17th Screen Actors Guild Award Winners Movie Categories - Complete List

Screen Actors Guild presented its Actor® statuette for the outstanding motion picture and primetime television performances of 2010 at the “17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards” in ceremonies held Sunday, Jan. 30, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center.

Morgan Freeman also presented Ernest Borgnine with Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, the 47th Annual Life Achievement Award. Just before Freeman presented the award, Tim Conway introduced a filmed tribute to Borgnine.

17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Winners Movie Categories:

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
COLIN FIRTH / King George VI - "THE KING’S SPEECH" (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
NATALIE PORTMAN / Nina Sayers – “BLACK SWAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
CHRISTIAN BALE / Dicky Eklund – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
MELISSA LEO / Alice Ward – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (Primary cast members each get Actor trophy)
THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)

ANTHONY ANDREWS / Stanley Baldwin
HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Queen Elizabeth
JENNIFER EHLE / Myrtle Logue
COLIN FIRTH / King George VI
MICHAEL GAMBON / King George V
DEREK JACOBI / Archbishop Cosmo Lang
GUY PEARCE / King Edward VIII
GEOFFREY RUSH / Lionel Logue
TIMOTHY SPALL / Winston Churchill

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
INCEPTION (Warner Bros. Pictures)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild Awards 47th Annual Life Achievement Award
Ernest Borgnine

2011 Oscar Nominations: Supporting Actor

Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale in “The Fighter”

John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”

Jeremy Renner in “The Town”

Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”

Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”

Christian Bale Wins Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:

Christian Bale for The Fighter (2010) WINNER

Michael Douglas for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

Andrew Garfield for The Social Network (2010)

Jeremy Renner for The Town (2010)

Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech (2010)

"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/

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/

Animation's Finest Earn Annie Award Nominations

38th Annual Annie Award Nominations Announced

The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood proudly announces the nominations and award recipients for the 38th Annual Annie Awards. Award recipients will claim their trophies at the 38th Annual Annie Awards scheduled for Saturday, February 5, 2011 at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California.

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES:

Best Animated Feature
• Despicable Me – Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• How to Train Your Dragon – DreamWorks Animation
• Tangled – Disney
• The Illusionist – Django Films
• Toy Story 3 – Disney/Pixar

Best Animated Short Subject
• Coyote Falls - Warner Bros. Animation
• Day & Night – Pixar
• Enrique Wrecks the World - House of Chai
• The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger - Plymptoons Studio
• The Renter - Jason Carpenter

Best Animated Television Commercial
• Children's Medical Center - DUCK Studios
• Frito Lay Dips "And Then There Was Salsa" - LAIKA/house
• ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Winter Olympic Interstitial "Speed Skating" - DreamWorks Animation
• McDonald's "Spaceman Stu" - DUCK Studios
• Pop Secret "When Harry Met Sally" - Nathan Love

Best Animated Television Production
• Futurama - The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
• Kung Fu Panda Holiday - DreamWorks Animation
• Scared Shrekless - DreamWorks Animation
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Arc Troopers” - Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.
• The Simpsons “The Squirt and the Whale” - Gracie Films

Best Animated Television Production for Children
• Adventure Time - Cartoon Network Studios
• Cloudbread – GIMC
• Fanboy & Chum Chum - Nickelodeon, Frederator
• Regular Show - Cartoon Network Studios
• SpongeBob SquarePants – Nickelodeon

Best Animated Video Game
• Heavy Rain - Quantic Dream
• Kirby's Epic Yarn - Good-Feel & HAL Laboratory
• Limbo – Playdead
• Shank - Klei Entertainment Inc.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES:

Animated Effects in an Animated Production
• Andrew Young Kim "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation
• Jason Mayer "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Brett Miller "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Sebastian Quessy "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" - Warner Bros. Pictures
• Krzysztof Rost "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Television Production
• Nicolas A. Chauvelot "Scared Shrekless" - DreamWorks Animation
• Savelen Forrest "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III" - ShadowMachine
• Elizabeth Harvatine "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III" – ShadowMachine
• David Pate "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Nideep Varghese "Scared Shrekless" - DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Feature Production
• Mark Donald "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation
• Anthony Hodgson "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation
• Gabe Hordos "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Jakob Hjort Jensen "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• David Torres "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Live Action Production
• Quentin Miles - Clash of the Titans
• Ryan Page - Alice in Wonderland

