Sunday, January 24, 2010

Winners of the 21st PGA Awards

BEST PICTURE
The Hurt Locker

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Up

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Cove

Winners of the 16th SAG Awards

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Inglourious Basterds

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Mo’Nique, Precious

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Nominees for 2010 BAFTA Film Awards

Best Film
“Avatar”
“An Education”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Precious”
“Up in the Air”

Outstanding British Film
“An Education”
“Fish Tank”
“In the Loop”
“Moon”
“Nowhere Boy”

Best Director
James Cameron, “Avatar”
Neill Blomkamp, “District 9”
Lone Scherfig, “An Education”
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Winners of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards

FILM

BEST FEATURE - DRAMA
"Avatar"

BEST FEATURE - COMEDY

"The Hangover"

ACTOR - DRAMA
Jeff Bridges - "Crazy Heart"

ACTRESS - DRAMA

Sandra Bullock - "The Blind Side"

ACTOR - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Robert Downey Jr. - "Sherlock Holmes"

ACTRESS - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Meryl Streep - "Julie & Julia"

DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE

James Cameron - "Avatar"

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christoph Waltz - "Inglourious Basterds"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Mo'Nique - "Precious"

SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE

Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner - "Up in the Air"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

"The White Ribbon" (Germany) - Wega Films; Sony Pictures Classics

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

"Up"

BEST SCORE

Michael Giacchino - "Up"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"The Weary Kind" from "Crazy Heart" - Music & Lyrics by: Ryan Bingham, T Bone Burnett

TELEVISION

TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

"Mad Men"

TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL

"Glee"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

Michael C. Hall - "Dexter"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

Julianna Margulies - "The Good Wife"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Toni Collette - "United States of Tara"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin - "30 Rock"

MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

"Grey Gardens"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Kevin Bacon - "Taking Chance"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Drew Barrymore - "Grey Gardens"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Chloe Sevigny - "Big Love"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

John Lithgow - "Dexter"

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Winners of the 15th Critics Choice Movie Awards

BEST PICTURE

The Hurt Locker

BEST ACTOR


Jeff Bridges – “Crazy Heart”

BEST ACTRESS

Sandra Bullock – “The Blind Side” AND
Meryl Streep – “Julie & Julia”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christoph Waltz – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Mo’Nique – “Precious”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

Saoirse Ronan – “The Lovely Bones”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

Inglourious Basterds

BEST DIRECTING

Kathryn Bigelow – “The Hurt Locker”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Quentin Tarantino – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner – “Up in the Air”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Mauro Fiore – “Avatar”

BEST ART DIRECTION

Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg – “Avatar”

BEST EDITING

Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron – “Avatar”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN


Sandy Powell – “The Young Victoria”

BEST MAKEUP

District 9

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar

BEST SOUND

Avatar

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Up

BEST ACTION MOVIE

Avatar

BEST COMEDY

The Hangover

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Grey Gardens

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Broken Embraces

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The Cove

BEST SONG

The Weary Kind” – T Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham – “Crazy Heart”

BEST SCORE

Michael Giacchino – “Up”

Monday, January 11, 2010

Nominees for 60th ACE Eddie Awards

DRAMA
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Star Trek
Up in the Air


COMEDY/MUSICAL
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
A Serious Man


ANIMATED
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up

Nominees for 24th ASC Awards

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT, FEATURE FILM
Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker
Dion Beebe, Nine
Christian Berger, The White Ribbon
Mauro Fiore, Avatar
Robert Richardson, Inglourious Basterds

Nominees for 2010 WGA Awards

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

(500) Days of Summer, Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; Fox Searchlight

Avatar, Written by James Cameron; 20th Century Fox

The Hangover, Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore; Warner Bros.

