Friday Familiar Faces: Mark Strong

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe! There are plenty of actors out there who people recognize by face but can’t identify because they just don’t tend to get the leading roles. There is a fantastic book (and website) dedicated to this phenomenon, appropriately titled “Hey! It’s That Guy” and touting the fantastic J.T. Walsh as the ultimate recognizable everyman.

This series will spotlight an actor or actress who has recently turned in a notable or scene-stealing performance and showcase some of their best cinematic appearances. More than other any feature, this series will merge the worlds of television and film as needed to highlight a performer’s best and most recognizable work.

Mark Strong

Where you’ve seen him most recently: As villain Matai Shang in “John Carter,” loyal agent Jim Prideaux in “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” and an intellectual criminal in “The Guard”

Where you might have first seen him: A number of roles since the early 1990s in England, and probably “Syriana” or “Sunshine” in terms of productions that made it over to the United States

Other notable appearances: A hilarious part as a henchman in “RocknRolla,” an AFT Award-winning performance as Jordanian Intelligence agent Hani Salaam in “Body of Lies,” and as villains Lord Blackwood and Sir Godfrey in “Sherlock Holmes” and “Robin Hood,” respectively

What you might expect from him: A serious, deep-voiced gangster or other villain not held back by conscience, most often extremely intelligent, cunning, and eager to outwit his rivals.

Thursday Theoretical Oscar Category

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In my love for everything Oscar, it’s always fun to speculate on who or what might have been included given different circumstances. Though there are twenty-four fields recognized on Oscar night, that still neglects a handful of key players. As a result, I’d like to take a look each week at imagined categories, and who or what might have benefited from their existence.

The category: Best Casting

Why it should exist: The role of the casting director is a crucial one, since assembling an ensemble makes the existing Oscar acting categories possible. The Casting Society of America has a handful of separate categories for productions of different financial and thematic natures. Enough people believe that this category is worthwhile that it’s been suggested three times in the past fifteen years, last rejected in 2011.

Why it doesn’t exist: The Academy’s justification was that it was too hard to determine who did the casting in a movie (the director, for instance, might also have been involved), and that there shouldn’t be any new categories (an irrelevant objection for our purposes). Most importantly, average viewers aren’t particularly interested in hearing speeches from other faces they don’t recognize.

Who might have been nominated the past five years:
2011: The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Margin Call, Moneyball
2010: The Fighter, The King’s Speech, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, The Town
2009: Inglourious Basterds, The Hurt Locker, Nine, Sherlock Holmes, Up in the Air
2008: The Dark Knight, Doubt, Milk, Revolutionary Road, Star Trek
2007: Hairspray, Into the Wild, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men

Who do you think might have been nominated?

Wednesday Oscar Retrospective: The Real Best Pictures of 2009

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Retrospective. The Real Best Pictures is the seventh in a series of projects looking back at the past eight years of the Oscars, dating back to the first ceremony I watched and closely followed.

For this feature, imagine that an Oscar nomination for Best Picture was cumulative rather than based on votes in just that category. That means taking into account how well a film performed in other categories, and how many Oscars it eventually took home. Like the other series before it, this one is highly speculative, but the point is just to have fun, so chime in with your thoughts in the comments!

And the nominees were… Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air

The keepers, no questions: The five Best Director nominees - Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, and Up in the Air.

The question marks: It’s not guaranteed that Up would have broken through to become the second-ever animated film to be nominated in the top race, but it is highly likely. District 9 and An Education were probably safe choices as well, earning a few other mentions. A Serious Man earned only one other nomination, for writing, which means it would have been very vulnerable.

The losers: The inexplicable nominee, The Blind Side. This may have been Sandra Bullock’s year to take home an Oscar, but there’s no reason her film should also have earned a nomination.

The new inclusions: It’s possible that Crazy Heart, Invictus, or The Messenger could be considered popular enough, but I'd say that it would have been Star Trek, a far superior fan choice than “The Blind Side.”

