And The Nominees Are...

Last week they’ve announced the nominees for this year’s Oscars which airs February 26th on ABC and there’s always a twist with the number of Best Picture nominees which is not 5, it’s not 10, it’s now 9 nominees… Oohhh, whatever, who cares? There’s still 2 or 3 that really deserve the Oscar but I guess they gotta keep the suspense every year. Here are my prediction for this year’s results, let me know what you think:

Best picture

• “War Horse” This is by far my favorite of the Best Picture nominees, I really hope that it wins.
• “The Artist” It’d be interesting if this film actually wins, it’ll be the second time a silent film ever wins Best Picture.
• “Midnight in Paris” I Still haven’t seen it but it’s the movie with the least chance of winning. I like Woody Allen’s film but I haven’t seen a great movie from him since Hannah and her Sisters or The Purple Rose of Cairo.
• “Moneyball” Insteresting… (not)
• “The Descendants” I’m curious to see this film, but as far as winning Best Picture, I really doubt its chances.
• “The Tree of Life” Here’s one of those artsy films that I don’t really wish to see. At least it wasn’t Melancholia…
• “The Help” Here’s the People Choice award for Best Picture of the Year. It’s my second favorite after War Horse so it better be one of these two, if both of these fail to get the Best Picture statuette, there’s also…
• “Hugo” Great film by one of our best directors of our time: Martin Scorsese. ‘Nuff said.
• “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Great cable movie, I’ll wait to see this one on demand.

Best actress

• Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs” I still havent heard great things about the film but Glenn Close is one of my favorite actresses. She’s got really great competitors this year such as:
• Viola Davis, “The Help”. One of the most subtle yet powerful performances of 2011. Too bad she won’t win it this year…
• Rooney Mara, “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” She really channeled Lisbeth Salander so well, it was hard to even notice that Daniel Craig co-starred this remake. Then again the nomination should belong to the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Noomi Rapace for she’s the one that made the role so memorable and so hard to match. Sorry, Rooney, you were great though.
• Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady” And the Oscar goes to…
• Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn” I wish Michelle had won in this category but there’s no competition after seeing Meryl Streep transformed into Margaret Thatcher. Better luck next time…

Best actor

• Demian Bichir, “A Better Life” I’m sure it’s great he washonored with a nomination but I doubt anybody will actually vote for the guy, or see the movie.
• George Clooney, “The Descendants” I don’t know about his performance here but I think this year there’ll be a real twist as you watch the next nominee in the list:
• Jean Dujardin, “The Artist” Yup. You heard right. I really believe that we got our next Roberto Benigni here. I only hope he doesn’t jump from chair to chair to get his award. It’s just a fresh face that we may or may not see again in Hollywood but he seems very likable and, honestly, The Artist has that cute, artsy element that Oscar voters like. Here’s my pick for best actor, mark my words.
• Gary Oldman, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” He is a great actor that will continue making great movies but not my favorite of the bunch.
• Brad Pitt, “Moneyball” I would have never thought that Moneyball would be such a critic’s pick. Kudos to Brad but, honestly, he’s had better roles, don’t you think? His role in Twelve Monkeys is by far my favorite.
  
  

Best supporting actress

• Berenice Bejo, “The Artist” Never heard of this woman and I don’t think she’s the strongest of the group.
• Jessica Chastain, “The Help” The award should go to the OTHER nominee from the same movie.
• Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids” This is a tough one but I don’t think that Melissa will win this time. Her role was way to raunchy and over the top which probably made for “most memorable” role but award winning?
• Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
• Octavia Spencer, “The Help” Yes, yes, yes!!! If there’s an actress that brought her heart and soul into her character was definitely Octavia as Minny Jackson,she really brought up her game and deserves it.
  
  

Best supporting actor

• Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn” I don’t know if his was a truly strong performance, he was alright but not the greatest. Just hand it over, will you?
• Jonah Hill, “Moneyball” I don’t think so.
• Christopher Plummer, “Beginners” Here it is: ding, ding, ding, ding!!! A role of a lifetime for the 82 year old actor whose past achievements alone make him a winner in my book. It’s the story of a father who recently loses his wife and realizes at this stage in his life that he’s gay and needs to come to terms with his son, played by Ewan McGregor. It sounds like a dream role already.
• Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
• Max von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” The (one and only) Exorcist!! Love the man but I’d rather vote for Christopher.