Character Design in a Television Production
• Andy Bialk "The Ricky Gervais Show" - W!LDBRAIN Entertainment
• Stephan DeStefano "Sym-Bionic Titan" - Cartoon Network
• Ernie Gilbert "T.U.F.F. Puppy" – Nickelodeon
• Gordon Hammond "T.U.F.F. Puppy" – Nickelodeon
• Steve Lambe "Fanboy & Chum Chum" - Nickelodeon, Frederator

Character Design in a Feature Production
• Sylvain Chomet "The Illusionist" - Django Films
• Carter Goodrich "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Timothy Lamb "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation
• Nico Marlet "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation

Directing in a Television Production
• Bob Anderson "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXI” - Gracie Films
• Peter Chung "Firebreather" - Cartoon Network Studios
• Duke Johnson "Frankenhole: Humanitas" – ShadowMachine
• Tim Johnson "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Gary Trousdale "Scared Shrekless" - DreamWorks Animation

Directing in a Feature Production
• Sylvain Chomet "The Illusionist" - Django Films
• Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Mamoru Hosoda “Summer Wars” – Madhouse/Funimation
• Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois “How To Train Your Dragon” - DreamWorks Animation
• Lee Unkrich “Toy Story 3” – Disney/Pixar

Music in a Television Production
• J. Walter Hawkes, Billy Lopez "The Wonder Pets!" - Nickelodeon Production & Little Airplane Productions
• Henry Jackman, Hans Zimmer and John Powell "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Tim Long, Alf Clausen, Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement "The Simpsons: Elementary School Musical" - Gracie Films
• Shawn Patterson "Robot Chicken's DP Christmas Special" – ShadowMachine
• Jeremy Wakefield, Sage Guyton, Nick Carr, Tuck Tucker "SpongeBob SquarePants" – Nickelodeon

Music in a Feature Production
• Sylvain Chomet "The Illusionist" - Django Films
• David Hirschfelder "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" - Warner Bros. Pictures
• John Powell "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Harry Gregson Williams "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation
• Pharrell Williams, Heitor Pereira "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures

Production Design in a Television Production
• Alan Bodner "Neighbors From Hell" - 20th Century Fox Television
• Barry Jackson "Firebreather" - Cartoon Network Studios
• Pete Oswald "Doubtsourcing" - Badmash Animation Studios
• Richie Sacilioc "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Scott Wills "Sym-Bionic Titan" - Cartoon Network Studios

Production Design in a Feature Production
• Yarrow Cheney "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Eric Guillon "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Dan Hee Ryu "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" - Warner Bros. Pictures
• Pierre Olivier Vincent "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Peter Zaslav "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in a Television Production
• Sean Bishop "Scared Shrekless" - DreamWorks Animation
• Fred Gonzales "T.U.F.F. Puppy" – Nickelodeon
• Tom Owens "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation
• Dave Thomas "Fairly OddParents" – Nickelodeon

Storyboarding in a Feature Production
• Alessandro Carloni "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Paul Fisher "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation
• Tom Owens "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Catherine Yuh Rader "Megamind" - DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Television Production
• Jeff Bennett as The Necronomicon "Fanboy & Chum Chum" - Nickelodeon & Frederator
• Corey Burton as Baron Papanoida "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - Cartoon Network
• Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - Cartoon Network
• Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown "The Cleveland Show" - Fox Television Animation
• James Hong as Mr. Ping "Kung Fu Panda Holiday" - DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Feature Production
• Jay Baruchel as Hiccup "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Gerard Butler as Stoick "How To Train Your Dragon" - DreamWorks Animation
• Steve Carrell as Gru "Despicable Me" - Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
• Cameron Diaz as Fiona "Shrek Forever After" - DreamWorks Animation
• Geoffrey Rush as Ezylryb "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" - Warner Bros. Pictures

