Les Miserables

When I heard the cast for the movie musical of Les Miserables , it looked like I had dreamed-a-dream come true. Hugh Jackman! Anne Hathaway! Russell Crowe! Helena Bonham Carter! Amanda Seyfried!

Their individual performances, all sung live on camera, are solid, impressive and moving. And the soundtrack is selling well. So that worked.

But dang, Director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) has assembled a relentless, 2 hour 38 minute movie that feels as long as it is. Yeh, at about the second hour, I screamed a scream as much time went by.

Simply put: Loved the book. Loved the musical play. Liked the movie. The world’s longest running musical has become the longest-seeming film.

Award potential: Hugh Jackman holds this thing together and could win Best Actor. Anne Hathaway is the front-runner for Best Supporting Actress. She indeed stole big moments from the movie — that type of performance tends to win that award.

At the end of the day, this film is a great way to reward these two versatile, well loved actors — but it won’t take Best Picture and Skyfall will probably take the Best Song title away too.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks for Les Miz fans. Others should stay away.

And The Nominees Are...

The Academy Award nominees were announced today (by Seth Macfalane). Lincoln got the most with 12. And we have our oldest AND youngest Oscar Best Actress nominees. But no director for Argo (surprising) or Les Miserables (not)

 

The nominees are:

 

Best Picture

Amour

Argo

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Silver Lining Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director

Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Michael Haneke, Amour

David O. Russell Silver Linings Playbook

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, The Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master 

Denzel Washington, Flight

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Lawrence, The Silver Linings Playbook

Emmanueller Riva, Amour

Naomi Watts The Impossible

Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of A Southern WIld 

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin, Argo

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Robert DeNiro, The Silver Linings Playbook

Christolph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams The Master

Sally Field, Lincoln

Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Jackie Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Original Screenplay

Amour

Django Unchained

Flight

Moonrise Kingdom

Zero Dark Thirty

Best Adapted Screenplay

Argo

Beasts of a Southern WIld 

Lincoln

Life of Pi

Silver Linings Playbook

Cinematography

Anna Karenina

Django Unchained

Life of Pi

Lincoln

The Master

Skyfall

Costume

Anna Karenina

Lincoln

Les Miserables

Mirror Mirror

Snow White & The Huntsman

 Score

Anna Karenina

Argo

Life of Pi

Lincoln

The Master

 

Song

Before My Time, Chasing Ice

Everybody Needs A Best Friend, Ted

Pi's Lullaby, Life of Pi

Skyfall, Skyfall

Suddenly, Les Miserables

 

Documentary Short

Inocente

Kings Point

Mondays at Racine

Open Heart

Redemption

 

Film Editing

Argo

Life of Pi

Lincoln

SIlver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty 

Makeup

Hitchcock

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Les Miserables

Production Design

Anna Karenina

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Short Film- Animated

Adam and Dog

Fresh Guacamole

Head over Heels

Maggis Simpson in The Longest Daycare

Paperman

Short Film - Live Action

Asad

Buzkashi Boys

Curfew

Death of a Shadow

Henry

 

Sound Editing

Argo

Django Unchained

Life of Pi

Skyfall

Zero Dark Thirty 

 

Sound Mixing

Argo

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Skyfall

 

Visual Effects

The Hobbit: An Unexpeted Journey

Life of Pi

The Avengers

Prometheus

Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Foreign Film

Austria, Amour

Denmark, A Royal Affair

Canada, War Witch

Chile No,

Norway, Kon-Tiki

 

Best Animated

Brave

Frankenweenie

ParaNorman

The Painting

Wreck It Ralph

 Spoilers: From Up On Poppy Hill, Zarafa

Alan's Oscar Nominee Predictions - 2013

Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone will announce the Academy Award nominations Thursday a.m.  I have a 88.5% degree of accuracy for nomination predictions over the past five years  — here’s what’s gonna happen:

Best Picture

Amour

Argo

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Moonrise Kingdom

Silver Lining Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

Spoilers: Skyfall, The Impossible, Flight

Best Director

Ben Affleck, Argo

Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty

Ang Lee, Life of Pi

David O. Russell Silver Linings Playbook

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Spoilers: Michael Haneke Amour. Tom Hooper, Les Miserables, Paul Thomas Anderson The Master

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, The Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

John Hawkes, The Sessions

Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

Denzel Washington, Flight

Spoilers: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master, Jean-Louis Trintignant Amour

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

Jennifer Lawrence, The Silver Linings Playbook

Emmanueller Riva, Amour

Naomi Watts The Impossible

Spoilers,: Quvenzhane Walllis, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Helen Mirren Hitchcock

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin, Argo

Javier Bardem, Skyfall

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Robert DeNiro, The Silver Linings Playbook

Spoilers: Christoph Waltz Django Unchained, Leonardo DiCaprio Django Unchained, Dwight Henry Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams The Master

Sally Field, Lincoln

Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Maggie Smith, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Spoilers: Ann Dowd Compliance, Nicole Kidman The Paperboy, Samantha Barks Les Miserables, Jacki Weaver Silver Linings Playbook

 Best Original Screenplay

Amour

Looper

Moonrise Kingdom

The Master

Zero Dark Thirty

Spoilers: Django Unchained, The Master, Flight

Best Adapted Screenplay

Argo

Lincoln

Life of Pi

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Silver Linings Playbook

Spoilers: Beast of Southern Wild

Cinematography

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Les Miserables

The Master

Skyfall

Costume

Anna Karenina

Cloud Atlas

Django Unchained

Lincoln

Les Miserables

Score

Anna Karenina

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Life of Pi

Lincoln

The Master

Song

Freedom, Django

Learn Her Right, Brave   

Skyfall, Skyfall

Suddenly, Les Miserables

Best Foreign Film

Austria, Amour

Denmark, A Royal Affair

France, The Intouchables

Chile No,

Norway, Kon-Tiki

 Spoilers: Switzerland, Sister, Canada War Witch, Iceland The Deep

Best Animated

Brave

Frankenweenie

ParaNorman

The Painting

Wreck It Ralph

 Spoilers: From Up On Poppy Hill, Zarafa

 

Hitchcock

As a lover of all things movie making, Alfred Hitchcock and Hollywood, I was easily engaged in Hitchcock from start to finish. But in the first 30 minutes I knew that you could kill of any chance of this being one of the better movies of 2012.