Best director

• Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
• Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
• Martin Scorsese, “Hugo” I believe Martin should win. His movie was a cinematic experience that I will never forget, great director as well. Who doesn’t remember Taxi Driver or Cape Fear. Great filmaker who’s always pushing the boundaries and, with Hugo, he certainly broke his own mafioso mold. That’s a bold move that I hope pays off.
• Terrence Malick, “Tree of Life” I still haven’t seen this movie (and probably will see just to compare with the praised reviews I’ve read thus far) but it just seems one of those movies that can only be appreciated if you’re in film class. It doesn’t sound like your regular kind of movie which is why he may actually win. I’m betting that Terrence will get the award (even though my heart says Scorsese!)
• Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris” If it was another year he may have had a chance but Woody Allen was best during the 70’s and 80’s, that’s when his films really shone best.
  
  

Best original screenplay

• “The Artist” This is certainly a critic’s favorite, this is the surest bet for a win, although I’m keeping my hopes up for:
• “Bridesmaids” I’m rooting for Kristen Wiig here, it’d be a great accomplishment and I certainly look forward to her next script.
• “Margin Call”
• “Midnight in Paris”, which sounds original and witty but better than Bridesmaids?
• “A Separation” I heard this story is awesome, that’s why it’s my bet for Best Foreign Film.

Best adapted screenplay

• “The Descendants” I believe this movie will take the gold. I just like the story and curious to see how the script acts out.
• “Hugo” Great movie but I don’t believe it was a great script. I wouldn’t place my bet on this category in my company’s pool.
• “The Ides of March” Too political for my taste. If I were a Republican I may go for it…
• “Moneyball” then again I don’t really care for baseball either.
• “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” I hear it’s a very complicated and confusing film to understand. It doesn’t sound like a great adaptation if you ask me.
  
  

Best foreign language film

• “Bullhead”
• “Footnote”
• “In Darkness”
• “Monsieur Lazhar”
• “A Separation” Here’s the only film I would be certain of gathering the award. How come I haven’t heard or see the other films? I would have like to see all of them instead of wasting my time with Mission Impossible or J. Edgar…
  
  

Best animated feature 

• “A Cat in Paris”
• “Chico & Rita”
• “Kung Fu Panda 2”
• “Puss in Boots”
• “Rango”

Best animated short film

• “Dimanche/Sunday”
• “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
• “La Luna”
• “A Morning Stroll”
• “Wild Life”

Best live action short film

• “Pentecost”
• “Raju”
• “The Shore”
• “Time Freak”
• “Tuba Atlantic”

Best art direction

• “The Artist” Just cause it’s black and white doesn’t necessarily mean it’s artful but then the voters may think that way.
• “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” Where was its Best Picture nomination? I’m disapointed why couldn’t we take off Moneyball or Tree of Life and place this film. Oh well, on the upside it’s made way over a billion dollars in the box office so I’m sure they’re still laughing all the way to the bank.
• “Hugo” If there’s one award for this little movie it should be for art direction. I love the way the movie seems so magical and extraordinarily easy on the eyes, a real spectacle. I’d be very disappointed if Hugo doesn’t win here.
• “Midnight in Paris”
• “War Horse” It’s my favorite movie but artsy? My money goes for Hugo here.

Best Cinematography

• “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” Copycat.
• "The Artist"
• “Hugo” I love the sets of the train station and the silent film studio, visually stunning.
• “The Tree of Life” If there’s a category where this movie will win (and probably should win) is this one. I bet you this movie will win just for the first 15 minutes of the movie.
• “War Horse” Really great landscapes and the war scene are pretty intense. Pretty good contenders though.

