Broadcast Film Critics Announce Nominees

Posted on December 9, 2008 at 9:29 am

The Broadcast Film Critics Association is the group behind the Critics Choice Awards, the first awards broadcast of the year and the one that has recently been a good predictor of the Oscars. This morning we announced our nominees. As I consider my votes, your thoughts are welcome!
BEST PICTURE
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
The Wrestler
BEST ACTOR
Clint Eastwood – Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
BEST ACTRESS
Kate Beckinsale – Nothing But the Truth
Cate Blanchett – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Melissa Leo – Frozen River
Meryl Streep – Doubt
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin – Milk
Robert Downey, Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
James Franco – Milk
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt
Vera Farmiga – Nothing But the Truth
Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Kate Winslet – The Reader
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan – The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant – Milk
BEST WRITER (Original or Adapted Screenplay)
Simon Beaufoy – Slumdog Millionaire
Dustin Lance Black – Milk
Peter Morgan – Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley – Doubt
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Wall-E
Waltz With Bashir
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21)
Dakota Fanning – The Secret Life of Bees
David Kross – The Reader
Dev Petal – Slumdog Millionaire
Brandon Walters – Australia
BEST ACTION MOVIE
The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Quantum of Solace
Wanted
BEST COMEDY MOVIE
Burn After Reading
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Role Models
Tropic Thunder
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
John Adams
Recount
Coco Chanel
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Christmas Tale
Gomorrah
I’ve Loved You So Long
Let the Right One In
Mongol
Waltz With Bashir
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
I.O.U.S.A.
Man On Wire
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Standard Operating Procedure
Young At Heart
BEST SONG
“Another Way to Die” (performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, written by Jack White) – Quantum of Solace
“Down to Earth” (performed by Peter Gabriel, written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman) – Wall-E
“I Thought I Lost You” (performed Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele) – Bolt
“Jaiho” (performed by Sukhwinder Singh, written by A.R. Rahman and Gulzar) – Slumdog Millionaire
“The Wrestler” (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) – The Wrestler
BEST COMPOSER
Alexandre Desplat – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clint Eastwood – Changeling
Danny Elfman – Milk
Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard – The Dark Knight
A.R. Rahman – Slumdog Millionaire

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Best of the Best from Blogs About Movies

Posted on December 8, 2008 at 8:00 am

One of my very favorite movie critics is writer/speaker Desson Thomson, whose wonderful new website has an archive of reviews, blog posts, clips from his NPR commentaries, and contact information for groups who’d like to have him do a presentation or workshop. Be sure to read his thoughtful post on the way the faces tell the story in “Refusenik,” a documentary about dissident Jews in the Soviet Union.
Film blog He Shot Cyrus has a “best of” compilation from other movie blogs that is a terrific introduction to some lively and insightful writing about movies just for the pure love of it. It includes a link to the marvelous series on “triple crowners” (performers who have won an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy) from pseudonymous blogger J.J. (NOTE: Some strong language and mature content)
LAMB stands for the Large Association of Movie Blogs and is a great place to go to get acquainted with the range of voices and resources.
Two movie blogs I read regularly are Christian Toto’s What Would Toto Watch? and Keith Demko’s Reel Fanatic. And I never miss the witty and illuminating reviews from my friends Willie Waffle, Dustin Putman, and Brandon Fibbs.
Enjoy!

Washington Film Critics Pick ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

Posted on December 7, 2008 at 8:00 pm

The Washington Area Film Critics have announced our awards for 2008. “Slumdog Millionaire,” the story of an orphan in India whose correct answers on the local version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” lead to suspicions he was cheating, won not only the top prize for best movie but also awards for direction, screenplay, and the “breakthrough” performance of its young star. Other awards went to the comeback performance by an actor whose troubled past mirrors the struggles of the character he plays (Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler”), to Hollywood’s most distinguished actress (Meryl Streep in “Doubt”), and to the late Heath Ledger in this year’s biggest money-maker, “The Dark Knight”).
Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire/Fox Searchlight
Best Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Best Actress: Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Best Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Original Screenplay: Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Animated: Wall?E/Disney&Pixar
Best Documentary: Man on Wire/Magnolia Pictures
Best Foreign Film: Let the Right One In/Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing
Best Ensemble: Doubt/Miramax
Best Breakthrough: Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button/Paramount

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Worst Movies of 2008: New York Post

Posted on December 4, 2008 at 6:00 pm

According to the New York Post, the worst movies of the year include films with great actors (Al Pacino in “88 Minutes“) and non-actors (Paris Hilton’s “Hottie and the Nottie“). There are failures in the categories of comedy (Adam Sandler’s “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan“), action (“Babylon A.D.”), and family movies (“Beverly Hills Chihuahua“). There are box office disasters and box office champions. The Post left out one of my candidates, the excruciating “Over Her Dead Body,” but their choice for the worst film of the year is close to indisputable…

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture

Inappropriate Trailer Shown Before ‘Twilight’

Posted on November 24, 2008 at 4:45 pm

Critics usually do not see trailers in our special screenings, so many thanks to the commenters who brought this problem to my attention. Some “Twilight” fans are seeing the disturbing trailer for “The Unborn” before the movie.
The choice of trailers is made by individual theater owners and managers. In general, they usually try to make sure the movie they are advertising will appeal to the same audience. It is unthinkable to me that anyone who knows what “Twilight” is about — a tender love story and the triumph of better angels over base desires — would want to show that audience a trailer for a film about a demonic spirit.
Parents should check with the theater manager to make sure this trailer will not be shown when they decide where their teenagers will be seeing “Twilight.” And I also recommend a protest to the authorities:
National Association of Theatre Owners
750 First Street, NE
Suite 1130
Washington, DC 20002
Tel. 202.962-0054
Fax: 202.962-0370
E-mail: nato@natodc.com
Office of the Chairman and CEO
Washington, DC
1600 Eye St., NW
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 293-1966 (main)
(202) 296-7410 (fax)