Out of last years festival came such success stories such as Precious: Based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire, An Education, The Cove, The Messenger and (500) Days of Summer. This is a round up of the films that got Utah buzzing this year and could be getting those Oscar nominations in 2011:
The Kids Are All Right
Annette Bennig and Julianne Moore star as a lesbian couple in the film that was the big hit of the festival. They have two children; Mia Wasikowska who will next been seen as Alice in Alice in Wonderland and Josh Hutcherson who has impressed me previously in Little Manhatten and made me ball my eyes out in Bridge to Teribithia. These academically and sports gifted children go on a quest to find their biological father (Mark Ruffalo) who was the sperm donor. This quest brings conflict to this family unit but it is not all drama laden and it has been commended for humour in the performances and the script.
The Company Men:
This has been referred to as the other side of the Up in the Air coin looking again at the current issue of corporate downsizing. It is a sombre film from John Wells (best known for his work on ER) that focuses on three men; Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper who are faced with the consequences of recession and redundancy and how this will affect their lives.
Winter’s Bone
Winner of a Sundance Grand Jury prize this film tells the story of a young girl who is the care giver to her siblings and her incapacitated mother who’s meth head father has skipped bail having put the family home up for the bond. It becomes a hunt for the heroine (Jennifer Lawrence) to track her father down before it is too late and produces a film that has got the critics a buzzing.
Hesher
Joseph Gordon Levitt, Natalie Portman and Rainn Wilson star in this debut from Steven Susser about an anarchic loner. The film has split critics but my interest is because of the cast (which is probably the reason it has already got a distributor), I am a fan of the three leads and I am intrigued as to how Levitt’s character fits in to a film that is dealing with the subject of grief.
Jack Goes Boating
Phillip Seymour Hoffman makes his directorial debut with a film that is also a stage play that he has starred in. It revolves around couples who are both connecting and imploding and it has been said that the influence of PT Anderson is present which in my eyes can only be a good thing. Amy Ryan stars and she is an actress who always impresses whether it be playing a potentially unfit mother in Gone Baby Gone or as Michael Scott’s perfect woman in The Office.
Blue Valentine
The film that has me the most excited is this Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams venture which explores marriage in all its guts and glory. The non-linear structure that chronicles the couple may get you thinking of (500) Days of Summer but I have heard that this is all the more brutal. From what I have seen of off camera interviews the chemistry between Gosling and Williams crackles and this is translated in to the film which not only showcases heartbreak but also some pretty raunchy sex scenes.
There you have it, a brief round up of the films that could be dominating awards season next year, and with the announcement of the Oscar nominations this definitely seems like the topic that will be dominating film news for the next month or so.
