84th Academy Awards-Winners

I manage to predict(here) 14/20 or 70%  (excluding Documentary and Short Films as I don't watch it)of the categories right especially in the main  acting categories.Although I'm quite sad that Harry Potter didn't win any,I was glad with winning of Jean Dujardin and Meryl Streep in their respective categories.Check out the complete list of winners.

Best Picture:The Artist
-A  black and white silent film with unknown cast.A one of kind film released last year,The Artist has all the qualities of being a classic film when look back many years later.

Best Director:Michel Hazanavicius
-his speech was funny but the Oscar went to the right person.He took a huge risk and it worked.

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin.The Artist
-WOW!!!!YES!!Well Deserved.Jean gave his best performance and won for it.Thankfully George 's charming personality didn't stop Jean from getting his deserved recognition.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
-The  difference in voice modulation and tone  in her short clip of the The Iron Lady and her speech shows how great she is.One of the greatest actress in our time and a well deserve win.Viola Davis and Michelle Williams both gave great performance in their respective films and I'm 100% they will win someday in the future.

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer,Beginners
-I couldn't help whining that it should have been Albert Brooks when Jonah Hill's name is announced.Christopher Plummer's performance  in the Beginners was heart warming and he this is like a lifetime achievement award for him for appearing in many memorable movies.

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer,The Help
- Well deserved.Genuine emotions during her speech.Minny's chocolate pie for the Oscars!

Best Cinematography:Hugo, Robert Richardson
-Emannuel Lubezki  got snubbed for his amazing work in  The Tree Of Life.Looks like The Tree of Life is gonna have a bad night.

Best Art Direction: Hugo,Dante Ferretti & Francesca Lo Schiavo
-I had predicted Hugo for this category after watching the film.Beautiful sets especially the train station.Well deserved!

 Best Costume Design: The Artist,Mark Bridges
-He had two challenges in this film,one to bring old Hollywood glamour back and and the colour choice to make it work on the black and white film.

Best Make-up: The Iron Lady,Mark Coulier & J. Roy Helland
-the  only category that I thought Harry Potter had a bright chance to win tonight.

Best Foreign Film: A Separation,Asghar Faradi
-first film from Iran to win this category.Kudos!

Best Film Editing: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter
-Besides it original score,the editing was one of the plus point of the film.

Best Sound Editing: Hugo, Philip Stockton &Eugene Gearty

Best Sound Mixing: Hugo,Tom Fleischman & John Midgley
-Big win for Hugo,so far 4 wins

Best Documentary: Undefeated

Best Animated Film: Rango
-Yay!One  my favourite film last year

Best Visual Effects: Hugo
-Both Rise of  Planet Of The Apes and HP  are snubbed in this category.I loved Hugo but thought there were other deserving nominee.

Best Original Score: The Artist,Ludovic Bource
-the voice for the Artist,well done!

Best Original Song: Muppets,Man or Muppet

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants

Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen ,Midnight In Paris
-one of the fresh and creative script of last year.I wonder why Woody Allen is absent tonight.

Best  Live Action Short Film: The Shore

Best Documentary,Short: Saving Face

Best Animated Short Film: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr.Morris Lessmore

Independent Spirit Awards 2012-Winners

Here are the list of winners of the Independent Spirit Awards 2012.

Best Film: The Artist
-One of a kind film released this year and gladly people manages to appreciate film and most importantly enjoying a silent black and white film.

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Best First Feature: Margin Call

John Cassavetes Award: Pariah
-I heard a lot of good things about Pariah which is about homosexuality among women in the Black community.

Best Female Lead: Michelle Williams
-Although looking nothing like Marilyn Monroe,Michelle Williams manages to bring the tormented side of Marilyn Monroe onscreen.Just as Blue Valentine,her performance in My Week With Marilyn is at the top notch and it is a sad thing this talented actress haven't win her Oscar.

Best Male Lead Award: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
-Jean Dujardin is my favourite and predicted winner for the Oscars tomorrow.His performance as the silent star was so risky as it is in the border of being silly or great.thankfully his performance worked and manages to showcase his talent without his voice.

Best Supporting Female Award: Shailene Woodley,  The Descendants
-I'm happy to see Shailene to win since she was snubbed for the Oscars.
Best Supporting Male Award:Christopher Plummer
-He is the expected winner for the Oscars tomorrow but I would be happy seeing Albert Brooks winning for Drive .

