Though Kent Jones’ documentary “Hitchcock/Truffaut” may bear the name of two deceased titans of the cinema, but make no mistake about it: this film is focused on those still living and producing vital work.
Of course, the consummate critic and historian Jones does present the the subject in more than sufficient detail. French New Wave founding father Francois Truffaut idolized the British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, whose work was popular yet not necessarily given much clout as art. Truffaut set out to prove it was just that in a series of conversations with the Master of Suspense, which he later transcribed into “Hitchcock/Truffaut.” The book became a seminal text in the field of film studies and, as Martin Scorsese personally attests in the documentary, inspired the next generation of filmmakers.
In recounting the making of the book and the influence which it exerted, Jones himself crafts a documentary likely to be studied as often as “Visions of Light.” (That reference means everything to anyone who has taken an Intro to Film class and nothing to everyone else, by the way.) “Hitchcock/Truffaut” provides an excellent primer on auteurist theory while also delving into Freudian, historical and economically determinist readings of Hitchcock’s work. If any of this sounds complex, it all feels effortless to understand when explained by today’s masters David Fincher or Wes Anderson.
The most exciting moments of the documentary come from hearing these contemporary filmmakers delving into the theoretical questions raised in Hitchcock and Truffaut’s conversation. Plenty of times, these directors have to answer questions about the influence of cinema’s giants, but it is usually only in conjunction with how it manifests in their latest film. Here, people like Richard Linklater and James Gray, two directors who rarely make films that resemble Hitchcock’s suspenseful thrillers, can talk about the surprising ways in which his work and his methods affected the way they understand their own work.
This kind of in-depth discussion gives “Hitchcock/Truffaut” a profundity far beyond the sound bites we normally get from filmmakers on a press tour. At times, Jones seems to lose sight of the original conversation in favor of letting Scorsese geek out over “Psycho,” but these joyful nuggets prove his point that Hitchcock and Truffaut’s dialogue is one still worth studying. This celebrated past has clearly exerted its influence in the present, and now, thanks somewhat in part to this documentary, it will continue doing so in the future. A- / 
If you are a film buff, “
I’m feeling only six Best Picture nominees this year. (For those who don’t know about the new rules and regulations of the category, the Best Picture field is now an elastic number of nominees between five and ten. In order to be nominated for Best Picture, a movie needs to receive at least five percent of the number one votes.) The top five are very obvious.
The top three are rock solid locks. Woody Allen seems very inevitable given the widespread love for his movie and that the directors have nominated him six times before. The last slot could go any number of ways – Fincher like the DGA picked, Malick like every critic proclaimed from the rooftop, Spielberg if “War Horse” actually makes a strong showing, or maybe even Tate Taylor if they really love “The Help.”
While on the path to triumphant Oscar glory last year, Aaron Sorkin made the wise observation that no matter what movie he chose to do next, it would always be seen as “the movie after ‘
(5)
(4)
David Fincher, “The Social Network” 
However, “The King’s Speech” set itself up for a second-stage surge by scoring more nominations than “The Social Network” at all three of the major groups that announced this week. It received 7 Golden Globe nominations, the most of any movie in 2010, including Best Picture. It received 11 BFCA nominations including Best Picture. It received 4 SAG Award nominations, tied for the most of any movie in 2010, including Best Ensemble.
But for me, one of the big stories of the week was the emergence of “The Fighter” as a serious contender. We had heard good things, but most called it somewhat predictable and formulaic. No one was jumping up and down with joy, yet we saw an unprecedented outpouring of support this week. It received 6 BFCA nominations including Best Picture, 4 SAG Award nominations, tied for the most of 2010, including Best Ensemble, and 6 Golden Globe nominations including Best Picture. I got a chance to catch the movie this week, and it’s feel-good surface could make it a dark horse to watch out for in the race.
“The Kids Are All Right” goes up thanks to its great showing with the New York Film Critics Circle, winning more categories than “The Social Network,” and receiving 4 Golden Globe nominations including Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) as well as 3 SAG Award nominations including Best Ensemble. It had a big miss with the BFCA, though, failing to score a Best Picture nomination. It should easily win the Globe for Best Picture, and the prospects are looking much better than they did last week. But I’m still not entirely certain that it’s going to get an Oscar nomination…
David Fincher, “The Social Network” 
Firth still stands steadfast at the top amidst all. He has made a decent showing with the critics, winning top marks from Detroit, San Francisco, Washington D.C., the Southeastern critics, and the incredibly important groups in New York and Los Angeles, both of which chose “The Social Network” as their Best Picture. If all else fails, he should be the one way the Academy knows they can reward “The King’s Speech.”
Firth, Eisenberg, and Franco are all locks at this moment, their status solidified by appearing on nearly every Best Actor shortlist including from the BFCA, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards. After that, there are essentially four actors vying for the final two slots – Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Ryan Gosling, and Mark Wahlberg. The first two are the conservative picks; the last two are riskier.
No change in my top 5 this week as the same four actresses – Portman, Bening, Lawrence, Kidman – seeming to dominate the circuit collected nominations from the BFCA, the SAG Awards, and the Golden Globes. Unfortunately, due to the conflicting genre of their movies, we won’t get a Bening/Portman face-off at the latter ceremony. (And as a note, Kidman is at #5 because I just don’t think she will win. I see her as the Helen Mirren in “The Last Station” of 2010, a prior winner collecting every nomination but never with a real shot to win.)