Writing in a Television Production
• Daniel Arkin "Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Heroes on Both Sides" - Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.
• Jon Colton Barry & Piero Piluso "Phineas & Ferb: Nerds of a Feather" - Disney Channel
• John Frink "The Simpsons: Stealing First Base" - Gracie Films
• Geoff Johns, Matthew Beans, Zeb Wells, Hugh Sterbakov, Matthew Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Seth Green, Mike Fasolo, Douglas Goldstein, Tom Root, Dan Milano, Kevin Shinick & Hugh Davidson "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III" – ShadowMachine
• Michael Rowe "Futurama" - The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television

Writing in a Feature Production
• Michael Arndt “Toy Story 3” – Disney/Pixar
• Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
• William Davies, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders “How to Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
• Dan Fogelman “Tangled” - Disney
• Alan J. Schoolcraft, Brent Simons “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation

JURIED AWARDS

Winsor McCay Award — Brad Bird, Eric Goldberg, Matt Groening

June Foray — Ross Iwamoto

Ub Iwerks Award — Autodesk

Special Achievement — “Waking Sleeping Beauty”

http://www.annieawards.org/index.html

"The King's Speech" Rules the British Independent Film Awards

Created in 1998, The British Independent Film Awards (as they describe it) celebrates merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking, honor new film talent, and promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.

2010 Winners

Best British Independent Film
The King's Speech

Best Director of a British Independent Film
Gareth Edwards for Monsters

The Douglas Hickox Award
Clio Barnard for The Arbor

Best Screenplay
David Seidler for The King's Speech

Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film
Carey Mulligan for Never Let Me Go

Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film
Colin Firth for The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actor
Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech

Most Promising Newcomer
Joanne Froggatt for In Our Name

Best Achievement In Production
Monsters

The Raindance Award
Son of Babylon

Best Technical Achievement
Gareth Edwards for Monsters

Best British Documentary
Enemies of the People

Best British Short Film
Baby

Best Foreign Independent Film
A Prophet

The Richard Harris Award
Helena Bonham Carter

The Variety Award
Liam Neeson

The Special Jury Prize
Jenne Casarotto

For a complete list of the nominees: http://bifa.org.uk/nominations/2010

"Legend of the Guardians" a Strange, But Entertaining Bird

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 80 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010)
Running time: 90 minutes  (1 hour, 30 minuntes)
MPAA – PG for some sequences of scary action
DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder
WRITERS: John Orloff and Emil Stern (based on the Guardian of Ga’Hoole novels by Kathryn Lasky)
PRODUCER: Zareh Nalbandian

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ACTION/WAR

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Emily Barclay, Adrienne DeFaria, Miriam Margolyes, Ryan Kwanten, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Richard Roxburgh, Geoffrey Rush, Joel Edgerton, Anthony LaPaglia, Abbie Cornish, Hugo Weaving, and David Wenham

The film, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is a computer animated film based upon the Guardians of Ga’Hoole fantasy book series by Kathryn Lasky. Legend of the Guardians, which is apparently a loose adaptation of the first three books in the series, follows the adventures of a young owl kidnapped by a patrol of evil owls and thrown into an ages old conflict.

Legend of the Guardians is directed by Zack Snyder, master of the faux-historical 300 and the superhero faux pas, Watchmen. The computer animation is the work of Australian digital visual effects company, Animal Logic, which also produced the Oscar-winning Happy Feet. Unlike Happy Feet, Legend of the Guardians may be too dark, too violent, and too intense for children younger than 8 or 9 years-old.

An easy way to describe this film is as Lord of the Rings with owls. Like LotR, Legend of the Guardians is visually astounding, especially when its characters (mostly all owls) take to the air for breathtaking displays of avian aerial prowess. The story features all the familiar characteristics of the hero’s quest, and the character drama is sometimes as dull as the flying and fighting are attention-grabbing. But this is done with owls, and that’s the hook that makes this movie work.

