And the Oscar goes to...

a new year's hello! ( freEky fellows)

The Oscar season is breathing down our neck, and as witness to some of the better works of the year ( thank you, video piracy!) the frEek scratches his balls ( i meant crystal, what were u thinking!) and comes up with who/what will take away Oscar glory this year, so with further ado...

Best Picture:

The Hurt Locker:

From the lady director (Kathryn Bigelow) who gaves us "Point Break" the defining action movie of the 80s, comes this gritty masterpiece about a bomb demolition expert serving in Iraq, carrying dollops of nail biting moments, this gem gets you as close to the battlefield and as deep into the mind of a demolition expert, as most of us will ever be. Jeremy Renner ( as the renegade expert) and Anthony Mackie as his reluctant partner have already been heralded as new stars to watch out for. While Avatar (James Cameron) has been raking in the big bucks, and has won the Golden Globe, Hurt Locker has won almost every other critical award, and I really hope it prevails upon the Oscar jury to award this better movie.
ironically...Kathryn and James Cameron were once married!

Best Actor

George Clooney - Up in the Air

For years we have seen two Clooney charm our pants off in his various movies: the suave Clooney in films such as Ocean's 11 and the disturbed conscientious Clooney in films such as Syriana. Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air" gives us a curious amalgam of both these Clooney translating into perhaps his best performance yet. Clooney lays on equal amounts of charm and conscience as a layoff expert, who is paired with a younger colleague who may soon be filling in Clooney's shoes herself. I will also predict Clooney's Oscar speech will focus on generating aid for the Haiti disaster.

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock - Up in the Air

Every once in a while, the Oscar committee for presents awards for actors portraying schmaltzy , sugary roles, where the box office of the movie is of equal importance as the actual acting credo of the award winner. Previous winners in this category include Julia Roberts ( Pretty Woman, Erin Brockovich), Gwyenth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love), Marisa Tomei - (My Cousin Vinny). The academy in all probability will do a repeat this year to that long standing mistress of cuteness : Sandra Bullock for her portrayal as the feisty rich socialite who adopts a black kid and helps him become a football star.

Best Director:

James Cameron - Avatar

All said and done, you cannot but award this guy for the sheer technical genius involved in his latest labour of love: AVATAR


Best Foreign Film

The White Ribbon / The Prophet (Une Prophete)

This is a tough one, there is a huge hype behind the eery thriller "The White Ribbon" which takes us through the days preceding the first world war and is part historical/part horror ( and of course a lot of hype!)

I would personally pick "Une Prophete" which tells the story of a muslim boy, leading his way into a french prison, and forced to choose sides between warring groups ( all the while having his own agenda) - this is a sheer work of genius!

So there you have it folks, what do you think of the freEk's picks? agree, disagree? let me hear you on:

the filmfreek@gmail.com