Looking Ahead to 2009/10 Awards race

I know this awards race is not over, but the Oscar nominations were ho hum, and boring and kind of yucky all around.
So with great pleasure I am looking towards the films (mainly the performances) that have shown at Sundance to positive word of mouth:

'Rudo y Cursi' - Diego Luna & Gael Garcia Bernal star in one of the biggest hit in Mexican cinema.
Both are said to be fantastic together.
Not sure of the acting prospects as ofyet, but this could be a strong contender for Best Foreign Film. The reviews say it is crowd pleasing (and you know how far that can go). Screen International said:

"this crowd-pleaser is bound to be one of the year's more successful foreign-language titles, if not necessarily a critical slamdunk."

'Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire' has already garnered a lot of praise. If it gets distribution and is handled well, it could see itself making the round at various awards show. Praise for the direction and screenplay aside, a majority of the attention will be aimed at Gabourey 'Gabby' Sibide, Mo'Nique and perhaps Mariah Carey for their performances.
In reviewing it, Cinematical said:

"Sidibe's performance as Precious is fantastic -- fully realized, perfectly authentic, and without a hint of contrivance. It's the sort of debut that will either be followed by a stellar career, or that she'll never be able to live up to. I hope we get a chance to see what else she can do. Meanwhile, there are eye-opening turns by Mo'Nique, who helps us understand Precious' mother's frame of mind without making her sympathetic; and Mariah Carey, who's almost unrecognizably un-glamorous as a social worker. "

'Amreeka' - A Palestinian mother and son clash head-on with the American heartland in this tender and droll feature debut from Arab-American director Cherien Dabis. Nisreen Faour has been singled out by various reviews for her warm and focused performance. Warm doesn't usually cut it with Oscar, but you never know.
Variey says:

"From the West Bank to White Castle flips the resilient heroine of "Amreeka," a culture-clash dramedy whose background in Middle-East conflict is leavened with vibrant energy, balanced politics and droll humor by first-time feature director Cherien Dabis. Enormously appealing turn by earthy Nisreen Faour in the lead role of Muna, a Palestinian single mother who brings her teenage son to rural Illinois in pursuit of a brighter future, more than makes up for the film's familiarities."

'Five Minutes of Heaven' sees acclaimed director of 'Downfall' Oliver Hirschbiegel directing Liam Neeson, James Nesbitt and Anna Maria Marinca in a film about two men who struggle to come to terms with the murder of a fellow 19-year-old Catholic soldier years after the conflict that raged between Republican and Loyalist paramilitary groups, the British Army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The film has been raved by Cinematical, Screen International, and Variety's Dennis Harvey who says:

Powerhouse performances by Liam Neeson and James Nesbit make this an intense, ultimately moving tale...

'The Cove' - I will be talking about this later.

'The Greatest' - Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon, Carey Mulligan have been singled out in this film about a middle-aged couple coping with the loss of their 18-year-old son – not to mention the imminent and unexpected birth of his child. I had already spoken about this a few weeks ago when look out for the films Susan Sarandon had coming up, and it still could go either way, but early word is very positive, especially for Brosnan and newcomer Mulligan. Todd McCarthy of Variety says:

"Thesps do admirable, potent work, with Brosnan coping well with the sort of heavy dramatic lifting he only occasionally undertakes; Sarandon channeling a mother's distressed obsession with complete conviction; and Mulligan, a British newcomer who proves a revelation in another Sundance entry, "An Education," bringing a bracing resilience to a teenager for whom one night changed the rest of her life"

'An Education' - Varitey already gave you a preview of the buzz surrounding this film starring Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan based on well-known UK journalist Lynn Barber's childhood memoirs has been quite big, especially for it's leading lady. Todd McCarthy at Variety went ga ga:

"Sarsgaard, sporting a decent accent and an ever-present twinkle in his mischievous eyes, marvelously expresses the savoir faire that has such an impact on Jenny. Cooper and Pike suggest the last gasp of overly fussy high style that will soon be replaced by Carnaby Street trendiness, Molina and Seymour aptly fill out their traditional roles, Emma Thompson has a couple of key scenes as the school headmistress, and Matthew Beard is touchingly gawky as a smitten student who realizes Jenny's out of his reach the moment David appears on the scene.
But there's no question of who the star is here. Mulligan, 22 when the picture was shot, is completely convincing as 16 going on 17. Attractive without being a knockout, she tangibly communicates Jenny's thirst for knowledge, her attraction to culture and impatience atconservative ways of thinking and behaving. The way she tosses off little French phrases may be pretentious, but it adorably indicates where her head is. And when she finally gets to Paris and puts up her hair, you could almost swear you're watching Audrey Hepburn skipping through the same streets 50 years ago."

'The Messenger' - Ben Foster, Jena Malone, Samantha Morton and Woody Harrelson star in this film about an Iraq War hero assigned to work for the Casualty Notification Office -- those uniformed bearers of bad news who show up on the doorsteps of parents and wives with word of a soldier's death. The Reviews have been very good if wary about the commercial prospects of another Iraq film. Most of the praise is heaped on Foster. Variety said "Nobody plays angry like Ben Foster, but compassion is something new for the actor, who softens his crazy-man shtick to deliver a complex and moving performance..."
Screen International went further saying:

"Ben Foster is a revelation here, carrying the film and delivering his first true adult performance after a string of youthful turns in 3:10 To Yuma, X-Men: The Last Stand and Alpha Dog.........Harrelson gives one of his best performances as the army lifer Stone, a likeable sort behind the bravado, and Morton is excellent as always as the gentle widow...."

I am not saying these films are going to light up the Awards race in any way, but they could, and as Melissa Leo proves this year, never ever underestimate a buzzed about performance at Sundance.