POTENTIAL PRIZE-WINNERS

With the holidays approaching and the summer blockbuster season behind us, the big movie houses are gearing up to release their Oscar contenders. One such film, Moonlight Mile, stars Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon as grieving parents who take in the fiancé of their recently deceased daughter. A moving and poignant film, loosely based on the experiences of director Brad Silberling (City of Angels, Casper), it gives a meaningful look at the stages of grief and how the effects of that emotion can shape our lives.

In White Oleander, Michelle Pfeiffer gives a wonderfully moving performance as a mother in prison desperately trying to hang on to whatever connection she has left with her daughter, who is being passed through a series of foster homes. This beautifully acted film also stars Robin Wright Penn, Renée Zellweger, and Noah Wyle, and there is no excuse for missing this Oscar-worthy contender.