Best Screenplay: The Descendants

Best First Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50

Best Cinematography : The Artist

Best Documentary: The Interruptors

Best International Film: A Separation

Do also checkout my 84th Academy Awards predictions here.

Pure Talent-Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst

This week I wanna just list some of the best performance of Kirsten Dunst who had been acting since she was eight years old.Check it out.

Some other honorable mentions

Wimbledon
Marrie Antoinette
Little Women
Jumanji

6.Spider-Man Films
Its very rare for the love interest in a male centric film given some importance,let alone a superhero film.Herc character Mary Jane Watson were given some depth and her performance and her chemistry with Tobey Maguire was so convincing.The role also manages to showcase her singing talent.

5.Interview With The Vampire
Her performance as the child vampire Claudia is creepy in a good way.

4.Mona Lisa Smile
In a big cast and opposite Julia Robberts,Her performance as the the arrogant student was one of the few plus point of the film and the most memorable one.

3.Crazy/Beautiful
Another mature performance by Kirsten Dunst.She plays this young rebel who both unknowingly and knowingly corrupts her  innocence good boyfriend.Its another side of Kirsten Dunst that we rare see onscreen and the scene of her confronting her father.

2.All Good Things
A underrated film where both Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst were at the top notch.Dunst plays the Kathie Marks who during the early part of the film is a radiant,beautiful girl who got married to David Marks and as the film progresses,she plays a independent woman who is afraid about her husband weird behaviour,want a way out from the marriage and at the same time loving her husband.Kirsten Dusnt performance in this film is one of its major pluses.You see the emotional transformation of the character Kathie through Dunst portrayal and even after she is missing ,she continues to haunt the film.Usually I can choose my favourite scene in a movie but in this movie almost every scene Kirsten Dunst is in is superb especially the before the abortion scene.

1.Melancholia
Her best performance as the depressed bride at the end of the world is probably the best performance in her career.She doesn't speak much throughout the film but still we feel her agony through her body language and expression.Her performance in this film is Oscar nod worthy and I'm still mad that she got snubbed this year.

She has some interesting projects ahead her the black comedy Bachelorette and the Oscar bait role of a prostitute in the Red Light Winter

Rabbit Hole

I cant believe that I took almost a year to finally sit and watch this beautiful film ,Rabbit Hole directed John Cameron Mitchell ,staring Nicole Kidman,Aaron Eckhart ,Tammy Blanchard and more rounding up the cast.As many of you have known the film is about how a husband and wife(Nicole and Aaron) try to overcome the premature death of their 4 year old son.The husband ,Howie try to cope his grief by joining a help group,taking pod with one of the mother in a the group, brilliantly played by Sandra Oh and almost started an affair with her.The wife tries to cope her grief by reaching the boy who is responsible hitting her son and with the help of her mother.At the end ,they both realise that what they need is each other to overcome this bad event together so that it will not take a toll on their relationship.
 It was nice to see Nicole Kidman playing such a complex role since it we saw in her in movies like Moulin Rouge, Cold Mountain and The Hours.Her numbness and fragility in her performance as the grieving mom is probably one of Nicole's best performance  in her career.Her performance is restrained but we feel the agony in her.Aaron Eckhart performance is one of understated performance in the film.He is  good looking and the chemistry between him and Nicole is convincing although there is only tiny intimacy between the characters.His character is more loud than Nicole's and Aaron conveyed the emotions ans struggle well.His performance is mixed with rage,vulnerability and craving for support is also his best performance in his career.He should be doing more of this kind of dramatic roles.Dianne West although having a very small role,gave a memorable,warm performance but it would be nice if we get to see a bit more of Tammy Blanchard who was great in the TV film We Were The Mulvaneys.Sandra Oh as usual was superb in conveying  loneliness and the last scene where she stands in front of her house waiting for Howie to enter  is heartbreaking.
John Cameron should be praised for making the film comfortable to watch despite of its theme and sensitive subject.
A

Pure Talent-Ellen Page

This week I would like to list some of my favourite performance of Oscar Nominee Ellen Page in the Pure Talent section.

Ellen Page

Some other honorable mentions
-Hard Candy,Peacock

3.Inception
-Her performance as Ariadne mixed with innocence and maturity manages to blend well with the  entire cast especially Leonardo DiCaprio.Her chemistry with Joseph Gordon Levitt was another plus point in the film.

