2011 Oscar Nominations: Adapted Screenplay

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

“The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin

“Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich

“True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

“Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Review: Gritty "True Grit" Offers Great Characters and Superb Performances

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 6 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

True Grit (2010)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images
DIRECTORS: The Coen Brothers
WRITERS: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (based upon the novel by Charles Portis)
PRODUCERS: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, and Scott Rudin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roger Deakins (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Roderick Jaynes (Ethan Coen and Joel Coen)
COMPOSER: Carter Burwell

WESTERN/ADVENTURE/DRAMA

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Candyce Hinkle, Roy Lee Jones, Orlando Smart, and Ed Corbin

The latest film from the Coen Bros. (Joel and Ethan) is the Western, True Grit. It is the second film adaptation of the 1968 Charles Portis novel, True Grit; the first was a 1969 film starring John Wayne. True Grit is the story of a stubborn young woman who convinces a tough U.S. Marshal to help her find her father’s murderer.

After her father is murdered by one of his hired hands, a man named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) arrives in a small town to collect her father’s body and get his killer. She attempts to hire U.S. Marshal Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to track Chaney into Indian country where he is hiding with a gang of criminals. Mattie tells Cogburn that she chose him because he has “true grit,” but that isn’t enough to convince Cogburn to take the job. When he does accept the offer, Cogburn decides to take a vain Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), with him instead of Mattie. But the young woman is about to show them both that she also has “true grit.”

As they do in all their movies, Joel and Ethan Coen get great performances from their actors. Jeff Bridges gives so many layers to Rooster Cogburn (the role John Wayne played in the 1969 film). The viewer will spend the entire movie peeling those layers back and still not have the whole story on this character that Bridges makes so real. Although LaBoeuf isn’t quite as interesting as Rooster, Matt Damon shows his true grit by making a vain chatterbox and (at best) semi-competent lawman/nincompoop a character that I wish was onscreen more.

Yes, the praise that newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, as Mattie, has received for her performance in this film is not mere hype. She’s a natural, and she makes this movie as much as anyone else does – including the Coen Bros.

The one glaring weakness that keeps True Grit from being a truly great film is how the filmmakers treat the villains. There is potential in Josh Brolin’s Tom Chaney and especially in Barry Pepper’s “Lucky” Ned Pepper, but both are hardly ever on screen. The film spends so much time showing us the tremendous work of Bridges, Steinfeld, and Damon and their characters that everyone else gets shorted.

There isn’t anything really profound about True Grit, except this tidbit at the end: time catches up with everyone. This film is really not about ideas. True Grit, even with the performances at its heart, is a Coen Brothers film. This is about how they do it – their style, their rhythms, their quirks, their directorial trademarks and flourishes. That’s not a bad thing simply because Joel and Ethan Coen do their thang so well.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

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Chris Nolan, David Fincher Among DGA Nominees

A few days ago, the Directors Guild of America announced the five nominees for the organization's best director award:  Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, Tom Hooper, and and David O. Russell.  The nominee list for the best director Oscar usually sticks pretty close to the DGA selections.  The most obvious names missing from this list are the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen (for True Grit).

I think many movie award watchers believe David O. Russell (The Fighter) may be the odd man out in favor of the Coens when the Oscar nominations are announced later this month.  However, I wouldn't be surprised if Chris Nolan (for Inception) didn't get a best director Oscar nomination, as happened when he got a DGA nomination but not an Oscar nod for The Dark Knight in 2008, and also for Memento in 2001.  Lord knows that Nolan fans want Oscar validation for him, and the Lord also knows that he should have received that validation already (although he did receive a screenplay Oscar nomination for Memento).  Here, is the press release from the DGA:

LOS ANGELES, CA: Directors Guild of America President Taylor Hackford today announced the five nominees for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2010.

"2011 marks the 75th anniversary of the DGA, making the celebration of this year's five nominees especially meaningful," said Hackford. "Their inspired films radiate the passion and unique vision of each of these filmmakers, who are about to become part of our Guild's rich history. My sincerest congratulations to all five nominees."

