Last Minute Oscar Predictions!!!

Everbody's doooin' the same ol' post noooow
(Come on, bloggers, let's predict the Oscars)
Come on, come on, let's predict the Oscars with meeee.....

PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March - you say a bit of a stretch, I say...ok, probably, but shut up
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball

DIRECTOR
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

ACTOR - warning: I will definitely be wrong about at least one of the following acting noms. there's always one that comes out of nowhere, with absolutely no precursor support
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

ACTRESS
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

SUPPORTING ACTOR - no Albert Brooks? I may be crazy, but which precursors have left him off? the industry ones, right?
Kenneth Branagh,  My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
Young Adult

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball

SCORE
The Adventures of Tintin
The Artist
Hugo
The Ides of March
War Horse

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist
Hugo
The Ides of March
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

EDITING
The Artist
Drive
Hugo
Moneyball - making this my predicted fifth nom for Moneyball to Ides of March's...five
War Horse

ART DIRECTION
Anonymous
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

COSTUME DESIGN
Anonymous
The Artist
The Help
Hugo
Jane Eyre

MAKEUP
Anonymous
Hugo
The Iron Lady

SOUND MIXING
Hanna
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

SOUND EDITING
Captain America: The First Avenger
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
War Horse

VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Tree of Life

SONG
Gnomeo & Juliet - Hello Hello
The Help - The Living Proof
Hugo - Coeur Volant - making Hugo my predicted leader with eleven nominations, followed by ten for The Artist
The Muppets - Life's a Happy Song
The Muppets - Pictures in My Head

Guilding the Lily (Or a Similar Pun)

And now the Producer's Guild has weighed in, with only the WGA (Thursday) and DGA (Monday) left to announce their nominees, followed by Oscar nominations at the end of the month. And the ten are:

The Artist

Bridesmaids

The Descendants

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Help

Hugo

The Ides of March

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

War Horse

...six of which appeared on my own Best of the Year list, with two making it to the Top Ten!

I never gave up on The Ides of March. People are still saying that this PGA nomination, along with the Globes noms, is just a case of the flukes and the Clooney-worship. That at the end of the day, The Ides of March still won't make it in, and it'll be between The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life and War Horse. Doesn't that all seem rather "light" for an Oscar lineup? What a relief that'd be, if we actually got mostly feel-good films in the running!

But friends, do not give up hope on the Political Clooney. I didn't bet someone an ice cream dinner that it would get more noms than Moneyball just for shits and giggles. The lack of attention in the SAG Nominations was disappointing, sure, but I still say it has a shot in Pic, Adapted Screenplay, Score, Editing, Cinematography, and maybe a surprise Supporting Actor nod for Philip Seymour Hoffman; Moneyball, meanwhile, I can see for Pic, Actor, Adapted Screenplay...maybe Editing and/or Supporting Actor for Jonah Hill. But otherwise, uh-uh. Forget about Director, forget about Score, forget about Cinematography.

Oh, and I know it didn't crack my Top 25 at all, but isn't it great to see Bridesmaids getting so much attention this year?

And Now the End Is Near: Best of 2011

Yes, friends, it's the annual year-end Top 25 Films Countdown. These lists are always fluid, always changing. When I look back at last year's Fifteen Honorable Mentions and the Ten Best, I find myself second-guessing the placements of The Runaways and The American (should be higher), Piranha 3D and The Kids Are All Right (should be lower), but I still feel confident that the titles themselves are right. Maybe I would now switch out For Colored Girls and Never Let Me Go for The Runaways and Get Low. But then I remember certain moments of each film and think, "Hm. Maybe not."

I've still got so much to see, so much that could still qualify for the Hollmann Awards (dare I limit it to movies I actually saw in 2011?). Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Win Win, Rango, Melancholia, Meek's Cutoff, Warrior, Pariah, Jane Eyre, Captain America, The Housemaid, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Margin Call, Coriolanus, A Better Life...these are the films I still need to see. It just didn't happen for me.

