Golden Globes 2015: The Good, The Bad, and the What Were They Thinking?

Posted on January 11, 2015 at 11:03 pm

Thoughts on the 2015 Golden Globes:

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were marvelous as always. We knew they’d take on the Sony hack and “The Interview” and they got right to it. “North Korea referred to The Interview as ‘absolutely intolerable’ and a ‘wanton act of terror.’ Even more amazing: not the worst review the movie got.” Loved their line about George Clooney’s wife. The Bill Cosby bit did not work, however.

Should host next year: Chris Pratt and Anna Faris

Best dress: Lupita Nyong’O once again channeled Audrey Hepburn with effortless elegance and impeccable style

Worst suits: Kevin Hart, Alan Cumming, and Jill Soloway

It was a good year for red dresses: Jane Fonda, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Viola Davis, and Julianna Margulies

It was not such a good year for white dresses: Rosamund Pike, Kate Hudson, and Kristen Wiig (hers looked like it was made from two pillow cases)

Good idea: No musical numbers

Bad idea: Too long a walk from the tables to the stage. Runner-up: Jeremy Renner’s crack about Jennifer Lopez’s “golden globes”

Nice to see them together again: Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin picked up where they left off in “9 to 5”

Not so great to see them together again: Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who were so terrific as twins in “The Skeleton Twins,” stumbled through bad jokes about quotable movie lines.

It was a great year for women: “Transparent” and “The Affair” were created by women, as were some of the other nominees and the acceptance speech by Maggie Gyllenhaal and the comments from Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin were inspiring.

It was not a great year for broadcast TV: Cable and online shows took most of the television awards.

It was not a great year for nominees of color.

Best takedown of the ultimate silliness of the Golden Globes: Robert Bianco in USA Today.

The Globes are a carefully cultivated illusion, much like the wide-angle camera work used (not quite effectively) to make the Beverly Hilton’s ballroom look far larger and grander than it really is.

The winners all seemed very happy with their victories, some almost ecstatically so. But that’s merely a natural byproduct of a Hollywood-fueled desire for promotion and affirmation, and the universal urge to win a prize if a prize is offered, valuable or not. Joy may abound Monday morning, but look at any star’s bio, and you’ll see how quickly that Globe tumbles down the credits list when an actual award — an Emmy, Tony, Grammy or Oscar — is available to replace it.

That leaves you with a pokey, mostly performance-free broadcast devoted to showing clips, reading off names, revealing cleavage, and airing acceptance speeches. In the end, what can one say about an event that was less a TV show than a glorified home movie?

Best acceptance speech: Common (for the song from “Selma”), with Jeffrey Tambor (“Transparent”) and George Clooney (lifetime achievement award) a close second. Michael Keaton’s speech was very touching, too. All in all, a big improvement over last year — do you think they took my advice?

Winners:

Supporting Actor, Motion Picture: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Supporting Actress, Miniseries: Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Best Miniseries: Fargo
Lead Actor, Miniseries: Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
Lead Actress, TV Comedy: Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Best TV Comedy: Transparent
Best Original Score: The Theory of Everything
Best Original Song: John Legend and Common’s “Glory,” Selma
Supporting Actor, TV: Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Comedic Actress, Motion Picture: Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Best Animated Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Supporting Actress, Motion Picture: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Screenplay: Birdman
Lead Actor, TV: Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Best Foreign Language Film: Leviathan
Lead Actress, Miniseries: Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honourable Woman
Best TV Drama: The Affair
Lead Actor, TV Drama: Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Lead Actress, TV Drama: Ruth Wilson, The Affair
Lead Actor, Motion Picture Comedy: Michael Keaton, Birdman
Best Picture, Comedy: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Actress, Motion Picture Drama: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Actor, Motion Picture Drama: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Picture: Drama: Boyhood

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Awards Television

Awards Season Heats Up

Posted on January 11, 2015 at 8:00 am

This is the week when we start seeing things come together as we get ready for the biggest awards night in the world of movies, the Oscars, coming up on February 22, 2015. Tonight is the Golden Globes. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are hosting, no one takes it too seriously, and the tables are well-supplied with liquor, which means it will be the most fun. They also give out a lot of awards — television and movies, with separate categories for drama and comedy/musical.Presenters include: Jack Black, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Duchovny, Colin Farrell, Katie Holmes, Jared Leto, Julianna Margulies, Melissa McCarthy, Sienna Miller, Clive Owen, Paul Rudd, Naomi Watts, Oprah Winfrey Amy Adams, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody, Bryan Cranston, Jamie Dornan, Robert Downey Jr., Anna Faris, Colin Firth, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, Ricky Gervais, Bill Hader, Kevin Hart, Salma Hayek, Katherine Heigl, Kate Hudson, Dakota Johnson, Adam Levine, Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Seth Meyers, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Pratt, Jeremy Renner, Meryl Streep, Channing Tatum, Lily Tomlin, Vince Vaughn, Kerry Washington, Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I’ll be posting my thoughts on the high and low points and any surprises tomorrow.

