FALL MOVIE GUIDE FOR OSCAR SEASON!

With Moneyball opening this weekend, and the large festival circuit coming to a close in New York in a couple weeks, it’s officially Oscar season!  Of course some of the summer blockbusters will get technical and possible Best Picture attention (Harry Potter I’m looking at you) and there have been a couple fantastic films out earlier this month (see my reviews of Warrior, Contagion, and Drive, all of which have outside chances in some categories), but we’re about to get into the thick of it.  Big movies hitting theatres every weekend until Christmas!  To give everyone an idea of the fall lineup (Screen Rant has a good comprehensive list with synopseshttp://screenrant.com/2011-fall-movie-preview-kofi-130943/all/1/), here is a list of films and their release dates with Oscar aspirations, most of which if not all I will review:

 

Moneyball Sept. 23 – Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Sorkin did the script (see Social Network).

 

50/50 Sept. 30 – Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, Best Original Screenplay possibility.

 

The Ides of March Oct. 7 – Clooney and Gosling, a political drama, The Academy should eat this one up.

 

The Skin I Live In Oct. 14 – Pedro Almodóvar (Volver and Broken Embraces) always a big player for Best Foreign Film.

 

Martha Marcy May Marlene Oct. 21 – Elizabeth Olsen (yes, relation to Mary Kate and Ashley) a Best Actress dark horse.

 

In Time Oct. 28 – Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Andrew Niccol directing (Gattaca), we’ll see if they can pull this off.

 

Like Crazy Oct. 28 – Anton Yelchin (an up-and-comer, Alpha Dog and Fright Night), Felicity Jones.

 

The Rum Diary Oct. 28 – Depp (always a Best Actor contender) in another Hunter S. Thompson adaption…oh and there’s Amber Heard, yes please!

 

Anonymous Oct. 28 – Did Shakespeare really write his plays? Oct. 28 is going to be a big weekend!

 

My Week With Marilyn Nov. 4 – Michelle Williams has always been underrated and could get a nom for the Marilyn Monroe bio-pic.

 

Melancholia Nov. 11 – Kirsten Dunst (early favorite for Best Actress, which she won at Cannes) and Von Trier (Anichrist), my most anticipated of the season!  Will Von Trier’s genius finally be recognized by The Academy?

 

J. Edgar Nov. 11 – DiCaprio and Eastwood team up for the first time, Eastwood’s had some sub-par films of late (The Changeling and Invictus) but is an Academy favorite, could this be DiCaprio’s year? (3 noms no wins).

 

A Dangerous Method Nov. 23 – Cronenberg, Mortensen, Fassbender, and Knightley.  Depending on how it plays with audiences it could be up for major categories (Picture, Director, and Screenplay) but will get attention for acting regardless.

 

The Descendents Nov. 23 – Another Clooney film but due to Ides, might not get that much attention (even if it works).

 

Hugo Cabret Nov. 23 – Scorsese tries his hand at a children’s film, should be interesting.

 

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Dec. 9 – Gary Oldman in a espionage thriller, should be good, but likely the only chance is Oldman as a dark horse.

 

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Dec. 16 – Cruise and Jeremy Renner (good addition), might be up for some technical categories.

 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Dec. 16 – Downey Jr. and Law back at it, again maybe some technical categories.

 

The Adventures of Tin Tin Dec. 23 – Spielberg and Jackson team up for an animated film, could be the first time in awhile that Pixar or Dreamworks doesn’t bring home Best Animated Feature.

 

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Dec. 23 – One of the big ones, Best Actor and Actress (Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara), Director (Fincher), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture possibilities here.

War Horse Dec. 28 - Not a lot of big name actors (an ensemble cast of good character actors and the lead is a newcomer) but Spielberg is attached to direct, we'll see what happens.

 

So get out there and see some of these, let me know what you think, and look out for my reviews!