Curiously, I am not a follower of this prizes but this year we have several beautiful films like Midnight in Paris directed by Woody Allen (with Spanish production!), The Descendants (featuring George Clooney) directed by Alexander Payne, he is the main rival of Jean Dujardin starring The Artist, one of the surprises of the season. And everybody say that Maryl Streep will win the Best Actress in Supporting Role with her amazing Margaret Thatcher performance in The iron lady. The Iranian film Nader and Sinim. A separation is also favorite in Best Foreign Language Film (not talked in English).  Our Jean Eyre is logically nominated for its costumes.
There are several special films like The tree of life directed by Terrence Mallick, one of the best directors of Hollywood with a special sensibility that it is far away from great audiences. Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese have returned with two familiar films that I will recommed later War Horse and Hugo.
And I do not want to forget the two Spanish surprises! Chico & Rita directed by Fernando Trueba (who wone this prize with the film Belle Epoque) is nominated in Best Animated Film and the suberb Spanish musician Alberto Iglesias, (who also was nominated for the music of The constant gardener [El jardinero fiel, 2005] and The kite runner [Cometas en el cielo, 2007]) could win the Best Original Score prize for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [El Topo, 2011].
Beat the best!

The list in full:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jan/24/oscars-nominations-2012-list

Albert Nobbs [Albert Nobbs]-2011 Directed by Rodrigo García
Screenplay: Glenn Close, John Banville (based on the theatrical play “The singular life of Albert Nobbs”).
Cast: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brendan Gleeson, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Janet McTeer, Brenda Fricker, Pauline Collins, Bronagh Gallagher
Genre: Drama
Length: 108 min.
Synopsis: Glenn Close plays a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland. Some thirty years after donning men’s clothing, she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making. IMDb.

REVIEWS: The New York Times has written:
http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/12/21/movies/albert-nobbs-movie-review.html
TRAILER (VOSE):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSeulZcn3wo

J. Edgar [J. Edgar]-2011 Directed by Clint Eastwood
Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Judi Dench, Armie Hammer, Ed Westwick, Dermot Mulroney, Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Gladis, Stephen Root
Genre: Drama | Biopic | Political
Length: 136 min.
Synopsis: As the face of law enforcement in America for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.IMDb.

REVIEWS: The Telegraph has written:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9026020/J-Edgar-review.html

OFFICIAL WEB:
http://jedgarmovie.warnerbros.com/index.html

BASIC CLASSIC: I recommend again a film on the Filmoteca Española screen because Carmen reffered to it in class on Monday (and it is also a good movie), the acclaimed Jim Sheridan’s film In the name of the father [En el nombre del padre, 1993].

Cine Doré (Filmoteca Española), Santa Isabel 3 [Metro: Antón Martín]
Saturday 28th. 19:30h. Sala 1. VOSE. Price: 2’5 €.

In the name of the father [En el nombre del padre]-1993 Directed by Jim Sheridan
Screenplay: Terry George & Jim Sheridan (Novel: Gerry Conlon)
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson, Pete Postlethwaite, John Lynch, Beatie Edney, Mark Sheppard, Don Baker, Frank Harper, Saffron Burrows, Tom Wilkinson, Gerard McSorley
Genre: Drama | Political
Length: 125 min.
Synopsis: Man’s coerced confession to an IRA bombing he didn’t do imprisons his father as well; a British lawyer helps fight for their freedom.IMDb.

REVIEWS: Time Out London has written:
http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/76103/in-the-name-of-the-father.html

TRAILER (VO):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0ff5KjZ7vM

This film has received great praises like “Mr. Payne, with a light touch and a keen sense of place has made a movie that, for all its modesty, is as big as life.” (New York Times) or “It is an exceptionally smart and enjoyable comedy” (The Wall Street Journal).
We cannot miss this movie!

The Descendants [Los Descendientes] 2011-Directed by Alexander Payne
Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash (Novel: Kaui Hart Hemmings)
Cast: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, Robert Forster
Genre: Drama
Length: 115 min.
Sinopsis: Matt King (George Clooney), an indifferent husband and father, has to reconnect with his two young daughters when his wife is involved in a boating accident and falls into a coma. While struggling to make a decision about whether he should sell the family land that has been handed down through the generations, he uncovers a troubling secret about his wife.

Review: (from Rolling Stone)
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-descendants-20111115

Trailer (VOSE):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8zqqKQoD_M

BASIC CLASSIC: The next 21th Saturday we can watch an extraordinary film directed by Sidney Lumet, 12 Angry Men (12 Hombres sin piedad), the aclaimed movie about trials, with a very theatrical staging and starring Henry Fonda. It was the Lumet’s debut and a film with a perfect narrative structure based on spectacular plays and dialogues. Essential!

Cine Doré (Filmoteca Española), Santa Isabel 3 [Metro: Antón Martín]
20:20h. Sala 1. VOSE. Price: 2’5 e.

12 Angry Men [12 Hombres sin piedad] 1957-Directed by Sidney Lumet
Screenplay: Reginald Rose (Theater: Reginald Rose)
Genre: Drama
Lenght: 97 min.
Synopsis: The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors’ prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. Based on the play, all of the action takes place on the stage of the jury room. (IMDb)

Review (from New York Times):

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9f02e3de1730e23bbc4d52dfb266838c649ede

Trailer (VO):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7CBKT0PWFA

This ceremony is a preview of the Oscars, so the excellent Iranian film Nader and Simin. A separation, which was wone the Best Foreingn Film Prize, is going to be the favorite for the Oscars and the main rival of the Spanish movie chosen, Agustí Villaronga’s Black bread (Pa Negre).

The Artist, a movie about Hollywood, that has been filmed imitating silent movies (without dialogues, in black and white…) it is an excersice of nostalgia for the past times. Although, it is a French movie but, I think, the intertitles must be in English, so it can be a recommendation (but only to improve our reading skills, not listening).

This is the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUWOCd894-Q&feature=related

This week we could see two interesting British films:

1. The Iron Lady (Phyllida Lloyd, 2011) [Spanish title: La Dama de Hierro]

This is the new Phyllida Lloyd’s film, who directed the adaptation from the musical “Mamma Mía!” with ABBA’s songs. Meryl Streep is tranformed into the famous British Prime Minister with an amazing work of characterizing. The reviews have been very cruel on the film because it is a soft biopic of a strong personality. If we want to know more we have to see it.

REVIEWS-Guardian has written:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jan/08/the-iron-lady-review

Official web:
http://www.theironladymovie.co.uk/blog/

2. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011) [Spanish title: El Topo]

The nordic director Tomas Alfredson, who had a big success with the beautiful vampires tale “Let me in”, releases an adaptation from a novel written by John Le Carré. This is a complicated story because it is about spies, politics and secret bussines.This is one of the movies that appears in some of “The best 2011 films” lists around the world. Curiosity: The score is composed by Alberto Iglesias, the great Spanish musician.

REVIEWS-Variety has written:
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117945968?refcatid=31

Official web:
http://www.tinker-tailor-soldier-spy.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01186ml/The_Royal_Wedding_Part_2_Wedding_Ceremony_and_Procession/

Winter’s bone main actress, Jennifer Lawrence is a young woman trying to keep her family (no matter the kind) together.

Joel Cohen and Ethan Cohen have just released their own adaptation of the same novel, with Jeff Bridges in the role played by Duke (Yes, Mr. John Wayne:  ”He Was Ugly.  He Was Strong.  And He Had Dignity”) depicting a US Marshall hired by a puritan girl and helped by an officer, played here by Matt Damon. All of them will have their true grit tested in this renewed version of a pure western film.