Win Passes to See Marion Cotillard's Oscar Nominated Performance in ' Two Days, One Night'

If timing is everything then we've got it all. This morning Marion Cotillard was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in the film Two Days, One Night. This evening we have 5 admit-two passes to give away to that very same movie! I just need to know one thing, what has been your favorite performance of hers thus far? Send your answer to punchdrunkcritics@gmail.com for your chance to win, we'll be accepting entries until Sunday night at 6PM so get yours in now!

For the first time, the Dardenne Brothers have teamed with a major international star, Academy Award ® winner Marion Cotillard, and the result is another masterwork of humanism. Sandra (Cotillard) has just returned to work after recovering from an illness. Realizing that the company can operate with one less employee, management tells Sandra she is to be let go while the remaining employees will each receive a bonus. Over the course of a weekend, Sandra, often with the help of her loving husband (Fabio Rongione), races against time to convince each of her fellow co-workers to sacrifice their much-needed bonuses in order for her to keep her job. With each encounter, Sandra is brought into a different world with unexpected results while her fate hangs in the balance. The Dardennes have brought an extremely relevant social inquiry and turned it into a powerful statement on community solidarity.

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Academy Award Nominee 'Ernest and Celestine' Gets a Trailer!

You know what's great? To have an initial impression of something, then having that something change your mind for the good. Ernest and Celestine, an Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature, is like a childhood book come to life. The first 20 seconds or so of the trailer had me sitting here wanting to hit stop, "Ughh...another artsy animated movie" said me. Then, as soon as we see the first meeting of the two title characters, that all starts to morph meh, to like, to love. The story, which I'm sure is a rather intelligent and astute allegory for our current state of fearing what is different, seems like it will be one of those which is sweet and fun enough to let all children enjoy but heavy and smart enough that they, hopefully, will learn some important life lessons. The look, which admittedly jarred me at first, grows on you almost immediately once you make the connection between it's style and that of so many children's books that we all spent so many hours reading and re-reading. Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think. If you ask me I think we have one of those very rare films that knows how to entertain a young audience without being devoid of a deep meaning. 

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2014 Oscar Nominations: 'American Hustle' and 'Gravity' Lead with 10 Each

Today is the day that every filmmaker, actor, producer, and studio rep has been building towards. It's the day Hollywood wakes up early and reveals the nominees for the 2014 Academy Awards, and in one of the most crowded fields in recent memory there were a number of surprises, shocks, and snubs.

David O. Russell's political caper American Hustle led with 10 nominations, surpassing the 8 he earned for Silver Linings Playbook just a year ago. Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity also earned 10, followed closely behind by 12 Years a Slave with 9.

Surprisingly, Tom Hanks was left out of the Best Actor race for Captain Phillips, when he had seemed like a shoe-in for months. That's probably due to the late surge by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. Saving Mr. Banks was left on the outside looking as it failed to make the final Best Picture field, and star Emma Thompson missed the Best Actress cut in another surprising move. The Coen Brothers' folk music drama Inside Llewyn Davis vastly underperformed, even in the musical categories where it was expected to do wwell. Sentimental pick James Gandolfini did not earn a nomination for Enough Said, as some expected, with Jonah Hill likely taking his place for The Wolf of Wall Street.

The Academy Awards will be held on March 2nd. The full list of nominations are below.

Best motion picture of the year
“American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
“Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers
“Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers
“Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers
“Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers
“Philomena” Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers
“12 Years a Slave” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Nominees to be determined

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Christian Bale in “American Hustle”
Bruce Dern in “Nebraska”
Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”
Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club”

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Barkhad Abdi in “Captain Phillips”
Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle”
Michael Fassbender in “12 Years a Slave”
Jonah Hill in “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Jared Leto in “Dallas Buyers Club”

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Amy Adams in “American Hustle”
Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine”
Sandra Bullock in “Gravity”
Judi Dench in “Philomena”
Meryl Streep in “August: Osage County”

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Sally Hawkins in “Blue Jasmine”
Jennifer Lawrence in “American Hustle”
Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave”
Julia Roberts in “August: Osage County”
June Squibb in “Nebraska”

Best animated feature film of the year
“The Croods” Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco and Kristine Belson
“Despicable Me 2” Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin and Chris Meledandri
“Ernest & Celestine” Benjamin Renner and Didier Brunner
“Frozen” Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho
“The Wind Rises” Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki

Achievement in cinematography
“The Grandmaster” Philippe Le Sourd
“Gravity” Emmanuel Lubezki
“Inside Llewyn Davis” Bruno Delbonnel
“Nebraska” Phedon Papamichael
“Prisoners” Roger A. Deakins

Achievement in costume design
“American Hustle” Michael Wilkinson
“The Grandmaster” William Chang Suk Ping
“The Great Gatsby” Catherine Martin
“The Invisible Woman” Michael O’Connor
“12 Years a Slave” Patricia Norris

Achievement in directing
“American Hustle” David O. Russell
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón
“Nebraska” Alexander Payne
“12 Years a Slave” Steve McQueen
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Martin Scorsese

Best documentary feature
“The Act of Killing”Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
“Cutie and the Boxer” Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
“Dirty Wars” Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
“The Square” Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
“20 Feet from Stardom” Nominees to be determined

Best documentary short subject
“CaveDigger” Jeffrey Karoff
“Facing Fear” Jason Cohen
“Karama Has No Walls” Sara Ishaq
“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
“Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall” Edgar Barens

Achievement in film editing
“American Hustle” Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
“Captain Phillips” Christopher Rouse
“Dallas Buyers Club” John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
“12 Years a Slave” Joe Walker

Best foreign language film of the year
“The Broken Circle Breakdown” Belgium
“The Great Beauty” Italy
“The Hunt” Denmark
“The Missing Picture” Cambodia
“Omar” Palestine

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
“Dallas Buyers Club” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Stephen Prouty
“The Lone Ranger” Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
“The Book Thief” John Williams
“Gravity” Steven Price
“Her” William Butler and Owen Pallett
“Philomena” Alexandre Desplat
“Saving Mr. Banks” Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Alone Yet Not Alone” from “Alone Yet Not Alone”
Music by Bruce Broughton; Lyric by Dennis Spiegel
“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”
Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams
“Let It Go” from “Frozen”
Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
“The Moon Song” from “Her”
Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze
“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen; Lyric by Paul Hewson

Achievement in production design
“American Hustle” Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler
“Gravity” Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard
“The Great Gatsby” Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn
“Her” Production Design: K.K. Barrett; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena
“12 Years a Slave” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Alice Baker

Best animated short film
“Feral” Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
“Get a Horse!” Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
“Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
“Possessions” Shuhei Morita
“Room on the Broom” Max Lang and Jan Lachauer

Best live action short film
“Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)” Esteban Crespo
“Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)” Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras
“Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
“Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)” Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari
“The Voorman Problem” Mark Gill and Baldwin Li

Achievement in sound editing
“All Is Lost” Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns
“Captain Phillips” Oliver Tarney
“Gravity” Glenn Freemantle
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Brent Burge
“Lone Survivor” Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing
“Captain Phillips” Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro
“Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson
“Inside Llewyn Davis” Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
“Lone Survivor” Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow

Achievement in visual effects
“Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds
“Iron Man 3” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick
“The Lone Ranger” Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier
“Star Trek Into Darkness” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay
“Before Midnight” Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
“Captain Phillips” Screenplay by Billy Ray
“Philomena” Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
“12 Years a Slave” Screenplay by John Ridley
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Screenplay by Terence Winter

Original screenplay
“American Hustle” Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
“Blue Jasmine” Written by Woody Allen
“Dallas Buyers Club” Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack
“Her” Written by Spike Jonze
“Nebraska” Written by Bob Nelson

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Ali Larter Leads 'The Diabolical'; David Dobkin Takes Hugh Hefner Bio; Paul Feig Lands New Comedy

* The gorgeous and sorely under-seen Ali Larter doesn't get around on the big screen as much as she used to , so it's good news to find out she's landed the lead role in The Diabolical, a horror film from co-writer/director Alistair Legrand. She plays a single mother haunted nightly by a strange presence, which her scientist boyfriend seeks to hunt and destroy despite paranormal experts being too afraid to take it on. [Deadline]

* Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin is the man to helm Warner Bros.' untitled Hugh Hefner biopic, chronicling the life of the Playboy founder and renowned ladies' man. No exact details are available about what it will cover, but it has a script by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Rush) who knows a thing or two about biopics of this sort.  I guess this makes up for WB shelving Dobkin's big budget Arthur & Lancelot awhile back.

