"Argo" Wins USC Libraries Scripter Award

‘Argo’ Navigates to USC Libraries Scripter Win

Journalist, memoirist, and screenwriter take the 25th-anniversary honor

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Authors Joshuah Bearman and Antonio J. Mendez and screenwriter Chris Terrio received the 25th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award for their contributions to “Argo.” Selection committee co-chair Howard Rodman announced the winners at the black-tie event on Saturday, Feb. 9, at USC’s Doheny Memorial Library.

In his acceptance speech, Bearman said, “I think that with adaptation you hope another writer can come and take a look at your work and see a new perspective and add insight, which is certainly the case with Chris Terrio.”

“Argo’s” Scripter win adds to the growing number of awards for the Warner Bros. film, including the American Film Institute’s Movie of the Year as well as best motion picture in the drama category and best director at last month’s Golden Globes. The film is nominated for seven Academy Awards.

Scripter, established by the Friends of the USC Libraries in 1988, honors the screenwriter or screenwriters of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author of the written work upon which the screenplay is based. Scripter is the only award of its kind that recognizes authors of the original work alongside the adapting screenwriters.

Terrio based his adaptation on Mendez’s autobiographical work “The Master of Disguise,” published by William Morrow in 2000, and Bearman’s article “The Great Escape,” which appeared in Wired Magazine in 2007.

USC Libraries Dean Catherine Quinlan welcomed the attendees gathered in Los Angeles Times Reference Room of USC’s historic Edward L. Doheny Memorial Library.

“In the context of the library, Scripter at 25 years old is a young tradition,” Quinlan said. “But it is a tradition that helps our libraries collect knowledge that is far older than 25 years and one that will support discoveries by our USC community far beyond the next quarter-century.”

Co-chaired by Golden Globe-winning screenwriter Naomi Foner and USC screenwriting professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Howard Rodman, the Scripter selection committee chose “Argo” from a field of 84 eligible films. A tie in the first round of voting resulted in six finalist films this year, rather than the usual five.

The 41-member selection committee included film critics Leonard Maltin and Kenneth Turan; screenwriters Geoffrey Fletcher, Eric Roth, and Robin Swicord; authors Michael Chabon and Mona Simpson; and USC deans Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries, Elizabeth M. Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts and Madeline Puzo of the School of Dramatic Arts.

The USC Libraries also honored Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana with the Literary Achievement Award for their body of work to date. USC President C. L. Max Nikias presented the honor.

“With deep reserves of imagination and intellect, Mr. McMurtry and Ms. Ossana inspire USC’s entire creative-arts community,” Nikias said. “And for this, we warmly salute them.”

Over the course of their writing partnership McMurtry and Ossana have collaborated on dozens of novels and screenplays, including “Brokeback Mountain,” which won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as the award-winning miniseries “Streets of Laredo,” “Dead Man’s Walk,” and “Johnson County War.” They are currently collaborating on the screen adaptation of Paulette Jiles’s novel “The Color of Lightning.”

This year’s event featured a silent auction, the proceeds of which support the USC Libraries’ collections. Donors to the auction included Bennett Farms, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Hawaii Five-0 and Eye Productions, Hungry Cat Santa Monica, L.A. Saddlery, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Namale Resort & Spa in Fiji, Paperblanks, PGA Tour, Picca Peruvian Cantina, the NFL, Pizzeria Mozza, Pleasant Holidays, South Coast Winery, the Sundance Institute, Terranea Resort, Robbins Research International, Montage Beverly Hills, the Wine of the Month Club, and the USC Thornton School of Music.

In-kind sponsors this year included John and Dana Agamalian and Blue Ice Vodka; Esquire Bar & Lounge of Pasadena, Calif.; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Paperblanks; Penguin Books; and the Wine of the Month Club.

For more information about Scripter—including additional images from the ceremony—visit scripter.usc.edu.

"Argo" Wins Best Picture and Director at 2013 BAFTAs

by Leroy Douresseaux

The BAFTA Film Awards are the British equivalent of the American Academy Awards (the Oscars).  At the 2013 BAFTAs, Argo was named the "Best Film of 2012," one of three awards it won, including a "Best Director" trophy for Ben Affleck.  In a surprise, Emmanuelle Riva won the "Leading Actress" prize for her performance in Amour.  In a non-surprise, Daniel Day-Louis won "Leading Actor" for his performance in Lincoln.  Django Unchained won two awards: "Original Screenplay" (Quentin Tarantino) and "Supporting Actor" (Christoph Waltz).

The 66th EE British Academy Film Awards took place on Sunday, February 10, 2013 at London's Royal Opera House.

2013 BAFTA FILM AWARD WINNERS (for the film year 2012):

BEST FILM
ARGO - Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
SKYFALL - Sam Mendes, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
BART LAYTON (Director), DIMITRI DOGANIS (Producer)- The Imposter

DIRECTOR
ARGO - Ben Affleck

DOCUMENTARY
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN - Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
DJANGO UNCHAINED - Quentin Tarantino

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK - David O. Russell

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
AMOUR - Michael Haneke, Margaret Ménégoz

ANIMATED FILM
BRAVE - Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman

LEADING ACTOR
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS - Lincoln

LEADING ACTRESS
EMMANUELLE RIVA - Amour

SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHRISTOPH WALTZ - Django Unchained

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
ANNE HATHAWAY - Les Misérables

ORIGINAL MUSIC
SKYFALL - Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
LIFE OF PI - Claudio Miranda

EDITING
ARGO - William Goldenberg

PRODUCTION DESIGN
LES MISÉRABLES - Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson

COSTUME DESIGN
ANNA KARENINA - Jacqueline Durran

SOUND
LES MISÉRABLES - Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
LIFE OF PI - Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer

MAKE UP & HAIR
LES MISÉRABLES - Lisa Westcott

SHORT ANIMATION
THE MAKING OF LONGBIRD - Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson

SHORT FILM
SWIMMER - Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw

EE RISING STAR AWARD
Juno Temple

Outstanding Contribution To British Cinema:
Tessa Ross

Houston Film Critics Choose "Argo" as 2012's Best

The Houston Film Critics Society named Argo is "Best Picture of 2012" and the film's director, Ben Affleck, as the "Best Director."  Once again, Prometheus received a "worse picture" notice.  I think the dislike and, quite frankly, hatred has to do with it not being the Alien (1979) movie/prequel some people thought it should be.

