‘The Silver Linings Playbook’ And ‘The Master’: “Undisputed Best-Picture Contenders”
According to Yahoo! Movies, 3 movies are sure-thing oscar contenders for best picture : ‘Argo’, ‘The Silver Linings Playbook’ (with Jennifer Lawrence) and ‘The Master’ (featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman).
“Silver Linings Playbook”: The winner of the Toronto audience award — past victors have included “Slumdog Millionaire,” “American Beauty,” and “The King’s Speech” — is about two misfits who find a second chance through their burgeoning friendship. It doesn’t hurt that the actors playing those characters are the immensely popular Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Based on the popular novel, and directed by “The Fighter”‘s David O’ Russell, the quirky star-driven comedy is the kind of movie that pleases both audiences and critics. “While David O’ Russell‘s foray into conventional drama with ‘The Fighter’ was a richly satisfying knockout, it’s a joy to see him back in the off-kilter comedy realm with the wonderful ‘Silver Linings Playbook.’ Cheerfully yet poignantly exposing the struggles, anxieties, disorders and obsessions of ordinary people, this is a film as odd as it is charming,” wrote “The Hollywood Reporter”‘s David Rooney.
“The Master”: Paul Thomas Anderson’s follow-up to “There Will Be Blood” (2007) sucked up a lot of the oxygen as it made its festival rounds. But, for every passionate supporter who cries “masterpiece,” there are equally as many asking, “Did I miss something?” It’s the broad canvas drama of an obsessive WWII vet (Joaquin Phoenix) who returns home from the war, warped and broken. After a series of failed jobs, he gets sucked into the orbit of a cult leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who bears some resemblance to Scientology’s L. Ron Hubbard. The movie’s wins at Venice for best director and a combined acting prize for stars Phoenix and Hoffman put this critics’ darling at the head of the early Oscar pack despite some misgivings. “For me, it remained a film to admire and puzzle over rather than to enter into and love — but, to its credit, ‘The Master’ isn’t a work that much cares if you love it or not,” wrote “Slate”‘s Dana Stevens.
Even if it didn’t win best picture, how awesome would it be if the movie was nominated for an Oscar. omg fingers crossed