David Fincher Wins Best Director Golden Globe for "The Social Network"

Best Director - Motion Picture:

David Fincher for The Social Network WINNER

Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan

Tom Hooper for The King's Speech

Christopher Nolan for Inception

David O. Russell for The Fighter

"The Social Network" the Big Winner at Critics' Choice Awards

With the announcement of the winners of the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards last night (Friday, Jan. 14th), the movie awards season has kicked into high gear. The awards are put on by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing about 250 television, radio and online critics.

The Social Network won the best picture, director, adapted screenplay, and composer awards, but Inception was the night’s biggest winner with six awards, all of them in “technical categories,” except for “Best Action Movie.”

Last year, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards essentially predicted the winners in the four major acting category, although the Critics’ Choice featured a tie at best actress between Meryl Streep and eventual Oscar winner Sandra Bullock. The Critics also chose The Hurt Locker for Best Picture and its director, Kathryn Bigelow, as Best Director, and both won those awards at the Oscars. So is The Social Network on its way to Oscar gold?

16th Critics’ Choice Movie Award winner:

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

http://www.bfca.org/

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/

"The Social Network" Dominates the National Society of Film Critics Awards

The National Society of Film Critics was founded in New York City in 1966. Known for their highbrow tastes, these critics form one of the most prestigious film groups on the United States. Current members include some of my favorite film critics: Roger Ebert, David Edelstein, and J. Hoberman, among others. The society has produced several anthologies about movies, including the must-have for film fans, Produced and Abandoned: The Best Films You’ve Never Seen (1990).

The group announced its 2010 winners yesterday (Sat., Jan. 8th). As has been the trend do far, The Social Network wins a "Best Picture" honor.

2010 National Society of Film Critics Winners:

Best Film: The Social Network

Best Director: David Fincher – The Social Network

Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network

Best Actress: Giovanna Mezzogiorno – Vincere

Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush – The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress: Olivia Williams – The Ghost Writer

Best Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin – The Social Network

Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins – True Grit

Best Foreign Language Film: Carlos

Best Film - Non-Fiction: Inside Job

Readers who go to http://www.nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/ can see the top three finishers in each category, see who the special honorees are, and read the statements the group issued with this year's awards.

Southeastern Film Critics Show "The Social Network" Southern Hospitality

Since 1992, the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) seeks to "promote the art of film criticism, the ethics of journalism and the camaraderie of peers among professionals working in the print, radio and online media in the Southeast."  Like practically every other film critics organization, they chose The Social Network as their "Best Picture."

2010 SEFCA Winners:
Best Picture: The Social Network

Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech

Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Best Ensemble: The Social Network

Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network

Best Original Screenplay: David Seidler, The King's Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Foreign-Language Film: Mother (South Korea)

Best Documentary: Inside Job

Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, True Grit

Wyatt Award: Winter's Bone (The Wyatt is given in memory of late SEFCA member Gene Wyatt, and is awarded to a film that captures the spirit of the South.)

TOP TEN FILMS of 2010
1. The Social Network
2. The King's Speech
3. Winter's Bone
4. Black Swan
5. Inception
6. True Grit
7. Toy Story 3
8. 127 Hours
9. The Fighter
10. The Kids Are All Right

http://www.sefca.org/

18 and Counting: "The Social Network" Wins with Online Film Critics

Founded in 1997, the Online Film Critics Society describes itself as “the largest, most respected organization for critics whose work appears primarily on the Internet.”  Last week these critics announced their nominees for their end of the year movie awards.  Sunday night, they announced the winners.  I'm not counting, but Entertainment Weekly says that with this "Best Picture" award, The Social Network has won 18 best picture awards.

2010 Online Film Critics Society Award Winners:

Best Picture: The Social Network

Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network

Best Lead Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech

Best Lead Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Best Original Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, Inception

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins, True Grit

Best Editing: Lee Smith, Inception

Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Best Foreign Language Film: Mother

Best Documentary: Exit Through The Gift Shop

http://www.ofcs.org/

New York Film Critics Circle "The Social Network"

Founded in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is, according to their website, “an organization of film reviewers from New York-based publications that exists to honor excellence in U.S. and world cinema.” Members are critics from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, and online general-interest publications (that meet certain qualifications). Every year in December, Circle members meet in New York to vote on awards for the year's films. The Circle also puts on an awards presentation, which will be held on Monday, January 10, 2011 to honor 2010 winners.

