Week of January 25 to January 31 (Rhoades)

Tropic Sticks With a Winning Hand

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

The Tropic Cinema knows winners when it sees them -- and is sticking with the current movie lineup for another week. After all, each film on its four screens has been received multiple nominations in the 85^th Academy Awards, which will take place on February 28th.

Holding over is Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” with the most nominations of any film this year -- 12 in all. These include Best Picture, Best Director (Spielberg), Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), and Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field), and Best Cinematography (Janusz Kaminiski). Hollywood’s big money is on Day-Lewis to win as Best Actor for his hands-down best-ever portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, the 16^th President of the United States.

Also staying is “Silver Linings Playbook,” with a total of 8 Oscar nods. These include Best Picture, Best Director (David O. Russell), Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), among them. Jennifer Lawrence is a strong contender as Best Actress, following her win at the Golden Globes. This tale of two crazy -- literally -- people falling in love is winning over audiences with its feel-good happy ending.

“A Royal Affair” remains as part of this week’s lineup. This true story of a German doctor who ends up running Denmark and bedding the wife of Mad King Christian VII  has been nominated as Best Foreign Film of the Year.

Round up the Tropic’s great lineup is Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi,” a spectacular story about an Indian lad trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger. Or is he? Based on the acclaimed novel by Yann Martel, this eye-dazzling and spiritually uplifting film has been nominated for an impressive 11 Academy Awards -- among them Best Picture, Best Director (Lee), and Best Cinematography (Claudio Miranda).

You’ll want to put the Tropic Cinema’s annual Oscar party on your calendar … but first you want to see these leading contenders for the golden statuette. To paraphrase “The Maltese Falcon,” it’s the stuff dreams are made of.

srhoades@aol.com