Golde Satellite nominations announced

It's almost December, so that means there are only two months left until ballots are mailed out and the Academy of Motion Pictures announces the Oscar nominations. It's time for critics associations to judge what has been the very best of the year, and the first one to do so is The Golden Satellites. Here are the nominees in the main categories.

Nine leads the way with 9 nominations, and this could be an indicator of its chances at the Oscars.Nice to see Penelope Cruz nominated for what is said to be a cheeky and sexy role. Marion Cotillard, after taking home the Oscar two years ago for “La vie en rose”, could very well end up there again this year, as the early word says she is one of the highlights of the film. Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren or Judi Dench are nowhere to be seem, so their chances are reduced at this point.

Strong showing too of “Precious”, a film we have talked about earlier. It snags 5 nominations (Picture, Director, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay and Song), but Gabourey Sabide, who's been buzzed for her performance, has been let out, which is strange, since it looks like they really liked the movie. With plenty of precursors more to come, we don't think this means she's out of the race.

“Up in the air”, “The Hurt Locker”, “Up” or “An education” solidify their status of frontrunners, snagging quite a lot of nominations and securing their spot among the ten best pictures of the year. George Clooney, Jeremy Renner, Anna Kendrik, Carey Mulligan , Jason Reitman or Katherine Bigelow also gain a boost, and look like likely nominees, as Oscar Gurus have been predicting all season.

“Broken Embraces” earns two very useful nominations: Best Actrees for Penelope Cruz and Best Foreign Film. After the somewhat mixed reviews, it's nice to see americans love Almodovar, even if the movie itself has to compete with “The White Ribbon”, which won the Palme D'or in the last Cannes Festival, or “I killed my mother”, which has been received with raves.

Notably absent are “Avatar”, “The Lovely Bones” or “Invictus”. The reason is that this critics associations hasn't screened those films still, so we don't know how well they would have fared. “Avatar” would be for sure nominated for Visual Effects, Score and Song, and the other two we suspect would appear in many of the top categories.

So, here it is. The race has officially started, so now, relax and enjoy the awards madness.

Broken Embraces opens in New York to good but not great reviews

The ultimate offering of one of our best known directors, Pedro Almodovar, opened in New York City this past 20th of November, creating a lot of buzz, as the spanish director is one of the most venerated celebrities in the United States. Some critics had had the opportunity to screen the film back in October, in the New York Film Festival, or in the Cannes Film Festival in May, but most of them were attending the premiere not knowing what to expect: a movie of the depth and impact of "All about my mother" or "Talk to her", or a minor offering like "Bad Education".

Since the pairing of both Almodovar and Penélope Cruz turned out to be great with their last film together, "Volver", which earned the actress an Oscar nomination and respect in the Hollywood industry, expectations were really high, and the first reactions seem to be a mixed bag. The response is good, but far really enthusiastic.

Reviews basically single out the performance of Penélope Cruz, who is the "it" girl in Hollywood these days and has gain popularity after winning the Oscar last year for Woody Allen's latest "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". She is being called a contender in this years race for the prize for her performance in "Broken Embraces", but for that we'll have to wait to see how academy members respond to the film.

Reviewers also single out the way Almodovar makes a tribute to masters of cinema such as Alfred Hitchcock or Douglas Sirk, and how the movie is a collection of beautifull images crafted together by a person who loves cinema.

On the negative side, some critics seem to have a problem with the lenght of the film and the script, which is somehow dense and cold, not packing the emotional punch of Almodovar latest offerings.

All in all, the director is beloved in the USA and has a very large following there, so we'll have to wait and see the publics response when it opens wide in all the country, as it's only been given a limited release in two New York's City theatres at the moment.