Best costumes

• “Anonymous”
• “The Artist” Hmmmm, I guess the costumes were great, you never know
• “Hugo”
• “Jane Eyre”
• “W.E.” Oh, C’mon, give Madonna one more award to brag about (although I’m sure she didn’t “design” the costumes but it’d still be a win for her film. One complain though: why wasn’t Andrea Riseborough even nominated for Best Supporting Actress award? How disappointing for she was great in this film, I hope we see more of her in the future. Maybe Swept Away 2?

Best documentary feature

• “Hell and Back Again”
• “If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Libration Front”
• “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
• “Pina” I think this is the one, I heard it has great 3D special effects, then again I haven’t seen any for it’s a wild guess there.
• “Undefeated”

Documentary short subject

• “The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement”
• “God is the Bigger Elvis”
• “Incident in New Baghdad”
• “Saving Face”
• “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”

Film editing

• “The Artist”
• “The Descendants”
• “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
• “Hugo”
• “Moneyball”

Make-up

• “Albert Nobbs” I don’t believe Glenn Close had such a great transformation here, it’s much harder to make a man look natural as a woman as in Tootsie but not the other way around.
• “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” If there’s one award this movie deserves is make up. Here’s my 2 cents.
• “The Iron Lady” Meryl Streep performance is what brought the character to life however the make up really helped a whole lot.

Original score

• “The Adventures of TinTin”
• “The Artist” Here’s an easy win…
• “Hugo”
• “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
• “War Horse”

Original song  

That’s it? What about Madonna’s Masterpiece? Why only 2 songs and 9 picture nominees? Booooooo!!!   What about NONE!!!!

• “Man or Muppet”
• “Real in Rio”

Sound editing

• “Drive”
• “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
• “Hugo”
• “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
• “War Horse”

Visual effects

• “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” the movie looks great and all but it had all been done 6 times before so there’s no element of surprise here. All Harry Potters was visually great.
• “Hugo” I think this film was very unique and original so my vote goes here.
• “Real Steel” I heard this is a very good movie despite what I originally thought.
• “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” This should have been among the best pictures nominees, how disappointing that Andy Serkis wasn’t nominated either but he would have still lost to Christopher Plummer… But it would have been nice…
• “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Really? It’s been done before, what’s so great about this one now? I’m tired of all this Michael Bay excess (which is probably why it may just win here)

Alan Dean Foster's Alien

Alien

I’m a little rusty in my reading. I used to read a book within a week or sometimes two. As of lately it’s taken me much longer than that. So I decided to go for short stories or novels and last time I went through my local public library I found a copy of Alan Dean Foster’s Alien which was a novelization of the 1979 film starring Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, Tom Skerrit as Dallas, John Hurt as the doomed Kane and the mysterious Ash played by Iam Holm. Wow, what great cast isn’t it?


The first few lines of the novel is what really caught my attention and my curiosity: it describes how every one of the Nostromo crew members are in hypersleep as they’re travelling in light speed en route towards Earth bringing oil cargo (apparently Earth has run out of its precious natural sources). Curiosity enticed me to continue reading: it turns out that everybody is actually “conscious” even while they’re in state of hypersleep which I thought was an interesting concept. The story goes on to describe each of the crew members so, by the time they’re awaken by Mother (Nostromo's computer) to answer a distress call from an unknown planetoid, you kind of know a bit about them, which I thought was a great basis for the novel.

However the following chapters in the story are a tad bit tedious: the landing on the planet, the search for the distress beacon that caught the Nostromo’s attention (that’s the name of the ship), the description of Jones who, in case you guys forgot, is the name of the cat. I’m not lying when I say that I was sometimes thrown off a few times when the author speaks of Jones as if it were part of the crew, even describing its “thoughts” as if the cat really could think logically. But if you’ve ever wondered what’s it like to be a cat in outer space then this is the novel for you... Anyone?