In all, I saw 82 films this year, a pretty good number I think, though nowhere near the hundred-plus that more energetic writers manage to pull off. If I waited until I saw the fourteen listed, of course, I would have 95, which is still close, but....

Ach. What of it? There are still only 25 slots, meaning that I had to cruelly, painfully cast off 57 other flicks. Ok, maybe only 51, since there are seven films that I found to be just terrible (Another Earth, Bride Flight, Cat Run, The Descendants, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Jack & Jill, In Time, The Robber). Suffice to say, I did have to whittle down, justify positioning, try to remember which ones I enjoyed, which ones fell short. I tried to keep movies I wouldn't watch again, movies I only liked but didn't love, movies that I barely remember, off the list entirely. I tried my best. I'm sure that by next year, I'll have decided that The Big Year really did deserve a mention in my Top Ten. Doubtful, even though I know I'll buy it, but perceptions and opinions change with time.

Enough of that bullshit. You want to see the list. Ladies and gentlemen, the ranked list of the fifteen semi-finalists; or, 25-11 of the Top 25.

On Her Majesty's Foreign Press Association

And once again, I stayed up to watch the announcement of the Golden Globes nominees. Maggie Smith is continuing to rake up the nominations for her performance in Gosford Park Downton Abbey, while Woody Harrelson cracks wise in the most charming of ways and we learn that Irma Bunt is the President of the HFPA.

But, most importantly, the Awards race got a little more exciting. Let's say it with music, shall we?

ORIGINAL SCORE

The Artist - Ludovico Bource

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Trent Reznor

Hugo - Howard Shore

War Horse - John Williams

W.E. - Abel Korzeniowski

ORIGINAL SONG

Albert Nobbs - Lay Your Head Down

Gnomeo & Juliet - Hello, Hello

The Help - The Living Proof

Machine Gun Preacher - The Keeper

W.E. - Masterpiece

Madonna's earworm song from her hilariously camp W.E. would be my choice, if just for some love to go that film's way, were it not for the presence of the Elton John/Lady Gaga duet from Gnomeo & Juliet. In the unlikeliest of places, I have found one of the best songs of the year. It's always the weird ones, though, isn't it?: Jennifer's Body, Walk Hard, The Odessa File...

Remarkably, none of the songs from The Muppets got in. Actually, as we shall soon discover, The Muppets was ignored completely. I can kind of understand it, I guess - as much as I love the film, it works best as a nostalgia factory. Once one starts thinking about that ending...and the human characters...and since it's the humans that do most of the singing....Still, one would have thought that the spirited nature of the film would get it recognized in Musical/Comedy. Alas, there was no room among these nominees:

BEST PICTURE - MUSICAL/COMEDY

50/50

The Artist

Bridesmaids

Midnight in Paris

My Week with Marilyn

You know, I guess I would have trouble labeling My Week with Marilyn a drama. It's such a lighthearted romp, a fun film that only now and then addresses the tragedy of Marilyn Monroe. Not the most profound of films, but I did enjoy it. Hell, I enjoyed all of these films! Come to think of it, this is one of the strongest slates I've seen in this category. Nicely done!

BEST ACTOR - MUSICAL/COMEDY

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Brendan Gleeson, The Guard

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50

Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love

Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

The nods for Dujardin and Wilson were, I felt, inevitable, but I am pleasantly surprised by the presence of Gleeson! An unfairly overlooked performance, surely. Then again, he was also nominated for In Bruges, so I don't know why this caught me off guard (HA!) as much as it did. Cheers for Gordon-Levitt, while Gosling was nominated for doing great work in a film that ultimately failed to match its stars in quality. Actually, excitingly, Gosling is a double-nominee this year:

BEST ACTOR - DRAMA

George Clooney, The Descendants

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Michael Fassbender, Shame

Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March 

Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Oh, wait, first: Fassbender getting recognition for Shame is always a good thing, and I once again must confess that I am both mildly pleased and agog to see DiCaprio continuing to get recognition for his performance. I like his performance, but it is a little uneven. And in a not-very-good movie.

