Oscars Out

Last week, Black Sheep gave you a head start on your Oscar viewing with a guide to all the nominated films that are available to rent now. By now, you should have at least seen THE HURT LOCKER and INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS and DISTRICT 9. If you haven't, you need to pick it up, people. The Oscars are less than three weeks from now and you still have a lot to watch, I'm sure. Now, as for what is still playing in theatres, five of the ten Best Picture nominees are available to you. While the chances are good that you saw AVATAR and THE BLIND SIDE already, you don't want to miss UP IN THE AIR, PRECIOUS or AN EDUCATION either. I thought rather than focus on the films you likely have the easiest access to, I would focus a little more on the films that may not make your final cut in hopes that you will squeeze them in.

Here are the five best Oscar nominated films you might not have seen yet:

CRAZY HEART
Nominated for:

BEST ACTOR - JEFF BRIDGES
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - THE WEARY KIND


CRAZY HEART is currently playing on a little over 1000 screens in North America and therefore shouldn't be too hard to find playing near you. Scott Cooper's film has a strong chance of taking home two Oscars come the big night, the first for Jeff Bridges and the second for the fantastic Ryan Bingham song. I'm not so sure how Maggie Gyllenhaal ended up nominated for her work here but she certainly doesn't take away from the film. CRAZY HEART is one of those quiet films about real people dealing with real problems that are just a little too real for some audiences. Bridges is so strong as alcoholic country singer, Bad Blake though, that it is easy to overlook the smaller budgetary issues.


THE LAST STATION
Nominated for:

BEST ACTRESS - HELEN MIRREN
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER


THE LAST STATION imagines the last days of Russian author and reluctant near-prophet, Leo Tolstoy. Christopher Plummer plays Tolstoy and Helen Mirren plays his wife, Countess Sofya. The two are a long time married, have been drifting for years and are finally reaching their boiling points over their issues. THE LAST STATION was not recognized in any other category but it is still certainly worth it to watch these two go at it as they are both incredible professionals. It doesn't hurt that James McAvoy is always around for eye candy either.


THE MESSENGER
Nominated for:

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - WOODY HARRELSON
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY


The full Black Sheep review will be coming next week on THE MESSENGER but it has actually been playing in theatres here and there since November. I cannot say that I agree with the screenplay nomination for director, Oren Moverman and co-writer, Alessandro Camon. I found it lacked subtlety at times but it is still moving and engaging. The ensemble itself, rounded out by Ben Foster, who in a different year, could have easily seen his first nomination, and Samantha Morton, who should have quite honestly been listed amongst the nominees in place of Gyllenhaal, is dead on. And Harrelson leads the pack, capping off a great year with a well-deserved nod. THE MESSENGER opens in Canada on February 26.


A SINGLE MAN
Nominated for:

BEST ACTOR - COLIN FIRTH


The lack of Academy support for Tom Ford's debut feature, A SINGLE MAN, really surprised me when the Oscar nominations were announced. I expected Julianne Moore to pick a Supporting Actress nod. I hoped Abel Korzeniowski would pick up a nod for his sumptuous string score. I thought for sure it would pop up under Art Direction or Costume Design, considering how fashionable and stylish the whole thing is. I would have loved to have seen Ford himself recognized for his tender screenplay even. Sadly, I saw none of that happen. Still, if Colin Firth's nomination for his work as George is the only prize it takes, I will be thrilled.


THE WHITE RIBBON
Nominated for:

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY


I told a friend of mine the other day that I was going to see a depressing black and white art film this past weekend. She humoured me at first but definitely thought I was crazy when I told her it was two and a half hours long and in German. Despite her lack of understanding as to how that could actually make for a great afternoon, I would actually see Michael Haneke's THE WHITE RIBBON again. I knew nothing of its plot going in and I think it best if you go in as blind as I did. The resulting experience will be all the more bewildering. THE WHITE RIBBON is not a likely winner in the Cinematography category but could surprise and is certainly one of the top two contenders in the Foreign Language category.