The Circle was the first film critics organization that I encountered as a budding, young movie lover. The Circle's awards have been predictors of the Oscar nominations. However, The Circle sees it awards “as a principled alternative to the Oscars, honoring esthetic merit in a forum that is immune to commercial and political pressures,” according to their website.

Here's the complete list of the 2010 winners:

Best Film – The Social Network

Best Director – David Fincher (The Social Network)

Best Screenplay – Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg (The Kids Are All Right)

Best Actress – Annette Bening (for The Kids Are All Right)

Best Actor – Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)

Best Supporting Actress – Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Best Supporting Actor – Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)

Best Cinematography – Matthew Libatique (The Black Swan)

Best Animated Film – The Illusionist

Best Non-fiction Film – Inside Job

Best Foreign Language Film - Carlos

Best First Feature – Animal Kingdom

NYC Online Film Critics Love "The Social Network" and "Black Swan"

The New York Film Critics Online is a group of Internet film critics based in New York City that meets once a year, in December, for voting on its annual NYFCO Awards.  As usual, The Social Network dominates, winning awards for "Best Picture" and "Best Director."  Aaron Sorkin wins the screenplay award, which he has done for most of the awards season so far, at least except when Chris Nolan wins for Inception's screenplay:  Black Swan picked up a number of awards, including the actress award for Natalie Portman.

THE WINNERS:
Picture: The Social Network

Director: David Fincher, The Social Network

Actor: James Franco, 127 Hours

Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Supporting: Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Breakthrough Performer: Noomi Rapace, The Millennium Trilogy

Debut Director: John Wells, The Company Men

Ensemble Cast: The Kids Are All Right

Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop

Foreign Language: I Am Love

Animated: Toy Story 3

Cinematography: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan

Music: Clint Mansell, Black Swan

TOP 10 FILMS
127 Hours
Another Year
Black Swan
Blue Valentine
The Ghost Writer
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
The Social Network

http://www.nyfco.org/

Chicago Film Critics Friend "The Social Network"

The Social Network express rolls on, as the Chicago Film Critics Association named the David Fincher film its "Best Picture" in the 22nd edition of these awards.  The film, which chronicles the drama around the development of Facebook, also won the director's award for Fincher and a screenplay prize.  Another film that is dominating its category during the awards season is Toy Story 3 (of which I've only seen the first half hour - more on that later), and it continues with the Chicago critics.

THE WINNERS:


Best Picture: The Social Network

Best Director: David Fincher "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: Hailee Steinfeld "True Grit"

Best Original Screenplay: Christopher Nolan "Inception"

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin "The Social Network"

Best Foreign Language Film: A Prophet

Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop

Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Best Cinematography: Wally Pfister "Inception"

Best Original Score: Clint Mansell "Black Swan"

Most Promising Performer: Jennifer Lawrence "Winter's Bone"

Most Promising Filmmaker: Derek Cianfrance "Blue Valentine"

"The Social Network" Leads Chicago Film Critics Nominations

The Chicago Film Critics Association announced their nominations on Friday.  The winners will be named tomorrow (Dec. 20th).  As usual, The Social Network dominates, but the Coen Bros.' True Grit is right behind David Fincher's highly-acclaimed flick:

The nominees are:

BEST PICTURE

Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Winter’s Bone

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
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
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Lesley Manville, Another Year
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

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
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Black Swan, Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz & John McLaughlin
Four Lions, Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain & Chris Morris
Inception, Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right, Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
The King’s Speech, David Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Rabbit Hole, David Lindsay Abaire
The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3, Michael Arndt
True Grit, Joel & Ethan Coen
Winter’s Bone, Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Black Swan, Matthew Libatique
Inception, Wally Pfister
Shutter Island, Robert Richardson
The Social Network, Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit, Roger Deakins

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Black Swan, Clint Mansell
I Am Love, John Adams
Inception, Hans Zimmer
The Social Network, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
True Grit, Carter Burwell

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Inside Job
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Waiting for Superman

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I Am Love
Mother
A Prophet

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

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Armie Hammer, The Social Network
Katie Jarvis, Fish Tank
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Tahar Rahim, A Prophet
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
Bansky, Exit Through the Gift Shop
Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine
David Michod, Animal Kingdom
Aaron Schneider, Get Low
John Wells, The Company Men

Washington D.C. Film Critics Elect "The Social Network"

Didn't even know this group existed.  Just how many film critics groups and associations are there?  Well, as it has been for most of the still young awards season, The Social Network won another best picture honor:

Press release:

The Social Network Has Lots of Friends in D.C.


