THE 2012 ACADEMY AWARDS NOMINATIONS PREDICTION GAME

Much like the American presidential elections or the Miss Universe pageant, I follow the Academy Awards race not because I care who wins, but because the getting there is so much fun to watch. 2012 holds some vestige of promise – unlike last year, there isn’t yet one definite winner. (In retrospect, it was always going to be The King’s Speech last year, as much as one might have wished for a The Social Network upset.) Annually, I submit myself to the fool’s errand of trying to pick the nominees – so here we go again.

This year, I humbly submit a play-along-at-home game. It works like this. Write down your 10 possible nominees for the main categories in order of likelihood. Your top choice receives 10 points, second 9, third 8, etc. For every nomination you get correct, you get that many points. Total ‘em up at the end and see if you can beat my score! (Spoiler alert: You probably can.)

BEST PICTURE

THE ARTIST (10)
HUGO (9)
THE DESCENDANTS (8)
THE HELP (7)
WAR HORSE (6)
MONEYBALL (5)
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (4)

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (3)
THE TREE OF LIFE (2)
BRIDESMAIDS (1)

BEST DIRECTOR

MICHEL HAZANAVICUS, THE ARTIST (10)
MARTIN SCORSESE, HUGO (9)
ALEXANDER PAYNE, THE DESCENDANTS (8)
WOODY ALLEN, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (7)
STEVEN SPIELBERG, WAR HORSE (6)

DAVID FINCHER, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (5)
TATE TAYLOR, THE HELP (4)
TERRENCE MALICK, THE TREE OF LIFE (3)
BENNETT MILLER, MONEYBALL (2)
GEORGE CLOONEY, THE IDES OF MARCH (1)

BEST ACTOR

JEAN DUJARDIN, THE ARTIST (10)
GEORGE CLOONEY, THE DESCENDANTS (9)
BRAD PITT, MONEYBALL (8)
GARY OLDMAN, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (7)
MICHAEL SHANNON, TAKE SHELTER (6)

MICHAEL FASSBENDER, SHAME (5)
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, J. EDGAR (4)
WOODY HARRELSON, RAMPART (3)
DEMIAN BICHIR, A BETTER LIFE (2)
RYAN GOSLING, THE IDES OF MARCH (1)

BEST ACTRESS

MERYL STREEP, THE IRON LADY (10
VIOLA DAVIS, THE HELP (9)
GLENN CLOSE, ALBERT NOBBS (8)
TILDA SWINTON, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (7)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (6)

ROONEY MARA, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (5)
CHARLIZE THERON, YOUNG ADULT (4)
ELIZABETH OLSON, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE (3)
KRISTEN WIIG, BRIDESMAIDS (2)
KIRSTEN DUNST, MELANCHOLIA (1)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, BEGINNERS (10)
ALBERT BROOKS, DRIVE (9)
KENNETH BRANAGH, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (8)
JONAH HILL, MONEYBALL (7)
NICK NOLTE, WARRIOR (6)

BEN KINGSLEY, HUGO (5)
ARMIE HAMMER, J. EDGAR (4)
MAX VON SYDOW, EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE (3)
GEORGE CLOONEY, THE IDES OF MARCH (2)
PATTON OSWALT, YOUNG ADULT (1)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

OCTAVIA SPENCER, THE HELP (10)
MELISSA MCCARTHY, BRIDESMAIDS (9)
BERENICE BEJO, THE ARTIST (8)
JESSICA CHASTAIN, THE HELP (7)
SHAILENE WOODLEY, THE DESCENDANTS (6)

JANET MCTEER, ALBERT NOBBS (5)
VANESSA REDGRAVE, CORIOLANUS (4)
CAREY MULLIGAN, SHAME (3)
JUDI DENCH, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (2)
SANDRA BULLOCK, EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE (1)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, WOODY ALLEN (10)
MICHEL HAZANIVICUS, THE ARTIST (9)
TOM MCCARTHY, WIN WIN (8)
ANNIE MUMOLO & KRISTEN WIIG, BRIDESMAIDS (7)
WILL REISER, 50/50 (6)

