2 Cents

We’re coming up on one of my favorite seasons of the year. No it’s not because the leaves turn colors and it gets cool and all the fall stuff comes out. No it’s not because there’s a few fun holidays right in a row. No it’s not even because of football season. It’s the start of the Oscar movie season! For a lot of people the summer time is when the best movies come out but for me it’s the end of the year. In a sort of cheap effort to get their films recognized by the Academy, the companies seeking awards intentionally release their films as close to the cut-off date as possible so they will leave a good impression in the minds of the Academy members who vote on the awards (I was quite happy last year when this didn’t work and The Hurt Locker won – which was fantastic btw).

In light of the exciting (at least for me) upcoming movie season, here are the top ten films I’m looking forward to seeing.

1. True Grit – A Cohen Brother’s adaptation of the book of the same title. It’s not intended to be a remake of the John Wayne film, although John Wayne did win an Oscar for his role and taking over his part is none other than Jeff Bridges!

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1 – Can’t wait. These movies are becoming extremely well acted are starting to show off some of the best cinematography in all of Hollywood. Would never have thought that from the first two films.

3. The King’s Speech – A period piece (my wife’s favs) with Colin Firth playing stuttering King George VI, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush. Should be great. Hope it gets released in Lexington!

4. Due Date – A comedy starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifinakis… need I say more??

5. The Social Network – I saw a review that called this the “movie of the decade”. That might be a little strong but it’s the same director who did Se7en, Fight Club, and Benjamin Button so it should be solid. Lots of up and coming actors here.

6. The Fighter – I love Boston movies, boxing movies, Mark Wahlberg, and Christian Bale… so I’m thinking I’ll like this.

7. Conviction – Hillary Swank is one of the top 3 best actresses alive in my opinion and Sam Rockwell is quickly becoming a seriously talented actor himself. This could be my favorite cast ensemble of the year.

8. Hereafter – Matt Damon is almost always a shoe-in (almost) and Clint Eastwood is, in my opinion, the best director in Hollywood today.

9. 127 Hours – James Franco plays the dude who cut off his own arm to survive in the wilderness. This could be really good or really terrible.

10. Casino Jack – Kevin Spacey, one of my favorite actors, is in kind of a slump with the films he’s chosen recently. Hopefully he will get some well-deserved recognition for playing this low-dealing business tycoon. I’ve seen very little on this one however so this is a bit of a shot in the dark.