Silver Linings Playbook

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(2012)

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Director: David O. Russell

Writers: David O. Russell, Matthew Quick

Producers: Bruce Cohen, Bradley Cooper, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon, Mark Kamine, George Parra, Michelle Raimo, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Renee Witt

   

Nominee

Synopsis: Life doesn't always go according to plan. Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything -- his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert DeNiro) after spending eight months is a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat's parents want is for him to get back on his feet-and to share their family's obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he'll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives. -- (Written by The Weinstein Company)

Cast:

• Bradley Cooper
• Jennifer Lawrence
• Robert De Niro
• Jacki Weaver
• Chris Tucker
• Julia Stiles

IMDb - Silver Linings Playbook

The Hunger Games

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(2012)

Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi

Director: Gary Ross

Writers: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray

Producers: Diana Alvarez, Robin Bissell, Suzanne Collins, Chantal Feghali, Nina Jacobson, Jon Kilik, Aldric La'auli Porter, Louise Rosner, Bryan Unkeless

Synopsis: Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. -- (Written by Lionsgate)

Cast:

• Jennifer Lawrence
• Josh Hutcherson
• Liam Hemsworth
• Stanley Tucci
• Wes Bentley
• Elizabeth Banks
• Woody Harrelson
• Lenny Kravitz
• Donald Sutherland

IMDb - The Hunger Games

Like Crazy

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(2011)

Genre: Drama

Director: Drake Doremus

Writers: Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones

Producers: James Belfer, Brian Buckland, Amy Fallows, Siobhan Mahoney, Marius A. Markevicius, Jonathan Schwartz, Andrea Sperling

Synopsis: A love story is both a physical and emotional tale, one that can be deeply personal and heartbreaking for an audience to experience. Director Drake Doremus' film Like Crazy beautifully illustrates how your first real love is as thrilling and blissful as it is devastating. When a British college student (Felicity Jones) falls for her American classmate (Anton Yelchin) they embark on a passionate and life-changing journey only to be separated when she violates the terms of her visa. Like Crazy explores how a couple faces the real challenges of being together and of being apart. -- (Written by Paramount)

Cast:

• Felicity Jones
• Anton Yelchin
• Jennifer Lawrence

IMDb - Like Crazy

The Beaver

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(2011)

Genre: Drama

Director: Jodie Foster

Writer: Kyle Killen

Producers: Dianne Dreyer, Steve Golin, Jonathan King, Keith Redmon, Ann Ruark

Synopsis: A troubled husband and executive adopts a beaver hand-puppet as his sole means of communicating. (Written by IMDb Editors)

Cast:

• Mel Gibson
• Jodie Foster
• Anton Yelchin
• Jennifer Lawrence

IMDb - The Beaver

X-Men: First Class

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(2011)
Genre: Action/Adventure

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Writer: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn, Sheldon Turner, Bryan Singer

Nominee

Synopsis: Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-MEN. (Written by Twentieth Century Fox)

Cast:

• James McAvoy
• Michael Fassbender
• Kevin Bacon
• Jennifer Lawrence
• Rose Byrne
• January Jones
• Nicholas Hoult
• Zoë Kravitz
• Oliver Platt
• Hugh Jackman
• Rebecca Romijn

 

IMDb - X-Men: First Class 

Winter's Bone (jhunterfilmreview)

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(2010)

Genre: Thriller/Drama

Director: Debra Granik

Writer: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Daniel Woodrell

Nominee
 

Synopsis: An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact. (Written by IMDb Editors)

Cast:

• Jennifer Lawrence

 

IMDb - Winter's Bone

jhunterfilmreview: For 2010, a film that has caught the eye of most award associations is Winter's Bone, a mysterious and dark drama-thriller about an Ozark mountain girl's plight to track her fugitive father and continue to look after her siblings and incapacitated mother. This is independent director, Debra Granik's second feature film, but you wouldn't know it. She has earned the Grand Jury Prize for Drama in 2010 at the Sundance Film Festival, for this haunting masterpiece. Winter's Bone is based on the 2006 novel of the same name, written by American crime writer Danny Woodrell. It boasts an incredible, starmaking performance by Jennifer Lawrence (The Burning Plain - previously reviewed) as the main character Ree Dolly. The authenticity of Lawrence's performance as an Ozark teenager is created through scenes where she skins squirrels and shoots rifles, as well has the superb Ozark accent that Lawrence effectively hones. Tasks that Lawrence has to learn for this film specifically. Using mostly greys, blues and other dark oppressive colour tones, the entire film is shot in a bleak wooded landscape. This adds to the mystery and thriller elements of the film. I really enjoyed the story, mystery, performances and ending of the film, and...

I give this film 8 stars.

The Burning Plain

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 IMDb Users:

(2008)

 Genre: Drama

Director: Guillermo Arriaga (21 Grams, Babel)

Writer: Guillermo Arriaga

Synopsis: A trailer is burning in the middle of a plain. The bodies of two adulterous lovers are found. Scenes from both families, before and after the dramatic events, suggest an unusual connection between them. But what is their secret? (Written by IMDb Editors)

Cast:

• Charlize Theron
• Kim Basinger
• John Corbett
• J.D. Pardo
• Jennifer Lawrence
• Robin Tunney

IMDb - The Burning Plain