ASGHAR FARHADI, A SEPARATION (5)
MIKE MILLS, BEGINNERS (4)
DIABLO CODY, YOUNG ADULT (3)
TERRENCE MALICK, THE TREE OF LIFE (2)
ABI MORGAN, THE IRON LADY (1)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

AARON SORKIN & STEVEN ZALLIAN, MONEYBALL (10)
ALEXANDER PAYNE, NAT FAXON & JIM RASH, THE DESCENDANTS (9)
JOHN LOGAN, HUGO (8)
TATE TAYLOR, THE HELP (7)
STEVEN ZALLIAN, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (6)

PETER STRAUGHAN & BRIDGET O'CONNOR, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (5)
RICHARD CURTIS AND LEE HALL, WAR HORSE (4)
GEORGE CLOONEY, GRANT HESLOV & BEAU WILLIMON, THE IDES OF MARCH (3)
ERIC ROTH, EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE (2)
LYNNE RAMSEY & RORY KINNEAR, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (1)

The (Pod) Casting Couch - Moneyball

The (Pod) Casting Couch tackles the new baseball drama Moneyball and reach the epic conclusion of their three-podcast project - The Top Ten Movies of the 2000s! The Couch is West Australian film critic Shannon Harvey, (@Choc_Bomb), Quickflix critic Simon Miraudo (@Quickflix), Laura Hewison (girlonfilmblog.blogspot.com) & Andrew Williams (@DrewWilliams9). Check it out and give us a great rating on iTunes if you're a fan! We'd also love to hear your top tens - e-mail as at thepodcastingcouch@gmail.com or Tweet at @podcastingcouch.

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MY TOP FIVE MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS FOR 2011

One of the most fun aspects of being a movie goer is the looking forward - the anticipation of films to come. So with that in mind - let's look forward with eyes full of hope...

5. THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA

Directed by: Joe Johnston

Starring: Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America

Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull

So I had to put at least one super-hero movie on the list, given my comic-book-nerd sensibilities, and this is the one. I like the fact that its got a period setting and Captain America isn’t quite as phenomenally super-powered as others in the comic book universe. Could be a different take on the super hero genre, could be a giant clusterf*** of a movie – but one way or another I’m looking forward to it.

Especially Chris Evans as Captain America. Show me a Chris Evans role and I'll show you one of the best things about that particular film. (Not another teen movie, Fantastic Four, Scott Pilgrim). So I can only hope that this is the film that puts Evans firmly on the A-List map. Expect him to turn on a witty, charming, layered performance that the material probably won't be worthy of.

I’m also excited for Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull. Hugo Weaving is always awesome, even when he has no idea who he's playing *cough* Megatron *cough*. I can only assume he'll be an awesome Red Skull. Also add the presence of Hayley Atwell and Stanley Tucci to the list of promising acting talent.

So what’s working against it? Three words: Director Joe Johnstone. As I mentioned it my comic book movie preview he’s a massive, massive question mark over the film.

4. MONEYBALL

DIRECTED BY BENNETT MILLER

STARRING BRAD PITT, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, CHRIS PRATT

I’m trying to think of the last truly great team sports movie I’ve seen, but surprisingly I’m struggling. Sports movies have kind of settled into a that’ll-do-pig pattern of above-average to terrible – films like Glory Road, Coach Carter and so on at the top end – and I’m hoping that this is the project that moves the sports film on from the rut its been stuck in.

Moneyball is a movie based on one of my favourite books – Moneyball  by Michael Lewis – and it offers the filmmakers a chance to make this one of the first sports movies about the creation of a team and all the politics involved. Great cast as you can see above – keep an eye on Chris Pratt who has a very charming presence – and the possibility that there could be a really good sports movie in 2011 puts this at number 4 on my list.

3. CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE

DIRECTED BY: GLENN FICARRA, JOHN REQUA

STARRING: STEVE CARELL, RYAN GOSLING, EMMA STONE

The plot to Crazy, Stupid, Love looks brilliantly simple – man has marital problems, young man he meets helps him get back on the horse – but hopefully the talent involved gives a signal that there’s more to it than that. The romantic dramedy is a tricky thing to get right at the best of times but if one man can pull it off I reckon it might be Steve Carell.