Colin Firth and Jennifer Lawrence Named Best Actors; The Fighter Sweeps Supporting Actor Categories

Washington, D.C. — The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) today announced their 2010 winners, awarding The Social Network Best Film, Best Director (David Fincher) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin). Colin Firth, who was nominated last year for A Single Man, won Best Actor this year for The King's Speech. Newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, who dazzled early in the year, took home Best Actress for her role in Winter's Bone.

The Fighter swept both Supporting Actor categories with awards given to Christian Bale as a drug addled ex-boxer and Melissa Leo as his controlling mother. Best Acting Ensemble went to The Town, director Ben Affleck's Boston crime drama.

"This was easily the most competitive ballot in the history of our association," said Tim Gordon, WAFCA president. "We have never had so many tight races. It just goes to show how popular several of these categories were with all of our members."

Best Documentary went to British street artist Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop, Best Foreign Film was awarded to Alejandro González Iñárritu's Biutiful, and Toy Story 3 pushed past several strong contenders for Best Animated Feature. In other categories, Inception scored big, winning Best Original Screenplay (Christopher Nolan), Best Cinematography (Wally Pfister), Best Art Direction (Guy Hendrix Dyas, Luke Freeborn, Brad Ricker and Dean Wolcott), and Best Score (Hans Zimmer).

The Washington, D.C. Area Film Critics Association is comprised of 39 DC-VA-MD-based film critics from television, radio, print and the Internet. Voting was conducted from December 3-5, 2010.

The 2010 WAFCA Award Winners:

Best Film:
The Social Network

Best Director:
David Fincher (The Social Network)

Best Actor:
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)

Best Supporting Actor:
Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Best Supporting Actress:
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Best Acting Ensemble:
The Town

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

Best Original Screenplay:
Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Best Animated Feature:
Toy Story 3

Best Documentary:
Exit Through the Gift Shop

Best Foreign Language Film:
Biutiful

Best Art Direction:
Guy Hendrix Dyas, Luke Freeborn, Brad Ricker and Dean Wolcott (Inception)

Best Cinematography:Wally Pfister (Inception)

Best Score:
Hans Zimmer (Inception)

http://www.wafca.com/index.htm

"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/

L.A. Film Critics Show "The Social Network" and "Carlos" Some Love

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is a professional organization of Los Angeles-based, professional film critics working in the Los Angeles print and electronic media. Since 1975, LAFCA members vote on the year's Achievement Awards each December, honoring screen excellence on both sides of the camera.  Yesterday (Sunday), they teased out the names of this year's winners.


36th LAFCA Winners:

Picture: The Social Network
Runner-up: (“Carlos”)

Director: TIE: Olivier Assayas for “Carlos,” and David Fincher for “The Social Network”

Actor: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
Runner-up: Edgar Ramirez ("Carlos")

Actress: Kim Hye-Ja, Mother
Runner-up: Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone")

Supporting Actor: Niels Arestrup, A Prophet
Runner-up: Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Supporting: Actress Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Runner-up: Olivia Williams ("The Ghost Writer")

Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Runner-up: David Seidler ("The King’s Speech")

Foreign-Language Film: Carlos
Runner-up: "MOTHER" directed by Joon-ho Bong

Animation: Toy Story 3, directed by Lee Unkrich
Runner-up: "The Illusionist" directed by Sylvain Chomet

Documentary: Last Train Home
Runner-up: "Exit Through the Gift Shop" directed by Banksy

Cinematography: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan
Runner-up: Roger Deakins ("True Grit")

Music: TIE: Alexandre Desplat for “The Ghost Writer”, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for “The Social Network”

Production: Design Guy Hendrix Dyas, Inception
Runner-up: Eve Stewart ("The King’s Speech")

New Generation: Lena Dunham, Tiny Furniture

Career Achievement: Paul Mazursky

The Douglas Edwards Experimental/Independent Film/Video Award:
Jean-Luc Godard, "Film Socialisme"

LEGACY OF CINEMA AWARDS:
Serge Bromberg for "Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno," and the F.W. Murnau Foundation and Fernando Pena for the restoration of "Metropolis"

http://www.lafca.net/

Boston Society of Film Critics Love Them Some "The Social Network"

