"Moon" left out of the Oscar race by Sony...

It looks like Sony Pictures Classics has decided to not back Moon in the Oscar race this season. The film is directed by Duncan Jones and stars Sam Rockwell. Despite getting good critical praise and nominations / wins at many top film festivals (British Independent Film Awards, Edinburgh International Film Festival, and Athens International Film Festival), it was not included in the studio's awards season screener copies that were sent out to academy voters. This nearly ensures that the film will not be nominated for any Academy Awards. Why isn't the studio standing behind the film? Duncan Jones (the director) would like to know, and he has taken to his Twitter page to find out. Last Wednesday he tweets about the decision to not include the film: "we have more than asked.. we’ve knocked heads. they have chosen the films they are backing & we are not in their plans. They say it costs too much for our little film as they would need to be water-marked copies as our DVD isnt out yet in the US.”

The DVD argument by the studio has not satisfied the protest though, and Hollywood heavy-weights Neil Gaiman and Jon Favreau have both joined in offering their praise and support for the film. A petition has also been started to get Sam Rockwell a Best Actor nomination (you can sign it HERE). It currently has over 3,000 signatures. 

The hope is that solid work gets awarded, but when you have such big-budget films and studios, smaller independent features can only hope for their production studio to promote them. In this case, unless Sony Pictures Classics changes its mind, Moon is destined to be another film passed over for blockbusters like Avatar (nominated for Best Picture Drama Golden Globe).

Oscar buzz for Sandra Bullock...

2009 was a good year for Sandra Bullock. No. Make that a great year for Sandra Bullock (if you don't count All About Steve). The Proposal was this summer's surprise hit earning $164 million at the US box office to become her highest grossing film ever. Now, just four months later she is on track to beat that record. Her current film, The Blind Side took in $34 million in its opening weekend which is now her biggest opening ever. It has also surprised everyone by taking in $105 million in just 2 weeks and by holding the number 2 spot at the box office 2 weeks in a row.

On top of garnering a huge chunk of change at the box office, Sandra Bullock's performance in The Blind Side is getting both fan and critical acclaim. The film currently has a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes with most critics who don't like the film still praising Bullock's performance (NY Times) and the NY Post even went so far as to claim it was better than "Precious" saying:  "All Bullock's films promote an edifying sense of human experience -- she has an instinct for what people like to see -- and that gift makes 'The Blind Side' the perfect, God-sent antidote to 'Precious'." While that claim is highly debatable, one thing is certain, Sandra Bullock is gathering the winds that could take her to an Oscar nomination.

Warner (the distributor of the film) was not planning on promoting Bullock's performance for the Oscar race but they may be changing their minds soon. The studio distribution president just told The Wrap entertainment news site that he hopes "this movie makes the Academy's top 10 (for the best picture race), and Sandy Bullock gets a look, too."

It was also just announced that Sandra Bullock will be awarded the prestigious American Riviera Award at the 25th edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Past winners include Mickey Rourke, Forrest Whitaker, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The festival's director released this statement: “Bullock’s career-capping performance in ‘The Blind Side’ encompasses everything we have loved about her since the early '90s, from the deft physical comedy in ‘While You Were Sleeping,’ to the mettle of her role in the Academy Award-winning ‘Crash.’ What a most perfect time to salute this enduring movie star’s lengthy career.”

WEZ Sez: The Blind Side: The movie is predictable and a bit over sensationalized at times, but Sandra Bullock will make you forgive every imperfection. Her performance is Oscar nomination worthy.

 What did you think of The Blind Side? Is Sandra Bullock's performance good enough for the Oscars? Comment below...