The new nominees: Avatar, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Star Trek, Up, Up in the Air

Come back next week for a look at the Real Best Pictures of 2008 when we get back to just five nominees!

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: The Impossible

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Impossible – Opening December 21, 2012

The trailer for this late December release is incredibly emotional and makes the film look like one hell of a sobering and inspiring experience. Though it’s touted as a drama/thriller on IMDB, this is a movie that’s much more about the journey than anything else, as it proclaims a “true story of survival” and even shows the reunion between its main characters at the end of the trailer. This is sure to boost the career of Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona, who helmed the acclaimed 2007 film “The Orphanage,” considerably, marking his first English-language production and one that managed to net two premiere actors. Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts are both extremely adept at playing characters dealing with tragedy, and from the trailer, they appear to be delivering wrenching, heartfelt performances. The child actors are also likely to be excellent, and the graphics and visuals representing the tsunami and its aftermath. The initial arrival of the wave is reminiscent of a similar scene from Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter,” but this one arrives with much more force, intensity, and shocking speed, indicating that this film is going to be one astonishing and heart-pounding journey.

Monday Movie Moments: A Few Good Men

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. There are great movies, and then there are great scenes. Ideally, the two come as a package deal, but sometimes there’s just a scene that’s memorable all by itself. Each week, I’ll be taking a look at a formative movie moment that may be notable for its style, content, technique, or something else altogether. Minor spoilers will be alluded to in each edition of the series, so please stop reading if you’ve somehow avoided seeing the movie in question.

This probably ranks as one of the most referenced movie scenes of all time, from Rob Reiner’s 1992 Best Picture nominee “A Few Good Men.” Jack Nicholson earned an obvious Oscar nomination for his portrayal as stern military man Colonel Nathan R. Jessup, who staunchly defends his right to do what he pleases in service of protecting his country. That includes talking to down to the excitable young lawyer portrayed by Tom Cruise, then thirty years old. The implications of this scene, which comes near the end of the film, are enormous for the film’s plot, but it’s also a sterling showcase of characters and dialogue. It’s no surprise that the script was in fact penned by one Aaron Sorkin, who inexplicably missed out on an Oscar nomination for adapting his own play. While this film is a quality military legal drama, this scene is what defines it.

Sunday Similar Subjects

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. After spending a number of weeks looking at actors who tend to play the same characters, it’s time to spotlight two films with eerily similar plots that came out at roughly the same time. There are surprisingly more examples than might be obvious, and this series will examine the similarities and differences between the two, and how their simultaneous releases affected each other.

Antz / A Bug’s Life

Release dates: October 2, 1998 / November 25, 1998

The similarities: Both were computer-animated films, the second and third in the United States, respectively, following one open-minded insect in his quest to revitalize the way his colony works and to pursue the ant princess.

The differences: The former was released by DreamWorks, and the latter by Pixar. Story-wise, the former featured a tyrannical structure within the ant colony itself, while the latter set its hero against his grasshopper oppressors.

The releases: Both films did well in theatres, with the former earning $90 million domestically and the latter earning $162 million. The Thanksgiving release of the latter almost certainly helped it. Both films opened to positive reviews, and both earned four Annie Award nominations, taking home zero trophies each.

Which one is more likely to be remembered? The latter, because it was put out by Pixar. This simultaneous release actually got people upset because of the rivalry between DreamWorks and Pixar, and while DreamWorks beat Pixar to the punch by releasing the second computer-generated film (“Toy Story” was the first), its film didn’t do quite as well and, perhaps unfairly, isn’t remembered as favorably.

Saturday Night Movie Recommendations with Abe

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. I'm going to be providing a handy guide to a few choice movies currently playing in NYC as well as several films newly released on DVD. I’ll also aim to comment on those films I have not yet had the chance to see, and I invite you to add in your thoughts on any films I haven’t seen in the comments below. Understandably, some weeks will have considerably fewer releases to address than others.