* Paul Feig keeps lining up one project after another, all in the comedy realm as is to be expected. He'll produce and potentially direct an untitled laugher based on a pitch by Melissa Stack, who wrote the Cameron Diaz rom-com The Other Woman which just released a trailer that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Considering he's remained pretty close with Melissa McCarthy of late, working with her on Bridesmaids, The Heat, and the upcoming spy flick Susan Cooper, one has to wonder if they'll team up for this too. Meanwhile, he's also busy directing fun little trailers for the Academy Awards, featuring host Ellen Degeneres. Check it out below.  [Variety]

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Awards push for "Spring Breakers" begins with James Franco clip

Is it James Franco's "American dream" to win an Oscar? Well, one of the best parts of his role as Alien in Harmony Korine's "Spring Breakers" was his discussion of how he's living the American Dream with "all my shit," so perhaps Franco is looking to add a little golden man to that mix.

As the awards season push begins, it looks like film distribution production company A24 is hoping for voters to remember Franco's performance - and they've released a sizzle reel to remind us all of the insanity. To be fair, Franco was pretty great in "Spring Breakers," but is it realistic to think he'll get nominated when Jared Leto and Michael Fassbender also gave great performances in "The Dallas Buyers Club" and "12 Years a Slave"? It's possible, and you can make your own decision after viewing the video.

Although, I must say: James Franco didn't care enough about the Oscars when he was hosting with Anne Hathaway that year. But now he wants win one? Hmm.

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Cinema Royale #34- 'Rush'; 'Don Jon' Early Best Actress Predictions

The Oscar season has begun, and many are predicting Ron Howard's Rush to be a definite contender. But does the Formula One flick starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl have goods to reach the finish line?  Plus, we'll take a look at Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut, the sex addiction comedy Don Jon!

Plus, we'll be joined by the Cinema Siren +Leslie Combemale  to wrap up our insanely early Oscar predictions, picking the Best Actress nominees.

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, Libsyn, and Podomatic. Listen to this week's episode below...

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Cinema Royale #32- Riddick; Early Best Picture Predictions

Now that the summer's over, it's time to turn the page and look forward to the fall and the Oscar season. And on this episode Cinema Royale we'll do that by reviewing Vin Diesel's sci-fi flick, Riddick! What, that makes no sense you say? What ever do you mean?

We WILL look ahead, probably way too far ahead, at the early Best Picture contenders likely to emerge this season. Could the kidnapping drama Prisoners be a dark horse? What about Tom Hanks' dual films Captain Phillips and Saving Mr. Banks? And where does The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug fit into the mix?

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, Libsyn, and Podomatic. Listen to this week's episode below...

More Movies Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Cinema Royale on BlogTalkRadio

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Video: Academy Awards 'Auto Tune' Musical Segment

Ok, so last night's Academy Awards wasn't exactly a surefire hit. Anne Hathaway was absolutely radiant and jubilant about her role as host. Franco? Eh, he was alright but nothing special. I think some people are being too hard on them, and comparing them to Billy Crystal is simply unfair. You think they were allowed the freedom to say/do what they wanted the way he was? Of course not.

Anyway, one of the funnier segments of the show to me was the musical "auto tune" segment, in particular the "He Doesn't Own a Shirt" bit featuring clips from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Maybe this will show those artists who actually use this crap exactly why it's so lame.  Enjoy. 

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The New Wave: 1/28/11

Could there be a more perfect pairing than Jason Statham and Con Air director Simon West? How about adding Ben Foster's(Alpha Dog, The Messenger) intensity to the mix? The Mechanic, a remake of a Charles Bronson hitman flick from 1972, is a huge step up from Statham's most recent  stuff(lookin' at you Stallone!!). Let's just hope it's the beginning of a trend. Check out my review of The Mechanic here.

I could do with a few less exorcism movies in my diet, thank you. There seem to be an abundance of religious skeptics in the employ of the Vatican lately, and they all manage to find their way into the realm of some snarky demon. Anthony Hopkins is chewing up some major scenery here, as he looks to bounce back from...oh, years worth of poor acting choices. Mikael Hafstrom impressed the hell out of me a few years ago with 1408, but can he find that same magic again?  My review of The Rite can be found here.

