Golden Globes 2010 Predictions: Best Picture – Drama

2010 Golden Globe Predictions: Best Picture – Drama

The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow; scr: Mark Boal
A US Army elite unit disarms bombs in Iraq.

Invictus (above, with Matt Damon), d: Clint Eastwood; scr: Anthony Peckham
Newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela campaigns to stage the Rugby World Cup in South Africa so as to unite blacks and whites.

The Last Station (above, with Helen Mirren, James McAvoy), d & scr: Michael Hoffman
Leo Tolstoy’s family life is upended by the writer’s radical politics.

The Lovely Bones (above, with Saoirse Ronan), Peter Jackson; scr: Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
A murdered girl sees the world, chiefly her small Pennsylvania town, from up above.

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, d: Lee Daniels; scr: [...]

Susan Sarandon: Lifetime Achievement Award at Stockholm Festival

Susan Sarandon will be the recipient of the Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award 2009 to be presented at the 20th Stockholm International Film Festival, which runs Nov. 18-29. Sarandon will be accepting the honor in person.
As per the Stockholm Film Festival’s press release, "the Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to honor and acknowledge a longstanding career and an outstanding achievement in cinema. The prestigious award, in the shape of a 16 lb Bronze Horse (the heaviest film award in the world), is a paraphrase on the Swedish Dala horse, designed by designer Fredrik Swärd."
Previous recipients of the Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award include Lauren Bacall, Charlotte Rampling, David Lynch, Oliver Stone, Jean-Luc Godard, Erland Josephson, and Paul Schrader.
Below is [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Alfred Molina, An Education (with Cara Seymour, Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard)
An overprotective father worries about his wayward daughter in 1960s London.

Christopher Plummer, The Last Station (with Helen Mirren)
Initially touted as a potential best actor contender, Plummer is getting the supporting treatment for his performance as the elderly Leo Tolstoy. In that category, the veteran actor has a much better chance of landing a nomination. (James McAvoy, formerly in this list for his role in The Last Station, is now in the Oscar 2010 best actor race.)

Paul Schneider, Bright Star
John Keats‘ not too sympathetic best friend Charles Armitage Brown.

Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Apparently, nothing lovely about Tucci in this one.

Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds (with Diane Kruger)
Nazi [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Actress

Best Actress

Abbie Cornish, Bright Star
Frances ‘Fanny’ Brawne has a relatively brief but intense love affair with poet John Keats

Carey Mulligan, An Education
In 1960s London, a schoolgirl falls for a man in his 30s

Michelle Pfeiffer, Cheri
An older courtesan introduces a young man to the art of lovemaking

Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
An abused pregnant teen is befriended by a compassionate teacher

Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Julia Child joyfully introduces dead poultry into American kitchens

A dozen actresses — female actors if you wish — can be considered as very strong candidates for a 2010 best actress nomination (as long as their movies open in LA until December 31). In addition to the [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Director

BEST DIRECTOR

The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow

The Lovely Bones, Peter Jackson (above, with Saoirse Ronan)

A Serious Man, Joel and Ethan Coen

Up in the Air, Jason Reitman (above, with George Clooney)

The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke

In all honesty, I don’t know who the hell will get a best direction nod this year — though I’m pretty sure it’ll be five of the ten directors listed in my "tentative" 2010 best picture Oscar list.
For the record, the other five not listed above are: Lone Scherfig for An Education; Grant Heslov for The Men Who Stare at Goats; Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire; Steven Soderbergh for The Informant!, and Rob Marshall for Nine.
Unless, of course, Jane Campion manages to [...]

Oscar 2010: Early Predictions – Best Picture

BEST FILM

An Education, d: Lone Scherfig; scr: Nick Hornby
In Swinging (suburban) London, a teenager decides to have her first sexual experience with a man in his thirties.

The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow; scr: Mark Boal
An elite unit of the US Army must disarm bombs during combat in an "enemy" city in Iraq.

The Informant!, d: Steven Soderbergh; scr: Scott Z. Burns
A whistle-blower (who also happens to be a pathological liar) helps the US government nab an agribusiness conglomerate.

The Lovely Bones, Peter Jackson; scr: Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
A murdered girl, now a heaven-resident, sees how life has changed in her small Pennsylvania town following her disappearance.

The Men Who Stare at Goats, d: Grant Heslov; scr: Peter Straughan
A journalist gets involved with US [...]