2.Whip It
-In this Drew Barrymore directorial,Ellen Page plays Bliss ,a daughter of a controlled mom who forces her to join pageants but she is interested in Roller Derby.Again Ellen Page manages to carry the film by herself and played the rebellious daughter with ease.Her  body language of Bliss,the swagger or 'don't give a damn' look and attitude is convincing .I loved the scene when she tells her mother that she had lost her virginity to  a wrong guy and Marcia Gay Harden is equally impressive in this film.

1.Juno
-In this indie flick,Ellen Page plays a teenager who got pregnant ,decides to against abortion and decides to give birth the baby.Instead of crying or being ashamed and trying to hide herself,she decides not to let the unplanned pregnancy to ruin her life.Ellen Page was brilliant in portraying Juno.She is damn funny when it need  to be and nailed the vulnerable soft side of Juno when her plans for the baby future seems to collapse.Ellen's performance as the tough teen mom earn her an Oscar nomination .

Upcoming Films

Check out some of the trailers that had been circulating the net.While one looks promising the other  looks doubtful.

-Keira Knightley has amazing projects in her hands right know such as Anna Karenina,a period flick and a another Effie Gray film .Seeking a friend at the end of the world seem to be a comedy,drama film and it does look good based on the trailer.Oddly her chemisrty with Steve Carell seems to work but we need to wait to see the film .

-Abraham Lincoln The Vampire Hunter is a film that could possibly one of the worst film of the year or one of the entertaining film of the year.I tried to buy the novel and just as I reach the counter to pay ,I would go back and choose another book.So I'm looking forward for this film just to see what it is really about and  mainly for Mary Elizabeth Winstead who won critical acclaim in Sundance Film Festival for her performance in Smashed is in the film.

Lastly a still from Byzantium,a vampire flick about a mother daughter duo who forms a deadly pack directed by Neil Jordan.Although being another vampire flick,this film is one of the film I'm looking forward to watch as Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton  playing the duo and the fact Neil Jordan(Ondine,Interview with The Vampire fame) directing the film.Another interesting  thing is Saoirse learned the piano for the role.

Enid

Enid

I managed to catch two made for TV films few days ago.And one of them is Enid,staring Helena Bonham Carter,Matthew Macfadyen and etc.As the title suggests,it is about the life of the famous author Enid Blyton,the darker side.
The film shows  how Enid Blyton gain fame and how she dealt it.While everyone thinks a children book author to be like a sweet women with a smiling face and trays of  cookies in their  hand but Enid proved to be different.Her father left her mother and her sibling and she  at a small age making her to find solace in imagining things and writing it.She marries a well known publisher when she grew up and broke all ties with her family believing her mother was the one who caused her father left them.Her relationship between her husband get more strained as time passes by as she get famous and  loves being with children(fans)  than her husband.The film also depicts that Enid was in fact a bad mother who values her fans than her children .for instance one scene shows Enid inviting  5 children(the famous five club) every month and enjoying joking with them while her two daughters were send upstairs to be with the maid.
Helena Bonham Carter proves that she can play more dramatic roles than queens and weird characters.She managed to portray the emotionless Enid so well.she nailed every scene she appears.She manages to insert innocence and vulnerability into this rude  manipulative character  try to make feel sorry for Enid  but it is really hard to feel so.My favourite scene would be the scene where her estranged brother comes to tell her her mother is dead and the scene where her daughter locks the car door to prevent her mom to send her off to boarding school.Matthew Mcfayden looks perfect for the 1930s man with his large pants.He did a commendable job but it was the child actress  Ramona Marquez playing Imogen steals every scene she is in.She plays almost a non-speaking role but her facial expression  is superb.The scene where she confronts her mother about her dad and the Enid's mother was brilliant.
On the negative points,I found the film is only one dimensional.There is not a single ounce of humanity in Enid and the film focuses only how she is a bad mother instead of showing some positive points about her.

A-

65th BAFTA-Winner's List

The Artist sweeps almost all the all the awards especially the Best Actor for Jean Dujardin.I thought it would be Gary Oldman to win as he is British and in a film with a British cast.I'm almost sure it  would be Jean Duajrdin winning the Oscar this year and I'm also pinning my hope for Meryl Streep,another winner as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.Check out the list

Best Film
THE ARTIST – Thomas Langmann
THE DESCENDANTS – Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
DRIVE – Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
THE HELP – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo

Outstanding British Film
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges
SENNA – Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey
SHAME – Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo,
Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno, Rory Stewart Kinnear

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
ATTACK THE BLOCK – Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
BLACK POND – Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
CORIOLANUS – Ralph Fiennes (Director)
SUBMARINE – Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)
TYRANNOSAUR – Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

