In the spirit of reviewing upcoming films we haven’t seen just based on their trailers, we’re now going to start making early Oscar predictions the same way, nominations for Best Picture only until we actually see the films, at which point we’ll handicap the chances in all categories.

Let’s just say right away that after two years of kvetching about the poor quality of films on mainstream screens and berating Hollywood for churning out crap, this is likely to be the most interesting awards season in perhaps decades.  Life of Pi, The Master, Argo, Anna Karenina (which we profiled HERE a few days ago) are but a few that seem destined to go the distance, and they all seem worthy of the top award.

First up is James Killough’s personal favorite to win (much as he also loves Ang Lee and is cheering on his Life of Pi): Cloud Atlas, based on the book by David Mitchell.  One of the most remarkable novels ever written, a narrative that vies with Middlesex for its epic-ness and audacity, Killough’s former partner, the novelist Jonathan Kemp, threw it at the wall after he finished the last page and said, “Damn him.”

Directed by the lovely but erratic Tom Tykwer (Run, Lola, Run, Perfume), and Lana and Andy Wachowski of Matrix fame, early reports from PFC friends who saw a screening of Cloud Atlas at this year’s Cannes Festival are that it is a whole other lever of filmmaking that surpasses expectations.  We can’t wait.

Here is a six-minute clip courtesy Gawker.com:

Cloud Atlas – Trailer / Bande-Annonce 6 Minutes… by Lyricis