Thursday morning, we get the Oscar nominations. There will be a few hours to pore over the nods and snubs, and then Thursday night is my favorite awards show, the Critics Choice Awards, and I’ll be attending in person. Our host is Michael Strahan and all the stars will be there. I like the the Critics Choice Awards because the critics see all the films that come out each year, not just the ones the studios are supporting by sending out screener DVDs, so we have the best sense of the range of candidates and the most objectivity, too, as we are not a part of the industry. Plus it is our 20th anniversary broadcast and the show will be a lot of fun. So be sure to tune in Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 9 Eastern to see us at the Hollywood Palladium, to see us pay tribute to the films and performances that moved, inspired, entertained, and thrilled us in 2014.

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Awards

Black Reel Awards Nominations 2014

Posted on December 17, 2014 at 9:14 am

One of the great pleasures of this time of year is voting for so many of my favorite filmmakers as a part of the Black Reel Awards. Thanks, as ever, to Tim Gordon for allowing me to participate. I think it is fair to say we had more and better choices this year than we ever have before. Here are our nominees:

MOTION PICTURE

Outstanding Motion Picture

Belle | Damian Jones (Fox Searchlight)
Beyond the Lights | Stephanie Allain, Amar’e Stoudamire, Reggie Rock Bythewood & Ryan Kavanaugh (Relativity Media)
Dear White People | Justin Simien, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe, Ann Le, Effie Brown & Julia Lebedev (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
Selma | Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner & Christian Colson (Paramount)
Top Five | Scott Rudin & Eli Bush (Paramount)

Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture

Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture

Outstanding Supporting Actor, Motion Picture

Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture

Viola Davis | The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (The Weinstein Company)
Carmen Ejogo | Selma (Paramount)
Teyonah Parris | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)
Zoe Saldana | Guardians of the Galaxy (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Octavia Spencer | Snowpiercer (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Director, Motion Picture

Outstanding Screenplay (Original or Adapted), Motion Picture

Gina Prince-Bythewood | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
John Ridley | Jimi: All is by My Side (XLrator Media/ Open Road Films)
Chris Rock | Top Five (Paramount)
Misan Sagay | Belle (Fox Searchlight)
Justin Simien | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)

Outstanding Documentary

Outstanding Ensemble (Awarded to Casting Directors)

Outstanding Foreign Film

Difret (Ethiopia)| Zeresenay Mehari (Moving Turtle)
The Double! (U.K.) | Richard Ayoade (Magnolia Films)
Fishing Without Nets (Kenya) | Cutter Hodierne (Drafthouse Films)
Freedom Road (South Africa) | Shane Vermooten (Media Village Productions)
Half of a Yellow Sun (Nigeria) | Biyi Bandele (Monterey Media)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female

Jillian Estell| Black or White (Relativity Media)
Patina Miller | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 (Lionsgate)
Teyonah Parris | Dear White People (Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions)
Amber Stevens | 22 Jump Street (Columbia/ MGM)
Kuoth Wiel | The Good Lie (Warner Bros.)

Outstanding Voice Performance

Vin Diesel | Guardians of the Galaxy (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Morgan Freeman | The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Maya Rudolph | Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Zoe Saldana | The Book of Life (20th Century Fox)
Damon Wayans Jr. | Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

MUSIC

Outstanding Score

Terence Blanchard | Black or White (Relativity Media)
Kathryn Bostic | Dear White People (Lionsgate/ Roadside Attractions)
Danny Bramson & Waddy Wachtel | Jimi: All is by My Side (XLrator Media/ Open Road Films)
Mask Isham | Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)
Jason Moran | Selma (Paramount)

