And the Oscar Won't Go to ... (Michelle's picks)

We spent the last week looking back on the biggest Oscar snubs in recent history. Now, in honour of tonight's big broadcast, we bring you what we think were the most notable non-nominations of the year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
• Jonah Hill, Moneyball
• Nick Nolte, Warrior
• Christopher Plummer, Beginners
• Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

WHY HE DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: It's a movie in which apes ravage humankind in eventual escalation (possibly the previously released Wahlberg-starring sequel) to world dominance. It's not Oscar material, despite the ongoing campaign to get Andy Serkis the nom.

WHY HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Serkis makes ape Caesar more human than the humans in this film, even behind CGI. He creates a character you both sympathize with, wishing you could hold his hand at times and tell him it'll be OK, but who you also fear will lash out with unrestrained power. It's one of the most deeply emotional and moving performances of the year that the Academy failed to realize.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Drive, Newton Thomas Sigel

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• The Artist, Guillaume Schiffman
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Jeff Cronenweth
• Hugo, Robert Richardson
• The Tree of Life, Emmanuel Lubezki
• War Horse, Janusz Kamiński

WHY IT DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: As Emily mentioned when she chose it for Best Pic, it's far too gritty and daring of a film to garner a nom.

WHY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN: The hues, lighting and composition in this movie are beyond gorgeous. If you ask me, I'd compare it to fine art. Choices are bold and risky, and they more than pay off. What the Academy literally did not see, I really can't say.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Elle Fanning, Super 8

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
• Jessica Chastain, The Help
• Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
• Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer, The Help

WHY SHE DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: Like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, sci-fi isn't a friend of the Academy unless it's got a political message (like District 9), though even then it's rare. Plus, kids don't get nominated as often as they should.

WHY SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Elle Fanning frequently stole scenes away in Super 8, amid an also amazing ensemble of kids. She was completely her age (which you can't always say for her famous sister) though created so much heartfelt depth to her character. Even when her character was acting in a movie within the movie, she was perfectly convincing.

BEST ACTOR: Ryan Gosling, anything (Ides of March, Drive and Crazy, Stupid Love)

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• Demián Bichir, A Better Life
• George Clooney, The Descendants
• Jean Dujardin, The Artist
• Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• Brad Pitt, Moneyball

WHY HE DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: It's beyond me. Seriously.

WHY HE SHOULD HAVE: To me, this was the ultimate snub this year. In three stellar performances, Ryan Gosling proved he was more than young hearthrob and would be competent, award-winning actor for years to come, delivering expertly in comedy, drama and action. It was a dream year of a career which would only fittingly have been tied up with an Oscar nom (or even SAG).

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
• Jessica Chastain, The Help
• Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
• Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer, The Help

WHY SHE DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: This is another one that's beyond reason, as was her win two years ago for Best Actress in The Blind Side. What the Academy saw then, I will never understand.

WHY SHE SHOULD HAVE: I was completely surprised by her performance in this film. After (overrated) The Blind Side performance and win, I wasn't expecting much but I was entirely blown away by her understated heart-wrenching performance of a woman who'd just lost her husband and was losing touch with her son. It was absolutely unforgettably touching.

Home Theatre Tuesday (Jan. 17, 2012)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Must buy: The Ides of March

Although this George Clooney-directed pulsing drama didn't pick anything up at this weekend's Golden Globes, with the Oscars nearing, there's still hope. And fear not if politics aren't your strong suit, it's not really about that. It's more about the pieces that make up a person and how far someone will go to stay true to who he is. It's poetically written, captivatingly shot and brilliantly acted by 2011's favourite lead actor Ryan Gosling.

Also out: Abduction

Taylor Lautner proves he's more than just a werewolf named Jacob in this action-filled, non-stop chase. Of course, not without a few genre clichés, but overall, a nice surprise and good rental pick.

Michelle's Top 10 of 2011, Part 1

It's been an unexpected year for movies for me. If I'd seen this list at the start of the year, I'd have thought it was wrong. Most of these movies I didn't care to see, or wanted to see so bad that I thought disappointment was inevitable. But I was thankfully so wrong.

Be forewarned, there's much horror, sci-fi and even a golden-haired singing sensation ahead. So, for all the geeks out there like me, enjoy.

10) The Tree of Life

When I first saw this trailer, I couldn't figure out what this movie was about, but it looked amazing. Quick shots, beautiful cinematography, and with Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain on the roster, I was sold. Though truthfully, all I could say about the story was it looked like some kid had a tough dad growing up. But it was a whole lot more. That's an understatement. This film was extremely ambitious and daring, paralleling the narratives of the creation of the universe with one man's life, and underneath that, the meaning of life. It's the kind of thing you'd expect from an indie film on a minuscule budget, trying something strange and knowing that only a handful would ever watch it. But that's not at all what this was.

9) Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

OK, hear me out. I know a lot of people think Justin Bieber is over-rated, that he's just a teen sensation that's going to fizz out in the next five years, that he has no real talent except that he's beyond marketable (if you can consider that a talent), but give the Biebs a chance to prove you wrong, because clearly if you think these things, you aren't giving him a chance. Before Never Say Never, sure, I liked him, he was putting Canada on the map and that was nice. But I didn't consider that he might actually be more than this generation's BSB. After this movie, Bieber is a damn talented musician. Seriously. He plays drums, guitar and piano, and he's got his own twist on it, half drumming, half strumming on a guitar at once. He's also a charmer, picking a "one less lonely girl" at his shows to sing to and give a bouquet of roses. This movie has turned me into a proud Bieber preacher. And isn't that what a good bio-doc does?

8) Grave Encounters

Finding gems like these is the reason I watch low-budget, campy horror movies. It starts out as a mockery of ghost hunting TV shows and turns into something chillingly real. A team of ghost hunters with camera crew in tow spend the night in an abandoned psychiatric hospital, chasing ghosts they don't believe actually exist, until hunt turns haunt. It's creepy, it's jumpy, it's dark and spooky. And it's Canadian! (How I love Canadian horrors.) It's exactly what you're looking for if you're looking for a paranormal horror. It pulls you in makes you feel like you're a part of the madness and fear, praying for an escape.

7) Red State

Kevin Smith should write the guide on how to become a cult classic, ie. do something unlike anything you've done before, spend millions on it, self-distribute and stir up controversy (both in the movie and in real life). In large part thanks to this scheme, this movie has become highly underrated: not enough people saw it and it put itself under close scrutiny. But it was actually well-acted, sharply-directed and story-wise, bizarrely-compelling. Plus it didn't shy from a little gore. It shook me up and made me feel uncomfortable, but that's just what it intended to do.

6) The Ides of March

I don't like politics. And I don't like political movies. But that's not what this movie is about. This movie is about ethics and knowing who you are. This George Clooney-directed, written and starring film follows a hot shot Junior Campaign Manager (Ryan Gosling) through his spiralling demise as he fights to come out on top. It  was the most dramatic film I've seen all year, both stylistically and narratively. Shots are cropped tight, the score pulses throughout and you can feel the story pulling in tighter and tighter until you can barely breathe. It's intense.

The Fille Files (October 2-7)

Each week, the Filles bring you some of our favourite films finds of the week -  news, reviews,  features, interviews, tweets, new releases, etc. -  just in case you missed them.

REEL GREAT READS 

• Why do we want to see movies like ‘The Human Centipede 2’? (EW) - Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman tries to understand why he and so many other morbidly-curious cinephiles are dying to sit through the supposedly sickening sequel to The Human Centipede, which he says “could be the sickest B-movie ever made” and “would have the Marquis de Sade gagging into his popcorn.”
• Film Circuit is Being Sued for Marketing ‘Drive’ Too Well (Film School Rejects) - Apparently a woman is suing FilmDistrict and the theatre she saw Drive at, because it didn’t live up to the Fast and Furious feel of the trailer. (Oh, and cause she thinks it’s antisemitic?!) If people sued production companies every time a trailer wasn’t a fair representation of the actual movie, Hollywood would be bankrupt.
• Hand Drawn Homage to Classic Films (NY Times) - A profile on Mondo, a company that works alongside the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, to produce badass reimaginings of old and new school movie posters and counts Guillermo del Toro (!) as one of its fans.
• ATTN Studio Execs; You’re Delusional and Your CGI SUCKS (Bloody Disgusting) - Mr. Disgusting gets his totally-justified rant on about modern sci-fi and horror’s dependence on awful CGI, complete with vivid photos of classic movies (i.e. Alien, An American Werewolf in London) that did it way-better with simple movie make-up. He says he got fired up watching a new big studio movie. Here’s hoping it’s not The Thing remake!

WEEKEND WATCHES

• The Ides of March - The year of the Gos’ continues with this George Clooney-directed political thriller in which Ry plays a political staffer who has to keep his presidential candidate’s (Clooney) scandalous methods under wraps.
• Real Steel - Hugh Jackman coaching robots fighting other robots in an underground boxing league!

TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Young Adult 

Charlize Theron is a spoiled, aging prom queen with her sights set on her married high school crush in this new Diablo Cody/Jason Reitman feature which has perhaps the best poster ever made.