Jennifer Lawrence has also shown up on nearly every list made by critics, and she’s been winning her fair share of awards too, including from Detroit, San Diego, Toronto, and Washington D.C. She’s a critical darling in her own right, but I think she’s too young and too fresh a face to win.
Christian Bale has become the closest thing to a lock we can get this season, winning nearly everything in sight. In addition to picking up Best Supporting Actor nominations from the BFCA, Golden Globes, and the SAG Awards, he won the award from Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Las Vegas, New York Film Critics Online, and Washington D.C. If nothing else, Oscar socialism could be at work here to give “The Fighter” a trophy.
Another pick that’s pretty far out there, but I’m getting a feeling that “Inception” will win Best Original Screenplay. The critics are all over its originality, and everyone seems on board the train. If “The Social Network” takes Best Picture, how else to reward this movie other than a few technical awards? Best Original Screenplay, of course, as the movie redefined originality and creativity for millions of moviegoers. The BFCA and Golden Globe nominations don’t hurt either.
“The Social Network” is still in peak condition, winning nearly every Best Screenplay award there is. But I hesitate to call it a lock as “Precious” surprised the heavily favored “Up in the Air” last year. The heart is a factor in this category, and the heart belongs to “Toy Story 3.”
Little change in the “TSN”/”TKS” dialectic as I still believe their duel will be the story of the season and that David Fincher’s Facebook movie will win out. Other than that, the job of a prognosticator is to distinguish the dark horses from those just lucky to populate the top 10.
Although I don’t agree with the commonly held conception that “The King’s Speech” will be the big winner of 2010’s Oscar race, I do think it will have a nice trophy haul. The voters like this movie, and they want to give it some reward other than Best Picture. Thus, Colin Firth, the very likable and talented performer, gets Best Actor as a testament to the film’s power. I can see it playing out much like 2008 when “Milk” took home Best Actor for Sean Penn and Best Original Screenplay. James Franco may just be too young to win (and he gets to host the show.)
Little change here as well. I stil think this is Portman’s year, and she will run away with it. Perhaps certain organizations where sentimental votes really count will choose Bening, but I think the Academy knows an incredible, transformative performance when they see one. To quote my own review of “Black Swan” in a shameless plug, “Portman absolutely disappears into her character. It’s a shocking and startling transformation due to Portman’s dedication to learning the craft of ballet and her impeccable acting.”
Since I last updated these predictions, people actually saw “The Fighter” and confirmed my suspicion that Christian Bale would steamroll his way through awards season. He has the respect to get there (despite his temper), and he is deserving. Paramount will easily be able to make the case that this is “his time.” Apologies to Geoffrey Rush, but your time was in 1996 when you won Best Actor.
Finally, some commentary on the screenplay race that you’ve been craving since September. Don’t lie, this is exciting to you.
If “The Social Network” should be eclipsed by “The King’s Speech,” it should still take Best Adapted Screenplay without a hitch. Aaron Sorkin’s genius script will probably be the movie’s most appealing offering over the season, and this category seems to seal the deal for the Facebook flick to score at least one Oscar. Then again, we said the same thing about “Up in the Air,” and then “Precious” came out of nowhere to steal.
‘m still feeling confident forecasting a win for “The Social Network.” It has audiences and critics behind it; with enough precursor love, it could be an unstoppable force. “True Grit” and “The Fighter” remain strong possibilities even unseen, although I’m sensing less excitement for the latter. “Toy Story 3” hasn’t dropped; two contenders have just risen above it. Given a push, it could still make a run for the money. And “How Do You Know” is still unseen, but I’m getting good vibes. Probably stupid to put it on my list instead of “Another Year,” but I’m going gutsy.
Same story between “Network” and “Speech” with the two battling out for the top spot. I’m hesitant to say that two of the past three winners in this category could be nominated again this year, so I’ll pick Danny Boyle seeing as his movie is the safer bet at the moment.
I’m sensing the “127 Hours” reward will come in Best Actor for James Franco. At 32, he’d be among the youngest winners ever, and his status as an elite dramatic actor would be forever cemented. I see him as being the critics’ circle darling, putting him in prime position from the beginning of the season. However, there will be stiff competition from Colin Firth, who has the subjective “deserving” card in his hand after losing last year for his performance in “A Single Man.”
Focus needs to get their act together and figure out how to campaign Bening and Moore. Amidst the controversy, I think Portman has emerged all the stronger, and she is now my pick to win in the seemingly two-way battle for supremacy.
Could there be anything more boring than the supporting categories this year? Yawn.
Another win for “The Fighter” sight unseen, this time for 2008 Best Actress nominee Melissa Leo. You got any better ideas? This category is still wide open with a month left until the critics’ groups for the field for us, and that’s no fun.
As part of a deal with Paramount and Warner Bros. to make “Zodiac,” David Fincher took on the $150 million production of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” The result was his first nomination for Best Director and the most Oscar-nominated movie of the decade.
Marshall and the Movies 
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