Director
THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE – Nicolas – Winding Refn
HUGO – Martin Scorsese
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tomas Alfredson
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsay

Documentary
GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – Martin Scorsese
PROJECT NIM – James Marsh, Simon Chinn
SENNA – Asif Kapadia

Original screenplay
THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
BRIDESMAIDS – Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
THE GUARD – John Michael McDonagh
THE IRON LADY – Abi Morgan
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – Woody Allen

Adapted screenplay
THE DESCENDANTS – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
THE HELP – Tate Taylor
THE IDES OF MARCH – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
MONEYBALL – Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

Film not in the English language
INCENDIES – Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McGraw
PINA – Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel
POTICHE – François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
A SEPARATION – Asghar Farhadi
THE SKIN I LIVE IN – Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar

Animated Film
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Steven Spielberg
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS – Sarah Smith
RANGO – Gore Verbinski

Leading Actor
BRAD PITT – Moneyball
GARY OLDMAN – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
GEORGE CLOONEY – The Descendants
JEAN DUJARDIN – The Artist
MICHAEL FASSBENDER – Shame

Leading Actress
BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist – Film
MERYL STREEP – The Iron Lady
MICHELLE WILLIAMS – My Week with Marilyn
TILDA SWINTON – We Need to Talk About Kevin
VIOLA DAVIS – The Help

Supporting actor
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER – Beginners
JIM BROADBENT – The Iron Lady
JONAH HILL – Moneyball
KENNETH BRANAGH – My Week with Marilyn
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – The Ides of March

Supporting actress
CAREY MULLIGAN – Drive
JESSICA CHASTAIN – The Help
JUDI DENCH – My Week with Marilyn
MELISSA MCCARTHY – Bridesmaids
OCTAVIA SPENCER – The Help

Original music
THE ARTIST – Ludovic Bource
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
HUGO Howard – Shore
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Alberto Iglesias
WAR HORSE – John Williams

Cinematography
THE ARTIST – Guillaume Schiffman
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Jeff Cronenweth
HUGO – Robert Richardson
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Hoyte van Hoytema
WAR HORSE – Janusz Kaminsk

Editing
THE ARTIST – Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE – Mat Newman
HUGO – Thelma Schoonmaker
SENNA – Gregers Sall, Chris King
TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER – SPY Dino Jonsater

Production design
THE ARTIST – Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
HUGO – Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
WAR HORSE – Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

Costume Design
THE ARTIST – Mark Bridges
HUGO – Sandy Powell
JANE EYRE – Michael O’Connor
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jill Taylor
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Jacqueline Durran

Sound
THE ARTIST – Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener
HUGO – Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley
WAR HORSE – Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns

Special visual effects
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Joe Letteri
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery
HUGO – Rob Legato, Ben Grossman, Joss Williams
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White
WAR HORSE – Ben Morris, Neil Corbould

Makeup and hair
THE ARTIST – Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
HUGO Morag – Ross, Jan Archibald
THE IRON LADY – Marese Langan
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jenny Shircore

Short animation
ABUELAS – Afarin Eghbal, Kasia Malipan, Francesca Gardiner
BOBBY YEAH – Robert Morgan
A MORNING STROLL – Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe

Short film
CHALK – Martina Amati, Gavin Emerson, James Bolton, Ilaria Bernardini
MWANSA THE GREAT – Rungano Nyoni, Gabriel Gauchet
ONLY SOUND REMAINS – Arash Ashtiani, Anshu Poddar
PITCH BLACK HEIST – John Maclean, Gerardine O’Flynn
TWO AND TWO – Babak Anvari, Kit Fraser, Gavin Cullen

Orange Wednesday Rising Star Award
ADAM DEACON
CHRIS HEMSWORTH
TOM HIDDLESTON
CHRIS O’DOWD
EDDIE REDMAYNE

ITFA -Winners(Michael Fassbender,Saoirse Ronan & Ryan Gosling among the Winners)

Here are the Winners for the Irish Film & Television Awards(ITFA).You can check the complete list here.I am very glad to see Michael Fassbender winning the Best Actor for his performance in Shame(shame on you AMPAS).It would be nice if  Michael also wins the Bafta this Sunday.If not Michael, Jean  Dujardin should as it will make him nearer to his Oscar.I'm also glad to see Saoirse Ronan  wining for her kick-arse performance in Hanna,one of the best performance by a female actress last year.Check it out and Yay for Gosling who gave his best in Drive.I have heard lots of good things about The Guard and this only make me want to watch it more.