The Hurt Locker, Written by Mark Boal; Summit Entertainment

A Serious Man, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen; Focus Features

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Crazy Heart, Screenplay by Scott Cooper; Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb; Fox Searchlight

Julie & Julia, Screenplay by Nora Ephron; Based on the books Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme; Sony Pictures

Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher; Based on the novel Push by Sapphire; Lionsgate

Star Trek, Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman; Based upon Star Trek, Created by Gene Roddenberry; Paramount Pictures

Up in the Air, Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner; Based upon the novel by Walter Kirn; Paramount Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Against the Tide, Screenplay by Richard Trank; Moriah Films

Capitalism: A Love Story, Written by Michael Moore; Overture Films

The Cove, Written by Mark Monroe; Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions

Earth Days, Written by Robert Stone; Zeitgeist Films

Good Hair, Written by Chris Rock & Jeff Stilson and Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar; Roadside Attractions

Soundtrack for a Revolution, Written by Bill Guttentag & Dan Sturman; Freedom Song Productions and Louverture Films

Friday, January 08, 2010

Nominees for 14th ADG Awards

PERIOD FILM
A Serious Man
Inglourious Basterds
Julie & Julia
Public Enemies
Sherlock Holmes


FANTASY FILM
Avatar
District 9
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are


CONTEMPORARY FILM

Angels & Demons
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker
The Lovely Bones
Up in the Air

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Nominees for 62nd DGA Awards

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
James Cameron (Avatar)
Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire)
Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)
Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

FYC

ZOE SALDANA (AVATAR) FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Nominees for 21st PGA Awards

BEST PICTURE
Avatar
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Precious: Based on the Novel
Push by Sapphire
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
9
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Burma VJ
The Cove
Sergio
Soundtrack for a Revolution

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Nominees for 16th SAG Awards

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabby Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
Mo’Nique, Precious

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Nominees for 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards

FILM

BEST FEATURE - DRAMA
"Avatar"
"The Hurt Locker"
"Inglourious Basterds"
"Precious"
"Up in the Air"

BEST FEATURE - COMEDY
"(500) Days of Summer"
"The Hangover"
"It's Complicated"
"Julie & Julia"
"Nine"

ACTOR - DRAMA
Jeff Bridges - "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney - "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth - "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman - "Invictus"
Tobey Maguire - "Brothers"

ACTRESS - DRAMA
Emily Blunt - "The Young Victoria"
Sandra Bullock - "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren - "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan - "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe - "Precious"

ACTOR - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Matt Damon - "The Informant!"
Daniel Day-Lewis - "Nine"
Robert Downey Jr. - "Sherlock Holmes"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - "500 Days of Summer"
Michael Stuhlbarg - "A Serious Man"

ACTRESS - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Sandra Bullock - "The Proposal"
Marion Cotillard - "Nine"
Julia Roberts - "Duplicity"
Meryl Streep - "It's Complicated"
Meryl Streep - "Julie & Julia"

DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE
Kathryn Bigelow - "The Hurt Locker"
James Cameron - "Avatar"
Clint Eastwood - "Invictus"
Jason Reitman - "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino - "Inglourious Basterds"

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon - "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson - "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer - "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci - "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz - "Inglourious Basterds"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz - "Nine"
Vera Farmiga - "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick - "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique - "Precious"
Julianne Moore - "A Single Man"

SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE
Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell - "District 9"
Mark Boal - "The Hurt Locker"
Nancy Meyers - "It's Complicated"
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner - "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino - "Inglourious Basterds"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Baaria" (Italy) - Medusa Film; Summit Entertainment
"Broken Embraces" (Spain) - El Deseo SA; Sony Pictures Classics
"The Maid" (Chile) - Forastero; Elephant Eye Films
"A Prophet" (France) - Chic Films; Sony Pictures Classics
"The White Ribbon" (Germany) - Wega Films; Sony Pictures Classics

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
"Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"
"Coraline"
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
"The Princess and the Frog"
"Up"