Next up for Black Sheep's Oscar coverage, Black Sheep looks at the Animated Feature category this weekend. Look for reviews for the Oscar nominated films throughout the week. Now, get out there and see those movies!

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Shearing the Oscars: Best Actor

This weekend, Black Sheep will be taking a closer look at one of the most exciting categories and one of the most infuriating at this year's Academy Awards. As I figure it best to start my weekend on a positive note, I am going to go with exciting to start. The ladies will wait until tomorrow, where apparently I will begin my day with a coffee and a scowl as I muse on their category. Meanwhile, if we could get to the gentlemen, and they all appear to be folks I could say that about, I describe the Best Actor category as exciting because I genuinely feel that they all deserve to be there. Though Bridges definitely has the edge, it is not a lost cause for the other competitors. And the nominees are ...

JEFF BRIDGES as Bad Black in CRAZY HEART


I did not get the chance to review Scott Cooper's CRAZY HEART when it came out but if I had I would have called it pretty good but not amazing. I also would have said that Bridge's incredible performance is the only real reason to see this film. To watch him disheveled and barely able to stand up is to understand how heavy life can get for an alcoholic who has no respect for his own self. His expression is restrained and real but his resonance is staggering. Bridges has been nominated for four Oscars already, the first for 1971's THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and the last for 2000's THE CONTENDER, but he has yet to win. After snagging the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award for this role, Bridges does seem somewhat destined.

GEORGE CLOONEY as Ryan Bingham in UP IN THE AIR


Clooney had the momentum going in. He picked up early kudos from the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle for his smooth work as Ryan Bingham, in Jason Reitman's UP IN THE AIR. The role almost seems tailor made for Clooney, as art imitates what we think we know about his life. Bingham is unattached and approaching 50. He has no interest in settling in one place in particular or holding any one person's hand for too long. Clooney brings so much more than himself to the role though. He brings class and sophistication and such sympathy that he sets the tone for the film to follow. He has lost his edge though and has already won for a supporting role in SYRIANA. He could turn it around but I fear his plane might be grounded.

COLIN FIRTH as George in A SINGLE MAN


I have never really been a big Colin Firth fan. When I caught the North American premiere of Tom Ford's A SINGLE MAN at TIFF this fall though, I was floored by the depth of his range and how much sadness he could carry in his soul. Firth was on hand for the premiere and he could not appear to be more proud of his work and the film itself. The Academy didn't shower A SINGLE MAN with any other love than this nod though so Firth has his work cut out for him. He won awards for his work at the Venice Film Festival as well as from some West Coast critic's associations but so far, he has come up short for anything really big. This is his first nomination and without a major campaign, I can't see this being his first win as well.

MORGAN FREEMAN as Nelson Mandela in INVICTUS


I'm happy to say that with Freeman's and Matt Damon's Supporting Actor nods being the only one's awarded to Clint Eastwood's INVICTUS, it would appear that the Academy's unconditional love for all of Eastwood's work is finally falling off. The best thing about INVICTUS is the acting and Freeman certainly deserves to be nominated for his uncanny interpretation of the former President of South Africa. My criticism, and also why I don't feel this fifth nomination will turn into a second win for Freeman, is that his performance often borders more on imitation.

JEREMY RENNER as Staff Sgt. William James in THE HURT LOCKER


Renner's nod is the only one that doesn't match my Top 5 for the year. I enjoyed him. I felt that he brought different layers to a role that could have been very one-dimensional. I just happened to enjoy another performance more (Michael Stuhlbarg in A SERIOUS MAN). Renner is a fairly fresh face and this is his first nomination. My guess is that he got swept up in the enormous support for Kathryn Bigelow's THE HURT LOCKER and that just being honoured among these other veteran actors is his award.

WHO WILL WIN? Jeff Bridges

WHO COULD STILL UPSET? George Clooney

And so there are the men. Tomorrow, it's the women. I will not be covering the supporting categories as those are pretty much locks already. What do you think? Who do you think will win? And who do you think actually should win? Black Sheep wants to know what you think!

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