Now Playing in NYC

Hit and Run (mixed bag): This comedy co-directed and written by and starring Dax Shepard has a fun premise but gets carried away with its ridiculousness rather than stay solidly grounded. It still has its funny moments, and it’s decent light entertainment. Now playing in wide release. Read my review from yesterday.

New to DVD

A Separation (highly recommended): This spectacular Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film from Iran is an excellent portrait more about relationships between people and right and wrong than as the picture of divorce in a repressed society it’s been perceived to be. It’s equally fantastic on both fronts.

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

Skin (recommended): This drama about apartheid-era South Africa features strong performances from Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill, and Alice Krige and a compelling story of race politics and family dynamics.

Super 8 (recommended): J.J. Abrams’ super hit is a great throwback to films like “E.T.” that focus on children and their fascination with extraterrestrial occurrences. It contains some terrific effects, makeup, acting, and action, and it’s a hugely enjoyable and engrossing picture.

Movie with Abe: Hit and Run

Hit and Run
Directed by David Palmer and Dax Shepard
Released August 22, 2012

Sometimes, a film’s title is misleading. Anyone who hadn’t seen a trailer for this film might expect it to be a drama about a car accident or an action movie starring Nicolas Cage or Liam Neeson as they pursue the man who ran down some female family member of theirs. Rather than the conventional “fleeing the scene” definition, this comedy’s title refers to Charlie Bronson (Dax Shepard), a getaway driver in the Witness Protection Program after getting caught and turning in his accomplices, the central character in this excessively nutty film full of nice cars and stupid, selfish people.

The last collaboration between directors David Palmer and Dax Shepard was the unfortunate Tribeca Film Festival entry from last year, “Brother’s Justice.” Invented stories are clearly better than slightly fictional ones featuring real people playing themselves, and, as a result, “Hit and Run” is a more effective and entertaining flick. As with their last feature, however, it’s clear that bigger is better, and therefore all the characters are loud, obnoxious, and hell-bent on acting crazy, something that, more often than not, proves to be funny and enjoyable.

Shepard, who doesn’t vary the roles he plays much aside from his surprisingly heartfelt turn on NBC’s “Parenthood,” has enlisted a diverse and fun cast for this zany adventure. Tom Arnold and Bradley Cooper get the opportunity to go big or go home as an idiotic marshal and a hot-tempered criminal, respectively, and Joy Bryant, Kristin Chenoweth, and Beau Bridges get their own standout moments of comedy. The always wonderful Kristen Bell has had far better parts, and the real standout of the ensemble is Michael Rosenbaum, who proved himself excellent as a recurring guest on FOX’s “Breaking In” after spending seven stoic seasons as Lex Luthor on “Smallville,” as her jealous ex-boyfriend.

“Hit and Run” is a decent popcorn movie, but it’s disappointing since the comedic caliber of its cast and the premise could have resulted in a far more consistent and cohesive product. The film peaks halfway through when all of its plotlines begin to come together, and the denouement is hardly as exciting or fulfilling. The film rarely opts for extreme, R-rated humor, which is something that could have helped to enhance its otherwise tempered-down wackiness. Shepard, who penned the film, clearly has a sense of what’s funny, and it would have been great to see a more even and satisfying film emerge from his mind.

C+

Thursday Theoretical Oscar Category

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In my love for everything Oscar, it’s always fun to speculate on who or what might have been included given different circumstances. Though there are twenty-four fields recognized on Oscar night, that still neglects a handful of key players. As a result, I’d like to take a look each week at imagined categories, and who or what might have benefited from their existence.

The category: Best Comedic Performance

Why it should exist: Without adding a slew of acting categories akin to the Golden Globes, this would recognize the fact that comedies are, by and large, ignored by Oscar voters. It would also help to spotlight individual achievement by recognizing an actor or actress with comedic chops, and having Oscar reward comedy would be really cool.