But this was supposed to be about Gosling's double-header. True, I would have preferred to see him honored for Drive, but I'm totally down with a nominations for The Ides of March. Yeah, I've learned to be satisfied with just one...wait, what?

BEST SCREENPLAY

The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius

The Descendants - Alexander Payne, Jim Rasche, Nat Faxon

The Ides of March - George Clooney, Grant Heslov

Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen

Moneyball - Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin

BEST DIRECTOR

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

George Clooney, The Ides of March

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

AHHHH! My beloved Ides of March is finally getting some traction this season! A subtle, sophisticated, brilliant reflection of the our political landscape (hope? change? they're all politicians, honey), it looked for a while that it might be slipping by the wayside. Certainly its shut-out at the SAG Nominations was cause for distress. Will the Globes' attention encourage more Academy members to check it out? I do hope so. Also, it should be noted: The Artist is doing rather well so far, and Spielberg was left out of director, a surprise considering the Globes' reputation for courting the famous. Even stranger considering the Drama slate:

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA

The Descendants

The Help

Hugo

The Ides of March

Moneyball

War Horse

But I guess the Globes are stricter on the five-wide for the Director category than in the Drama category. Somebody had to be left off. Still, the eyebrows raise slightly at Clooney getting in over The Beard. They also raise slightly at Hugo as a drama. I guess I see that. The kid's not exactly the happy-go-luckiest of children, is he? But there are a large number of lighter moments, plus, you know, family fare. I mean, if Alice in Wonderland was a comedy....

Okay, enough of the dilly-dallying. What else was there?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

Albert Brooks, Drive

Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Plummer and Branagh: all present and correct. Brooks here and not at the SAG. Advantage: Globes. Hill, surprisingly (to me at least) makes it into Globes AND SAGs! Delightfully, a nomination for the overlooked A Dangerous Method finally happens, and for its strongest aspect, too. Mortensen's Freud nearly steals the show, a hell of a feat considering the competition within the film. Globes, you are baller this year!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Jessica Chastain, The Help

Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer, The Help

Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

...And then you throw curveballs like this. Of all the groups that I expected to nominate Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids, I thought I could depend on the same group who nominated Tom Cruise for Tropic Thunder to deliver. It's always the ones you trust who surprise you.

BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis, The Help

Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Just a few days ago, my roommate and I were discussing the Oscar race. He was predicting Tilda for a SAG nom, then an Oscar nom. "No, no," says I, "I don't see that happening. I think Tilda's doomed to be that one-time-only fling." "But they love her!" he insisted. "Only the once," I countered.

Now, perhaps this doesn't mean anything. The Globes did nominate Swinton before it was the cool thing to do (The Deep End). But when I see an actress nominated for a Golden Globe...and a SAG Award...and winning the NBR...well, I just gotta look at all the evidence and say, "Hot damn. There's a contender if ever I saw one."

BEST ACTRESS - MUSICAL/COMEDY

Jodie Foster, Carnage

Charlize Theron, Young Adult 

Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Kate Winslet, Carnage

Williams will easily win this, won't she?

Final thought: This spells ever more disaster for the Tinker Tailor camp. We are not amused.

Not That Crap Again: June Oscar Predictions

By this time, many of you may be aware of the Academy's new rule for Best Picture: no more of this The Ten business. Instead, the number of films nominated will fluctuate between five and ten, according to how many films get 5% of the number one votes. That's the minimum required, apparently in reaction against the much smaller representation for some of last year's Best Picture honorees (Winter's Bone and 127 Hours, probably). What this means is that we won't know until Nomination Morning how many films will be up for Best Picture. It could be seven, it could be eight, it could be five, or maybe ten!

The possibilities...

