1.
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell and Penelope Ann Miller
Synopsys: "Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break."
Release date: 15th May, 2011 (Cannes Film Festival); 9th September, 2011 (Toronto International Film Festival); 23rd November, 2011 (USA)
Oscar factors: Film festivals' most loved movie + Tribute/love letter to silent cinema + Black&White style + Best Picture nominations in (all) the season's first movie awards
3.2.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Moretz, Sasha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law and Emily Mortimer
Synopsys: "Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton."
Release date: 10th October, 2011 (New York Film Festival); 31st October, 2011 (Rome Film Festival); 23rd November, 2011 (USA);
Oscar factors: Martin Scorsese + adaptation of a beloved novel + Promising in artistic categories + 3D + Family movie + huge raves/"Masterpiece" critical treatment + good box-office performance + getting the recognition of the season's first awards
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Emily Watson, David Kross, Niels Arestrup and Celine Buckens
Synopsys: "Follows a young man named Albert and his horse, Joey, and how their bond is broken when Joey is sold to the cavalry and sent to the trenches of World War One. Despite being too young to enlist, Albert heads to France to save his friend."
Release date: 28th December, 2011
Oscar factors: Steven Spielberg + World War I + Broadway hit + Dazzling movie trailer + Big promise in artistic and technical categories
4.
Director: Stephen Daldry
Starring: Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Viola Davis, James Gandolfini and Jeffrey Wright
Synopsys: "A nine-year-old amateur inventor, jewelry designer, astrophysicist, tambourine player and pacifist, searches New York for the lock that matches a mysterious key left by his father when he was killed in the September 11 attacks."
Release date: 25th December, 2011 (limited - USA)
Oscar factors: Tom Hanks + Sandra Bullock + Amazing supporting cast + Stephen Daldry + Eric Roth + Sep. 11 attacks
5.
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Beau Bridges and Judy Greer
Synopsys: "A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident."
Release date: 3rd September, 2011 (Telluride Film Festival); 10th September, 2011 (Toronto International Film Festival); 18th November, 2011 (USA)
Oscar factors: George Clooney + Alexander Payne + Film festivals' raves + Heart and brain in the right place + Awards recognition
6.
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody, Kathy Bates, Michael Sheen, Carla Bruni, Tom Hiddleston, Alison Pill and Léa Seydoux
Synopsys: "A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better."
Release date: 11th May, 2011 (Cannes Film Festival); 20th May, 2011 (USA - limited); 10th June, 2011 (USA);
Oscar factors: Woody Allen comeback + commercial success + Paris + feel-good tone + charm + Really strong Oscar buzz for an independent feature released in Summer
7.
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård and Robin Wright
Synopsys: "Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander (Mara), a young computer hacker."
Release date: 21st December, 2011 (USA)
Oscar factors: David Fincher + International best-selling Millenium trilogy + Snub of The Social Network + fans + risky project + The "feel-bad" movie of Christmas + Positive reviews
8.
Director: Bennett Miller
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright
Synopsys: "The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players."
Release date: 9th September, 2011 (Toronto International Film Festival); 23rd September, 2011 (USA);
Oscar factors: Brad Pitt + baseball + better than a lot of people expected + commercial success + smart script
9.
Director: Tate Taylor
Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney and Sissy Spacek
Synopsys: "An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960's decides to write a book detailing the African American Maid's point of view on the White families they work for, and they hardships they go through on a day to day basis."
Release date: 10th August, 2011 (USA)
Oscar factors: Racial discrimination theme + Great ensemble cast performance + Commercial success
10.
Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Maggie Smith, Gary Oldman and Emma Thompson
Synopsys: "Harry, Ron and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Lord Voldemort."
Release date: 15th July, 2011 (USA)
Oscar factors: Last chapter of critically acclaimed and bankable franchise + Rave reviews + Nostalgia + Box-office records + Big fanbase + "Nominate the last, nominate all the previous ones" way of thinking + Promising in artistic and technical categories + Good start in the awards season
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11.
Director: Terrence Malick
Starring: Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain
Synopsys: "The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence."
Release date: 16th May, 2011 (Cannes Film Festival); 27th May, 2011 (USA - limited)
Oscar factors: The proof Terrence Malick stills alive + Phylosophical movie + "The Meaning of Life" theme + Palme D'Or of Cannes Film Festival + Raves + Visually dazzling and emotionally ressonant
12.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Daniel Craig
Synopsys: "Tintin and Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor. But someone else is in search of the ship."
Release date: 21st December, 2011 (USA)
Oscar factors: Steven Spielberg + The most antecipated animated feature of the year + 3D + Great critical reception + Guarantee of commercial success + Tintin + Taking the lead of the Best Animated Feature Oscar race13.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman and Christina Hendricks
Synopsys: "A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong."
Release date: 20th May, 2011 (Cannes Film Festival); 17th June, 2011 (Los Angeles Film Festival); 10th September, 2011 (Toronto International Film Festival); 16th September, 2011 (USA);
Oscar factors: Stylish arthouse action movie + Cannes Film Festival prize of Best Director + Ryan Gosling + Albert Brooks' performance + Raves + Good box-office performance
14.
Director: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Hadden Church, Patrick Fugit and Elle Fanning
Synopsys: "Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo."
Release date: 23rd December, 2011 (USA)
Oscar factors: Cameron Crowe's possible comeback to raves + "Based on a true story" status + Great ensemble performance + "Feel-good" movie + Positive reviews
15.
In the Land of Blood and Honey
Starring: Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija
Synopsys: "Danijel, a soldier fighting for the Serbs, re-encounters Ajla, a Bosnian who is now held captive in his camp. Soon they discover their once promising relationship has become ambiguous as their motives have changed."
Release date: 23rd December, 2011 (USA)
Oscar factors: Angelina Jolie's directorial debut + Love&War theme + Seductive trailer + No big expectations + No major movie stars + Sometimes AMPAS go for actors-turned-directors
Latest Oscar predictions here:
http://cinemaandpopcorn.blogspot.com/2011/12/academy-awards-2012-best-picture.html
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