This over-simplistic tale would have made a better TV biopic and it mightily surpasses HBO’s recent Hitchcock biopic, The Girl. 

What does work here is the relationship between Alfred (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma (Helen Mirren). This is a nice film, not a great one. And to use a quote from the film (not the stillbirth one), “Charming. Doris Day should do it as a musical.”

Simply put: Fun for fans of movie making, but this film is hardly worthy of the Master of Suspense.

Award potential: Anthony Hopkins was inconsistent, but Helen Mirren was consistently wonderful enough to have a chance at an Oscar nomination — but probably won’t make the cut. If there were 7 nominees, not 5, she’d be up for another award. In another year, I'd also mention Best Makeup.

The ten buck review: Worth two bucks. A great rental.

Silver Linings Playbook

In his follow up to the terrific film, The Fighter, writer-director David O. Russell finds the perfect tone to craft a lighthearted romantic comedy about someone suffering from a heavyweight issue: bipolar disorder and depression.

Silver Linings is based on a clever novel by Matthew Quick. And for once, the movie is actually better than the book. Thank the smart dialogue and superb performances by Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro, who finally has a role he seems to engage in.

Actually, just thank David Russell. This could have been another crazy-family comedy, but the silver lining is that he has created a modern classic.

Simply put: Family nuttiness. Football. Dancing. Romance. It’s a smart crowd pleaser.

Award potential: Lots. Count on nominations for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and acting nods for Cooper, Lawrence and DeNiro.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.

Life of Pi

A zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a tiger hop on a lifeboat with a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian. Sounds like a joke if you haven’t read the best-selling novel, Life of Pi.

And five years ago, it would have also been a joke to film this story due to technological limitations. Luckily, the movie version waited for CG to become seamless enough to create a fully believable tiger, for 3D to become somewhat gimmick-less…and for Director Ang Lee to oversee it all.

This is more than a retelling of the familiar survival story. Life of Pi, as told from the view of a 14 year old, examines the resilience of the human spirit when faith is tested. Perhaps it should have been called The Young Man and the Sea. 

Simply put: Lee serves up an amazing Pi. See it in 3-D, which hasn’t been used this well since Avatar.

Award potential: Count on nominations for Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Visual Effects (front-runner) and more. Suraj Sharma, the teenage Pi, will face tough competition in the Best Actor category — but don’t rule him out.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.

A Thanksgiving Feast: 7 Oscar-Caliber Films Out Now

Be grateful: It should be pretty easy to avoid a turkey at the movies this Thanksgiving weekend. Unlike the past few years, several Oscar-caliber movies are out before Christmastime.

 

The Family Film: Lincoln

Honestly, it’s worth the hype. Expect a political thriller, not an exhaustive biopic.

Award potential: May get more nominations than any previous film, and a likely win for Daniel Day-Lewis. Maybe one for Sally Field — who is really, really likable for redefining Mary Todd Lincoln.

The Drama: Flight

I thought this was going to be a typical airplane disaster film, but it was one heckuva different ride — with one heckuva performance from Denzel Washington.

Award potential: Denzel Washington outdoes even himself in this picture and you can expect him on the Best Actor shortlist. If the film sustains buzz, you can expect nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and some technical awards. Wild card pick: John Goodman (who’s also in Argo but better here) for Best Supporting Actor.

The Crowd Pleaser: Skyfall

It’s what you like about Bond, shaken slightly. Director Sam Mendes does a bang up job, as does Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and Javier Bardem.

Award potential: There’s buzz about Skyfall taking one of the top ten Best Picture slots, but Javier Bardem and Adele’s song are better bets.

The Thriller: Argo

Hold on tight for one of the best movies of 2012.

Award potential: Hollywood saves the world? Oscar is gonna love this: Best Picture, Best Director, Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin), Original Screenplay and other technical awards.

For Dessert: Life of Pi

Follow your pumpkin pie with the newest treat from director Ang Lee.

It’s expected to be faithful to the bestseller and it’s getting early raves after playing at the New York Film Festival.

Award potential:  It’s already on most Best Picture Oscar short lists.

Life of Pi opens in theaters on Nov. 21.

The Weepie: Silver Linings Playbook.

I loved the book, and can’t wait to see the film. Those who have seen it, can’t stop talking about it.

Award potential:  It’s in the top 3 of most Best Picture Oscar short lists.

Silver Linings Playbook opens in theaters on Nov. 21.

Don’t Take Your Mom: The Sessions

50 shades of uncomfortable, but you won't be bored by this tale of a man confined to an iron lung, and the sex therapist who helps him.

Award potential: I don’t think it’s going to live up to the Best Picture hype, but I do expect nominations for John Hawkes and Helen Hunt. It won’t be the first time Oscar notices an able-bodied actor playing a disabled character and an actress playing a hooker with a heart of gold.

BONUS:
 The homebody: Moonrise Kingdom/Beasts of a Southern Wild

Available on DVD or pay per view.

Award potential: Both have a chance at one of the ten Best Picture slots.