I approve of and applaud this system, actually (and I know AMPAS was dying to know). It's hard, sometimes, to come up with a set number of great films for the year. I do a Top 25 and Bottom 10, and I'm thinking of retiring both -- first, I don't see enough movies in a year for those rankings to mean all that much; second, it's led to my "honoring" certain films just to fill the self-imposed quota (guys, The Proposal is a diverting, sometimes frustrating, but altogether harmless comedy that does not belong on a "worst of" list). I understand the frustration, so I can roll with the Academy deciding not to deal with it anymore. Of course, this means losing interesting titles in the Best Pic lineup, your District 9s and so forth, but it definitely makes the season more suspenseful, something that's been seriously lacking as of late.

So, this plus new buzz on some films leads me to believe that now is the time to adjust some of my predictions:

BEST PICTURE

The Big Five

The Descendants

Hugo Cabret

The Ides of March

J. Edgar

War Horse

In no particular order, these are the five that I think will make the cut no matter what. Hugo Cabret and The Descendants are my new additions, since I saw the trailer for the latter and read the former. With Cabret, I feel like you'd only be able to mess it up if you didn't have cinema coursing through your veins. If it was in the hands of a studio hire, maybe it wouldn't make the cut, but in the hands of a Movie Catholic (thank you, Jeff Wells) like Scorsese? Get outta here! It's guaranteed!

The Next Group

The Tree of Life

The Artist

The Dangerous Method

The Iron Lady

Midnight in Paris

And this, for me, is in order of likelihood. The Tree of Life is getting mixed reviews, but Malick's fanbase is a devoted one. Then there's The Artist, the Cannes hit acquired by Oscar whisperers (thanks, Sasha Stone!) The Weinstein Company. It may be mostly silent, but I hear it's got heart. If biopics A Dangerous Method and The Iron Lady impress enough, they shouldn't find it hard to elbow their way in. The warm and charming Midnight in Paris is my wild card pick, just in case they go to Ten.

Among the three I've switched out is My Week with Marilyn (I've been hearing mehs). And if Marilyn is gone here, I might as well shoo it off the Best Director list. I don't see it happening unless it falls within that tower of love which you see above.

BEST DIRECTOR

George Clooney, The Ides of March

David Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method

Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Steven Spielberg, War Horse

Cronenberg gets the "sorry we've ignored you for so long" nomination, with Hazanavicius as the "oh holy shit this is artistic brilliance" nomination. I understand I have more confidence than most in The Dangerous Method's chances, but we can't all be pussies.

More predictions after the cut....

What, Already??: April Oscar Predictions

It's now time for that foolish, dumb, silly game of trying to predict Oscar nominees for the next season in April. A true Russian roulette, if ever there was one...besides the one that already exists. I've decided to predict screenplay categories as well this year, and I was almost tempted to do cinematography, but nobody knows that shit sight unseen. Come on. Let's be real.

Now, why do I do these in April? Because every April, Nathaniel at The Film Experience does it, ending it with the Actress Psychic Contest. If you can guess the five Best Actress nominees this far in advance, you get a capital p Prize! EEEEE! I got 3/5 last year, correctly predicting Bening, Kidman and Lawrence; I had Naomi Watts (Fair Game) and Robin Wright (The Conspirator) in my other two slots. But that was then, this is now, so let's roll on.

PICTURE

Albert Nobbs 
A Dangerous Method 
The Ides of March 
The Iron Lady 
J. Edgar 
My Week with Marilyn 
Super 8 
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 
The Tree of Life 
The War Horse

Oh, sure, J. Edgar is slated for 2012, but if I'm right about Mr. Eastwood, that movie will be in cineplexes by late December with three National Board of Review awards under its belt.