The film focuses on Soren (Jim Sturgess), a young owl enthralled by the epic stories his father, Noctus (Hugo Weaving) tells him. These are heroic and historical legends of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of owl warriors that fought a great battle to save the Kingdom of Ga’Hoole from the Pure Ones, a group of evil owls.

Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes at their home, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree, but his older brother, Kludd (Ryan Kwanten), scoffs at the notion. Kludd is jealous of the attention his father gives Soren. Kludd’s jealousy leads to the brothers being kidnapped by minions of the Pure Ones and taken to their leaders Metalbeak (Joel Edgerton) and his mate, Nyra (Helen Mirren). When Soren learns of the true evil the Pure Ones are planning, his only hope is to find the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, but are these owls real? He and an elf owl named Gylfie (Emily Barclay) escape the Pure Ones and embark on a journey to find the truth and to perhaps save the owl kingdoms.

Legend of the Guardians is relentlessly dark in terms of the story, but is relentlessly splendid in terms of 3D animation. Ga’Hoole’s story treats war as something that is occasionally needed to stop evil and aggression. Here, war is an extraordinary event meant for warriors, and not for warrior-wannabes. It is just this attitude that gives the film’s battles so much weight and importance.

Legend of the Guardians is also a 3D movie, but the computer animation – in terms of stimulating character action, movement, blocking, and camera movement – make seeing it in plain old 2D quite a bracing experience. I saw it in 2D, and that did not keep me from marveling at the texture of owl feathers and the surface consistency of the costumes and implements the birds wore. Unreal feathers have never looked so real. Even the skin of the snake character, the nest maid, Miss Plithiver (Miriam Margolyes), looks like real snake skin. The drawing and design style tends towards realism, especially in the landscapes and backgrounds, but the colors keep the animation from going too far by giving everything a sense of magic and fantasy.

Geoffrey Rush as the wise old warrior owl, Ezylryb, and Helen Mirren (as Nyra), give excellent voice performances. Rush is great at making supporting characters zany and attractive, and Mirren would be award worthy even taking orders at McDonald’s. Jim Sturgess is also good as Soren, but no one else really does anything that stands out.

Where the film falters is character drama. When Legend of the Guardians shows its characters in flight or in a fight, the movie is fierce, passionate, and awesome. When it slows down for some drama, the movie feels grounded, even a bit a silly. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is a strange bird indeed. It is an excellent action fantasy movie, but like some of children’s fantasy films, it lacks heart. Its sentiment and messages feel phony and thrown in out of a sense of obligation. Where does that leave the viewer? Enjoy the action and patiently tolerate everything else.

[Also, before Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole begins, audiences in movie theatres get a new Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon short called “Fur of Flying.” However, unlike most Road Runner cartoons, which are 2D or hand-drawn animation, “Fur of Flying” is 3D or computer-animated. 3D animation is a weird way to see Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, but this short isn’t bad at all.]

6 of 10
B

Sunday, September 26, 2010

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"The King's Speech" Wins Top Award at Toronto

“The King’s Speech” won the audience award (Cadillac People’s Choice Award) at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by British film and television director, Tom Hooper, the movie stars Colin Firth as Britain’s reluctant King George VI and Geoffrey Rush as speech therapist Lionel Logue. In the film, Logue helps King George (the father of Queen Elizabeth II) in his struggle to overcome a stammer in his speech.

CADILLAC PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
"The King's Speech" (directed by Tom Hooper)
Runner-up: "The First Grader" (directed by Justin Chadwick)

CADILLAC PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FOR DOCUMENTARY
"Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie" (directed by Sturla Gunnarsson)
Runner-up: "Nostalgia For The Light" (directed by Patricio Guzmán)

CADILLAC PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FOR MIDNIGHT MADNESS
"Stake Land" (directed by Jim Mickle)
Runner-up: "Fubar II" (directed by Michael Dowse)

CITY OF TORONTO AND ASTRAL MEDIA’S THE MOVIE NETWORK AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
"Incendies" (directed by Denis Villeneuve)

