National Board of Review Picks “Hugo,” Clooney, Swinton

Posted on December 1, 2011 at 4:18 pm

The National Board of Review announced their awards for 2011. I’m especially pleased for the recognition for “Margin Call,” Christopher Plummer’s performance in “Beginners,” and the excellent documentary “Crime After Crime.”

Best Film: Hugo

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants

Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

Best Animated Feature: Rango

Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy

Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call

Best Ensemble: The Help

Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class)

NBR Freedom of Expression: Crime After Crime

NBR Freedom of Expression: Pariah

Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation

Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise – A Distinguished Translation from Book

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Awards 2011 — Part 1

Posted on November 29, 2011 at 5:56 pm

Like the Presidential primaries, the end-of-year movie award lists get earlier all the time. Here’s what’s come in so far:

Gotham Awards (for independent films)

Best feature: “Tree of Life” and “Beginners”

Best ensemble: “Beginners” New York Film Critics Best film: “The Artist”

Best actor: Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” and “Tree of Life”

Best actress: Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”

Best supporting actor: Albert Brooks in “Drive”

Best supporting actress: Jessica Chastain in three performances — “Take Shelter,” “Help,” and “The Tree of Life”

Best screenplay: “Moneyball”

Best documentary: “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”

Best foreign language: “A Separation”

Best cinematography: “Tree of Life”

Independent Spirit Nominations (for independent films)

Best feature “The Artist” “Beginners” “The Descendants” “Drive” “50/50” “Take Shelter”

Best director: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist” Mike Mills, “Beginners” Jeff Nichols, “Take Shelter” Alexander Payne, “The Descendants” Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”

Best screenplay Joseph Cedar, “Footnote” Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist” Tom McCarthy, “Win Win” Mike Mills, “Beginners” Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, “The Descendants”

Best first feature “Another Earth” “In the Family” “Margin Call” “Martha Marcy May Marlene” “Natural Selection”

Best first screenplay Mike Cahill, Brit Marling, “Another Earth” J.C. Chandor, “Margin Call” Patrick deWitt, “Terri” Phil Johnston, “Cedar Rapids” Will Reiser, “50/50”

John Cassavetes award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000) “Bellflower” “Circumstance” “Hello Lonesome” “Pariah” “The Dynamiter”

Best female lead Lauren Ambrose, “Think of Me” Rachael Harris, “Natural Selection” Adepero Oduye, “Pariah” Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

Best male lead Demian Bechir, “A Better Life” Jean Dujardin, “The Artist” Ryan Gosling, “Drive” Woody Harrelson, “Rampart” Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter”

Best supporting female Jessica Chastain, “Take Shelter” Anjelica Huston, “50/50” Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs” Harmony Santana, “Gun Hill Road” Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best supporting male Albert Brooks, “Drive” John Hawkes, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” Christopher Plummer, “Beginners” John C. Reilly, “Cedar Rapids” Corey Stoll, “Midnight in Paris”

Best cinematography Joel Hodge, “Bellflower” Benjamin Kasulke, “The Off Hours” Darius Khondji, “Midnight in Paris” Guillame Schiffma, “Pariah” Jeffrey Waldron, “The Dynamiter”

Best documentary “An African Election” “Bill Cunningham New York” “The Interrupters” “The Redemption of General Butt Naked” “We Were Here” Best international film “A Separation” “Melancholia” “Shame” “The Kid With a Bike” “Tyrannosaur”

Piaget Producer’s award Chad Burris, “Mosquita y Mari” Sophia Lin, “Take Shelter” Josh Mond, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Someone to watch award Simon Arthur, “Silver Tongues” Mark Jackson, “Without” Nicholas Ozeki, “Mamitas”

Truer than fiction award Heather Courtney, “Where Soldiers Come From” Danfung Dennis, “Hell and Back Again” Alma Har’El, “Bombay Beach”

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Independent Spirit and Razzie Awards