The 18-member Boston Society of Film Critics includes some oft-quoted critics, including Boston Globe writers, Ty Burr and Wesley Morris.  This year, they beat the L.A. Film Critics in announcing their end-of-year prizes.  Thanks to the blog Film Experience for the following information (because the Bostonians' website has not been updated as of this writing):

Picture: The Social Network
Runner up: Toy Story 3

Director: David Fincher for The Social Network
Runner up: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan

Actress: Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Runner up: Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right

Actor: Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
Runner up: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)

Supporting Actress: Juliette Lewis in Conviction
Runner Up: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale in The Fighter
Runner Up: Andrew Garfield in The Social Network

Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network
Runner up: Nicole Holocener for Please Give

Cinematography: Roger Deakins for True Grit
Runner up: Matthew Libatique for Black Swan

Editing (in memory of Karen Schmeer) Andrew Weisblum for Black Swan
Runner up: Lee Smith for Inception

New Filmmaker (in memory of David Brudnoy) Jeff Malmberg for Marwencol
Runner up: David Michôd for Animal Kingdom

Best Use of Music in a Film Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network
Runner up: Carter Burwell for True Grit

Ensemble Cast: The Fighter
Runner up: The Kids Are All Right

Documentary: Marwencol
Runner up: Inside Job

Foreign Language: Film Mother (South Korea)
Runner up: I Am Love (Italy)

Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Runner up: The Illusionist

http://www.thebsfc.org/

The National Board of Review Chooses "The Social Network"

The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, which is made up of film enthusiasts, academics, students, and filmmakers, historically launches the movie awards season. The named the winners for the year 2010, this past Thursday, December 2.  This year, they gave the "Best Picture of the Year" award to The Social Network.

Below is the full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review for 2010:

Best Film: The Social Network

Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network

Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Best Actress: Lesley Manville, Another Year

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Foreign Language Film: Of Gods and Men

Best Documentary: Waiting for "Superman"

Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Best Ensemble Cast: The Town

Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

Best Directorial Debut: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo

Spotlight Award: Sylvain Chomet and Jacques Tati, The Illusionist

Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparling, Buried

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Sofia Coppola for writing, directing, and producing Somewhere

William K. Everson Film History Award: Leonard Maltin

NBR Freedom of Expression: Fair Game, Conviction, Howl

Production Design Award: Dante Ferretti, Shutter Island

Ten Best Films (in alphabetical order)
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order)
I Am Love
Incendies
Life, Above All
Soul Kitchen
White Material

Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story

Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt


See this list at http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/2010NBRAwardsAnnounced.cfm

Visit this group at http://www.nbrmp.org/

Zodiac Refuses to Be Ordinary Serial Killer Flick

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 110 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Zodiac (2007)
Running time: 158 minutes (2 hours, 38 minutes)
MPAA - R for some strong killings, language, drug material, and brief sexual images
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
WRITER: James Vanderbilt (based upon the book by Robert Graysmith)
PRODUCERS: Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Bradley J. Fischer, James Vanderbilt, and Ceán Chaffin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Harris Savides, A.S.C.
EDITOR: Angus Wall

DRAMA/CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, and Dermot Mulroney, Chloe Sevigny, Philip Baker Hall, Charles Fleischer, and Clea DuVall

In the 1960’s and 70’s, a serial killer terrified the San Francisco Bay Area and taunted police with his ciphers and letters. As the cryptic killer, sometimes clad in an executioner’s hood, stalked the streets and the countryside, investigators from four jurisdictions search for the murderer. Zodiac, the recent film from director David Fincher (Se7en), is a chilling recount of the murders. The film is based on the actual case files of one of the most infamous unsolved killing sprees in U.S. history, and its characters are also based on real people.

Shy editorial cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) has taken an interest in the new case his cynical colleague, the San Francisco Chronicle's star crime reporter, Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.) is investigating. A murderer who calls himself, Zodiac, is hunting humans, and he sends letters to the press, including the Chronicle, and the police investigating the homicides. Homicide Inspector Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and his partner Inspector William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) are feeling the pressure to discover who Zodiac is, especially with Avery often getting in the way of their investigation.

The case becomes an obsession for these four men as an endless trail of clues builds some careers and destroys others. As the years pass and they haven’t solved the case, Toschi finds himself dealing with too much department politics and too many false leads, and Armstrong grows weary of being away from his young family. Avery is drinking and drugging his career away. Meanwhile, Graysmith has quietly amassed piles of information on the Zodiac case. He thinks he may be able to solve the case, but will it cost him his family and his life?

