Posted on February 10, 2013 at 1:44 pm
For some insight on how the Academy members vote for the Oscars, check out these behind-the-scenes insights. Watch the Oscars two weeks from tonight at 7 pm (Eastern) on ABC.
Posted on February 7, 2013 at 8:00 am
Many thanks to Thelma Adams for including me in her Oscar Roundtable. We began with a discussion of Best Actor nominees — who will win, who should win, and who was left out. I was sorry that John Hawkes’ performance in “The Sessions” was overlooked.
The subtlety and wit and longing and humanity he brought to that performance was beautifully expressed. And I’d love to see Denzel Washington (my favorite actor of our era) win this year for “Flight.” He is always an actor of breathtaking precision and detail, but in this performance he opened up more than he ever has before, with a vulnerability and fearlessness that was, for me, the best performance of the year. Daniel Day-Lewis was unquestionably brilliant as “Lincoln.” That opening scene showed us his humility, wisdom, patience, and sympathy. Later we saw his strength, his pain, his struggle, his ferocity. I won’t object if/when he wins. But my own best actor award goes to Denzel.
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 1:36 pm
I’m back from Los Angeles and an amazing night of glamour and excitement at the Critics Choice Awards. All the star were there — from the youngest-ever Best Actress Oscar Nominee,
Quvenzhané Wallis to Daniel Day-Lewis, Stephen Spielberg, and Sally Field from “Lincoln” and Jessica Chastain, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper. The high points for me were Wallis breathlessly reading her acceptance speech for best performance by an actor under age 25 from her pink-covered iPhone, Rebel Wilson’s presentation of a special comedy award to Judd Apatow (she pretended that he had written her speech) and Ben Affleck’s charming acceptance of his best director award for “Argo,” coming just hours after his inexplicable snub by the Oscars. “I’d like to thank the members of the Academy,” he began, and brought the house down. And I loved Anne Hathaway, accepting her best supporting actress award for “Les Miserables,” teasing us for misspelling her name on the screen.
I know I am biased, but for me the critics awards are the most meaningful because we see everything all year long, not just the discs that are circulated at awards time. It was a blast and I’m very proud of our choices.
BEST PICTURE
Winner: Argo
Nominees:
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
BEST ACTOR
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Nominees:
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
John Hawkes – The Sessions
Hugh Jackman – Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Denzel Washington – Flight
BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Nominees:
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard – Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts – The Impossible
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Nominees:
Alan Arkin – Argo
Javier Bardem – Skyfall
Robert De Niro – Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables
Nominees:
Amy Adams – The Master
Judi Dench – Skyfall
Ann Dowd – Compliance
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Winner: Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Nominees:
Elle Fanning – Ginger & Rosa
Kara Hayward – Moonrise Kingdom
Tom Holland – The Impossible
Logan Lerman – The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Suraj Sharma – Life of Pi
Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Winner: Silver Linings Playbook
Nominees:
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Ben Affleck – Argo
Nominees:
Ben Affleck – Argo
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Tom Hooper – Les Miserables
Ang Lee – Life of Pi
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
Nominees:
Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
John Gatins – Flight
Rian Johnson – Looper
Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola – Moonrise Kingdom
Mark Boal – Zero Dark Thirty
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner: Tony Kushner – Lincoln
Nominees:
Chris Terrio – Argo
Tony Kushner – Lincoln
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
David Magee – Life of Pi
Stephen Chbosky – The Perks of Being a Wallflower
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: Life of Pi – Claudio Miranda
Nominees:
Life of Pi – Claudio Miranda
Lincoln – Janusz Kaminski
Les Miserables – Danny Cohen
The Master – Mihai Malaimare Jr.