BEST SCORE
Michael Giacchino - "Up"
Marvin Hamlisch - "The Informant!"
James Horner - "Avatar"
Abel Korzeniowski - "A Single Man"
Karen O, Carter Burwell - "Where The Wild Things Are"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Cinema Italiano" from "Nine" - Music & Lyrics by: Maury Yeston
"I Want to Come Home" from "Everybody's Fine" - Music & Lyrics by: Paul McCartney
"I Will See You" from "Avatar" - Music by: James Horner, Simon Franglen; Lyrics by: James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell
"The Weary Kind" from "Crazy Heart" - Music & Lyrics by: Ryan Bingham, T Bone Burnett
"Winter" from "Brothers" - Music by: U2; Lyrics by: Bono

TELEVISION

TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
"Big Love"
"Dexter"
"House"
"Mad Men"
"True Blood"

TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
"30 Rock"
"Entourage"
"Glee"
"Modern Family"
"The Office"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Simon Baker - "The Mentalist"
Michael C. Hall - "Dexter"
Jon Hamm - "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie - "House"
Bill Paxton - "Big Love"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Glenn Close - "Damages"
January Jones - "Mad Men"
Julianna Margulies - "The Good Wife"
Anna Paquin - "True Blood"
Kyra Sedgwick - "The Closer"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Toni Collette - "United States of Tara"
Courteney Cox - "Cougar Town"
Edie Falco - "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey - "30 Rock"
Lea Michele - "Glee"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin - "30 Rock"
Steve Carell - "The Office"
David Duchovny - "Californication"
Thomas Jane - "Hung"
Matthew Morrison - "Glee"

MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"Georgia O'Keeffe"
"Grey Gardens"
"Into the Storm"
"Little Dorrit"
"Taking Chance"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Kevin Bacon - "Taking Chance"
Kenneth Branagh - "Wallander: One Step Behind"
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "Endgame"
Brendan Gleeson - "Into The Storm"
Jeremy Irons - "Georgia O'Keeffe"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Joan Allen - "Georgia O'Keeffe"
Drew Barrymore - "Grey Gardens"
Jessica Lange - "Grey Gardens"
Anna Paquin - "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler"
Sigourney Weaver - "Prayers for Bobby"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jane Adams - "Hung"
Rose Byrne - "Damages"
Jane Lynch - "Glee"
Janet McTeer - "Into The Storm"
Chloe Sevigny - "Big Love"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Michael Emerson - "Lost"
Neil Patrick Harris - "How I Met Your Mother"
William Hurt - "Damages"
John Lithgow - "Dexter"
Jeremy Piven - "Entourage"

Source

Monday, December 14, 2009

Nominees for 15th Critics Choice Movie Awards

BEST PICTURE

Avatar
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Nine
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges – “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney – “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth – “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman – “Invictus”
Viggo Mortensen – “The Road”
Jeremy Renner – “The Hurt Locker”

BEST ACTRESS

Emily Blunt – “The Young Victoria”
Sandra Bullock – “The Blind Side”
Carey Mulligan – “An Education”
Saoirse Ronan – “The Lovely Bones”
Gabourey Sidibe – “Precious”
Meryl Streep – “Julie & Julia”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon – “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson – “The Messenger”
Christian McKay – “Me and Orson Welles”
Alfred Molina – “An Education”
Stanley Tucci – “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Marion Cotillard – “Nine”
Vera Farmiga – “Up in the Air”
Anna Kendrick – “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique – “Precious”
Julianne Moore – “A Single Man”
Samantha Morton – “The Messenger”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

Jae Head – “The Blind Side”
Bailee Madison – “Brothers”
Max Records – “Where the Wild Things Are”
Saoirse Ronan – “The Lovely Bones”
Kodi Smit-McPhee – “The Road”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious
Star Trek
Up in the Air