After the painstaking details of the crew exploring this hostile planet in search of the distress signal, they finally arrive at the point where they’re getting closer and closer to the alien’s nest. That’s when the novel picks up as well as the story of a crew that’s divided as to whether or not to admit Kane back into the Nostromo in a comatose state with an alien in shape of a hand attached to his face. For being such a technical writer that describes the ship, or being in hypersleep state, or several devices and futuristic items such as a GPS system and "Bluetooth"-like earpieces or the different controls and going-ons in outer space and the foreign planet and not to mention the corridors and passages of the Nostromo, which Alan Dean Foster describes in great detail by the way, there’s a lack of substantial description of the actual creature other than the superficial details as bleeding acid, or having sharp teeth and sharp claws.

SPOILER ALERT There's a scene towards the end of the novel that's different from the movie: Ripley, being the sole survivor from the alien's attack on the other crewmembers (except for Jones), gets ready to board the shuttle that will mark her escape from the Nostromo and the alien, she stumbles upon cocoons that contain Dallas and Parker still alive, if barely. I thought this was a desperate move on the author to bring closure to whatever happens to the victims once the monster got a hold of them. So basically the alien would capture its victims, preserve their bodies as they hatch more lethal spawns, preserving the alien's species. And this might have worked in the first Alien movie but I think it was a wise decision on Ridley Scott's part to leave it alone and allow the sequels to develop this even more, as in James Cameron's great sequel Aliens.

Alan Dean Foster is the author responsible for fleshing out the Star Wars novels which George Lucas based his films on. Still, I’m disappointed at the fact that this is just what they called a “novelization” of the film and so it doesn't ring true or original anymore, basically it tries to explore more details than the movie could cover in 116 minutes.

It’s also kind of distracting that, having seen the movie a few dozen times, I found that the book has less details than the actual movie, if that’s possible. It’s one of those weird cases where the movie is far better than the novel, just like the curious case of Brokeback Mountain.

SPOILER ALERT The only interesting bit is the constant, ever changing behavior of Ash who’s been instructed to “protect” the creature above the crew itself. Ash's revelation that the whole Nostromo crew is expendable except the alien was what made this story worth a read. Ever since I saw the film I was more shocked to find out that Ash was not even human but a robot sent by the Company to divert the Nostromo, pick this alien creature from this isolated planetoid and transport it back to Earth. This explains Ash's fascination with the creature and, I must say, the chapter in the book which details Ash's confrontation with Ripley and the remaining survivors of the crew is the best chapter from the novel.

The next time I visit my local library I will pick a good novel that hasn’t been turned to a movie for it’s quite better to imagine everything you’re reading on your own without having to relate the characters to their respective actors. Only exception to the rule: having read William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist, Stephen King's The Shining or Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby were the great exceptions to this rule. I wish I could say the same for Alan Dean Foster's Alien. Another great thing I discovered about the library is that they interconnect with each other so if you think of a book or a movie that you would like to read or watch you can just log into their website, enter your membership information to log in, drop the item in your cart and next time you visit the library it's waiting for you. Especially in these hard times we're living in it makes all the sense in the world to just utilize your library's entertainment potential and say goodbye to Netflix or, should I even dare to say it, you cable or satellite providers. Hey, everybody's got to cut some corners somehow, right? It's the only way to survive in the real world.

As far as Alan Dean Foster's Alien is concern, I expected to read something I didn’t know about the monster. I never became engaged in the monster as much as I did with Ripley's or Ash's characters, the only two characters that make this story readable and dramatic at all. As well as that goddamn cat, ahem, I mean Jones. My recommendation? Watch the movie, skip the novel.


Ridley Scott’s Alien A
James Cameron’s Aliens A+
Alan Dean Foster’s Alien B-

The Iron Lady

Meryl Streep is The Iron Lady

I will admit that, before watching Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, I was rooting for Michelle Williams for Best Actress Oscar for her beautiful and subtle performance as a troubled and surprisingly shy Marilyn Monroe from My Week With Marilyn. That all changed after I watched how Meryl Streep transformed herself into Margaret Thatcher in an otherwise average biopic of the first female British Prime Minister in the early 80’s through 1990.

From the early shots of her when the film focuses on the Prime Minister years after she left office and, apparently shortly after her husband’s death in 2003, we spot the weaknesses in a woman that has never allowed anybody to trample her since before she even became involved in politics, a woman so determined not to be tied down by any man, even made it quite clear to her husband Dennis Thatcher the minute after he proposed to her.

