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Friday, February 26, 2010

The Academy Awards has a history of unexpected losers




"Five Easy Pieces" earned four nominations in 1971, everyone - including lead actor Jack Nicholson - went home empty-handed.

Surprisingly enough, 1974's "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" didn't get a single nod. And there were no awards for Jean-Luc Godard's 1964 gangster flick "Band of Outsiders" though it's influenced plenty of directors, including current nominee Quentin Tarantino, ever since.

Also at the IFC is "Point Break," which is so endearingly goofy it deserves its cult status - even though one could hardly have predicted back in 1991 that its director, Kathryn Bigelow, would go on to make this year's shattering contender "The Hurt Locker".

It's a shame 1971's musical nominee "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" is only playing at midnight this weekend, at the Sunshine. Though it's definitely dark enough for adults, every kid should see it, too. Still, young viewers can catch one of this year's animated challengers, "The Secret of Kells," at the Cantor Film Center tomorrow as part of the New York International Children's Film Festival.

Saturday also provides pint-size cinephiles with an opportunity to scout for future award winners, at the BAMkids Film Festival. International shorts and features geared for every age range will be interspersed with concerts, puppet shows and other events all day.


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