When reading about the movies this winter that will likely be nominated for Oscars in February, there are about three that constantly come up: Up In The Air, Precious and The Lovely Bones. However I have a feeling that Bones will soon be swiped off that list.

Though Peter Jackson’s highly-anticipated film (where he once again plays writer/director), and his first major one since 2005’s King Kong, doesn’t officially premiere nationwide until January 15^th, the first review came from Sun Online critic The Sneak on Rotten Tomatoes November 24^th. He called The Lovely Bones “[Jackson's] most mature, self-assured and visually dazzling release.” Cool, right?This is going to be good!

However, Variety’s Todd McCarthy (the first critique I read and actually cared about for the film) posted their review that same day scathing it: “Jackson undermines solid work from a good cast with show-offy celestial evocations that severely disrupt the emotional connections with the characters.” Only 16 reviews are in as of this post and Peter Jackson’s latest film has a 56% rotten rating. Don’t remember that happening to District 9.

I’ll undoubtedly be seeing The Lovely Bones despite the dismissal reviews in January, however it’s just a shame that Bones is performing so poorly. My prediction for Best Picture winner was never Bones to begin with, although I thought this looked pretty cool. But hey, for all we know the heat for the movie could be over, and if it’s not then it wouldn’t be the first time a heavily-hyped movie was left to sizzle (9, anyone?).

Keep Bantering