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.

And the Oscar Won't Go to ... (Emily'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 PICTURE: Drive

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
• The Help
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris
• Moneyball
• The Tree of Life
• War Horse

WHY IT DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: Because, like Pulp Fiction, it was far too violent? But, then again, that didn't stop the Academy from rewarding No Country for Old Men.

WHY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN: While the majority of this year's nominees remained in neutral, fueled on either nostalgia or our feel-good weepie fetish, Drive kept its foot firmly on the gas, pushing viewers to uncharted gears with its frothy, full-throttle fearlessness.

Like the cars Ryan Gosling both rules and wrecks over the course of the film, it is a well-oiled machine, featuring stunning, L.A-set cinematography, an expertly off-setting new wave soundtrack, a simple yet stabbing script and honestly, the most compelling Gosling performance to date. Sure, it veers off in two, completely opposing directions (overwrought romance and relentless gore), but, it handles both with remarkable ease. Sometimes even simultaneously. (Take for example the which I described in my TIFF review back in September.)

BEST ACTRESS: Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis, The Help
• Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
• Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

WHY SHE DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: She's technically an Olsen sister? Honestly though, you'd think that would make her performance seem even more impressive.

WHY SHE SHOULD HAVE: Quite simply, she's phenomenal. Playing a runaway cult member haunted by her former "family" and their inhumane rituals, the youngest Olsen digs herself into a deep, dark terrifying hole you don't even want to imagine. We never see the light at the end of the tunnel because she drags us down with her, never letting us see beyond her character's god-awful truth, which could only haunt her forever.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Patton Oswalt, Young Adult

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: Young Adult didn't get the buzz it deserved, with many critics hating on the movie for its repulsively regressive main character and lack of humour, usually a staple of Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer's Body) scripts.

WHY HE SHOULD HAVE: Oswalt throws his comedic cap to the floor and stomps on it playing Matt, a sad sack of a man boy who has been kicked into the ground by hate's hulking handymen (quarterbacks and their douchebag followers) and their cold-hearted cheerleaders. To quote my review of the film, which I admittedly loved for my own, fucked reasons, "he sucks you in with his droopy eyes, which carry his bullied, garage boozing baggage around day in and day out and keeps you hanging on until the way-bitter end."

Home Theatre Tuesday (Jan. 31, 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.

Photo: amazon.ca

Buy it now: Drive

Three quarters of the way through Drive, Ryan Gosling's character, a stunt driver who doubles as a late-night criminal chauffeur, takes Carey Mulligan into a elevator and kisses her with reckless, slow-mo abandon as a overwrought romantic soundtrack thumps. Then, suddenly, he turns towards the other guest in the elevator and bashes the dude's head in with his feet. It's a morbidly gorgeous scene and a spot-on summary of Nicolas Windling Refn's way-cool ode to dimly-lit '80s action thrillers.

Read the rest of Emily's review.

Rent it: The Thing

Back in October, the Filles went to see this prequel to the '80s Kurt Russell-starring sci-fi horror film of the same name. The next day, we did a live blog about the experience, discussing the distractingly off-the-mark special effects, the nods to its classic predecessor and our favourite part - the film's driving force: self-sufficient, scream-free survivor girl, Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

Read the Filles' live blog.

Emily's Top 10 of 2011, Part 2

5) Midnight in Paris

I haven't officially told the other Filles this (for fear of being disowned for eternity and then some), but I have never been a Woody Allen fan. However, Midnight in Paris made me think it was time to give the old guy -- or at least his non-starring films -- another chance. I was completely entranced throughout his latest, City of Love-set film, which takes Owen Wilson's Gil from present day to his dream era (the 1920s) with the strike of a magical time-turning clock. It sounds goofy, but it's quite the opposite, thriving on the dreamy quality of its backdrop and the pleasantly unexplained appearances by historical figures like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Salvador Dali. Molly Ringwald once suggested that it was possible to "OD on nostalgia." If that's true, I think I nearly did watching this, and I'd gladly do it again.

4) Scream 4

This long-awaited (at least in this permanent Woodsboro resident's horror comedy-heavy record books) sequel and possible final chapter in Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven's killer, genre-slashing series, cut me real deep. Sure, the actual opening (if you don't plan on seeing the movie, it's one of those movie-within-a-movie sequences that you either get or want to gut) could have been bloodier, but the parts leading up to it (particularly the Anna Paquin/Kristen Bell scene) were actually ingenious, and it almost made the beautifully brutal ending an even bigger surprise. In my review of the film (which brought Neve Campell's Sidney Prescott back to the home of the first film's events, where a new Ghostfaced slasher was on the loose), I said it might just be my new favourite scary movie. I'm going to retract that because, to be honest, it's not really scary. But it most definitely is one of my favourite new movies. And I'm too much of a fangirl to be ashamed to admit it.