FILM CATEGORIES

BEST FILM
The Guard - Chris Clark, Flora Fernandez Marengo, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe (Reprisal Films / Element Pictures)Albert Nobbs- Alan Moloney, Bonnie Curtis, Julie Lynn and Glenn Close (Parallel Film Productions)
Charlie Casanova- Terry McMahon (Source Productions)
Stella Days- Jackie Larkin & Lesley McKimm (Newgrange Pictures)

DIRECTOR FILM
John Michael McDonagh - The Guard (Reprisal Films / Element Pictures )Rebecca Daly - The Other Side of Sleep (Fastnet Films)
Terry McMahon - Charlie Casanova (Source Productions)
Thaddeus O’Sullivan - Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)

SCRIPT FILM
John Michael McDonagh - The Guard (Reprisal Films / Element Pictures )John Banville, Glenn Close & Gabriella Prekop  - Albert Nobbs (Parallel Film Productions)
Terry McMahon - Charlie Casanova (Source Productions)
Antoine Ó Flaherta - Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)

ACTOR - FILM
Michael Fassbender – Shame (Momentum Pictures)
Brendan Gleeson - The Guard (Reprisal Films / Element Pictures )
Ciarán Hinds – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
Martin Sheen – Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)

ACTRESS - FILM
Saoirse Ronan -Hanna (Universal Films)Aoife Duffin - Behold The Lamb (Dumbworld Productions)
Antonia Campbell Hughes - The Other Side of Sleep (Fastnet Films)
Marcella Plunkett - Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)

SUPPORTING ACTOR - FILM
Chris O’Dowd - Bridesmaids (Universal Pictures)Liam Cunningham - The Guard (Reprisal Films / Element Pictures )
Brendan Gleeson - Albert Nobbs (Parallel Film Productions)
Ciarán Hinds - The Debt (Universal Pictures)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS - FILM
Fionnula Flanagan - The Guard (Reprisal Films / Element Pictures )Maria Doyle Kennedy - Albert Nobbs (Parallel Film Productions)
Brenda Fricker - Albert Nobbs (Parallel Film Productions)
Amy Huberman - Stella Days (Newgrange Pictures)

GEORGE MORRISON FEATURE DOCUMENTARY AWARD
Bernadette; Notes on a Political Journey- Lelia Doolan, (Digital Quilts) Knuckle- Ian Palmer, (RISE Films)
Men of Arlington- Enda Hughes, (Hotshot Films)
Off The Beaten Track- Dieter Auner, (Ikandi Productions)

SPECIAL IRISH LANGUAGE AWARD
Corp + Anam – Paddy Hayes (Magamedia)
Mobs Cheanada - Dathai Keane (Abú Media)
Ray McAnally - M'Athair - Brian Reddin (Dearg Films)
Seacht - Colin O'Donnell (Stirling Film & Television)

ANIMATION
The Boy in the Bubble - Kealan O' Rourke (Igloo Films)23 Degrees 5 Minutes - Darragh O'Connell (Brown Bag Films)
The Last Train - Alex Sherwood (Giant Creative)
Origin - James Stacey (Souljacker)

PHILIPS SHORT FILM AWARD
Foxes- Lorcan Finnegan (Lovely Productions)
The Boy In The Bubble- Kealan O' Rourke (Igloo Films)
Cluck- Michael Lavelle (Tilted Productions)
Downpour- Claire Dix (Zucca Films)
The Shore- Terry George (All Ashore)

INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES

INTERNATIONAL FILM
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)Bridesmaids (Universal Pictures)
Drive (Eclipse Pictures)
Senna (Universal Pictures)

INTERNATIONAL ACTOR
Ryan Gosling – Drive (Eclipse Pictures)Don Cheadle - The Guard (Reprisal Films / Element Pictures )
Leonardo DiCaprio - J Edgar (Warner Bros Pictures)
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs (Parallel Film Productions)Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady (Eclipse Pictures)
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Kirsten Wiig, Bridesmaids (Universal Pictures)

Friday's Best Actor

Abigail Breslin

This week ,I would like to highlight the brilliant performance in the sister's keeper a film adaptation of the Jodi Picoult novel of the same name.She plays Anna Fizgerald who is brought into the world just for being a back-up so that her sick sister can live.It was a okay film but with very almost perfect characters but the performance of the cast especially from Oscar Nominee Abigail was brilliant.She carried the film  and all the scenes involving with Cameron Diaz and the other adult actors ,she outshone all of them giving a mature performance.Her chemistry with co-star Sofia(who plays the sick sister) works and she manages to change her character personality from being vulnerable with her siblings and outspoken and bold towards her parents in convincing way.