You probably don't even need to see Biutiful to understand why Javier Bardem was nominated for an Academy Award this year. The guy could make a mute shop clerk compelling with his dark eyes and powerful presence. Biutiful marks something of a departure for writer/director Alejandro González Iñárritu(Babel, 21 Grams), taking a break from the fractured narrative style he's used in his other films and aiming his camera squarely on Uxbal, a dying father with a checkered lifestyle trying to secure a decent future for his two kids.

It took more than a decade for the adaptation of Mordecai Richler's final(and some would say best) novel to reach the screen, but the wait made it possible for Paul Giamatti lend his considerable talents to the title role. He plays Barney Panofsky, a regular, somewhat obnoxious guy who lives a roller coaster life of success, failure, and three tumultuous marriages.

 Selected as Peru's entry for Best  Foreign Language film at this year's Academy Awards, Undertow ultimately failed in moving up to the big stage. The story involves a married man trying to reconcile life with his pregnant wife and the love he feels for another man in his village.

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Punch Drunk Critics Live! ep. 85: Academy Awards; The Rite; The Mechanic

It's that time of year. The time of year where Hollywood honors the very best cinema has to offer. The Academy Award nominees have been announced, and we'll be joined by some of DC's best critics to pick out the surprises, the clear cut favorites, and all the duds! Plus, we've got reviews of The Rite, starring Anthony Hopkins, and The Mechanic featuring Jason Statham and Ben Foster! We hope you'll join us for another jam packed episode, courtesy of our friends at Blogtalkradio!

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The 2010 WAFCA Awards are here!! *UPDATE*

Every year, the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association(WAFCA) gathers together to vote on the pinnacle of cinematic achievement. These awards have garnered international acclaim and respect, often serving as a pre-cursor to the eventual Academy Award winners. Founded in 2002, WAFCA is made up of the very best in the field of film journalism and critique, including such local stalwarts as Arch Campbell, Nell Minow, Jim Judy, Tim Gordon, Joe Barber and many more.  It's been the pleasure of yours truly and my partner in crime, John Nolan, to be first year members of this honored group and voters in the WAFCA awards as well.

Well it's awards season again, and the time for butting heads is upon us. The ballots have been sent out, the nominees are in place, and each of us have begun lobbying for what we truly believe are the best movies and performances of the year. The fighting's been intense and will continue through the weekend. There's only been one incident of physical violence when someone tried to nominate Youth in Revolt for Best Picture.

The 2010 WAFCA Award winners will be announced this upcoming Monday, December 6th at 8AM eastern. Your hosts for this event will Tim Gordon of Keeping It Reel with FilmGordon; Kevin "BDK" McCarthy of WTTG Fox 5 News and the Kevin and Josh Movie Show; and yours truly, Travis Hopson. I am again honored. You can listen to the big reveal live by clicking here, so set a date to wake up early and join us!

*UPDATE*

The 14 categories we will be casting our votes for are...
Best Film
Best Animated Film
Best Foreign Film
Best Documentary
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Ensemble
Best Original Screenplay
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Art Direction
*Best Cinematography
*Best Score

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The 82nd Oscars are Here!

I'm no fan of the Academy's decision to expand to 10 Best Picture nominees. It doesn't really add much excitement other than hearing a lesser known film with zero chance of winning get a mention or two.  The upside is that it might entice a few people to check these great films out. The downside is that we'll still know who the true favorites are to win.  As expected, Avatar led all films with 9 nominations. The surprise, though, is that Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker tied it. James Cameron and Bigelow were formerly husband and wife. I wonder if they'll have any drunken hook ups at the Oscar night party they're sure to attend.

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
Avatar (2009)
The Blind Side (2009)
District 9 (2009)
An Education (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
A Serious Man (2009)
Up (2009)
Up in the Air (2009/I)

Let's be honest, there are only a few of these that are real contenders. Avatar, Inglorious Basterds, The Hurt Locker, Up, and Up in the Air are the real deal. It's good to see An Education getting the recognition it so rightly deserves, but it's main attraction is the script and Carey Mulligan's wonderful performance. I think this is truly a three horse race, and in the end I think that The Hurt Locker is going to win out over the big budget, special effects laden Avatar. This will be the Academy's chance to show that smaller, well crafted filmmaking still dominates over technical wizardry. On CNN this morning, the two clueless anchors(who admitted they had seen 2 of the 10 films) thought that Precious was the clear favorite. I take it they don't do drug testing at the most trusted news network, eh?

