1. Identity Thief (Universal, 3,141 Theaters, 112 Minutes, Rated R): Melissa McCarthy earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Bridesmaids last year. Unfortunately, that role was so weirdly unique that it would be nigh impossible to replicate that formula. So, her return to the big screen in a bigger role no less will be closely scrutinized.

In this film, she plays a Florida scam artist that steals Jason Bateman’s identity. Bateman travels from Colorado to Miami in order to catch McCarthy and bring her back to the Rocky Mountain State so she can face charges. Since she has managed to raise the ire of a group of dangerous individuals in her hometown, a cross-country trip is exactly what she needs.

I have to admit that McCarthy garnered the biggest laughs from me as I watched the trailer. But the laughs came with shame because I chuckled when ever an act of violence was done against McCarthy. I’d like to blame the way McCarthy throws herself into these scenes with an abundance of slapstick gusto, but it’s still violence against women I was laughing at. I’m not really comfortable with that.

2. Side Effects (Open Road Films, 2,605 Theaters, 106 Minutes, Rated R): Another Oscar nominated actress is making her return to the big screen after an iconic and distinctive film role. But people are not going to be talking about Rooney Mara this time. Instead the will probably be talking about this being a legendary director’s final film.

Steven Soderburgh has stated that he will be retiring from feature films to focus on his art career. He has an eclectic resume he leaves behind. From his indie breakthrough, sex, lies and videotape to Ocean 11 and its sequels, from Erin Brockovich to Magic Mike, Soderburgh hasn’t been afraid to work in whatever genre tickled his fancy. He was all over the map, but he was never boring. Hopefully, he reconsiders his retirement. But if he doesn’t, his past work deserves to be celebrated.

This film has the makings of a Hictchcockian thriller. Mara plays a woman batting depression who is prescribed an experimental drug by her psychiatrist (Jude Law). Unfortunately, the drug has a nasty side effect, it causes Mara to sleepwalk in such a way that she does a number of mundane things in the middle of the night–cooking breakfast, setting the table, killing someone.

Yes, she kills someone and all of a sudden, Law’s character license and freedom is threaten. He must unravel the mystery before its too late.

In the days leading up to the 84th Academy Awards, FilmBuffOnline will be offering profiles on all the nominees in the major categories. Some may be well know, others might be new to you, but if you need a refresher on these talented nominees, here it is.

Bérénice Bejo

Nominated for: playing young ingenue whose career as an actress skyrockets with the introduction of sound in The Artist.

Other honors for this role:

Nominated, Best Supporting Actress, Washington DC Film Critics Association.

Nominated, Best Supporting Actress, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Nominated, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role , 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award.

Nominated, Best Actress, 2012 BAFTA Awards.

Where you might know her from:

She has primarily acted only in Europe, but American audiences may remember her as Christiana in A Knight’s Tale.

History with Oscar:

This is Bérénice Bejo’s first Oscar nomination.

Jessica Chastain

Nominated for: Playing Celia Foote, a naive Southern housewife in The Help.

Other honors for this role:

Won, Best Supporting Actress, New York Film Critics Circle Award (Awarded for her roles in The Tree of Life and Take Shelter as well).

Won, Best Supporting Actor, 37th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards  (Awarded for her roles in Coriolanus, The Debt, Texas Killing Fields, The Tree of Life and Take Shelter as well).

Nominated, Best Supporting Actress, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Nominated, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role , 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award.

Nominated, Best Supporting Actress, 2012 BAFTA Awards.

Where you might know her from:

If you haven’t seen the numerous other films she put out last year, perhaps you remember her from her recurring role as Assistant District Attorney Sigrun Borg on the TV series Law and Order: Trial By Jury.

History with Oscar:

This is Jessica Chastain’s first Oscar nomination.

Melissa McCarthy

Nominated for: Playing Megan, a gruff and raunchy sister-in-law-to-be in Bridesmaids.

Other honors for this role:

Nominated, Best Supporting Actress, Washington DC Film Critics Association.

Won, Best Supporting Actress, Boston Society of Film Critics.