Posted on February 27, 2011 at 9:49 am

Just before the Oscars every year, the Film Independent Spirit and Razzie awards are given out. It was a good year for “Black Swan” and not such a good year for “The Last Airbender” and Jessica Alba.
Film Independent gives awards for independent films, some of them produced on micro-budgets. Some of them feature big Hollywood stars; others feature unknowns or the film-makers themselves. But all of them are deeply personal works that reflect the passionate commitment of the people who make them.
Best Feature
Black Swan Producers: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky Black Swan
Best Screenplay
The Kids Are All Right Writers: Stuart Blumberg & Lisa Cholodenko
Best First Feature Sony Pictures Classics
Get Low Director: Aaron Schneider
Producers: David Gundlach, Dean Zanuck
Best First Screenplay
Lena Dunham Tiny Furniture
John Cassavetes Award
(For the best feature made under $500,000) Writers/Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Daddy Longlegs Producers: Casey Neistat, Tom Scott
Best Supporting Female
Dale Dickey Winter’s Bone
Best Supporting Male
John Hawkes Winter’s Bone
Best Female
Natalie Portman Black Swan
Best Male
James Franco 127 Hours
Best Cinematography
Matthew Libatique Black Swan

Best Foreign Film
The King’s Speech Director: Tom Hooper
Best Documentary
Exit Through The Gift Shop
And the Razzies recognize the worst that Hollywood gave the world over the last year. The “winners” for 2011 are:
Aang Last Airbender.jpg Worst Picture
The Last Airbender
Worst Actor
Ashton Kutcher, Killers and Valentine’s Day

Worst Actress
Sex and the City 2 — All four leading ladies
Worst Supporting Actor
Jackson Rathbone, The Last Airbender‘ and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Worst Supporting Actress
Jessica Alba, The Killer Inside Me, Little Fockers, Machete, and Valentine’s Day
Worst Eye-Gouging Mis-Use of 3-D
The Last Airbender
Worst Screen Couple/Ensemble
The Entire Cast, Sex and the City 2
Worst Director
The Last Airbender, M. Night Shyamalan

Worst Screenplay
The Last Airbender, M. Night Shyamalan
Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel
Sex and the City 2

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The Razzies!

Posted on January 24, 2011 at 1:52 pm

The Razzies salute the worst movies of the year. A day before the Oscar nominations, they announce their candidates for the most excruciatingly painful cinematic experiences of the previous 12 months. The best thing about them — anyone can vote! If you suffered through something truly awful in the theater last year and want to get your revenge, now is your chance. Here is the Hall of Shame, I mean list of candidates:
Worst Picture
“The Bounty Hunter”
“The Last Airbender”
“Sex and the City 2”
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
“Vampires Suck”
Worst Actor
Jack Black – “Gulliver’s Travels”
Gerard Butler – “The Bounty Hunter”
Ashton Kutcher – “Killers” and “Valentine’s Day”
Taylor Lautner – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” and “Valentine’s Day”
Robert Pattinson – “Remember Me” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
Worst Actress
Jennifer Aniston – “The Bounty Hunter” and “The Switch”
Miley Cyrus – “The Last Song”
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon – “Sex and the City 2”
Megan Fox – “Jonah Hex”
Kristen Stewart – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
Worst Supporting Actress
Jessica Alba – “The Killer Inside Me,” “Little Fockers,” “Machete” and “Valentine’s Day”
Cher – “Burlesque”
Liza Minnelli – “Sex and the City 2”
Nicola Peltz – “The Last Airbender”
Barbra Streisand – “Little Fockers”
Worst Supporting Actor
Billy Ray Cyrus – “The Spy Next Door”
George Lopez – “Marmaduke,” “The Spy Next Door” and “Valentine’s Day”
Dev Patel – “The Last Airbender”
Jackson Rathbone – “The Last Airbender” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
Rob Schneider – “Grown-Ups”
Worst Eye-Gouging Misuse of 3-D
“Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”
“Clash of the Titans”
“The Last Airbender”
“The Nutcracker 3D”
“Saw 3D”
Worst Screen Couple/Ensemble
Jennifer Aniston & Gerard Butler – “The Bounty Hunter”
Josh Brolin’s Face & Megan Fox’s Accent – “Jonah Hex”
The Entire Cast of “The Last Airbender”
The Entire Cast of “Sex and the City 2”
The Entire Cast of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
Worst Director
Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer – “Vampires Suck”
Michael Patrick King – “Sex and the City 2”
M. Night Shyamalan – “The Last Airbender”
David Slade – “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
Sylvester Stallone – The Expendables
Worst Screenplay
“The Last Airbender”
“Little Fockers”
“Sex and the City 2”
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
“Vampires Suck”
Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel
“Clash of the Titans”
“The Last Airbender”
“Sex and the City 2”
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”
“Vampires Suck”

