Today was a smaller bundle than yesterday, but no less interesting. While I haven’t been sharing the various morsels I get outside of screeners (such as a copy of The Descendants‘ screenplay or a small book on Martha Marcy May Marlene, I do have to share today’s most interesting non-screener-related paraphernalia. Yesterday, I got The Tree of Life commercial Blu-ray/DVD box, which didn’t include any For Your Consideration information.

Today, I received a package with the FYC material listed, which includes individual pictures from the film (kind of like lobby cards, but not quite the right size) depicting scenes from the film along with each category for you to consider. On the back, along with a place for a postage stamp and an address, there are quotes from various reviews about the film. I’ll post that FYC information at the end of the post, but it must be noted that until now, I had thought Brad Pitt would be competing with himself for Best Actor for this film. However, the publicists have thrown me a curve ball putting him into Supporting Actor for the film. I doubt Sean Penn, who’s also being pushed, will be angry over it, but this does kind of smack of payback for him speaking out against the film a couple of months ago. Of course, the more likely reason is that they want a chance for Pitt to get nominated for their film, not Moneyball, so they’ve slotted him into support so he might even get a double nomination.

The Warner Bros. portion featured J. Edgar plus a commercial copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.

J. Edgar

Genre: Historical Drama
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, Armie Hammer
Director: Clint Eastwood
Premise: From the screener: “During his lifetime, J. Edgar Hoover would rise to be the most powerful man in America. As head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nearly 50 years, he would stop at nothing to protect his country. Through eight presidents and three wars, Hoover waged battle against threats both real and perceived, often bending the rules to keep his countrymen safe. His methods were at once ruthless and heroic, with the admiration of the world his most coveted, if ever elusive, prize. As seen through the eyes of Hoover himself, J. Edgar explores the personal and public life and relationships of a man who could distort the truth as easily as he upheld it during a life devoted to his own idea of justice, often swayed by the darker side of power.”
Oscar Chances: The movie has come and gone. It was neither a box office behemoth or a critical one. Still, its chances at several nominations still exist, though they are somewhat diminished. Never count out Clint, though Picture, Actor (DiCaprio), Supporting Actor (Hammer), Supporting Actress (Dench), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing are all still possible.
Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture (Clint Eastwood, Brian Grazer, Robert Lorenz)
• Best Director (Clint Eastwood)
• Best Original Screenplay (Dustin Lance Black)
• Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
• Best Supporting Actress (Naomi Watts, Judi Dench)
• Best Supporting Actor (Armie Hammer)
• Best Art Direction (James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis)
• Best Cinematography (Tom Stern)
• Best Costume Design (Deborah Hopper)
• Best Film Editing (Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach)
• Best Makeup (Sian Grigg, Duncan Jarman, Tania McComas, Carol A. O’Connell)
• Best Original Score (Clint Eastwood)
• Best Sound Mixing (Jose Antonio Garcia, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff)
• Best Sound Editing (Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman)
• Best Visual Effects (Michael Owens, Ollie Rankin, Geoffrey Hancock, Jean Lapointe)

Rotten Tomatoes:
40% (151 critics; as of 11/22/11)
Metacritic:
59 out of 100 (41 critics; as of 11/22/11)
My Review:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Genre: Fantasy
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Warwick Davis, John Hurt, Helena Bonham Carter, Kelly Macdonald, Tom Felton, Jason Isaacs, Helen McCrory, Ciaran Hinds, Devon Murray, Maggie Smith, Bonnie Wright, Jim Broadbent, Miriam Margolyes, Gemma Jones, George Harris, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, Mark Williams, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, David Bradley, Natalia Tena, Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Gary Oldman
Director: David Yates
Premise: The final chapter in the most successful film franchise in history brings Harry Potter to his toughest challenge, defeating Voldemort and saving humanity from his villainy.
Oscar Chances: While the chances of a Best Picture nomination remain slim, it wouldn’t be unexpected to find it mentioned there. Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects are all likely possibilities.
Rotten Tomatoes:
96% (266 critics; as of 11/22/11)
Metacritic:
87 out of 100 (41 critics; as of 11/22/11)
My Review:

The Tree of Life

Campaign-Proposed Categories:

• Best Picture (Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill)
• Best Director (Terrence Malick)
• Best Original Screenplay (Terrence Malick)
• Best Actor (Hunter McCracken)
• Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt, Sean Penn)
• Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Chastain)
• Best Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki)
• Best Film Editing (Hank Corwin, Jay Rabinowitz, Daniel Rezende, Billy Weber, Mark Yoshikawa)
• Best Art Direction (Jack Fisk, Jeanette Scott)
• Best Costume Design (Jacqueline West)
• Best Sound Mixing (John Pritchett, Kirk Francis, Craig Berkey, Christopher Scarabosio, Jeremy Peirson)
• Best Sound Editing (Craig Berkey), Erik Aadahl)
• Best Visual Effects (Dan Glass)