Nominated, Best Supporting Actress, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Nominated, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role , 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award.

Nominated, Best Supporting Actress, 2012 BAFTA Awards.

Where you might know her from:

She is on TV every week, playing Molly in Mike & Molly, a role for which she won an Emmy.  

History with Oscar:

This is Melissa McCarthy’s first Oscar nomination.

Janet McTeer

Nominated for: playing Hubert, an energetic, cross-dressing artist in Albert Nobbs .

Other honors for this role:

Nominated, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role , 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award.

Nominated, Best Supporting Female, 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Where you might know her from:

Fans of BBC America might recognize her from her many roles in various British TV series. Fans of the live stage might know her from extensive stage work, most recently on Broadway taking over the role of Veronica in God of Carnage. And those of you with good ears might recognize her voice as the narrator of Velvet Goldmine.

History with Oscar:

Janet McTeer has one previous Oscar nomination.

2000: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Tumbleweeds (Lost to Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry).

Octavia Spencer

Nominated for: playing Minny Jackson, an outspoken and combative maid in The Help.

Other honors for this role:

Won, Best Supporting Actress, Washington DC Film Critics Association

Won, Best Supporting Actress, 2012 Critics’ Choice Awards.

Won, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Won, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role , 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award.

Won, Best Supporting Actress, 2012 BAFTA Awards.

Where you might know her from:

She has played numerous roles on television. including Constance Grady on Ugly Betty, Serenity Johnson on Halfway Home, and Arvina Watkins on Raising the Bar.

History with Oscar:

This is Octavia Spencer’s first Oscar nomination.

It’s that time of year again. Tomorrow, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the nominees for the 84st Annual Academy Awards.

Every year there are snubs and surprises, thrills and controversies. There is no way of knowing who will be nominated, especially in a year when the Best Picture nominees could be 5 films, or ten films, or any number in between.  We here at FilmBuffOnLine, who believe the day nominations are announced should be a National holiday, are going to try and handicap the process for you.

We will try to tell you, in the most non-committal way possible, who we think are Almost Certain to get a nomination, who Definite May Be nominated, and whose nomination is a Outside Shot in the major categories (the four acting categories, Best Director, and Best Picture). We are trying to cover all bases, but don’t come to us if you lose money on your Oscar Nomination pool.

Best Actor:

Almost Certain:

George Clooney, The Descendants; Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Definite Maybe:

Michael Fassbender, Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class, A Dangerous Method or Shame; Leonardo DiCaprio, J Edgar; Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Outside Shot:

Demián Bichir, A Better Life; Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid Love, Drive, or The Ides of March; Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Clooney and Dujardin have won the most hardware this year, which not only make them a lock to be nominated, but also likely one of them will be taking home the award.

Fassbender has been great in a lot of films (listing X-Men: First Class was a bit of a joke, he’ll most likely get the nod for Shame, but I think he gave an Oscar worthy performance in that film) so he is practically a lock for a nomination. The next two are about 50/50 of getting in. The Academy seems to have something against DiCaprio, and his performance as J. Edgar Hoover while not horrible (he got a lot of nods for other awards for it), was not amazing enough to overcome that film’s lackluster performance critically or financially. Brad Pitt eked out a couple of wins along the way (most notably, the New York and Boston critics), and while Moneyball was well received, I don’t see it as 100% Oscar material.

If DiCaprio and Pitt don’t get nominated, there are worthy choices waiting to take a spot. Bichir was great in a small film with a limited release that opened over the summer. These all work against him, but he is deserving of a nod. Gosling, like Fassbender, was great in a lot of films this year, and has been nominated before, but none of the films he was in seem to pass Oscar muster. Oldman was flat out amazing in Tinker Tailor, but his subtle performance might be lost on Oscar voters.

Best Actress

Almost Certain:

Viola Davis, The Help;  Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady; Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin; Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Definite Maybe:

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Outside Shot:

Bérénice Bejo, The Artist; Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene; Charlize Theron, Young Adult

On paper, this seems to be the category that seems to have the least wiggle room. Davis, Streep, Close, Swinton and Williams are all in the type of roles that Oscar voters seem to trip over giving nominations to. But in every round of nominations, there are bound to be surprises, and this category is ripe for one.