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)
George Clooney for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Colin Firth for A Single Man (2009)
Morgan Freeman for Invictus (2009)
Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker (2008)

This might be the most competitive Best Actor race in years. Every one of these 5 could legitimately win out. I think Morgan Freeman has the least chance, thanks mostly to the fact that Invictus flopped huge with both audiences and critics. Clooney and Renner have been the go-to picks for months now, putting on performances that nobody expected from the two of them. I think this one boils down to Colin Firth as the closeted gay man looking to end his own life in A Single Man, and the ever reliable Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. I think Bridges has the momentum here, based mostly on his body of work over the years and general lack of recognition for it.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)
Helen Mirren for The Last Station (2009)
Carey Mulligan for An Education (2009)
Gabourey Sidibe for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (2009)

If you'd asked me a month ago I would've told you Streep had this one in the bag, but thanks to The Blind Side's dominance at the box office, not to mention it being nominated for Best Picture, I think she's turned the corner and is now the frontrunner. Gaby Sidibe was good in precious, but unspectactular in my opinion. She shouldn't be here, really, and her nomination is the Academy's acknowledgement of a newcomer(who we won't see again in anything meaningful, if you ask me). If it were up to me, my pick would be Carey Mulligan, who far and away had the best performance of the year in An Education. Comparisions to her resembling a young Hepburn don't begin to get across how good she is, and considering her follow-up projects(she had a small part in Brothers as well), I expect we'll be seeing her for a long time to come. I hope she takes it.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Matt Damon for Invictus (2009)
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (2009/I)
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station (2009)
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (2009)
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

This one's a no-brainer. Waltz is going to take this one, far and away. He's been the top choice all year, and even though Woody Harrelson is making a strong bid at the end for his amazing turn as a casualty notification officer in The Messenger, that film was too little seen to make much of an impact.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:
Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009)
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart (2009)
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)

My girl did it! I knew Anna Kendrick would be big time, but I did not expect this. She has no chance of winning, mind you, but it's good to see somebody from the movie Camp hitting the A-list. Much like the supporting male category, this one's a shoe in. Mo'nique is going to take it. It's hard to argue that her fiery performance in Precious is the film's best quality, although for me it was more that we were shocked to see her playing somebody other than a sassy clown. If awards were given out for being hot, Penelope Cruz would've won this thing six months ago. She is absolutely gorgeous in Nine, even if her musical number falls flat. Gyllenhall is on this list because she's such a stalwart, even though her actual role was pretty flimsy. My pick would be Vera Farmiga, who's back and forth with George Clooney was charged with so much sexual energy that it was almost palpable.

Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
James Cameron for Avatar (2009)
Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air (2009/I)
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Why is Lee Daniels here? Oh, that's right. Precious is the Academy's pet project this year. That film could've been directed by anybody, and sometimes it looked like it was! Reitman suffered some of that same criticism for Juno a couple of years ago, although I think Up in the Air shows his own unique style more than that film did. This is a three horse race between Bigelow, Cameron, and Tarantino. My heart says Bigelow wins it in an upset, but I refuse to believe they won't recognize Cameron's film in some way. I think Hurt Locker wins best film, but Cameron wins best director.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:
The Hurt Locker (2008): Mark Boal
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger (2009/I): Oren Moverman, Alessandro Camon
A Serious Man (2009): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Up (2009): Bob Peterson, Pete Docter

Those wondering if QT is going to get any kind of recognition this year might want to focus on this category. His amazing ear for dialgoue was at full display with Basterds, in particular the tension filled opening sequence. I'm surprised to see The Messenger even nominated here, considering the script was arguably the film's weakest point.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:
District 9 (2009): Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
An Education (2009): Nick Hornby
In the Loop (2009): Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009): Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

It's good to see In the Loop getting a nomination for something. It's arguably the funniest film of 2009, and definitely the one with the most machine gun rapid fire quips. I'd like to see An Education take the title, but my mind tells me this is where Up in the Air gets it's due. Timely pictures like this are always recognized by the Academy in some small way. As long as Precious doesn't win, I'm happy.

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