing out on awards were the much-discussed We Need to Talk about Kevin, the Tilda Swinton-driven, provocative film that is already receiving Oscar talk in the States.

The male category of Best Actor doesn’t seem to have the level of competition that it did last year (at least at this point in the game) and certainly does not live up to its female counterpart (opposite of the 2010 Awards).  However, some men will certainly stick out this season for the award of Best Actor.

Brad Pitt
If Pitt’s role in The Tree of Life doesn’t garner him a nomination (though despite the film’s early release date, it still could) his role in Moneyball very well could.  Pitt has acted in more than several fantastic films, and has only been nominated twice (Benjamin Button in 2008 and Twelve Monkeys in 1995).  If anything, the Academy could and should recognize him for both his two roles this year and his past of excellence on screen. 

John C. Reilly
Co-starring with Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk about Kevin, John C. Reilly is stepping away from his recent string of relatively humorous and non-serious films and branching into intense territory. Though potentially more of a candidate for Best Supporting Actor, Reilly’s role in the provocative film should be interesting.

George Clooney
The Ides of March, written and directed by Clooney, is one of the year’s most talked about films.  Co-starring Paul Giamatti, Phillip Seymore Hoffman, and Ryan Gosling (all of whom could easily be considered for Best Supporting Actor), the film promises to be interesting, entertaining, and perhaps even quite daring.  Definitely one to watch. 

Daniel Craig
Craig is known as James Bond to most due to his portrayals of the character in the two most recent productions.  However, brought on by David Fincher to play the main male character of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Craig is promised recognition in this much-anticipated and much-discussed film. 

Leonardo DiCaprio
Often considered one of the most slighted actors in Hollywood, DiCaprio has been nominated three times (Blood Diamond, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator) but has yet to take home the statuette.  Starring in the much-discussed biopic of FBI agent J. Edgar (and co-starring with the likes of Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, and Armie Hammer) which is to be released in mid-December (prime Oscar time) this could be what gets DiCaprio back on the awards stand. 

Others:

Viggo Mortensen

Jeremy Irvine

Rade Serbedzija

It’s early. Very early. But never too early to start thinking about who or what could be recognized come February of 2012.  This is preliminary to the max, as these movies at least predominantly have not been released.

Best Actress:

Tilda Swinton
Swinton won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Michael Clayton (2007) but despite her varied, and often incredible roles, this is her only nomination.  Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin could change that however.  Already hyped about and nominated for the Palm D’Or at Cannes, this could easily garner Swinton a deserved nomination.  However, a release date (at least in the UK) well before prime Oscar season could be a detriment to the actress.

Michelle Williams
One of the most talked about films of the year, My Week With Marilyn is well on its way to becoming a major contender in this year’s awards.  Williams, last on stage for her role in Blue Valentine (2010), has gone through two acclaimed films (the other being 2006’s Brokeback Mountain) without victory.  No word on her winning, but a nomination is entirely possible.  Look at the likeness!

Rooney Mara
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is being released during a week notorious for housing Oscar nominees.  With a twice-nominated director and intense subject and characterization, recognition for Mara is incredibly likely.  If the film turns out to be all that it’s rumored to be, Mara is almost guaranteed a spot on this list. 

Meryl Streep
It’s almost impossible to deny Streep a nomination for Best Actress for upcoming The Iron Lady. Based on likeness alone, Streep could win the Oscar.  If the quality of the film is as good as the quality of the makeup, this is basically a shoe-in.

Jasna Beri
Not much has been released on the details of Angelina Jolie’s new Bosnian War film (actually, the actress I chose is merely affiliated with the film, I have no idea if she is the main actress or not).  However, if the film turns out to be quality, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Academy recognized the foreign actors.  This is probably my biggest in-the-air call, but it would be awesome if it happened.

Supporting Actress Possibilities:
Robin Wright (Moneyball)
Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life)
Chloe Moretz (Hugo Cabret)
Scarlett Johansson (We Bought a Zoo)
Anna Paquin (Margaret) 

Extensive updates to “Movies to See in 2011”

Many many good films coming out in the next 6 months. I’ll probably post a very very pre-Oscar chatter roundup sometime in the next week or so.

