MOVIE OF THE WEEK/OSCAR WATCH: The King's Speech

"The King's Speech" is a sure crowd-pleaser. In fact, in my theatre the entire audience applauded at the end. The film features outstanding performances from Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter who were all a delight to watch. The film really flew by, as I was expecting at least another 1/2 hour at the end, a true sign of a good movie. According to the "smart-money" this film will go head-to-head with "The Social Network" for Best Picture. After seeing it, I can definitely see why (although I think "The Social Network" should be the frontrunner). Firth and Rush also deserve all their praise and Bonham Carter also deserves a nomination, although she faded away as the film progressed. Expect nominations to come in Directing, Original Screenplay, Editing, Art Direction and Costume Design as well.

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OSCAR WATCH: 127 Hours

"127 Hours" is another solid endeavor by Danny Boyle. Should definitely pick up a good spread of Oscar nominations. The directing was focussed, creating a very intimate atmosphere, as if you were stuck in the cave with James Franco's character. This character was the highlight of the movie, as Franco put in an outstanding performance carrying the movie all on his own. His performance in "the scene" (if you know the basic plot, then you'll know what I am referring to) was enough to warrant a Best Actor nomination. The short running time (94 minutes) of the film held the audience's attention, avoiding the mistake of trying to stretch out a very simple plot. I would consider this film a strong contender for Best Actor, Best Director and Editing. Should also be a lock for nominations in Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Cinematography, but I would be very surprised if it won awards in these categories. I recommend this film, but be warned. This film is not for the faint of heart!

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK/OSCAR WATCH: The Social Network

"Damn, that was soooo witty!" That's all I kept saying after watching this excellent film. I really didn't want this movie to end, when those typical "Where are they now?" lines came up at the end, I was actually in denial. This film was such a great collaboration. The screenplay was outstanding, such smart comedy in addition to some really gripping moments. The cast all worked beautifully together, with Jesse Eisenberg particularly giving a surpringly confident performance. This thing is a lock for Best Picture and I have no doubt that it will be in the top 5 for Oscar contention. This movie has a lot going for it. It is so representative of the "online" society of our generation (dating, shopping, entertainment etc.). Oscar experts always talk about the importance of the relevance and timing of a film and I can't think of a more current and relevant film. Eisenberg deserves a Best Actor nomination and Garfield was also good in his supporting role (even Timberlake did a good job). Certainly should get attention for Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Editing as well. I reccommend this movie to all my friends. I'm so excited to watch the other frontrunners (The King's Speech and 127 Hours) now.

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OSCAR WATCH: The Kids Are All Right

"The Kid's Are All Right" is a simple, yet entertaining film. A good blend of drama and comedy. I agree with the Oscar pundits that Annette Benning and Julianne Moore were Oscar-worthy, but I don't get the hype about Mark Ruffalo's performance. He just didn't do anything spectacular to me. The 2 lead women (of which I think Annette was better) however, had some truly brilliant moments throughout the film. Overall, it was a good film, but I wasn't raving about it like I was with other Oscar contenders like "Inception". Still, I wouldn't mind if it picked up a Best Picture nomination. Should also stand a good chance in the Original Screenplay category.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Braveheart

Yes, I know it's strange that I haven't seen "Braveheart" until now, but I can explain. Back in the 90's I was too young to watch these movies(and I was a very disciplined child) and I was more interested in the next Pokemon movie anyway. By the time I really became a movie buff, I was more interested in the new releases. Anyway, back to "Braveheart". Really one of those genre-defining films (when you think of epic movies, how can you not have this on your list?). A bit overdramatic at times, but I guess it was appropriate for the context. Mel was surprisingly believable in his role too and really showed his talent as a director.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Primal Fear

Whoa, didn't see that one coming. Don't want to divulge any more, as it would ruin the movie if you intend to watch it. Awesome cast, especially Edward Norton who was really great in his role. If you haven't seen this, you should.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Pride and Prejudice

This film was a surprisingly fresh take on the Jane Austen classic. The cinematography was spectacular, the directing was creative, the acting was great (Keira Knightly fully deserved her Oscar nom) and it was even quite funny. A thoroughly enjoyable adaptation of such great source material.

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OSCAR WATCH: How To Train Your Dragon

First of all, I completely disagree that this movie should be on "Oscar Watch". Yes, it's highly entertaining like a good animated film should be, but Oscar calibre? I think not. There is no way this is beating "Toy Story 3), for a Best Picture nomination and there certainly won't be 2 animated films nominated for Best Picture (they have an animated film category for a reason). Good film though, worth renting.

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COMING SOON: For Colored Girls

This one has so much potential, but I feel like it has some serious issues with it. Firstly, it was directed by Tyler Perry. Anyone familiar with his films knows that they are pretty bad and formulaic. Why couldn't they just leave him as producer (which he is great at, since his movies always make serious bank)? Can you imagine Oscar voters checking off a movie attached to Tyler Perry's name? Another issue for me is the title (full title is "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf"). Who even uses the term 'colored' anymore? I feel like the white upper-crust film community will feel very uncomfortable talking about 'colored girls'. I do think this film could churn out a Best Lead or Supporting Actress nomination or two. To be frank, this year is a very white Oscar race and a half-decent performance and a good publicity team should be enough. I really hope this doesn't flop. Opens November 5th.

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OSCAR WATCH: Winter's Bone

It’s so great that we have a whole other independent film industry running alongside Hollywood. Films like “Frozen River”, “Fargo” and now “Winter’s Bone” remind us that there is a major cross-section of the US that is worlds apart from the glitz and glamour that typical Hollywood movies tend to focus on. This was the epitome of an indie film, with a simple story and most importantly, very realistic. Surprisingly, I was quite engaged with this film, unlike my experiences into other monotone, slow-paced indie movies. There has been much Oscar buzz surrounding this film, but imho this has little chance for the exact qualities highlighted above. Firstly, I think the movie was too simple for it to stand out against the wide selection of films this year, so I highly doubt it will get into the Best Picture game. Also, the “experts” say that Jennifer Lawrence is one of the top contenders for Best Actress, but once again, I don’t think her performance was “showy” enough for her to make the cut. This is a competitive year for best actress and while she did a great job, I can’t see her edging out the host of big names floating around (Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Diane Lane, Hilary Swank etc.). Overall, there wasn’t anything wrong with the movie, on the contrary, it was damn good. I do feel however that leads itself to be easily forgotten (like "The Messenger" and "Crazy Heart" last year) among the plethora of good films this year.

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