BEST DIRECTING

Kathryn Bigelow – “The Hurt Locker”
James Cameron – “Avatar”
Lee Daniels – “Precious”
Clint Eastwood – “Invictus”
Jason Reitman – “Up in the Air”
Quentin Tarantino – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Mark Boal – “The Hurt Locker”
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – “A Serious Man”
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber – “(500) Days Of Summer”
Bob Peterson, Peter Docter – “Up”
Quentin Tarantino – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach – “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell – “District 9”
Geoffrey Fletcher – “Precious”
Tom Ford, David Scearce – “A Single Man”
Nick Hornby – “An Education”
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner – “Up in the Air”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Barry Ackroyd – “The Hurt Locker”
Dion Beebe – “Nine”
Mauro Fiore – “Avatar”
Andrew Lesnie – “The Lovely Bones”
Robert Richardson – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST ART DIRECTION

Dan Bishop – “A Single Man”
Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg – “Avatar”
John Myhre, Gordon Sim – “Nine”
Naomi Shohan, George De Titta Jr. – “The Lovely Bones”
David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds Wasco – “Inglourious Basterds”

BEST EDITING

Dana E. Glauberman – “Up in the Air”
Sally Menke – “Inglourious Basterds”
Bob Murawski, Chris Innis – “The Hurt Locker”
Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron – “Avatar”
Claire Simpson, Wyatt Smith – “Nine”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN


Colleen Atwood – “Nine”
Janet Patterson – “Bright Star”
Sandy Powell – “The Young Victoria”
Anna Sheppard – “Inglourious Basterds”
Casey Storm – “Where the Wild Things Are”

BEST MAKEUP

Avatar
District 9
Nine
The Road
Star Trek

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar
District 9
The Lovely Bones
Star Trek
2012

BEST SOUND

Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Nine
Star Trek

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up

BEST ACTION MOVIE

Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek

BEST COMEDY

(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
The Proposal
Zombieland

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Gifted Hands
Grey Gardens
Into the Storm
Taking Chance

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Broken Embraces
Coco Before Chanel
Red Cliff
Sin Nombre
The White Ribbon

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Anvil
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Cove
Food, Inc.
Michael Jackson’s This Is It

BEST SONG

“All Is Love” – Karen O, Nick Zinner – “Where the Wild Things Are”
“Almost There” – Randy Newman – “The Princess and the Frog”
“Cinema Italiano” – Maury Yeston – “Nine”
“(I Want to) Come Home” – Paul McCartney – “Everybody’s Fine”
“The Weary Kind” – T Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham – “Crazy Heart”

BEST SCORE

Michael Giacchino – “Up”
Marvin Hamlisch – “The Informant!”
Randy Newman – “The Princess and the Frog”
Karen O, Carter Burwell – “Where the Wild Things Are”
Hans Zimmer – “Sherlock Holmes”

Friday, December 11, 2009

Fantastic Mr. Fox and Avatar

Two prestige films have managed to sneak into Philippine cinemas before the annual Metro Manila Crap Fest. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson, based on the novel by Roald Dahl, is already showing in Glorietta, Greenbelt, and Trinoma, and I saw it yesterday. It is, indeed, fantastic. If you've seen a Wes Anderson film (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), you know what type of quirky zaniness to expect. Except this one's with foxes. And opossums, and badgers, and rats, and more...and the occasional human. I loved it. My only beef with it is that they capitalized the first letter of the species epithet in the scientific names of the animals, but that's just the biologist in me talking. The film-otaku is crazy for it. This is definitely a banner year for animation, with Coraline being another amazing offering this year and Up, Astro Boy, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Ponyo all being films playing on varying levels of "great."

James Cameron's Avatar will start showing on 17 December. I absolutely CANNOT wait to see it. Since hearing some three years ago about how revolutionary a film it's going to be, I've been eagerly awaiting it. Now more than a few critics have seen it, and they're raving about it. Of all the ones I've seen, here's my favorite (from awards-watcher Kristopher Tapley of InContention.com, so it has a bit of an awards bent, but he's also more of a regular movie-goer like us than the Siskels and Eberts):

"The embargo on Avatar has been essentially lifted by Fox so I could go on at length about how I could sit through it over…and over…and over again. Anne and I will dig in properly in tomorrow’s Oscar Talk and I’m sure I’ll have a review at some point, maybe Monday. But a few things…

"The visual effects race, if you couldn’t guess already, is over and done with. In all likelihood, the sound races as well. And there is a compelling argument to be made for the film editing as well. But that’s the expected tech bliss the film delivers.