Why it doesn’t exist: Most years, one comedic performer does break through, be it Diane Keaton in “Something’s Gotta Give” or Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder,” and I think that’s about as far as Oscar voters will want to go in terms of both legitimizing comedy and admitting that they are biased towards much more serious fare.

Who might have been nominated the past five years:
2011: Jean Dujardin, Brendan Gleeson, Melissa McCarthy, Charlize Theron, Kristen Wiig
2010: Annette Bening, Jim Carrey, Rachel McAdams, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone
2009: Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock
2008: Penelope Cruz, Robert Downey Jr., James Franco, Sally Hawkins, Frances McDormand
2007: Katherine Heigl, Ellen Page, John C. Reilly, Seth Rogen, John Travolta

Who do you think might have been nominated?

Wednesday Oscar Retrospective: The Real Best Pictures of 2010

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Retrospective. The Real Best Pictures is the seventh in a series of projects looking back at the past eight years of the Oscars, dating back to the first ceremony I watched and closely followed.

For this feature, imagine that an Oscar nomination for Best Picture was cumulative rather than based on votes in just that category. That means taking into account how well a film performed in other categories, and how many Oscars it eventually took home. Like the other series before it, this one is highly speculative, but the point is just to have fun, so chime in with your thoughts in the comments!

And the nominees were… Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone

The keepers, no questions: Well, The King’s Speech and The Social Network stay, as do directorial nominees The Fighter and Black Swan.

The question marks: Despite its directional snub, Inception would have still stayed, as would True Grit, which lost all ten of its bids. Toy Story 3 would likely have had enough power to remain in the race. Because there were ten nominees, both The Kids Are All Right and Winter’s Bone would have stuck it out, though an unfixed number of slots like the following year would have likely discounted both of them.

The losers: None, under a ten-wide system.

The new inclusions: No film not nominated for Best Picture earned more than three nominations, and that was Alice in Wonderland, which would most certainly not have made it into the top category.

The new nominees: This time, probably the same as the old nominees, though the list would have been capped at eight if there didn’t need to be ten nominees.

Come back next week for a look at the Real Best Pictures of 2009.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Trouble with the Curve

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Trouble with the Curve – Opening September 21, 2012

Now 82 years old, Clint Eastwood returns with his first film role since 2008’s “Gran Torino,” in which he played a lonely old man stuck in his old ways who unexpectedly made new friendships in the pursuit of protecting his way of life. Now he’s back with a similar part that’s more family-focused, following up on the baseball focus of “Moneyball” with the story of a scout and his adult daughter, whose life spent with her father has given her a great perspective on sports ability. Eastwood’s last semi-foray into the world of sports, “Invictus,” was excellent, and he’s always managed to get terrific performances out of his lead actors. Amy Adams has already proven himself extremely talented and capable of fitting in with the boys after “The Fighter,” and Justin Timberlake keeps making strong movie choices that might even enable him to be better remembered years from now as an actor instead of a pop star. John Goodman, Bob Gunton, Mathew Lilllard, and a handful of others round out the supporting cast. While both “J. Edgar” and “Hereafter” had some issues, I think that this will be Eastwood’s subtle comeback, and I’m glad to see him casting himself in appropriate roles and still contributing to the cinematic universe. He doesn’t tend to release films as early as September, so we’ll get an early glimpse at a potential Oscar contender.

Monday Movie Moments: Back to the Future

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. There are great movies, and then there are great scenes. Ideally, the two come as a package deal, but sometimes there’s just a scene that’s memorable all by itself. Each week, I’ll be taking a look at a formative movie moment that may be notable for its style, content, technique, or something else altogether. Minor spoilers will be alluded to in each edition of the series, so please stop reading if you’ve somehow avoided seeing the movie in question.

