Reviews

I had the pleasure of seeing Warrior at 2011 CinemaCon, walking in not knowing a thing about the movie, other than it was a movie about 'fighting.' And though a MMA movie (Mixed Martial Arts), not boxing, per se, for the genre, fighting, Warrior delivers a much better story than The Fighter, and is on par with Clint Eastwood's Oscar winner, Million Dollar Baby.

Expect a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod in 2012 for Nick Nolte. And superstar status for Tom Hardy.

Warrior, though a work of fiction, plays out like a true story; two brothers at odds with each other and their father, in the town of Pittsburgh, who resort to prize fighting, one for the money, the other to prove himself a man.

While the movie itself, direction and editing, may be a little choppy at times, Halle Berry's performance is a surefire bet for a Best Actress Oscar nomination. The only better performance by an actress from a movie released in theaters during 2010 is by Jessica Chastain in and as Jolene.

Sadly, both Jolene and Frankie And Alice are films released by very independent studios.

As for Freestyle Releasing and Frankie And Alice, they have a great new publicist in charge of Oscar campaigns, so bet the house on one of the 5 spots in the 2011 Best Actress Oscar race to go to Halle Berry. And a Golden Globe nod too.

Her performance as a multiracial character (based on a true story) with multiple personality disorder is heartbreaking, convincing and uplifting at the end.

Phylicia Rashad, who plays Berry's mother in the movie, is also outstanding.

As for who'll actually win the Oscar; Annette Bening, since she's a three time Oscar loser, twice to Hilary Swank, and once to Kathy Bates. Halle Berry already has a Best Actress Oscar for Monster's Ball, and while she deserves it over Bening, politics just may prove too strong for Berry to win a second this time around.