The Houston Film Critics Society was founded in 2007. It is a not-for-profit organization of 26 print, broadcast and Internet film critics based in the Greater Metropolitan Houston area.

Houston Film Critics Society 2012 nominees and winners (in bold):

Best Picture:
"Argo" WINNER
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Cloud Atlas"
"Django Unchained"
"Lincoln"
"The Master"
"Les Miserables"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Director:
Ben Affleck, "Argo" WINNER
Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"
Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
Tom Hooper, "Les Miserables"
Kathryn Bigelow, "Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln" WINNER
John Hawkes, "The Sessions"
Hugh Jackman, "Les Miserables"
Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"
Denzel Washington, "Flight"

Best Actress:
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook" WINNER
Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"
Quvenzhane Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"

Best Supporting Actor:
Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln" WINNER
Alan Arkin, "Argo"
Javier Bardem, "Skyfall"
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"
Matthew McConaughey, "Magic Mike"

Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables" WINNER:
Amy Adams, "The Master"
Judi Dench, "Skyfall"
Sally Field, "Lincoln"
Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"

Best Screenplay:
"Lincoln" WINNER
"Argo"
"Looper"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Cinematography:
"Skyfall" WINNER
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"The Master"
"Les Miserables"

Best Original Score:
"Cloud Atlas" WINNER
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Hitchcock"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"The Master"
"Skyfall"

Best Foreign Language Film:
"Holy Motors" (France) WINNER
"Amour" (Austria)
"The Intouchables" (France)
"A Royal Affair" (Denmark)
"Rust and Bone" (France/Belgium)

Best Animated Film:
"Wreck-It Ralph" WINNER
"Brave"
"Frankenweenie"
"ParaNorman"
"Rise of the Guardians"

Worst Film of 2012:
"That’s My Boy" WINNER
"Anna Karenina"
"Battleship"
"Prometheus"
"The Three Stooges"

Producers Guild Names "Argo" Best Picture of 2012

The Producers Guild of America gave Ben Affleck's film, Argo, "The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures," which is essentially the guild's 'best picture" award.  Right now, it seems as if Argo is just rolling its way to the best picture Oscar next month.

 

The 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards winners were announced last night, Saturday, January 26, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild also presented special honors to Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Milestone Award), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), J.J. Abrams (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Russell Simmons (Visionary Award) and BULLY (Stanley Kramer Award).

 

I've included the winners in the television categories along with the winners in the theatrical film categories.

 

2013 Producers Guild Of America Award Winners:

 

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:
"Argo” (Warner Bros.)
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov

 

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:
"Wreck-It Ralph” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Clark Spencer

 

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:
"Searching For Sugar Man” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn

 

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
Homeland (Showtime)
Producers: Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Michael Cuesta, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Meredith Stiehm

 

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
Game Change (HBO)
Producers: Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Jay Roach, Amy Sayres, Steven Shareshian, Danny Strong

 

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy
Modern Family (ABC)
Producers: Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Chris Smirnoff, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker

 

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:
American Masters (PBS)
Producers: Prudence Glass, Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks

 

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo

 

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
Producers: Meredith Bennett, Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello, Barry Julien, Matt Lappin, Emily Lazar, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart

 

The Award for Outstanding Sports Program
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

 

The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program TIE
Sesame Street (PBS)
“The Weight of the Nation for Kids: The Great Cafeteria Takeover” (HBO)

 

The Award for Outstanding Digital Series
“30 Rock: The Webisodes” (www.nbc.com)

 

 

Review: "The Good German" Recalls a Certain Kind of 1940s (Happy B'day, Steven Soderbergh)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 86 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Good German (2006) – B&W
Running time: 120 minutes (2 hours)
MPAA – R for language, violence, and some sexual content
DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh
WRITER: Paul Attanasio (based upon the novel by Joseph Kanon)
PRODUCERS: Ben Cosgrove, Gregory Jacobs, and Steven Soderbergh
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Peter Andrews (Soderbergh)
EDITOR: Mary Ann Bernard (Soderbergh)
2007 Academy Awards nominee

DRAMA/MYSTERY with elements of a thriller

Starring: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire, Beau Bridges, Leland Orser, Robin Weigert, Tony Curran, Ravil Isyanov, Dave Power, and Christian Oliver

For The Good German, Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh shot this film the old Hollywood way. For instance, he used the fixed-focal length lenses available to cinematographers in the 1940’s instead of the modern sophisticated zoom lenses. He also directed the actors to perform in the presentational, stage style (which was the acting style used in most Hollywood films before method acting). And it’s in black and white.

In The Good German, U.S. war correspondent Capt. Jacob “Jake” Geismar (George Clooney) gets caught in a web of intrigue involving his former girlfriend, Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett) in post-World War II Berlin. Before the war, Jake managed a news bureau in Berlin, and Lena worked for him. Jake is in the city to cover the upcoming Potsdam Peace Conference where the Allied leaders will determine the fate of the defeated Germans and the newly liberated Europe and split whatever is of any value between the U.S. Russia, and Great Britain. That means people as well as nations.

After Lena’s boyfriend, Patrick Tully (Tobey Maguire), is found dead, Jake learns that Tully, a motor pool driver, was planning on selling information on the whereabouts of Lena’s supposedly deceased husband, Emil Brandt (Christian Oliver), an SS officer who worked in the Nazi’s V2 rocket program. As both the U.S. and Russian militaries hunt for Emil, Jake, still in love with Lena, tries to help her get the papers necessary to get both her and Emil out of Berlin. Tensions arise between Jake and Lena when he learns that she’s been keeping lots of dark secrets of her own.