The winner will be named at the 63rd Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 29, 2011, at the Grand Ballroom of Hollywood and Highland.

DARREN ARONOFSKY
Black Swan
(Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Mr. Aronofsky’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Jennifer Roth
First Assistant Director: Joseph Reidy
Second Assistant Director: Amy Lauritsen
Second Second Assistant Director: Travis Rehwaldt
Location Manager: Ronnie Kupferwasser

This is Mr. Aronofsky’s first DGA Feature Film Award Nomination.

DAVID FINCHER
The Social Network
(Columbia Pictures)

Mr. Fincher’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: JoAnn Perritano
First Assistant Director: Bob Wagner
Second Assistant Director: Allen Kupetsky
Second Second Assistant Director: Maileen Williams

This is Mr. Fincher’s second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2008. He previously won the DGA Commercial Award for Speed Chain (Nike), Gamebreakers (Nikegridiron.com), and Beauty for Sale (Xelibri Phones) in 2003 and was nominated in that category again in 2008.

TOM HOOPER
The King’s Speech
(The Weinstein Co.)

Mr. Hooper’s Directorial Team:
Production Manager: Erica Bensly
First Assistant Director: Martin Harrison
Second Assistant Director: Chris Stoaling

This is Mr. Hooper’s first DGA Feature Film Award Nomination. He was previously nominated for the DGA Award for Movies for Television/Miniseries for John Adams in 2008.

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
Inception
(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Mr. Nolan’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Jan Foster
First Assistant Director: Nilo Otero
Second Assistant Director: Brandon Lambdin
Second Second Assistant Director: Greg Pawlik
Additional Second Assistant Director: Lauren Pasternack

This is Mr. Nolan’s third DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He was previously nominated for The Dark Knight in 2008 and for Memento in 2001.

DAVID O. RUSSELL
The Fighter
(Paramount Pictures and The Weinstein Co.)

Mr. Russell’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Mark Kamine
First Assistant Director: Michele Ziegler
Second Assistant Director: Xanthus Valan
Second Second Assistant Director: Timothy Blockburger

This is Mr. Russell’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

www.dga.org/

"Black Swan," "The Social Network" Lead Online Film Critics Nominations

The Online Film Critics Society describes itself as "the largest, most respected organization for critics whose work appears primarily on the Internet."  The group recently announced its nominations for the best films of 2010.  OFCS members will submit their final votes and winners will be announced Monday, January 3, 2010.

Nominees for the 2010 OFCS Awards:

Best Picture
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Christopher Nolan, Inception

Best Lead Actor
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Edgar Ramírez, Carlos

Best Lead Actress
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Kim Hye-ja, Mother
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Original Screenplay
Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz & John McLaughlin, Black Swan
Noah Baumbach, Greenberg
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right
David Seidler, The King's Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay
Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, True Grit
Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini, Winter's Bone

Best Cinematography
Anthony Dod Mantle & Enrique Chediak, 127 Hours
Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Wally Pfister, Inception
Robert Richardson, Shutter Island
Roger Deakins, True Grit

Best Editing
Jon Harris, 127 Hours
Andrew Weisblum, Black Swan
Lee Smith, Inception
Jonathan Amos & Paul Machliss, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall, The Social Network

Best Animated Feature
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

Best Film Not in the English Language
Carlos
Dogtooth
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Mother
A Prophet

Best Documentary
Catfish
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
Waiting for "Superman"

http://www.ofcs.org/

"Black Swan" Leads Critics' Choice Movie Awards Nominations

Press release:

"BLACK SWAN" LEADS WITH A RECORD 12 NOMINATIONS FOR THE 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards

"THE KING'S SPEECH" & "TRUE GRIT" EACH SCORE 11 NOMINATIONS; "INCEPTION" AND "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" ALSO STAND OUT