This amazing science fiction classic is an incredible film whose campiness only makes it hold up better on the umpteenth viewing. Its dedication to relatively coherent theoretical science related to the idea of time travel is among its best assets, and therefore its most exciting scene is the one at the end of the first film where Marty needs to use the lightning that will strike the clock tower to propel him back to the future. The discovery that the cable is no longer connected means that Doc has to climb up onto the tower and manually connect the cable, and one of the best parts of the above clip is the way that Christopher Lloyd reacts so dramatically to everything. Alan Silvestri’s incredible score is a great assist as well, and as a result it’s a magnificent thing to see Marty go back to the future, made even more impactful by the disappearance of the DeLorean and the continued focus on 1955, as an amazed Doc dances in the street and celebrates the successful achievement of time travel. This is one of those films I could watch over and over, and this scene is one of the main reasons why.

Sunday Similar Subjects

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. After spending a number of weeks looking at actors who tend to play the same characters, it’s time to spotlight two films with eerily similar plots that came out at roughly the same time. There are surprisingly more examples than might be obvious, and this series will examine the similarities and differences between the two, and how their simultaneous releases affected each other.

Capote / Infamous

Release dates: September 30, 2005 / October 13, 2006

The similarities: This isn’t a case of movies just seeing similar – they’re actually about the same thing. Both tell the true story of author Truman Capote during the time that he was researching his book “In Cold Blood” and growing closer to Perry Smith, one of the murderers.

The differences: Though they were based on different biographies, there’s not much that’s different, aside from the actors involved. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toby Jones share the role of Capote, while Catherine Keener and Sandra Bullock play Harper Lee, and Clifton Collins Jr. and Daniel Craig play Perry Smith. The former film was slightly darker than the latter, but the stories were largely the same.

The releases: Both independent films received generally positive reviews, though the first did handily better, earning five Oscar nominations and a truckload of awards for star Philip Seymour Hoffman. The comparative grosses of the film track when adjusted for the number of theatres in which they were released. The former brought in $28 million from 1,200 theatres, while the latter raked up less than $2 million from less than 200 theatres.

Which one is more likely to be remembered? The former. This is really just a case of two films featuring the same storyline and one having the advantage of being both first and more formidable. It’s likely that many have seen the former and have never even heard of the latter.

Saturday Night Movie Recommendations with Abe

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. I'm going to be providing a handy guide to a few choice movies currently playing in NYC as well as several films newly released on DVD. I’ll also aim to comment on those films I have not yet had the chance to see, and I invite you to add in your thoughts on any films I haven’t seen in the comments below. Understandably, some weeks will have considerably fewer releases to address than others.

Now Playing in NYC

I’ve been out of town on vacation in New England recently and didn’t have the chance to catch any new releases this week. I’m equally uninterested in The Expendables 2 and The Odd Life of Timothy Green, and I’d be willing to give Compliance a chance since it looks interesting. ParaNorman will probably be fun, and I imagine I’ll catch it on DVD.

New to DVD

Nothing I’ve seen this week, but I hear good things about The Hunger Games and last year’s Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

Seeking Justice (anti-recommended): This action thriller starring Nicolas Cage is exactly what you’d expect from such a film: senseless, illogical, infuriating, annoying, and ultimately unfulfilling. If Cage was Liam Neeson, this film might have been better, but, unfortunately, Cage can’t even shelter all the blame. Skip it!

Friday Familiar Faces: Ted Levine

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe! There are plenty of actors out there who people recognize by face but can’t identify because they just don’t tend to get the leading roles. There is a fantastic book (and website) dedicated to this phenomenon, appropriately titled “Hey! It’s That Guy” and touting the fantastic J.T. Walsh as the ultimate recognizable everyman.

This series will spotlight an actor or actress who has recently turned in a notable or scene-stealing performance and showcase some of their best cinematic appearances. More than other any feature, this series will merge the worlds of television and film as needed to highlight a performer’s best and most recognizable work.