The acting is pitch perfect for this film. Cate Blanchett, who made 2006 a career year with this film, as well as Babel and Notes on a Scandal, does period pieces so well. She can make a character seem as if she certainly fits in that time period. Clooney keeps his charm and usual film persona intact, but gives a nice turn that has the flavor of a Humphrey Bogart character.

Paul Attanasio’s screenplay (based upon Joseph Kanon’s novel) has the specter of the Holocaust hanging over the story, but Attanasio acknowledges the Cold War looming over the horizon. While Soderbergh visually references Casablanca (1942) for this movie, Attanasio’s script both in mood and plot are similar to Roman Polanski’s 1974 film Chinatown, which was screenwriter Robert Towne’s recreation of 1930’s detective films.

Soderbergh successfully reproduces the kind of story Hollywood told in the 1940’s, and he does it using the technical production methods of that time. The Good German, however, is more than just a smooth slab of meta fiction. It’s a period romance and political thriller like Casablanca. It reminds movie viewers that fine cinema comes first from a great storyteller who makes great storytelling. Sometimes, a director has to make do with what he has – even if it’s not the cutting edge of movie science and technology.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 1 nomination for “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Thomas Newman)

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

2013 Oscar Nominations: "Best Motion Picture of the Year"

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

Nominated film: producer(s)

Amour: To Be Determined

Argo: Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney

Beasts of the Southern Wild: Dan Janvey, Josh Penn, Michael Gottwald

Django Unchained: Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone

Les Misérables: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh

Life of Pi: Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark

Lincoln: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy

Silver Linings Playbook: Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen, Jonathan Gordon

Zero Dark Thirty: Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison  

"Argo" Crosses $100 Million Mark at Domestic Box Office

Warner Bros. Pictures’ Acclaimed Hit “Argo” Strikes Box Office Gold, Surpassing $100 Million

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ben Affleck’s widely acclaimed dramatic thriller “Argo” has crossed the $100 million mark at the domestic box office, it was announced today by Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution. One of the best reviewed films of the year, “Argo” has earned an estimated $101 million, domestically, to date.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “‘Argo’ is one of those rare cinematic achievements that has been equally and enthusiastically embraced by both critics and audiences. Its success at the box office, combined with categorical raves from critics everywhere, is a testament to the talents behind the film, beginning with its remarkable director and star, Ben Affleck. We congratulate him and everyone involved in ‘Argo’ on this milestone.”

“Argo” has been applauded by moviegoers and hailed nationwide by critics, a number of whom have called it one of the best films of the year, among many other accolades. At the box office, “Argo” accomplished the extremely rare feat of climbing to number one in its third weekend in release. Overall, it remained solidly in the top ten for seven weeks, including four weeks in the top three.

Word of mouth has been unabated, which will carry the film through the holiday season, while the buzz surrounding “Argo” has continued to build throughout the fall, heading into awards season. In October, the cast won the Hollywood Film Award for Ensemble of the Year.

“Argo” chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans—spearheaded by the CIA’s heroic exfiltration specialist Tony Mendez—which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis. The drama focuses on the little-known role that the CIA and Hollywood played, information that was not declassified until many years after the event.

On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, the Canadian and American governments ask the CIA to intervene. The CIA turns to their top “exfil” guy, Tony Mendez, to come up with a plan to get the six Americans safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.

Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck (“The Town,” “Good Will Hunting”) directed and stars in “Argo,” produced by Oscar® nominee Grant Heslov (“Good Night, and Good Luck.”), Affleck, and Oscar® winner George Clooney (“Syriana”). The screenplay is by Chris Terrio, based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape,” by Joshuah Bearman. David Klawans, Nina Wolarsky, Chris Brigham, Chay Carter, Graham King and Tim Headington served as executive producers, with Amy Herman co-producing.

“Argo” also stars Bryan Cranston, Oscar® winner Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), and John Goodman. The main cast also includes Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé, Kyle Chandler and Chris Messina.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar®-nominated director of photography Rodrigo Prieto (“Brokeback Mountain”), production designer Sharon Seymour (“The Town”); Oscar®-nominated editor William Goldenberg (“Seabiscuit,” “The Insider”); and Oscar®-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West (“The Social Network,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”). The music is composed by four-time Oscar® nominee Alexandre Desplat (“The King’s Speech,” “The Queen”).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with GK Films, a Smokehouse Pictures production, “Argo.” The film is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. “Argo” has been rated R for language and some violent images.

www.argothemovie.com

"Argo" Soundtrack Now Available

Argo Soundtrack Coming October 9th

Preview the Album, Featuring Original Music by Alexandre Desplat, at the WaterTower Music Website

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On October 9, 2012, WaterTower Music will release Argo: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack at all digital retailers. The original music was composed by four-time Academy-Award® nominee Alexandre Desplat.

The film’s director Ben Affleck said, “We needed to find a theme that we would use throughout—obviously different instrumentation and tempo, but still the same piece of music.” He turned to composer Alexandre Desplat. “Desplat was amazing at crafting an atypical score, incorporating uncommon instruments, many Middle Eastern in origin. It doesn’t feel too literal or cliché, but he created a sound that instantly puts you in that place.”

Desplat received his most recent Oscar® nod for his score for the Best Picture winner “The King’s Speech,” for which he also won a BAFTA Award and earned a Golden Globe nomination. He previously garnered Oscar® and BAFTA Award nominations for his score for the animated “Fantastic Mr. Fox”; Oscar®, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; and Oscar® and BAFTA Award nominations for Stephen Frears’ “The Queen.” In addition, Desplat won a Golden Globe Award for John Curran’s “The Painted Veil,” and also received Golden Globe nominations for his scores for Stephen Gaghan’s “Syriana” and Peter Webber’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”

Desplat more recently created the scores for “The Tree of Life,” directed by Terrence Malick; George Clooney’s “The Ides of March”; “Carnage,” for director Roman Polanski; Stephen Daldry’s “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”; and the two-film finale of the Harry Potter film franchise, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1 and 2.”