Bejo and Olsen have the best chance of breaking in, in my opinion. But Bejo is getting pushed for Best Supporting Actress instead of Lead, even though she essentially had a lead role. Olsen got good notices in her role, but suffers from the same “too early/too small handicap” that Bichir has. Theron has received nods for Best Actress in the Golden Globes (where there are nominations for comedy and drama) and the Critic’ Choice Awards (where there are six nominees). She has an Oscar pedigree, but Young Adult could very well be seen as less than Oscar worthy.

Best Supporting Actor:

Almost Certain:

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn; Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Definite Maybe:

Albert Brooks, Drive; Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Outside Shot:

Nick Nolte, Warrior; Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method; Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes or The Adventures of Tintin; Armie Hammer, J Edgar; Tom Hardy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Plummer has won the Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice award Supporting Actor, making him a lock for an  Oscar nomination, if not the actual award. Branagh has been consistently nominated for his apt portrayal of Laurence Olivier, so he could get the nod as well. Slightly less certain but highly possible are nomination of two actors best known for comedy, Brooks and Hill, for playing against type. After that, place your bets. Will Nolte’s “sports mentor” role make the grade? Will Mortensen’s change of pace role as Sigmund Freud catch the Academy’s attention? Will the Academy make a statement and move towards the future by giving Serkis the nod for his superior motion-capture work? Does the Academy like J Edgar more than the critics and the general public do, thereby swing the nod to Hammer? Will Hardy represent Tinker Tailor‘s stellar cast with a nomination? Will it be another cast member? Or will the film be ignored?

Best Supporting Actress

Almost Certain:

Octavia Spencer, The Help; Bérénice Bejo, The Artist

Definite Maybe:

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Outside Shot:

Jessica Chastain, The Help or Take Shelter; Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs; Carey Mulligan, Shame; Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

What I said for Christopher Plummer above also applies to Spencer. The only chance Bejo doesn’t get nominated here is if she gets nominated for Best Actress. But that race is crowded so I think she’ll land here. She is deserving.

The only thing keeping me from making McCarthy almost certain is the Academy’s apparent hatred of the comedy. They do not like to give nominations from comedies, no matter how good the role or film is. This time, though, I think they’ll make an exception.

After that, pick two. Chastain and Woodley might have a slight advantage, but McTeer has a good chance and Mulligan could sneak in.

Best Director:

Almost Certain:

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist; Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Definite Maybe:

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris;  Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Outside Shot:

David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life; Bennett Miller, Moneyball; Steven Spielberg, War Horse or The Adventures of Tintin; Tate Taylor, The Help

Hazanavicius is definitely most deserving and Scorsese won the Golden Globe, so they should both be nominated. After that, Payne is almost a lock, as is Allen, due to the number of nominations they received. After that, well, ot depends. Fincher got a Directors Guild nomination, Malick has been on a lot of west coast critics awards list, which might be a barometer of how the Academy will go. Miller might ride the surprising accolades Moneyball is getting this award season with a nomination. And months ago, it looked like it wouldn’t be a question if Spielberg would be nominated, but for which film. Now, here he is, a long shot for any nomination at all. Weird. And Taylor has to be consider taking into account the number of great performance that came from that film.

Best Picture:

Almost Certain:

The Artist; The Descendants

Definite Maybe:

Hugo; The Help ; Midnight in Paris

Outside Chance:

The Tree of Life; War Horse; Moneyball; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; The Adventures of Tintin; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or just about any other film out there that has a miniscule amount of buzz.

Not having a definite number of nominees beforehand really plays havoc with the prognosticating business. I tried to pick out the five most likely films to get nominated, but with the possibility of five more, well, it could be any film of a certain stature.

So, what do you think? Am I on to something, or totally wrong? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

With over $288 million in  the till, Universal got a nice return on its $32 million investment in the budget of the comedy Bridesmaids. And it stands to reason that they would want to try that again with a sequel. Some of the film’s stars have been speculating in the press on the possibility of a follow-up, but now Bridesmaids‘ star and co-writer Kristen Wiig has confirmed that she is not interested in doing a sequel.