Enjoy!

awards-season:

Poster for Daydream Nation.

Seventeen-year-old Caroline Wexler (KAT DENNINGS) is facing a teenager’s nightmare: her widowed father has moved them from the big city to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere.  When Caroline realizes she has nothing in common with the burnout losers in her new school she pursues the one person with who excites her interest – her handsome young teacher, Mr. Anderson (JOSH LUCAS).  A bizarre love triangle ensues between Caroline, Mr. Anderson, and a sweet, but troubled classmate (REECE THOMPSON).  Featuring a hit indie soundtrack in this mash-up of the bizarre and the beautiful, DAYDREAM NATION is a coming-of-age story for the 21st century.

Sounds a lot like a cross between An Education and Juno, in my opinion.  Should be interesting.

Ryan Gosling stars in the dramatic piece, directed by Nicolas Refn and co-starring Oscar Nominee Carey Mulligan (An Education).  Premiered at Cannes on May 11, with a release date of September 16, 2011, it’s much too early to discuss the real successes of the film yet.

But this is not a bad start.

Gosling and Mulligan on set in Drive.

An extension of my other list of films for 2011.  In need of extensive updating.

2012

Gambit - 2012 - Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman - Dir. Michael Hoffman

Stoker - 2012 - Mia Wasikowska, Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman - Dir. Chan-wook Park

Superman: Man of Steel - Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane - Dir. Zack Snyder - December, 2012

The Raven - John Cusack, Alice Eve, Oliver Jackson-Cohen - Dir. James McTeigue - March 9, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises - Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Gary Oldman, Michael Paine, Morgan Freeman - Dir. Christopher Nolan - July 13, 2012

Ted - Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis - Dir. Seth MacFarland - July 13, 2012

The Danish Girl - Nicole Kidman, Rachel Weisz - Dir. Lasse Hallström - 2012

The Great Gatsby - Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher - Dir. Baz Luhrmann - 2012

The Avengers - Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson - Dir. Joss Whedon - May 4, 2012

Thanks for Sharing - Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins - Dir. Stuart Blumberg - 2012

End of Watch - Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña - Dir. David Ayer - 2012

2013

The Silver Linings Playbook - Mark Wahlberg - Dir. David O’Russell - 2013

Oz: The Great and Powerful - James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams - Dir. Sam Raimi - 2013

Liberace - Matt Damon, Michael Douglas - Dir. Steven Soderbergh - 2013

2014

2015

Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry - 2015 - Natalie Portman (rumored), Brad Pitt (rumored) - Dir. Greg Mottola (rumored)

Cannes was a big day for Jolie, who’s recently titled film, In the Land of Blood and Money, was picked up by FilmDistrict (Soul Surfer, Drive, The Rum Diary) for distribution in the United States.  

The film is due to be released December 23 (the same day as Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson’s We Bought a Zoo and the same week as David Fincher’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), a date known for being a prime entry time for award season contenders.  

My thoughts on the film are mixed.  The Bosnian War is one area of history that I am very passionate about, and the fact that Jolie chose this era and used local actors to portray her film is fantastic. However, I have read, and understand, concerns from some in and around Bosnia who fear marginalization or flighty ignorance from the film’s subject.  

The premise of the film is the separation of a couple, one a Bosnian and the other a Serbian, due to the war.  The mere historical context proves this a difficult plot to achieve without offending or ignoring the still very raw emotions throughout the Balkans.  

I could go on for hours about how this could go wrong.  But I am going to assume that both Jolie and the Bosnian, Croatian, and other national actors who portrayed the characters of the film have worked their hardest to make this film into something magnificent.  

Rest assured I will be seeing this one.

(Note, the IMDB Page has not been updated since November of 2010 at the date of this posting. I expect it will be changed to reflect these new changes soon.)

Due to finals and working and stressing, I have been mostly absent from this blog for awhile.  But luckily, with the coming of summer break, so comes more posting from yours truly! Thanks to everyone who stays tuned to this blog despite my absence!