Oscar Best Picture Winner 1937- The Life of Emile Zola

BY: ORANGECHAIR
Being an aspiring writer, I always have a soft spot for films about writers. I’ve always found writers to be extremely interesting characters, adding a unique element to any film. Though I love them, I don’t think it is my bias talking when I say the 1937 biopic film the Life of Emile Zola was a surprisingly entertaining and fascinating film.

As the film’s title suggests, this film is about the life of struggling author Emile Zola (Paul Muni). The film opens with Emile living in a rundown apartment with his friend Paul Cezanne (Vladimir Sokoloff), worried about making his rent. Emile tries to make a living writing, publishing what was considered to be scandalous material though it was steeped in truth. Refusing to sway to the masses and write something he didn’t believe, Emile’s reputation made him undesirable as an employee. Emile gets his big break when he meets a street prostitute named Nana (Erin O’Brien Moore) and is inspired to write a book of the same name. Selling like wildfire, Emile continues to write for years, amassing wealth and reputation with each new book. Writing to try and fix the injustice of the world, Emile has no problem calling out and pissing off organizations, states or even countries. Emile writes for years until he is comfortable. Only then does he begin to slow down.

Meanwhile the French Army is in the middle of a scandal as they believe they have found a traitor. The man accused is Alfred Dreyfus (Joseph Schildkraut) and he is sentenced to life in prison though he insists he was innocent. The military eventually realizes they have the wrong man. Dreyfus actually was innocent. Unwilling to look bad in the public eye, Colonel Piquart (Henry O’Neill) decides to cover-up the mistake and keep Dreyfus in jail. After years of being wrongfully incarcerated, Dreyfus’ wife Lucie Dreyfus (Gale Sondergaard) realizes her husband is truly innocent and desperately tries to get him free. Lucie enlists the help of Zola, who is now retired. Realizing that he has gotten complacent in his old age, Zola decides to once again try and make a difference in the world with his words and writing. As he begins to speak out against the military, his country, which previously supported his radical ideas, turns on him, labeling him as bad a traitor as Dreyfus. Refusing to back down until justice is upheld, Zola fights for Dreyfus’ freedom.

My favorite aspect of this film was the main character, Emile Zola. I found him to be a very interesting character. A man who started out poor and wanting, unwilling to sacrifice his principals for money or success, as his fame grew, Zola did not allow it to change him. He continued to advocate for truth and justice through his books. Even when he grew old, though he got a little complacent, Zola stayed true to himself and his nature, rising to the occasion that was presented to him. I found Zola to be a truly genius character.

The Life Of Emile Zola was another film that I thought I was going to hate and ended up really liking. I thought the film was a little bit long. Some of the scenes could have been tightened up a little bit. I thought Zola was a tremendous character and would assume that this, considering the film’s material, was a somewhat controversial film when it was released. Though it had the content to be controversial, the film beat out a long list of contenders to win the 1937 Oscar Best Picture including The Awful Truth, In Old Chicago, Stage Door, Captains Courageous, Lost Horizon, A Star is Born, Dead End, the Good Earth and One Hundred Men and a Girl. The film also gave Joseph Schildkraut a win for Best Supporting Actor and also won Best Writing. I give this film a 7.5 out of 10, another film that took me pleasantly by surprise.

Oscar Best Picture Winner 1954- From Here to Eternity

BY ORANGECHAIR
It always amuses me to finally see what is considered a classic movie scene and see where it fits into a film. Everybody knows the classic scene in From Here to Eternity, whether you knew it was from that film or not. The scene shows two people at a beach rolling around as waves wash over them. It is a classic, often spoofed scene and though it is very well known, it has almost nothing to do with From Here to Eternity. Set in a military base in Hawaii, this film follows three different ranked soldiers.

• Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift)- a recent transfer to Hawaii, Prewitt was a champion boxer and the best bugler in his battalion. Upon realizing that he was a champion fighter, Captain Dana Holmes (Philip Ober) attempts to get Prewitt to fight for them. Unable to get back in the ring after accidentally blinding an opponent, Prewitt refuses the offer. Upset by his refusal, Holmes enlists the help of other boxers and his own right hand man, Seargant Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster) to pressure Prewitt to fight. For months Prewitt is worked to the bone, given terrible jobs and forced to work more than the rest. The extra work and even the threats from the other soldiers could not get Prewitt to change his position. Eventually and begrudgingly, Warden develops a hard to see soft spot for Prewitt and allows him to go off base a number of times. Going with his friend Private Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra), Prewitt eventually meets Alma ‘Lorene’ Burke (Donna Reed) at a Gentleman’s Club and falls in love. The film chronicles Prewitt’s time in the army while he sticks by his principles and looks at his growing relationship.

