Black Sheep predicts the 2012 Academy Awards

It's a shame the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to change the Best Picture rules this year. Now, anywhere between five and ten films will be nominated for the field's most prestigious honour in a year that could have easily seen ten very deserving candidates fill those slots. Instead, each film must garner 5% of the first place vote in the Academy's intricate and complicated system to earn a slot in the Top 10. If only six films manage it, then so be it, there are only six nominees this year. At least they would know that the films nominated have passionate followings.

I predict eight films will be nominated for Best Picture tomorrow. A secret part of me really wants to say nine because I would love to see BRIDESMAIDS sneak in there too. I think it has a pretty good shot but I'm playing it conservatively. This way if I'm wrong, well I'll be happy to be it.

The following are my predictions in the eight major Oscar categories. The nominees will be announced tomorrow at 8:30 AM, my time. (That's PST, in case you don't know where I live.)

(Click on any title to read the original Black Sheep review)

BEST PICTURE

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
THE HELP
HUGO
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
MONEYBALL
THE TREE OF LIFE
WAR HORSE

BEST DIRECTOR

Woody Allen for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Michel Hazanavicius for THE ARTIST
Alexander Payne for THE DESCENDANTS
Martin Scorsese for HUGO
Steven Spielberg for WAR HORSE

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney in THE DESCENDANTS
Jean Dujardin in THE ARTIST
Michael Fassbender in SHAME
Gary Oldman in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
Brad Pitt in MONEYBALL

BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close in ALBERT NOBBS
Viola Davis in THE HELP
Meryl Streep in THE IRON LADY
Tilda Swinton in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
Michelle Williams in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Brannagh in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
Albert Brooks in DRIVE
Nick Nolte in WARRIOR
Christopher Plummer in BEGINNERS
Max von Sydow in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo in THE ARTIST
Jessica Chastain in THE HELP
Melissa McCarthy in BRIDESMAIDS
Janet McTeer in ALBERT NOBBS
Octavia Spencer in THE HELP

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50
THE ARTIST
BEGINNERS
BRIDESMAIDS
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE DESCENDANTS
THE HELP
HUGO
MONEYBALL
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

Check back tomorrow for the full list of nominees and to see how I did. I've made a few risky choices so my fingers are crossed. Also, the term "risky" is relative in this scenario as we are in fact talking about Oscar predictions.

readmore »»  

Black Sheep presents The 2010 Mouton d'Or Awards

It is my pleasure today to announce to you the 2010 Mouton d'Or Award nominations. This is the sixth year Black Sheep Reviews has produced this list and this year's nominees are some of the strongest contenders we've ever had. Leading this year's charge is David Fincher's THE SOCIAL NETWORK, with a total of eight nominations, including of course Best Picture and Best Director. Darren Aronofsky's BLACK SWAN is second in the tally standings, with seven nominations, also including Best Picture. The rest of the Best Picture race is rounded out by multiple nominees, THE FIGHTER (6 nods), THE KING'S SPEECH (6) and TOY STORY 3 (5). This year's Best Picture nominees are all masterful films, each a personal best in its own right. It will be difficult to pick a winner but worth it if it means getting to watch all these fantastic works one more time.

I am also very happy with this year's Reader's Choice nominations. Once again, the Black Sheep readers have voiced their love for some great films and this year's five nominees include some wonderful surprises, including an Italian art film and a dark horse movie about the maddening world of ballet. Thanks to all who participated by submitting lists of their favourite films from 2010. Voting is now open to decide the winner of the category. Just cast your vote in the poll at the top of the sidebar. Voting will remain open until midnight on Thursday, February 17.

The winners of the 2010 Mouton d'Or Awards will be announced on Saturday, February 19. And so, without any further delay, here are the 2010 Mouton d'Or Award nominations ...

(Scroll over any film title for the full Black Sheep review.)