Her rise to power was no bed of roses though. In The Iron Lady we see how this remarkable woman had to learn how to become the woman she was to become: more assertive, demanding, build her presence and become even more extraordinaire than she already was. She had to face a lot of criticism and hatred from her peers as well as her enemies (and she had quite a few attempts made against her life, but she’s still alive and kicking today at 87 years of age).

The most I remember from this woman is her involvement in a war to claim (or reclaim) the Falklands islands (also known as Malvinas, in Spanish) from Argentina which was a big deal for all South Americans, it was certainly a very controversial and a test that she was put through. I actually remember hearing about this back in 1982 when Argentina occupied the islands and Margaret Thatcher decided to declare war and reclaim these islands, although I was very young at the time but I always saw her as a ruthless tyrant that wanted to “get back” islands that didn’t really belong to her to begin with that’s another Oprah all together and I frankly don’t like to discuss politics (All I gotta add to that is: Las Malvinas son Argentinas, that’s it, I’ll drop it now). What I do recall is how Argentinians and most South American countries united forces to fight the British but they ultimately lost the battle on June 1982.

SPOILER ALERT I was surprised that The Iron Lady didn’t touch many political issues during the movie and focused more on her life before, during and after being Prime Minister. I particularly like Streep as a vulnerable and troubled Margaret Thatcher, the side of her that we never got to see. She was a very dedicated woman that many times put her job ahead of her family. We see how Margaret maintains a solid conversation with her dead husband whom at first we believe is a “flashback” however we soon realize she’s really just losing her marbles and being tormented by the memory of him, maybe a sign of how much she became used to him and how he had always supported her in every way, even if he was against the idea of being married to the Prime Minister.

It was a touching and incredible performance by the chameleon known as Meryl Streep. If there’s a person that could blend in so well into many diverse characters is Streep: one year she played a nun in Doubt, then a ruthless boss of a fashion magazine in The Devil Wears Prada, next she transformed to Julia Childs in Julie & Julia and she does it with such easy that’s hard to see the real woman behind the character. I wonder what will she be picking up next, a superhero?

It’ll be interesting to see how this year’s Oscar race plays out for Best Actress spot, Meryl faces some strong contenders this year vary from Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn), Viola Davis (The Help), Glen Close (Albert Nobbs), Rooney Mara (The Girl With Dragon Tattoo), Charlize Theron (Young Adult) or even Kristen Wiig for Bridesmaids (furthest chance, all of which have had a chance at the Golden Globes but we’re still yet to see the nominees for the Oscars (which should be pretty soon now). So I keep my fingers crossed for Michelle but I wouldn’t doubt for one minute that Meryl Streep will pull the rug under her feet this year. Nobody messes with this (Iron) Lady.

Breaking Up With Adele

Adele's 21
Track Listing

1. Rolling in the Deep (Best song from 21. That simple.)
2. Rumour Has It (This song will send you back in time circa 1965, pretty groovy tune)
3. Turning Tables
4. Don't You Remember
5. Set Fire to the Rain
6. He Won't Go
7. Take It All (You don't want to piss a woman this much and if you you're asshole, this song goes great before you get to track 11. This album should be retitled: "The Breakup", its definitely her best topic since every song speaks of heartbreak, an emotional rollercoaster)
8. I'll Be Waiting
9. One and Only
10. Lovesong (not many people can cover this The Cure but Adele does it with such finesse that I can't decide which version I like better now)
11. Someone Like You (Bring out your box of tissues, ready? Now hit play... The difference between this breakup song and, say, Alanis' You Oughta Know, is that Adele's deliverance reveals that she isn't really over her ex and having to hear her say that she wishes the best for them two is so heartbreaking yet sincere, never sarcastic and reveals a wound that still doesn't heal, it's pure heaven)



Some music takes time to sink in. I usually wait a few weeks, even months before I decide to write about new music that really moves me. With Adele's 21 it's taken me a few weeks to really weigh in on her latest CD titled 21 (I assume that's how old she was when it was released since her first album was titled 19, so I guess we can expect odd numbers from Adele, looking forward to 23, 25...) and not because I didn't love it from the first time I heard it when we were heading to Las Vegas last November (I think?) but because I needed time to let the songs sink into my brain before I could make up my mind. For some odd reason is easier to critique a movie than music, it has to take time to really become part of your daily soundtrack and to be more fairly give the final grade.