• Sergeant Milton Warden: Sergeant Warden is a hardworking, extremely underappreciated man. Warden is overworked, doing his job and most of the work his superior, Captain Holmes, should be doing. At first Warden enjoys this because he gets to pull most of the strings but eventually the lack of appreciation and recognition begins to get to him. Warden falls in love with and begins an affair with Holmes’ wife, Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr). In fact it is the two of them that are in the classic scene I mentioned earlier. Trapped in a marriage with no love, Karen is desperate to get out of it but can’t. Warden is a very interesting character. Though he has been put in an unfair position, he is fiercely loyal to his rank, his superiors and his nation.
• Private Angelo Maggio- One of Prewitt’s good friends, Angelo is not necessarily a main character in the film but I think he needs to be mentioned. A usually lighthearted, joking man, it becomes clear throughout the film that he struggles with a drinking problem. One night while on the town, Angelo creates a problem with the brutal and violent Sergeant Fatso Judson (Ernest Borgnine). Fatso promises that the conflict will cause future repercussions for Angelo if he is every court marshaled. A stupid decision causes that exact thing to happen, leaving Angelo at the mercy of Fatso.

This film has a lot of components to it, looking at love, loyalty and parts of the military in general. Though the majority of the film is set on a military base, there is little action expect for the film’s tragic end. I really like the character development in this film. The characters motives and personalities are uncovered by the dialogue in a way that makes it seem quite natural. Each character had their merits and their problems and they all dealt with them in a similar manner: alcohol. We see every main character abuse alcohol and it brings each of them some form of misfortune. Some characters learn from their mistakes and benders while others do not.

This film defeated Julius Caesar, the Robe, Roman Holiday and Shane for the 1954 Oscar Best Picture. I didn’t find the plot of this film to be mind-blowing but I certainly think the performances were strong enough to make this an Oscar Best Picture Winner. Frank Sinatra took home a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Donna Reed took home a Best Supporting Actress. The film also earned Daniel Taradash a Best Writing Oscar and Fred Zinnemann a Best Director Oscar. It also won Best Sound Recording, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing winning a whooping eight Oscars in total. Overall I give this film a 7 out of 10. Don’t judge a film based on its “classic” scene because sometimes, they really have nothing to do with the rest of the film.

Oscar Best Picture Winner 1987: Platoon

BY: ORANGECHAIR
As should be quite evident by the amount I post about television and movies, my interest in film has increased exponentially over the past decade. For a while I would see movies every once in a while. I would see comedy films and the occasional action flick but my movie experiences did not go much past those genres. As time passed and I began expanding the films I saw, I delved into more and more genres including drama, foreign, kung-fu and almost anything that I could get my hands on. The one genre that it took me the longest to enjoy watching, and the genre is still hit and miss with me, was the war genre. The fact that I was very impressed buy the 1986 Oscar Best Picture winner Platoon suggests one of two things. The first, and least likely, is that I am really starting to like war movies. More likely is that Platoon is just an incredible film.

Reviewing this film is going to be very difficult because there are countless brilliant moments and so many great characters I could go on talking for pages and pages. The film, set in the Vietnam War, didn’t really focus on the overall events of the war itself but on the actions of a platoon in the war. Every shot in the film takes place during the war, no shots of any character’s life before or after. The film begins with the arrival of the main character Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), a young man who dropped out of college to go to war. Dropped into the middle of a platoon that has been at war for a while, it is made obvious very early on that he is the new kid on the block. It takes Taylor a long time to fit in but eventually he is accepted by a group of soldiers and finds a mentor in Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe). The film follows Taylor as he tries to survive the war and find a safe place within his platoon, all while dealing with the horrors of war and what it can do to enemy and ally alike.