BEST BIG MOVIE

EASY A

INCEPTION

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

SHUTTER ISLAND

TOY STORY 3

BEST LITTLE MOVIE

ANOTHER YEAR

CATFISH

I AM LOVE

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

WINTER'S BONE

THE WORST MOVIE I SAW ALL YEAR

CLASH OF THE TITANS

GREEN ZONE

JACK GOES BOATING

SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL

WILD GRASS

THE BLACK SHEEP READERS CHOICE AWARD

BLACK SWAN

I AM LOVE

INCEPTION

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

TOY STORY 3

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

THE ILLUSIONIST

TOY STORY 3

BEST LOOKING MOVIE

BIUTIFUL

BLACK SWAN

I AM LOVE

INCEPTION

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

BEST MUSIC IN A MOVIE

BLACK SWAN

I AM LOVE

INCEPTION

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

TRON: LEGACY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTIAN BALE in THE FIGHTER

ARMIE HAMMER in THE SOCIAL NETWORK

JOHN HAWKES in WINTER'S BONE

MARK RUFALLO in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

GEOFFREY RUSH in THE KING'S SPEECH

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

AMY ADAMS in THE FIGHTER

HELENA BONHAM CARTER in THE KING'S SPEECH

MELISSA LEO in THE FIGHTER

LESLEY MANVILLE in ANOTHER YEAR

DIANNE WEIST in RABBIT HOLE

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

ANOTHER YEAR written by Mike Leigh

BLACK SWAN written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John J. McLaughlin

THE FIGHTER written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blomberg

THE KING'S SPEECH written by David Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

RABBIT HOLE written by David Lindsay-Abaire

SHUTTER ISLAND written by Laete Kalogridis

THE SOCIAL NETWORK written by Aaron Sorkin

TOY STORY 3 written by Michael Arndt

WINTER'S BONE written by Debra Granick and Anne Rosellini

BEST ACTOR

JAVIER BARDEM in BIUTIFUL

JEFF BRIDGES in TRUE GRIT

JESSE EISENBERG in THE SOCIAL NETWORK

COLIN FIRTH in THE KING'S SPEECH

JAMES FRANCO in 127 HOURS

BEST ACTRESS

ANNETTE BENING in THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

JENNIFER LAWRENCE in WINTER'S BONE

NICOLE KIDMAN in RABBIT HOLE

NATALIE PORTMAN in BLACK SWAN

MICHELLE WILLIAMS in BLUE VALENTINE

BEST DIRECTOR

DARREN ARONOFSKY for BLACK SWAN

DAVID FINCHER for THE SOCIAL NETWORK

TOM HOOPER for THE KING'S SPEECH

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN for INCEPTION

DAVID O. RUSSELL for THE FIGHTER

BEST PICTURE

BLACK SWAN

THE FIGHTER

THE KING'S SPEECH

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

TOY STORY 3

There they are folks. It didn't look too promising at first but 2010 ended up being a great year!

readmore »»  

Tis the Season: The CAST Awards

Yesterday, the Online Film Critics Society announced THE SOCIAL NETWORK as Best Picture of 2010. Seeing as how I have asked to be a part of that society for essentially every year I've been online and and every year they reject me, I've decided not to bother reporting about them this year. (No offense to the members I actually know.) Instead, I bring you today a year end list from a group that is happy to have me - the CAST Awards. CAST stands for Cinema Appreciation Society of Toronto and the society consists of a good chunk of Toronto film bloggers who meet monthly to talk about what they love most, film. These good people, myself included, voted in two rounds and collectively have voted INCEPTION as the Best Picture of 2010. The full Top 25 is listed below and the participants are then listed below that. You can click on any links to go to their sites and/or follow them on Twitter. Thanks to James McNally of Toronto Screen Shots for organizing and compiling the whole affair.

FILM TITLE	POINTS	MENTIONS
1. Inception	411	22
2. Toy Story 3	311	20
3. Black Swan	307	16
4. Shutter Island	297	19
5. The Social Network	261	17
6. Scott Pilgrim	254	17
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	231	16
8. Winter’s Bone	180	11
9. I Am Love	165	9
10.The King’s Speech	149	11
11. Rubber	149	9
12. Never Let Me Go	147	11
13. Trigger	140	9
14. Fish Tank	134	9
15. Buried	134	9
16. The White Ribbon	130	7
17. True Grit	127	9
18. Chloe	124	8
19. Easy A	121	10
20. Marwencol	117	7
21. 127 Hours	115	9
22. A Prophet	114	8
23. Rabbit Hole	112	7
24. Blue Valentine	110	8
25. Heartbeats	110	7

Participants:

• Joseph Belanger (@blacksheeprevs)
• Robert Bell
• Jay Clarke (@Horror_Section)
• Polly Esther
• Katarina Gligorijevic (@katarinag
• Sarah Gopaul (@)
• Kurt Halfyard (@triflic)
• Philip Hamilton
• Robert Harding
• Leora Heilbronn (@leoraheilbronn)
• Rick Iwasa (@tifftalk)
• Sasha James (@finalgirlproj)
• Jay Kerr (@bombippy)
• Mike Lippert
• Chris Magee
• James McNally (@toscreenshots)
• Ryan McNeil
• Andrew Parker (@andrewjparker)
• Elliott Pen (@tootighttoque)
• Matthew Price (@mattmovies)
• Kiva Reardon (@kiva_jane)
• Shannon Ridler
• Shelagh Rowan-Legg (@dorkshelf)
• Marc Saint-Cyr
• Courtney Small
• Brooke Smith
• Ian Stuart
• Bob Turnbull
• Donna @TOfilmfest (@TOfilmfest)
• Greg @TOfilmfest (@TOfilmfest)
• Jeff Wright (@jeffreyjeffrey)

Source: Toronto Screen Shots

readmore »»  

Tis the Season: The National Board of Review

(Scroll over any film title to read the full Black Sheep review.)

The National Board of Review doesn't waste any time with irksome distractions, like nominations. No, they get right to it and what they got right to this year is David Fincher's THE SOCIAL NETWORK. Not only did the film itself take top honours as Best Film but Fincher earned an award for his direction and screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin, earned one for his screenplay. The support for THE SOCIAL NETWORK also elevated star, Jesse Eisenberg, as an official Oscar contender for his portrayal of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, with his win here as Best Actor.

Other unexpected wins went to Lesley Manville as Best Actress in Mike Leigh's ANOTHER YEAR, a film that made the NBR Top 10, and Jacki Weaver as Best Supporting Actress in ANIMAL KINGDOM, a film that made the NBR Independent Top 10. The last acting award went to Christian Bale, as Best Supporting Actor, in David O. Russell's THE FIGHTER, another NBR Top 10 film of 2010. Notable absences in the film lists include BLACK SWAN, 127 HOURS and THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT. Meanwhile, the Debra Granik hopeful, WINTER'S BONE, has somehow graduated from independent to major player with its inclusion in the Top 10 and star, Jennifer Lawrence's win for Breakthrough Performance is another graceful step toward an Oscar nomination.

Here are the National Board of Review winners in the major categories:

BEST FILM

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

TOP 10 FILMS

ANOTHER YEAR

THE FIGHTER

HEREAFTER

INCEPTION

THE KING'S SPEECH

SHUTTER ISLAND

THE TOWN

TOY STORY 3

TRUE GRIT

WINTER'S BONE

TOP INDEPENDENT FILMS

ANIMAL KINGDON

BURIED

FISH TANK

THE GHOST WRITER

GREENBERG

LET ME IN

MONSTERS

PLEASE GIVE

SOMEWHERE

YOUTH IN REVOLT

BEST ACTOR

Jesse Eisenberg, THE SOCIAL NETWORK

BEST ACTRESS

Lesley Manville, ANOTHER YEAR

BEST DIRECTOR

David Fincher, THE SOCIAL NETWORK

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Aaron Sorkin, THE SOCIAL NETWORK

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Chris Sparling, BURIED

For a full list of winners, visit The National Board of Review website at www.nbrmp.org

readmore »»  

Tis the Season: The Film Independent Spirit Awards

(Scroll over film titles for the full Black Sheep review.)

Last week, I was in Montreal on non-movie related business. It was consuming to say the least. Not only did I miss the announcement that James Franco and Anne Hathaway will be hosting the Oscars, but I also missed the nominations for the Film Independent Spirit Awards. This ceremony is always held the evening before the Oscars and honours the best in American independent cinema, including shout-out's to foreign entries and documentaries as well.

The 2010 nominees are a fantastic bunch with a couple of notable exceptions that could cripple Oscar odds right from the start. Leading the pack with seven nominations, is WINTER'S BONE, the "chilling" tale of survival in the Ozarks, with nods for Best Feature, Director (Debra Granik) , Lead Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Screenplay (Granik and Anne Rosellini), Supporting Actress (Dale Dickey) and Supporting Actor (John Hawkes). The film is considered an underdog at the Oscars and this will certainly assist its Best Picture odds, as well as its actors' chances. Coming in next with 5 nods is the summer indie favorite, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, from director, Lisa Cholodenko. Cholodenko earns nods for writing and directing, while the film nabs a Best Feature nod and stars Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo earn acting kudos in their respective categories. The film has a good shot at the Oscar Top 10 and Cholodenko might nab a screenplay nod as well, but no nomination for Julianne Moore in such a competitive year here, where she should have easily been rewarded, is a very bad start for her.

