86th Oscars Awards Nominations Announced: Gravity and American Hustle Lead The Pack

86th Oscars

The Academy Awards Nominations were announced this morning and, unsurprisingly, _American Hustle_ leads the pack with ten nods. Slightly surprisingly, _Gravity_ has the same number of nominations. Also slightly surprisingly, _12 Years a Slave_ has one less with nine. Also unsurprisingly, _The Wolf of Wall Street_ has just five.

Hit the jump to see the full list of millionaires who might receive the most coveted golden statues.

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Simon’s Best Games And Movies Of The Year

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It’s time to interrupt the endless barrage of Christmas calories

that I seem intent on shoving down my throat as quickly as possible

seriously, it’s like Gluttony Man in Se7en

but I don’t have my body tied down,

my arms are wilfully ladling anything alcoholic or sweet or tasty into my mouth

like it’s going out of fashion

to round up what I think have been my personal favourite games and movies of 2013.

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Watch This: Companion Short Film to Gravity

Gravity

Gravity is [one of the better cinema going experiences we’ve had this year](https://awesomefriday.ca/2013/10/review-gravity/). There’s one pivotal scene in which Sandra Bullock’s character makes radio contact with the ground but rather than Houston as she’d hoped it’s with someone who doesn’t speak English on a short wave radio.

Now you can see the other side of that conversation. If you haven’t seen the film you may want to wait however this doesn’t spoil the plot of Gravity at all.

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Review: Gravity

 

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The problem with converting books into movies (or into stage shows or comics or, less frequently, games) is that the medium has certain elements that cannot be recreated. The level of depth and flow of language can only ever be from a certain perspective when flipped into the flesh of a different storytelling vehicle. Ask any *Harry Potter* fan for their favourite entry in the series and they’ll soon light their eyes with elements of the book that the film didn’t capture. The wonderful thing about books is that often they tell a story in a way that could not be expressed as fully in any other medium. These are the ones that capture us and leave us breathless at the end, mourning for the closure of the final page.

What’s so special about *Gravity*, then, is that it is a film equivalent. This story, these characters, this situation – none could be told with the same level of effectiveness in any other form (books included). Not only an easy contender for film of the year, *Gravity* is one of the finest pieces of filmmaking you’ll ever see, and God help you, see it on the big screen. It is the true definition of a “cinema movie”, the white-eyed airless immersion a vital tool in director Alfonso Cuarón’s approach.

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New Gravity Trailer Continues On The Theme of My Worst Nightmare

Gravity

Gravity is a movie about a disaster in space and feature striking visuals in director Alfonso Cuaron’s signature style of long takes. It looks absolutely terrifying.

**Note:** I watched the whole trailer and while I won’t go so far as to say it contains spoilers I believe I saw some flashes from the third act that, even out of context, I’m not sure I wanted to see in a trailer. So proceed with caution.

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Awesome: Gravity One Shot Trailers and Poster

Gravity

Remember the amazing long take sequences in _Children of Men_? It appears that director Alfonso Cuaron is going to give us more amazing single shot moments in his upcoming film Gravity. There’s two new trailers for the film now each of which is just one single shot from the movie and each of which is pretty much guaranteed to make you nauseous and want to see the film.

Let’s watch!

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