Oscar® winner Ben Affleck (“The Town,” “Good Will Hunting”) directs and stars in “Argo,” opening nationwide on October 12, 2012. Based on real events, the dramatic thriller “Argo” chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis, focusing on the little-known role that the CIA and Hollywood played — information that was not declassified until many years after the event. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, the Canadian and American governments ask the CIA to intervene. The CIA turns to their top “exfiltration” specialist, Tony Mendez, to come up with a plan to get the six Americans safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with GK Films, a Smokehouse Pictures production, “Argo.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. Affleck directed the film from a screenplay by Chris Terrio, based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape,” by Joshuah Bearman. The film is produced by Grant Heslov and George Clooney. David Klawans, Nina Wolarsky, Chris Brigham, Chay Carter, Graham King and Tim Headington are the executive producers, with Amy Herman co-producing. “Argo” also stars Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin and John Goodman.

The Argo - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on WaterTower Music will be available digitally on October 9, 2012, and can be previewed at www.watertower-music.com.

www.argothemovie.com

Review: "A Scanner Darkly" is Amazing (Happy B'day, Keanu Reeves)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 166 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)
MPAA – R for drug and sexual content, language, and a brief violent image
DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater
WRITER: Richard Linklater (based upon the novel by Philip K. Dick)
PRODUCERS: Tommy Pallotta, Jonah Smith, Erwin Stoff, Anne Walker-McBay, and Palmer West
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Shane F. Kelly
EDITOR: Sandra Adair
COMPOSER: Graham Reynolds

SCI-FI/DRAMA/MYSTERY

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey, Jr., Woody Harrelson, Rory Cochrane, Winona Ryder, Chamblee Ferguson, and Angela Rawna

The subject of this movie review is A Scanner Darkly, a 2006 science fiction thriller and animated film from director Richard Linklater. The film is based on the 1977 Philip K. Dick novel of the same title, and George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh are among its executive producers.

In a future world (“7 years from now” the movie tells us) where drug addiction is rampant, law enforcement will do anything to catch dealers and their suppliers – even turn one of their own into an addict. Fred (Keanu Reeves) is an undercover agent who spies on (or “scans”) a drug addict and dealer named Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves). Through this assignment Fred becomes hooked on Substance D, a hallucinogenic drug that is as destructive as meth is in our own times. However, this tale has a twist on reality for us. Fred is also Bob. Fred finds his sanity splintered as he deals with his duplicitous law enforcement superiors, and, as Bob, with the two addicts who are his housemates: the shaggy dopester, Ernie Luckman (Woody Harrelson), and the conniving James Barris (Robert Downey, Jr.). Barris turns stool pigeon and joins Fred and his superiors in a complicated scheme to catch Bob and tear down Bob’s drug operation. Meanwhile, Bob has fallen in love with another addict, Donna Hawthorne (Winona Ryder), but there may be more to her than meets the eye.

Richard Linklater’s trippy sci-fi film, A Scanner Darkly, is an animated film, but not the kind we usually think of (Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Warner Bros., etc.). For this movie, Linklater shot live-action footage of his cast and the sets. Animators then took that footage and painstakingly drew and painted over it – a process known as “interpolated rotoscoping” or simply “rotoscoping.” There was some rotoscoping in early Disney animated features, possibly Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (the animators animated Snow White by drawing her over footage of a live actress). Linklater used this process in his 2001 experimental film, Waking Life. Here, it’s like watching a film in which the characters, objects, places, and settings are all shifting liquids – living paint-by-numbers pastels.

As for the quality of the rotoscoping in A Scanner Darkly on the performances, the cast largely looks like themselves, and the audience will certainly recognize the bigger names here: Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey, Jr., and Woody Harrelson. Only Winona Ryder seems less like herself, at least until the end, and that may have been a deliberate choice on the part of Linklater. The technique serves the actors quiet well. They seem lively and free to be someone other than their famous selves, even Reeves who can be a bit stiff. It’s the kind of freedom that comes from wearing a masking, and in a sense, knowing that film recording of your performance will be painted over is like acting with a mask.

As for the narrative, A Scanner Darkly is trippy, but Linklater has captured the paranoia and schizophrenia of Dick’s work on screen like no one has ever done before. That’s saying a lot considering that Dick’s short stories have become films such as Total Recall, Minority Report, and Paycheck, and one of his novels became the film, Blade Runner. Published in 1977, Dick’s novel is a sci-fi allegorical recount of his drug experiences going back to the 1960’s, and it’s one of his most beloved works. I’m happy that Linklater was able to make his own film while retaining so much of PKD’s lunacy.

Here, it’s fun to wonder who is really who and if what’s going on is “real” or just drug-induced fantasies or simply paranoia. Linklater adds a counter-culture, post-millennium vibe all his own. The narrative gets a bit soft and slow in the middle and at the beginning of the last act, but otherwise Linklater’s experiment reaches for perfection. This is like watching his classic mid-90’s flick, Dazed and Confused with a David Lynch remix and backbeats from Requiem for a Dream. Occasionally maddening, sometimes confusing, rarely stupefying, A Scanner Darkly is an experimentalist art film that succeeds on the very path the filmmaker set for it.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, August 4, 2006

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Review: "Batman and Robin" or Badman and Rotten

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 81 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Batman and Robin (1997)
Running time: 125 minutes (2 hours, 5 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for strong stylized action and some innuendos
DIRECTOR: Joel Schumacher
WRITER: Akiva Goldsman (based upon the Batman character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger)
PRODUCER: Peter Macgregor-Scott
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen Goldblatt (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Mark Stevens and Dennis Virkler
COMPOSER: Elliot Goldenthal

SUPERHERO/ACTION/ADVENTURE/FAMILY

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, John Glover, Elle Macpherson, Vivica A. Fox, Coolio, Nicky Katt, and Jeep Swenson

Until there is a fourth sequel, the third sequel to the 1989 box office smash Batman, Batman and Robin will be considered the film that killed the modern Batman film franchise. It’s not as if there is nothing redeemable about this film in particular because it has some good story elements. Batman and Robin is awful simply because it is over-produced. It is as ostentatious as a lavishly decorated and spectacularly colorful Mardi Gras or drag ball.

Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O’Donnell) face the combined forces of Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman). Complicating matters is a rivalry that has grown between the Dynamic Duo. Robin/Dick Grayson wants to do his own thing, and although he understands his young friend’s quest for independence, Batman/Bruce Wayne thinks the young man has a lot to learn, and that he, Bruce, is the teacher, and that the boy should listen. Poison Ivy picks up on this and plays the partners against one another. More trouble arrives in the form of Wayne Manor butler Alfred Pennyworth’s (Michael Gough) niece Barbara Wilson (Alicia Silverstone) who eventually becomes Batgirl.

Everything is overdone in this movie except for the script and the acting, both of which seem neglected. The art direction is as over-the-top sweet as high fructose corn syrup, and the costumes are high camp. Clowns wouldn’t want them, and trick-or-treaters wouldn’t be caught dead in them. The script is poor when it comes to internal logic and consistency. For example, how does Poison Ivy create that ridiculously fancy lair of hers? Where does it come from, and what’s the point of it? It’s just another over-dressed set. I could suspend disbelief if that, along with so much else, just didn’t seem…well, stupid, dumb, and tactless.

The acting is also over the top and bad. At times, Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to revert to the skill (or lack thereof) he showed in his early films. George Clooney, though earnest, is very weak as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Batman needs to carry the movie, but Clooney struggles with poor material, and that’s made worse by the fact that he doesn’t have a grasp of what he’s supposed to do. It’s like the whole time he was running around the movie wondering just what the hell a “Batman” was. Also, it is high time to drop the use of sexual innuendo is Batman films. It’s not funny, and the dialogue is so hackneyed that these “naughty bits” fall flat when delivered by actors who are already being way too campy. I’m not saying that Batman needs to be so dark and serious, but nor should it be played as a bad joke.

However, there are good elements in the story: Mr. Freeze’s quest to save his wife, Poison Ivy’s machinations against Freeze and the Dynamic Duo, Alfred’s illness, Batman dealing with Robin’s growing pains, and the emphasis on family in the story. But it’s all tossed aside in favor of throwing tons of garish crap against the wall in hopes that something will stick; in the end, almost nothing does. The movie is almost a total failure from top to bottom, and it’s frustrating because it could have been something good. Director Joel Schumacher is not without some directorial skill and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman is one of Hollywood’s top scribes.

What we get in this movie is an overblown and wild spectacle made by people who cynically believed that enough people would pay to see this movie no matter how abysmal it was because they just have to see the next installment in the Batman franchise. And that worked to an extent, but many of their ticket buyers left as unsatisfied customers. If Warner Bros. wants to make shit, it’s no skin of my nose. There are always other action movies, always another action blast out, even if it’s from Warner’s own stable.

2 of 10
D

NOTES:
1998 Razzie Awards: 1 win: “Worst Supporting Actress” (Alicia Silverstone); 10 nominations: “Worst Picture” (Peter Macgregor-Scott), “Worst Director” (Joel Schumacher), “Worst Original Song” (Billy Corgan for the song "The End is The Beginning is The End"), “Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property,” “Worst Remake or Sequel,” “Worst Screen Couple” (George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell), “Worst Screenplay” (Akiva Goldsman), “Worst Supporting Actor” (Chris O'Donnell), “Worst Supporting Actor” (Arnold Schwarzenegger), and “Worst Supporting Actress” (Uma Thurman)

-------------------

"The Descendants" Ascends to the Top

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Descendants (2011)
Running time: 115 minutes (1 hour, 55 minutes)
MPAA – R for language including some sexual references
DIRECTOR: Alexander Payne
WRITERS: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash (based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings)
PRODUCERS: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Phedon Papamichael
EDITOR: Kevin Tent
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause, Patricia Hastie, Beau Bridges, Matt Corboy, Robert Forster, Barbara L. Southern, Matthew Lillard, Judy Greer, and Scott Michael Morgan

The subject of this movie review is The Descendants, a 2011 family drama from director Alexander Payne. The film is set in Hawaii and is based upon the 2007 novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film, which is set in Hawaii, focuses on a man who tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident. By the time you read this review, dear reader, you will have heard that The Descendants is one of the best films of 2011. That’s for damn true.

Matthew “Matt” King (George Clooney) is a man with a lot on his mind. The Honolulu-based lawyer is the sole trustee of a family trust that controls 25,000 acres of untouched land on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i. At this time, King and his relatives must decide to whom they will sell the land, which has been in the family for 150 years and which they must sell because of a rule against perpetuities.

What else is on Matt’s mind? Recently, his wife, Elizabeth Thorson King (Patricia Hastie), was in a boating accident, and now she is in a coma. As he prepares to comply with his wife’s living will, Matt must deal with his taciturn father-in-law, Scott Thorson (Robert Forster). Most difficult is reconnecting with his two daughters, to whom he is not close. Alexandra “Alex” King (Shailene Woodley), at 17-years-old, seems to specialize in self-destructive behavior. Ten-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller) shocks everyone with her brazenly inappropriate behavior. If that weren’t enough, Elizabeth had a lover, local real estate stud, Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard).

