Posts filed under 'Awards'
February 5th, 2010
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Charlize Theron, glam and non-glam.
Over at Slate.com, Joe Keohane has an interesting, humorous look at how rich, glamourous celebs get de-glamorized to play average Joes and Janes. As he says in his intro…
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“Every now and again, Hollywood makes a go at depicting the working class, often around Oscar season and usually to hilarious effect. The story is generally some slow-moving, minor-key piece involving ordinary folks struggling with ordinary problems in ordinary parts of the country. To offset the dreariness of such an errand, the lead character—a waitress, maid, or stripper with kid/husband problems—is usually played by a jaw-droppingly attractive star, who wins positive press for being willing to subvert her beauty in order to portray one of the great unwashed doing whatever it is they do out there in the dull diabetic landmass between Los Angeles and New York City.”
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Check out the story and video slide show at this link.
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(There’s profanity in the “Sudden Bursts of Profanity and Dialect” section of the video slide show, but you can skip it if you want.)
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January 20th, 2010
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According to writer Pete Hammond, who’s been following the various movie awards contests (leading up to, of course, the Oscars) in his Los Angeles Times column THE ENVELOPE, the Academy’s plan to double the number of Best Picture nominees might have run into a bit of a snag. Namely, it’s hard enough to come up with five nominees, much less 10. Hammond reports:
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“However, as the 5 p.m. Saturday deadline for turning in ballots listing those 10 choices looms for voters, there are a remarkable number of academy members who have yet to make up their minds and actually send them in to the PricewaterhouseCoopers accountants.”
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Hammond (half jokingly?) suggest that this could lead to such oddball nominees as Sam Raimi’s throwback-scarefest DRAG ME TO HELL. I’m not an Academy member (oh, to have that power — and all those free screeners!), but if I were, I might consider DRAG ME. Heck, it was one of the 10 best movies I saw last year.
December 16th, 2009
I’ve been off for a few days, but thought I’d post some of those Golden Globe nominees here and offer a few thoughts. Feel free to chime in in the comments section.
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Best Motion Picture (Drama)
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air
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Comment: This is where the populist attitude of the Hollywood Foreign Press comes into play. AVATAR has barely opened here, and even people who like it say the story is nothing special (though the effects are amazing). I wouldn’t expect a Best Picture nomination — except, of course, this year 10 films will get the nod for the Oscar.
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Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sadibe, Precious
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Comment: The Golden Globes split the categories between Drama and Comedy/Musical, which accounts for a more diverse group of nominees. Don’t be surprised to see Sandra Bullock win for THE BLIND SIDE — and I’m guessing this pretty much gives her a lock for the Oscar nod.
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Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Tobey Maguire, Brothers
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Comment: The Tobey Maguire nod is a bit of a surprise, but this seems to be George Clooney’s year. Nice to see some love for Jeff Bridges, though.
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Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
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Comment: Even with 10 Oscar slots, I’d wouldn’t expect a nod for THE HANGOVER, 500 DAYS OF SUMMER or JULIE & JULIA. NINE though? That thing has “Oscar nominee” written all over it.
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Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
Marion Cotillard, Nine
Meryl Streep, It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia
Julia Roberts, Duplicity
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Comment: Normally, Sandra Bullock competing against herself in the drama category would be odd, but Meryl Streep tops her by competing against herself in the same category. And when, someone tell me, when will this insane infatuation with everything Julia Roberts do end? I hope it’s soon.
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Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
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
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Comment: Award givers love Daniel Day Lewis, but it sure will be strange to see him take a statue home for a musical.
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Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Mo-Nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Penelope Cruz, Nine
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Comment: Mo-Nique, this one is all yours
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Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Matt Damon, Invictus
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Christopher Waltz, Inglorious Basterds
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
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Comment: Christopher Waltz, this one is all yours.
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Best Animated Feature Film
Coraline
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
The Princess and the Frog
Up
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Comment: I’m guessing UP will win, but I sure did love FANTASTIC MR FOX and thought CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS was amazingly fun.
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Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds
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Comment: If Kathryen Bigelow wins — and she has a shot — this could lead to the first woman ever winning an Oscar for Best Director.
February 27th, 2009
Inspired by Kate Winslet’s Oscar win for THE READER, Chicago Tribune columnist Mark Caro lists other examples of “Right Oscar, Wrong Movie,” including these…
Martin Scorsese won for THE DEPARTED, but should’ve won for TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL or GOODFELLAS
Paul Newman won for THE COLOR OF MONEY, but should’ve won for THE HUSTLER, HUD or THE VERDICT
Sydney Pollack won for directing OUT OF AFRICA, but should’ve won for TOOTSIE.
He’s dead-on about Pacino’s win for SCENT OF A WOMAN being a joke. All that “hoo hah” is the most embarrassing thing he’s ever done. No Oscars for either GODFATHER movie or DOG DAY AFTERNOON? That’s what Al should have won the statue for.
 Read the whole list, with reader comments, here.
January 27th, 2009
A columnist over at Defamer lays out a scenario where the biggest nominee of the year, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, could lose all 13 Oscars it’s up for. As he points out, THE COLOR PURPLE and THE TURNING POINT both went 0 for 11, and GANGS OF NEW YORK went 0 for 10.
Still, in BUTTON’s case, it seems highly unlikely. Brad Pitt probably won’t get the Best Actor statue, and there’s a good chance SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE could ride its wave of acclaim to a Best Picture Oscar and a Best Director award for Danny Boyle, but I’d be astonished if BUTTON didn’t pick up some makeup and effects awards. BUTTON isn’t a great movie, but the effects and makeup are pretty amazing.
