The week in film

Sorry for the lack of updates. Been catching up with homework, so the blog hasn't been updated in quite a while. Because of this, what I'm going to do today is summarize what's been happening in the movie community in this past week.

-The National Board of Review announces its winners! This critics association is widely considered the first real indicator of the Academy Awards. It has a history of strong correlation with the Oscars, while it's true that they are more risky in chosing winners than the Academy. Who is the big winner this year? Up in the Air, for sure. The film earns the first mention of the season in the Best Picture category, and added to the impressive reviews and buzz make it a lock to receive a nomination in the morning of February the 12^th. George Clooney is poised to attend the Kodak Theater as a nominee again, and Anna Kendrik, mostly unknown for the most of us, looks likely to earn her first nomination. Her performance has been raved all around, so this choice is as pleasing as it gets.

Carey Mulligan, who has been tipped for Oscar since the season started, is named Best Actress, making her the likely owner of the newcomer spot. The Academy has always loved to give recognition to unknown stars who give a career turning performance (Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone or Saoirse Ronan in Atonement). Woody Harrelson, once a movie star, makes his comeback this year, with a strong turn in the compelling film The Messenger. Critics have been hailing Harrelson's performance for months now, but with such strong players like Christopher Waltz (Inglorious Basterds), Alfred Molina (An Education) or Stanly Tuccy (The Lovely Bones), he isn't secured the spot.

Lots of love for (500) Days of Summer, Invictus ( can Eastwood repeat the story a la “Million Dollar Baby”?), The Hurt Locker or Up, and almost none for Precious, which doesn't make the top ten and only earns a mention for her newcomer star, Gabourey Sabide. Can awards turn on Precious? We don't think so, but we don't know.

- The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association gives out its prizes: Once precursors start rolling in, there's no stop until The Golden Globes let us know their nominees. The DC Critics Association look a lot like the National Board of Review this year. “Up in the Air” scores big again, and it's looking very powerful at this point. Carey Mulligan also repeats placement and is a treat to other big names such as Meryl Streep or Helen Mirren.

Christopher Waltz snags the Supporting Actor award for his great turn in Tarantino's masterpiece “Inglorious Basterds”. He has been considered a contender since the film was shown at The Cannes Film Festival, and many critics think he is the one to beat at the Oscars. We'll have to wait and see.

Precious is given some love, and its two stars, Mo'nique and Gabourey get accolades. Mo'nique, as we've commented earlier, is said to be impressive in the film, so the Oscar doesn't seem too far fetched.

It's important to say that “Nine” or “The Lovely Bones” are almost nowhere to be seen. Nine gets a mention in the Art Direction Category, but with such a group of actors, it's weird that it hasn't been single out as the best ensemble by this associations. Did someone say Memoirs of a Geisha?

As for The Lovely Bones, the film has been receiving really bad reviews from most of the critics who have been able to seen the film. There are those who are raving the film too, but they are alone in this one. We'll have to wait and see how the Academy reacts to the story of a murdered child.

- The music theme for the upcoming fantasy film Avatar is unveiled: “I see you” is the title of the song which will be playing over the credits on James Cameron much anticipated movie “Avatar”. The tune, sung with power by the super talented Leona Lewis, has already divided critics and movie fans. There are those who think it's a repeat of Celine Dion's “My Heart Will go on”, calling the song sappy, sacarine or ear damaging indulcing. Others say it's an epic song, sang with great emotion by Lewis, and that it was time that a big movie included a big scaled theme, like Titanic itself or Pearl Harbor. Let's see if the Academy likes it and gives Leona Lewis the chance to perform on the ceremony. That would be something epic.

- The Blind Side kicks “New Moon” out of the top spot at the American Box Office: Sandra Bullocks film has at last dethroned the lame girl meets vampires and werewolves movie. The sports drama is truly the sleeper of the year, as we hinted earlier. It has made 130 million dollars in USA alone, and is on its way to earn 150 million. Great to see Sandra Bullock enjoying success once again. The other big movie of the weekend has been “The Princess and the Frog”, which in two weeks has cashed in 2 millions dollars at only two theaters. With numbers like that on limited release, Disney may have a really big winner in this holiday season, when the movie finally opens nationwide. The success of this film would mean that there is still hope for 2-D animation, so from here we hope it delivers at the Box Office.