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Winners: Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards

Posted on January 17, 2011 at 12:04 am

It’s looking good for “The Social Network,” Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Trent Reznor as the leading predictors of the Oscar race gave out their awards this weekend.
Golden Globe winners:
MOTION PICTURES:
— Picture, Drama: “The Social Network.”
— Picture, Musical or Comedy: “The Kids Are All Right.”
— Actor, Drama: Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech.”
— Actress, Drama: Natalie Portman, “Black Swan.”
— Director: David Fincher, “The Social Network.”
— Actress, Musical or Comedy: Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right.”
— Actor, Musical or Comedy: Paul Giamatti, “Barney’s Version.”
— Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, “The Fighter.”
— Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, “The Fighter.”
— Foreign Language: “In a Better World.”
— Animated Film: “Toy Story 3.”
— Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, “The Social Network.”
— Original Score: “The Social Network.”
— Original Song: “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me,” (written by Diane Warren), “Burlesque.”
TELEVISION:
— Series, Drama: “Boardwalk Empire,” HBO.
— Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire.”
— Actress, Drama: Katey Sagal, “Sons of Anarchy.”
— Series, Musical or Comedy: “Glee,” Fox.
— Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory.”
— Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Linney, “The Big C.”
— Miniseries or Movie: “Carlos,” Sundance Channel.
— Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Claire Danes, “Temple Grandin.”
— Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Al Pacino, “You Don’t Know Jack.”
— Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jane Lynch, “Glee.”
— Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Chris Colfer, “Glee.”
Critic’s Choice Awards
Best Picture: ‘The Social Network’
Best Actor: Colin Firth, ‘The King’s Speech’
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, ‘Black Swan’
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, ‘The Fighter’
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, ‘The Fighter’
Best Young Actor/Actress: Hailee Steinfeld, ‘True Grit’
Best Acting Ensemble: ‘The Fighter’
Best Director: David Fincher, ‘The Social Network’
Best Original Screenplay: ‘The King’s Speech,’ David Seidler
Best Adapted Screenplay: ‘The Social Network,’ Aaron Sorkin
Best Cinematography: ‘Inception,’ Wally Pfister
Best Art Direction: ‘Inception,’ Guy Hendrix Dyas and Larry Dias & Doug Mowat
Best Editing: ‘Inception,’ Lee Smith
Best Costume Design: ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ Colleen Atwood
Best Makeup: ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Best Visual Effects: ‘Inception’
Best Sound: ‘Inception’
Best Animated Feature: ‘Toy Story 3’
Best Action Movie: ‘Inception’
Best Comedy: ‘Easy A’
Best Picture Made For Television: ‘The Pacific’
Best Foreign Language Film: ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’
Best Documentary Feature: ‘Waiting for ‘Superman” ‘
Best Song: ‘If I Rise,’ performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong; ‘127 Hours’
Best Score: ‘The Social Network,’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

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