What to do when disaster strikes

This has been a strange year for film. While there have been some standouts, such as Public Enemies and Star Trek (I have not seen Precious, but from what I have heard, it appears destined for at least an Oscar nomination for acting), most of the films released so far, while not entirely subpar, have been less than stellar. True, most of the Oscar contenders tend to be released later in the year, at the final leg of the Oscar race when the movies are fresh in the minds, so the reasoning goes at least, of the Oscar judges. But as I look at what's on the horizon I see very little that rise to the caliber of Oscar contenders in previous years. Lovely Bones, The Road, Avatar and Broken Embraces are the only films that I could think of that has some Oscar buzz. This is not the "grand opening" one would hope for to usher in the new Best Picture category, which lists ten pictures instead of the customary five, a change that was made in large measure due to the belief that a lot of deserving films were left off the Best Picture list last year.

No doubt one of the more interesting recent developments in this unusual year in film is the decision by studios to release big budget films near the end of the year as oppose to during the summer months. Two such films being released include 2012, which did spectacularly well in the US and even more so abroad, and New Moon, a film that looks to do incredibly well at the box office this weekend. What explains the decision to release these two films now? Perhaps the studios are betting that moviegoers will flock to these films the way they did, a couple of years ago, The Lord of the Rings films (unique among blockbuster films for also being Oscar contenders). And with people looking for some escapist fun from an economy that is still on the mend, I will probably not bet against them.

Speaking of blockbuster films, I saw one last weekend, 2012. It was an interesting film, and running at two hours and thirty eight minutes, incredibly long. I actually don't mind long films, provided that they are good. And in my humble opinion, I thought 2012, contrary to the view of a number of film critics, was surprisingly good. Granted disaster flick specialist Roland Emmerich, of Independence Day and Day After Tomorrow fame, outdid himself by including a kaleidoscope of almost every known disaster movie idea into one monstrous disaster conceit. However with all the craziness that takes place, this film's celebration of compassion - of exuding, and preserving, what's best about humanity when our very existence is at stake - is what won me over. The final forty minutes or so of 2012 was particularly moving. Although it probably wouldn't win any of the non-technical Oscars, I would definitely recommend this film.