Zodiac is a character drama dressed as a Film-Noir mystery/thriller. Although both director and writer (James Vanderbilt) are fascinated by the mystery of Zodiac’s identity, they seem more fascinated that the case would so alter the lives of the men who became obsessed with unscrambling the case’s codes and secrets. To that end, David Fincher gets some high quality performances from his cast, especially Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey, Jr.

Although seemingly relegated to the background early in the story, Gyllenhaal’s Robert Graysmith (The real Graysmith wrote two books on the Zodiac killer, including the one upon which this film is based.) gradually comes to the forefront. Quietly and subtly, Graysmith is the one who maneuvers the film’s central theme – that obsession can take over a man’s life and then redefine him, which is to say make him something else and thereby destroy him. It’s a soft performance by Gyllenhaal that nevertheless drives Zodiac, and Fincher has the good sense to accept that, especially as his films tend to feature intense and charismatic characters. Gyllenhaal’s Graysmith is much more approachable than the other characters, and the one to which the audience will attach itself to in order to navigate the story.

With so many high expectations for Zodiac, it is no surprise that Fincher didn’t meet some of them, but few directors could make so beautiful a neo-noir crime film that is as equally beautiful as a character drama. From Mark Ruffalo’s frustrated cop who refuses to let frustration beat him to Downey’s slick reporter – the charming rogue who burns so brightly that he burns out too soon – Fincher uses nuanced performances to build Zodiac. The performances remind us that sometimes the murder victim isn’t the only victim of the crime.

8 of 10
A

Monday, July 30, 2007

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Review: "Panic Room" is a Sweet Thriller

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 25 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux

Panic Room (2002)
Running time:  112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
MPAA - R for violence and language
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
WRITER: David Koepp
PRODUCERS: Ceán Chaffin, Judy Hofflund, David Koepp, and Gavin Polone
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Conrad W. Hall (D.o.P.) and Darius Khondji (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: James Haygood and Angus Wall
COMPOSER: Howard Shore

THRILLER

Starring: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakum, Jared Leto, and Patrick Bauchau

Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) has left a messy divorce and is looking for a new home for her and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart). She finds a beautiful mansion style brownstone/townhouse with a panic room, a sort of safe room or medieval keep with cameras, monitors, and supplies in which one can hide from and hold up against intruders. When three men (Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoakum) break in her home, Meg and Sarah barely escape into the panic room only to learn that what the three men want is inside room with them.

Directed by David Fincher (Seven, The Fight Club), Panic Room is the kind of adult thriller of a quality that is truly scarce. It is the kind of movie that relies on the skill of a capable and talented director, which Fincher continually proves himself to be with each film. He begins to build levels of intensity, layer upon layer, from the film’s opening shots (with a beautiful and evocative opening credit reel over the New York City skyline) to the closing shots that only barely lets up as the film fades.

Fincher puts the actors through the paces, but they are up to whatever the task at hand. Jodie Foster in insanely intense and intensely dramatic. Of all the cast, she has to not only sell this movie, but a successful execution of the premise relies on her. From fear to bravery, from delirium to determination, Ms. Foster is the face of Fincher’s dramatic exercise. The rest of the cast is also quite good. Ms. Stewart plays Sarah as definitely being her mother’s daughter, mirroring a range of emotions similar to her mother’s. Although Leto’s Junior is the criminal mastermind of the operation, Whitaker’s Burnham and Yoakum’s Raoul carry the show, both quietly mixing a sense of dread and fear that makes their characters more desperate and more dangerous.

Fincher also puts his camera through the paces. It weaves, dodges, and chases, making surprising discovers in a mad dash to create intensity. However, the film itself isn’t a reckless, mad dash. It is evenly paced, and though Fincher uses some of his pictorial and stylistic quirks needlessly, he creates a drama with a sense of terror in the tradition of Rear Window. That, in an era of hyped up SFX films, in refreshing. The genre elements of a thriller: terror and suspense are but beautiful window dressing to the drama.

In Panic Room, every character has a story that makes them more than stock characters. This is a testament to veteran screenwriter David Koepp’s skill in making three-dimensional characters. Whatever fate a thriller has in store for its characters holds more thrill if the characters are more than paper cutouts. If we care for them, we don’t want them in danger. If the villains have real motivation, there are more dangerous.