SKYY VODKA AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
"The High Cost of Living" (directed by Deborah Chow)

PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICS (FIPRESCI PRIZE) FOR SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS SECTION
"L'Amour Fou" (directed by Pierre Thoretton)

PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICS" (FIPRESCI PRIZE) FOR DISCOVERY SECTION
"Beautiful Boy" (directed by Shawn Ku)

AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
"Les fleurs de l'âge" (Little Flowers)" (directed by Vincent Biron)

Review: "Finding Nemo" Recalls the Drama of Disney's "Bambi"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 84 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Finding Nemo (2003) – animated film
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Andrew Stanton with Lee Unkrich
WRITERS: Bob Peterson, David Reynolds, and Andrew Stanton, from a story by Andrew Stanton
PRODUCER: Graham Walters
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Sharon Calahan (director of photography) and Jeremy Lasky (director of photography)
EDITOR: David Ian Salter
COMPOSER: Thomas Newman
Academy Award winner

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE/COMEDY

Starring: (voices) Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Austin Pendleton, Stephen Root, Vicki Lewis, Joe Ranft, Geoffrey Rush, Andrew Stanton, Eric Bana, and Elizabeth Perkins

Marlin (Albert Brooks), a clown fish, and his wife Coral (Elizabeth Perkins) live in an underwater suburban utopia for fish. They are about to be new parents as they await the hatching of over 400 eggs, when suddenly tragedy strikes in the form of a natural predator. After a horror that recalls the Disney classic Bambi, all that is left to Marlin is one tiny egg.

As the story moves to the future, Marlin has never really recovered from his loss. He is overprotective of his son Nemo (Alexander Gould), who was born with an underdeveloped fin (formerly known as a handicap), so he doesn’t swim well. Naturally, Nemo hates his father coddling him. One day he rebels by approaching a shipping vessel where a human captures him. Devastated, Marlin begins a desperate quest to find his only child. A blue tang fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), who has short term memory loss, joins Marlin on the search for the boy. In the meantime, Nemo has found himself in the aquarium at an Aussie dentist’s office. He befriends a group of fellow captives who plot to help Nemo escape before he ends up an unfortunate gift to the dentist’s niece.

This is the fifth Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios co-production, and the union has produced five beautiful films. Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are two of the best animated films ever made. A Bug’s Life was a big hit, and I adore Monster’s Inc. more every time I see it. Finding Nemo ably stands with its brethren as another very fine achievement in the very short his story of computer animated feature films. I can say this without hesitation: Finding Nemo is a great animated film. I’ll save you the time reading this unless you really want to know what I have to say – rush out and see this film. It’s not perfect, and I can forgive the filmmakers the awfully syrupy fish suburbia that they created for the film’s opening scene; still, excellence must be noticed.

Directed by Andrew Stanton (co-director of A Bug’s Life) with Lee Unkrich (Monster’s Inc. and Toy Story 2) the film has the emotional resonance of the Toy Story films. Yes, it is inspired wacky fun for the kids, and they’ll laugh at lot; adults will probably laugh more than the tykes. Yes, the film has a gorgeous color palette that just dazzles the senses; it’s a colorful, visual treat on par with the great Technicolor films of yesteryear. However, the most important thing about the film is how it touches upon the relationships between people, both entertaining and connecting with the audience. You know there is something special about using animals to tell human stories. People have told these “anthropomorphic” tales since we could tell stories. It is easier for people to laugh at human foibles when we see our foolishness copied by cartoon animal-people. Animated films, cartoons, and comic art stories use this genre extremely well and through this animators and cartoonists take the craft of storytelling and make it an art.

The central story is about the protective bond between parents and their children, in this specific case, a father and his son. Marlin lost so much when he seemed about to have it all that he is way too overprotective of Nemo, essentially the only person he has left in his life. Marlin can’t deal with the fact that the older his son gets, the harder it is to micromanage the boy’s life. He can’t stop every bad thing that may happen to his child from happening. He’s also afraid of the environment in which he lives, the ocean, so he doesn’t really enjoy life. Nemo wants to be independent, but buried in the back of his mind is that he may be as physically inadequate as his father treats him. There are also many notable subplots: friends overcoming obstacles, learning to accept the differences in others instead of prejudging negative traits on them, people joining together to help a stranger in need, and of keeping hope alive.