Director Alexander Payne, and his co-writers, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, won Oscar statuettes for The Descendants’ screenplay, but this film was certainly worthy of winning more Oscars back on February 26, 2012 during the 84th Academy Awards. It’s on my shortlist of films that can arguably be said to be the top one of 2011. I am not the biggest fan of Payne’s critically acclaimed films, Sideways (2004) and About Schmidt (2002), both of which featured dark humor, as they took a satirical view of Middle American life. Although I think both movies are good, I found significant things about them to be contrived, with characters that were more annoying (which I hate) than they were unlikable (which I can accept).

The Descendants is unfailingly human, especially compared to all the contrived dramas and fantastical special effects-laden films being released. Everything this film says about marriage, family discord, and friendship just feels so authentic, but Payne doesn’t turn this film dark and morbid. He handles this potent family drama with poignancy and splashes of humor that make the heartfelt substantive rather than manipulative.

The Descendants is a testament to the amazing things filmmakers and casts can do when they come together to tell a great story about characters with whom the audience members not only identify, but also recognize in the core of their souls. In fact, Payne gets great performances from his cast, and I can see why many thought Shailene Woodley as “Alex” should have received an Oscar nomination as best supporting actress. Truthfully, everyone in this cast deserves some kind of notice; each person makes his character seem real in the context of this larger circle of family and friends.

Yes, The Descendants is one of the year’s very best movies. It is the kind of drama that is hard to forget.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2012 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay” (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash); 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Alexander Payne), “Best Achievement in Film Editing” (Kevin Tent), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” (George Clooney)

2012 BAFTA Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Film” (Alexander Payne, Jim Burke, and Jim Taylor), “Best Adapted Screenplay” (Jim Rash, Alexander Payne, and Nat Faxon), “Best Leading Actor” (George Clooney)

2012 Golden Globes: 2 wins: “Best Motion Picture – Drama” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (George Clooney); 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Alexander Payne), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Shailene Woodley), and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, and Alexander Payne)

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Jean Dujardin Wins Best Actor Oscar for "The Artist'

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

WINNER - Jean Dujardin for The Artist

Nominees:
Demián Bichir for A Better Life
George Clooney for The Descendants
Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt for Moneyball

"The Descendants" Wins Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

WINNER - The Descendants: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

Nominees:
Hugo: John Logan
The Ides of March: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Moneyball: Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

The Ides of March movie review

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 7 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Ides of March (2011)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive language
DIRECTOR: George Clooney
WRITERS: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon (based upon Beau Willimon’s play “Farragut North”)
PRODUCERS: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Brian Oliver
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Phedon Papamichael
EDITOR: Stephen Mirrione
COMPOSER: Alexandre Desplat
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/POLITICS with elements of a thriller

Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, and Max Minghella

The Ides of March is a 2011 political drama directed by George Clooney. The film is based on the 2008 play, Farragut North, by Beau Willimon, who also co-wrote the screenplay for this film adaptation. Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the film’s executive producers, and his production company, Appian Way Productions, is one of this film’s financial backers. The Ides of March is kind of a thriller, but it doesn’t really work as a thriller. The best moments are when the film puts two characters together in a clash or test of wills.

The film focuses on Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), the Junior Campaign Manager for a Democratic presidential candidate, Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney). Morris’ campaign is competing in the Democratic primary, and the latest battleground is the state of Ohio, where Morris battles the other Democratic presidential candidate, Arkansas Senator Ted Pullman. Both campaigns are also attempting to win the endorsement of U.S. Senator Franklin Thompson (Jeffrey Wright), D-North Carolina.

Meyers is doing well at his job, but he gets involved in two troublesome situations. First, he holds a secret meeting with Pullman’s Campaign Manager, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). Then, he becomes embroiled in drama with a Morris campaign intern, Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood). One entanglement could ruin Meyers, but the other has the potential to destroy the Morris campaign.

The Ides of March feels restrained to me. The entire movie simmers like a dish that needs to boil-over, but doesn’t know how or when to do it. The best moments in the film are when two characters clash. The best confrontations feature Meyers and Senior Campaign Manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) or Meyers and Molly Stearns. There is one major test of wills between Meyers and his boss, Mike Morris (who is Governor of Pennsylvania), and another between Meyers and Sen. Thompson. Both occur in the film’s last act, but these moments made me realize that this movie should have had more scenes featuring Meyers, Morris, and Thompson in some combination. It is as if the best stuff is happening off-camera.

Honestly, I can recommend The Ides of March to people that enjoy watching particular members of this cast act in dramas, especially Gosling and Clooney. I think people who like political dramas will like this, although they should not expect this to be humorous or satirical (at least not in an obvious way). Although it has an electrifying second half, The Ides of March isn’t as good or as visceral as it could be.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2012 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published” (George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon)

2012 BAFTA Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Adapted Screenplay” (Beau Willimon, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov) and “Best Supporting Actor” (Philip Seymour Hoffman)

2012 Golden Globes: 4 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (George Clooney), “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Ryan Gosling), and “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, and George Clooney)

2012 Image Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Jeffrey Wright)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

2012 Academy Award Nominations: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:

Demián Bichir for A Better Life (2011)

George Clooney for The Descendants (2011)

Jean Dujardin for The Artist (2011)

Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Brad Pitt for Moneyball (2011)

2012 Academy Award Nominations: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Nominees:

The Descendants (2011): Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

Hugo (2011): John Logan

The Ides of March (2011): George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon

Moneyball (2011): Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

69th Golden Globe Award Winners - Complete List

The 69th Golden Globes Awards were given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association on Sunday, Jan. 15th 2012 in a ceremony broadcast live on NBC.