A number of different battles take place during the film and not all of them are physical. There are a number of different battles that take place with weapons as the platoon traverses the jungle terrain and their lives are put in danger multiple different times. What seems to be more scary than the guns and the weapons are the battles that take place between the members of the platoon and in the minds of the platoon members themselves. War has the ability to do some terrible things to an individual. There were two opposing ideas in the film that were perfectly illustrated by the films two sergeants, Sergeant Elias and Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger). Before their quarrel is allowed to escalate to an unreasonable conclusion, the two showed two different ways to approach the war. Barnes is a soldier through and through, in Vietnam to win and there to follow every order exactly. His goal is to win the war by any means necessary and not to let anything get in the way of victory. Elias on the other hand seems to be there to help. He has gone to war not just to win but to help the area and make it a safe place for those living there. During his free time he tries to make the best of the situation and get to know his soldiers. The literal battle that occurred between Barnes and Elias demonstrated the conflicted feelings that occur within soldiers and within people that look at the war.

One specific scene in this film that I will never forget is a scene that I have come to think of as the village scene. The platoon is tasked to clear a village of hostile enemies but much more happens. I used the word horrors before and the inspiration for that word was this scene. The scene was full of shocking material but somehow director Oliver Stone managed to continued to develop his characters even while focusing on horror. Another scene in the film that I’ll never forget and that most people know is the famous scene with a soldier falling in battle, with his arms raised up to the sky. I’m not going to tell you which soldier it was, in case you don’t know, but the scene was heart-breaking even with the infamy surrounding it.

Winning the 1987 Oscar for Best Picture, Platoon went up against Hannah and Her Sisters, Children of a Lesser God, a Room with a View and the Mission. Both Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe earned Supporting Actor nominations and Oliver Stone brought home the win for Best Director. I was surprised by how well done this film really was. As far as being a well done film, looking at shots and acting, I give this a 4 out of 5 and as far as me liking the film, though it was devastating, I also give it a 4 out of 5 giving Platoon and overall 8 out of 10.

This Week on Netflix: Warrior

BY: ORANGECHAIR
To date, I have seen and posted a review on ten films I have seen on Netflix. I’ve seen a wide variety of films, funny, san animated and ridiculous. With such a variety of films under my belt I thought it would be impossible to pick a best but this week I saw the best film I have reviewed for This Week on Netflix so far. The film is called Warrior and as long as you can handle some violent MMA fighting, it is a must see.

Now, this comment may piss off Never Back Down fans but, there really aren’t many well known, well done MMA films. Boxing films are a different story. We have the Fighter, Cinderella Man, Rocky and countless others on the list of great boxing films but well done MMA films are few and far between. While Warrior is about MMA fighting and features many different fight scenes, there is so much more to the film than just fighting. The story starts when Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) returns to his home town after a long hiatus. Showing up at his father’s house without warning, Tommy finds that the family he left a long time ago has changed. The film tells the back-story of the Conlon family in a very interesting manner, slowly letting the audience put their past together while the story plays out. The family consists of three main players, Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte), the family’s previously alcoholic, abusive father who has changed his ways and enters the film nearing his one thousandth day sober. Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton), the family’s eldest brother is a High School teacher living with his wife, Tess Conlon (Jennifer Morrison), and his two daughters. The final member of the family is youngest brother Tommy Conlon, a lost ex-marine trying to make his way in the world.

The plot of the story isn’t overly complicated. Tommy returns home after leaving with his mother, who passed away after she left Paddy. Tommy, a former High School wrestling star, asks his father to resume training him but this time for the MMA cage rather than the wrestling ring. After a video of Tommy knocking out one of the best fighters in the world is leaked onto the internet, he is accepted to the largest MMA tournament called Sparta. Without each brother realizing it, Brendan also enters himself in Sparta. After being screwed over financially by a misguided investment, Brendan begins MMA fighting on the side for extra cash. When he shows up to work beaten and bloodied, his boss finds out what he has been doing and suspends him without pay. With time on his hands, Brendan decides to train for Sparta in the hopes of winning to save his home and family. The first half of the film focuses on the brothers’ training while the second half features the two underdogs fighting their way through the MMA champions in the Sparta tournament.

