By ThisGirl’s Jezza (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Safe to assume you’ve seen Twilight: New Moon already? Then it’s time you check out Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” By Sapphire. I’ve heard some people say, “I don’t want to go to see that; it’ll bring me down” — but the truth is, thanks to its titular teen protagonist, the film is more hopeful than hopeless. The second excuse I’ve heard from Oscar pundits is that it’s too black a movie for white America. Wrong again: No place in the U.S. is immune to the kind of extreme domestic abuse that Precious endures. A third: It is neary impossible for the uber-hyped Precious to live up to the buzz brought by “presenters” Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry (that’s how they are credited) and director Lee Daniels. While that may be true, I liked this film. Here, six reasons why:

1. The thing I like most is that, while the title character has been beaten down by life and at one point even scribbles, “Why me?” on a piece of paper (I burst out in tears), Gabourey Sidibe’s Precious is never presented as a complete victim. At times, even with her monster of a mother (Mo’Nique), daughter gives as good as she gets. She’s a teen who is resilient despite having had the misfortune of being handed a bunch of really sour lemons.

Pre-Butterfly Carey is one to watch.

2. Mariah Carey did a nice job in a very small role as a welfare social worker. But I couldn’t help but wonder what Helen Mirren, who was director Lee Daniels’ first choice, would have done with the part.

Kravitz with “Precious” Sidibe

3. At 45 and playing a nurse’s aide, Lenny Kravitz is still sexy as hell.

4. Sidibe does a fine job peeling away the character’s various layers over the course of the movie. But I wonder how much of her growing acclaim (she’s now a possible spoiler in Meryl Streep’s bid for Oscar No. 2) is due to the fact that the actress is so elegant and poised in real life, quite different from the character she plays in the movie. I guess it is a good thing that people are seeing this. The name of the game is acting, and the more people see who Gabourey really is, the more people see that this was a performance and not an unknown simply playing herself.

5. And then there’s Mo’Nique. What a force of nature! Or the devil herself! Everyone’s talking about her monologue near the end of the movie, but to me the scene that should guarantee her an invitation to the Oscars is the one when Precious returns home after giving birth. From the sweet way she greets Precious before asking to hold the newborn, you can see the fire inside. Mo’Nique, playing way against type or image (see above, left), handles the scene flawlessly, exhibiting an entire movie’s worth of emotions in just a few minutes. By the time she’s hurling a television set over a balcony railing at Precious and her baby, it’s obvious that you’ve just witnessed a soon-to-be-legendary climactic scene for the ages.

6. Just before Mo’Nique’s epic monologue, there is a small scene with Precious, her young neighbor and the neighbor’s mother. It would have been a throwaway sequence were it not for the little girl’s black eye and her mother’s rotten, impatient attitude. Precious, who has spent the entire movie disregarding the girl and at one point even physically pushes her, seems to finally get the message. She gives the girl her scarf as a present. It’s a nice touch that says a lot about Precious’s year-long journey to self-determination.

By ThisOscarGirl

Soooo glad that summer is finally over. Now the real season of joy is upon us. (Though i’m still disgruntled by those extra five nominees in the best picture category. So wrong). Here are the first of my many thoughts to come on Oscars 2010:

* Precious is the movie to beat. if Oprah can help get a president elected, she can get a movie a best picture oscar. The buzz on this is out of control. and Mo’nique’s nomination is a sure thing. Dare i even say she’s a frontrunner to win?

* Up In the Air will also be one of the big boys. Clooney needs more than a best supporting actor oscar (for a movie nobody even saw or liked mind you). He’ll get it for this very sympathetic character.

* Meryl Streep. Can someone please give this woman a third oscar already? If Hilary Swank beats her to it for Amelia I will eat this computer. it just can’t happen…right?!!! Meryl has It’s Complicated late in the year, which will remind people about Julie & Julia. (Though, confession: The Complicated trailer is not. good.)

* Matt Damon won’t get the nom for The Informant. But the Clint Eastwood name is as good as gold. literally. And people are still sore about the Gran Torino snub. 

* What to make of Nine? That cast is just too good to be true. And Daniel Day Lewis totally classes up the joint. Sophia Loren and Judi Dench seem to be the obvious picks here, though. Unless the academy has flashy movie musical fatigue …

* Saw The Hurt Locker and liked it … but it’s overrated. and kind of one-note. Wonder if it will get support for PC reasons. 

* Richard Kind? Really? However, he is tight with Clooney. That can only help.

* Too bad Scorcese’s Shutter Island got pushed back to February 2010. That would have made things a lot more intriguing. 

* Remember when people floated the idea of Adam Sandler getting a nomination for Funny People?!! Now’s THAT’s funny.

That’s all I got for now. Obviously, we’re only at the starting gate of a marathon so much more later!