January 26th, 2009
Here are the winners from last night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. Oscar-wise, it looks like a boost for Sean Penn’s prospects and a lock for Kate Winslet and Heath Ledger:
MOVIES
Cast: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Actor in a leading role: Sean Penn, MILK
Actress in a leading role: Meryl Streep, DOUBT
Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT
Supporting actress: Kate Winslet, THE READER
Stunt ensemble: THE DARK KNIGHT
TV
Drama series cast: MAD MEN
Actor in a drama series: Hugh Laurie, HOUSE
Actress in a drama series: Sally Field, BROTHERS & SISTERS
Comedy series cast: 30 ROCK
Actor in a comedy series: Alec Baldwin, 30 ROCK
Actress in a comedy series: Tina Fey, 30 ROCK
Actor in a movie or miniseries: Paul Giamatti, JOHN ADAMS
Actress in a movie or miniseries: Laura Linney, JOHN ADAMS
Stunt ensemble: HEROES
Life Achievement: James Earl Jones.
January 22nd, 2009
I haven’t had a chance to analyze them in any great detail, but I did notice a couple of surprises: No Best Picture nomination for THE DARK KNIGHT, no nominations for Clint Eastwood, and Kate Winslet gets her Best Actress nomination for THE READER, not REVOLUTIONARY ROAD.
As far as my predictions from yesterday go, I was 2 for 5 in Best Picture, 5 for 5 in Best Actor (though I accidentally guessed six, so that category gets an asterisk, 3 for 5 in Best Actress (I had Winslet, but for the wrong movie), 4 for 5 in Best Supporting Actor, 4 for 5 in Best Supporting Actress, and 3 for 5 in Best Director.
The annual Beat the Movie Man contest starts Sunday, so keep an eye out for the Joker-themed illustration. It won’t be hard to spot.
Here’s a partial list of nominees. Get the full results here.
1. Best Picture: THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, FROST/NIXON, MILK, THE READER, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2. Best Actor: Richard Jenkins for THE VISITOR, Frank Langella for FROST/NIXON, Sean Penn for MILK, Brad Pitt for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, Mickey Rourke for THE WRESTLER
3. Best Actress: Anne Hathway for RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, Angelina Jolie for CHANGELING, Melissa Leo for FROZEN RIVER, Meryl Streep for DOUBT, Kate Winslet for THE READER
4. Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin for MILK, Robert Downey Jr. for TROPIC THUNDER, Philip Seymour Hoffman for DOUBT, Heath Ledger for THE DARK KNIGHT, Michael Shannon for REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
5. Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams for DOUBT, Penelope Cruz for VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA, Viola Davis for DOUBT, Taraji P. Henson for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, Marisa Tomei for THE WRESTER
6. Director: David Fincher for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, Ron Howard for FROST/NIXON, Gus Van Sant for MILK, Stephen Daldry for THE READER, Danny Boyle for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
January 12th, 2009
In case you haven’t seen them, here are the movie-related results for Sunday night’s Golden Globes (along with my expert, off-the-cuff analysis):
BEST PICTURE, DRAMA: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE — Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed story of a poor guy (a “slumdog”) who wins big on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” is now a lock for an Oscar nomination.
BEST PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY: VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA — Woody Allen? Back? Wow.
BEST ACTOR, DRAMA: Mickey Rourke for THE WRESTLER — Mickey Rourke? Back? Definitely.
BEST ACTOR, MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Colin Farrell for IN BRUGES — Though I liked this movie a lot, calling it a comedy is a bit of a stretch. Farrell is very good in it, though.
BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA: Kate Winslet for REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kate Winslet for THE READER — It’s safe to say Winslet (maybe the best actress of her generation) is a lock for two Oscar nods. Be nice to see her finally win one (or two).
BEST ACTRESS, MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Sally Hawkins in HAPPY GO LUCKY — This Mike Leigh movie hasn’t come to Rockford, but it made a lot of top 10 lists, thanks in large part to Hawkin’s go-for-broke performance.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger for THE DARK KNIGHT — The question is, will this performance — probably the most talked about of 2008 — win the Oscar?
BEST ANIMATED FILM: WALL-E — Not exactly a surprise. The question is, will it get nominated for a Best Picture Oscar?
BEST FOREIGN FILM: WALTZ WITH BASHIR — Strangely enough, this one is animated, too.
January 8th, 2009
Courtesy of Variety, the nominees are:
Danny Boyle (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, above)
David Fincher (THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON)
Ron Howard (FROST/NIXON)
Christopher Nolan (THE DARK KNIGHT)
Gus Van Sant (MILK)
Looks like THE DARK KNIGHT has a shot at nabbing a Best Picture nomination after all. Well find out on Jan. 22.
December 11th, 2008
Here, fresh from their announcement this morning, are the Golden Globe nominations. There’s no Best Picture nod for THE DARK KNIGHT, which is surprising, but IN BRUGES gets a nod in the comedy category. (It’s a good movie, but a very bleak comedy). Other notable bits: Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet both nab multiple nominations, Heath Ledger gets a posthumous nod for his amazing Joker performance and Tom Cruise gets a supporting nod for his foul-mouthed studio chief in TROPIC THUNDER. It was funny, don’t get me wrong, but if Cruise wins (and I don’t think he will), he’d better give that award to the makeup crew.
BEST MOVIE (DRAMA)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire
BEST MOVIE (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Burn After Reading
In Bruges
Happy-Go-Lucky
Mamma Mia
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
BEST ACTOR (DRAMA)
Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA)
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas - I’ve Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary RoadÂ
BEST ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Rebecca Hall - Vicki Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand - Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep - Mamma Mia
Emma Thompson - Last Chance Harvey
BEST ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)
Javier Bardem — Vicki Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell - In Bruges
James Franco — Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes - The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Kate Winslet - The Reader
BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Steven Daldry - The Reader
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes - Revolutionary Road