AWARDS CEREMONY TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON VH1, FRIDAY, JANUARY 14 AT 9:00 PM ET/PT

(Los Angeles, CA - December 13, 2010) - The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) has announced the nominees for the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards. The winners will be announced at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards ceremony on Friday, January 14, 2011 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. This year's event will again take place at the Hollywood Palladium. This is the fourth year in a row that VH1 will broadcast the gala live on the network and the first year the show will also be broadcast internationally.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 16th ANNUAL CRITICS' CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS:

BEST PICTURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges – "True Grit"
Robert Duvall – "Get Low"
Jesse Eisenberg – "The Social Network"
Colin Firth – "The King's Speech"
James Franco – "127 Hours"
Ryan Gosling – "Blue Valentine"

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening – "The Kids Are All Right"
Nicole Kidman – "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence – "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman – "Black Swan"
Noomi Rapace – "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Michelle Williams – "Blue Valentine"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale – "The Fighter"
Andrew Garfield – "The Social Network"
Jeremy Renner – "The Town"
Sam Rockwell – "Conviction"
Mark Ruffalo – "The Kids Are All Right"
Geoffrey Rush – "The King's Speech"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – "The Fighter"
Helena Bonham Carter – "The King's Speech"
Mila Kunis – "Black Swan"
Melissa Leo – "The Fighter"
Hailee Steinfeld – "True Grit"
Jacki Weaver – "Animal Kingdom"

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elle Fanning – "Somewhere"
Jennifer Lawrence – "Winter's Bone"
Chloe Grace Moretz – "Let Me In"
Chloe Grace Moretz – "Kick-Ass"
Kodi Smit-McPhee – "Let Me In"
Hailee Steinfeld – "True Grit"

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Town

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky – "Black Swan"
Danny Boyle – "127 Hours"
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – "True Grit"
David Fincher – "The Social Network"
Tom Hooper – "The King's Speech"
Christopher Nolan – "Inception"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"Another Year" – Mike Leigh
"Black Swan" – Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin
"The Fighter" – Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson)
"Inception" – Christopher Nolan
"The Kids Are All Right" – Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
"The King's Speech" – David Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"127 Hours" – Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle
"The Social Network" – Aaron Sorkin
"The Town" – Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard
"Toy Story 3" – Michael Arndt (Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich)
"True Grit" – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Winter's Bone" – Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"127 Hours" – Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak
"Black Swan" – Matthew Libatique
"Inception" – Wally Pfister
"The King's Speech" – Danny Cohen
"True Grit" – Roger Deakins

BEST ART DIRECTION
"Alice in Wonderland" – Robert Stromberg
"Black Swan" – Therese DePrez and Tora Peterson
"Inception" – Guy Hendrix Dyas
"The King's Speech" – Eve Stewart
"True Grit" – Jess Gonchor and Nancy Haigh

BEST EDITING
"127 Hours" – Jon Harris
"Black Swan" – Andrew Weisblum
"Inception" – Lee Smith
"The Social Network" – Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Alice in Wonderland" – Colleen Atwood
"Black Swan" – Amy Westcott
"The King's Speech" – Jenny Beavan
"True Grit" – Mary Zophres

BEST MAKEUP
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
True Grit

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
Tron: Legacy

BEST SOUND
127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Inception
Kick-Ass
Red
The Town
Unstoppable

BEST COMEDY
Cyrus
Date Night
Easy A
Get Him to the Greek
I Love You Phillip Morris
The Other Guys

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
The Pacific
Temple Grandin
You Don't Know Jack

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
I Am Love
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Inside Job
Restrepo
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
The Tillman Story
Waiting for Superman

BEST SONG
"I See the Light" – performed by Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi/written by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater – Tangled

"If I Rise" – performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong – 127 Hours

"Shine" – performed and written by John Legend – Waiting for Superman

"We Belong Together" – performed and written by Randy Newman – Toy Story 3

"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me Yet" – performed by Cher/written by Diane Warren – Burlesque

BEST SCORE
"Black Swan" – Clint Mansell
"Inception" – Hans Zimmer
"The King's Speech" – Alexandre Desplat
"The Social Network" – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
"True Grit" – Carter Burwell