Well, it's to no surprise by now that 21 is a true masterpiece. Ever since I heard "Someone Like You" and how emotionally charged that this song among all other tracks I was immediately sold. Every time I heard the songs they start sounding different and more beautiful, the same feeling that I got from listening Alicia Keys' Element of Freedom or Sade's Soldier of Love where just about every tune is better than the next. I must say that 21 is quite better than 19, although I've only heard 19 a couple of times but I can already tell how Adele has evolved and her emotions are so much more raw than in her previous work.

Besides "Someone Like You", I enjoy "Rolling In The Deep" which reminds me of Janis Joplin or Aretha Franklin back in their hayday when they just played soulful and meaningful songs, songs that spoke louder than words, when everytime you heard them meant something different and profound. And there's just a tenderness in Adele's voice that's so distinctive yet she could hit those powerful notes so effortlessly to deliver that energy that each track contains within. I'm not even going to categorize her since I realize that putting labels to music is gotten so old and if a song hits you in your heart and you know you really feel everything she's going through, if it carries that message and it hits home then her mission has been accomplished.

And please I beg of you (yeah, you Facebook haters): stop comparing Adele with Amy Winehouse since they're both very different people and each has their own talent and they each have their specific styles, it's just unfortunate that Amy is no longer with us but you shouldn't take it up on Adele. So just sit back, put that record on and relax. And if you happen to shed a tear or two, that's just a risk you're gonna have to take.

Just Like Hævnen



In a Better World

 I like it when a movie takes me completely by surprise. Once in a while Dean and I stumble across a movie that really move us and get us talking. That’s the case with this little known Danish gem called “Hævnen” or “In a Better World” (I like the original title much better, even though I thought hævnen means Heaven: it’s actually Danish word for revenge).


It’s roughly the story of an unlikely friendship between two boys Christian (played with steely precision by William Jøhnk Nielsen) and Elias (Markus Rygaard), the latter of them is a victim of humiliation by the school’s bully until Christian decides to take action in his own hands. It’s a situation we all (by WE I mean everybody who’s ever been verbally or physically been mistreated in school for being different) wished we could have the guts to have done to our oppressors yet it quickly becomes an obsession to get “even” with everybody who bullies whether they’re in school or even in the world of adults.

A very interesting point the movie makes is that the world we live in while we’re growing up is just as raw and unforgiving as the real world is and we get to see both sides of the coin when Elias’ father gets slapped silly multiple times by a mechanic who’s all very happy to finish last in a fight that his father seeks to avoid. In the Bible we read about Jesus saying to turn the other cheek when people offend us but when you apply that scenario in the real world literally it just doesn’t seem fair (or smart). And both Christian and Elias want to seek hævnen even though Christian takes this to the next level.

The beauty of Hævnen is that is not trying to focus more importance to the drama that the boys are experiencing with that of their parents and we get to see all sides to the story. Every one of the characters have a good motive to feel and act as they do and the dialogue and acting of everyone in the cast left me breathless. It’s strange that movies like this get unnoticed while other blockbusters get too much exposure sometimes. I never knew that this movie was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 2011 and won, it’s no wonder that we need to look further than Hollywood to see the real gems on the silver screen.

My Foreign Language Wishlist:

• Biutiful (Mexico),
• La Teta Asustada or The Milk of Sorrow (from Peru, and just so you are in the know the literal translation is The Frightened Tit, so I think Milk of Sorrow is more suitable for a title),
• France’s A Prophet, and
• USA’s In the Land of Blood and Honey (which is actually Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut set in Bosnia).
• My early Oscar prediction for win in the upcoming 2012 Oscar Academy Award (or so I heard): Persia’s A Separation. It already won the Golden Globe so it's a sure bet.