There was no part of this film that was lacking in any way. The fights, especially those that take place during Sparta, are intense, brutally entertaining and oddly emotional. I am not the kind of guy that gets invested enough in anything to yell at the television screen but at times during Sparta, especially during a fight between world champion Koba and Brendan, I was on my feet cheering. Beyond well done, emotional fight scenes, the film is full of outstanding acting. Featuring a broken family, anytime Brendan, Paddy or Tommy converse is a heartbreaking scene. A notable scene for both Brendan and Tommy is when they finally see one another at Sparta, conversing for the first time in years. While Brendan tries to understand why Tommy won’t forgive him, Tommy bullishly reiterates his anger. Tom Hardy’s best acting performances in the film are when his character is in the ring. Outside of the ring, Tommy is a quiet, angry man but inside the cage we get to see who Tommy really is. It was amazing to see Tom Hardy give a character such depth using only intensity and body language.

While both Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton give great performances, Nick Nolte steals the show. Prior to this film, I was not much of a Nick Nolte fan. I hadn’t seen him in anything that really wowed me, my favorite performance of his coming from Tropic Thunder. I was absolutely blown away by Nick Nolte in Warrior. Playing a recovering alcoholic desperately trying to reconnect with the family he alienated, Nolte brought tears to my eyes in multiple scenes. As hard as the man tries, his sons cannot get past his past actions. Brendan will not allow Paddy to see his grandchildren, only communicating with him through phone calls or the mail and Tommy no longer has any respect for his father. Tommy sees his father as a trainer, beyond that Tommy is terrible to his father, taking every opportunity to give an off-hand, soul crushing insult. I have never felt for a character as much as I did for Paddy Conlon and never expected Nick Nolte to make me tear up once, let alone three times in one film. Earning him a nomination, and what I think should have been a win, for the 2012 Best Supporting Actor Oscar, this film easily features Nolte at the top of his game.

I cannot reiterate enough how outstanding this film is. When I heard about the film, I was doubtful that I would even enjoy it but now I can say it is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. If you can judge a film but how much I talk about it, this post is already longer than most that I write and I could keep talking about this film for pages. I haven’t even touched on the film’s beautiful use of Moby Dick and Beethoven references. I think I’ll save those for another post. I am going to give this film a very rare 10 out of 10 and recommend it to everybody and anybody that has read this post and has any modicum of interest in the film.

This Week on Netflix: Drive

BY: ORANGECHAIR

I did not know what to expect when I started watching the film Drive earlier this week. The only things I really knew about the film was that Ryan Gosling was a driver in it, that Albert Brooks got nominated as a Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor for it and that a number of my friends had told me how good the film was. Those of you who recommended this film to me, you were absolutely correct. Complete with some brilliant performances and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, Drive grabbed my attention in the first five minutes and didn’t let go until the film was over.

In the most basic terms, Drive is about a young man aptly referred to as Driver (Ryan Gosling) who spends literally all of his free time around cars. During the day he works as a stunt driver for the movies as well as working at a garage owned by his mentor, Shannon (Bryan Cranston). By night Driver works as a getaway driver for anybody that requires his services for whatever purpose. Shannon, who sets up all of Driver’s jobs be they legal or illegal, believes that Driver has the potential to be the best racecar driver of all time. Trusting his instinct, Shannon enlists the services (and money) of Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) to acquire a decent car to fix up. Bernie agrees and the deal is made. Meanwhile, Driver meets his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son and the two start seeing each other. When Irene’s husband unexpectedly is released from jail and returns home, Driver begins back off until it becomes clear that though he is out of jail Standard (Oscar Issac) is not out of trouble. Owing money to a powerful man, Irene’s family is threatened until Driver offers to drive Standard on a job that would allow him to pay back the money. All hell breaks loose on the job and Driver ends up with a million dollars that isn’t his. When he finds out the money is Nino’s (Ron Perlman), Bernie’s partner, Driver goes up against them both in hopes of saving himself, Irene and Irene’s son but only leaves a trail of blood and destruction in his wake.

Though there was no bad performance in the film, two stood out above the rest. The first was Bryan Cranston as the sad but lovable Shannon. Generally with the best of intentions at heart, Shannon dreams big, always look for the next way to make money. He trusts his instincts, which unfortunately always led him to a heap of bad luck. Cranston plays the part perfectly, making the audience love his character and feel incredibly guilty for him throughout the film. Cranston’s performance was great but if you see this movie for only one reason, make it Albert Brooks. Brooks does not step foot on screen without completely commanding the camera. Tearing through each scene with an intensity and fierceness that befits his character, Brooks plays the insanely violent and powerful Bernie Rose with enough skill to earn him the 2012 Supporting Actor nom and maybe even to deserve the win.