About The Broadcast Film Critics Association:
The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing 250 television, radio and online critics. BFCA members are the primary source of information for today's film going public. The very first opinion a moviegoer hears about new releases at the multiplex or the art house usually comes from one of its members.

http://www.bfca.org/

Review: "A Serious Man" for Serious Coen Fans

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 42 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

A Serious Man (2009)
Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)
MPAA – R for language, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence
DIRECTORS: The Coen Brothers
WRITERS/PRODUCERS: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roger Deakins (director of photography)
EDITORS: Roderick Jaynes (Ethan Coen & Joel Coen)
COMPOSER: Carter Burwell
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/COMEDY

Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick, Aaron Wolff, Jessica McManus, and Peter Breitmayer

The most recent Academy Award-nominated film from the Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan) is A Serious Man. This drama and black comedy centers on a Midwestern professor whose constant and unchanging life begins to unravel during a series of unfortunate events.

A Serious Man is set in 1967 in an unnamed Midwestern town. Professor Lawrence “Larry” Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university. One day his wife, Judith (Sari Lennick), bluntly informs Larry that she wants a divorce because she has fallen in love with a pompous acquaintance, Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed). In truth, Larry seems to be having problems with all his family: his unemployable brother Arthur (Richard Kind), who sleeps on his sofa; his son Danny (Aaron Wolff) a pot-smoking, discipline problem who shirks Hebrew school; and his vain daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus), who steals money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job. With all these torments, Larry struggles to be a righteous man – loyal to his family and his faith – a serious man, so he turns to his Jewish faith for answers… with wildly mixed results.

A Serious Man is an odd comedy; at times bleak and at other times surreal, the narrative is thoughtful and philosophical. With humor, both grim and sparkling, Joel and Ethan tackle life’s big questions about family and morality and also about the role of faith as a place to find answers.

A loose take on the story of Job (the Old Testament figure from the Book of Job). A Serious Man sometimes seems like a torture chamber, contrived by the Coens to allow themselves to experiment. They want to speculate about how a successful middle class man might react when everything goes wrong and it seems as if the world, existence, and God have turned against him. To that end, they get a magnificent performance from Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry Gopnick, who turns what could have been a caricature into a mesmerizing everyman who crosses racial, ethnic, and religious boundaries. If this film has a long life, it will be because of Stuhlbarg who made this Jewish intellectual from another era seem like a universal figure.

Sometimes, this movie can be almost too bleak and too belittling of its characters to sit through. Like most movies from the team of Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, however, A Serious Man is beguiling even when it seems intolerable, but worth seeing.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2010 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) and “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)

2010 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Screenplay – Original” (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)

2010 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Michael Stuhlbarg)

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

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Countdown to Oscar 2010: National Board of Review Awards 2009

From the National Board of Review:

UP IN THE AIR NAMED 2009 BEST FILM OF THE YEAR BY THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW


New York, NY – December 3rd, 2009 – The National Board of Review named Up In The Air the 2009 Best Film of the Year. Directed by Jason Reitman, Up In The Air is the timely odyssey of Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection.

Below is a full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review:

Best Film: UP IN THE AIR

Best Director: CLINT EASTWOOD, Invictus

Best Actors: Tie
GEORGE CLOONEY, Up In The Air
MORGAN FREEMAN, Invictus

Best Actress: CAREY MULLIGAN, An Education

Best Supporting Actor: WOODY HARRELSON, The Messenger

Best Supporting Actress: ANNA KENDRICK, Up In The Air

Best Foreign Language Film: A PROPHET

Best Documentary: THE COVE

Best Animated Feature: UP

Best Ensemble Cast: IT’S COMPLICATED

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: JEREMY RENNER, The Hurt Locker

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: GABOUREY SIDIBE, Precious

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut:
DUNCAN JONES, Moon
OREN MOVERMAN, The Messenger
MARC WEBB, (500) Days of Summer