The Best Feature category is rounded out by 127 HOURS, BLACK SWAN and GREENBERG. Of the five nominees, GREENBERG is the only entry I don't believe in. I doubt the love shown here will translate elsewhere either. RABBIT HOLE would have been a much stronger choice. Still, the John Cameron Mitchell film was honoured with screenplay and direction nods, as well as one for lead actress, Nicole Kidman and lead actor, Aaron Eckhardt. Meanwhile, Oscar front runner, THE KING'S SPEECH earns a slot in the Foreign Film category, the only one it could have hoped for. This will certainly be the first amongst many accolades for the Tom Hooper hopeful. I was also disappointed not to see more love for the Nicole Holofcener gem PLEASE GIVE, which took just one nod for screenplay.

The Independent Spirit Awards will be held on February 26, 2011 and hosted by Joel McHale, the star of television's "Community". Here are the major category nominees:

BEST FEATURE

127 HOURS

BLACK SWAN

GREENBERG

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

WINTER'S BONE

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, BLACK SWAN

Danny Boyle, 127 HOURS

Lisa Cholodenko, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Debra Granik, WINTER'S BONE

John Cameron Mitchell, RABBIT HOLE

BEST SCREENPLAY

Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Bloomberg, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, WINTER'S BONE

Nicole Holofcener, PLEASE GIVE
David Lindsay-Abair, RABBIT HOLE

Todd Solondz, LIFE DURING WARTIME

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Annete Bening, THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Greta Gerwig, GREENBERG

Nicole Kidman, RABBIT HOLE

Jennifer Lawrence, WINTER'S BONE

Natalie Portman, BLACK SWAN

BEST MALE LEAD

Ronald Bronstein, DADDY LONG LEGS

Aaron Eckhardt, RABBIT HOLE

James Franco, 127 HOURS

John C. Reilly, CYRUS

Ben Stiller, GREENBERG

For a full list of nominees and more information on the Film Independent Spirit Awards, visit their website, Spiritawards.com

readmore »»  

Tis the Season: The National Board of Review

The National Board of Review, which from what I can gather on their website, is a board of film enthusiasts, a term I thought I had coined but hey, who collectively support the art known as film in any way they see fit. At this time of year, they see fit by stringing together a Top 10 list for the year as well as singling out particular films and performances. This year, their favorite film is American filmmaker, Jason Reitman's third picture, UP IN THE AIR, starring George Clooney, whom they also deemed gave the best male performance this year, tied with Morgan Freeman for INVICTIS. The board also distinguishes between what they consider to be independent pictures and mainstream, creating two Top 10 lists. PRECIOUS is on neither. Other notable absences, hopefuls, THE ROAD, PUBLIC ENEMIES and NINE. Meanwhile, the Coen Brothers are on a strong start toward a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for A SERIOUS MAN, having been honoured both here and at the Independent Spirit Awards. And potential Best Picture nominees, UP and STAR TREK throw their hats in the race as both are featured in the Top 10.

Here are the National Board of Review honourees ...

BEST FILM

UP IN THE AIR

TOP 10 FILMS

AN EDUCATION
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
INVICTUS
THE MESSENGER
A SERIOUS MAN
STAR TREK
UP
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

TOP INDEPENDENT FILMS

AMREEKA
DISTRICT 9
GOODBYE SOLO
HUMPDAY
IN THE LOOP
JULIA
ME AND ORSON WELLES
MOON
SUGAR
TWO LOVERS

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney, UP IN THE AIR
Morgan Freeman, INVICTUS

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan, AN EDUCATION

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Woody Harrelson, THE MESSENGER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anna Kendrick, UP IN THE AIR

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

IT'S COMPLICATED

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR

Jeremy Renner, THE HURT LOCKER

BREAKHTROUGH PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS

Gabourey Sidibe, PRECIOUS

BEST DIRECTOR

Clint Eastwood, INVICTUS

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

UP IN THE AIR

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

A SERIOUS MAN

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

UP

Please feel free to click on any of the links to read past Black Sheep Reviews for these honoured films. The review for BROTHERS is coming soon.

readmore »»