Kudos to Fincher above all else. Panic Room is that proverbial edge of your seat thriller, but he doesn’t eschew the meat of the story to serve his style. He remains visionary because he can turn the story into powerful visual images. He’s patient and allows the camera, our eyes to survey the scene of the brilliant cat and mouse game. Instead of choppy and quick editing, Panic Room is deliberate, almost sexy in the suspense that it unveils before us. This is the kind of special film that you know you want to see.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2003 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Theatrical - Best Supporting Actor” (Forest Whitaker)

 

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Fight Club: David Fincher's Best Movie? Brad Pitt's Best Performance?

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 86 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fight Club (1999)
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
WRITER: Jim Uhls (based upon the novel of the same title by Chuck Palahniuk)
PRODUCERS: Ross Grayson Bell, Ceán Chaffin, and Art Linson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jeff Cronenweth
EDITOR: James Haygood
COMPOSERS: Dust Brothers (John King and Michael Simpson)
Academy Awards nominee

DRAMA/THRILLER with elements of action

Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier, and Jared Leto

Some films fans believe that the glamour of old Hollywood, or of the so-called Golden Age, is gone. True or not, there are young actors today that the camera loves as much as it did Humphrey Bogart or Greta Garb, such as Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Johnny Depp among others. Another star that the camera definitely loves is the talented and ambitious Brad Pitt.

In David Fincher’s (Se7en) Fight Club, Pitt plays the alluring stranger Tyler Durden who introduces a disillusioned spiritual brother Jack, who is also the film Narrator, (Edward Norton, American History X) to the living. Jack has a white color job, suffers from insomnia, and consumes expensive, brand name items to fill in the hole in himself and his life. Jack becomes Durden’s first convert to Fight Club, which rapidly grows into an underground cabal of restless, directionless GenX’ers and late Baby Boomers. The club meets in hidee-holes, and the members pummel each other to a bloody mess. Perhaps, it is because pain is life and life is pain. Perhaps, these young men, who never knew the Great Depression or life as a soldier/combatant in an international war, need to know pain and suffering. Maybe, through beating each other they get to be men with each other etc. blah, blah, blah.

During his career as a music video director, Fincher showed enormous promise as a filmmaker with his videos for Madonna: Express Yourself, Oh Father, and Vogue. The politics of studio filmmaking crushed his debut Alien3, but with Se7en and The Game, his potential to be one of the best visualists since Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) and David Lynch (Blue Velvet) was again show to audiences around the world.

This film by Fincher is as much visual and symbolic as it is literal. For all its notions of male empowerment and of cutting away the material trappings of a corrupted civilization, Fight Club really delineates spiritual conundrums and the struggles with identity. It is the visual equivalent of a novel, but the novel as art and literature. With all that camera weaving and dodging, Fincher is essentially writing a novel. What words do for a book, his camera makes images do for a film. The film digs deeper than just angry white boys. Why are they angry? When are they angry? How are they angry? What else is going on in the world of Fight Club? Fincher answers those questions and builds a complex structure of story and environment that becomes a film. While it is eye candy for the male in the vein of Pulp Fiction, Fight Club has visual layers and subtexts awaiting the ambitious viewer. Does it take music video directors and directors of commercial advertisements to realize that the story, the characters, and the setting are best conveyed visually in film because a movie is all about what’s on the screen?

Norton is very good; a talented actor he can play the gamut of human emotions, from extreme to subtle. Helena Bonham Carter (Wings of the Dove) is a very talented actress, but she’s often lost in supporting roles. Here, as love interest/sex partner, Marla Singer, her part is extraneous, but the camera loves her. Whatever should could have brought to enrich the story is lost. The true gift of this movie is Pitt as the puckish phantasm, Durden. Whenever he gets a good role, Pitt lights up the screen, and the movie surges with energy and vitality. Many filmmakers have wasted his good looks and great talent; Fincher takes full advantage of having him.

The film does have its flaws, notably Jack’s narration, (in addition to the short shrift of Marla), which is sometimes redundant when the visuals serve the same purpose. Some interesting characters end up as ciphers and aimlessly fill up screen time when they could have served a definite purpose. However, Fincher and screenwriter Jim Uhls have created a beautiful and surrealistic film that is, like successful artistic efforts in other mediums, a statement about the time in which it appears. And heck, Fight Club is just plain fun to experience.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2000 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (Ren Klyce and Richard Hymns)

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