2012 Golden Globe Awards Winners (For the year ended December 31, 2011):

FILM

BEST DRAMA PICTURE
"The Descendants"

BEST COMEDY/MUSICAL PICTURE
"The Artist"

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
George Clooney, "The Descendants"

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"

BEST COMEDY/MUSICAL ACTOR
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"

BEST COMEDY/MUSICAL ACTRESS
Michelle Williams, "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chrisopher Plummer, "Beginners"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"

BEST SCREENPLAY
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
"The Adventures of Tintin"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
"A Separation"

BEST SCORE
Ludovic Bource, "The Artist"

BEST SONG
"Masterpiece" ("W.E.")
Music and Lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jim Harry

TELEVISION

BEST DRAMA SERIES
"Homeland"

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Kelsey Grammer, "Boss"

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Claire Danes, "Homeland

BEST COMEDY SERIES
"Modern Family"

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes"

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Laura Dern, "Enlightened"

BEST MOVIE/MINISERIES
"Downton Abbey"

BEST MOVIE/MINI ACTRESS
Kate Winslet, "Mildred Pierce"

BEST MOVIE/MINI ACTOR
Idris Elba, "Luther"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"

Cecil B. DeMille Award: Morgan Freeman

Critics' Choice Chooses "The Artist" Best Film; "The Help" Best Ensemble

The Broadcast Film Critics Association bestowed the 17th annual Critics' Choice Awards last night (Thurs., Jan. 12) in a ceremony aired live on VH1.

17th Annual Critics' Choice Awards: Complete List of Winners for the Year in Film – 2011 (WINNER in bold):

BEST PICTURE
WINNER - "The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Drive"
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
"The Help"
"Hugo"
"Midnight in Paris"
"Moneyball"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"

BEST DIRECTOR
Stephen Daldry – "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
WINNER - Michel Hazanavicius – "The Artist"
Alexander Payne – "The Descendants"
Nicolas Winding Refn – "Drive"
Martin Scorsese – "Hugo"
Steven Spielberg – "War Horse"

BEST ACTOR
WINNER - George Clooney – "The Descendants"
Leonardo DiCaprio – "J. Edgar"
Jean Dujardin – "The Artist"
Michael Fassbender – "Shame"
Ryan Gosling – "Drive"
Brad Pitt – "Moneyball"

BEST ACTRESS
WINNER - Viola Davis – "The Help"
Elizabeth Olsen – "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
Meryl Streep – "The Iron Lady"
Tilda Swinton – "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
Charlize Theron – "Young Adult"
Michelle Williams – "My Week With Marilyn"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh – "My Week With Marilyn"
Albert Brooks – "Drive"
Nick Nolte – "Warrior"
Patton Oswalt – "Young Adult"
WINNER - Christopher Plummer – "Beginners"
Andrew Serkis – "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo – "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain – "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy – "Bridesmaids"
Carey Mulligan – "Shame"
WINNER - Octavia Spencer – "The Help"
Shailene Woodley – "The Descendants"

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Asa Butterfield – "Hugo"
Elle Fanning – "Super 8"
WINNER - Thomas Horn – "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
Ezra Miller – "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
Saoirse Ronan – "Hanna"
Shailene Woodley – "The Descendants"

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
"The Artist"
"Bridesmaids"
"The Descendants"
WINNER - "The Help"
"The Ides of March"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY"The Artist" – Michel Hazanavicius
"50/50" – Will Reiser
WINNER - "Midnight in Paris" – Woody Allen
"Win Win" – Screenplay by Tom McCarthy, Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni
"Young Adult" – Diablo Cody

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"The Descendants" – Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" – Eric Roth
"The Help" – Tate Taylor
"Hugo" – John Logan
WINNER - "Moneyball" – Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Story by Stan Chervin

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
"The Adventures of Tintin"
"Arthur Christmas"
"Kung Fu Panda 2"
"Puss in Boots"
WINNER - "Rango"

BEST ACTION MOVIE
WINNER - "Drive"
"Fast Five"
"Hanna"
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
"Super 8"

BEST COMEDY
WINNER - "Bridesmaids"
"Crazy, Stupid, Love"
"Horrible Bosses"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Muppets"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"In Darkness"
"Le Havre"
WINNER - "A Separation"
"The Skin I Live In"
"Where Do We Go Now"

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"Buck"
"Cave of Forgotten Dreams"
WINNER - "George Harrison: Living in the Material World"
"Page One: Inside the New York Times"
"Project Nim"
"Undefeated"

BEST ART DIRECTION
"The Artist"
Production Designer: Laurence Bennett, Art Director: Gregory S. Hooper

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
Production Designer: Stuart Craig, Set Decorator: Stephenie McMillan

WINNER - "Hugo"
Production Designer: Dante Ferretti, Set Decorator: Francesca Lo Schiavo

"The Tree of Life"
Production Designer: Jack Fisk, Art Director: David Crank

"War Horse"
Production Designer: Rick Carter, Set Decorator: Lee Sandales

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (TIE)
"The Artist" – Guillaume Schiffman
"Drive" – Newton Thomas Sigel
"Hugo" – Robert Richardson
WINNER - "The Tree of Life" – Emmanuel Lubezki
WINNER - "War Horse" – Janusz Kaminski

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WINNER - "The Artist" – Mark Bridges
"The Help" – Sharen Davis
"Hugo" – Sandy Powell
"Jane Eyre" – Michael O’Connor
"My Week With Marilyn" – Jill Taylor

BEST EDITING
"The Artist" – Michel Hazanavicius and Anne-Sophie Bion
"Drive" – Matthew Newman
WINNER - "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
"Hugo" – Thelma Schoonmaker
"War Horse" – Michael Kahn

BEST MAKEUP
"Albert Nobbs"
WINNER - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"The Iron Lady"
"J. Edgar"
"My Week With Marilyn"

BEST SONG
"Hello Hello" – performed by Elton John and Lady Gaga/written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin – "Gnomeo & Juliet"

WINNER - "Life’s a Happy Song" – performed by Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – "The Muppets"

"The Living Proof" – performed by Mary J. Blige/written by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman and Harvey Mason, Jr. – "The Help"

"Man or Muppet" – performed by Jason Segel and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – "The Muppets"

"Pictures in My Head" – performed by Kermit and the Muppets/written by Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis and Chen Neeman – "The Muppets"

BEST SCORE
WINNER - "The Artist" – Ludovic Bource
"Drive" – Cliff Martinez
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
"Hugo" – Howard Shore
"War Horse" – John Williams

BEST SOUND
WINNER - "
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
"Super 8"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
"Hugo"
WINNER - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
"Super 8"
"The Tree of Life"

Women Film Critics Favor "The Help" and "The Iron Lady"

The Women Film Critics Circle is an association of women film critics, who are involved in print, radio, online and TV broadcast media. Founded in 2004, this group is the first women critics’ organization in the United States.