I know that this might seem to be a bit heady for a cartoon, but this ability of a Pixar film to entertain and delight and to teach and to inspire simply continues that which is a tradition of the best Disney animated films. We’ve often considered classic Disney animation to be amongst the best films ever made (well, at least some of us), and Pixar just shows audiences that an animated film can be just as fun as the funniest comedy, that a cartoon can mimic the drama of humanity as well the best “real” movies.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2004 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Animated Feature” (Andrew Stanton); 3 nominations: “Best Music, Original Score” (Thomas Newman), “Best Sound Editing” (Gary Rydstrom and Michael Silvers), and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Andrew Stanton-screenplay/story, Bob Peterson-screenplay and David Reynolds-screenplay)

2004 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Screenplay – Original” (Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds)

2004 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy”

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Review: "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" is a Surprise

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 111 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Running time: 143 minutes; MPAA – PG-13 for action/adventure violence
DIRECTOR: Gore Verbinski
WRITERS: Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, from a screen story by Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert, and Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio
PRODUCER: Jerry Bruckheimer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Darius Wolski (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Stephen E. Rivkin, Arthur Schmidt, and Craig Wood
Academy Award nominee

FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE/HISTORICAL with elements of romance

Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Crook, Zoe Saldana, and Isaac C. Singleton, Jr.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that some movie critics and reviewers are stanking on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl mainly because the movie is loosely based on a theme park ride at Disney World. That’s beside the point; it’s not like a theme park ride is the worst thing upon which a movie could be based, especially since we’ve all lost track of how many movies have been based upon skits from “Saturday Night Live.” All that really matters is the question whether this is a fun film or not, which it is – the rousing good, old-fashioned adventure film that Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas tried to be. I guess I should also mention that I have an incredible weakness for pirate films, so that could color my judgment.

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom, sexy elf-warrior from the Lord of the Rings films), a talented blacksmith, joins a the pirate captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and becomes a pirate himself to rescue the love of his life, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) from the wicked pirates of the fearsome ship, The Black Pearl. Led by their mutinous Captain Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush), the men of the Pearl are cursed and must break the ancient spell with the blood of Elizabeth.

Directed by Gore Verbinski (The Ring), Black Pearl is an SFX-laden movie distraction that’s worth the time distracted. The plot is bare (then, again aren’t most made-to-order blockbusters thin on plot), and the story gets muddled at the end, hitting more than it’s share of sand bars. Don’t think, enjoy. High production values, costumes, great sets, wonderful backdrops and vistas, the open sea, nasty pirates, colonial military, brave sea dogs, and a bucketful of obstacles facing our heroes – it’s the makings of a movie meant for summer or holiday release. If this is eye candy, it’s a sweet dessert without the worrisome aftertaste of plot and story that stays with you.

I always say that the price of a ticket is worth the cost if you can find at least two performances worth watching. Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow is a campy, burlesque pirate with an over-the-top nutty flavor. Every time you think that Sparrow might become annoying, Depp, in swarthy getup, rises to the occasion with a flourish of hand gestures and twisted facial expressions that for some unearthly reason endear him to the audience again. Not to be outdone, Geoffrey Rush, a very fine actor, hams it up with same intensity that he’d give to a “serious and worthy dramatic film. He gets inside Pirates, sloshes around when he wants to be zombie suave and then turns on nasty ooze when he’s supposed to be a really, really, really bad man.