There was no aspect of Drive that didn’t impress me, including the camera work and the music. The camera was very important to the state of Driver’s mind. A cool, collected person, especially behind the wheel, Driver rarely loses his cool, panics or shows much emotion at all. The camera emulates this behavior, moving smoothly through scenes and following Gosling without using quick or choppy cuts. The camera stays as calm as Gosling does. As the film progresses and Gosling begins to lose his calm demeanor, the camera follows his move, losing its fluidity to become increasingly distressed.

When you are next flipping through you Netflix Instant Queue, Drive is certainly a good film to land on. There is no weak part in the film, directing, acting or writing. Even the music fits perfectly, bringing an odd sense of beauty to the film and tying it together. I give this film a 7.5 out 10 (many of those points coming from Albert Brooks’ performance). Though it can be quite violent at times, this film is worth watching.

ORANGECHAIR Oscar Picks

BY: ORANGECHAIR

Alright, I have officially mulled over the nominees long enough to finally make my Oscar predictions. I am far from fulfilling my goal of posting about every nomination and for that I apologize but I have seen the majority of the nominees. The following post looks at each of what I call the Big 6 categories at the Oscars. Within each category I am going to list the movie or role that I think will win and the movie or role that I think should win. The “will win” choices will be based off my research (how the public and critics have reacted to the film) and past award winners (what won this year’s SAG, Golden Globe, ect.). The “should win” choices are the movies and roles that I would vote for to win. Critics and the public may not agree with me but my “should win” picks are what I believe to be the best in that category this year.

Best Supporting Actress

• Will Win: Octavia Spencer in the Help. A brilliant performance in the Help earned her an Oscar nomination as well as a Golden Globe in the same category. If you’ve read the book, Minnie is a fairly iconic character but Spencer does a great job bringing her to life.
• Should Win: Jessica Chastain in the Help. Octavia Spencer gave a truly outstanding performance in this film but I believe that Jessica Chastain’s performance was even better. I do believe that Octavia Spencer deserves all of the praise and acknowledgement that she is receiving but Chastain deserves the award. Not to be cynical or rude but the only reason I don’t think she will win it because, as one of my good friends so eloquently put it, they are not going to give the award to the white girl from the Help over the black girl from the Help. Though I hope Chastain gets the award, I would be very happy if either of them won.

Best Supporting Actor

• Will Win: Christopher Plummer in the Beginners. Not only was his performance great but the public and the critics seem to favor Mr. Plummer this year.
• Should Win: Christopher Plummer in the Beginners. As much as I would like to cast my vote for Jonah Hill, his performance was not quite Oscar winning. He deserved the nomination but no the win. I really believe that, given the nominees, Plummer has the strongest, most Oscar worthy performance.

Best Actor

• Will Win: Jean Dujardin in the Artist. Words, or lack thereof, cannot hold this man back. Bringing to life a character trapped in a world with no words, Dujardin has managed to charm audiences and critics alike.
• Should Win: Jean Dujardin in the Artist. This is the final category that the “should win” and the “will win” choices match up. Dujardin gives an outstanding performance that beyond a doubt deserves to win him the 2012 Best Actor Oscar.

Best Actress

• Will Win: Meryl Streep in the Iron Lady. Judging by reviews and critics, Meryl Street will be the year’s Best Actress.
• Should Win: Rooney Mara in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. My mind is boogled, BOOGLES, that Rooney Mara has not swept the awards this season. I was absolutely awestruck by Mara’s portrayal of the dark, damaged Lisbeth Salander. There is no doubt in my mind that she deserves the Oscar win this year.

Best Director

• Will Win: Martin Scorsese for Hugo. Marty (man I wish I was on a first name basis with Scorsese) has proven his directorial skills time and time again. This time, he captures the audiences heart by bring the novel Hugo Cabret to life.
• Should Win: Michel Hazanavicius for the Artist. Hazanavicius used every tool at his disposal brilliantly to creature the Artist. I do not think Hazanavicius should win because he chose to direct a silent film; in fact that choice could have easily been his downfall. I think Hazanavicius should win because he directed a truly amazing film. He not only used every tool at his disposal but he managed to make the lack of sound a positive aspect of the film rather than allowing it to become a cheap gimmick.