"Wait, let me not undersell that. This is the most amazing cinematic experience I’ve ever had. There are, admittedly, story elements that give one pause. The film isn’t total perfection (though I’d argue this is a very mature, thematically beautiful screenplay from James Cameron). The filmmaker can’t help himself in a number of instances that are too on the nose.

"But so what? Seriously. This is why we all go into dark rooms to be transported to other worlds. Cameron gets it. And he delivers. A thousand times over. It’s the kind of film you want to take any and everyone with you to see. Not to be too cheesy — it is absolute magic."

So I'm gonna line up for it on IMAX and would like to have as many people as possible watching it with me.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

National Board of Review 2009

Best Film:
Up In The Air

Top Eleven Films (In alphabetical order):
An Education
(500) Days Of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
The Messenger
A Serious Man
Star Trek
Up
Up In The Air
Where The Wild Things Are

Best Director:
Clint Eastwood, Invictus

Best Actor:
Morgan Freeman, Invictus and George Clooney, Up In The Air (tie)

Best Actress:
Carey Mulligan, An Education

Best Supporting Actor:
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger

Best Supporting Actress:
Anna Kendrick, Up In The Air

Best Foreign Film:
A Prophet

Best Documentary:
The Cove

Best Animated Feature:
Up

Best Ensemble Cast:
It’s Complicated

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor:
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress:
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut:
Duncan Jones, Moon, Oren Moverman,
The Messenger and Marc Webb, (500) Days of Summer (tie)

Best Original Screenplay:
Joel & Ethan Coen, A Serious Man

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up In The Air

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award:
Wes Anderson, The Fantastic Mr. Fox

William K. Everson Film History Award:
Jean Picker Firstenberg

NBR Freedom of Expression:
Burma Vj: Reporting From A Closed Country,
Invictus,
The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellseberg And The Pentagon Papers

Top Ten Independent Films (In alphabetical order):
Amreeka
District 9
Goodbye Solo
Humpday
In The Loop
Julia
Me And Orson Welles
Moon
Sugar
Two Lovers

Top Six Foreign Films (In alphabetical order):
The Maid
A Prophet
Revanche
Song Of Sparrows
Three Monkeys
The White Ribbon

Top Six Documentary Films (In alphabetical order):
Burma Vj: Reporting From A Closed Country
The Cove
Crude
Food, Inc.
Good Hair
The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg And The Pentagon Papers

Thursday, November 19, 2009

15 Documentary Features Shortlisted

Beverly Hills, CA (November 18, 2009) — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards®. Eighty-nine pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

  • “The Beaches of Agnes,” Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)
  • “Burma VJ,” Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)
  • “The Cove,” Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)
  • “Every Little Step,” James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment)
  • “Facing Ali,” Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.)
  • “Food, Inc.,” Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films)
  • “Garbage Dreams,” Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.)
  • “Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders,” Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC)
  • “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications)
  • “Mugabe and the White African,” Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey, directors (Arturi Films Limited)
  • “Sergio,” Greg Barker, director (Passion Pictures and Silverbridge Productions)
  • “Soundtrack for a Revolution,” Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, directors (Freedom Song Productions)
  • “Under Our Skin,” Andy Abrahams Wilson, director (Open Eye Pictures)
  • “Valentino The Last Emperor,” Matt Tyrnauer, director (Acolyte Films)
  • “Which Way Home,” Rebecca Cammisa, director (Mr. Mudd)

The Documentary Branch Screening Committee viewed all the eligible documentaries for the preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles on the shortlist.

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.


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