Pirates of the Caribbean might occasionally play at being a pirate film in the classic tradition of old Hollywood, but it’s true to its modern roots. It’s a get-on-and-ride attraction with all the ups-and-downs and thrill machine delivery that Disney engineering creates in theme park rides.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2004 Academy Awards: 5 nominations for “Best Actor in a Leading Role” (JohnnyDepp), “Best Makeup” (Ve Neill, Martin Samuel), “Best Sound Editing” (Christopher Boyes, George Watters II), “Best Sound Mixing” (Christopher Boyes, David Parker, David E. Campbell, Lee Orloff), “Best Visual Effects” (John Knoll, Hal T. Hickel, Charles Gibson, Terry D. Frazee)

2004 BAFTA Awards: 1 win for “Best Make Up/Hair” (Ve Neill, Martin Samuel); and four nominations for “Best Actor in a Leading Role” (Johnny Depp), “Best Costume” (Penny Rose), “Best Sound” (Christopher Boyes, George Watters II, David Parker, David E. Campbell, Lee Orloff)

2004 Golden Globes: 1 nomination for actor-motion picture comedy/musical (Depp)

Review: "At World's End" Excellent Conclusion to Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 03 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
Running time: 168 minutes (2 hours, 48 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images
DIRECTOR: Gore Verbinski
WRITERS: Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio; based upon characters created by Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert, and Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio and based upon the Walt Disney theme park attraction
PRODUCER: Jerry Bruckheimer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dariusz Wolski (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Stephen Rivkin and Craig Wood
Academy Award nominee

ACTION/FANTASY/ADVENTURE

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Naomie Harris, Chow Yun-Fat, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Cook, Kevin McNally, Stellan Skarsgård, and Keith Richards

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is an extravagant, entertaining, and exciting finish to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, which hit a bump with the middle segment, the hugely boring, excessive, and gaudy CGI lump, Dead Man’s Chest.

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are allied with the resurrected Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the surreal and mind-bending afterlife trap that is Davy Jones' locker. The trio strikes a deal with the Chinese Pirate lord, Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat), for a map to guide them to Davy Jones’ locker.

Meanwhile, Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Trading Company has control of the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman, and its captain, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). Doing Beckett’s bidding, Jones and the Dutchman wreak havoc across the Seven Seas, destroying all pirate vessels and helping Beckett achieve his dream of ending piracy.

To save their way of life, Barbossa calls for a truly rare event, a meeting of the Brethren Court, a council the gathers the nine pirate lords of the Seven Seas. Treachery, however, abounds. Both Jack Sparrow and Will Turner secretly plot behind their colleagues’ backs – Sparrow to rid himself of his debt to Davy Jones and Turner to free his father “Bootstrap” Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgård) from the Dutchman. All must ultimately choose a side in a final, titanic battle, as their lives, fortunes, and the entire future of the freedom-loving pirate way, hangs in the balance.

Amusing and exciting: I can say that about Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, but I certainly couldn’t say that about its predecessor, Dead Man’s Chest (2006). Whereas Dead Man’s Chest was painfully boring, exceedingly dull, and came across a mere filler material between the beginning and end of this story, At World’s End is showy (with costumes and production design that is so lavish it would give the Bourbons pause), amusing (a delightfully spry comedy for such a big budget production), and exciting (a whirlwind adventure that seems to span the seven seas, told in storytelling that is brisk and efficient).

Like they did in the original film, director Gore Verbinski and his stunt and special effects crew blended live action and CGI with such ease that the viewer might have a hard time separating solid realism from the magical un-real of Hollywood FX. In overseeing such an impressive blend of live action stunts and CGI wizardry (perhaps the best union of the two ever put on screen at that time), Verbinksi’s work was worthy of an Oscar nomination (which it didn’t get).

Verbinski’s success in directing this movie was also evident in the performances of his cast. Johnny Deep made Jack Sparrow a richer more dramatic character, and not just caricature fit for no more than merchandising. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley brought a touch of romantic drama to their characters’ storyline, and in their own way, transformed At World’s End from merely a summer blockbuster into an old-fashioned romantic adventure right out of the 19th century.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2008 Academy Awards: 2 nominations for “Best Achievement in Makeup” (Ve Neill, Martin Samuel) and “Best Achievement in Visual Effect” (John Knoll, Hal T. Hickel, Charlie Gibson, John Frazier)


2008 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination for “Best Special Visual Effects” (John Knoll, Hal T. Hickel, Charlie Gibson, John Frazier)

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