Ted Levine

Where you’ve seen him most recently: He’s been on TV a lot recently, playing a recurring part in “Luck” and a memorable role in the pilot of “Hell on Wheels”

Where you might have first seen him: As Buffalo Bill in “The Silence of the Lambs,” the killer about whom Clarice Starling is speaking with Hannibal Lecter

Other notable appearances: He’s probably best known for his eight-year stint as Captain Leland Stottlemeyer on USA’s “Monk.” He was an AFT Award winner for his limited performance as the warden in “Shutter Island,” and should also be familiar from his roles in “American Gangster,” “The Assassination of Jesse James,” and “The Fast and the Furious.” Channeling his psychopathic side, he was also the voice of the killer Rusty Nail in the 2001 film “Joy Ride.”

What you might expect from him: Either a terrifying villain or an officer of the law. The former comes with a lack of emotion, while the latter includes sarcasm and steadfastness. Both are equally fascinating, though entirely different.

Thursday Theoretical Oscar Category

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In my love for everything Oscar, it’s always fun to speculate on who or what might have been included given different circumstances. Though there are twenty-four fields recognized on Oscar night, that still neglects a handful of key players. As a result, I’d like to take a look each week at imagined categories, and who or what might have benefited from their existence.

The category: Best Family Film

Why it should exist: Family-friendly films don’t always get embraced by Oscars, and this category would underline the fact that not all movies for kids are animated, and vice-versa. There would have to be a rating requirement (G or PG only), and it would recognize heart-warming films for all ages. Both Best Animated Feature and Best Picture nominees would be eligible since a film can be both (or all three).

Why it doesn’t exist: Aside from the main fact that only one Best Picture category exists, it probably wouldn’t seem necessary to recognize family achievements. The Best Animated Feature category didn’t get added until 2001, long after animation had taken off, so it doesn’t seem likely that another category, which could also include the Best Picture choices, would be anyone’s priority. This category could also end up as a clone of the Best Animated Feature race.

Who might have been nominated the past five years:
2011: The Adventures of Tintin, Hugo, The Muppets, Puss in Boots, Winnie the Pooh
2010: Alice in Wonderland, Flipped, How To Train Your Dragon, Tangled, Toy Story 3
2009: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Coraline, The Princess and the Frog, Up, Where the Wild Things Are
2008: Bedtime Stories, Bolt, High School Musical 3, Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E
2007: Bee Movie, Enchanted, Hairspray, Ratatouille, Surf’s Up

Who do you think might have been nominated?

Wednesday Oscar Retrospective: The Real Best Pictures of 2011

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Retrospective. The Real Best Pictures is the seventh in a series of projects looking back at the past eight years of the Oscars, dating back to the first ceremony I watched and closely followed.

For this feature, imagine that an Oscar nomination for Best Picture was cumulative rather than based on votes in just that category. That means taking into account how well a film performed in other categories, and how many Oscars it eventually took home. Like the other series before it, this one is highly speculative, but the point is just to have fun, so chime in with your thoughts in the comments!

And the nominees were… The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse

The keepers, no questions: Best Picture winner The Artist is an obvious keeper, as are Hugo, The Descendants, and Midnight in Paris. Though it didn’t take home any Oscars in the end, Moneyball would have made it too.

The question marks: Though Best Director and Best Screenplay nominations seem like necessary prerequisites for this imagined eligibility, I think that both The Help and War Horse had enough acting and technical nominations, respectively, to merit them a Best Picture placement.

The losers: This doesn’t bode well for The Tree of Life, which just barely made it in with directorial and cinematographic mentions. Ditto Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, an incredibly deserving but equally surprisingly nominee that objectively wouldn’t have figured in if it had to stack up its one acting mention against other films’ totals.

The new inclusions: Though it also performed less strongly than expected, in some respects, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo still netted five nominations and a crucial win for Best Film Editing, which seems substantial enough to put it in the top race.

The new nominees: Since this year’s ceremony stipulated anywhere from five to ten inclusions, I say there would have been eight rather than nine: The Artist, The Descendants, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, and War Horse.