Best Picture

• Will Win: The Descendants. With the collection of performances, reviews and support this film has received, I think (much to my dismay) it may edge out the Artist for Best Picture.
• Should Win: The Artist. I mean no disrespect to the Descendants, it is an outstanding film, I just think the Artist is better. In my review of the Artist, I called it a dense film and I meant that as the highest compliment. There is not a wasted aspect of the film, everything words towards building the story and the characters. The film was enthralling from beginning to end and has Best Picture written all over it.

There you have it, what I think is going to win and what I think should win. I hope that most of my “will win” picks are incorrect and that I am much more accurate with my “should win” choices. Let me know what you think of my choices and tune in this Sunday to see if I was right.

Looking to Oscar: Moneyball

BY: ORANGECHAIR

Nominations

• Best Achievement in Film Editing: Christopher Tellefsen
• Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
• Best Motion Picture of the Year
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: brad Pitt
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Jonah Hill
• Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay

Moneyball, a film directed in 2011 by Bennett Miller, takes a very interesting look at the inner workings of baseball. The film stars Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright and Philip Seymore Hoffman. It is the true story of the Oakland A’s miraculous turn around when general manager Billy Beane (Pitt) begins to recruit players using computer software rather than the traditional way. This is not a movie that focuses on the players of the team. Instead, the film’s plot revolves around the manager and recruiters that put the teams together.

One of the most shocking aspects of this movie is how controversial Beane’s decisions were in the world of baseball. Traditionally, recruiters memorized facts and stats about the major league players, as well as the most promising minor league players, watch them play and make their decisions based off what they saw. The recruiters’ hunches and experience often factored into the choices they made. They would look for well rounded players (who were often quite expensive) and trusted themselves and their feelings. In one, single season, Beane managed to take this traditional method and flip it on its head.

When we are introduced to the A’s, they are a failing team that doesn’t have enough funds to compete with larger tears, like the New York Yankees. Frustrated manager Billy Beane is desperately trying to field a decent team but does not have the money or resources to do so, until he meets Peter Brand. Brand (Hill) is working in his first job out of college compiling data on players for an opposing team. After seeing Brand’s unorthodox method of analyzing data, Beane hires him. It turns out that Brand has developed a unique mathematical way of looking at baseball. Rather than buying expensive, well rounded players, a team should focus on buying what wins games: runs. Players that get a base have a better chance of scoring runs so they are valuable. As Beane puts more and more faith in Brand’s method he becomes more and more ostracized by his coworkers, namely his head recruiter and manager (Hoffman). The team’s success however proves Beane placed his faith in the correct method.

The film has earned itself a couple of Oscar nominations. Brad Pitt has been nominated as Best Actor, Jonah Hill has been nominated as best Supporting Actor and the film has been nominated for Best Picture of the Year. I thought that overall, the film was great but to be honest, I don’t see it bringing home any Oscars. Brad Pitt played the part of Billy Beane brilliantly, bringing his turmoil and confusion to life but it is not an Oscar winning role, this year. Pitt gives a great performance that may have won in other years but he is up against some strong performances like George Clooney in the Descendants and Jean Dujardin in The Artist. Jonah Hill is facing the same problem with his nomination. Hill is in a category up against some amazing performances by Christopher Plummer and Kenneth Branagh. Hill plays the subdued, somewhat nerdy roll perfectly, filling his scenes with dry humor. As refreshing as it was to see Hill step out of his comfort zone, it was even more refreshing to see what a great actor he really is. Normally, Hill plays loud, in-your-face, vulgar characters and Peter Brand is the opposite of that. I really would like Hill to win the Oscar but I really don’t thing he is going to.

As far as Best Picture goes, Moneyball is in for a tough fight. As great as the film is, it is up against the Descendents, the Artist (which won the Golden Globe) and the Help. I do not believe that Moneyball has what it takes to win best picture. The film will need to fight the same battle for its other awards. It is up against Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the Decedents in the Adapted Screenplay category and a number of other great film. Personally, I give the film an 8 out of 10. It is a great film but, though I hate to say it, I don’t think it’s an Academy Award winner. Watch it before the Awards and let me know what you think.