Best Original Screenplay: JOEL AND ETHAN COEN, A Serious Man

Best Adapted Screenplay: JASON REITMAN and SHELDON TURNER, Up In The Air

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: WES ANDERSON, The Fantastic Mr. Fox

William K. Everson Film History Award: JEAN PICKER FIRSTENBERG

NBR Freedom of Expression:
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
INVICTUS
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

TEN BEST FILMS (in alphabetical order):
AN EDUCATION
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
INVICTUS
THE MESSENGER
A SERIOUS MAN
STAR TREK
UP
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order):
THE MAID
REVANCHE
SONG OF SPARROWS
THREE MONKEYS
THE WHITE RIBBON

Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order):
BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY
CRUDE
FOOD, INC.
GOOD HAIR
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS

Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order):
AMREEKA
DISTRICT 9
GOODBYE SOLO
HUMPDAY
IN THE LOOP
JULIA
ME AND ORSON WELLES
MOON
SUGAR
TWO LOVERS


“The NBR is very proud to announce its honorees for 2009 – a year in which filmmakers’ voices and visions were innovative, exciting and eclectic. We are thrilled to honor Jason Reitman’s bittersweet and poignant film, Up In The Air, with wonderfully strong performances, writing and direction,” said NBR President Annie Schulhof. “The NBR is looking forward to this year’s gala at Cipriani 42nd Street with Meredith Vieira joining us as the evening’s MC.”

This year the NBR screened over 300 films – 181 narratives, 79 documentaries, 46 foreign language films and 11 animated films. The NBR, founded on January 25th, 1909, was originally founded as an anti-censorship organization and continues to honor excellence and freedom of expression in filmmaking today. The 108 members include knowledgeable film enthusiasts, academics, filmmakers and students from the NY metropolitan area. Many of the student members are past recipients of the NBR student grant program which enables students and young filmmakers to finish their projects and exhibit their work.

The 2010 NBR Gala wAS held on January 12th at Cipriani’s 42nd St. in New York City. Meredith Vieira served as the Mistress of Ceremonies. Once again, the accounting firm of Lutz & Carr tabulated the actual ballots.


THE NBR
For more than a century, the National Board of Review has been committed to freedom of expression in the cinema. Originally established to fight government censorship of motion pictures, the NBR has championed many films of significant social impact. The NBR continues that commitment today with its annual William K. Everson Award for film history, so named for the signature film historian and educator of modern times, a long-time NBR member, as well as its annual freedom of expression award. The NBR also celebrates the filmmakers of tomorrow with student philanthropy, which supports young filmmakers with financial aid that enables honorees to complete projects and exhibit them at various film festivals. For more information please visit http://www.nbrmp.org/

HISTORY
The National Board of Review was founded in 1909 in New York City, just thirteen years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George McClennan's revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses Christmas Eve 1908 on the grounds that the new medium supposedly degraded the morals of the community. To assert their constitutional freedom of expression, theater owners, led by Marcus Loew, and film distributors (Edison Biograph, Pathe, and Gaumont), joined John Collier of The People's Institute at Cooper Union to establish a National Review Committee, an anti-censorship group, that endorsed films of merit and encouraged the new "art of the people." In 1919 the organization first selected its "10 best movies of the year." The NBR later published a magazine called Films in Review, which was the first publication devoted to critical discussion of film, counting among its contributors Harold Robbins, Dore Schary, Stephen Sondheim, Alfred Hitchcock, and Tennessee Williams. During the era of the Hollywood blacklist (when others were silent), Films in Review vigorously opposed film censorship. Movies released between 1920 and 1950 carried the legend "Passed by the National Board of Review."

http://www.nbrmp.org/

Must be Able to Portray Caucasian

Paramount Pictures is casting the next Coen Brothers movie, entitled "True Grit."  They are looking for a 12 to 16 year old girl to play the scappy lead, Mattie.  Contact truegritcasting@gmail.com if you are able to play a white girl.  I got a press release about this movie, and there is an actual line in it that says, "Must be able to portray caucasian."