Skyfall – Roger Deakins
BEST ART DIRECTION
Winner: Anna Karenina – Sarah Greenwood/Production Designer, Katie Spencer/Set Decorator
Nominees:
The Hobbit – Dan Hennah/Production Designer, Ra Vincent & Simon Bright/Set Decorators
Les Miserables – Eve Stewart/Production Designer, Anna Lynch-Robinson/Set Decorator
Life of Pi – David Gropman/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
Lincoln – Rick Carter/Production Designer, Jim Erickson/Set Decorator
BEST EDITING
Winner: Zero Dark Thirty – William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor
Nominees:
Argo – William Goldenberg
Les Miserables – Melanie Ann Oliver, Chris Dickens
Life of Pi – Tim Squyres
Lincoln – Michael Kahn
Zero Dark Thirty – William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Winner: Anna Karenina – Jacqueline Durran
Nominees:
Anna Karenina – Jacqueline Durran
Cloud Atlas – Kym Barrett, Pierre-Yves Gayraud
The Hobbit – Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor
Les Miserables – Paco Delgado
Lincoln – Joanna Johnston
BEST MAKEUP
Winner: Cloud Atlas
Nominees:
Cloud Atlas
The Hobbit
Les Miserables
Lincoln
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Winner: Life of Pi
Nominees:
The Avengers
Cloud Atlas
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit
Life of Pi
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Winner: Wreck-It Ralph
Nominees:
Brave
Frankenweenie
Madagascar 3
ParaNorman
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph
BEST ACTION MOVIE
Winner: Skyfall
Nominees:
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Looper
Skyfall
BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Winner: Daniel Craig – Skyfall
Nominees:
Christian Bale – The Dark Knight Rises
Daniel Craig – Skyfall
Robert Downey Jr. – The Avengers
Joseph Gordon-Levitt – Looper
Jake Gyllenhaal – End of Watch
BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Winner: Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games
Nominees:
Emily Blunt – Looper
Gina Carano – Haywire
Judi Dench – Skyfall
Anne Hathaway – The Dark Knight Rises
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games
BEST COMEDY
Winner: Silver Linings Playbook
Nominees:
Bernie
Silver Linings Playbook
Ted
This Is 40
21 Jump Street
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Winner: Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Nominees:
Jack Black – Bernie
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Paul Rudd – This Is 40
Channing Tatum – 21 Jump Street
Mark Wahlberg – Ted
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Winner: Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Nominees:
Mila Kunis – Ted
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Shirley MacLaine – Bernie
Leslie Mann – This Is 40
Rebel Wilson – Pitch Perfect
BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
Winner: Looper
Nominees:
Cabin in the Woods
Looper
Prometheus
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner: Amour
Nominees:
Amour
The Intouchables
A Royal Affair
Rust and Bone
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Winner: Searching for Sugar Man
Nominees:
Bully
The Imposter
Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man
The Central Park Five
West of Memphis
BEST SONG
Winner: “Skyfall” – performed by Adele/written by Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth – Skyfall
Nominees:
“For You” – performed by Keith Urban/written by Monty Powell & Keith Urban – Actor of Valor
“Skyfall” – performed by Adele/written by Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth – Skyfall
“Still Alive” – performed by Paul Williams/written by Paul Williams – Paul Williams Still Alive
“Suddenly” – Performed by Hugh Jackman / Music by Claude Michel Schonberg, Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
“Learn Me Right” – performed by Birdy with Mumford & Sons/written by Mumford & Sons – Brave
BEST SCORE
Winner: Lincoln – John Williams
Nominees:
Argo – Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi – Mychael Danna
Lincoln – John Williams
The Master – Jonny Greenwood
Moonrise Kingdom – Alexandre Desplat
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 7:16 am
AWFJ EDA ‘BEST OF’ AWARDS:
Best Film: “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Screenplay, Original: Mark Boal – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Screenplay, Adapted: Chris Terrio – “Argo”
Best Documentary: “Searching For Sugar Man”
Best Animated Film: “ParaNorman”
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway – “Les Miserables”
Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis – “Lincoln”
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Phillip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”
Best Ensemble Cast: “Silver Linings Playbook”
Best Editing: William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Cinematography: Claudio Miranda – “Life of Pi”
Best Film Music or Score: Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Best Non-English-Language Film: “Amour”
EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS:
These awards honor WOMEN only.
Best Woman Director: Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Woman Screenwriter: Lucy Alibar (and Benh Zeitlin) – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Kick Ass Award For Best Female Action Star: Jennifer Lawrence – “The Hunger Games”
Best Animated Female: Merida (Kelly Macdonald) – “Brave”
I always take special pleasure in voting for these awards and am delighted with the results:
Best Breakthrough Performance: Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Actress Defying Age and Ageism: Judi Dench – “Skyfall”
AWFJ Award for Humanitarian Activism – Female Icon Award, presented to an actress for the portrayal of the most positive female role model, or for a role in which she takes personal and/or career risks to plumb the female psyche and therefore gives us courage to plumb our own, and/or for putting forth the image of a woman who is heroic, accomplished, persistent, demands her rights and/or the rights of others:
Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”
This Year’s Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Film Industry, presented only when warranted to a female who has had a banner–making, record–breaking, industry–changing achievement during any given year:
Women Documentary Filmmakers – including Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (“Detropia”), Lauren Greenfield (“Queen of Versailles”), Alison Klayman (“Ai Weiwei Never Sorry”) and Sarah Burns (“The Central Park Five”).
EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS:
AWFJ Hall Of Shame: “That’s My Boy”
Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent (Tie):
Katherine Heigl – “One For The Money”
Reese Witherspoon – “This Means War”
Movie You Wanted To Love But Just Couldn’t: “Anna Karenina”
Unforgettable Moment (Tie):
Anne Hathaway,as Fantine. singing “I Dreamed A Dream” – “Les Miserables”
Jessica Chastain as Maya, saying, “I’m the mother…” – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Depiction Of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction: Helen Hunt and John Hawkes – “The Sessions”
Sequel or Remake That Shouldn’t Have Been Made (Tie):
”Red Dawn”
“Total Recall”
Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Leading Man and The Love Interest:
Denzel Washington and Kelly Reilly…and Nadine Velazquez – “Flight“
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:38 pm
I’m proud to be a member of the Online Film Critics Society. This year’s awards are:
Best Picture: “Argo”
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, “The Master”
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
Best Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, “Moonrise Kingdom”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, “Argo”
Best Editing: Alexander Berner, “Cloud Atlas”
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, “Skyfall”
Best Animated Feature: “ParaNorman”
Best Film Not in the English Language: “Holy Motors”
Best Documentary: “This Is Not a Film”