2011 Women Film Critics Circle Awards:

BEST MOVIE BY A WOMAN
WINNERS: (tie) The Iron Lady and We Need To Talk About Kevin
Pariah
The Whistleblower

BEST MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN
WINNER: The Help
Albert Nobbs
Cracks
Rid Of Me

BEST WOMAN STORYTELLER - Screenwriting Award
WINNER: The Iron Lady [Abi Morgan]
In The Land Of Blood And Honey [Angelina Jolie]
Pariah [Dee Reese]
We Need To Talk About Kevin [Lynne Ramsay]

BEST ACTRESS
WINNER: Viola Davis: The Help
Jessica Chastain: The Debt/The Help
Meryl Streep: The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton: We Need To Talk About Kevin

BEST ACTOR
WINNER: George Clooney: The Descendants
Jean Dujardin: The Artist
Tom Hardy: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy/Warrior
Ryan Gosling: Drive, The Ides Of March

BEST COMEDIC ACTRESS
WINNER: Melissa McCarthy: Bridesmaids
Katie O’Grady: Rid Of Me
Sarah Jessica Parker: I Don’t Know How She Does It
Kristen Wiig: Bridesmaids

BEST YOUNG ACTRESS
WINNER: Shailene Woodley: The Descendants
Jordana Beatty: Judy Moody
Liana Liberato: Trust
Amara Miller: The Descendants

BEST FOREIGN FILM BY OR ABOUT WOMEN
WINNER: The Hedgehog
A Separation
In The Land Of Blood And Honey
When We Leave

BEST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE
WINNER: The Whistleblower
Albert Nobbs
The Iron Lady
Soul Surfer

WORST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE
WINNER (?): Melancholia
Jack And Jill
My Week With Marilyn
Young Adult

BEST MALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE
WINNER: The Descendants
50/50
Meet Monica Velour
Of Gods And Men

WORST MALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE
WINNER (?): The Hangover 2
No Strings Attached
The Skin I Live In
Straw Dogs

BEST DOCUMENTARIES BY OR ABOUT WOMEN
WINNER: Always Faithful
The Price Of Sex
The Woman With The Five Elephants
Women Art Revolution

BEST FAMILY FILM
WINNER: Hugo
Judy Moody
The Muppets
The Adventures of Tintin

BEST ANIMATED FEMALES
WINNER: Puss N Boots 3D
Arthur Christmas
Gnomeo And Juliet
Kung Fu Panda 2

BEST EQUALITY OF THE SEXES
WINNER: The Debt
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The Iron Lady
Midnight In Paris

COURAGE IN ACTING - Taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen
WINNER: Glenn Close: Albert Nobbs
Josiane Balasko: The Hedgehog
Mimi Chakarova: The Price Of Sex
Tilda Swinton: We Need To Talk About Kevin

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN AWARD - Performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored
WINNER (tie): Miral: Hiram Abbass and Meeks Cutoff: Michelle Williams
Danai Gurira: 3 Backyards
Red Shirley

WOMEN’S WORK: BEST ENSEMBLE
WINNER: The Help
Albert Nobbs
Bridesmaids
The Whistleblower

BEST SCREEN COUPLE
WINNER: The Artist: Berenice Bejo and Jean Dujardin
Gnomeo And Juliet
The Iron Lady
Like Crazy

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
WINNERS: (tie) Kathy Bates and Cicely Tyson
Hiam Abbass
Michelle Yeoh

ACTING AND ACTIVISM
WINNER: Elizabeth Taylor
Mia Farrow
Daryl Hannah
Alfre Woodard

ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD - For a film that most passionately opposes violence against women
WINNER: The Whistleblower
In A Better World
In The Land Of Blood And Honey
Life, Above All

JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD - For best expressing the woman of color experience in America
WINNER: The Help
America
Pariah
3 Backyards

KAREN MORLEY AWARD - For best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity
WINNER: Albert Nobbs
The Conspirator
Meek’s Cutoff
Snow Flower And The Secret Fan

MOMMIE DEAREST WORST SCREEN MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Judi Dench: J. Edgar

The SEC Crowns "The Descendants" as Best Picture of 2011

Obviously, I've taken liberty with a film critics association's acronym.  But forgive me because this is the eve of an all-SEC BCS Championship Game.

Anyway, the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) is a professional organization of more than 40 film journalists working in the print, radio and online media.  The group represents the Southeastern section of the United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Since 1992, 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.”

2011 SEFCA Winners:

BEST PICTURE
The Descendants

TOP TEN FILMS
The Descendants
The Artist
Hugo
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
Drive
Midnight in Paris
Win Win
War Horse
The Help

BEST ACTOR
Winner – George Clooney (The Descendants)
Runner-up – Michael Fassbender (Shame)

BEST ACTRESS
Winner – Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Runner-up – Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner – Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Runner-up – Albert Brooks, Drive

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner – Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Runner-up – Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST ENSEMBLE
Winner – The Help
Runner-up – The Descendants

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner – Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Runner-up – Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner – Midnight in Paris
Runner-up – The Artist

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner – The Descendants
Runner-up – Moneyball

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Winner – Project Nim
Runner-up – Tabloid

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Winner – A Separation
Runner-up – The Skin I Live In

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner – Rango
Runner-up – The Adventures of Tintin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner – The Tree of Life
Runner-up – Hugo

The GENE WYATT AWARD
Winner – The Help
Runner-up – Undefeated