3) The Muppets

I didn't get a chance to review this Jason Segel-penned Muppet masterpiece, but had I found the time, I would have given it one of this year's only solid As. To quote the puppet pals' theme song (and borrow from many heartfelt fan reviews), this smile-a-second musical tribute to Kermit, Miss Piggy and co. was truly the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational and Muppetsational movie of the year. For lifelong fans, like the gigantic presence that is Segel (who originally revealed his fandom--and freakly bod--in Forgetting Sarah Marshall), The Muppets was a fitting return to flat-out punny form after the flop that was Muppets in Space. For those who did not grow up with the furry friends, it was the perfect, meta first meeting (the plot was about the Muppets trying to save their Studio and careers from disappearing). I'm not sure that life really is (as the first song of the film states), a "Happy Song." But when I left the theatre, I certainly felt like it.

2) Super 8

As a toddler, I had two favourite movies: Beetlejuice and E.T. (Yes, I had awesome parents.) Although I definitely fancied myself a mini Lydia Deets, my heart truly belonged to Steven Spielberg's out of this world cinematic creation. I loved it so much that I wore out the VHS tape my mom made of it. Twice. Watching Super 8, an '80s, suburban-set sci-fi produced by Spielberg and directed by J.J. Abrams, I felt like I was phoning home yet again. Like E.T., it gave its intergalactic sidestory just as much screentime as it did its tweenage stars (including Oscar nominee-in-training, Elle Fanning), whose characters were just trying to make a monster movie before a mysterious train crash-landed on their town. Apparently big budget, modern sci-fi films with heart aren't as a alien as I thought they were.

1) Drive

2011 was the year of the Gos'. The actor, who was once only known for his brief stint in the Mickey Mouse Club and a semester or two aboard Breaker High, busted out of his carefully carved, critically-acclaimed indie boy shell (see: Lars and the Real Girl, Half Nelson) and tried his hand at some mainstream stuff (Crazy, Stupid, Love and George Clooney's The Ides of March). But the role that really stopped traffic was his fearless take on the nameless stuntman in Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive. From the opening credits (with their wicked Pretty in Pink font) to the extremely grim ending, that film is just like the Gosling every blog has fallen head over feet for -- a beautiful contradiction in terms, purposefully never quite choosing whether it wants to be a straight-up new wave romance or a gritty, Tarantino-without-the-talk mob drama. This off-the-wall, darkly comedic tone made it hard to predict, which is way more than you can say for most action films of recent history. But as you found out fairly quickly, as soon as Gosling's inner gears started cranking and his baby blues opened real wide (either looking at his wannabe lover Carey Mulligan, or his next victim), you were in for one of the wildest joy rides of your life. Or at least your year.

Honorable mentions: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, Young Adult, Martha Marcy May Marlene

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.

The Filles Take TIFF: The Best and Worst of our Fest

THE BEST

• DRIVE - This romantic thriller, which was released in theatres on Friday, cruises some really cool, uncharted territory with its John Hughes-meets-Michael Mann tone. A must for 80s action thriller lovers. (Out now)
• MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE - A scary good drama about a young woman recovering from a harrowing stint in a cult. Elizabeth Olsen (MK & A's sis) is so damn riveting in the title role, making us wonder if this will be the year an Olsen takes home an Oscar. Or at least a nomination. (October 21, limited release)

THE WORST

• FRIENDS WITH KIDS (Emily) - A rom-com that tries way too hard to be different, but does more of the same. Directed by and starring Jennifer Westfeldt (star of Kissing Jessica Stein and long-time lady of Jon  Hamm), this lacklustre flick, which follows two straight best friends (Westfeldt and Adam Scott) who decide to have a baby together, starts off strong (Chris O'Dowd is hysterical as a disenchanted father) and slowly unravels. (April 2012)

WE'RE STILL WAITING TO SEE...

• LIKE CRAZY - A British student falls passionately in love with an American student only to be torn from him when she's banned from the U.S. for overstaying her visa. The film was applauded for its chemistry between lead actors and beautifully crafted story-telling. (October 28, 2011)
• STARBUCK - In this flick from Quebec, 42-year-old slacker finds out he's the father to 533 children, thanks to donating to a sperm back 20 years ago. Now, 142 of those offspring are filing lawsuits against the donor bank to find out who their father is. Critics called it hilarious and sweet, praising Patrick Huard in the lead role. (Release TBA)
• YOU'RE NEXT - This Midnight Madness indie film brings together the unexpected: the family reunion and the slasher. It was a hit with horror fans and as Torontoist describes, "Clever, violent, and funny, this film is what Midnight Madness is all about." (TBA 2012)

• TAKE SHELTER - Amid apocalyptic visions, a father (Michael Shannon) begins to feverishly construct a shelter to protect against an impending storm. The Hollywood Reporter puts it best: "A riveting genre blend of thriller, domestic drama and supernatural horror propelled by a brilliant lead performance." (September 30, 2011)
• ALPS - From the director of Dogtooth comes an even darker story. ALPS is a service that stands in for the dead. Literally. They will play the role of your dead husband, daughter or brother for a fee. Critics described this Greek film as as compelling yet unnerving, leaving you deep in thought. (October 27, 2011, Greece; Worldwide release TBA)

What did you love/hate at the fest? What did you miss? Comment below!