Outstanding Original Song

“It Ain’t Easy” from Top Five | Written & Performed by: Questlove & Elza Colby (Paramount)
“It’s On Again” from The Amazing Spider-Man 2| Performed by: Alicia Keys & Kendrick Lamar; Written by: Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Hans Zimmer & Kendrick Lamar (Sony Pictures)
“Glory” from Selma | Performed by: John Legend & Common; Written by: John Legend, Common & Che Smith (Paramount)
“Grateful” from Beyond the Lights | Performed by: Rita Ora; Written by: Diane Warren (Relativity Media)
“What is Love” from Rio 2 | Performed by: Janelle Monae; Written by: Janelle Monae, Nathaniel Irvin III and Roman Irvin (20th Century Fox)

INDEPENDENT

Outstanding Independent Feature

Outstanding Independent Documentary

25 to Life | Mike Brown (AAFRM)
Evolution of a Criminal | Darius Clark Monroe
Let the Fire Burn | Jason Osder
Oscar Micheaux: The Czar of Black Hollywood | Bayer Mack
Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People | Thomas Allen Harris

Outstanding Independent Short

#AmeriCan | Nate Parker
Muted | Rachel Goldberg
The Voodoo | Steven Alexander

TELEVISION

Outstanding Television Documentary or Special

Finding the Funk | Nelson George (VH1)
Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown | Alex Gibney (HBO)
On the Run Tour: Jay-Z & Beyonce | Jonas Akerlund (HBO)
The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip-Hop | Billy Corben & Alfred Spellman (VH1)
Terror at the Mall | Dan Reed (HBO)

Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series

A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Tom Leonardis, Jeffrey M. Hayes, Bill Haber & Whoopi Goldberg (Lifetime)
Gun Hill | Daniel Hank (BET)
Rosemary’s Baby | Zoe Saldana, Cisely Saldana, Mariel Saldana, Tom Patricia & Robert Bernacchi (NBC)
Seasons of Love | Joshua A. Green, Asger Hussain & Yaron Schwartzman (Lifetime)
The Trip to Bountiful | Bill Haber, Cicely Tyson, Hallie Foote & Jeff Hayes (Lifetime)

Outstanding Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series

Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series

Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series

Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series

Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Mini-Series

Outstanding Writing, TV Movie or Mini-Series

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Awards

Online Film Critics Awards 2014

Posted on December 15, 2014 at 10:15 am

I am proud to be a member of the Online Film Critics Society, and very pleased to announce this year’s awards:

Best Picture: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Animated Feature: The Lego Movie
Best Film Not in the English Language: Two Days, One Night
Best Documentary: Life Itself
Best Director: Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Best Actor: Michael Keaton – Birdman
Best Actress: Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Best Supporting Actor: Edward Norton – Birdman
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Best Original Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Adapted Screenplay: Gone Girl
Best Editing: Birdman
Best Cinematography: The Grand Budapest Hotel

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Awards Critics

Critics Choice Award Nominees 2014

Posted on December 15, 2014 at 9:59 am

I am very proud to be a member of the Broadcast Movie Critics Association and very excited about attending this year’s award ceremony on January 15, 2015, hosted by Michael Strahan. I’m thrilled that we will be presenting special awards to Kevin Costner, Ron Howard and Jessica Chastain. Costner will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, Howard will receive the Louis XIII Critics’ Choice Genius Award and Chastain, who is a Best Supporting Actress nominee for “A Most Violent Year,” will receive the newly-created Critics’ Choice MVP Award.

The nominees:

BEST PICTURE
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“Gone Girl”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Nightcrawler”
“Selma”
“The Theory of Everything”
“Unbroken”
“Whiplash”

BEST ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Imitation Game”
Ralph Fiennes – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Jake Gyllenhaal – “Nightcrawler”
Michael Keaton – “Birdman”
David Oyelowo – “Selma”
Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything”

BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Aniston – “Cake”
Marion Cotillard – “Two Days, One Night”
Felicity Jones – “The Theory of Everything”
Julianne Moore – “Still Alice”
Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl”
Reese Witherspoon – “Wild”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin – “Inherent Vice”
Robert Duvall – “The Judge”
Ethan Hawke – “Boyhood”
Edward Norton – “Birdman”
Mark Ruffalo – “Foxcatcher”
J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette – “Boyhood”
Jessica Chastain – “A Most Violent Year”
Keira Knightley – “The Imitation Game”
Emma Stone – “Birdman”
Meryl Streep – “Into the Woods”
Tilda Swinton – Snowpiercer