If you’ve ever seen the American version of the Office, you’ll know that Steve Carell can pull off pretty much any moment they give him. Broad comedy, subtle comedy, affecting drama, romantic, scared, angry or whatever he’s a far, far better actor than any sitcom deserves. Even when the writing has let him down in later seasons, he’s still been able to elevate the material. From what I know about the role, they couldn’t have found a better man to do it.

Add to that potent lead performance an assist from the wonderful Ryan Gosling and my new favourite actress Emma Stone and we’ve got the potential for a romantic drama that might rise above the mediocre mire the genre has been saddled with so far.

2. TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY

DIRECTED BY: TOMAS ALFREDSON

STARRING: GARY OLDMAN, COLIN FIRTH, TOM HARDY

Anyone familiar with the material will know exactly why I’m so excited about this film. One of my favourite stories, whether filmed or read, this long-awaited version of the famous John Le Carre novel should provide us spy thriller aficionados with the fix we’ve been waiting for. What’s more, I think they’ve picked the exact right man to helm it in Let the Right One In director Tomas Alfredson, a man who understands the power of atmosphere better than most.

You may have noticed I focus a lot on the casts involved in these films and that’s for two reasons. Firstly I think that the mark of a promising film is the quality of the actors prepared to get involved in it and secondly good actors can elevate bad material to middling, middling to good, good to great and great to outstanding. There is an endless list of movies that depend on their performances for the greatness they achieve.

Here, the cast might just be the best assembled in any of these films. Gary Oldman is donning the brogues to play George Smiley, and he’ll be supported by Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Stephen Graham, Ciaran Hinds and Benedict Cumberbatch. As for the story, it’s second to none and with the talent involved, this might be the film of 2011. But what am I looking forward to even more than this?

1. THE IDES OF MARCH

DIRECTED BY: GEORGE CLOONEY

STARRING: RYAN GOSLING, GEORGE CLOONEY, PAUL GIAMATTI

Little is known about the Ides of March, so I’m taking a lot on spec here. This could go horribly, horribly wrong but if there’s one genre of film I love even more than the spy/conspiracy thriller, it’s the political movie, and specifically, the political movie about dirty tricks and backroom deals. Some of us are just predisposed to like certain types of movies. For some, it’s the zombie film, for some the underdog sports movie and for others any movie based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

For me, it’s the political thriller. The Ides of March is a stage play based on the Beau Willimon play about a young man in politics getting a crash course in dirty tricks. Once again, check out the cast – Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Max Minghella, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright – outstanding.

The real eye-catcher for me though is the presence of George Clooney as director. One of my favourite films of all time is Good Night and Good Luck, the political-journalism film about Edward R. Murrow and all the backstage drama that went on around him. Clooney directed and featured in that and if this film captures any of the lightning in a bottle that film had, it’s going to be my favourite film of 2011.

SOME HONOURABLE MENTIONS

THOR – Camp superhero fun with an interesting director in Kenneth Branagh.

SOURCE CODE – The new film from Duncan Jones who showed so much potential in the anything-but-perfect Moon.

APOLLO 18: Cloverfield meets Apollo 13 meets Night watch, kind of.

HORRIBLE BOSSES: Could be the better R-rated comedy of the year and maybe the first good Jennifer Aniston film in years?

WAR HORSE: Oscar bait from Stephen Spielberg sounds like the best tearjerker of the year.

COWBOYS AND ALIENS: Um, it has cowboys and aliens. I’m looking forward to the sequel, Angels and Samurai.

SUPER 8: J. J. Abrams Area 51-ish follow up to the found-footage, brilliantly promoted Cloverfield.

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and 'Roger Sterling' in a film adapted from a Philip K. Dick short story.

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS: Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis’s combined charm and sexual charisma might make the screen explode.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS: The short production time is a worry but the presence of great actors and a more than capable director has be optimistic.