Last year: 4/10 - The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech

DIRECTOR

David Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method
Simon Curtis, My Week with Marilyn
Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Steven Spielberg, The War Horse

I predict Cronenberg will get that finally-recognized-auteur slot, joining Curtis as a first-time nominee. Eastwood works his magic after a few years' absence -- though expect Clooney as a possible spoiler. Spielberg gets in because there's no way he won't go justice to the source material (good stuff), and Malick may be the one to beat! He said without having seen a thing.
Last year: 1/5 - Tom Hooper, The King's Speech


ACTRESS

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Anne Hathaway, One Day
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Close is welcomed back into the fold, Streep and Williams get biopic nods, Olsen is the indie slot, Hathaway gets the second nomination needed in order to clinch the Overdue! status sure to come when her Judy Garland biopic hits in 2013 (or thereabouts).
Last year: 3/5 - Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right; Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole; Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone


ACTOR

George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, A Dangerous Method
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 

Fassbender's packed year is sure to get him some recognition, and hopefully Oldman's turn as a legendary literary figure will net him his first nomination. Gosling will finally get a second nomination, right? He does great work every year, and every year....
Last year: 1/5 - Colin Firth, The King's Speech


SUPPORTING ACTOR

John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Peter Mullan, The War Horse
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Eddie Redmayne, My Week with Marilyn

I am convinced in my head that leading man Redmayne will be pushed to supporting to (a) increase his chances of getting a nomination, and (b) increase Williams' chances of getting the gold. Mullan's character, that of the drunken father, is one of the best characters in War Horse, and he's also due for recognition. I'm predicting Hawkes to be this year's Jeremy Renner ("Whoa! Back so soon?"). And then there's also Mortensen and Plummer. I'm least confident about this lineup.
Last year: 2/5 - Christian Bale, The Fighter; Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech 

 
SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Monica Bellucci, The Whistleblower
Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life
Judi Dench, J. Edgar
Elizabeth Reaser, Young Adult
Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus 

I'm equally confident in this lineup. I wasn't going to predict Chastain, since no actor has ever been nominated for a Malick film, but in the end I thought, "To hell with it."
Last year: 3/5 - Amy Adams, The Fighter; Helena Bonham-Carter, The King's Speech; Melissa Leo, The Fighter 


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

J. Edgar - Dustin Lance Black
Martha Macy May Marlene - Sean Durkin
The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick
Win Win - Thomas McCarthy, Joe Tiboni
Young Adult - Diablo Cody

McCarthy finally gets accepted into the club, Cody and Black get welcome back hugs, Durkin fills that indie slot, Malick wins.


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Albert Nobbs - Glenn Close, John Banville
A Dangerous Method - Christopher Hampton
My Week with Marilyn - Adrian Hodges
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Peter Straughan, Bridget O'Connor
The War Horse - Lee Hall, Richard Curtis

A passion project, three directing nominees, and a respectable adult thriller.

My 25 Most Anticipated of 2011

Well, it was nice to take a few days off! I've got a lot of reading to catch up on, but first, as per tradition, we must look at the year ahead to see what goods Lady Cinema has in store for us.

25. Thor

Norse god becomes Marvel superhero.

DR: Kenneth Branagh (ahahaha)

WR: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz & Don Payne, from a story by J. Michael Straczynski & Mark Protosevich, adapted from the comic book by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber & Jack Kirby

STARS: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard

This is...I just have to see it. I think it looks terrible, but I just have to see if it's real.

24. This Must Be the Place

Retired rocker hunts down the Nazi war criminal that killed his father.

DR: Paolo Sorrentino

WR: Sorrentino & Umberto Contarello

STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Sean Penn, Hollmann Award Nominee Frances McDormand

What kind of lunatic sees a premise like this with a picture like that and doesn't rush out to see this movie? No irony here, it just seems awesome.

23. Cowboys & Aliens

Sci-fi western. Kind of self-explanatory.
DR: Jon Favreau
WR: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof, adapted from the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Paul Dano, Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford
The next couple of entries will make it clear that I am a sucker for blockbusters. It's the boy in me. Awesome trailer!

22. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Jack Sparrow and Barbossa find the Fountain of Youth, go up against Blackbeard.
DR: Rob Marshall
WR: Ted Elliot & Ted Rossio, from characters created by Elliot, Rossio, Stuart Beattie & Jay Wolpart, suggested by the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Johnny Depp, Hollmann Award Nominee Penelope Cruz, Hollmann Award Nominee Judi Dench, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane
It looks like a damn good time. The addition of Cruz and Dench to the cast makes me giddy. Giddy, I say!