The Fille Files (September 11-16)

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

• Katherine Monk Goes to the Movies (Ryerson Review of Journalism) - A profile of Postmedia's national film critic Katherine Monk and what it's like working in the male-dominated field.
• Seth Rogen plans to co-direct film co-starring Baruchel, Hill and Franco (Canadian Press) - Rogen is directing a horror-thriller called The Apocalypse starring his buds James Franco, Jonah Hill and Jay Baruchel trapped in a house while the end of the world goes down outside. How can you not want to see that?
• What would you be doing if you weren't a movie star? (The Grid TO) - Eight stars in the city promoting films at TIFF answer the question (well, seven) of what they think they'd be doing if not acting. Although most answers aren't very exciting, the photography is beautiful.
• 'Restless' Director Gus Van Sant Talks About Death, Movies, and 'Twilight' (Yahoo Movies) - A Q&A with Milk and Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant about his upcoming film Restless, his style and more.

WEEKEND WATCHES

• Drive - This immensely awesome flick, which Emily caught at TIFF last weekend, has Ryan Gosling playing a stunt driver who moonlights as a limo service for late-night criminals (robbers and such) and moons over his married neighbour (Carey Mulligan). It drifts in between hopeless, New Wave-music set romanticism and brutal, watch-through-your hands violence, giving it a cool, late 1970s, early 1980s B-movie feel. SEE IT.
• Straw Dogs - A husband (James Marsden) moves with his wife (Kate Bosworth) back to her hometown in the South to meet with tension from locals. Looks like a mix of Joy Ride, Last House on the Left and A Perfect Getaway.

TRAILER OF THE WEEK: The Awakening

Because anything that hints at Henry James' The Turn of the Screw is just amazing.

The Filles Take TIFF!: Drive

Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and Bryan Cranston. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. 100 minutes. 14A

Three quarters of the way through Drive, Ryan Gosling's character, a stunt driver who doubles as a late-night criminal chauffeur, takes Carey Mulligan into a elevator and kisses her with reckless, slow-mo abandon as a overwrought romantic soundtrack thumps. Then, suddenly, he turns towards the other guest in the elevator and bashes the dude's head in with his feet. It's a morbidly gorgeous scene and a spot-on summary of Nicolas Windling Refn's way-cool ode to dimly-lit 80s action thrillers.

Drive is definitely not everyone's speed. But it's my kind of perfect: both frothy and imminently frightening. It gushes with blood and B-movie lighting and yet, is set to sweeping New Wavy girl pop and features a Pretty in Pink title font. It may sound like a total wreck, but it's the exact opposite. The two contradictory pieces fit each other like a worn-down driving glove.

Gosling doesn't say much verbally as the nameless "Driver" but he says plenty with his overly intense eyes. (See: The above photo, which, in its pre-cropped state, has him holding a hammer with like a man with a sick, sick plan..) Notebook fans beware. The Gos' dark side is scary as shit. A-

The Filles Take TIFF!: Day 1, er, 4*

A daily documentation what's we've seen, want to see and aren't even trying to see at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

We're seeing:

Photo: Alliance Films
• SHAME (Manori) - Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan play a sister and brother in this sexual drama. (7 p.m., Princess of Wales)
• YOUR SISTER'S SISTER (Ava) - Things get awkward for a dude after he gets hot and heavy with his dead brother's ex's sister. Stars Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass and Rosemarie DeWitt. (6 p.m., Ryerson Theatre)
• LIVID (Emily) - A french haunted house horror flick that's getting major buzz, and not just from the Midnight Madness crowd. (11:59 p.m., Ryerson Theatre)

We wish we were seeing:

Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures

• MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE - A way buzzed-about drama about a girl who leaves a "sexual religious cult." The title character is played by the Olsen Twins' younger sister (!), Elizabeth. Apparently she's a revelation. (3 p.m., Ryerson Theatre)

Also playing...

• ANONYMOUS - What if Shakespeare never actually wrote his plays? Or so, asks this period drama. (9 p.m., Visa Screening Room a.k.a the Elgin)
• THE SKIN I LIVE IN - The latest from Pedro Almodóvar, based on the novel, Tarantula. Antonio Banderas plays a plastic surgeon who is working on a new type of fake skin and testing it all out on a young woman he keeps hostage in his house. Ick. (10 p.m., Princess of Wales)

Notes from last night:

• DRIVE is frothy, frightening fun. See it, even if it's just for the wicked antithetical Pretty in Pink font. Also, can Ryan Gosling be any bigger right now? Watching this just makes you realize he deserves it in spades. And if that's not enough to sell you...
• "The idea was that half the movie was a John Hughes movie ... and then he kills everybody." - Nicolas Windling Refn (director of Drive).
• Albert Brooks has never seen Breaker High.

*Sometimes, even the Filles have their non-movie magic moments. Seeing as we're based in Toronto and have attended the fest, we really should have started this sooner. But we were too busy seeing movies. Forgive us. Expect the next week to be full-fledged.