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Ellar Coltrane – “Boyhood”
Ansel Elgort – “The Fault in Our Stars”
Mackenzie Foy – “Interstellar”
Jaeden Lieberher – “St. Vincent”
Tony Revolori – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Quvenzhane Wallis – “Annie”
Noah Wiseman – “The Babadook”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
“Birdman”
“Boyhood”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“The Imitation Game”
“Into the Woods”
“Selma”

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Ava DuVernay – “Selma”
David Fincher – “Gone Girl”
Alejandro G. Inarritu – “Birdman”
Angelina Jolie – “Unbroken”
Richard Linklater – “Boyhood”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Birdman” – Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo
“Boyhood” – Richard Linklater
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness
“Nightcrawler” – Dan Gilroy
“Whiplash” – Damien Chazelle

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Gone Girl” – Gillian Flynn
“The Imitation Game” – Graham Moore
“Inherent Vice” – Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Theory of Everything” – Anthony McCarten
“Unbroken” – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese, William Nicholson
“Wild” – Nick Hornby

BEST CINEMATOGRAPY
“Birdman” – Emmanuel Lubezki
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Robert Yeoman
“Interstellar” – Hoyte Van Hoytema
“Mr. Turner” – Dick Pope
“Unbroken” – Roger Deakins

BEST ART DIRECTION
“Birdman” – Kevin Thompson/Production Designer, George DeTitta Jr./Set Decorator
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Adam Stockhausen/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
“Inherent Vice” – David Crank/Production Designer, Amy Wells/Set Decorator
“Interstellar” – Nathan Crowley/Production Designer, Gary Fettis/Set Decorator
“Into the Woods” – Dennis Gassner/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
“Snowpiercer” – Ondrej Nekvasil/Production Designer, Beatrice Brentnerova/Set Decorator

BEST EDITING
“Birdman” – Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
“Boyhood” – Sandra Adair
“Gone Girl” – Kirk Baxter
“Interstellar” – Lee Smith
“Whiplash” – Tom Cross

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Milena Canonero
“Inherent Vice” – Mark Bridges
“Into the Woods” – Colleen Atwood
“Maleficent” – Anna B. Sheppard
“Mr. Turner” – Jacqueline Durran

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP
“Foxcatcher”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
“Into the Woods”
“Maleficent”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
“Edge of Tomorrow”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
“Interstellar”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Big Hero 6”
“The Book of Life”
“The Boxtrolls”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“The Lego Movie”

BEST ACTION MOVIE
“American Sniper”
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
“Edge of Tomorrow”
“Fury”
“Guardians of the Galaxy”

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Bradley Cooper – “American Sniper”
Tom Cruise – “Edge of Tomorrow”
Chris Evans – “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
Brad Pitt – “Fury”
Chris Pratt – “Guardians of the Galaxy”

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt – “Edge of Tomorrow”
Scarlett Johansson – “Lucy”
Jennifer Lawrence – “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1”
Zoe Saldana – “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Shailene Woodley – “Divergent”

BEST COMEDY
“Birdman”
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
“St. Vincent”
“Top Five”
“22 Jump Street”

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jon Favreau – “Chef”
Ralph Fiennes – “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Michael Keaton – “Birdman”
Bill Murray – “St. Vincent”
Chris Rock – “Top Five”
Channing Tatum – “22 Jump Street”

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Rose Byrne – “Neighbors”
Rosario Dawson – “Top Five”
Melissa McCarthy – “St. Vincent”
Jenny Slate – “Obvious Child”
Kristen Wiig – “The Skeleton Twins”

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
“The Babadook”
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
“Interstellar”
“Snowpiercer”
“Under the Skin”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Force Majeure”
“Ida”
“Leviathan”
“Two Days, One Night”
“Wild Tales”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Citizenfour”
“Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”
“Jodorowsky’s Dune”
“Last Days in Vietnam”
“Life Itself”
“The Overnighters”

BEST SONG
“Big Eyes” – Lana Del Rey – “Big Eyes”
“Everything Is Awesome” – Jo Li and the Lonely Island – “The Lego Movie”
“Glory” – Common/John Legend – “Selma”
“Lost Stars” – Keira Knightley – “Begin Again”
“Yellow Flicker Beat” – Lorde – “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1”

BEST SCORE
Alexandre Desplat – “The Imitation Game”
Johann Johannsson – “The Theory of Everything”
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – “Gone Girl”
Antonio Sanchez – “Birdman”
Hans Zimmer – “Interstellar”

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Awards Critics