21. Captain America: The First Avenger

Synopsis unnecessary.
DR: Joe Johnston
WR: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely & Joss Whedon, adapted from the comic book by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Samuel L. Jackson, Hollmann Award Nominee Stanley Tucci, Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones
This is purely based on my love for this cast. Look at that group. Tucci, Jones and Jones!

20. Quartet

Four retired opera singers prepare for their annual tribute to Verdi.
DR: Dustin Hoffman
WR: Ronald Harwood, adapted from his play
STARS: Albert Finney, Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay
The directorial debut of Dustin Hoffman is intriguing on its own, but the return of my favorite actress, two-time Academy Award Winner Dame Maggie Smith, to a starring role is too delicious to be believed.

19. Scream 4

A new Ghostface wreaks havoc on Sydney and co.
DR: Wes Craven
WR: Kevin Williamson
STARS: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Mary McDonnell, Hayden Panettiere
Well, I'm no Glenn Dunks, but I do love the Scream franchise.

18. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Ensemble about a retirement home in Bangalore.
DR: John Madden
WR: Ol Parker & Deborah Moggach, adapted from the novel by Moggach
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Bill Nighy, Hollmann Award Nominee Judi Dench, Maggie Smith,  Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel
Oh my god oh my god Dench and Smith together again for the first time in six years oh my god pinch me!

17. War Horse

World War I as seen through the eyes of a Devon boy's horse.
DR: Steven Spielberg
WR: Lee Hall & Richard Curtis, adapted from the novel by Michael Morpurgo
STARS: Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, David Kross, David Thewlis, Toby Kebbell, Niels Arestrup
I read the play adaptation by Nick Stafford and was deeply moved. I can't wait to see Mullan in this; his was my favorite character.

16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

Harry's journey finally comes to a head in a final battle with Lord Voldemort.
DR: David Yates
WR: Steve Kloves, adapted from the novel by J.K. Rowling
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ciaran Hinds, Maggie Smith
I didn't expect Part I to be that spectacular. Egg on my face. Ciaran Hinds, one of my favorite actors, joins the cast, and oh look! Maggie Smith!

15. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Young adventurer and his dog go on globe-trotting adventures, I think.
DR: Steven Spielberg
WR: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish, adapted from the comic book by Herge
STARS: Jamie Bell, Simon Pegg, Daniel Craig, Toby Jones, Andy Serkis, Nick Frost
See, it doesn't matter what the plot is. I watched the television show on Nickelodeon when I was a kid, because it was awesome. So here I am, super excited for a mo-cap adventure directed by one of the greats. Bring it! On!

14. Butter

The wife of a former butter-carving champion is determined to win same competition this year, but is threatened by a new entrant: an eleven-year-old butter-carving prodigy.
DR: Jim Field Smith
WR: Jason A. Micallef
STARS: Jennifer Garner, Hugh Jackman, Alicia Silverstone, Yara Shahidi, Ashley Greene, Olivia Wilde
I hear that all this is a metaphor for the last presidential Democratic primaries. If so, turning it into a butter-carving competition is quite inventive. Alicia Silverstone is another actress whose comeback I'm championing, by the way.

13. Sucker Punch

DR: Zack Snyder
WR: Snyder & Steve Shibuya, from a story by Snyder
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Abbie Cornish, Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm
I can't wait to find out just what the hell those awesome trailers are advertising! Snyder: I love your work. Always.

12. Everybody Loves Whales

A government worker and an activist work to free whales trapped under the Arctic Circle.
DR: Ken Kwapis
WR: Jack Amiel & Michael Begler
STARS: Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson
The most beautiful woman in showbiz is finally working with Krasinski, who should be the go-to guy for leading man roles. Always.

11. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Remake of the Swedish thriller in which a journalist and a punk hacker team up to solve a decades-old missing persons case.
DR: Hollmann Award Nominee David Fincher
WR: Steven Zaillian, adapted from the novel by Stieg Larsson
STARS: Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright
1) Two of these casting choices are perfect. 2) The Swedish film is...imperfect. If only it had a solid, masterful director who is adept at both thrillers and human dramas OH LOOK DAVID FINCHER. Ace.

10. Hugo Cabret

Adventure about a boy who lives in a train station.
DR: Hollmann Award Nominee Martin Scorsese
WR: Hollmann Award Nominee John Logan, adapted from the novel by Brian Selznick
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Christopher Lee, Emily Mortimer, Jude Law, Ben Kingsley
Scorsese.

9. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

George Smiley seeks a Russian agent within MI-6 during the Cold War.
DR: Tomas Alfredson
George Smiley seeks a Russian agent within MI6 during the Cold War.
WR: Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan, adapted from the novel by John le Carre
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Gary Oldman, Hollmann Award Nominee Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Ciaran Hinds, Mark Strong
They're making me wait for another Bond, so I have to get my sophisticated British espionage fix from somewhere. Oldman getting the rare lead role is a nice bonus, as is the inclusion of Hinds. I love Ciaran Hinds.

8. The Iron Lady

Margaret Thatcher must deal with the Falklands War.
DR: Phyllida Lloyd
WR: Abi Morgan
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent
British politics and Meryl Streep, from the director of Mamma Mia!. I am intrigued.

7. Jane Eyre

Governess, secrets, don't go into the West Wing, love story, pre-feminist movement feminism.
DR: Cary Fukunaga
WR: Moira Buffini, adapted from the novel by Charlotte Bronte
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Sally Hawkins, Hollmann Award Nominee Judi Dench, Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell
I hate the book, but I tend to like adaptations of it. Go figure! The Dench beckons...

6. Water for Elephants

A young vet joins a circus.
DR: Frances Lawrence
WR: Richard Lagravenese, adapted from the novel by Sara Gruen
STARS: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Hal Holbrook
Maybe it was the use of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis's score from The Assassination of Jesse James. Maybe it's the cinematography. Maybe it's the fact that I just like to watch Hal Holbrook. I don't know what it is, but that trailer did its job, and now I eagerly await this movie's release.

5. The Help

A Mississippi belle befriends her black housekeeper in the 1960s.
DR: Tate Taylor
WR: Taylor, adapted from the novel by Kathryn Stockett
STARS: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek, Cicely Tyson
I love all of these women, and stories that take place in the South. It's nice to see Tyson getting away from the Tyler Perry movies -- I mean, I love love love his movies, but it'd be disheartening to think he was the only director making use of her talent.

4. Contagion

International team of doctors deals with the outbreak of a deadly virus.
DR: Steven Soderbergh
WR: Scott Z. Burns
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law
People. Do I have to explain my love of large all-star casts? I feel like its clear at this point on the list.

3. The Ides of March

A campaign staffer for a presidential hopeful learns about the seedy side of politics.
DR: George Clooney
WR: Clooney & Grant Heslov, adapted from the play by Beau Willimon
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Ryan Gosling, Hollmann Award Nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Giamatti, George Clooney
Clooney returns to directing in a drama that sounds right up his alley. I am so excited about the cast, the material, Clooney, everything!

2. My Week with Marilyn

Olivier's assistant witnesses the tension between the actor and co-star Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl.
DR: Simon Curtis
WR: Adrian Hodges, adapted from the memoir by Colin Clark
STARS: Hollmann Award Nominee Judi Dench, Eddie Redmayne, Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Watson
Call me a sucker for an Old Hollywood tale. No, really, do it. You'd be right!

1. Midnight in Paris

An American family travels to Paris for business.
DR/WR: Woody Allen
STARS: Hollmann Award Winner Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Alison Pill
Early set photos made it look like a 20s-set film, and I think Allen always excels in period pieces. Hell, I love The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, don't understand at all the hate against it. He's one of my favorite filmmakers of all time, definitely my favorite screenwriter, and this looks like one of the strongest ensembles he's assembled.