Come back next week for a look at the Real Best Pictures of 2010!

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Zero Dark Thirty

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Zero Dark Thirty – Opening December 19, 2012

A good teaser is supposed to show just enough to whet the appetite. This film has great credentials – Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal, the Oscar-winning director and writer of “The Hurt Locker” – and its subject matter, the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, is certainly intriguing. Visual redactions and faceless voices are effective to creative an air of mystery and suspense, and it highlights the film’s plot as its central element, rather than its cast. That said, an impressive list of names is affiliated with the film, including Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Mark Duplass, Kyle Chandler, Chris Pratt, Joel Edgerton, Harold Perrineau, Jason Clarke, and Stephen Dillane. The trailer makes it seem like much of the film will focus on the actual action overseas and the missions on the ground rather than the control room back in the United States, but it’s possible that the film will manage both, like “United 93” did. “The Hurt Locker” was an original screenplay, and so is this one, but, given that it is based on actual events, it may adhere to a stricter drama format, though the director’s previous project suggests that it will also incorporate action and suspense extremely well. No matter what, this is sure to be one of the most buzzed-about films of awards season.

Monday Movie Moments: The Silence of the Lambs

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. There are great movies, and then there are great scenes. Ideally, the two come as a package deal, but sometimes there’s just a scene that’s memorable all by itself. Each week, I’ll be taking a look at a formative movie moment that may be notable for its style, content, technique, or something else altogether. Minor spoilers will be alluded to in each edition of the series, so please stop reading if you’ve somehow avoided seeing the movie in question.

Warning: this is not for the faint of heart. This violent 1991 thriller took home the top five Oscars, for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Jodie Foster, who turned in an incredible performance, doesn’t appear in this scene, but Anthony Hopkins does, and he’s magnificent. Though Hannibal Lecter isn’t technically the villain in this film, this scene sure indicates otherwise, as he makes a terrifying, meticulously-planned escape from his cage. His love for classical music is deeply disturbing, as he sits and enjoys it after he has brutally attacked his captors. Seeing him grab a cop’s face and just start eating it is frightening, but this scene makes excellent use of the unseen to an equally effective degree. The elevator moving on its own is one example, and all of the cops charging in to find one of their own crucified on the cage is another. There’s no comparison, however, to the final reveal that comes at the very end of the third clip. This is brilliant and horrifying stuff.

Sunday Similar Subjects

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. After spending a number of weeks looking at actors who tend to play the same characters, it’s time to spotlight two films with eerily similar plots that came out at roughly the same time. There are surprisingly more examples than might be obvious, and this series will examine the similarities and differences between the two, and how their simultaneous releases affected each other.

Deep Impact / Armageddon

Release dates: May 8, 1998 / July 1, 1998

The similarities: An asteroid/comet is heading towards Earth. Choose your savior: Robert Duvall or Bruce Willis.

The differences: The former film had much more to do with life back on planet Earth in preparation for the arrival of the comet, while the latter focused on the testosterone-heavy mission into space to destroy the damn thing. The respective taglines underline the difference between the tones of the film, both of which merge action and romance. The former’s was “Oceans rise. Cities fall. Hope survives.” The latter had many, the highlights of which were “School’s out...forever,” “Time to Kick Some Asteroid,” and “Take the Ride of Your Life.”

The releases: Both films made a lot of money, and most people didn’t care for either one of them. “Deep Impact” brought in $140 million domestically, while “Armageddon,” which had the benefit of being released right around July 4th, made $202 million, currently ranking as the 121st highest-grossing film of all time. The latter film earned a handful of award nominations, but topped its four technical Oscar mentions with seven Razzie Award nominations, and a win for lead actor Bruce Willis.

Which one is more likely to be remembered? Neither. They’re probably best remembered as a pair because of their similar themes more than anything else. Far better action movies have been made both before and since then. The former probably has less notoriety since its director is an Emmy-winning TV director, whereas the former was helmed by Michael Bay. Enough said.