I arrived home to find several packages delivered via various methods waiting for me. No fewer than 13 DVD screeners. Here they are in alphabetical order.

127 HOURS

Genre: Drama, Thriller
Stars: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Sean A Bott, Treat Williams, Kate Burton, Lizzy Caplan
Director: Danny Boyle
Premise: The story of an explorer who falls into a crevasse in the Grand Canyon and becomes trapped. His life flashes before his eyes.
Rating: (R) for language and some disturbing violent content/bloody images.
Oscar Chances: Major: This film has already been playing strongly with critics and is likely to be hoisted high as a key year-end contender.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Actor – James Franco
• Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Film Editing
• Best Original Score
• Best Original Song – “If I Rise”
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Art Direction
• Best Costume Design
• Best Makeup
• Best Visual Effects

Rotten Tomatoes:
91% Fresh (115 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
82 out of 100 (34 critics; as of 11/22/10)

THE AMERICAN

Genre: Crime
Stars: George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Thekla Reuten, Violante Placido, Johan Leysen
Director: Anton Corbijn
Premise: An American assassin is in hiding in Italy waiting to perform his last assignment.
Rating: (R) for violence, sexual content and nudity.
Oscar Chances: Unlikely: The film didn’t perform adequately at the box office and while the critics were solidly behind it, George Clooney is the only part of the film that could still figure and even those hopes have dimmed.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Actor – George Clooney
• Best Supporting Actor – Paolo Bonacelli, Johan Leysen
• Best Supporting Actress – Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten
• Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Film Editing
• Best Art Direction
• Best Costume Design
• Best Makeup
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Original Score

Rotten Tomatoes:
65% Fresh (176 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
61 out of 100 (36 critics; as of 11/22/10)

BABIES

Genre: Documentary
Stars: Bayar, Hattie, Mari, Ponijao
Directors: Thomas Balmès
Premise: A look at one year in the life of four babies from different cultures and areas of the world.
Rating: (PG) for cultural and maternal nudity throughout.
Oscar Chances: None: It’s not on the short-list the Academy has already announced, so it doesn’t have any chance.
Rotten Tomatoes:
69% Fresh (94critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
63 out of 100 (33 critics; as of 11/22/10)
 
 
 

BLACK SWAN

Genre: Thriller
Stars: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Premise: The ballet’s most prominent ballerina faces competition to become the company’s Prima Ballerina. She must learn who she is and how far she will go to win.
Rating: (R) for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use.
Oscar Chances: Solid: Aronofsky has flirted with Oscar before, but this reps his best chance in some time of earning several nominations. Still, the subject matter may be too dark for a lot of older Academy members, so it will need heavy year-end critics support to make an impression.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Actress – Natalie Portman
• Best Supporting Actor – Vincent Cassel
• Best Supporting Actress – Mila Kunis; Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder
• Best Original Score
• Best Film Editing
• Best Cinematography
• Best Art Direction
• Best Costume Design
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Makeup
• Best Visual Effects

Rotten Tomatoes:
88% Fresh (25 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
N/A out of 100 (0 critics; as of 11/22/10)

DESPICABLE ME

Genre: Animation
Stars: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher, Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Jermaine Clement
Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Premise: An evil mastermind competes with a new rival in order to achieve one of his childhood goals: to steal the moon.
Rating: (PG) for rude humor and mild action.
Oscar Chances: Unlikely: If there had been five spots in the Best Animated Feature category, this film would have been a strong contender for a nomination, but with only three spots, there are four films that could get them and this isn’t one of them.
Rotten Tomatoes:
82% Fresh (179 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
72 out of 100 (35 critics; as of 11/22/10)

GREENBERG

Genre: Comedy
Stars: Ben Stiller, Chris Messina, Rhys Ifans, Mark Duplass, Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Director: Noah Baumbach
Premise: A New Yorker relocates to Los Angeles and tries to figure out his life while housesitting for his brother and falling for his brother’s assistant.
Rating: (R) for some strong sexuality, drug use, and language.
Oscar Chances: None: Faded quickly from memory and Baumbach isn’t exactly Oscar overdue.
Rotten Tomatoes:
74% Fresh (147 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
76 out of 100 (39 critics; as of 11/22/10)
 
 
 

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Genre: Drama
Stars: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Premise: Two mothers who conceived their children through artificial insemination decide to bring the birth father into the family.
Rating: (R) for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some teen drug and alcohol use.
Oscar Chances: Major: This one was the year’s earliest huge hit with critics and it has been fresh on the tongues of many since then. Chances are strong as many consider Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo as guaranteed nominees and many other categories may follow suit.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Actress – Annette Bening, Julianne Moore
• Best Supporting Actor – Mark Ruffalo, Josh Hutcherson
• Best Supporting Actress – Mia Wasikowska
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Film Editing
• Best Art Direction
• Best Costume Design
• Best Makeup
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Original Score
• Best Original Song – “Same High”

