Picking Winners at the 85th Annual Academy Awards

Supporting Actress:Amy Adams: The MasterSally Field: LincolnAnne Hathaway: Les MisérablesHelen Hunt: The SessionsJacki Weaver: Silver Linings Playbook William Altreuter: It often seems to me that the Best Supporting categories are where the most interesting things are to be found in the Academy Award nominations, and this year is proving me right. What we often get—especially with Best Actress in a Supporting Role—are performances that really carry the movie, even though we tend not to notice. We also get actresses showing us what they can do against type, and that display of craft and professionalism is frequently rewarded. The…

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REVIEW: It’s Complicated [2009]

“You’ve gone native” I think I totally got Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron confused when going into the former’s newly Golden Globe nominated film It’s Complicated. Meyers’ filmography has actually been well received, both what she’s written and directed, while Ephron’s, besides her latest, a gem in Julie & Julia, is lackluster for my taste, (I’ve yet to see the ubiquitous When Harry Met Sally). Therefore, I went into the film with low expectations, thinking I would be getting a worn out plot line of romance and hijinks instead of…

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REVIEW: Julie & Julia [2009]

“Nobody here but us servantless American cooks” I was very confused on where to put my head upon sitting down to watch the new Nora Ephron film Julie & Julia. Here is the consummate chick flick writer/director and yet the previews alluded to the work being more than that; even if “more than that” meant it still looked like a made-for-television type Lifetime tale. The trailers all said, “based on two true stories”, but I still didn’t take that statement as literally as one should. Thinking that the whole story…

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