The next seven days will be a whirlwind end to 2009 (I say end because we all know this town checks out from roughly the third week of December on). The season will take on a whole new face as a number of announcements come down the pike.
But I’ll be tossing my own hat into the ring throughout the week as well, so I thought I’d offer a few reminders.
Obviously tomorrow kicks off the critical kudos season with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s list of award winners. Guy will be bringing those to you as they are announced in the afternoon (I’ll be out of pocket).
Bright and early Monday morning (as in, 3:00am PST bright and early), the Broadcast Film Critics Association will announce our list nominees for this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards. A number of new categories have been added this year and the 10 Best Picture nominees will be scrutinized considerably given the usual cross-over with the Academy’s rankings.
Later that morning the New York Film Critics Circle will announce it’s collective of superlatives. Any guesses as to what they’ll pick?
And then the day won’t yet be finished, as that afternoon I’ll be offering up my best of the year column, featuring some 30 titles and culminating, of course, with my personal top 10 list.
Tuesday brings the announcement of this year’s Golden Globe nominees, which will be properly bought and paid for as usual. But the Hollywood Foreign Press Association could nevertheless shake things up a bit.
Wednesday I’ll offer up my annual “if I had a ballot” post with a list of personal nominees in various categories and it should be a fairly quiet day otherwise, but the announcements keep coming Thursday as the Screen Actors Guild plants its flag in the sand.
Finally, Friday I’ll post my own list of superlatives, winners in various categories and my final tip of the hat to what has been my favorite year in movies this decade. Anne and I will also offer up our final Oscar Talk of 2009.
Monday, December 21 will hopefully bring my list of the decade’s top 10 films. I’m still working on it. I’m also off to New York for the holiday at that time so in all likelihood, this will be a quiet corner of the web for about a week, but we’ll try to keep things as interesting as we can.
And then, before you know it, 2010 will be here. And if you can believe it, the Oscars will STILL be more than two months away.
This ain’t no place for the weary kind…
Comments
29 responses to “The week ahead”
What exactly is the reasoning behind such early morning announcements? Is the BFCA a personification of college students?
6am on the east coast.
How are the BFCA nominations announced, through press release or live cast?
Any guesses on Kris’s no. 1 for the year? Lovely Bones? A Serious Man? Avatar? Maybe Up in the Air?
I love this time of the year. Christmas and Oscar season. I can’t wait for your best of the decade list. I think I’ll make my top 10 in January for the decade.
And I’m guessing Kris will have Avatar as his number one.
what about best shots of the year? when can we expect that?
Avatar will do well, but my bet is on A Serious Man for Kris’ list.
And yes, shots of the year, please?
Last year, I remember watching the nominees being announced live on VH1. I wonder if they’ll repeat that….
My guess is Up in the Air
My guess is that Kris will have Up in the Air as his no. 1. Maybe Avatar.
On a side note. This coming crazy week also includes the Europan Film Awards which takes place right now. So far Kate Winslet and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) has won the acting awards and Michael Haneke the screenwriting award.
JAB: Sometime in January. I haven’t been as moved as I generally am on that front, but there are certainly 10 out there that I can forge into a list. Not a priority at the moment, though.
Film and director also went to The White Ribbon at the European Film Awards! I had expected A Prophet to take one of those.
Since A Serious Man is the only film he’s mentioned as a possibility to be on his best of the decade list I think it’ll top Kris’s best of the year list followed closely by Avatar, Up in the Air, The Lovely Bones and Precious.
Also I think Sugar will be on the list
I think Kris’ Top 10 will include ‘Up in the Air’, ‘Avatar’, ‘A Serious Man’, ‘The Lovely Bones’, and … 6 others. haha
‘The Messenger’, maybe.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the NY critics gave their best picture award to A Single Man and best actor to Colin Firth. It may fit into their pattern of giving homosexual-themed movies those awards (Brokeback Mountain got both a few years back, as did Milk last year). The alternative would possibly be A Serious Man or Up In The Air.
“Homosexual-themed” seems like an offensive term.
Also, maybe Brokeback & Milk were the best contenders of their respective years…wait, yes. Yes, they were.
Up in the Air won’t fly (heh–get it?) with NYFCC if their chair (Armond White) has anything to say about it. That’s why I’m guessing The Hurt Locker or A Serious Man.
I can see the deliberation now.
NY critic: “I think we can all agree that Up in the Air is quite an achievement.”
Armond White: “Fuck that, son. We’re not voting for that garbage. You’re all voting for Next Day Air.”
NY critic: “But I…”
Armond White: “TRUTHBOMB DROPPED, MOTHERFUCKER!”
Why not top 50 of the decade? Top ten of the decade is a pretty difficult assignment.
Out of randomness… I’m guessing Up in the Air takes NY and The Hurt Locker takes LA.
I also think James Cameron will win best director in either awards list.
Dammit, Me., read the aforementioned truth bomb! Next Day Air is winning at NYFCC in a fucking walk!
I did read it Adam, I thought it was a joke.
In that case… switch the winners I guess.
By the way, I just saw “Invictus” today and I wouldn’t count out ‘9,000 Days’ for a Best Original Song nod. In the context of the scene he places it in it doesn’t really work, but I think it works quite beautifully over the end credits sequence.
I’m going to guess (in order, because I’m insane and love doing this):
1. A Serious Man
2. Up in the Air
3. Precious
4. Star Trek
5. An Education
6. Avatar
7. Bronson
8. The Lovely Bones
9. District 9
10. Antichrist
Alternatives (and contenders for the 30 runners-up): A Christmas Carol, The Hurt Locker, The Informant!, Julie & Julia, A Prophet, Public Enemies, Up
That’s all I got.
Oh and English, I agree. I also agree with Kris that “Colorblind” is terribly used. But it’s also just a terrible song in general.
And the movie was okay, but really, really uneven.
Look forward to reading all of your upcoming work. You’ve done another terrific job this year and I’ve been anticipating your year-end lists for quite a while.
hmm, well what about shots of the decade?