My Picks

It's Oscar night! If I had my way, these would be my selections for the Academy Awards:

-Best Picture-

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Midnight in Paris
The Way
La piel que habito
The Help
The Descendants

-Best Director-

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Pedro Almodóvar La piel que habito
Woody Allen Midnight in Paris
Emilio Estevez The Way
Werner Herzog Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Michel Hazanavicius The Artist

-Best Actor-

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Antonio Banderas La piel que habito
Martin Sheen The Way
Joseph Gordon-Levitt 50/50
Michael Shannon Take Shelter
George Clooney The Descendants

-Best Actress-

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Emily Blunt The Adjustment Bureau
Meryl Streep Iron Lady
Viola Davis The Help
Glenn Close Albert Nobbs
Michelle Williams My Week with Marilyn

-Supporting Actor-

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Chris Cooper The Company Men
Michael Sheen Midnight in Paris
Corey Stoll Midnight in Paris
Bryan Cranston Drive
Brad Pitt Tree of Life

-Supporting Actress-

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Charlotte Rampling The Mill and the Cross
Angelica Houston 50/50
Kathy Bates Midnight in Paris
Jessica Chastain Tree of Life
Marisa Paredes La piel que habito

Anyone who saw Midnight in Paris was swept away. It was a wonderful and whimsical film that allowed the viewers to catch a glimpse of another place, another time period in such a way that you truly felt fantastic leaving the theatre. Another triumph, Mr. Allen!

La piel que habito is Pedro Almodóvar's finest achievement. Beautiful and disturbing and utterly mesmerising. His exquisite direction brought out a performance from Antonio Banderas that blew my freakin' mind.

The scene in the ladies' room when Matt Damon bursts in on Emily Blunt and her reaction is why she is the Best Actress. The Adjustment Bureau was inventive and romantic and Ms. Blunt was so natural and graceful as Elise that it has stayed with me ever since.

For me, The Company Men fell a good distance from my expectations. Chris Cooper, however, far exceeded my expectations. He was nothing short of stupendous.

Charlotte Rampling in The Mill and the Cross, I imagine, was given the following direction from Lech Majewski "One word for your character - devastation." And she fuckin' ran with it. Every single moment she spent on screen rips your gut out and makes your eyes burn with tears.