Rotten Tomatoes:
96% Fresh (188 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
86 out of 100 (39 critics; as of 11/22/10)

IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

Genre: Drama
Stars: Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts, Dana DeVestern, Lauren Graham, Zach Galifianakis, Viola Davis, Zoe Kravitz
Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Premise: A clinically depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.
Rating: (PG-13) for mature thematic issues, sexual content, drug material and language.
Oscar Chances: None: The box office wasn’t kind and critics weren’t over-the-moon about the film.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Actor – Keir Gilchrist
• Best Supporting Actor – Zach Galifianakis
• Best Supporting Actress – Emma Roberts, Lauren Graham, Viola Davis, Zoë Kravitz
• Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Film Editing
• Best Art Direction
• Best Costume Design
• Best Makeup
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Original Score

Rotten Tomatoes:
60% Fresh (100 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
63 out of 100 (33 critics; as of 11/22/10)

LBS.

Genre: Drama
Stars: Lou Martini Jr, Susan Varon
Director: Matthew Bonifacio
Premise: A heavily overweight man decides to try and break his addiction to food by moving to the country.
Rating: (Unrated)
Oscar Chances: None: It made no impression at the box office and few critics even saw the film.
Rotten Tomatoes:
89% Fresh (18 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
63 out of 100 (9 critics; as of 11/22/10)

LET ME IN

Genre: Horror
Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Cara Buono, Elias Koteas, Sasha Barrese, Dylan Kenin
Director: Matt Reeves
Premise: A young vampire moves next door to a bullied teen. Together they learn a great deal about themselves and each other.
Rating: (R) for strong bloody horror violence, language and a brief sexual situation.
Oscar Chances: Unlikely: Horror is a poor Academy bedfellow and a remake of a film that wasn’t an Oscar nominee doesn’t suggest much opportunity.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Actor – Kodi Smit-McPhee
• Best Supporting Actor – Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas
• Best Actress – Chloë Grace Moretz
• Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Film Editing
• Best Art Direction
• Best Costume Design
• Best Makeup
• Best Sound Mixing
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Original Score

Rotten Tomatoes:
88% Fresh (182 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
79 out of 100 (35 critics; as of 11/22/10)

LA MISSION

Genre: Drama
Stars: Benjamin Bratt, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Max Rosenak, Patrick Shining Elk, Talisa Soto, Jesse Borrego
Director: Peter Bratt
Premise: A father, well on the road to personal rehabilitation is tested when his wife dies and he must raise his son alone in a dangerous barrio in San Francisco.
Rating: (R) for language, some violence and sexual content.
Oscar Chances: None: It was not well liked by critics and virtually no one has seen the film on the big screen.
Rotten Tomatoes:
45% Rotten (22 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
47 out of 100 (17 critics; as of 11/22/10)
 
 
 

SOMEWHERE

Genre: Drama
Stars: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Michelle Monaghan
Director: Sofia Coppola
Premise: A hard-living Hollywood actor re-examines his life after his 11-year-old daughter surprises him with a visit.
Rating: (R) for sexual content, nudity and language.
Oscar Chances: Questionable: It was a major contender for a time, but the film hasn’t exactly been burning up the chatter for the last several months. However, strong support from critics and year-end consideration could propel it back into the limelight.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Actor – Stephen Dorff
• Best Supporting Actress – Elle Fanning
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Film Editing
• Best Art Direction
• Best Costume Design
• Best Sound Editing
• Best Sound Mixing

Rotten Tomatoes:
80% Fresh (10 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
N/A out of 100 (0 critics; as of 11/22/10)

STONE

Genre: Thriller
Stars: Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Milla Jovovich, Frances Conroy
Director: John Curran
Premise: A convicted arsonist looks to manipulate a parole officer into a plan to secure his parole by placing his beautiful wife in the lawman’s path.
Rating: (R) for strong sexuality and violence, and pervasive language.
Oscar Chances: None: The film vanished from theaters as quickly as it came and the critics don’t seem to like it much.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Actor – Robert De Niro
• Best Supporting Actor – Edward Norton
• Best Supporting Actress – Milla Jovovich, Frances Conroy
• Best Cinematography
• Best Film Editing
• Best Art Direction
• Best Costume Design
• Best Makeup

Rotten Tomatoes:
48% Rotten (82 critics; as of 11/22/10)
Metacritic:
57 out of 100 (28 critics; as of 11/22/10)