Billy’s Guide to the 82nd Annual Academy Awards

Its been a week since the Academy announced the nominees for this year’s Oscars. Although there are several glaring omissions and, in general, very few surprises, I, for the most part, am satisfied. I may get to this more in-depth next week, but for now I just want to lay down an overview of this year’s nominees.

I am going to try to see all the nominated films before the ceremony on March 7th, but here is a selection of 15 films which are must-sees in order to have an informed conversation about the awards.

Here we go:

Avatar

Nominations (9 - Art direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Visual effects)

Why You Need to See It: As the highest-grossing movie of all time, everyone and their mother’s sister has seen this movie. If you haven’t seen this, you’re going to miss a large chunk of the awards.

How To See It: In Theaters Everywhere

The Hurt Locker

Nominations (9 - Jeremy Renner – Performance by an actor in a leading role, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Original screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: As a favorite for Best Picture, and tied for the most nominations, definitely a front-runner.

How To See It: On DVD and Blu-Ray

Inglourious Basterds

Nominations (8 - Christoph Waltz – Performance by an actor in a supporting role, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Original screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: Quentin Tarantino’s fun-filled, irreverent World War II film got a lot of love from the Academy this year and Christoph Waltz is a lock for Supporting Actor.

How To See It: On DVD and Blu-Ray

Up in the Air

Nominations (6 - George Clooney – Performance by an actor in a leading role, Vera Farmiga – Performance by an actress in a supporting role, Anna Kendrick – Performance by an actress in a supporting role, Directing, Best picture, Adapted screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: Nominated for all the high-profile awards, including two supporting actresses. Also, it is simply a great film.

How To See It: In Theaters Everywhere

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Nominations (6 - Gabourey Sidibe – Performance by an actress in a leading role, Mo’Nique – Performance by an actress in a supporting role, Directing, Film editing, Best picture, Adapted screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: Last year’s Sundance favorite has both Best Picture and Director noms, along with some frontrunners for actress and supporting actress.

How To See It: This is a tough one. Hopefully it is still playing near you, or you may be out of luck.

Up

Nominations (5 - Best animated feature film, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Original screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: One of the best movies of the year, and another Pixar classic. Fortunately, it is also nominated for Best Picture and is only the second animated film to earn that honor, after Beauty and the Beast.

How To See It: On DVD and Blu-Ray

The Blind Side

Nominations (2 - Sandra Bullock – Performance by an actress in a leading role, Best picture)

Why You Need to See It: This is the most controversial Best Picture nomination, and any discussion of this year’s Oscars will probably include this. In addition, Sandra Bullock is the favorite for Best Actress.

How To See It: In Theaters Everywhere

An Education

Nominations (3 - Carey Mulligan – Performance by an actress in a leading role, Best picture, Adapted screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: Every year there are a few small films that make it big and this year its this, nominated for Best Picture and Best Actress for the 24-year-old Carey Mulligan.

How To See It: In Theaters (Almost) Everywhere

Crazy Heart

Nominations (3 - Jeff Bridges – Performance by an actor in a leading role, Maggie Gyllenhaal – Performance by an actress in a supporting role, Original song – “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)”)

Why You Need to See It: Jeff Bridges’ is the favorite for Best Actor, and his performance should be seen before making your judgement.

How To See It: In Theaters (Almost) Everywhere

So, if you’re a little behind on 2009’s films, if you can see these, you can at least have an informed discussion about this year’s biggest film awards.

Want to Make it Big as a Hollywood Director? Just Be More Like Chris Nolan

The interwebs were abuzz this morning after Deadline Hollywood broke the news that Christopher Nolan, acclaimed director of Memento and The Dark Knight is officially on board with a Batman sequel, and has also agreed to oversee the Superman movie that is also in the works at Warner Bros.

Nolan’s return to the franchise, although definitely not unanticipated, was not a sure thing and this story should comfort all of us who love the character. Most likely, the script is getting under way now with David S. Goyer, who recently left his position on ABC’s FlashForward, and Jonathan Nolan writing.

The even bigger news is that of Nolan’s involvement in the Superman reboot. He has agreed to mentor those working on the film, and has not been attached as director, which is very unlikely to happen. I think the guidance he could give on adapting the comics will prove to be very beneficial for the film. However, I do not want a Nolan Superman. While Bruce Wayne is a troubled soul taking justice into his own hands, Clark Kent is a more up-standing citizen and I feel the approach should be entirely different.

In any case, I have my doubts about the Superman reboot, but Nolan’s involvement is bound to help it.

I also would like to point out how Chris Nolan has become more of a classic film director. He started with a small movie, and has now worked his way up the ladder and become an integral part of Warner Bros. He even gave them first dibs on his sci-fi thriller Inception, due in theaters July 16th. If more directors could establish this kind of healthy creative relationship with a studio, everyone would benefit.

Review: The Cove

The Cove, directed by Louie Psihoyos, follows him in his quest to expose the cetacean massacre in Taiji, Japan.

The movie begins as Ric O’Barry, a dolphin trainer turned activist, guides the director into the small coastal town of Taiji. The sequence introduces the town so naturally, as we are taken on the ride with the director. Psihoyos becomes the audience’s stand-in and we see the town for the first time through his eyes. Then, we are given some background into the “star” of the film, Mr. O’Barry. The movie progresses as a typical, although extremely well-crafted doc. We see some aspects of the dolphin hunt, including many of its disastrous consequences as well as the primary causes and corruption that keeps it running.

However, the main plot of the film centers on O’Barry and Psihoyos as they assemble a covert team to infiltrate “The Cove.” Everything is building up to the final act, in which the team attempts to get footage from inside the guarded killing cove. Their mission is as thrilling as any narrative spy film, and this is where the movie really succeeds.

This film is a leap forward for the documentary format. It cuts between a more traditional documentary (interviews, clips, etc.) and the team’s covert operation. And this works perfectly. By contrasting the two styles of filmmaking, both aspects of the movie have much more effect.

At the end of the film, Psihoyos makes a very wise choice. He lets the images speak for themselves. Rather than pontificate about the evils of the hunt, the audience is given the images and we must make of them what we want.

The Cove is a superb film that transcends its documentary label and impacts the audience like very few films of any kind can.