Mid-November is a time where we start hearing the same Christmas songs in every single store, Starbucks features their holiday drinks, peppermint hot chocolate and the gingerbread latte, and the first (or third) snowfall is upon us. Apart from all the holiday season cliches, all Oscar buzzing films are released consecutively. Though the Academy Awards, set for February 27 2011, are three months away, it is time to start the Oscar pools.

The Academy Awards is a pretty predictable awards show. Every year viewers are disappointed with the winners because of an Academy institution conspiracy. The voting process is not really democratic, although members of the board claim that it is. This year there are many Oscar buzzing films. Last year was a poor year (in my opinion) for North American cinema, but this year is looking up.

The nomination ballads are due on Monday December 27, and the official nominations will be announced a month later on January 27. With two months to decide, I say that we can somewhat accurately guess the ten best picture nominations.

As of November 18 2010 my Best Picture nominations are as follows (subject to change):

1. 127 Hours (Danny Boyle)

2. Made in Dagenham (Nigel Cole)

3. True Grit (Cohen Brothers)

4. The Social Network (David Fincher)

5. Conviction (Tony Goldwyn)

6. Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik)

7. Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich)

8. Inception (Christopher Nolan)

9. The Rabbit Hole  (John Cameron Mitchell)

10. For Colored Girls (Tyler Perry)

As a warning I am not necessarily in accordance with all of these films, but I am trying to delve into the minds of the conspirators.

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David Fincher seems to have a knack for directing buzz worthy films. His previous, Fight Club and Se7en, have each gone on to attain cult status and he is set to direct the American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo based off the tremendously popular Swedish book and film series. If that isn’t enough, his current film, The Social Network, is making  worldwide headlines. Though it hasn’t been released yet, its notoriety has reached a colossal level.

The film traces the birth of Facebook from its initial concept to its rise to prominence. The narrative is centered on Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), the creator of Facebook, and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), the CFO.  Mark and Eduardo met at Harvard and were best friends due to their computer hacking and programming abilities. After Mark is snubbed and called an asshole by his girlfriend, he decides to take revenge on all women by creating a site that compares pictures of female Harvard students side by side and judging which one is hotter. The site was called facemash.com. After the site is flooded with a gigantic amount of hits within an hour, the Harvard network shuts down and Mark is pin pointed as the culprit.

Although he is hated by the majority of women on campus after this ingenious stunt, he is also sought out by three upperclassmen who have noticed his expertise in programming. They propose that Mark help them set up a new kind of social network that is exclusive to Harvard students called Harvard Connect. He agrees to help them but soon develops his own ideas for a social network and this is where Facebook is conceived. He then approaches Eduardo to run the business side of the site. The two partner up and begin building and expanding facebook.

They face early challenges such as being accused of stealing the idea from the Winklevoss’s( the upperclassmen who proposed Harvard Connect). These obstacles are miniscule in size to the ones that lie in store for Mark. Mark also catches the attention of Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), the founder of Napster. Parker ends up owning seven percent of facebook and Eduardo is completely shut out of the picture. Eventually Mark faces two massive lawsuits, one from Eduardo and the other from the Winklevoss’s, that are both economically and emotionally taxing.

The acting in the film is superb. Eisenberg, who has been seen in Adventureland and Zombieland, again plays the self-deprecating dork who seeks acceptance from the outside world. However, this time his character has a much more serious edge and darker story to tell. It is arguable that Eisenberg is being typecast as a neurotic teen or underdog, but as far at The Social Network goes, we shouldn’t view this as a downfall. Garfield, who starred in last year’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, steals the show. He portrays Eduardo with true conviction and the audience is able to sympathize with his character to no end. Garlfield and Eisenbeg have exceptional onscreen chemistry. Their exchange of witty banter is sharp and enjoyable. Though many are skeptical of Timberlake’s acting abilities, he delivers well as Parker, the somewhat sleazy Napster party boy.

If the story itself and the cast are not enough to make you tempted to see this film, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails did the soundtrack which is a mix of LCD Soundsystem styled synth beats and suspenseful tracks that add to the high-strung and obsessive narrative. More over, Kevin Spacey produced the film. Spacey generally has good taste in projects and has won two Academy Awards for American Beauty and The Usual Suspects. Seeing that it garnered the attention of many crucial players in Hollywood, it is hard not to recognize The Social Network as an important film.

The film has received a substantial amount of backlash for its portrayal of the true facebook story. Many are claiming that the film is a work  of fiction. This upheaval of criticism may hover over the film like a dark cloud but, despite the scrutiny, it is paramount that we critically approach the film on its own. The film will be successful regardless of the adversity. It is a return to form for Fincher and the cast is outstanding.

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“The Goon” is set to muscle its way onto the big screen courtesy of filmmaker David Fincher.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Se7en” and “Fight Club” director will produce a CG-animated film adaptation of the Dark Horse comic.

The comic, created by Eric Powell in 1999, centres on a hulking figure who claims to be an enforcer for a feared mobster. The Goon’s adventures have supernatural and comedic elements, often involving the likes of ghosts, aliens, zombies, mad scientists and “skunk-apes.”

The publication has won three Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, which honour the best in American comic books.

Dark Horse Entertainment will develop the movie adaptation, with Powell handling scriptwriting duties and the Oscar-nominated Blur Studios handling animation.

Fincher is currently working on post-production for the Brad Pitt-starring “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” slated to hit theatres in December.

Meanwhile, moviegoers can catch another Dark Horse character on the big screen when “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” opens July 11.

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