Oscars tweak Best Picture race...again

Well here we go again.  This quiets the haters, and keeps the quality.  Two years ago, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), extended their decades-old Field of Five nominating system.  In lieu of five nominees, we got ten.  Many people (not yours truly) weren't fans of this system, claiming that many were scrapping the bottom of the barrel to nominate 5 more films and that the prestigious nature and exclusivity of the "Five" was all but gone.  I, however, found nothing but merit from it, and because of it Up, Toy Story 3, An Education, The Kids Are All Right, District 9, Winter's Bone, and A Serious Man are Best Picture nominees, many of which, in my opinion, were far superior than the Assumed Five, or the Five that would have made it in with five nominees.

BUT, those days are behind us.  Not totally, but in a big way.  There's no longer 10 nominees.  Sometimes.  And we're back to 5 nominees.  Sometimes.  Basically, based on the percentage of Number One votes from the nominating ballots, we can be looking at anywhere from 5 to 10 nominees depending on how many films snag the coveted percentage.  Many Oscar followers complained that The Ten made precicting the Best Picture nominees devoid of excitement, and now we don't even know how many nominees there are going to be.

I fear, however, that should this year or even the next year bear 5 or even 6 nominees, that that could persuade the AMPAS to go back to their old Just Five ways.  We'll have to see though.  Time shall tell.

The thrilling press release is after the cut.

Another Earth trailer drops

The official trailer for this Sundance hit is finally here.  Another Earth is from first time director Mike Cahill, who also co-wrote the film with its star Brit Marling.  I like where this film seems to be going, and I more like the fact that it's an Indie film that's going there.  I've enjoyed the Art House meets Sci-fi products like District 9 and Moon, and I certainly hope this continues that quality partnership.  One can only imagine if a studio got their hands on an original idea like this.  Such a fun concept, I really hope the film lives up to the ridiculously good trailer.


I don't usually post movie trailers because as a rule I don't usually get very excited over them (I'd rather read about the movie and see it, and there's something fundamentally of watching a movie trailer online; doesn't it feel more at home in a theatre?).  But on a whim, I watched this without really knowing the premise.  The premise is straightforward enough and quite obvious given the film's title.  I suggest watching this.  It looks awesome.


Oh, and for those reads who wants a full-on synopsis, it's below.

Rhoda Williams [Marling], a bright young woman recently accepted into MIT’s astrophysics program, aspires to explore the cosmos. John Burroughs [Lost's William Mopother], a brilliant composer, has just reached the pinnacle of his profession, and is about to have a second child with his loving wife. On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, tragedy strikes, and the lives of these strangers become irrevocably intertwined. Estranged from the world and the selves they once knew, the two outsiders begin an unlikely love affair, which reawakens them to life. But when one of them is presented with the opportunity to travel to the other Earth and embrace an alternative reality, which new life will they choose?

The film's two beautiful posters are after the cut