Is Hailee Steinfeld good enough to pass herself off as a supporting actress, or is category fraud about to misfire big time?
Hailee Steinfeld may only be 14, but she's pretty much unquestionably the leading actress in "True Grit": it's her story, not Jeff Bridges'. For now, though, everybody has agreed to look the other way and pretend that she fits in the supporting actress category. But will the Academy's actors branch go along with the SAG Awards and most critics awards groups, or will they exercise the prerogative that's spelled out on their ballots, and decide to vote for her for Best Actress? Dave Karger and Kris Tapley both want to know, because the result could either be a nomination that ignores the studio's campaign (the same thing that happened with Kate Winslet and "The Reader") or a split vote that leaves her out in the cold. My question, which Karger also raises: will enough members cover their bets by voting for her in both lead and supporting categories, the way the ballot instructions explicitly tell them they can? Because if not, one of the year's most striking and delightful performances could be on shaky ground. (In Contention and Inside Movies)
The first time I saw "Black Swan," I walked out expecting to hear audience members either raving about the film or trashing it; instead, I was astonished to hear a few lukewarm reactions around me. But Michael Sragow has restored my faith in the proposition that Darren Aronofsky's outrageous concoction is a love-it-or-hate-it experience. Because Sragow really, really hates it: "laughably obvious as a horror film, hideously misshapen as a dance film, and intolerably masochistic as a character study." I happen to love it myself, but at least this kind of anger is fun. (Baltimore Sun)
David Ng looks at the critical love shown to "Exit Through the Gift Shop," and decides that "Oscar chances [are] looking strong" for the film's director, Banksy. His piece, which wonders whether the elusive graffiti artist will show up at the Kodak Theater (his answer: probably not) was spurred by some recent nominations and awards, but fleshed out by stuff that's already appeared in the Ng's own paper: critic Kenneth Turan's assessment of the film, and a quote given by AMPAS exec director Bruce Davis to the Envelope saying that the Academy "might have to ask some questions" if they thought Banksy would attend the ceremony. (Los Angeles Times)
We don’t know what the Academy thinks, but German Film Critics certainly love "When We Leave," the Feo Aladag drama that is Germany's submission to this year's Oscar Foreign-Language Film race. The film, about a Turkish woman who's ostracized by her family when she leaves her husband, received seven nominations, two more than Tom Tykwer's "Three." The rest of the lineup consists of films that have yet to be seen on these shores. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Ah, that Central Ohio Film Critics Association, always making us wait. They announced their nominees on Monday, but will they tell us who they actually think is best? Not a chance – for that, we'll have to wait until Thursday evening. For now, you'll have to be satisfied with the fact that "The Social Network" and "Black Swan" got eight nominations each, "True Grit" and "Inception" got seven, and "127 Hours," "The Fighter," "The Kids Are All Right" and "Winter's Bone" got six. I know, it's tough to wait two more days to find out what they really like in Central Ohio. (Awards Daily has the full slate, because the COFCA website seems about a year out of date.)