Catching up with the actress at the Golden Globe awards this weekend, E! asked the SNL cast member about the possibility of a follow up.

We’re not planning on doing one. We had a special time making the first one, but we’re really excited to try something else.

It should be noted that Wiig isn’t referring to herself in the royal “we” here, but rather to both herself and writing partner Annie Mumolo and the currently unnamed project that they are working on.

Wiig has plenty of films in the pipeline at the moment with Friends With Kids, Imogene, and Revenge for Jolly! all scheduled for release in 2012 and The Comedian and Freezing People Is Easy in line for 2013.

And while Universal could certainly go forward with a sequel without Wiig’s involvement, I can’t say I blame her for wanting to continue forward with something new rather than just retreading her recent success. When released, Bridesmaids drew parallels (fairly or unfairly) with The Hangover. And while The Hangover‘s sequel did good box office, it was not as well received by audiences and critics. If Wiig is looking to avoid a similar fate, than more power to her.

If you’ve seen the British comedy The IT Crowd, then you already know that Irish actor Chris O’Dowd knows how to bring the funny.

But if you’re like most of America, you’re probably only just getting acquainted with the actor through his supporting role in last year’s Pirate Radio and more recently with his role as Kristin Wiig’s love interest in this summer’s comedy hit Bridesmaids.

And thanks to Bridesmaids’ producer Judd Apatow, you’ll be seeing more of O’Dowd on the big screen soon as Apatow has cast O’Dowd in his latest upcoming and untitled film. Previously known as This Is Forty, the film stars Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann in their married Knocked Up characters.

Also joining the film with O’Dowd in this round of casting are Charlyne Yi, Lena Dunham and Wyatt Russell. It is unknown if Yi will be reprising her stoner Knocked Up character or if she’ll be playing a new role. Previously, Apatow has cast Albert Brooks in the role of Rudd’s father and Megan Fox in the film.

As a fan of O’Dowd’s work since I first discovered The IT Crowd two years ago, I have to admit to being pretty excited by this news. I thought his work in Bridesmaids was perhaps his best yet and I’m intrigued to see what he’ll get to do in this film.

Meanwhile, O’Dowd’s IT Crowd co-star Richard Ayoade is gaining notice in his own right for his feature directorial debut, the coming-of-age dramedy Submarine. Hopefully, their schedules won’t get too busy to preclude returning for IT Crowd’s planned fifth season.

Bridesmaids is looking to be the surprise hit of the summer, with strong reviews and continual good box office. And if you want a little more of the raunchy comedy check out the video released on Funny Or Die featuring a number of outtakes from the film. Not surprisingly, it is a bit Not Safe For Work, so proceed at your own risk if you’re on the clock.

1. Bridesmaids (Universal, 2,917 Theaters, 125 Minutes, Rated R): Would it be overly simplistic to call this the female version of The Hangover?

Granted, there are some major differences that go beyond the sex of the protagonists, like this takes place before and during the bachelorette party and the other deals with the aftermath of the bachelor party.

But both feature a group of people who really don’t know each other coming together and celebrating a wedding of a friend and bond through the wacky experiences.

Another big difference is the fact that this more Kristen Wiig’s character’s story than an ensemble as it deals with her living above her means. I am the only person on the face of the Earth who does not think that Wiig is a comic genius. To me, she was a modern day Melanie Hutsell (who, coincidentally, is also in the film), a woman with about two facial expressions and a couple funny voices in lieu of creating good characters.

2. Priest (Sony/Screen Gems, 2,864 Theaters, 87 Minutes, Rated PG-13): One day, perhaps sooner than you think, summer will be one comic book movie released each and every week. We’re pretty close this year, is this film marks three comic based films, following so close after last week’s Thor and the week before’s Dylan Dog.

This one is a break from the Korean comics that inspired it, as it removes many of the layers of the original’s plot to focus on a vampire-hunting priest in a post-apocalyptic future.

Paul Bettany plays the priest in question, who must defy his church to go and rescue his niece from the vampires.