84th Academy Awards -Winners(Prediction)

Finally I managed to blog just in time before the actual ceremony since I was busy with my exams .Check out my predictions and let me know who you're rooting for in the comment section!

Best Picture:
The Artist
The Help
Hugo
Midnight In Paris
Moneyball
The Tree Of Life
War Horse
Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close
The Descendants

Best Director:
Michel Hazanavicius,The Artist
Martin Scorsese,Hugo
Woody Allen,Midnight In Paris
Terrence Malick,The Tree Of Life
Alexander Payne ,The Descendants

-If The Artist wins Best Picture which I predict it will,then it has this category too in the bag!

Best Actor:
Demian Bechir, A Better Life
Gary Oldman,Tinker Tailor Soldier
Brad Pitt,Moneyball
George Clooney,The Descendants
Jean Dujardin,The Artist

-I'm betting on Jean Dujardin for his impressive performance in The Artist over the obvious winner George Clooney hoping he would be the male Marion Cottilard

Best Actress:
Viola Davis,The Help
Meryl Streep,The Iron Lady
Rooney Mara,The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Glenn Close,Albert Nobbs
Michelle Williams ,My Week With Marilyn

-Yes, Viola Davis was great but I still feel Meryl Streep performance was better than Davis.I wouldn't be upset if Davis won but Michelle Williams winning would be a sweet surprise.

Best Supporting Actor:
Jonah Hill,Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh,My Week With Marilyn
Christopher Plummers,Beginners
Nick Holte Warior
Max von Sydow,Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close

-Christopher Plummer should ready his winning speech unless the AMPAS would want to honor Jonah Hill like choosing him over Albert Brooks who was a clear front runner to get nominated for this category and even winning it.

Best Supporting Actress:
Jessica Chastain,The Help
Berenice Bejo,The Artist
Melissa McCarthy,Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer,Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer,The Help

-Best find of the year although she had been around for a long time playing nurses or background roles.Jessica Chastain  by appearing in many critically acclaimed roles this year had cancel her winning opportunity but at least she is a Oscar nominee and had a bright career  ahead.


Animated Feature Film
Rango
Puss In The Boots
Kunng Fu Panda 2
A Cat In Paris
Chico And Rita


Best Art Direction
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Artist
Hugo
Midnight In Paris
War Horse

-This duo  Dante Ferreti and Francesca Lo Schiavo already won twice for  Aviator and Sweeney Todd and most likely to win for Hugo this year for their amazing sets.

Best Cinematography:
The Artist
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
War Horse
The Tree Of Life

-Emmanuel Lubezki hands down  his beautiful work in The  Tree of Life.

Costume Design
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E
-Sandy Powell the 10 time Oscar nominee and already won three  Oscars.

Film Editing
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

Best Foreign Film:
A Separation,Iran
Bullhead, Belgium
Footnote,Israel
In Darkness,Poland
Monsieur Lazhar,Canada

-This film had been winning almost all the awards for the foreign film category.I just saw the first few minutes of the movie and stopped watching as I had things to do.Based on the first 10 minutes it was good.I need to watch it ASAP.

Best Makeup
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady
Albert Nobbs

-I believe this will be Harry Potter first win in the Oscars and most probably the only win of the event.

Best Original Score
The Adventures Of Tintin
The Artist
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

-The musical score was the backbone to the silent film and the most deserving to win in the category.

Best Original Score
Man or Muppets,The Muppets
Real In Rio,Rio

Sound Mixing
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
War Horse
Moneyball
Hugo
Transformers:Dark Of The Moon

Sound Editing
Drive
The Girl With  The Dragon Tattoo
Transformers: Dark Of the Moon
Hugo
War Horse

Best Visual Effects
Hugo
Real Steel
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2
Transformers:Dark Of The Moon
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

-In my opinion,Rise of the Planet of the Apes should win but  Harry Potter is another good contender and being the final film of the series  plays a factor too.

Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants
Hugo
The Ides Of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy


Original Screenplay
The Artist
A Separation
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight In Paris
-Nominated for the Best Picture,Midnight In Paris is one of Woody Allen best film  with a fresh script and like most of his film with big amazing cast.